Not all Pioneering Zones were like Cadia and Cradion.
Some Pioneering Zones had been developed and colonized for decades, growing rapidly and becoming formally recognized as established territories.
Icathia was one such place.
With over a century of history as a Pioneering Zone, this region had long since completed its world tuning through the Celestial Pillars embedded within the leylines across the continent.
Today, the locals and immigrants had completely integrated, establishing a perfect order and making it a fully-fledged territory under the Goddess of Light Association.
That day was just another ordinary, refreshing holiday afternoon.
“It is time. Let us pray together. Today, the Goddess has once again bestowed her grace upon us...”
People gathered in small groups inside the temple. Just as they were preparing to pray to Hestia, someone suddenly sprang to their feet, pointing at the sky and gasping in horror.
“W-Wait! What is that?!”
At that exact moment, a blaring alarm began to echo in all directions.
Icathia was considered a fully developed region. The quality of its defensive equipment and military forces was on an entirely different level compared to those of newly established Pioneering Zones.
This meant they possessed a fully functional system capable of detecting and warning against enemies emerging from orbit.
“Is something approaching?”
The priest leading the service ran outside in a panic and looked up at the sky.
In the clear sky, a colossal object was slowly descending.
It looked like a giant pill bug curled up on itself, surrounded by several monsters floating around it like escorts. Its thick, black exoskeleton gleamed, with dark green energy swirling between the plates.
“Do not worry too much. The Goddess's army and weapons will protect us.”
He cradled a shivering child in his arms, softly offering words of comfort.
His words were not without basis.
The moment the Great Devourer's invasion was confirmed, the forces of the Goddess of Light Association stationed on the planet immediately launched a counterattack.
“Enemy counterattack confirmed.”
Elise watched as a massive holy forcefield expanded in the sky and defensive Sky Islands, armed with troops and large turrets, slowly ascended.
Every single response was entirely within expectations.
The Great Devourer, which had once ravaged their lands through Stargates, was now attacking from the sky, leveraging its success in advancing into space.
“Chronos, fire main cannon.”
Facing the enemy artillery fire from the Sky Islands, Chronos deployed its defense barrier.
Celia, who was riding directly on this unit, issued the firing command.
Icathia was a long-developed territory, meaning it was relatively well-prepared compared to other Pioneering Zones.
Consequently, it was a target worthy of deploying a high-ranking unit like Celia to lead the conquest directly.
“W-What is this?!”
The unleashed light cannons slammed into the Sky Island's barrier. With a violent impact, panicked soldiers were knocked to the ground.
To match space vessels, Chronos had grown its size without restraint, and the firepower of its main cannon was now strong enough to rival the flagship of an etheric civilization.
The panicked soldiers of the Goddess of Light Association hastily constructed astral formulas and phase inversion formulas for defense.
This was a defensive method unique to their holy civilization, utilizing holy power to deflect or reflect incoming ship-to-ship artillery fire.
“We analyzed that method long ago.”
However, even before their venture into space, the Great Devourers—including Celia—had already clashed with the holy civilization of the Goddess of Light Association, absorbing a portion of their technology and knowledge.
This meant they, in turn, knew exactly how the Goddess of Light Association would handle attacks coming from orbit—their sole point of infiltration.
Celia smiled as she watched Chronos's reflected main cannon fire get blocked by the defense barrier and dissipate.
Instead, Chronos and the surrounding Hive Motherships ceased their bombardment, pivoting to launch a coordinated, physical charge.
“What on earth is going on?!”
“Everyone, get out of the way! They're charging right at us!”
Facing the space mutant Great Devourers charging headlong through the artillery fire, the panicked soldiers on the Sky Island began to lose their composure.
This was a close-quarters physical charge that a space fleet would never employ.
While such combat methods were not entirely unheard of in space, they certainly did not exist within the seasoned knowledge of the Goddess of Light Association.
Curled up tightly, the massive Chronos finally shattered the holy forcefield formed in the sky with its own body, colliding directly with the Sky Island.
