The Defensive Line

Inside the Imperial Senate, a tense military conference was underway, with their main topic of discussion being how to deal with the full-scale invasion of demons.

Keosius sat solemnly on the throne.

Lang Pu, Dolo, Mezhuolash, Alger, Anthony, and other veterans sat solemnly in their respective seats.

As representatives of the Starfallers group within the empire, the leaders of several major powerful guilds were also assigned their respective positions.

The Empire's allies—such as Genesis and Christina —were also invited to discuss the war against the demons.

Christina glanced at the Silver Dragon on the seat and muttered, "These silver-skinned reptiles dare to appear before His Your Majesty Keosius? Their elders' wings haven't even grown yet."

Genesis and Adelovel glared at the Blue Dragon, their eyes filled with resentment.

That's enough.

"Bang."

Keosius tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and the surroundings immediately fell silent, all eyes turning to him.

Then, he looked around and said calmly, "Gentlemen, the Empire did not invite you here to quarrel."

Now, we have only one common enemy— the Abyssal Devil.

Under Keosius's powerful aura, everyone in the hall fell silent, not daring to speak easily.

After a long silence, Lang Pu finally broke it. "Your Excellency Adelovel, as Fighter has been active on the front lines against demons for many years, you should know a lot of information, right?"

Adelovel nodded upon hearing this, his expression softening slightly. He stood up and said:

"Your Majesty Keosius, and all of you in the Empire, I have some experience in resisting Demon Invasion over the past few hundred years."

Adelovel stretched out his hand, and Magic Image appeared in mid-air, recording the hideous face of a demon and accompanied by its sharp and noisy howls.

He pushed up his glasses and continued, "As we all know, all living things in the Prime Material Plane share common characteristics."

Humans, dragons, Gryphon, Mind Flayer, and dwarves all need to eat. They all reproduce through some basic physiological processes, but we do not share these commonalities with demons.

Demons do not need to eat; they often derive special pleasure from devouring human sacrifices. Their lungs are extremely strong and highly resistant to external gases, including the Abyss death aura that can poison most creatures in the Prime Material Plane.

As for the rest of the life cycle, demons do not age, and they do not die from any factors similar to natural death.

They will return to the undefined portion of the Abyss, their essence becoming part of the evil and chaos of that plane.

Tinia tilted her head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "These guys are so stupid. Don't they like eating frozen meat and collecting shiny Gold Coin?"

"."

These words silenced the room once again, but this time it seemed to be due to a lack of words.

Adelovel hesitated for a moment before saying, "Everyone, please do not treat demons as any normal 'creature,' nor try to guess what they are thinking."

Their existence is more like a conscious catastrophe.

Scholars within the tribe believe that the Abyss desires to use creation to bring more parts of the universe back to their ultimate Qidian, and that demons are such creations.

Most importantly, the purpose of demons is to spread chaos and evil—the very essence of the Abyss.

Lang Pu for a moment and asked, "How many demons are there during each invasion?"

Adelovel replied in a deep voice, "Endless."

The Abyss is far deeper than the 666 layers we know of, and the number of demons within it may exceed the total number of beings in the Prime Material Plane. Therefore, these beings can never be completely eradicated, but can only be blocked.

Demons are endless, but we can defend against their invasion by closing demon portals and eliminating demons that come to the Prime Material Plane.

When it came to the absolutely right thing to do—fighting demons—this robust Silver Dragon shared everything he knew, revealing all aspects of the demons' habits, weaknesses, and abilities.

Immediately, the people in the hall began to discuss the information provided by Adelovel.

"They are indeed a troublesome opponent."

"We have never encountered an enemy like this before!"

"Wait, fearless of death, chaos, madness... why do these descriptions sound so familiar?"

Now that you mention it, it does seem somewhat similar to me. Could it be—

A dozen or so curious or scrutinizing gazes fell upon them, making the players sitting in their seats feel extremely uncomfortable.

Steel Frenzy scratched his head, gave an awkward smile, and quickly pledged his loyalty, saying, "I swear, we Starfallers are absolutely loyal to His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"We have absolutely no connection with the Abyss, not even a single piece of Copper Narn!"

