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

Simply restoring the physical body, simply evolving the larvae, simply increasing the strength of the army, is simply not enough to compete with the weapons in the hands of the reformed elves.

With another wave of attacks from the elven mage and the machine gun golem, the demon army, which had been restored by the healing demon sacrifice, was once again defeated.

The revitalized demons broke through the exhausted Bayrzans' defenses in an instant, only to be surrounded and annihilated the next. However, they had still inflicted heavy casualties on the Bayrzans' forces—real human lives lost.

However, this alone is still not enough to change the course of the battle.

Just as the Roman Empire, no matter how many militia it assembled, couldn't defeat the modern elven army, the demons are outdated. Outdated for far too long, so much so that no matter how hard they try, they can't keep up with the times.

They were perfect in the past.

But just as a perfect match can never match the efficiency of an imperfect blowtorch in ignition.

They are outdated.

............

With the assistance of the surface elf alliance, Bayez's war against the demons has reached a stage of unstoppable progress.

Although all the warriors were exhausted, they continued their relentless advance, shields raised high. Elves and golems assisted them, and their destination, of course, was the Demon Mother's Nest in the Demon Lands.

Without a doubt, it was a place like a nightmare.

Everywhere were slippery roots and slippery fleshy walls, and the enormous [Mother] demon, as large as a small mountain, was located within them.

It is a fragile demon. Because its only ability is to give birth to countless demon offspring, but in return, it is extremely fragile.

Without the assistance of high-ranking demons, it couldn't even move on its own, let alone the situation where, thousands of years ago, Constantine XII's feat resulted in more than half of its body being buried alive underground.

All its weaknesses, including its cloaca for breeding demonic offspring, were now exposed to the panting Bayerns and Elves. The Bayerns were now one step away from victory.

But they were all stunned. Not only were the Bayerzens stunned, but even the elves were stunned.

Without him.

Beside the [Mother Body], there is a mountain of corpses made up of demon remains.

All the demon corpses that weren't recovered by the Bayrzans during the Thousand-Year War are here. They pile up here, rot here, and turn into withered bones, but not a single demon has ever considered turning these corpses into food.

The newly bred larvae were still trying to protect the mother, but the Bayer Zans easily crushed the newborn larvae, which were not even the size of a foot, with their large feet.

"These demons... are truly terrifying."

A Bayer Zans nobleman, who always kept a piece of cloth over his mouth, murmured.

"The records indicate that we were unable to recover at least tens of thousands of demon corpses... Aside from those that fell directly into underground lava or river systems, all the other corpses were recovered by the demons? How terrifying... If they didn't lack [writing] and [language], they would actually be a completely new civilization..."

"That's all in the past now, you germaphobe! We won! Now all that's left is this [Matrix]!"

"But how do we destroy this mountain-sized thing? Where is the Archmage?!"

"He's already passed away along with the Eagle Flag veteran. Don't bother this old man who's lived for thousands of years and can finally rest again! We have to figure it out ourselves!"

Bayerzans was worried about how to deal with the last high-ranking demon. Just then, Yang Hao, who had met up with Naruja and brought the golems to the lair, stared at the enormous creature in front of him for a moment, then clapped his hands, signaling everyone to leave.

Although the Bayern people found the man's identity strange, they clearly remembered the antlered girl who could summon stone golems and the elves. They exchanged glances and ultimately chose to obey Yang Hao's orders.

After they had traveled some distance, Yang Hao had Naruja control a golem covered in bombs and explosive minerals to rush into the cloaca of the [Mother] demon.

Feeling something foreign rush into her body, the [Mother] demon struggled incessantly, and her screams seemed to echo from within the rocks.

But under Naruja's control, the golem relentlessly advanced deeper—finally, the [Mother] demon's struggles intensified, and Naruja told Yang Hao that the golem had reached the very end. It couldn't go any further. What should they do now?

"It exploded."

His Majesty the Regent casually confirmed the death sentence for the [Mother] Demon. With a muffled thud emanating from within the [Mother] Demon and followed by a burst of flames, the Golem was blasted into countless fragments within the [Mother] Demon's body, wreaking havoc amidst the flesh and blood.

