All Are Mere Insects Beneath the Heavenly Strike; The Duke's Coalition Is Wiped Out! / The New Country's Name: The Holy Terra Empire

"Report: so far, no other armies have been spotted. Aside from the initial two Group Armies and the Wendigo Legion, no reinforcements have arrived during this time."

"Excellent. It seemed our Red Dragon Emperor had indeed been blinded by profit. Despite advancing deep alone, she still dared to disregard us so completely."

"We are all Dukes who have rendered great service to Victoria, yet Her Majesty insists on branding us rebels. Presumably, Her Majesty has only recently arrived in Victoria and lacks a solid foundation, so she has been misled by traitors around her. This deployment must eliminate those traitors and let Her Majesty understand our good intentions."

"Pass down the order. Rest for the night. At noon tomorrow, launch the attack on Londinium!"

PS: The second update will probably be around eleven o'clock.

Heaven's Strike: All Beneath It Were Ants, the Duke Coalition Army Annihilated!

The next day, atop the walls of Londinium, Victoria's capital.

The soldiers defending the city, drawn from the two Ursus Group Armies, stood ready in tight formation. Talulah and An Xiu stood alone atop one section of the walls, their gazes fixed on the extraordinarily massive Duke Coalition Army in the distance.

Knowing in advance that they would face at least two Ursus Group Armies, the Victorian Dukes had truly emptied their coffers this time. The Duke Coalition Army surrounding Londinium now numbered at least four or five hundred thousand.

An Xiu was not particularly curious how these Dukes had assembled such an enormous army. After all, Victoria occupied the most fertile land on Terra and was publicly acknowledged as the nation with the strongest national power. These Victorian Dukes could only be described as obscenely wealthy.

The assets of a single Duke were enough to independently sustain a war on a national scale, let alone several Dukes joining forces.

These troops were not a rabble composed of forcibly conscripted Infected and mercenaries. They were true elites trained according to regular army standards, well-equipped and fully supplied. If quality were not a concern, the armies these people could raise would probably be more than twice as large.

"How should we respond next? Do you need me to command the Group Armies against the Duke Coalition Army?"

Talulah asked An Xiu beside her.

"That would work, but I think there's a better way."

An Xiu shook his head.

In truth, although the enemy force was enormous, if An Xiu wanted to win, the two Group Armies and the Wendigo Legion alone were more than enough.

And there was more than one way to win.

For example, he could repeat what they had done when taking Kazimierz: have the Shadow Troopers airdrop several hundred Wendigos directly into the enemy command center, allowing those Dukes and higher-ups to experience being rushed by a group of Wendigos, each as strong as an Inner Guard. Once every officer and high-ranking official capable of commanding was killed, the remaining rank-and-file soldiers would fall into chaos no matter how numerous they were, making them easy to defeat and absorb.

Or An Xiu could simply take Talulah and charge into the coalition army, turning on invincible mode and slaughtering everything in sight. Talulah might not manage it, but with his current strength, he could certainly crush the Duke Coalition Army. Even if An Xiu did not want to act personally, he could stall for a few days, call Mobius over to arrange a Flame Chaser Surgery for Talulah, then let the Flame Chaser-enhanced, ultimate-strengthened Talulah properly show the coalition army what overwhelming pressure felt like.

However, while all those ideas would secure victory, they still lacked a little impact. Against these vermin who, upon hearing of their arrival, had not prepared food and wine to welcome the royal army but instead formed a coalition army in a futile attempt at resistance, An Xiu had to make them truly understand what despair was.

Thus, An Xiu decisively chose the strategy with the most firepower.

"Have the Group Armies and city defenders hold their positions inside the city. As for the coalition army formed by those rebellious Dukes, leave them to Jibril."

Yes, An Xiu would make these ignorant Terra bumpkins properly experience Jibril's utterly absurd power—the earth-shattering might of defeating the entire world alone!

"Leave it to Miss Jibril?"

Thinking of Jibril, who often floated behind An Xiu and whose race seemed similar to a Sarkaz but not quite, Talulah scratched her head and nodded.

"Understood."

She had never seen the other woman fight before. Who would have thought Miss Jibril possessed such strength? Could she really fight a regular coalition army of this scale alone?

According to common sense on this land, no matter how strong an individual was, they could not change the course of a war. No lone powerhouse, however formidable, could withstand a High-Speed Warship. Yet An Xiu and Mobius had previously displayed Improved Monster Cells and Limit Break Potions that could double one's strength without any side effects, a Wendigo Legion that could produce over a thousand Wendigos out of thin air every month, and Shadow Troopers and a Shadow Kingdom capable of directly teleporting armies into the enemy's homeland...

Did any of those things conform to common sense?

Therefore, even when An Xiu made the outrageous statement that Jibril would face hundreds of thousands of coalition troops alone, Talulah did not doubt him in the slightest and decisively chose to believe him.

It felt as though her common sense and brain had been dissolved by strong alkali, but Talulah did not dislike it. In fact, she hoped it would happen a few more times.

