Kwaaaaaaang!
The side of the massive Magic Stone Golem exploded cleanly.
The Claw Devourer ran in with Rapid Mobility, biting into the Magic Stone Golem and pushing forward.
The Magic Stone Golem’s corpse effectively blocked the pouring magic cannon fire.
Even as holes appeared and Mana Stones flew in all directions, the Claw Devourer’s head remained intact.
The Swarm Lord followed right behind.
It intended to widen the crack the Claw Devourer had created.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The Chitin Gauntlets of the Hive and Super Titan kept bursting from the magic cannons.
Thanks to the reinforced carapace characteristic of the Swarm Lord’s fleet, they were the toughest Apocalids, but even they couldn’t hold out long.
“All we have to do is assault.”
‘That’s it.’
Once the Apocalids burrowed into the enemy Dimension Ship, the enemy would hold back their bombardment to avoid friendly fire.
The Swarm Lord and the giant Apocalids of its fleet moved into a suitable position.
Not too deep, but where the enemy was plentiful.
The Swarm Lord scattered the small Apocalids it had loaded in all directions.
The giant Apocalids of the Swarm Lord’s fleet also fired countless Apocalids at the enemy.
Since they were sent bare without Bio Pods, most were shot down in the Dimensional Sea.
Only a mere 10% reached the enemy Dimension Ship.
Still, it didn’t matter.
If they were shot down, they’d just send more.
The Swarm Lord, Hive, and Super Titan kept firing Apocalids.
The losses were replenished with the nutrients obtained by the Wide Sentry Fleet.
The Soil Pit, constantly producing, grew as hot as magma.
If not for the Evolution Code called Extreme Evolution, they would have died upon exiting the Soil Pit and been digested.
“The Central Command Giant keeps dying on the way.”
The number of Central Command Giants fired so far: 171.
Only one had reached the enemy Dimension Ship.
It was because their bodies were large but their defense was poor.
Their unusual appearance also made them easy targets.
A Central Command Giant that had been moving toward the launch tube instead returned to the Hibernation Room.
Instead, they mass-produced Central Command Warriors and fired them.
The Central Command Warrior had flight capability, so a higher proportion of them entered the enemy Dimension Ship compared to other Apocalids.
—
“The one floating around is the command unit. Snipe that one first!”
Mille shouted.
He was a Magic Stone Golem with identification number 10,000.
With identification numbers now reaching the tens of millions, he could be considered an extremely old Magic Stone Golem.
Magic Stone Golems grew stronger with age.
Because they had no aging and their experience was proportional to their skill.
The amount of Mana they could store in their Mana Stones also increased.
The other Magic Stone Golems respected him, and Mille naturally became the commander.
Apocalids swarmed without distinction across the floor, walls, and ceiling of a 10-meter-wide corridor.
The Magic Stone Golems raised their left arms, which were loaded with magic cannons.
Their target was the Central Command Warrior behind the Apocalids.
The Magic Stone Golems didn’t know its exact name, but its unusual appearance made it easy to designate as a target.
*Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
With a precise volley, the Central Command Warrior fell.
As soon as the Central Unit disappeared, all the Apocalids hesitated.
A moment shorter than a second.
After that, the Apocalids charged in even more fiercely.
If prey was in front, they never stopped, and they didn’t hesitate to break through walls to kill enemies on the other side—an inefficient act.
Very linear movements.
The Magic Stone Golems acted intelligently.
They lured the enemy into traps or advantageous terrain and dealt with them easily.
A Transport Ship approached the battlefield, where Magic Stone Golems and Apocalids were mixed together.
Unlike the sleek Battleships, it was wide and looked sluggish, a Dimension Ship with many Magic Stone Golems on standby.
The Magic Stone Golems there woke up and linked into the Magic Stone Golem Communication Network.
The Magic Stone Golems who could now accurately know their numbers rejoiced at the suddenly increased allied count.
“There are 100,000 in this sector alone. No way we can lose.”
Mille ordered the Magic Stone Golems that had come under his command to join quickly.
The Magic Stone Golems on the Transport Ship busily moved to relocate.
*Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
A terrifying sound exploded.
The number of linked Magic Stone Golems suddenly plummeted.
-What’s happening?
-Allies are disappearing!
-It must be a communication network malfunction!
Mille wanted to believe that too.
*Kwaang!
Breaking through the outer wall in anxiety, he looked at where the Transport Ship should have been.
Where a 10km-long Dimension Ship should have been, there were only torn metal chunks.
“What happened?”
-Something flew in from outside the formation.
“What exactly was that something?”
-That is unknown. It’s being analyzed in the command room.
“Let me know when it’s done.”
‘That’s it.’
-Yes sir!
The Dimension Ship Mille was on accelerated urgently.
Because of the unknown attack that had taken out the Transport Ship.
The Magic Stone Golem Communication Network was also in chaos.
“Calm down. They’re just beasts after all. All we have to do is show them who the hunter is.”
At Mille’s command, the Magic Stone Golems steadily cleaned up the Apocalids.
Even if they lost allies and enemies kept pouring in, they just had to kill the command units like they had done so far.
The Swarm Lord and Hive spread Apocalids around them.
It was already the fifth wave.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thung.
Apocalids that had slowed upon hitting the outer wall entered the interior of the Dimension Ship.
“Let’s start the hunt!”
Mille shouted boldly, but after examining the enemy composition, he was dumbfounded.
There were far too many command units to eliminate.
Previously it was one per 100,000, but now there was one per 100.
“Beasts though they may be. Attack quickly!”
