Strategy

Wyvern and Flame Wyvern swooped down from the sky, charging toward the Abyss Dragon Beast with unstoppable force.

The resounding dragon roar brought boundless pressure, causing the Abyss Dragon Beast to tremble and feel a fear originating from the depths of their bloodlines.

The scorching flames charred the skin of the Abyss Dragon Beast, while the sharp lances mercilessly Ground Spike their bodies.

In an instant, the Abyss Dragon Beast that had been charging forward with such ferocity were engulfed by the crimson torrent. After a round of attacks, they all fell from the sky, while the empire's dragons roared with their necks outstretched.

"Boom!"

The Earth-Shattering roar of cannons drowned out the cacophony of the demons' howls.

On the main battlefield, the battle between tanks and demons continued. After suffering heavy casualties, the demons quickly discovered the weaknesses of the Steam Tank.

They used demons such as Quasit, Vrock, and Kas Devil to attack these "iron lumps," constantly spraying highly corrosive acid at their tops.

Another group of Abyss Dragon Beast descended from the sky, tearing through the tank's armor along the gaps and spewing black fire at the vehicle.

"Buzzing—"

A crimson fog seemed to appear in the sky, and countless nauseating black larval-like creatures swept through the air with their tiny red wings, emitting a dizzying buzzing sound.

Their buzzing can cause splitting headaches and mental confusion, leaving one unable to escape and become their prey while suffering in pain and bewilderment.

—That's Demon Bee Swarm, aggressive, cruel, and bloodthirsty creatures that devour everything they encounter and ravage their habitat.

At that moment, the buzzing sound easily penetrated the armor and entered the cockpit, causing the Imperial soldiers inside the vehicle great pain.

At this moment, these demon bees rushed into the Steam Tank through the gaps in the torn armor.

"Sizzle—"

The Steam Tank's emergency magic system was automatically triggered, releasing a powerful electromagnetic pulse on the tank's surface, causing countless demon bees to fall from the sky.

However, the demon bees swarming around the tanks were only a small fraction of the total, and were insignificant compared to the swarm of insects that filled the battlefield.

The machine guns atop the Steam Tank spewed flames, unleashing terrifying firepower, but even as the barrels overheated, they couldn't stop the demon bees' onslaught.

Soon, accompanied by a series of tiny, buzzing sounds, the frenzied demon bees gnawed a path through the gaps in the Steam Tank's armor and surged into the cockpit.

"They're coming in!"

"No--"

"Fire! Fire!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Faced with the swarm of devil bees rushing into the vehicle, the soldiers inside the tank fired in a panic, but it had no effect on the bees.

"Damn it, bullets are useless against them!"

"No, don't come any closer—"

They were quickly overwhelmed by the frenzied demon bees, turning into skeletons amidst the horrifying gnawing sounds.

"Monster"

"I'll fight you to the death, for the Empire, for His Your Majesty Keosius! This is the glory of the Istaria!"

The human commander's eyes were bloodshot. He pounded his chest and shouted almost frantically.

In the final moments before the swarm of bees was about to engulf him, the commander, his face contorted with rage, pushed the control lever to its limit and slammed down the red button labeled "Emergency Self-Destruct Procedure."

The Steam Tank, like a mad bull, charged straight into the horde of demons, its blood-stained metal ramming countless monsters into mincemeat.

Immediately afterwards, Mars and steam poured out from the whistle at the top, and a violent shriek came from the high-pressure boiler inside, before it finally exploded completely.

"Boom!"

With an unprecedented roar, the Steam Tank suddenly exploded.

A massive mushroom cloud and a blinding fireball appeared on the ground. The terrifying explosion engulfed everything within a hundred meters, and billowing steam and intense heat waves swept across the entire battlefield.

When the white smoke dissipated, the earth was scorched black, with wisps of blue smoke rising from it, and the wreckage and fragments of the Steam Tank were scattered everywhere.

A crater, tens of meters in diameter, filled with flowing lava appeared on the ground.

The crater was filled with the charred remains of the Quasit, and the tens of millions of Demon Bee Swarm were completely annihilated. Even the Demon Bee Queen that frequented the area was mercilessly swallowed up by the Earth-Shattering explosion.

However, the battle continued. The Demon Bee Swarm that had been wiped out was only a small part of the total. In the distance, the buzzing of bees could be heard again, and the enormous queen bee flew slowly, surrounded by servant bees. Third War Zone Command Post.

Dolo stared at the massive mushroom cloud rising in the distance, his brow furrowed.

