After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Accompanied by freezing or raging fire, by corrosion or simply by magical bombardment, the brains of the demons targeted by the final attack were spurted out from the back of their heads, and their bodies naturally swayed precariously due to the severe damage to their brains.

Among the demons targeted by the concentrated fire, one high-ranking demon died directly from the magic puppet's gunfire, his brain riddled with ice spikes. The remaining demons instinctively tried to evolve skin to resist magic, but were then hit by artillery fire from the front as their armor peeled away.

This time, the shells were truly aimed at their faces and bodies. The Golem commanders of the United Nations, realizing that the garrison in the building was consciously cooperating with their operations, immediately adjusted their strategy, prioritizing the high-ranking demons who were simultaneously under concentrated fire.

"They're finished! If they can't resist both magical and physical damage at the same time and are caught in the middle, these high-ranking demons who can't unleash their special abilities are just giant targets on the newly opened battlefield! Quick! Destroy their organs before they can unleash their special abilities! Keep firing!"

The commander shouted orders, and the Listener girl who had been sent up to command the golems just rolled her eyes. Then she controlled another batch of grenade golems that had been teleported by the archmage to launch a barrage on the demon's location.

Unlike machine guns, howitzers have a larger caliber, resulting in a greater blast radius. While their armor penetration might not be as high as that of the machine guns wielded by Golems, the sheer force of the explosion might be more effective against these high-ranking demons who have evolved armor than smaller caliber shells that cannot penetrate their armor.

Not to mention that if the demons were to evolve magic-resistant skin to resist the surge of magic behind them, their tender skin would still be unable to withstand the impact of the high-speed falling cannonballs.

"The hunters have lured away the smaller high-ranking demons as planned! We'll have to deal with the remaining demon larvae and large high-ranking demons ourselves!" the on-site commander shouted, ordering the fresh troops to quickly find cover and prepare for battle. "Don't let the heavy machine guns fail us! We need them to fight off the surging demonic tide—when are the next troops arriving?!"

"Fifteen minutes from now. The next wave of troops will include a large number of ordinary golems as reinforcements." The archmage, panting after the teleportation ended, said, "But that's the second-to-last wave—His Majesty was present when the last wave arrived! So you must annihilate all the demons here. Good luck!"

"Then hurry up and send the third batch of reinforcements over! Damn! They're here... Prepare according to the plan, quick!"

The demons were advancing at a slower pace than the Bayrzens had anticipated, but the fact that His Majesty the Regent would be present was beyond the comprehension of the United Nations' forces.

They didn't understand why His Majesty the Regent would come to the scene unnecessarily, but they were certain that they needed to ensure the safety of the area before the Regent arrived.

This was a heavy responsibility—but the commander of Bayern only found it "slightly troublesome."

He was originally a battle-hardened officer who was promoted after the restoration of the country. Even though he looked only twenty-five years old, he had indeed commanded dozens of battles against demons.

He was very familiar with the habits of demons, and knew that without any "learning," a demon's initial attack would actually be... very primitive.

In a sense, the primal demons would launch a fierce frontal attack like an invincible nomad, while simultaneously using their agile demonic offspring to attack the enemy's positions from the flanks.

In the age of cold weapons, this was fatal. Therefore, in most cases, the Bayezians would choose to fight the demons in places with fortified cities—but things are different now.

BOOM!!

Violent explosions rang out from the left and right sides of the main road ahead, followed by the sound of gunfire from the heavy machine gun positions located on the left and right sides.

The Bayer Zans have brand-new weapons, brand-new tactics, and more importantly... compared to the demons here, they are true "veterans."

Long before the hunters went to guide the high-ranking demons, the commander had already ordered the soldiers to prepare on the flanks.

Those were crude landmines made from explosive ore by the soldiers and elves after discussion. Whenever a demon's large foot stepped on the deliberately dug-out, exposed mineral shell, the explosive ore's sensitive interior would immediately react.

As a sensitive mineral, once it reacts, the victims will be met with a violent explosion. Although a single explosion might at most break an arm or leg, or cause partial paralysis, the damage caused by a dozen people sharing the brunt of an explosion in a confined space is unbearable!