The discussion in the hall became even more intense. People began to actively explore various tactics and strategies, from strengthening border patrols to using new weapons; from mobilizing the public to participate in the defense to sending players as cannon fodder. The military representative, Dolo, even slammed his fist on the table and declared with great pride that he would lead the army straight to the heart of the Yellow Dragon, directly attacking the demons' lair, and never let them set foot on the empire's land.

Suddenly, Lang Pu asked with a half-smile, "Mr. Adelovel, what do you think is the most difficult aspect of dealing with the devil?"

Adelovel replied, "The number of them is simply too great, and they are virtually everywhere. Once they infiltrate the Empire, they will cause a huge disaster."

Lang Pu then asked, "So what is the Empire's advantage?"

Adelovel shook his head. "I'm new here and don't know much about the Empire's military."

Lang Pu stood up, looked around, and said loudly, "Firepower! Demons can instill fear in the people, and His Majesty has told me that."

He paused, turned to look at Keosius, a fawning smile appearing on his ugly face, before continuing to speak.

"Fear stems from insufficient firepower."

With a wave of his hand, Lang Pu conjured up various Magic Image in mid-air, depicting scenes of artillery fire and the vast wasteland covered in the flames of explosions.

When the Gunsmoke cleared, the ground was riddled with holes and in a state of utter devastation; the small hills had been leveled several feet.

Lang Pu continued, "In terms of individual strength, the Empire may not have much of an advantage, but in large-scale warfare—we will absolutely not lose."

When demons gather in large numbers, we can launch a saturation attack, bombarding the area with artillery fire and giving these demons a surprise.

"Bang."

Lang Pu slammed his scepter on the ground, and a massive map of a Embers of the Burned Empire appeared in the air.

A crimson line suddenly appeared across the vast territory of the empire, stretching for hundreds of miles and almost enveloping the entire southern part of the empire.

"I believe that many of you have participated in its construction, but you didn't understand its purpose at the time."

These fortifications were constructed of reinforced concrete and were extremely sturdy. Inside the defensive line were various cannons, trenches, fortresses, kitchens, hospitals, factories, and more.

These passageways are interconnected, and some of the larger fortifications even have passageways for steam trains.

This is all thanks to His Majesty's foresight. We began constructing this defensive line as soon as the Empire conquered the entire the North. I call it—"

"The Maginot Line?"

Steel Frenzy couldn't help but speak up.

But after feeling Lang Pu's warning look and seeing the "favorability rating decreased" notification, he immediately covered his mouth, wishing he could slap himself a few Big Mouth.

Why couldn't I control my mouth? How could I have blurted it out?

Lang Pu then withdrew his murderous glare and continued, "The Imperial Wall."

The discussion in the hall heated up again, with some expressing support and confidence in the Empire's fight against the demons, while others expressed deep skepticism.

"Is this the Prime Minister's plan?"

"Can this be defended?"

"So that's how it is. I was wondering why some people were taken to the mine for a secret mission. They were there to repair the wall!"

Dolo said with a hint of sarcasm, "Your Lord Lang Pu, in the face of an enemy attack, you actually chose to build a wall? How much of the Empire's resources will that cost us!"

Are we to hide behind walls and tremble in fear, like those other human nations?

Lang Pu said calmly, "Beyond the Imperial Wall lies the flat and open Savidera Great Plains, which will become the burial ground for all demons."

The Ogre's tone was exceptionally fierce, his injured ear seemed to tremble slightly, and the murderous intent in his eyes startled Dolo.

Dolo then remembered that the Chief Minister in front of him was an Ogre, and Dragon Vein Ogre!

That was an extremely brutal being, but his work for the Empire often made him conceal his true nature and maintain his rationality.

Lang Pu's gaze softened, and he said with a smile, "However... Marshal Dolo."

Now, the demons haven't launched a full-scale invasion yet, and it's not time to use this Imperial Wall. Let's first show these demons the power of two million Starfallers.

"Your Majesty, please take a look first."

