Chapter 3

1

The song of the ocean's west coast ignited the enthusiasm of the soldiers surging forward on the icy sea battlefield. Thinking of their distant homes and glaring at the detestable enemy, their morale soared high like a rainbow. News of successful ambushes was relayed back, as they indulged in the songs as if they had already laid down arms and returned home. However, as frontline warriors, they were fully aware that no one knew how long this full-scale war would last. Despite the majority of soldiers currently stationed being the wounded, they all wished to return to the battlefield.

Military officers stood on high platforms, lamenting the passing of the era of peace. Wars were ever-changing, and no one could replace them in leading the charge. Without their charges, the future of humanity would be bleak. Though a charge might most likely not lead to another song to be heard, they truly harbored no regrets.

As the moon cast a hazy glow, the waves on the sea never ceased, rushing one after another towards the land. Far out at sea, where the two armies faced off, the soldiers were on high alert.

"Soldiers, don't lose focus," a human officer patrolled the soldiers on the warship. Even though the divine beings had withdrawn to places unseen by the naked eye, they left traces detected by the radar. The divine beings possessed deep knowledge of human radar systems and often used tricks to deceive the radar. In response, humans improved their radar systems to detect anomalies caused by divine magic, a technology that had existed before but was not widely adopted due to the influence of factions sympathetic to the divine beings. They were biased towards believing that magic was the primary power of the era, neglecting the technological advancements established by humans. Starting with a significant lag behind the gods and demons in terms of magical abilities, it was natural that humans were suppressed by the divine beings.

It became apparent when the former Emperor of Othrie purchased a flawed Horus surveillance magic system from the divine beings, that the previous generation of humans was still living under the beautiful lies of the divine beings. The once revered divine beings, with their masks now stripped away, could no longer be called "gods," simply a label from that moment onward.

Humanity's greatest strength lies in creativity. Initially, the demon race "assisted" the Suto family malevolently in the application process of artificial elements. Now, it has become the core technology that all countries in The Human Realm are vigorously researching and producing various weapons within less than a month.

"Our new radar is in the midst of transitioning. Anyone caught napping at this moment will be thrown into the sea!" The officer's stern tone indicated that it was a time of reduced defense. With his wealth of experience, it wasn't hard to guess that the divine beings might take advantage of this vulnerability and strike.

Simultaneously, news of a successful ambush had been relayed back, hinting at the possibility of retaliatory action from the divine beings. However, the consequence would be a further retreat due to insufficient supplies. In the early hours of the morning, the divine beings decided to retaliate. Alarm sounds blared, and all soldiers stood ready, prepared for the unexpected. A sudden mist enveloped the sea, and officers with high-level magic sensed the strangeness of the mist, immediately ordering prioritizing anti-toxins.

Dozens of warships were slowly covered by the mist when suddenly the radar reacted. Above the clouds were the divine beings' army, with a few Angels using magic to transport rectangular blocks emitting a shimmering golden light infused with magic to designated locations. Once the Angels emerged from the blocks, they retreated as the blocks, driven by inertia, descended. Humans, not foolish, intercepted by launching magic cannons. Just as they were about to hit, the rectangular blocks burst open, revealing numerous small diamond-shaped objects to evade interception, resembling a shower of golden meteors streaking down, prompting humans to swiftly counterattack.

The unintercepted diamond-shaped objects clung to the energy shields of the warships like magnets outside, overwhelming the shields and culminating in a massacre.

The divine beings' "Sinful Dice," a remote weapon for killing, was small and agile, utilizing "pack tactics" to attack enemies. In the dense fog where the divine beings had the advantage, human warriors found it incredibly challenging to fend off their assaults.

The divine clan launched a swift attack using the "Sinful Dice", temporarily lacking in weapons. Logically, the defense should wait for reinforcements, but the humans should seize the opportunity to counterattack. Choosing to attack means that the divine clan is preparing for something else at the moment. In fact, the losses suffered by the divine clan in the battles of the Othrie Empire were significant, making them much more cautious in future conflicts.

In the thick fog, the warships were embroiled in a fierce battle, in need of reinforcements. Geirerofi lay casually on top of the gate, observing everything indifferently as usual. The city beneath his feet, serving as the transitional city in front of The Human Realm gate, had turned into ruins. No one dared to pass through this ancient gate, which remained open as it did when it closed thirteen million years ago.

Nearly twenty minutes passed, and the thunderous sound of the Magic frame cannons pierced through the clouds, tearing through the mist and sweeping across the warships in the sky. Geirerofi suddenly became excited; ever since his defeat, he had been enamored with the magnificence of the "main cannon aircraft carriers."

"A new aircraft carrier!"

Geirerofi noticed that it wasn't an Othrie carrier approaching, but one from another nation, followed closely by Othrie's "Firmament."