Under the violent tremors and impact, both the similarly sized Sky Island and Chronos suffered. Not only did the external barriers and exoskeleton shatter, but facilities and structures also collapsed.
“Get a... hold of yourselves! The monsters are coming!”
However, the real battle was only just beginning.
Following the collision, Chronos's body unfurled, and the forces stationed inside poured out like rain, swarming the Sky Island.
Celia leaped down as well, joining the fray.
The moment she landed, she cast grand magic on the panicked paladins, summoning a colossal firestorm that leveled the surrounding area.
‘With this, the enemy's air defense network will be breached.’
Celia watched the collapsing Sky Island, occasionally glancing up at the heavens.
The Sky Islands served not only as defensive fortresses but also as vital components forming the dense air defense network within the planet's atmosphere.
Destroying and capturing even one of them meant tearing a hole in that very network.
This way, even if the Goddess of Light Association—watching over the world—blocked the Stargates, the Great Devourer could still receive continuous reinforcements by warping into space.
“Everyone, run! The monsters are charging!”
And that was not all.
Hive Motherships simultaneously descended toward the surface, conducting indiscriminate bombardments, while Behemoths transported and deployed massive numbers of troops to the ground.
The ground forces immediately swung into action, slaughtering the enemies before them and beginning their erosion of the planet.
Capturing a city and using spider webs and mucus to convert it into a colony nest was a routine they had performed countless times, their experience and techniques deeply etched into the Hive Mind.
“Do not pursue them needlessly. Focus on fortifying our position. We are here to occupy this land, not to plunder it.”
Descending from the burning Sky Island to the ground, Celia watched the desperately fleeing citizens and urged her forces to halt pointless slaughter, ordering them to construct nests as quickly as possible.
There was only one reason for doing so.
To plant the massive seed of Gaia that Chronos had carefully delivered.
Receiving reinforcements through warp required a massive expenditure of energy each time, making the actual support they could obtain highly limited.
Capturing land and rapidly converting it into nests to multiply was a specialty they had mastered since their time on Terra.
“Injured over here! Priests, prioritize the wounded!”
“We need more medicine here!”
At the very moment the invading Great Devourers methodically went to work after breaching the defenses, news of Icathia's fall had already spread, plunging the entire planet into panic.
Chaos reigned, particularly near the areas targeted by the Great Devourer, due to the endless stream of wounded and refugees.
“Those monsters took our city, slaughtered our people, and are now building nests there. We absolutely cannot allow those horrific nests to be completed!”
A human male named Leon, who held the position of Radiant Envoy—a role dispatched only to territories with stable systems, effectively serving as the governor of Icathia—flared with immense rage upon receiving the report.
The failure of their defenses and the Great Devourer's ground forces establishing nests on their soil had dealt a massive blow to their pride.
They could not tolerate the expansion of these ground-based nests any further.
“Why on earth haven't the reinforcements arrived yet?”
Under the circumstances, Leon found it incomprehensible.
He had already sent distress signals to all allied forces, including their home planet. Since they conducted the world observation, the allies' Stargates could be opened at any moment.
Yet, not only had they received no clear response, but even the oracles of the Goddess Hestia had fallen completely silent.
Considering how the Goddess of Light usually loved to deeply intervene in her servants' affairs, this was practically unprecedented.
“M-My lord! Please look at this!”
His question was quickly answered.
In the communication projection they were viewing, scenes of other Pioneering Zones screaming in agony appeared.
Just like Icathia, other Pioneering Zones had been assaulted by Chronos and its forces, descending into utter chaos.
“How could this be...”
Leon collapsed to the ground, his face pale.
This was no longer just a threat to the frontiers.
In such a short span of time, the Great Devourer had rapidly grown into a lethal threat worthy of being deemed the primary enemy of the Goddess of Light Association, unleashing its unbridled, monstrous hostility directly upon them.
Rate on N.U.
