As a hedonist, Duselduf held daily parties full of delicacies and beautiful men and women in his mansion.
Although he felt the greatest pleasure from life-and-death battles and victories, it wasn’t to the extent that he couldn’t enjoy other pleasures.
But that mansion had been quiet for over a week.
No parties were held, and his subordinates walked without making a sound.
It was for survival.
Twelve people had been torn apart by Duselduf for making too much noise.
“Why can’t you even guess his location?” Duselduf growled.
The staff officers couldn’t lift their heads.
Some looked like they were about to wet themselves.
“Why can’t you even guess who he is?”
“We suspect he was sent by the Outer Mind.”
When one staff officer answered, the others felt slightly relieved.
Because Duselduf wouldn’t tear apart several staff officers right away.
“Evidence?”
“Please look at this footage. It was captured on CCTV at the recently destroyed power plant.”
The video appeared on the screen.
It was a hallway with two guards standing.
The edge of the video wavered.
The wavering passed between the guards and disappeared out of frame.
“It appears to have used camouflage that blends in with the surroundings. We’ve also confirmed that among the entities controlled by the Outer Mind, there is one with a similar ability.”
Obtaining information about the Apocalid was very easy.
It was because of the Outer Mind Wiki, created through collective intelligence.
The classification of Apocalid types and their subdivided roles were recorded in detail.
It even showed what achievements Ku-eong had made in which battles.
Even the battle against Dragon Lord Ladespina, which no one had seen, was estimated in scale based on advice from active hunters, dimensional fishermen, and explorers, and recorded.
Although the Stealth Scout had never been publicly revealed, its existence was taken for granted due to many reports from the Allied Forces of entities that suddenly appeared and disappeared.
“So that means all of it wasn’t terrorism by those dissatisfied with my rule, but an enemy attack.”
“That’s correct.”
“I owe a debt.”
“No, it was only natural…”
“Not to you, but to that being called the Outer Mind.”
“Y-yes…!”
“If you owe a debt, you must repay it.”
It didn’t matter how the Enterprise Union learned about the deception tactics.
Duselduf summoned the legion commanders.
“The Outer Mind attacked Magrain. What should we do?”
“We must attack!”
“We’ll send troops beyond the gate immediately!”
“We’ll annihilate the Enterprise Union!”
Satisfied with the desired answers, Duselduf was pleased.
“I’ll send two legions first. Who will go?”
A total of 11 legions existed in Magrain.
Each legion numbered 30 to 50 million and had the personnel and equipment to wage war independently.
The legion commanders raised their hands competitively.
Duselduf decided to send the 5th and 7th Legions.
The two legion commanders left the mansion, and that fact was relayed intact to Choi Kangjoong through the eyes of the Stealth Scout.
The Stealth Predator moved to assassinate the two legion commanders.
Choi Kangjoong stopped the Stealth Predator’s action.
“Just devour that much and it’ll be over.”
The Stealth Predator understood Kangjoong’s intent and moved to its next target.
‘That’s about 80 million with the 5th and 7th Legions.’
Choi Kangjoong simply watched the movements of the 5th and 7th Legions.
The two legions moved through a gate discovered by a Dark Elf explorer.
After that, as Dielka predicted, they settled in a nearby empty dimension.
They fortified the place and stockpiled supplies.
They even built greenhouses and farmed.
By accelerating plant growth with magic, the harvest period was much faster.
Thus, a fortress that could not be starved out by siege was quickly completed.
When the fortress was built nearby, the Alliance Council was in uproar.
Informants were summoned to the council members, and the Union diplomats became busy.
Soon, they split into those who said they must attack immediately and those who said they should watch the situation.
“We must repel those bastards right now! I don’t even need to ask the purpose of someone who puts a sword to my throat!”
The side advocating attack was led by Akila.
“Logically sound. But there is a possibility of misunderstanding. War causes irreparable damage to both sides.”
The side insisting on watching included many from Metra and the Elves, led by Serad.
Even after three days and nights of debate, no conclusion was reached.
“Let’s ask the Captain!”
“The Outer Lord’s opinion is important. War is possible…”
When Akila and Serad agreed to follow Choi Kangjoong’s will,
he was already ready to devour the 5th and 7th Legions.
It wasn’t even a preparation.
He just had to open a gate from his room and send three fleets.
‘Just looking at it makes my heart swell.’
The Apocalid, led by three Hive Classes—Maelstrom, Claw Devourer, and Swarm Lord—was a powerful impression on Choi Kangjoong.
The 5th and 7th Legions also deployed their dimension ships.
Numbering about 1,500 ships, they overcame their inferiority by deploying the fleet across the dimension.
“Attack.”
The Dark Eater, a Claw Devourer, approached first.
The newly created Claw Titans and Claw Super Titans formed a cone-shaped formation.
At its tip was the Dark Eater.
The cannons of the 5th and 7th Legions’ dimension ships fired.
Missiles and shells shot up from the dimension in streams.
The Dark Eater approached straightforwardly in a straight line.
Trusting its thick chitin armor, it didn’t even evade.
The sight of an 11-kilometer mass advancing was very imposing.
Since the distance was still great, the sailors of the 5th and 7th Legions weren’t terrified.
A large target is frightening up close, but from afar, it’s just an easy target to hit.
However, they didn’t know that the fleet had the characteristic of rapid mobility.
Surely there was still a long way to collision.
The sailors still focused only on bombardment.
Then at some moment, the massive bio-dimensional ship suddenly grew larger.
The Dark Eater had activated rapid mobility.
Only then did fear appear on the sailors’ faces.
“Accelerate!”
“Move quickly!”
“Hard to port!”
The captains of the dimension ships on the collision course screamed orders.
Kwaaang!
The Dark Eater’s horn pierced through one dimension ship.
Its lower jaw smashed five dimension ships in a row and knocked them away.
The dimension ships shook like leaves and exploded.
After the Dark Eater passed, only wreckage of the dimension ships remained.
The sailors of the dimension ships that were far away felt relief for a moment.
Claw Super Titans pounced on them.
Even though their chitin armor was pierced by cannon fire and holes were blown by missiles, the horns and jaws of the Claw Super Titans remained hard.
Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang!
Then it was the Claw Titans’ turn.
Smaller but faster than Super Titans, they only rammed and destroyed dimension ships of appropriate size.
Some Claw Titans failed to break through the enemy formation and were surrounded.
Some Claw Super Titans did the same.
“We’ve surrounded one!”
“That bastard is trapped over there!”
“Ignore friendlies and fire! That’s the order!”
“Pour it all out!”
The Apocalid that lost its charge should have become a fixed target, but—
The Apocalid’s charge was not yet over.
The Swarm Lord entered through the hole made by the Dark Eater.
The Swarm Lord pushed into the area with the most enemies and scattered Apocalid in all directions.
With many small Apocalid, it looked like fog spreading around the Swarm Lord.
Hell unfolded on the dimension ships that the Apocalid had infiltrated.
Even with enslaved demons and magic beasts brought in to fight, it was no match.
Dimension ships carrying only Walkers were relatively lucky.
Ships with Warriors or Giants couldn’t hold out for 10 minutes; their command was wiped out or their mana engines destroyed.
‘The Fighter Giants and Bomber Giants fight well too.’
The Fighter Giants and Bomber Giants attached mana missiles randomly to their wings and bodies.
Then they flew around and launched the mana missiles; if the targeted dimension ship failed to intercept the mana missiles, it sank.
They could also carry bio torpedoes, but using mana missiles saved much more nutrients.
Interception forces sortied from the 5th and 7th Legions’ dimension ships.
They were mages, spirits, or summons trying to suppress the flying Apocalid that were firing missiles.
There were also many small, swift dimension ships like Arrowheads.
Those were handled by Air Scouts or Fighter Warriors.
The Light Titan’s Chitin Cannon also played a part.
Since the parasite on the chitin spike attached itself to the enemy on its own, it was like having a proximity fuse.
‘Ku-eong handles himself well too.’
Ku-eong positioned itself between the dimension and the fleet and deployed a Great Mana Storm.
Despite fierce attacks, it endured with the regeneration gained within the Great Mana Storm.
“Ku-eong.”
Believing it had blocked the enemy’s escape routes, Ku-eong ordered the Apocalid hiding beneath the dimension.
The ground where the batteries were positioned collapsed with a rumble.
The cannons and artillerymen fell into deep tunnels, and terrible sounds echoed from that darkness.
Even the tall, thick walls built to block the enemy disappeared with the ground.
In the underground bunkers, the Apocalid broke through walls and floors to invade.
“Where the hell are they coming from!”
“Underground! These bastards were hiding here beforehand!”
“Uwaaaagh!”
The 5th Legion Commander resisted to the end but was cut in half at the waist by a Giant’s Scythe Claw.
Even with the power of an S-rank Hunter on Earth, there was no way to deal with the numbers.
Koo-woong! Koo-woong! Koo-woong!
Battle Titans emerging from Bio Pods ran toward the 7th Legion’s command.
The 7th Legion Commander, on a high tower, looked around.
Enemies here, enemies there.
Not only front, back, left, and right, but also above and below were full of enemies.
‘To lose so pathetically…’
The 7th Legion Commander tried to send a final warning to Duselduf, who had underestimated the Outer Mind’s power, but—
Before he could even attempt it, a Battle Titan’s tail toppled the tower.
The Battle Titan’s Scythe Claw precisely sliced through the 7th Legion Commander’s body as he fell with the tower.
‘It’s over.’
Within less than 30 minutes of the battle starting, the command of the 5th and 7th Legions was annihilated.
With the legion commanders gone, subordinate units surrendering in droves.
However, naturally, the Apocalid had no need for prisoners.
Those who realized that even the surrendered units would only become food put up a last resistance.
But even that wouldn’t last long since the three Hive Classes had connected biotubes to the dimension.
The entire dimension was filled with liquid made of organic matter dissolved in digestive fluid.
A liquid similar to a soil pit but with far more nutrients flowed and formed lakes.
The three Hive Classes placed biotubes even into what could be called organic matter lakes and absorbed nutrients.
Nutrients and Evolution Points kept rising sharply.
‘How will Duselduf react?’
Choi Kangjoong sent one of the destroyed dimension ships to Magrain.
It was the former flagship of the 5th Legion Commander; the interior, barely half remaining, was full of bloodstains and battle traces.
Entering its interior, Duselduf couldn’t contain his rage.
“Assemble all troops! I’ll take the Outer Mind’s head right now!”
All remaining legions began gathering dimension ships.
Because the shipyards were destroyed, they had to requisition fishing boats and cargo ships and mount weapons on them.
Meanwhile, Duselduf analyzed the Apocalid.
He examined the Apocalid’s ecology and found its limits and weaknesses.