"Superpowered entity?"
General William, who had been eagerly monitoring the battlefield updates on the screen, froze at the AI's sudden warning and suggestion.
"What kind of thing is this? Seven warships down in 37 seconds—that's beyond any lord-level creature!"
The shocked voices from the warship crew rang out as they processed the report.
"Bring up footage from those seven downed ships. I want to see what took down my fleet!"
Moments later, footage from the perspective of the downed ships appeared on the flagship's screen. They watched as golden light filled the horizon, casting the sky in a brilliant, ominous glow, followed by devastating thunderbolts from above.
"What is this... a thunder god's wrath?" one officer muttered, voice trembling, attempting to mask his own fear.
"Thunder god? Nonsense!" General William roared, unwilling to acknowledge that a divine force might be responsible. He couldn't afford for his troops to believe they were up against a deity.
"Warning: Unknown superpowered entity is advancing towards the Galfa squad. Commander, please order them to retreat to avoid needless losses."
The AI's voice chimed in again, detecting Muria's undisguised energy signature through the ground-based sensors.
"Order Galfa squad to hold that superpowered entity back at all costs," William commanded, disregarding the AI's suggestion. He planned to use his troops as bait, assembling all surrounding forces to annihilate this threat.
He firmly believed no creature could withstand enough firepower. If it survived, it just meant they needed larger weapons.
"General, issuing that order means Galfa squad has a 99.9% chance of total casualties," the AI reminded him.
"For victory, some sacrifices are necessary! Humanity will honor their sacrifice." William's face darkened. "I'm the highest authority in this operation. No more suggestions!"
"Understood."
"Tell Galfa squad reinforcements are on their way. They must hold their ground and remain calm."
After sending his troops to their deaths, William continued rallying surrounding forces, aiming to crush the powerful entity with overwhelming firepower. However, he had no idea what he was truly up against—a being already revered as a god by those who had seen him in action.
…
"Boring."
With a casual strike, Muria unleashed a blast that shattered another warship mid-air. Then he turned to check on Meisha, who had recently completed an evolution.
The enormous beast, with a wingspan exceeding 60 meters, was clawing through a warship's metal armor. Covered in dazzling black scales with gold markings, Meisha lowered its head and unleashed a devastating breath attack into the ship's interior.
Boom!
The warship exploded as Meisha, now fully evolved into a dragon-like beast, flapped its wings and retreated from the fiery wreckage. This was the last warship in the area.
Howling triumphantly, Meisha looked over to Muria, eyes filled with eagerness to please. Its tail wagged slightly, betraying its excitement.
"Quit the flattery! The battle's far from over. Perform well, and you'll be rewarded," Muria replied with slight exasperation. This beast had followed his summons, arriving just in time to join the fight after Muria had already dismantled a fleet.
For Meisha, a creature in the realm of world awareness, it had readily heeded the Tree's call—an order from the world itself, something Meisha wouldn't even consider refusing.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
Just as the battlefield settled, several white-red energy blasts tore through the air from a distance, some brushing past Muria, others striking Meisha directly.
Roar!
Though the blasts were little more than pinpricks on Meisha's hardened scales, they infuriated the newly evolved beast, now prideful with dragon blood. It opened its jaws, unleashing a purple-black lightning-laced breath attack. The destructive energy surged through the air, grazing a warship and triggering a chain reaction.
The warship's armor began corroding where the attack hit, eventually detonating its core.
Unsatisfied, Meisha dived toward the oncoming warships, wings slicing through the air as it closed in on the lumbering battle machines, engaging them in close combat.
"How tragic," Muria thought, hovering calmly as he watched his mount tear through one warship after another, obliterating both the ships and their crews.
This outcome was hardly surprising. Meisha, nearly the same size as the human warships, had the upper hand in every way. The warships' main cannons couldn't even pierce Meisha's scales, let alone inflict serious harm.
…
"Retreat! This is an unstoppable monster—full speed away from the battlefield! We need to survive!"
"Help! I don't want to die!"
"Our attacks only enrage it. Pull back!"
"But sir, command ordered us to hold our ground until reinforcements arrive."
"Screw reinforcements! Are you blind? Our main guns can't even scratch it! Full retreat!"
"Still want us to engage? Are the idiots in command blind? Let them come down here and fight this thing themselves!"
"Everyone, listen up! I'm not afraid to die, but I won't drag you all down with me. Withdraw at full speed; I'll take full responsibility."
…
On the flagship orbiting the Ikoan world, General William listened to the chaos and despair filling the war channel. His face grew darker as soldiers' shouts shifted from desperate pleas to outright curses, the vitriol directed at him, the war's commander.
The barrage of insults reflected a complete collapse of morale. The soldiers, desperate and resentful, turned their rage on command, realizing they were being sent to their deaths against unbeatable monsters.
"I may be willing to sacrifice some troops for victory, but I never intended for them all to die," William muttered, anger flashing across his face.
His anger, however, wasn't directed at the soldiers cursing him. It was aimed at the two superpowered creatures who had single-handedly overturned the battlefield.
"This war... No, this was supposed to be nothing more than a military exercise to test our forces. It wasn't even supposed to be a real war!
"But with these two monsters, it has become a war—one where we're at a complete disadvantage. Pandora truly is terrifying."
The general muttered to himself, his emotions on the verge of breaking down.
"General?" His beautiful young adjutant stepped forward, concern evident on her face.
"I'm fine!" William waved her away, a crazed glint in his eyes. "My soldiers say I don't understand what they're facing? Fine. I'm ordering the flagship to descend into Pandora. I want to see with my own eyes just what kind of monsters could terrify my troops like this!"
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