ch40 < One side battle part 1>

Meanwhile, on the Empire's beleaguered supply lines...

Thousands of goblins were launching a relentless assault on their vital supplies.

Various demon generals are present to collect their souls incase they case so they can be revived later by karna.

General Faraga was in a precarious position. His forces, comprised of nearly a hundred dragonewts, had been struggling against the Flying Corps. However, now that the dragonewts had transformed, each was classified as A-rank. They were formidable enough to be categorized as Hazard or even Disaster class, depending on their power.

"What are those things?" an officer asked in disbelief.

"Their power levels are astronomical," another officer reported, eyes wide.

"They're completely impervious to magic. And as if that weren't alarming enough, their leader is nearly ten times stronger than any other monster on the battlefield."

As Faraga's aide struggled to process this information, Faraga came to a decision. It was a misguided one, but as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.

"Everyone, deploy the Magic Cancellors at maximum power!"

"But—"

"What is it?"

"We might accidentally hit some of our own airships."

"And? Their leader must be Veldora. That's the only explanation for his immense strength."

"I-I see. That also explains their magical immunity."

The dragonewts weren't truly immune to magic; they were simply extraordinarily resistant. The Empire's cannons couldn't pierce their defenses.

"Precisely. Losing a few airships is a small price to pay to eliminate Veldora and his followers."

"Understood."

Nearly eighty airships unleashed their Magic Cancellors in unison, targeting the enemy. The magicules in the air were stripped away, causing the airships to plummet and burst into flames. The ships, which had relied solely on magic to stay aloft, succumbed to gravity. Most dragonewts were also forced to land due to the magicule depletion, yet Gabiru remained unyielding.

"Haha. With this, Veldora is as good as dead. It's only a matter of time," Faraga declared, his tone brimming with confidence.

"Indeed. His Majesty's wish will finally be fulfilled."

"Long live the Empire."

His aides continued to flatter and support him as they confirmed that Veldora—or, more accurately, Gabiru—was incapacitated.

"Bring out the wine. We should celebrate."

"Absolutely."

"I'll fetch the finest vintage we have."

"May I have a glass too?" A youthful voice, delicate and cheerful, rang out unexpectedly.

They turned to see a charming little girl with purple hair tied in a ponytail, sitting nonchalantly in the midst of war.

"Who are you? And how did you get in?" Faraga demanded, his voice tinged with both disbelief and fury.

It was a logical question to ask. The airship boasted magic barriers not only on the exterior but also within its interior. Yet, no intruder had been detected. Remarkably, even the barrier had failed to sense her presence, and no one else had noticed her until she spoke.

But it was a foolish question to ask. Despite its logic, the being before him, Ultima, was beyond anything mere logic could comprehend.

"So you don't have an answer for me? That's fine. I can settle for tea instead. By the way, my name is Ultima. It's an extremely important name given to me by Rimuru-sama, so remember it well," Ultima said, tilting her head cutely.

"Stop playing games. Tell me why you're here."

Faraga's mind was in turmoil, but his ability to maintain composure and make decisive actions was a testament to his skill as a general.

"I just want to ask a few questions."

"Questions?"

Faraga was no fool. If Ultima had breached their magical barrier unnoticed, she must possess exceptional control over magic. The only race that came to mind for such a feat was demons—specifically, an archdemon. Faraga was confident he could handle himself against an ordinary demon, even a powerful one.

"Yes, questions. I'm curious about how this airship flies, and those tanks. Oh, and whether there are any formidable individuals in the Empire."

As Ultima spoke, Faraga sent a telepathic command to his aides. *Activate the Magic Cancellors at full power inside the airship!*

When the Magic Cancellors activated, Faraga drew his gun. Unlike the mass-produced, magic-based firearms, this one was crafted entirely on Earth and required no magic. His other hand gripped a magic sword.

"You wanted to know who's strong in the Empire, right? Well, I'm one of them."

He fired at Ultima. As expected, she dodged effortlessly and was soon seated in the captain's chair of the airship. He then lunged with his magic sword—or so he thought.

"So you think you're strong, huh? I'll ensure you experience the depths of despair."

A voice from behind him made him flinch. As he turned, a severed head flew past him, its eyes wide in terror. It was one of his aides. He watched in horror as the headless body stood for a moment, twitching, before collapsing and convulsing on the floor, as if the reality of its fate had just hit.

"Hmm? He didn't know much. Oh well. Let's move on," Ultima said with a casual flick, sending another head flying. As an intelligence officer, she knew that Rimuru was intrigued by these machines, and she hoped that acquiring information about them would earn her praise.

"M-Monster!"

"Run!"

"Aah!"

"Everyone, summon Ifrit!" Faraga ordered, his voice rising in desperation. His aides, regaining a sliver of composure, began the summoning ritual. Using magic amplifiers and nearly fifty surviving mages, they channeled all their remaining magic to summon Ifrit. With no magicules in the air, they had to rely solely on their own reserves. Ultima found this amusing and decided to pause, relishing the opportunity to deepen the despair of her enemies.

"Hahaha. You might be strong, but this is where it ends."

"Is that so...?" Ultima asked with a dismissive tone. As she spoke, Ifrit froze, encased in ice. Unlike the Ifrit bound by Shizue's pact, this Ifrit was summoned directly from the spirit realm and required immense magicules.

"Mou... And here I thought you might summon something interesting, but this is quite disappointing," she said, watching as Ifrit shattered into countless fragments, each piece exploding in a burst of magic and fire.

"Well, let's get back to the interrogation."

"How? Th-There's no way a demon like you, without any magic, can defeat a high-level spirit—not so easily."

"Without magic? Is that the effect of the Magic Cancellors? Sorry to disappoint you, but it has no effect on me," Ultima said with a sweet, mocking smile.

"No effect?"

"Yep. You see, to us demons, magic is as natural as breathing." As she spoke, another aide's head was sent flying, a spray of blood marking its path.

"See? No sonic boom from my magic. Buuuut..." Her fingers moved in a blur, and another head flew off, followed by a deafening roar and a shockwave.

"If I adhere to the rules of physics, I can create a sonic boom and use it to attack by exceeding the speed of sound. There's also something called hyperphysics that Karna-sama mentioned, but I'm not quite adept at it yet."

Hyperphysics, as described by Karna, dealt with exploiting the loopholes in physics itself. The world adjusts to cover these loopholes, and understanding and using these special actions is what hyperphysics is all about.

"Huh?" Faraga was bewildered. It seemed as though Ultima was speaking an entirely foreign language.

Before Faraga could grasp what was happening, Ultima had slaughtered everyone on the airship except him. The only reason the airship remained airborne was that Ultima was preventing its crash.

"Well then, as promised, I'll kill you now," Ultima said with a chilling smile. It was only now that Faraga realized the true horror of her smile.

She hurled a black orb at Faraga before teleporting to Gabiru and whisking him away to safety.

The black orb was hellfire—a flame born when one infuses fire attributes into an abyss core. Thousands had tried to control it, including his master, Gadra, but had failed. Yet now, a demon right before his eyes had accomplished this feat.

As soon as the hellfire escaped Ultima's control, it spread rapidly, incinerating everything in its path. Faraga's body ignited from within, and the excruciating agony of being burned alive spread through his soul.

The main airship exploded in a cataclysmic burst. Larger fragments collided with other airships, tearing them apart in fiery wreckage. Smaller debris rained down on the battlefield, causing chaos among the Imperial soldiers. Meanwhile, the monsters, bolstered by Benimaru's support, seized the opportunity.

This marked the obliteration of the Imperial Flying Corps.

A/N ~ I don't like violence. Now my mood is off.