Naturally, the [Mother] demon also confirmed its death—this fragile demon, in the history of the elves, could even be killed by ordinary humans climbing onto its head, let alone withstand the explosion inside its body.

If even a golem made from nearly a ton of explosives can't be killed, then Yang Hao can only hope that the elven mages can use their invincible elven magic to find a way.

But now...

The war was won.

Yang Hao took a breath. Although he hadn't participated in the battle, judging from the corpses he saw, it was undoubtedly a bloody battle.

There are tens of thousands of confirmed human corpses, and these are those whose human shapes can still be identified.

(Perhaps the biggest problem going forward is the resurgence of Bayer Nuggets.)

He covered his head and thought to himself, while patting Naruja's hair, who was full of anticipation, to encourage her, and then went back to make his own preparations.

...........

After the battle, all the Bayern soldiers returned to the center of the battlefield and gathered. They cheered and rejoiced at the purple-clad princess standing beside Finn, making the princess appear particularly nervous.

But Yang Hao had already instructed her, so with Fen's help, the Purple-Clad Princess cast a wide-range Tranquility spell on herself and the warriors in front of her, while calmly issuing her first command since becoming the Purple-Clad Princess again:

"Everyone, take a headcount, count the bodies, and then rest for now."

"Yes--!"

The Bayerians responded in unison, and then began to carry out the orders in batches according to the nobles' commands.

The soldiers who had fought the longest at the front sat down to rest, while those who still had the strength and hadn't fought for too long began to clean up the corpses.

As the Bayer Zans moved their own corpses to one side and the demon's corpses to the other, Theresa opened her mouth, her heart throbbing with pain.

Fen sighed softly beside her:

“They sacrificed many lives. But it seems they don’t intend to simply destroy the demon’s corpses on the spot… I’ve heard that the Bayrjans seem to have used the demons to develop some technology—this will be the foundation for your rise, Theresa.”

"...Should I really be happy about this? So many of them have died, and those who died were all the people of Bayern."

Theresa turned to look at Finn, who was still adjusting to her new identity.

To this, Fen simply smiled and shook her head:

"They survived, their city can now shine in the sunlight, and they no longer have to worry about warriors being corrupted by the demonic calamity and turned into demons while they sleep. Isn't that something to be happy about?"

"..."

“My mages have gone to treat those who are clearly corrupted. Theresa. You must adjust to your new identity... Ah, he's back.”

Finn pouted angrily, while Teresa immediately turned her face away, pretending not to want Yang Hao, who was walking back from a distance, to see her nervousness and unease.

She didn't want to disappoint Yang Hao. But could she really fool him?

......

The Bayezians counted the corpses and survivors faster than expected. Even the elves, who assisted them in moving the bodies, couldn't keep up with their count.

With the help of a nobleman, Princess Purple finally understood exactly how many people had been lost in this decisive battle.

Archimedes, the great magician of Bayezid and a close friend of Constantine XII, was killed in action. All he left to the world was the blood-red gem in Naruja's hand.

The Eagle Banner Legion was completely wiped out. Lucas, the veteran, was among them. Now, the Bayrzans Empire can no longer find even a single living Eagle Banner veteran. However, many of the warriors known as "Hunters," who wielded alien weapons, have survived.

In addition, ordinary conscripts and regular troops also suffered heavy casualties. Overall, the Bayezids deployed 100,000 troops in this battle, and now fewer than 50,000 are still alive.

It's fair to say that if the elves hadn't come down, even if they had won the battle, Bayezid would not have been far from its demise. The 100,000 men they sent were the last able-bodied men of Constantinople. Currently, Constantinople was filled with women and children, the seriously wounded, and old men who were simply unable to fight. If all these able-bodied men were wiped out, the elderly, weak, and disabled remaining in the city wouldn't survive until next year.

Fortunately, at least 50,000 Bayer Zanzar soldiers were left behind as seeds and hope. Watching the rested Bayer Zanzar soldiers efficiently dismantle the usable equipment from their fallen comrades and regroup, even Yang Hao, who was used to seeing big scenes, felt ashamed to face these brave warriors.

However, all the Bayezians awaited the Purple Princess's orders. With half of their legion commanders killed in the high-ranking demon raid, the Bayezians' theoretical highest commander was now only the Purple Princess, Theresa Justinina, who had descended from the sky.

