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Within a single second, nearly 400 Wine Pandas were knocked to the ground, revealing the terrifying speed of the Demon's assault. The moment the Golden Dragon was forced backward, the Demon immediately changed targets and lunged toward the Wine Pandas.
However, the Wine Pandas were nowhere near as fast or agile as the Demon. By the time they finally reacted, two of their companions had already been killed. The remaining Wine Pandas had no chance to escape, so their only option was to brace themselves and resist the Demon's savage assault head-on.
It was worth noting that Wine Pandas possessed incredibly rough skin and powerful muscles, granting them astonishing physical strength and defensive capabilities. Even under the Demon's relentless attacks, their bodies managed to withstand the terrifying claws. They were severely injured, but they were not killed instantly.
This result shocked everyone present as it exceeded their calculation. Nobody had anticipated that the Demon's combat power would be so overwhelmingly terrifying.
During the war that had taken place eons ago, the Demons had generally been at a disadvantage when facing the Golden Dragons. Their physical capabilities were impressive, but they had never possessed an overwhelming advantage against the Golden Dragon race.
Yet today's situation was completely different, and the balance had been reversed. The Demons now possessed terrifying physical strength in addition to their frightening agility and speed.
They were fast.
They were powerful.
And, most importantly, they were incredibly difficult to kill.
There was no time to analyze why the Demons had become so terrifying as the battlefield demanded an immediate response. The situation had already turned unfavorable.
Nearly 400 Wine Pandas had been struck down in the opening exchange, leaving an enormous hole in the first line of defense. Through that gap, the 300 Demons immediately drove straight into the formation.
Even though thousands of Wine Pandas and numerous Bear Warriors remained behind them, their preparations were no longer sufficient. The 400 Wine Pandas that had been struck down were not ordinary creatures, they were the elite force of the battlefield.
Yet this elite group had been overwhelmed by the Demons in a single exchange and these were only the casualties from one attack. What would happen if all the Demons were allowed to continue?
Suddenly, all Demons raised their heads and released a deafening roar. "ROOOAAARRR!"
The sound shook the battlefield.
The Wine Pandas immediately fell into panic. They rapidly reorganized themselves and moved to confront the enemy, but fear had already begun spreading through the formation. There was nowhere to run, so escape was impossible. Any attempt to flee would only result in the Demons chasing them down from behind and slaughtering them one after another.
"Don't panic!" Sergey shouted loudly.
"We still have the advantage in numbers! Join forces and kill these Demons!" His voice spread across the battlefield.
Not only Sergey, but Baroque and Augustus were also encouraging their Golden Dragons and Bear Warriors, trying to stabilize the rapidly deteriorating morale.
"We still have a chance!" Kanna shouted. "Only 400 Wine Pandas have been lost! Don't let the aura of these Demons intimidate you! Don't worry about anything else. There are only 300 of them!"
"That's right." Jörn nodded heavily. "It appears that these 300 Demons are much more powerful than we anticipated. There's not much we can do about that now. We'll probably have to pay a considerable price to eliminate them."
The expressions of everyone present grew increasingly solemn, and everyone could see it. The Demons possessed extraordinary combat power, and they were not enemies that could be dealt with simply through numbers.
"I know." Sergey's pupils suddenly contracted. "There are still some Wine Pandas left. These Wine Pandas on the battlefield are indeed elites, but even if every single one of them is lost, it doesn't matter. As long as we can defeat these Demons, the sacrifice will be worth it."
"Me too." Baroque agreed coldly.
Augustus, however, was different. He had brought the Golden Dragon race into existence, making it one of the rarest and most powerful creatures on the battlefield. At the competition, Sebastian had been responsible for the destruction of 300 Golden Dragons, leaving only a handful of them alive. Now, there were only around 100 Golden Dragons remaining on the battlefield. If they were destroyed here as well, the Golden Dragon race would suffer an enormous blow.
"The Golden Dragons will stay on the side. The Wine Pandas and Bear Warriors will be the main forces." Sebastian had also noticed this.
Augustus remained completely unfazed, and he immediately issued his command.
After a brief adjustment, the Wine Pandas and Bear Warriors simultaneously released mighty roars. Their eyes burned with determination. The fear that had momentarily shaken them was replaced by the instinct to fight, and they charged forward. Their enormous numerical advantage was brought into full effect.