Mille loaded his magic cannon and lured the Apocalids into the hangar.
It was wide and divided into multiple floors, making it a good place to eliminate enemies that entered.
*Thump.
A Scythe Claw stuck out from the center of Mille’s chest.
A precise strike that pierced his Mana Core.
Mille looked back.
He tried to squeeze the remaining Mana from his body to signal that an assassin was present.
But the Stealth Predator swung its Scythe Claw before that, cutting off Mille’s head.
Then an explosion occurred beneath the feet of the Magic Stone Golems waiting layer by layer in the hangar.
A massive shockwave that blew the entire hangar away sent countless Magic Stone Golems flying.
The Stealth Predator observed the situation.
It had eliminated all command units on the Dimension Ship, but there might be hidden ones.
It waited while hidden, but the chaos among the Magic Stone Golems continued.
They floundered and were devoured by the Apocalids led by the Central Command Warrior.
Soon, the Stealth Predator rampaged, the bridge—now nothing but Mana Stone chunks—was captured, and the engine room was wrecked.
‘That’s it.’
Now this Dimension Ship was no longer a sailing vessel or a giant Magic Stone Golem, but merely a floating Mana Stone.
A single Hive flew in and bit deeply into the Dimension Ship.
Only then did the Stealth Predator move to another Dimension Ship.
‘That’s it.’
Gunsmir carefully observed the area where the enemy had wedged in.
It seemed like a small number of enemies had infiltrated and would soon be repelled, but the battle continued.
They had even pushed deeper.
-Looks like it’s tough.
She couldn’t just stand by.
If close combat continued, the enemy would proliferate from the remains.
In Gunsmir’s estimate, the amount wouldn’t be much, but regardless, they had to stop it.
Gunsmir moved.
Countless Artificial Spirits followed.
She quickly cut through the Dimensional Sea and arrived at the battlefield where Magic Stone Golems and Apocalids were fighting fiercely.
Her field of vision caught a red-stained Dimension Ship.
Those that had been designated on the Communication Network by the Magic Stone Golems as better destroyed than recaptured due to enemy occupation.
Destroy it!
A beam shot from the center of Gunsmir’s body.
The middle of the Dimension Ship melted, and a hole burst open.
It was obvious what had happened to the Apocalids inside.
Gunsmir’s attack was immediately reported to Kuongi.
Kuongi judged that only a Hive Class or higher could block that attack.
A Hive loaded with Central Bomber Giants and Bomber Giants moved, leading Light Titans.
They did not bring the relatively slower Titans and Super Titans.
As the interception force approached, Gunsmir and the Artificial Spirits fired beams.
Countless flashes of light streamed in lines.
Gunsmir’s beam grazed the back of the Hive, leaving a long cut.
The Chitin Gauntlet melted, and blood from the flesh beneath evaporated.
Unlike the Dimension Ship that was destroyed in one blow, the damage the Hive suffered ended there.
-Hmm…
Gunsmir had no energy left to be more surprised.
She had to use that strength to find out why the attack barely worked and come up with a countermeasure.
The reason was easy to figure out thanks to the experiential knowledge accumulated by the Magic Stone Golems.
-A being that magic barely affects… how can such a creature exist?
A creature that seemed to ignore magic and absorb the very existence of spirits seemed born to hunt spirits, which were made of magic.
-Adjust the magic cannons. Strengthen heat and impact.
The Artificial Spirits fired the modified magic cannons as Gunsmir ordered.
This time, it had some effect.
Small Air Walkers and Air Scouts melted away.
It was heat that even the Extreme Evolution Code couldn’t withstand.
But the larger Apocalids were different.
Fighter Warriors regenerated from the heat even when half-melted, and Fighter Giants absorbed the heat and rampaged even more.
Only old and large Artificial Spirits could deal any damage.
-Almost immune to both magic and heat…
Gunsmir let out a groan.
In her hundreds of years of life, she had never encountered such an enemy.
Still, it wasn’t completely impossible to respond.
Salika had prepared for enemies that magic didn’t work on.
It was a method Silvius had also used.
The last resort of an Artificial Spirit.
‘That’s it.’
-Must I use that?
She couldn’t remain as dead weight doing nothing.
It pained her to lose Artificial Spirits like limbs, but these were created things.
They existed for the Creator, Salika.
-Deploy Annihilation Magic.
Gunsmir’s command spread to all the spirits here.
The Artificial Spirits, which until now had focused on distancing themselves from the Apocalids, began to dive in instead.
Then, an Artificial Spirit bitten by a Suction Worker shuddered.
Annihilation Magic unfolded silently.
The Artificial Spirit and the Suction Worker vanished together.
The Air Walkers nearby were erased as if by an eraser.
It was the first large-scale blow the Artificial Spirits had dealt to the Apocalids.
-Fortunately, they aren’t immune to all magic. They couldn’t be.
The Artificial Spirits flew toward clusters of Apocalids.
Annihilation Magic continued, and countless Apocalids disappeared.
For Gunsmir, it was a sight that was both satisfying and bitter.
But it didn’t last long.
Flying Apocalids scattered.
They also distanced themselves from the Artificial Spirits.
The opposite of before.
Though Annihilation Magic could now only take out one at a time, it was enough to make Gunsmir wary.
Because she had gone from a futile prey to a key force.
Gunsmir advanced slowly.
Unlike before, the enemy scattered widely, giving her a strange sense of satisfaction.
-That’s the one.
Gunsmir changed course.
Toward Kuongi, who was breaking the formation with overwhelming destructive power.
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