Beyond the destruction caused by the exploding minefields, the commander also constructed a highly effective interception zone behind the minefield using portable barbed wire. Behind this zone, a Japa 1405 heavy machine gun, along with some gunners and elven mages, were positioned to provide flank protection.

With the explosions of landmines, the interception of barbed wire, the strafing of heavy machine guns, and the various buffs provided by the mages, the demon larvae that had launched a sneak attack from the side were quickly annihilated.

"Once the flanks are secured, with our current strength, the demons charging in the front will be routed... But those high-ranking demons are still opponents we must deal with as soon as possible—machine guns! How's the machine gun golem's reload?! Fire another round! It seems like the people inside the building have also broken out! Hurry!"

The commander's impatient urging made the Listener girl roll her eyes again. She ordered the machine gun golem to reload, and more importantly, with the help of the mages, she slowly cooled down the barrel without damaging the weapon. Then, she casually remarked:

"We can still fire... twenty more shots. After that, we must stop firing, otherwise there is a risk of the barrel exploding."

"Twenty times?! That's enough! Let the grenade launchers fire a few more rounds, but don't hurt the ones in front—have the machine gun golems shoot at the neck of the one in front, which should be a fire-breathing demon subspecies! It doesn't look that thick, even after evolution, quick!"

"...knew."

Uncomfortable with the urging, but knowing it was a matter of life and death, the Ling tribe girl simply turned her red antlers into a safe green before continuing to perform her duties.

Thanks to her efforts, the golems launched another swift offensive.

Their grenades caused enormous damage in the torrent of demon larvae. This formation, layered upon layered and denser than a mille-feuille, could be riddled with demon larvae even when fired from a ballista, let alone from a grenade launcher specifically designed for large-scale destruction.

In the explosion, the demon larva's corpse was torn to pieces, and the high-ranking demons were also blasted into staggers by the shelling, and even had to kneel on one knee to reduce the area of ​​their injuries in order to stop the United Nations from focusing their fire further.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the garrison inside the building fired another round of shots at the United Nations, and once again fired magical rays at the back of the heads and necks of several high-ranking demons—but at that moment, several high-ranking demons who had evolved magic-resistant skin stepped forward and blocked the deadly magic!

"What?!" The commander of the United Nations gasped. "They've evolved a tactical mindset like the Tortoise Formation in just this short time?! This is...!"

He cursed under his breath, glanced back at the black dragon who was waiting idly, gritted his teeth, and knew that he had to ask the people of Isgard for help.

Meanwhile, in front of the library, after bravely slaying countless enemies, Elena calculated the number of demons while observing their current movements.

"Detection in progress... Demon count: 47% remaining. The vast majority of demon larvae died or were severely injured due to the widespread explosion. The unknown forces possess many technologies that we can learn from."

The high-ranking demons have entered a phase of evolutionary learning. In the process of assessment... they have learned the tactics of having anti-magic units deal with magic and high-armor units withstand artillery fire. They remain stationary...

Detection in progress... It's determined that the high-ranking demon is protecting one of its individuals by [stripping away] the air sac used to cope with the immense pressure generated during the forced landing on the floating continent, and is regaining its special abilities... This is a dangerous signal; it's estimated that the target needs another two minutes to complete its full evolution...

...We are unable to approach the high-level demons' defenses, and the smaller high-level demons are nowhere to be found. We are perplexed. What should we do?

The synthetic and magical puppet forces stood amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood before the library. They could at most ensure the safety of those in front of them and pursue the demonic infants' forces—but what about the high-ranking demons who had already formed a circle to protect one of their individuals after it had completed its evolution?

At this moment, Elena and the other Edenians were as helpless as an ordinary person facing a beehive heavily guarded by wasps, completely unprotected. They could only hope that the opposing forces would provide an opportunity for their archers occupying the high ground, but the enemy seemed equally helpless. What to do?