The Demons rushing toward them were immediately met by a massive counterattack.
The formation of the Wine Pandas and Bear Warriors had already been arranged. The Bear Warriors served as the primary defensive force. For every Bear Warrior, ten Wine Pandas were assigned to protect it.
These ten Wine Pandas were responsible for intercepting the Demons, preventing them from reaching the Bear Warriors, and creating opportunities for the Bear Warriors to unleash their superior destructive power.
The Demons collided with the formation of Wine Pandas and Bear Warriors.
Neither side retreated, and there was no fear in the eyes of the creatures. However, everyone knew that ten Wine Pandas might not necessarily be capable of defeating even a single Demon. Even so, they had no choice. They had to fight no matter the cost.
The answer to the battlefield's outcome appeared within seconds.
The 300 Demons simultaneously released deafening roars, then they moved. Their speed was astonishing as their bodies blurred across the battlefield like black shadows. Their agility reached a level that ordinary creatures could barely comprehend. They were giving everything they had, as there was absolutely no room for error.
Compared to them, the Wine Pandas appeared painfully slow. After witnessing the destruction of nearly 400 of their companions, the remaining Wine Pandas had become much more cautious. They stayed close together and refused to leave openings in their formation. But when the Demon appeared before them, the seemingly perfect defensive arrangement suddenly became fragile.
The Demon charged forward, and its claws extended. Two Wine Pandas were torn apart almost instantly as they had no opportunity to dodge. However, the other Wine Pandas nearby had already prepared themselves, and they immediately surrounded the Demon.
"Any Demon that enters our formation will receive a ruthless counterattack!" Sergey ordered coldly. "Don't underestimate the casualties of my creatures!"
It had already been observed that a Demon could attack a maximum of two Wine Pandas simultaneously. The Wine Pandas' bodies were incredibly tough and resilient, making it difficult for a Demon to kill several of them at once. That limitation created an opportunity.
The remaining eight Wine Pandas immediately attacked; their enormous bodies surged forward at the same time. Their claws, fists, and powerful limbs slammed toward the Demon.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The battlefield trembled beneath the combined assault.
Although Wine Pandas were not famous for their offensive power, they were certainly not weak. Their physical strength was extremely impressive; even two Wine Pandas working together could confront a Golden Dragon directly. Now there were eight.
When eight Wine Pandas attacked simultaneously, very few creatures would dare to engage them in direct combat. Yet the Demon did not retreat; it did not even show the slightest hint of surrender. Instead, it continued tearing into the bodies of the Wine Pandas with terrifying brutality.
The eight Wine Pandas surrounded it from every direction, and their attacks landed. Every single one of them struck the Demon's body. Yet, nothing happened. The Demon's body did not even tremble. It was as though the Wine Pandas had been attacking an immovable mountain. It felt like hitting solid rock.
"What!?" Sergey's expression suddenly changed.
The other people standing beside him also widened their eyes in disbelief. The Demon had actually endured the combined assault of eight Wine Pandas without moving. How powerful was its body?
In the war that had taken place in the past, the characteristics and capabilities of the Demons had been extensively studied. Demons possessed considerable physical strength, but their bodies were generally considered inferior to those of Golden Dragons. Their greatest advantages had always been their agility, speed, and terrifying offensive power. That was precisely what made them dangerous.
But if their physical strength had now surpassed that of the Golden Dragons as well, then what could the Golden Dragons possibly do? There would be nothing left except surrender.
The Demon suddenly released a terrifying roar. After killing the first two Wine Pandas, it immediately lunged toward the remaining eight. The closest Wine Panda barely had time to react before the Demon appeared in front of it.
Its claws flashed and the Wine Panda was instantly struck down. Seven remained.
But the Demon's speed was simply too fast.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Within three seconds, all seven remaining Wine Pandas had been defeated, and their enormous bodies crashed heavily onto the ground. Despite the thousands of Wine Pandas surrounding them, none of them had been able to protect their companions.
The battlefield fell into chaos, and the situation was rapidly becoming catastrophic. Thousands of Wine Pandas had been confronted by merely 300 Demons, yet the Demons were tearing through them.
The formation collapsed when the Wine Pandas began retreating. Hundreds had already been killed, and the remaining creatures were forced backward in panic. The carefully prepared battle strategy had completely fallen apart.