The Dragon Vein Hobgoblin, its dim yellow eyes narrowing slightly. "This is truly unexpected; the Steam Tank have suffered losses so quickly."

Behind him, a deep, resonant voice came. "Dolo, I told you this a long time ago."

This Demon Invasion is not like the previous small-scale skirmishes, nor is it a game where you can earn merits.

Rather, it is a test for the entire Embers of the Burned Empire.

The tall, muscular figure slowly emerged from the shadows, casting a shadow that almost completely enveloped Dolo. The scepter, engraved with the Embers of the Burned Emblem, gleamed in the dim firelight.

—That was none other than the Imperial Prime Minister, the first member of his family to reach the Legendary level, the Ogre Archmage Lang Pu.

Lang Pu casually reminded him, "Let's put all the internal disputes aside for now."

This Demon Invasion requires the combined efforts of all members of the Empire; His Majesty has been planning this for years.

"As the Imperial Marshal, I can certainly distinguish between what is important and what is urgent, my dear 'Lord' Lang Pu."

Dolo nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with the Ogre's statement, but still emphasized the last two words.

He watched the still intense and fierce battle intently and said in a low voice, "But right now, there are just too many demons."

Bullets and shells are being thrown around like they're free; the war's costs have far exceeded our plans.

He raised his head and stared coldly at Lang Pu's ugly face. "Lang Pu, if this stalemate continues, we will face a shortage of supplies in less than ten days."

Within half a month, the demons will very likely breach your proud Imperial Wall and invade the heart of the empire.

Lang Pu also looked at the Magic Image in various parts of the battlefield, and saw that the Quasit were still surging towards the defensive line one after another, the Demon Hunter Spider were moving across the ground, and the Gorebull Devil were taking heavy steps.

In the sky, Quasit, Vrock, and Abyss Dragon Beast flew haphazardly, while the Demon Bee Swarm spread out like smog.

Compared to a few days ago, the Empire's firepower has weakened considerably, and it can no longer achieve the effect of "bombarding the ground with artillery".

They could only rely on Steam Tank and the flesh and blood of Imperial soldiers to stop the advancing demons.

Fortunately, the number of players in the Embers of the Burned Empire has also increased significantly. With three million players who can resurrect infinitely, it is no less impressive than the seemingly endless demon army.

After a long period of contemplation, Lang Pu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile, "You're right."

The Ogre Archmage raised his staff, and countless orbs of light swirled around him, revealing numerous followers such as the Red Scale Conqueror and Dragonkin Paladin —representing important forces within the empire.

"Perhaps the real counterattack should begin, and I believe His Majesty is also looking forward to this moment."

"Boom!"

Lonely as Snow raised her giant shield, blocking the Abyss fireballs falling from the sky and protecting several mage teammates behind her.

Black and red Mars still flew onto his face, and the flames, imbued with evil energy, burned black marks on his face, causing considerable damage—but he had no time to care about that.

"Aww—"

The Quasit and Barbed Devil screamed and surged madly towards the players' position, pouncing on Lonely as Snow.

"Damn it, is this ever going to end?!"

"Bang!"

Lonely as Snow wielded its giant shield with great force, then slammed it into the ground, cleanly smashing more than a dozen demons into pieces.

Barbed Devil behind him, picked up a spear, a sinister grin spreading across its thin, red face. It raised the spear, intending to ambush the human in front of it.

But the Paladin didn't even glance at it. He picked up the Barbed Devil like a chick, then slammed it to the ground and crushed it under his feet.

But the number of these low-level demons was increasing, and hundreds of demons surrounded him from all directions, almost overwhelming him.

"Hurry, I can't hold on much longer!"

Amidst the fierce hand-to-hand combat, Lonely as Snow couldn't help but complain, "These junks are everywhere; you don't gain much experience even if you kill them."

Charlotte hovered in mid-air, gripping her staff tightly, and chanted an incantation.

"Chain Lightning!"

Almost instantly, accompanied by a hissing sound, bright arcs of electricity danced among the demons, turning all the Quasit in the path into charred remains.

The demons let out painful howls, black smoke billowing from their bodies, and they fell down in droves, instantly wiping out the hundreds of demons in front of them.

Lonely as Snow, whose face was also charred black from the electric shock, crawled up from the pile of demon corpses and pointed at the dark figure in the distance, shouting, "Quick, kill that goat-headed monster!"

"This thing keeps casting spells and can even summon monsters, it's disgusting!"

"I'll do it!"

The Flying Witch stepped forward and, under the expectant gazes of the crowd, released a beautiful rainbow.

"Whoosh—"

A rainbow swept across the sky, exceptionally beautiful, but that was all.

