Volume 2 chapter 76
The Dark City.
Grayson of the Stone Demon Clan was responsible for city defense construction, production, and logistics.
When Clyris arrived at the rear of the Dark City, the original small villages had long been replaced by dense, sprawling factories.
Over nine million demons were concentrated here, churning out every weapon and shell needed for the front lines.
Resources from the entire Demon Realm were funneled here, processed into weapons in the factories, and then transported in an endless stream to the front.
"Your Majesty, you were looking for me?"
Grayson was planning the next production schedule when he heard Clyris had summoned him. He had to put aside his plans and step out of his office.
"Grayson, how is production?" Clyris asked before even sitting down as she entered.
"Your Majesty, everything is normal!" Grayson replied. "We are now producing 54 Large Fortress Cannons, 180 Small Fortress Cannons, and 1,800 Wall Guns every month! Aircraft production is at 1,400 units per month!"
"Mm..." Clyris nodded. After over a year of buildup, the Demon Race's industrial capacity had finally been fully unleashed, reaching its peak.
But this wasn't enough! Relying on this alone... was far from enough to defeat the Alliance. It was only enough for defense.
She needed more offensive weapons!
But the bottleneck remained. The demons couldn't even read the technical blueprints, let alone find skilled labor.
Despite having over nine million workers, more than a third were scattered elsewhere—mining metals, producing raw materials, handling logistics...
The remaining workforce, lacking technical understanding, relied on magic to fill the gaps in manufacturing. This meant weapon production required far more manpower than in Seres.
This was why they still had to buy rifles from Charlo.
"Grayson, how was the testing of the new aviation rockets?" Clyris asked.
"Excellent!" Grayson became visibly excited. "Within range, this rocket can completely penetrate a heavily armored Seventh-Rank Knight! And because of its long range, our pilots can attack from outside the knight's striking distance. We've achieved fantastic results these past few days!"
"That's good. Produce them with all your might!" Clyris's frown relaxed slightly.
"Yes!"
"And how is the construction of the Dark City's defenses?" Clyris asked next.
"We have built eight railway lines originating from the four city gates. Each line is 100 kilometers long, equipped with three Armored Mana Trains! For the walls, we have constructed 72 Gun Turrets, 36 Small Fortress Cannons, and 12 Large Fortress Cannons!" Grayson answered proudly.
"Is that so..." Clyris looked outside, her eyes losing focus.
Calculating the time, the Alliance's Saints should be recovering soon. The real bitter battle was about to begin...
Could she hold them off? Clyris had no confidence.
This time, there was no Demon God's blessing, and she no longer had Phyllis's power to support her.
Three Authorities and mana exceeding the Ninth-Rank limit gave her the strength to fight a Saint, but only one.
The power of a Domain was ten times that of an Authority. Simply put, an ordinary Saint could suppress ten ordinary Ninth-Rankers.
Considering a Saint's mana intensity, law manipulation, and physical strength, a single Saint's combat power was roughly equivalent to 10 to 12 Ninth-Rankers.
And the Alliance had Eight Saints... while the Demons had none!
"Saints..." Clyris sighed lightly and left.
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Picard's City.
Curtis gazed at the massive city standing on the plain from afar, his eyes cold.
"That is the 'Fortress' that has blocked you for over half a year?!"
"Please quell your anger! Your Majesty, it is not that we are cowardly, but that city is equipped with armaments comparable to a major fortress. If we storm it, the Empire will suffer unbearable losses. Therefore, we could only wait for your arrival!" A Ninth-Rank Knight knelt on one knee, head bowed.
"Is that so..." Curtis's tone softened slightly. "The Elves threw 300,000 lives into Talisk Fortress. It wouldn't be good for us to do the same..."
"The Western Army Group has suffered the fewest losses so far, facing the weakest point of the Demon defense. Yet now we are blocked just like the other two armies... This is unjustifiable!"
"But Your Majesty!" the knight argued. "The Balar Empire and the Maurice Empire are also stalling! Especially Maurice—they haven't reinforced their troops even once! If not for Balar's second conscription, the Eastern Front wouldn't even hold! While the other two Empires are conserving strength, if we grind ourselves down against the demons, it will only benefit them!"
In the West, Thebes used Dwarves as the vanguard, so the heaviest casualties were actually Dwarves, not humans. If Thebes really wanted to storm Picard's City, they could, but the resulting losses to their own elite troops... that was hard to justify.
So before Curtis returned, no one wanted to make a move. No one could bear the responsibility of heavy losses, especially if it caused Thebes to fall behind the other two Empires in overall power.
"It doesn't matter! Prepare! I will take this city and make it the breakthrough point for the Alliance!" Curtis waved his hand, commanding.
"But... Your Majesty..." the knight tried to persuade him again. "We shouldn't pay this price. We can send the Dwarves!"
"Hmph! Do you think the Dwarves don't know your petty schemes?" Curtis snorted coldly. "They just don't want to expose you! Now go! Prepare for the siege. Say one more word, and you will lead the first wave!"
"Yes..." The knight stopped arguing and retreated.
"Thebes weakening..." Curtis turned to the map of the continent on the wall, looking at the territory of Thebes, larger than both other Empires combined. He sneered.
"Hah! What a joke! Only a Saint is the foundation of an Empire! Thebes will ultimately become the leader of humanity!"
"The Pope is old, and the Holy Son is only Eighth Rank. The Church of Holy Light has no one left to carry the mantle!"
"The Sword Saint of Balar, though young, has no successor. Emperor Fries, suspicious of his own nephew, will eventually cause an incident!"
"Maurice is old and rotting, useless! That 'Blood Emperor' won't even outlive me! And the Crown Prince is only Seventh Rank. Before external enemies even move, the nobles underneath will start stirring! A piece of trash!"
"And the Elves..." Curtis fell silent here.
"Besides the Empress and the Warrior Chief, I didn't expect even the High Priestess to be a Saint... Three Saints. Hmph! Truly a Supernatural Race..."
After they were heavily injured, it was the Elven High Priestess who brought massive amounts of Water of Life, allowing them to awaken early.
But this exposed the Elves' true foundation! One nation, three Saints. This was power comparable to the Three Great Empires at their peak in the early Glorious Era!
"In the end, we are inferior to our ancestors..." Curtis shook his head, pushing the thought aside. "But fortunately, in my generation, Thebes will reproduce some of that ancestral glory!"
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