The feeling of tossing aside her brain and simply charging ahead was incredible. If only handling government affairs could be as easy as fighting wars.

And so, noon arrived.

The Duke Coalition Army, which had prepared for a long time, boldly began its advance, marching forward in orderly waves.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!

Countless Originium Cannons roared, and energy shells blanketed the sky as they hurtled toward Londinium's walls.

The soldiers atop the walls watched solemnly, already prepared to defend. Yet before the Originium Shells could fall, they seemed to be intercepted by an unseen force and exploded in midair.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

A vast number of Originium Shells detonated at once. The blinding radiance that erupted even covered the skies above Londinium, forcing the soldiers on the walls, the Ursus Group Armies waiting within the city, and the Duke Coalition Army soldiers outside alike to close their eyes.

When the light faded, they saw Londinium completely unharmed—and a faintly glowing transparent barrier hovering over the city, enveloping all of Londinium within it.

"Fourth Ancient Blessing."

In the air above the city walls, Jibril withdrew her hand, a troubled expression appearing on her face.

"Master really knows how to give people difficult tasks. I have to deal with this coalition army in the most shocking way possible while ensuring the city doesn't suffer too much damage, and I can't affect any other cities or countries either."

"It's not impossible, but controlling enough power to crush ants without destroying their nest is very difficult."

But then again, that was her master.

Being able to please her master was this power's greatest value. As for this coalition army... being materials in the process of pleasing her master barely gave them any value at all. Since that was the case, she would be a little more serious.

In the distance, through the barrier covering the city, the Duke Coalition Army also noticed Jibril.

"Was that Sarkaz in the air the one who stopped the artillery bombardment?"

A Duke snorted coldly and immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare the army for another attack.

She was only one person. Her ability to protect an entire city was indeed astonishing, but how long could she maintain it alone?

Could she possibly outlast the endless Originium Shells of their Duke Coalition Army by herself?

However, before the soldiers who had received the order could resume their assault, the situation suddenly changed again.

"That Sarkaz Woman seems to have flown out of the barrier? And she's still rising!"

"What is she trying to do?"

Under the watchful eyes of the countless coalition troops, the Winged One girl with her pure white wings spread 'slowly' ascended into the sky, calmly looking down at the incomparably tiny people below.

The halo above her head brightened slightly, and a complex Magic Formation unfolded.

At that moment, the hundreds of thousands of coalition soldiers suddenly felt as though they could not breathe. It was as if some invisible force had appeared in the air, making every breath unbearably difficult.

The biological instincts buried deep within their bodies awakened. Everyone lowered their heads and clutched their chests, all sensing an intense aura of danger and death without knowing where it came from.

At last, one coalition soldier seemed to notice something. His eyes filled with terror as he tremblingly raised a hand and pointed toward the sky.

"The... the sky... There seems to be something in the sky!"

The coalition soldiers around him looked closely, then cried out as well. In only moments, the entire coalition army noticed the anomaly.

At the place where the Sarkaz Woman had risen into the air, the sea of clouds suddenly parted in every direction, forming a spiral vortex more than a hundred kilometers wide. At its center, a black 'sun' slowly descended.

Yes, a black 'sun' filled with the aura of Destruction. The coalition army could think of no better description.

At that moment, everyone seemed to lose the ability to speak. They could only stare helplessly at what seemed to be divine judgment descending upon the mortal world.

"Heaven's Strike."

Above the sea of clouds, Jibril spoke softly.

The next second, the black sun burst apart, transforming into blinding white light that engulfed everything.

RRRRRUUUUUMMMBBBLLLEEE—!!!!!

The sky, the earth, the city, the coalition army...

Several kilometers, dozens of kilometers, hundreds of kilometers!

At that moment, every nation on Terra saw the towering white light rising from Victoria's direction. Countless powerhouses felt their hearts tremble, their bodies instinctively shuddering.

"What the hell happened in Victoria?!"

Notice of a Four-Hour Update Delay

Today's update will be delayed until after midnight and before 6:00 AM the next day. This will not affect the next day's update schedule.

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The New nation Shall Be Called the Holy Terra Empire

As the white light faded, the scene beyond Londinium slowly appeared before those inside the city.

The mountains had been reduced to dust, the plains turned into a basin, and the Duke Coalition Army outside the city had not even left behind ashes. Hundreds of thousands of coalition troops had been utterly annihilated in a single strike.

All that remained was a Sky Pit several hundred kilometers wide, centered on Londinium.

Staring at this scene, which looked as though divine punishment had descended upon the world, the soldiers on the walls had long since gone blank-eyed. This earth-shattering sight had clearly exceeded the limits of their comprehension.

Jibril descended from the air at that moment, returning to An Xiu's side to claim credit.

"How was that, Master? My control was pretty good, right? That Heaven's Strike was right at the limit of not affecting other cities. The commotion just now was probably noticeable to every country on Terra."

"Indeed, not bad."

