“Attack! It's an attack!”
“Why of all places here?!”
The city entered a state of emergency.
Monsters that blotted out the sun began attacking the city without reason.
Some could not understand why it was this ordinary city being attacked, rather than more strategically significant or resource-rich cities and facilities nearby.
“Those monsters attacked this city?”
The Goddess of Light Association Defense Force was equally bewildered.
They had been guarding strategic points, prepared for the enemy's assault, but they were shocked to find that the enemy's target was merely an ordinary city rather than a vital location.
Among them, probably no one knew or could even guess the reason.
The only reason this city was being attacked was because of a trivial, minor riot that had occurred decades ago.
“In the end, those things are going to devour this land!”
Thus, they could only mistakenly believe that the Great Devourer did not just want to paralyze the planet's functions, but truly intended to occupy the land.
“That’s right...”
Yuno, the cause of it all, watched the buildings and ground explode and collapse under the Brood Lord's bombardment, a faint smile touching her lips.
The buildings of the prosperous streets she had once only seen from a distance were falling, and screaming people ran onto the streets, desperately trying to evacuate.
Her assigned task was to push the enemy into a corner as much as possible, forcing them to defend the planet Tatooine to the death.
To that end, it didn't matter where she attacked.
In any case, the true goal was to hand over the planet to the enemy after a seemingly unavoidable and fierce battle. If she could consume as much of the enemy's military strength as possible in the process, that was even better.
“No!”
“Shoot the wings! Shoot the wings!”
Compared to other strategic points, this city was so ill-prepared that it was less of a battle and more of a one-sided massacre.
The flying mutants used various means and methods to eliminate the resisting enemies.
Some had their bodies impaled by the sharp stingers of winged insects, while others had their heads crushed by the massive mandibles of tiger hornet ants.
Hiding in underground shelters or homes changed nothing.
It was far too optimistic to think that one could survive just by staying out of sight.
The Great Devourer's hive mind had accumulated enough experience to become experts in slaughter; one could not survive with such meager effort.
The Great Devourer crushed the weak resistance of the security forces and then used sensitive senses like antennae to quickly find those hiding in the ruined city.
They could perceive vibrations, heat, and even faint bio-electric signals.
Subsequently, they guided their companions to pursue relentlessly and stubbornly, eventually breaking through doors or crawling into sewers to find those in hiding. The scene was pure horror.
“Ah...”
Those shrouded in fear who did not resist barely managed to save their lives by evading the Great Devourer's antennae, but anyone who possessed even a sliver of the Goddess's divine protection could not escape, no matter how much they screamed.
The Great Devourer did not bother taking prisoners.
Since full-scale war had already broken out, prisoners were everywhere.
‘Someone like me survived, while someone like Lena would surely die.’
Yuno looked down at the massacre she didn't even need to intervene in, a bitter smile on her face.
The priestess who had once been cherished by her, more loyal and devout than anyone else.
It was thanks to her that Yuno had realized the Goddess's imperfection.
Now, it would be difficult for such a person to appear on this land again.
Because they would all be slaughtered by the Great Devourer.
The Great Devourer's invasion, including Yuno's which was tinged with some personal feelings, appeared blatant.
They attacked more than twenty territories simultaneously and concentrated their forces to assault upper territories like Icathia and Tatooine, which required heavy defenses.
The high-ranking officials of the Goddess of Light Association shouted to Hestia that the intentions of those creatures were more than obvious.
“Goddess, those monsters clearly want to trample, defile, and erode our precious lands!”
They could only think that way.
No matter how one looked at it, the Great Devourer's current behavior seemed like a desperate, suicidal struggle.
“The Beast of Destruction and the Black Spear have appeared on Tatooine.”
Archbishop Rabiel, located on the home planet Arcadia, shared the reports he had received with the other bishops across the various regions, his beard trembling.
The Beast of Destruction and the Black Spear seen on Tatooine referred to Legion Commanders Begrun and Yuno, respectively.
Among the dense swarms of enemies, giving names to particularly powerful and rare individuals to specify them was a natural occurrence anywhere.
Usually, insulting terms like 'filth' or 'harlot' were used, but through word of mouth among the local soldiers, these names gradually became fixed, carrying more fear than insult.
“I heard that the Witch of the Great Devourer and the Gloom Nest Elf appeared in Icathia, and in Mandalore, there even appeared the Sword Demon, suspected to be the Queen herself!”
Furthermore, the Goddess of Light Association—specifically, Goddess Hestia—had been fighting the Great Devourer since the competition zone of Terra and had been gathering information through the deity forum.
The Witch Celia, the Gloom Nest Elf Lisette, the Sword Demon Kerrigan, and so on.
The Great Devourer had committed all its high-level individuals to attack the upper territories; it was undeniably their full strength.
“The Goddess commands us to do our utmost to stop those monsters and protect the territories! Those lands are core and strategic locations. Without the resources and manpower from there, our Church will fall into a great crisis!”
Rabiel claimed this was the Goddess's will, arguing that they must put all their effort into defending the upper territories that the enemy was attacking with concentrated force.
Almost no one would openly oppose this proposal.
However, some bishops were cautiously reading the room, cold sweat pouring down their faces.
“Archbishop! Although their importance does not match those upper territories, the other Pioneering Zones and territories currently under attack also need help!”
One of them plucked up the courage to shout out, calling for help elsewhere.
Reports had already been submitted.
A large number of space monsters led by Chronos had warped into space, and the Great Devourers had easily broken through the air defense networks that were weaker than those of the upper territories. They landed on the ground, established nests, planted Gaia's seeds, and began their erosion.
Compared to the upper territories where the Queen and Legion Commanders personally set out, the Great Devourer's forces were not as strong, but the territories receiving less support were in the same position.
If both sides engaged with lower troop numbers, the advantage naturally lay with the Great Devourer, which possessed explosive reproductive capabilities and aggressive combat power.
“Please do not abandon them. Those are also our territories, and the residents living there are our fellow countrymen.”
A bishop earnestly pleaded with Rabiel.
Though these words were addressed to Rabiel, they were actually a silent prayer to Goddess Hestia, who was observing the meeting.
They implored her to show mercy to all living beings and protect everyone in the world.
It wasn't that they were unwilling to stand up; it was just that the things they sought had already exceeded the limits of their own abilities, leaving them no choice but to entrust all their hopes to the Goddess.
At this, Goddess Hestia’s eyes, which had long been displaying countless visions, wavered.
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