Faced with the people's anticipation and eagerness, the princess in purple simply took a deep breath and said, "Let's go home."

Before raising Constantinople above ground, Theresa had several things to do. She needed to confirm that Constantinople was now suitable for the sunrise, assess the city's condition, and, most importantly, prepare its inhabitants for the arrival of sunlight.

Raising the city to the surface hastily would only cause unnecessary panic. Moreover, no one could guarantee that people who were not prepared to face the sun could withstand its rays. If the situation was truly unacceptable, Theresa should at least ensure that everyone stayed indoors before proceeding with the city's ascent, giving them a buffer period.

Her command was met with a response from the Bayezians. All the Bayezians escorted the purple-clad princess's procession forward, chanting the Bayezian military song in unison, the ancient language echoing in the ears of Yang Hao and the others.

"They don't seem to have any problem with me standing next to you."

Taking advantage of the journey, Yang Hao, who was holding the casualty statistics report in his hand, smiled at Theresa beside him.

"None of them had any designs on me holding the hand of the princess in purple."

"...snort."

Princess Purple simply gave a muffled hum. Knowing that she was in a terrible mood because of the casualties suffered by the Bayer Zans, Yang Hao didn't intend to tease her.

He simply held Theresa's hand gently, and under Finn's jealous gaze from his right side, which seemed to say, "You'd better put the report aside," he smiled and decided to leave Finn alone for the time being.

With the addition of elves and golems, the main force of the Bayrgans Empire, though nearly half the size of its original force, brought seeds of hope back to the city.

After a slow march of about two hours, the Bayer Zans returned home.

The walls of Constantinople were filled with women who longed for the return of their fathers, sons, brothers, and sisters.

They wept as they watched the army, now reduced to half its former size. They were overjoyed that half the army had returned, and when they saw the purple-clad princess and her entourage, surrounded by the army, appear at the very front of the ranks, everyone burst into tears.

Amidst the women's soft sobs and joyful cheers, the gates of Constantinople opened.

The soldiers went home, and Teresa finally went home too.

She walked along the city streets, both strange and familiar. As she passed through the Golden Gate, she unconsciously thought to herself: she had only ever seen the grandeur of the Golden Gate in books before, and now, she was finally going home through this gate.

In the distance, outside the Purple Palace, which was more than three-quarters damaged, the elders and nobles who remained inside knelt on the ground, waiting for the Purple Princess to receive them.

"Raise your head... Who is the highest-ranking person in charge here now?"

The princess in purple stood before the kneeling elder at the very front and asked a question. In response, the elder raised his head and said:

“If Your Excellency, the Purple-Clad Princess, has not seen the Archmage Archimedes, then I am now the highest authority in Constantinople.”

"...Compile all the current statistics for Constantinople; I need them to prepare for the upcoming rise."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness Princess in Purple - we are constantly conducting population and resource surveys, please wait a moment."

The nobles welcomed Theresa back to the Purple Palace. In the severely damaged palace, Theresa sat on her throne for the first time—the audience hall of the Purple Palace seemed to be a meticulously maintained place. Although the throne looked very old due to the erosion of thousands of years of history, the purple elements belonging to the Purple Royal Family could still be seen on the seat.

She sat there waiting, with Yang Hao and Naruja standing beside her, while Fen—seemingly in a fit of pique—led the archmages away.

With no one around and the nearest palace guards dozens of meters away, the purple-clad princess muttered to herself, feeling quite uncomfortable.

“Then you’ll have to get used to it. This is the path you’ve chosen, Theresa,” Yang Hao comforted her. “Don’t worry. Their fervent loyalty to you is even stronger than the fervent faith of the God of Light’s followers—don’t worry, they won’t be too harsh on you.”

"But I'm worried I won't do a good job..."

"Alright, my little kitty, I'll help you."

Naruja shrugged, muttering to herself that she hadn't been on the surface for a while, and wondered why Yang Hao and Teresa's sweet talk had become increasingly explicit.

During their brief moment of relaxation, the elder brought over the statistics on population and resources. However, before the elder could hand the report to Theresa, Theresa spoke first: