Arrogance

“It’s an ambush! They suddenly appeared from underwater, we’re surrounded!”

Kaor’s pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with horror as an overwhelming dread surged from the depths of his heart.

The Leviathans breaking the surface gave the enemy no time to react. They fully opened their back carapaces, catapulting a massive swarm of tiger hornet ants and other aerial forces into the sky.

“Monsters! Enemy attack!”

In an instant, the sky was filled with the howling of the Great Devourers as a brutal naval battle erupted.

Kaor hurriedly drew his bow and notched an arrow, desperately fighting back by firing arrows imbued with vast magic power. Yet, even though he could kill a tiger hornet ant with a single shot, the buzzing swarm already blotted out the sky, descending upon every transport ship in dense clouds.

【Elise deemed the enemy's combat strength to be extremely weak】

Scanning the battlefield through the hive mind's vision, Elise's eyes were filled with confusion. This fleet's combat strength was incredibly weak; its main force consisted entirely of conscripted Bartonian soldiers.

Each ship had only a single elf supervising the battle. The traditional magic and archery they employed were mediocre, completely lacking the cutting-edge Spirit-Tech and formidable combat power of the elven legions on the southern front.

Celia also instantly saw through the enemy's actual strength. She said coldly, “This is the perfect opportunity to teach these elves a lesson—they who foolishly attempt to fight on two fronts while expanding recklessly.”

Before her voice could fade, she leaped forward, grabbing the leg of a tiger hornet ant to launch herself into the air, landing steadily on the deck of a transport ship.

“Kill her! Hurry and kill this monster!”

The panicked Bartonian soldiers gripped their weapons and rushed forward in a frenzy.

These people had all been implanted with magic stones and enslavement marks, completely reduced to vassals of an evil god. They were already beyond saving.

Celia lightly waved her staff, instantly detonating a wave of majestic magic.

Magic power surpassing the limits of mortals swept across the area. The charging soldiers were instantly annihilated; in just a brief moment, the entire deck was cleared.

Only Kaor remained, barely clinging to life thanks to the barrier of his robe. Trembling all over, he stared at the woman before him in terror. “Y-You... You're crossing the sea to attack Bartonia?”

By now, the entire sea had turned into a slaughterhouse. The Great Devourers' purging continued, with agonizing screams echoing one after another as crimson blood stained the azure waters.

Celia frowned slightly as she looked at the panicked and disheveled Kaor, pondering in her heart:

Had these elves not yet received news of the Lucadia Empire's downfall, or were they so secure in their massive military might that they had long since become arrogant enough to look down on everything?

She had always known that the elven race was haughty by nature. Now, they had elevated this extreme arrogance into their ruling principle, expanding brutally and conquering at will.

“A rule established by force will eventually be destroyed by a greater force.”

Celia's mask covered the upper half of her face, revealing only her fair chin and red lips.

“Y-You... You can speak?”

Kaor was stunned. In his imagination, such a terrifying demon shouldn't possess such a beautiful voice.

Forcing down his fear, Kaor retorted coldly, “Imperfect? Dangerous? Those are thoughts only short-lived creatures like you would have. We can live for hundreds of years. Could a world ruled by us possibly perish sooner than one ruled by you?”

“A long lifespan does not mean you cannot be killed,” Celia replied in an icy tone.

“Shut up, you demon!” Kaor roared in anger. Taking advantage of her distraction, he quietly drew a special, entirely metallic arrow and suddenly drew his bowstring taut.

Imbued with the power of the magic stone within his body and further accelerated by his mechanical bow, this arrow was extremely powerful—enough to pierce boulders and shatter heavy armor.

But Celia unfolded a double-layered magic circle, precisely reflecting the arrow back.

The first layer steadily absorbed and blocked the arrow's impact, while the second layer precisely reflected all the magic power and kinetic energy, returning the lethal strike exactly as it came.

In a flash of cold light, the arrow pierced Kaor's heart. The powerful impact directly blew his upper body apart.

Looking at the elven supervisor who had fallen dead, Celia's expression remained calm.

The technologies acquired and continuously developed from the Silver Twilight Secret Society were not limited to the Great Devourer.

...

【Invasion colony landing confirmed. Elise is highly satisfied with Celia's performance】

The Great Devourers destroyed the enemy transport ships, successfully delivering all ground forces onto the coastline as planned.

To Elise, this was an exceptionally splendid victory.

In particular, Celia personally getting rid of an eyesore of an elf put her in an extremely good mood.

As for Celia releasing the surviving slaves, she didn't care in the slightest.

【Elise hoped the main force could also achieve similar military exploits】

Meanwhile, the main force of the Great Devourer, which was deadlocked with the Second Legion in the southern Lucadia Empire, launched another offensive.

“They want to break our barrier with artillery fire again and then engage in close combat.”

“Damn it, if we let them get close, our losses will be catastrophic.”

Virgil clicked his tongue as he watched the approaching Great Devourers.

Although he remained confident, he had to admit that the close combat at which the Great Devourers excelled was something the elves could never match.

From the moment of their birth, the Great Devourers were made for this kind of combat.

They had already used this method to drive away two deities and seize vast territories.

Even if they conscripted countless foreign soldiers and slave troops from conquered lands and enhanced them with various technologies, they could never overwhelm the Great Devourers in close-quarters combat.

“The Winged Squad's role is crucial. We must secure air superiority and attack those clumsy giants from above.”

“Rest assured.”

In Virgil's eyes, the key to solving this problem lay with the Winged Squad, which could launch one-sided attacks from the air.

Realizing that the Great Devourers' anti-air capabilities were still weak, he intended to rely on the Winged Squad to secure victory.

“...I'm telling you, don't be too reckless, Sillian.”

Virgil warned as he looked at the young female elf, who was clad in combat gear and practically buzzing with excitement.

She was Virgil's niece. She was highly capable, but simply too hot-headed.

“I know, I know! Shoot from maximum range, and drop bombs on the big ones.”

She waved her hand, showing off all the weapons she carried.

Virgil said no more.

Sillian was a member of the first generation of the Winged Squad. Back when Virgil and his comrades overthrew the elders in their revolution, she had soared across the skies, establishing outstanding military exploits. She was a highly reliable female warrior.

“Everyone, move out!”

Led by Sillian, the elves equipped their gliders and soared into the sky.

They had invented devices capable of storing and controlling the power of wind spirits, allowing them to fly freely and swiftly.

This was a feat only elves could accomplish. In all their previous wars of conquest, no force had ever been able to contend with the Winged Squad.

Pitting on her goggles, Sillian smiled smugly as she drew her bow and aimed.

Up until now, enemies on the ground could only make futile attempts to attack or raise barriers, unable to pose any real threat to them.

“Still don't see them? Where are those flying monsters? I wanted to have some fun!”

“They haven't appeared yet. We wiped them out last time, so they probably don't dare to come back!”

She circled leisurely, shooting arrows toward the ground.

The Great Devourers were the only opponents capable of waging an aerial battle against them.

Last time, they had achieved an overwhelming victory by leveraging their advantages in range and maneuverability.

“Sillian! Above you!”

Just then, the sky above her suddenly darkened.

“...Huh?”

She looked up in surprise.

Two pairs of wings, different in material and size, were flapping silently directly above her head.

The spear-like giant mouthparts of a Skimmer Bug gleamed coldly from the gaps in its head armor, its red compound eyes staring fixedly down at her.