Looking at Jibril, whose face was not flushed and whose breathing remained steady, clearly showing that the attack had barely consumed any of her strength, An Xiu nodded in praise. Then he patted Talulah beside him, whose eyes were equally vacant.

"Alright. Now that Victoria's Duke Coalition Army has been wiped out, you can arrange for your Group Armies to take over the country completely."

With the Duke Coalition Army gone, there would clearly be no further obstacles to Talulah taking over Victoria.

After spending around ten days leading the Group Armies—who had become exceptionally fanatical after witnessing part of Jibril's power—through every major city in Victoria, the strongest nation on Terra officially changed hands.

Londinium, within the royal palace.

Using the Shadow Troopers to travel here from Ursus and Kazimierz, Mobius, the Doctor, and Kal'tsit, whom the Doctor had brought along, were in the conference room. Together with Talulah, An Xiu, and Ablana's two sisters, serving as Talulah's Attendants, they discussed the merger of Ursus, Kazimierz, and Victoria.

Yet apart from An Xiu and Mobius, the others' gazes often drifted unconsciously toward Jibril, who floated behind An Xiu and Talulah.

After all, the Sky Pit hundreds of kilometers wide outside Londinium was not just for decoration. Anyone who came here would see it unless they were blind.

An Xiu had no intention of making Talulah conceal what had happened that day. Thus, even the Doctor and Kal'tsit, who had not been present, had learned from the soldiers what had occurred and who was responsible.

The Doctor was currently suffering from amnesia, so that was one thing. But Kal'tsit, with her vast knowledge and experience, was thoroughly alarmed by Jibril's power.

This was no longer something that could be described as a humanoid catastrophe or a Giant Beast. Leithanien's Twin Emperesses could unleash Originium Arts comparable to a natural disaster, but that required battlefield enhancements and extensive preparation. Even Giant Beasts as strong as gods had fallen beneath the siege of the armies once led by Great Yan's True Dragon.

Yet Jibril, standing before Kal'tsit, had genuinely wiped out hundreds of thousands of coalition troops in one strike and left behind a colossal Sky Pit beyond the reach of even natural disasters.

More terrifyingly, according to the accounts of the soldiers on the walls that day, such an attack appeared to require no prior preparation and perhaps did not even consume much energy.

After all, Jibril did not look weakened in the slightest.

Was this the confidence he had spoken of that day—the confidence to easily destroy every nation on Terra even without activating the Originium Project?

Kal'tsit deeply glanced at An Xiu, then hurriedly looked away before he could turn his gaze toward her.

In the end, Talulah was the first to raise the matter at hand.

"As you can all see, Ursus, Kazimierz, and Victoria have now all been brought under our rule. Kazimierz has already been incorporated into Ursus's territory, but Victoria is different."

Nominally, Kazimierz was merely a defeated nation. Incorporating it into Ursus's territory was perfectly reasonable, and few would object. Strictly speaking, however, Victoria had not gone to war with Ursus. Talulah had legitimately ascended the throne in Londinium, then swept aside the rebellious Dukes and brought them under her rule.

In other words, Victoria was not a defeated nation. It remained an independent country with its own sovereignty; its emperor simply happened to be the same person as the Emperor of neighboring Ursus.

Under such circumstances, whether Ursus annexed Victoria or Victoria annexed Ursus, the people of both nations would fiercely resist. This was not rebellion, but simple devotion to their homeland and country, as well as an instinctive unwillingness to inexplicably become inferior to others in the future. It was also the first unrest Talulah had encountered after ascending the throne in Ursus that could not be resolved through killing alone, even with An Xiu's assistance.

Therefore, An Xiu proposed that Talulah, as the shared ruler of both nations, merge Ursus, Victoria, and Kazimierz into an entirely new country. This would minimize the resistance of the three nations' people as much as possible.

And that was why this meeting had been called.

"But if we announce the merger of the three countries at a time like this, won't it severely provoke the other nations?"

After pondering for a moment, the Doctor spoke.

If Talulah had merely led Ursus to conquer Kazimierz and become the shared ruler of Victoria and Ursus, that would have been manageable. After all, the countries would not truly be united as one. The other nations of Terra might fear her, but they would not be provoked too severely.

But if two of Terra's top powers were merged into a new super-empire, the surrounding countries would absolutely explode as one at the first opportunity.

Ever since Talulah inherited the title of Duke of Koschei's Domain, stormed Holy Steed Castle, and became the Emperor of Ursus, Terra's other nations had viewed the Red Dragon Emperor as a fanatical warmonger.

The nation ruled by this Red Dragon Emperor had only one guiding principle: relentless expansion outward.

And now, if Ursus, Terra's most terrifying war machine, and Victoria, its strongest nation, merged into a new country, anyone could tell that the next target of this galactic warship, assembled from such a dreamlike lineup, would definitely be them.

"What's there to fear? The commotion from Jibril wiping out the Duke Coalition Army has probably spread across all of Terra by now. Aren't those countries curious about what happened in Victoria? After announcing the merger, we can simply hold the founding ceremony in Londinium and invite representatives from every nation to attend."