Elven Technology

Elise sent most of the forces that survived the battle against Astaroth's servants to the south.

Just as Lin Miao had expected, her primary objective was to test the waters.

Although they had gathered some intelligence beforehand, the infiltration colony, which had not yet received supplies of magic hearts, had been avoiding direct clashes with the elves.

To prepare for a full-scale war that would include large units like the heavy-armored ants, the colony marched in a grand procession through the central regions of the Empire, heading south.

“Wow...”

“His Majesty was telling the truth! They really are ignoring us!”

Thus, the commoners gathered in the central part of the Empire were utterly stunned as they watched the marching Great Devourers.

Most of the central residents, who still knew very little about the Great Devourers, reacted with curiosity and wonder. On the other hand, the refugees who had fled from the south and north were filled with fear and anger as they stared at the very monsters that had once attacked and slaughtered their compatriots.

“Those demons only punish those who follow the evil god? Then what about my mother? She spent her entire life farming!”

“His Majesty is still too young and can't tell right from wrong. To think he would actually bow his head to those monsters...”

Of course, not everyone could accept this reality.

Although they dared not show it—since even a shred of resistance or hostility would result in being killed by the Great Devourers—many harbored deep resentment toward the monsters, as well as toward Calian, who had yielded to them and ceded territory.

Confirming the public sentiment, Lin Miao shook his head.

Just as Celia had warned Calian, the countless problems that followed were ultimately for the survivors themselves to handle.

However, as long as the Great Devourers' nest remained near the Empire and they could freely enter and exit imperial territory, no one would dare to make a rash move.

Among humans, there might still be room for sweet talk and bribery, but such things were utterly useless against the Great Devourers.

Schuber and Astaroth had failed to control Calian, which led to the fall of the Silver Twilight Secret Society and their ultimate expulsion from the Empire. Such a failure was absolutely impossible within the colony.

【Elise has detected the approaching enemy forces and ordered an attack】

At that moment, the real skirmish began.

The elves advancing to the southern border clashed head-on with the main force of the Great Devourers, who had come to reclaim the south.

“A combination of magic and machinery, Spirit-Tech...”

Looking at the countless cannons firing scorching shells and the mechanized treants that rivaled combat golems, Lin Miao sighed softly in admiration.

Every deity had their own proud weapons and systems.

If Astaroth, the deity of the Lucadia Empire, raised his servants based on an advanced magitech civilization and precise systems, then the deity of the elves championed this brand-new technology.

“Elven magic is quite different from what we know. Their power is a combination of magic, elementalism, and mechanical engineering. Most of it remains in uncharted territory,” Celia explained to Elise, having also recognized the elves' power.

Elise had already conquered the Silver Twilight Secret Society, absorbing and memorizing most of the technologies and magic accumulated by the Empire.

Yet, she also found herself coveting this elven technology, which seemed similar on the surface but was fundamentally different in nature.

And this skirmish was also a way to assess the value of these technologies.

“They're here! Activate the Severing Barrier!”

As the Great Devourers easily charged through the artillery fire to reach the defensive line, the elves immediately activated their pre-installed devices.

Pipes laid along the ground simultaneously glowed with light, instantly forming layered, grid-like high walls that blocked the Great Devourers' path.

【Elise finds this to be something familiar】

Erecting defensive barriers was an incredibly familiar concept to the Great Devourers; by now, they could even deploy such barriers themselves.

Judging that the elven barrier was not sturdy, Elise decided to destroy it using the venom-sting bombardments of the tiger hornet ants.

However, the magic stone-coated stinger bombardments, which had easily pierced the massive defensive barriers of human mages in the past, failed to break the elven barrier.

Even if the heavy-armored ants smashed through one layer with their massive bodies and brute force, several more layers lay waiting behind it.

The barrier merely cracked and trembled slightly, remaining ultimately unbroken.

“They are large, numerous, and somewhat capable, but that's all. Drive them out!”

Virgil smiled triumphantly as he watched the colony weather their artillery fire but fail to breach the Severing Barrier.

Believing victory was already in his grasp, Virgil activated the second hidden function of the Severing Barrier—the very essence of Spirit-Tech.

The heavy-armored ants that had lunged forward to break the barrier were instantly blown to pieces by a sudden, explosive shockwave, scattering bodily fluids and fragments everywhere.

These behemoths, which had emerged almost unscathed from the enemy's artillery fire, fell victim to the Severing Barrier, which was capable of absorbing and reflecting energy.

“Hmph, mere bugs dare to behave so insolently.”

Seeing the heavy-armored ants routed by the shockwave, Virgil immediately ordered a full assault.

Combat-modified treants and foreign battle slaves whose bodies were fused with magic stones and mechanical devices charged at the forefront, lunging at the colony.

These physically modified soldiers had obtained power far exceeding that of ordinary humans at the cost of sacrificing their life force and physical durability.

They could even contend with the mutated ants. With their morale boosted by the roars of their overseers, they fought the Great Devourers on equal terms in the chaotic melee.

“They're strong. They've prepared for a long time, and their deity has hidden their information very well. It seems the remaining ones are indeed tough nuts to crack.”

Looking at the retreating Great Devourers, Lin Miao realized the strength of the Elven Empire with a grave expression.

What concerned him the most was that the Elven God rarely showed up in the forum.

This deity was clearly extremely cautious, making it nearly impossible to exploit any weaknesses.

Celia reported, “Using the southern part of the Empire as a battlefield, it might be a good choice to attack the Elven Empire's territories along the coastline, just as we shook the human Empire before.”

Listening to Celia's suggestion, Lin Miao murmured, “That's a good idea. After all, we still hold the advantage in numbers.”

The colony still had its own advantages.

The colony, which had effectively turned the Lucadia Empire into its own backyard, was now mass-producing “heart-fusing worms”—magic heart synthetic units that were previously only produced outside the defensive lines—as well as “decomposers,” nutrient-amplifying units.

As long as Lin Miao provided magic stones, the colony could process them to manufacture Tyrants or refine them into highly concentrated nutrients to mass-produce several times more forces, continuously enhancing their combat power.

Lin Miao stared at the densely packed colony on the screen.

A skirmish involving only tens of thousands of troops was completely negligible to the Great Devourers.

They had already mobilized over hundreds of thousands of troops, preparing to wage a true “war.”

Furthermore, the Great Devourers never made the same mistake twice.

Since they knew the enemy deployed barrier magic through underground pipes, they prepared a large number of digging ants capable of tunneling.

At the same time, following Celia's suggestion, the Leviathans were carrying a large number of forces to bypass the enemy by diving along the coastline—a tactic that had already achieved great success in the past.

They would thoroughly analyze the enemy's movements exposed during the skirmish and formulate a flawless countermeasure.

In truth, there were plenty of those who had won a battle or two against the Great Devourers in the past.

However, when the fighting was waged to the bitter end, the one left standing was always the Great Devourer.