The Human Realm warships received orders from above and immediately powered up their flight engines, soaring into the sky. When they reached a certain altitude, they dropped decoys and fired the main cannons, sweeping across the sea surface.

A low roar echoed from the deep sea, as two giant wrists emerged, seizing the latest ascending warship from below. Unable to escape with full power, the warship was forcibly dragged into the sea, where a blue light flashed underwater from the explosion of the engine room.

The Angel legion sounded a retreat horn, extending eight arms that were particularly long and reached into the clouds while their bodies remained underwater. The maneuverability of the warships was no match for the monstrous hands; they moved in groups and attacked relentlessly, making it nearly impossible to evade even when detected on the radar.

"It's these uncomfortable 'Unvirtuous Angels' again." Xiang saw the presence beneath the sea, recognizing the same "Unvirtuous Angel" that had appeared once in the Othrie Empire's waters. This type of Angel could lower the morale of the entire Angel legion but possessed formidable destructive power. If not for delayed logistic support and a desire for revenge, the deployment of the "Unvirtuous Angel" would not be necessary. Sending out wingless superior divine beings would require substantial compensation in case of casualty during wartime, according to divine laws. In contrast, Angels were much cheaper.

"Next is Qin Yang's Dragon Consort's performance." Geirerofi lay calmly on top of the gate.

"Isn't it only Nofice who can deal with the 'Unvirtuous Angels'? I don't sense her around," Xiang observed intently, detecting no trace of Nofice's magic on the battlefield.

"I mean her." The chubby finger pointed to the position of the main cannon aircraft carrier. Someone appeared under the cover of the main cannon, jumped vertically downwards, and pulled out black and white twin pistols in mid-air.

The twin pistols loaded solid bullets, firing them out and making them reappear in the distance. The white bullets exploded with a flash, illuminating the seabed, while the black bullets immediately turned and struck the "Unvirtuous Angel."

Although the black bullets couldn't threaten it, Qin Ying, wielding the twin pistols, stood on a Magic array in mid-air, both guns ascending to divine-grade Magic tools. She shot out two energy-like tentacles from the gun tips, as the bullets rapidly split into thousands, dispersing widely across the sea surface. Simultaneously, the main cannon cooperated in firing, as if overturning the depths of the sea.

Qin Ying raised the white spear high, as the power of light flowed into the sea with her gesture, causing a shift between light and darkness in the sky and the sea. Following the exchange, dark forces emerged, with eight monstrous arms rising from beneath the sea. Surrounded from all directions, Qin Ying did not consider evading.

As the eight hands closed in, a moment of silence fell between the heavens and the sea, showcasing a blend of black and white hues at the fingertips. The alternation between light and darkness, more potent than pure light or darkness, made the eight arms appear to exert great force in their convergence. However, things did not go as planned, as they were swiftly freed from their constraints, revealing the unsettling form of the "Angel of No Virtue" with its grotesque countenance above the surface. Chains had fused into its flesh, becoming one entity.

Bearing the marks of countless years detained on its body, released for the sake of war, it longed to sacrifice itself on the battlefield, returning to the spirit of the Angel, a thousand times better than its current state. The gods had gone mad, abandoning their masks of mercy, the divine race forsaking its ideals to resort to plunder for the continuation of their existence, unable to endure the scarcity of resources in The Divine Realm. The Council of The Divine Realm would continue their madness to fulfill the desires of the majority of the divine race.

In the tumultuous hall of the Council of The Divine Realm, chaos reigned as the gods engaged in heated arguments, even coming to blows. Augustine pushed open the doors, observing their unruly behavior, and a flash of white lightning passed through the hall, finally restoring quietude. The white lightning was not Augustine's magic but the Council's "Order Divine Chime," intended for the initial purpose of invoking reverence, later used for disciplinary purposes.

"If you have so much energy, why not go to The Human Realm and have a fight instead? The seriousness of the meeting should not be overlooked! Today, I announce that the supreme military and administrative authority of His Majesty the Celestial Dragon will be taken over by Allen Brandt."

A commotion erupted below, with the opposition faction leading the charge, vandalizing and defending against the supporters. The meeting room crackled with magical energy, restricted only by the prohibition of damaging Magic, resulting in surface-level effects only. Ultimately, Augustine did not want Allen to take over, but with his supreme authority and the heavyweight supporters behind him, including the elusive "Celestial Dragon," whose rumored false identity and the alleged persecution of the world by the divine race had caused unrest, some gods began to stir uneasily. To suppress them and counteract Hisa's rebellion, Allen had to exist. Augustine could not oppose it.

"Yesterday, the bill was passed simultaneously - those who spread rumors about the divine race will be imprisoned for three years. Those of you among the divine race who provoke unrest in the world with your exile rhetoric, swallow your words before tomorrow morning's implementation, or else be prepared to face the judges!"

The white lightning flashed three times to assert authority.