"."

Everyone fell silent.

The so-called "goat-headed monster" roared in the distance.

Its skin was as pale as the dead, its fur was coarse and black, and its hooves were a blood-red purgatory—this was actually a Bloodhoof Devil, a monster created by the "Undead King" Orcus.

Bloodhoof Devil waved his skull-adorned scepter, and instantly, poisonous smoke filled the battlefield, while one after another, demons that had long been dead rose from the ground.

"Watch out! It's the Death Cloud Spell!"

Charlotte raised her staff, summoning gusts of wind that dispersed the poisonous smoke.

The Flying Witch finally stopped triggering the Wild Magic Surge. She released a series of scorching fireballs, blasting the resurrected demons into charred remains.

Meanwhile, Ming Yue, the vice president of the Magic Coin, aimed her staff at the Bloodhoof Devil in the distance and quickly chanted a spell.

"Lightning Beam!"

"Boom!"

A blinding Lightning Beam shot out from the end of the staff, piercing through the Bloodhoof Devil. The goat-headed demon twitched a few times on the ground and then fell still.

Lonely as Snow kicked aside the demon's corpse at her feet and whispered, "Is this ever going to end?"

He had been fighting demons on the battlefield for several days, and although he was gaining a lot of experience and contribution points every day, he was starting to get tired of the fighting.

Suddenly, a huge black shadow descended from the sky.

Get out of the way!

A teammate quickly reminded him.

Lonely as Snow, instinctively dodged, but the giant, spear-like foot suddenly stabbed down, embedding itself deeply into the rock.

Lonely as Snow raised its head and first saw four pairs of slender feet, followed by countless compound eyes that shimmered with an eerie light.

"What the hell?"

A gray ray flashed, and Lonely as Snow was struck directly, turning into a still rock sculpture.

Charlotte shouted anxiously, "Get out of the way! It's Demon Hunter Spider!"

"Whatever you do, don't get hit by its magical rays!"

After several days of battle, the players have gained a certain understanding of these demons and have made a clear classification of their level of danger.

The Demon Hunter Spider is clearly classified as the most dangerous, and without the support of Steam Tank, Dragon Scale Monk, or the like, it would be difficult to escape from the claws of these spider monsters.

The enormous spider monster lunged at the mages, and Charlotte raised her staff without hesitation, the magic crystal at its tip shimmering with a pale red light.

[Monster Immobilization Spell]

He was very lucky; the terrifying monster was frozen in place.

"Now! Attack!"

The mages quickly unleashed a variety of offensive spells, raining down fire, frost, acid, and lightning upon the Demon Hunter Spider.

But protected by its hard, magic-resistant carapace, the Demon Hunter Spider suffered very little damage.

"Holy crap, this meat is amazing!"

"No, we need to create a meat shield first!"

Charlotte used her Misty Step to appear in front of Lonely as Snow and touched his body, which had turned into a stone statue.

[Dispel Petrification]

Lonely as Snow, the rocks on the surface of the body gradually disappeared, and the face was the first to return to its original state.

He gasped for breath and cursed, "These Demon Hunter Spider are disgusting; I haven't even had time to process what's happening."

Charlotte quickly replied, "Thank you, Lonely as Snow, please help us hold off that spider monster that's about to break free!"

With a wave of his staff, Lonely as Snow, whose body was still made of stone, flew up and crashed directly in front of the Demon Hunter Spider.

"Damn it."

Lonely as Snow looked at the Demon Hunter Spider struggling violently, her lips twitching.

Was he destined to be a meat shield? Apart from the Demon Hunter Spider in front of them, Lonely as Snow, Charlotte and the others looked into the distance and saw the Abyss Dragon Beast circling in the sky, the Gorebull Devil walking on the ground, and the Bazuite Devil roaring as it charged forward.

Clearly, they had the misfortune of running into a major offensive by the devil.

"Roar--"

Suddenly, a hoarse dragon roar came from the sky, and the air was filled with the smell of sand.

"Boom!"

A massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky, instantly piercing through the Demon Hunter Spider in front of them.

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

"Holy crap, that's amazing!"

Lonely as Snow looked up and saw, high in the sky, enormous Blue Dragon spread their wings and spewed out waterfalls of lightning, casting huge shadows on the ground.

That's the Blue Dragon of the Faria Family!

The female Blue Dragon at the front was slightly slender, but the lightning she spewed was no less formidable; the lightning that pierced through the Demon Hunter Spider was her doing.

—This Blue Dragon is Christina, the envoy sent by the Faria Family.