Chapter 81: Invasion and Erosion (10)


    Haa...haak..."


    Her breath came in ragged gasps, her tongue lolling out like a dog''s as she panted heavily. Despite using a body enhancement spell, her muscles screamed in protest. But Reina couldn''t afford to stop. Having walked through the night, thendmark in the sky gradually drew closer. This was possible because they were both moving towards each other.


    ''The army really has been mobilized.''


    Reaching the top of the hill, she saw the tiny figures of people in the distance and copsed onto the ground. Miraculously, she hadn''t encountered any legionnaires. This was because Eve had mobilized all the nearby legionnaires and was moving them elsewhere.


    fWho are they at war with?''


    She couldn''t hide her confusion, as she still didn''t know the truth. The mobilized human army continued to move forward as if they had a set destination, preparing for battle.


    "...What the!"


    Sensing something, she turned around with a horrified expression. She saw a dark mass casting a shadow on the ground, rushing towards her.


    "Aaah!"


    She had no choice but to drop to the ground, covering her head as the flying creatures swooped down from the sky. However, these flying monsters didn''t show the slightest interest in her.


    "Impossible."


    She watched in disbelief as the monstrous swarm flew towards the army. Reina''s face hardened as she recognized the origin of these creatures.


    "Rozes..!"


    Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand. All she could think of was that she needed to reveal the truth as soon as possible.


    "Look, look at that!"


    As Reina hurried towards them, the main force had also detected the iing swarm. The massive flying beasts were clearly charging straight towards them.


    "Don''t panic! Weren''t we already informed that there were flying creatures?!"


    The seasonedmander-in-chief calmed the flustered crowd.


    "Prepare the magic siege cannons!"


    Following hismand, the soldiers sprang into action. Giant ballistae were mounted on the backs of golems made of earth. As the golems braced themselves against the ground, aplex magic circle appeared in front of the specially made ballistae.


    "Ready to fire!"


    "Fire!"


    The giant arrows, resembling spears, wereunched. The spears elerated rapidly as they passed through the magic circle, tearing through the air.


    "Good shot!"


    The attack not only skewered the flying creatures but also exploded on impact, shattering them into pieces. With that single strike, the swarm of flying creatures, which seemed to number over five hundred, was reduced by nearly half.


    "Fire again!"


    Now confident, they reloaded and fired once more. At that moment, the flying creatures dispersed in mid-air, dodging most of the arrows.


    "It''s as if...as if someone is controlling them..."


    The officer in charge of the siege cannons muttered incredulously. Even to their eyes, the movements of the flying creatures were swift and precise.


    "What does it matter? They''re just beasts! Spread the fire, prevent them from swooping down!"


    Following themander-in-chief''s orders, the wizards stepped forward. They positioned themselves at specific coordinates, channeling their mana to cast the same spell


    simultaneously. It was arge-scale magic spell, jointly cast by the Stars Society of Formation and the ckl Society of Fire. Dozens of fireballs were created in session,


    raining down from the sky.


    "See that? That''s the end of those monsters."


    Themander-in-chief grinned. The flying creatures had no chance to dodge the barrage of fireballs raining down on them. One by one, they were shot down and fell to the ground.


    "Keep advancing!"


    Having won the first sh decisively, the main force continued to march forward. When they finally reached their desired point, the wizards began to move fluidly once again.


    "Prepare the magic artillery!"


    Ready! Fire!"


    From a distance of several kilometers, the wizards targeted the nest with their magic. Aplex spell, cast in unison by a trio of wizards, was their weapon of choice. This war magic, unfamiliar to the legion, involved firing an energy-packed shell towards the target in an arc. It boasted a longer range than a cannon, superior agility, and a quicker firing rate. Although the spell required a level of skill that was beyond theprehension of ordinary artillerymen, the wizards present were more than adequately skilled.


    It''s nothing special."


    Themander-in-chief watched as the shells sliced through the air, aimed precisely at the nest. Yet, they failed to hit their target. A dark red barrier materialized around the ck sacred tree, blocking the bombardment at the exact point of impact.