Elena remembered the [Download] function of the magic network. She knew that the entire Kingdom of Eden was covered by the magic network; in other words, if someone could use [Download] to enter the demon horde and kill the high-ranking demon that was evolving, it would inevitably cause chaos among the entire demon horde...

In this situation, an Edenian who can ensure their consciousness is preserved after being uploaded to the magic network is the best choice. However, the magic network currently doesn't store enough magic power. Given that only one person can be teleported at a time, it's crucial to ensure the body's stability and strength, and most importantly, to find an individual who can unhesitatingly sacrifice themselves to end the battle...

"Then it's just me, isn't it?" Although she wasn't sure if the area where the demon horde was located still supported [Personality Upload], Elena knew that only she could deliver a crushing blow to the impending calamity. Only she could protect Eden's future from the demonic onslaught!

Elena acted decisively. Amidst the exclamations of the magical dolls, "Elena, what are you doing?!", she disintegrated her entire body through the magic network.

She then focused her energy and resources, downloading herself into the circle surrounded by the demon horde. She looked up and met the eyes of a fire-breathing demon lying on the ground, its air sac organs completely torn apart, its body covered in hard armor.

The fire-breathing demon's [throat] and [flame organs], which it uses to unleash its special abilities, didn't seem to be fully grown yet—Elena judged this. After a crouching leap to dodge the fire-breathing demon's outstretched claws, she landed on the demon's head.

The demon undergoing the evolution of a special organ had no lingering effects from evolving a second organ—Elena recalled the information about demons in the Great Library's database, then dodged another attack from the fire-breathing demon by sidestepping, and aimed the magic spear she had downloaded again at the fire-breathing demon's eyes.

"Probability of kill... 100%." ​​Elena stated coldly, then plunged her spear into the demon's eye. Amidst the demon's roar, she leaped up and, amidst the shouts of the other high-ranking demons who turned to look, forcefully stomped on the butt of her spear.

The demons swung their claws at her, but the magic spear also pierced the fire-breathing demon's head through its eye, and under the magic spear's self-destruction, its brain was completely destroyed by the raging artificial magic.

The demon horde's formation was in complete disarray, and the only high-ranking demon who could potentially influence the battle was already dead—it seemed that he had already fulfilled his greatest purpose.

Seeing the demons rushing towards her, and knowing that she didn't have time to disintegrate her body, Elena's lips curled up slightly.

Is this what victory feels like?

The synthetic doll closed her eyes. But just as she realized her death was imminent, and she might not even be able to upload her own personality—she felt something in front of her suddenly smash open the demon's body with an explosion, then grab her body with something like claws and lift her into the air.

what?

The doll-like girl opened her eyes in a daze and found herself being held in the hand of a black dragon covered in wounds.

She blurted out this without thinking:

"A black dragon...? Judging from the analysis, there are no dragons on the continent of Elusia, nor is it located on a dragon migration route—how could this be?"

"We'll talk about it later—I just risked my life to save you, and instead of thanking me, you think I shouldn't be here?!"

The black dragon suddenly exhaled two streams of hot air from its nostrils. Elena, who was held in the dragon's claws, subconsciously looked towards where the demon horde had been. After discovering that the demons had been thrown into disarray by her actions and were eventually annihilated due to their exposed weaknesses, she finally relaxed.

Although she wasn't good at expressing her thoughts, Elena was still very worried about whether her "parents" would be harmed. After thinking for a while, she decided to thank the black dragon who had saved her and one of Eden's.

"Thank you. Thank you. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm not with them. We're just partners." The black dragon glanced at the United Nations' positions in the distance. "They are the United Nations, a nation formed by the merger of Bayrzans and Gaparia—I am from Isgard, a nation on the continent of Orros... By the way, do you even know what the continent of Orros is like? And the way you talk is fucking weird."

"Confused: This is my normal way of expressing myself. Certainly. I know the continent of Orros. A thousand years ago, they perished together with demons, and the flames raged for a century—has a new civilization already emerged there?"

"...Alright then."

The black dragon sighed.

Having obtained important information, her attempt to force her way into the demon horde in human form, then transform into a dragon to rescue people and escape with the help of her own forces, almost losing an arm in the process, has finally yielded a reasonable reward.

