“What trait should I give?”
There were three fleet traits that were effective against demons.
Magi Decomposition, Magi Resistance, and Demon Detection.
Fleet traits were similar to Evolution Codes, but they had the advantage of allowing an Apocalid to evolve without consuming nutrients.
They could compensate for missing Evolution Codes or be used to target a specific race.
If one invested in fleet traits like Elf Consumption, Metra Decomposition, or Dragon Dissolution, they would become extremely powerful against that specific race.
However, these traits only applied to the Apocalid tied to that specific fleet, and other fleets could not evolve with the same fleet traits.
Magi Decomposition allowed for the breakdown of magi, enabling deeper wounds to be inflicted on demons and magic beasts.
Magi Resistance, as the name suggested, increased resistance against Chaos Magic or Immortal Demonic Energy.
Demon Detection improved the Apocalid’s ability to track demons and boosted overall stats when demons were nearby.
‘Magi Resistance is tempting. Since I already have magic resistance, the destructive power of Chaos Magic will really be reduced.’
Magic resistance combined with Magi Resistance was a combination Choi Kangjoong particularly favored when facing the Demons of Chaos.
It could definitely minimize the power of Chaos Magic, which, despite its various drawbacks, boasted the highest destructive force. It could also easily block Hell Cannons, which used Wisps modified with magi as shells.
“Let’s go with Magi Resistance. Since I’ve focused on bombardment until now, they won’t expect me to charge in first.”
Choi Kangjoong found himself wanting to see Kuongi split demon dimension ships in half with its massive weight or swallow smaller ones in a single bite.
If he chose Magi Resistance as a fleet trait, even Kuongi, with its enormous hit area, would be able to weave through demon dimension ships at will.
“Now that it’s come to this, I feel like producing a Claw Devourer and a Swarm Lord too.”
The Claw Devourer was an Apocalid focused on ramming, while the Swarm Lord was an Apocalid that launched small Apocalid boarding parties onto enemy dimension ships.
Since both types involved diving into the middle of the enemy and thus had a higher probability of death, he hadn’t chosen them yet.
“I can just produce them all! Let’s hurry up and gather Evolution Points.”
Special Unit Production was a feature that didn’t exist in Dimension War, so even a veteran like Choi Kangjoong was feeling conflicted. The expectation of being able to freely produce the special entities he had only ever imagined in reality was immense.
“I’ll name the fleet Demon Eater, and the fleet trait will be Magi Resistance. Let’s produce a Brutal Lord as well.”
**[The Demon Eater fleet has been formed.]**
**[Magi Resistance is applied to the Demon Eater fleet.]**
**[Psionic Specialization influences the fleet trait.]**
**[Source Evolution influences the fleet trait.]**
**[Mana Development influences the fleet trait.]**
**[Magi Resistance evolves into Magi Suppression.]**
“Magi Suppression?”
It was a fleet trait Choi Kangjoong had never seen before. Information immediately surfaced in his mind, explaining its abilities.
“Magi Resistance is a given, but the Central Unit suppresses the surrounding magi? This means if a demon enters the Apocalid World, they’ll just die.”
Choi Kangjoong chuckled with delight. An anti-demon fleet superior even to the Apocalid fleets in Dimension War had been created.
“How’s the situation in the Demon Realm?”
“Kiii!”
Kai had been scurrying all over the Demon Realm in hiding. Even if he couldn’t grasp the deep inner workings, he could understand the overall atmosphere and trends.
“They’re still trying to catch me, I see.”
Demons, magic beasts, dimension ships, and supplies were concentrating in the territories of Archduke Ventresca and Archduke Luderlock. It was impossible not to notice that the two demons were preparing for a large-scale attack.
“Go hide on Archduke Ventresca’s flagship. It seems likely that he’ll lead the battle.”
“Kiii!”
Kai stealthily latched onto a dimension ship. It was one of the vessels joining Archduke Ventresca’s fleet.
‘I should disrupt them before they attack.’
Even when playing Dimension War, Choi Kangjoong preferred offense over defense. The Apocalid, where entities of Titan Class or higher functioned as both dimension ships and buildings, was a race well-suited for aggression.
Conveniently, the production of Rutal-i 2 had also finished. As soon as it emerged from the Soil Pit, it fell into hibernation, and the Walkers moved it next to Lutal.
When Choi Kangjoong focused his will, a Gate opened. It connected to a county bordering the north of the Akirif Duchy.
An Apocalid Wave radiated from the Apocalid that emerged through the Gate. The wide and powerful Apocalid Wave blanketed the entire county.
Lower demons without titles fell into confusion, and uncontrollable magic beasts ran wild. The lord of the territory noticed the Apocalid attack, but there was little he could do. Gates wouldn’t open, and dimensional communication was cut off. Even after scraping together every last soldier, the number of dimension ships didn’t even reach 100.
“Let’s eat them all.”
Kuongi didn’t even fire its Mana Cannons or Breath; it simply charged. As the massive body approached, the Demons of Chaos panicked and cast Chaos Magic indiscriminately. Even with poor aim, the spells struck Kuongi’s vast back.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Pillars of fire rose, lasers surged, and lightning struck the Chitin Gauntlet. Had it been before the Chitin Gauntlet was upgraded and before he had magic resistance and Magi Suppression, these attacks would have cracked the armor and caused bleeding.
Now, the Shield was pierced, but the Chitin Gauntlet merely cracked or scorched.
Kuongi opened its mouth wide. A 300-meter-long dimension ship fit perfectly into Kuongi’s maw.
*Crunch!*
The dimension ship was shattered into pieces by the giant teeth. Walkers near the neck ran out to collect the fragments of the ship, the dazed demons, and the terrified magic beasts, throwing them into the Soil Pit.
“Fight! Seek glory with the blood of monsters!”
One dimension ship crashed onto Kuongi’s back, and Demons of Ruin poured out. When a Demon Earl unleashed Great Magic and swung a halberd, Walkers and Scouts were sliced apart.
Kuongi decided that waking Lutal was far more efficient than sending a Central Unit, Warriors, or Giants. The stress Kuongi felt stimulated Lutal’s brain, which was connected through the Outer Mind.
“Grrr.”
“Grrr.”
The Lutals opened their eyes, and Boosters flew over. The Lutal equipped with a Booster grabbed Rutal-i 2 and flew off, swerving upward the moment they exited through a side hole.
“Kyahahahaha!”
The Demon Earl, who was bringing down his halberd with a roar, suddenly whipped his head around. Meeting those inorganic black eyes that held only a single will, the Demon Earl felt a chill run down his spine.
It was the emotion of fear, experienced for the first time since being born as a demon. Normally, when facing a strong opponent, his legs would move on their own out of joy, but now his feet wouldn’t budge at all.
The Demon Earl struck his stiff thighs and even stabbed his foot with the tip of his halberd. Only after inflicting enough impact to break his armor did his legs finally move.
In the meantime, Lutal was already above the Demon Earl’s head. Releasing its Middle Leg, Rutal-i 2 dropped in front of the Demon Earl.
Rutal-i 2 extended its Scythe Claws from its Middle Legs. Four Scythe Claws targeted the Demon Earl. Standing before them, the Demon Earl felt as though he were trapped in a prison of blades.
“Argh, uwaaaaah!”
It was a shout to dilute his fear. Spinning his body once, he swung his halberd from bottom to top. He attempted a major technique from the start to seize the momentum.
*Clang!*
Rutal-i 2 blocked the halberd by crossing its two left Scythe Claws downward. Countless follow-up combos flashed through the Demon Earl’s mind. He tried to execute the next move he chose instinctively, but—
*Slash. Slash.*
His arms and legs were severed by the Scythe Claws of Lutal, who had dropped behind him. His torso and halberd, losing all support, fell to the ground.
Lutal scanned the surrounding Demons of Ruin. The Demons of Ruin flinched but then charged. The Lutals stood back-to-back, and a slaughter of demons ensued.
The battle ended quickly, and the nearly 100 dimension ships vanished without a trace. The Apocalid suffered almost no losses. Not only Chaos Magic, but also the Demons of Ruin and Immortal Demons had been weakened.
The Lutals were even stronger than Choi Kangjoong had anticipated. Since it was like one brain controlling two bodies, they were more than twice as strong as when there was only one Lutal.
“Let’s increase our numbers as much as possible before the Demon Duke arrives.”
“Ku-eong.”
Kuongi moved to a nearby dimension while primarily increasing the number of Central Units, which benefited most from the Magi Suppression effect.
***
Eleanor received a call from EEE. It was a message from a comrade he worked with, but this time, it was not welcome. This was because it was all too clear when they intended to strike.
It was Iselin Derael’s inauguration ceremony.
Eleanor believed that interfering even with a High Elf’s event would undermine the value of Elven supremacism.
“I’ll have to go in person this time.”
Eleanor checked the meeting place and time. 2:00 AM tomorrow in the underground plaza. In essence, he was being told to come today.
Eleanor lay in bed that night and then slipped out at 1:00 AM. He placed a doll that emitted heat and mana under the covers and left the mansion.
Avoiding other Elves, he moved through the alleys between tall buildings before stopping in front of a rusted manhole cover. As he waved his hand, a Spirit of Wind passed through the narrow gap and lifted the manhole cover.
*Creeeeeak.*
Eleanor checked once more to see if anyone was around before descending into the sewer.
Nathanael, the capital of the Ardecon family, had an underground structure as complex as its long history. The sewers branched out like tangled threads, and with tombs, hideouts dug by rebels using earth spirits, and bunkers located everywhere, one was likely to get lost even with a map.
Eleanor flew through the area without hesitation, guided only by a faint light. After flying for about twenty minutes, he reached a set of stairs and climbed up.
When he opened the door and stepped out, he found himself inside a luxury hotel that was worlds apart from the sewer. Eleanor walked to the room where his comrades were, acting like a guest. It was a room that an ordinary Elf couldn’t afford to rent for even a single day, even if they saved money for an entire year.
Two Elves were sitting near a window overlooking the panorama of Nathanael. They welcomed Eleanor with open arms as he entered.
“Welcome.”
“It’s been a long time since I saw you after leaving Marsala.”
Eleanor greeted the two Elves and took an empty seat.
“Where are the others?”
“They might be late. Derael’s surveillance is no joke,” the Elf with many scars on his face replied.
He was a man named Aife, who held the most radical ideologies even within EEE.
“The reason you called for a meeting must be because of Iselin Derael’s inauguration, right?”
“Of course! Isn’t Iselin getting close to Humans and Metra anyway? It’s a great opportunity to make our intentions known!” Aife clenched his fist.
“I’m against it.”
“Is it because of Iselin?”
“Yes. It’s because of Iselin.”
“Your personal feelings aren’t important for the greater cause!”
“Personal feelings, you say.”
“Is there any comrade who doesn’t know you have feelings for Iselin?”
Eleanor snorted.
“Regardless of my feelings, Iselin is a High Elf. She is the very symbol of Elven superiority. If we disrupt her event, who will believe that Elves are superior?”
“You agreed to the crash of the Elemental Cruise Ship, didn’t you?”
“That was because the Elemental Cruise Ship went to the 6th Dimension Fortress, which is Human territory. But the inauguration is an event for her.”
Eleanor and Aife engaged in a staring contest.
“The preparations are already finished anyway. All we have to do is execute it.”
“How did you manage that without my help?”
“We had a capable collaborator.”
“Who?”
“Do you want to know the collaborator’s identity while opposing the plan?”
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