Lang Pu turned around again and looked at Keosius on the throne. He tapped the ground with his scepter again, and a detailed tactical plan appeared in mid-air.

Two million Starfallers represent a force that is difficult for the current empire to control.

"That's simple, just throw them south, right?" "Great."

That's what Keosius said.

He tilted his head slightly, and a faint light flickered in his deep, pale golden eyes.

The emperor's gaze seemed to traverse thousands of kilometers, reaching into the darkness and chaos deep within the Anstika Archipelago, and revealing a hint of anticipation.

Savedra Plain, outskirts of Blackstone Fortress, within the Leo Village.

The once bustling village is now deserted.

"Old White, are you really not leaving? The Imperial task force is here specifically to evacuate civilians."

There weren't many people in the village to begin with.

"Don't try to persuade me. If you want to leave, then leave. But this is my house, and I'm not going anywhere."

The man known as "Old White" exhaled a puff of smoke and said this; he looked to be in his fifties and had a rather weathered face.

He had dark skin, deep wrinkles on his face, and calluses on his rough, calloused hands that held a cigarette between his fingers.

White is a native of Leo Village, where he has lived since birth; he is the village's hunter.

The farthest White ever went was Light Village, twenty miles away, and it was not a pleasant experience.

He was a hunter here when the Northern Kingdom ruled, and he remained a hunter here when the Embers of the Burned Empire ruled—only he replaced the bow and arrows on his back with civilian-grade "Enemy Breaker Fire".

In recent years, most of the young people in the village have gone to the city to make their way in the world—even White's son is no exception.

Now, those who remained in the village have been urgently evacuated by the army dispatched by the empire, who say that the Abyssal Devil will invade.

But White wasn't afraid.

He was already nearing death; at fifty-three, it was considered a very long life for people from the the North in the past.

White only wanted to spend his last days in his home, which he had lived in for nearly fifty years, and besides, he had a decent hunting rifle.

"Call--"

"I wonder what those demons look like."

They've all left; I'm the only one left.

White exhaled another smoke ring, gazed at the empty village, and slowly closed the door.

He felt no "loyalty" to the Embers of the Burned Empire, after all, several years had passed, but he also felt no hatred—at least his impression of it was better than his impression of the the North.

After the empire took control of the area, taxes were reduced considerably.

People no longer had to kneel before knights sent by the duchy, nor did they have to worry about being casually pulled over by some Noble Lord and becoming the lowest of serfs.

White was quite grateful, at least for this reason.

But White didn't like the feeling of the village becoming deserted. He always felt that those Imperial People had given him some kind of spell, making those young people rush to the city.

What White liked most were two "new things" brought by the Empire – cigarettes and firearms.

Cigarettes helped him relieve his worries and gave him a rare moment of pleasure in his mundane and boring life.

However, this stuff was quite expensive for White; he needed a good deerskin to exchange for two packs from the merchants from the city.

Therefore, he cherished every cigarette he smoked, even saving the cigarette butts in a small box.

The latter was White's hunting weapon. He was too old and frail to draw a bow, but the appearance of the musket allowed him to regain his strength.

Thinking of this, Old White took out the musket, which was wrapped in layers of cloth, and carefully wiped the barrel.

"Those Imperial People say that the undead, known as the ' Starfallers,' will settle in this village. I've never seen an undead before."

"Squeak—"

The window slowly opened, and White looked out. With his keen hearing, he seemed to hear something.

Then, he wiped his eyes in surprise.

At the end of the village road, clouds of dust billowed up as hundreds of people came running in a great procession.

Most of them were dressed in rough cloth, and some were naked, running wildly in their naked bodies.

"I'm here!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

"Take off!"

"It's a village! Finally, I can search through everything! This is the essence of RPG games!"

"Damn it, stop being naked! The holy light is blinding me!"

"Why haven't I seen any NPCs?"

"Don't forget the mission to kill the demons; this is our territory!"

Is this what they call the immortal warriors, the vanguard of the empire— the Starfallers? Old White rubbed his eyes again, wondering if he was either going mad or his eyesight was failing him.

Otherwise, how could these Starfallers look exactly like the madman at the east end of the village?