    Commander! They...!"


    Damn it, what the hell."


    The revtion that an ancient monster, previously defeated by simple golems, could now block magic was a shock. There was no information about the high-ranking legionnaires using formative force. They had eliminated every witness, leaving no one to expose them.


    Keep firing! There has to be a limit!"


    Themander, slightly flustered, ordered continuous firing, unable to believe what he was seeing. However, he was unaware of the total energy the legion possessed. Within a few hours, the wizards had to be reced due to exhaustion from mana depletion.


    We keep advancing."


    Ultimately, the main force had no choice but to break formation and move forward. If long-range bombardment didn''t work, they would burn everything up close. This was exactly what Eve, the hive mind of the legion, wanted and guided them to do.


    [But we don''t have troops now. I even ordered the troops that were sent outside to advance ind, so what are you thinking?]


    There are indeed many fascinating spells. They have infinite potential and utility."


    Eve, seated on the throne, chuckled. The enemy''s main force was now almost at the erosion nest, setting the base aze.


    There''s still a lot I''ve only heard about. I want to see more diverse things, but I guess they don''t show it because we seem easy. Or maybe they''re just weak."


    Eve admitted that she had been in anticipation. The magic developed by the humans here wasplex, diverse, and had great potential.


    The more I know, the more curious I be. I want more."


    Eve, who had suddenly risen from her throne, mobilized thest legionnaires she had kept on standby. The ones now storming the nest were not regr troops. They were merely a


    kind of local defense force, a reserve force mobilized in just two days. In other words, they were not the full strength of the humans.


    Despite everything, they had pushed her to her limits. Eve felt the urgent need for further evolution. It was ridiculous that a monster, intent on devouring the world, was


    struggling against them, who weren''t even worth being a meal.


    Let''s show our teachers who taught us magic, our achievements."


    The area vibrated for a moment.


    Eve had some spare energy left, even after investing most of it in indiscriminate expansion.


    She harnessed that energy to forge a new breed of soldier. A colossal species that dwarfed even thergest of their forces. A creature of raw power and defense, capable of withstanding magical assaults through sheer bulk alone. It was still a work in progress, but it held potential for practical use.


    [We''ve increased their size by integrating the armor of cave scorpions with thergest beast that went extinct due to the lethal bacteria we encountered in thebyrinth - the cave elephant. We''ve also incorporated thepressed muscles of the legion. This new soldier was created solely for charging, trampling, and piercing the enemy.]


    As they thundered across the terrain, the previously dormant soldiers sprang into action.


    In their rush to get to the frontlines, they toppled the towering trees of the forest. Their size was immense, simr to arge house. The creature, standing ten meters tall at the shoulder and weighing thousands of tons, swung its sawfish-like head with a speed that defied its massive size.


    There were about ten of these monsters. They were apanied by hundreds of medium-sized, four-legged legionnaires swarming in packs, poised to annihte the enemies whose formation had been disrupted.


    [They''re putting up a fight. Spells and powerful spears are being hurled. It''s not a small-scale assault, and with time, the outer shell could sustain damage. Once the flesh is exposed, a single strike could be fatal.]


    Let''s give them a gift."


    Eve was determined to protect the precious superrge species from the onught of attacks. One of the high-ranking legionnaires, perched on a superrge species, opened its back shell and spread its wings, ready to take flight.


    The high-ranking species soared into the middle of the wedge-shaped formation, drawing a circuit with its power engine. The pivot of this circuit was the power engine, the heart of the superrge species that was currently in motion.


    Even with a power engine of this size, it can''t use formative force. It can only maintain its body. But if webine the species like this, we can efficiently produce that synergy."


    Eve grinned, clearly seeing the horrified expressions on the humans'' faces. The young wizard from the Stars Society, who had been captured earlier, had finally spilled all the society''s secrets after being tortured to the point of their brain melting.


    Now, the results were evident. The formation demonstrated by the knight and the wizard was perfectly replicated by the high-ranking species and the superrge legionnaires.


    Let''s show them what we''ve learned from the Stars Society."