But this also strengthened Heilong's belief in forging friendships with the countries on this unknown continent.

After all, they know the history of the continent of Orros thousands of years ago... and it seems they also know how to fight against demons.

But then again—were these demons not as powerful as I imagined? Or am I just too strong?

Heilong was somewhat smug.

Meanwhile, the hunters of Bayrzans were panting as they pulled their weapons from the small, high-ranking demons.

Following them into another set of ruins were about twenty high-ranking demons, most of whom were previously unknown and were now known as the "Shieldbreaker Demons." The rest were slow-moving, petrified demons.

The petrifying demons were easy to deal with, but the shield-breaker demons were... a bit more difficult.

“Once they see a target, they charge without hesitation, as if they were born to break through the enemy's defenses…” Williams gasped as he pulled the alien weapon from the demon's corpse. “Their corpses will add an important asset to our country, but more than these assets, I am concerned about how these demons evolved.”

"They're like wild bulls, but incredibly agile. Did you notice some of them just spinning wildly on the ground like tops?"

"Don't underestimate these guys! If I hadn't saved your life, you'd be a pile of minced meat on the ground by now! But then again... it seems the new generation of demons is also evolving. It's hard to imagine whether we veterans will still be of any use in the future."

"We should worry more about the present than the future—are we sure everyone is dead?"

"They're all dead. The bodies are all here, but just to be safe, we have to cut off their hearts and heads. I've heard that some demons used to learn to play dead; I wonder if the demons here do that too."

The hunters began dissecting the demons' corpses one by one, completely destroying their hearts and heads to ensure that these high-ranking demons had no chance of coming back to life.

They then severed the demon's limbs to ensure that even if the demon were resurrected by some kind of magical power, it would not be able to move freely. They then pulled out the demon's intestines and tied them together.

Demon intestines are a precious magical material, but for veteran hunters, the greatest use of these rare materials on the battlefield is to ensure that the demons are completely dead.

"Alright, that's all right now."

They wiped the purple blood from their faces, marked the spot for future logistical recovery, and then left.

Meanwhile, the fighting on the main battlefield was also nearing its end.

Without the cover of the high-ranking demons, the smaller demon larvae failed to break through the United Nations' firepower. They were either torn to pieces by heavy machine gun fire or blown to smithereens by howitzer shells.

Some lucky larvae managed to reach the front of the position, but they were quickly entangled in the barbed wire and then silently riddled with bullets by the Bayerzans and Elven soldiers behind the bunkers, as if they were shooting at targets.

It was like modern people using modern weapons and tactics to slaughter primitive people—not counting the third wave of troops, the United Nations used two waves of troops, totaling more than 3,000 men, to achieve an epic victory that annihilated more than 10,000 enemies. But even so, the commander of Bayern was not happy.

Because he noticed it.

"Many of the demon larvae look quite fresh."

He tore the flesh and blood of the demon larva from the barbed wire, sniffed it for a while, and then, under the disdainful gaze of the Ling tribe girl, he and his adjutant gave this conclusion.

His female adjutant nodded, then handed the commander the maps that the Eagle Knights had drawn at the start of the battle, showing them the locations they had visited.

"According to the descriptions of the Eagle Knights, there is a high-ranking demon in the north of this continent that is suspected to be the [Mother]... but the food here is absolutely not enough for them to reproduce, so what's going on?"

"Perhaps they've evolved a way to absorb other forms of energy for reproduction. Don't forget, we humans eat because we can only obtain energy through eating—the magic here seems incredibly abundant; even the broken stones on the ground are being reborn with dense magic... It's not surprising that demons have evolved organs that feed on magic, is it?"

"Doesn't that mean we'll be fighting against ancient demons who are also at their peak, alongside the survivors, during their most powerful period?"

The adjutant's doubts left the commander of Bayer Zans in silence for a long while.

He then casually tossed the meat onto the barbed wire fence, waiting for the fourth batch of troops—the one that His Majesty the Regent would personally lead—to arrive, nodding as if it were the most natural thing in the world.