The Bear Warriors were stunned; even the Golden Dragons were helpless to provide meaningful assistance.
The Golden Dragon race had remained largely unchanged for millions of years.
Their bodies were powerful.
Their vitality had reached an astonishing peak.
Their physical capabilities were extraordinary.
But over those same millions of years, the Demons had changed. They had evolved, and what they had become was far more terrifying than anyone had imagined.
On the battlefield, the moment the first deserters appeared, the entire situation was turned upside down. Of the 300 Demons, not a single one had fallen. Not one. Yet in only a few seconds, more than 1,000 Wine Pandas had been killed.
The remaining Wine Pandas and Bear Warriors began fleeing in panic as they desperately attempted to escape the Demons' pursuit. But their speed was simply too slow.
Melee power-type creatures such as Wine Pandas and Bear Warriors could not possibly compete with the Demons in terms of speed. In an instant, hundreds of Wine Pandas and Bear Warriors were caught.
One Demon suddenly locked onto a Bear Warrior.
The Bear Warrior was larger and stronger than the Wine Pandas.
Its talent was superior.
Its muscles were denser.
Its physical defense was formidable.
But compared to the Demon, none of that mattered.
The Demon appeared beside it in an instant, and its claws struck. The Bear Warrior's enormous body was pierced through.
Its strength, agility, and thick flesh were completely unable to withstand the Demon's attack, so it died instantly.
And it wasn't only the Bear Warriors; the Wine Pandas were suffering an even greater catastrophe. The Demons had begun carrying out what could only be described as a beheading operation.
Against Wine Pandas that had completely lost their ability to resist, the Demons unleashed their full offensive power. There was no mercy.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
Every attack was designed to kill.
The result was devastating, as nearly half of the Wine Pandas caught in the Demons' assault were killed outright. The battlefield had become a slaughterhouse.
Eventually, the 300 Demons stopped moving. They had already slaughtered thousands of Wine Pandas. Their bodies stood motionless amid the devastation. Then, they raised their heads toward the sky and a piercing screech suddenly erupted.
"SCREEEEEECH!" It carried an indescribable sense of death.
Sergey and Baroque, along with everyone else present, wore grim expressions, and some faces had turned pale.
The Wine Pandas.
The Bear Warriors.
The Golden Dragons.
These were creatures they had painstakingly created and nurtured. They had invested countless resources and effort into developing them. Yet now, one after another, they had fallen before only 300 Demons.
The battlefield had become eerily quiet, and everyone finally understood. Eric's decision to send only 300 Demons into battle had never been an act of arrogance; it had not been because he underestimated the opposing army. It was because 300 were already enough. Enough to win.
The realization was terrifying and even more difficult to accept. Thousands of Wine Pandas, Golden Dragons, and Bear Warriors had confronted merely 300 Demons. Yet the result was an overwhelming defeat.
There was no prolonged stalemate.
No desperate reversal.
No miraculous counterattack.
It had been a one-sided massacre.
The Golden Dragons were killed.
The Wine Pandas were slaughtered.
The Bear Warriors collapsed.
Even experienced fighters such as Kanna and Jörn were left speechless. The situation had completely exceeded everyone's expectations, and nobody knew what to do next. There seemed to be no path forward.
Within the gathering, however, only Sebastian's mind remained completely calm. Although he had not activated his system, the abnormal behavior of the opposing side had already made him vigilant.
From the moment Eric sent only 300 onto the battlefield, Sebastian had realized that something was wrong. For him, the outcome of this battle was not particularly important. Winning would be useful, but losing would not matter much. The important thing was understanding the strength of the enemy. And now, he had his answer.
"Admit defeat," Sebastian said. His voice was calm. There was no panic and no anger, only absolute decisiveness.
A decision had already been made. In the current situation, continuing the battle would accomplish nothing; it would only create more casualties. The battle had reached its most critical moment.
The four people, Sergey, Iris, Baroque, and Augustus, had created what could be considered their most elite and Supernatural force. Yet even this team was incapable of standing against the terrifying 300 Demons. The gap was simply too enormous.
Sebastian's eyes gradually became colder. If the elite creatures created by the four of them could not stop the Demons, then there was only one remaining option: the Astra Militarum.
The moment that thought appeared in Sebastian's mind, the atmosphere surrounding him subtly changed. The first phase of the battle was over, and the real war was about to begin.