"Teacher, didn't you go to fight?" Betty asked, staring dumbfounded at Muria, who had suddenly appeared before her. Her expression was still a bit dazed.
"Yes, but I finished and came back."
"Finished? So, does that mean you've already defeated all the Heavenly Descendants?" Victor's face lit up with surprise.
"Killed them all," Muria replied calmly.
Silence filled the train car.
"Gulp!" Robert swallowed hard, breaking the stillness in the cabin.
"Boss, my ears didn't malfunction just now, right?"
"No, they're fine. Just like you heard, all the invading creatures have been eliminated by me."
"In such a short time? Damn, you're really the boss I want to follow for life! Can you tell us how you defeated those creatures?" Victor's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"There's nothing much to say. From start to finish, I didn't even lift a finger. I simply unleashed my battle avatar, and those monsters all dropped dead," Muria replied nonchalantly.
"What?" Everyone was stunned.
"You probably noticed something unusual just now. That was my battle avatar extracting power from all of you to autonomously defend and attack. Those Heavenly Descendants perished because of that," Muria said, glancing at his pale and frail-looking sister.
"Boss, are you saying we also contributed to killing the five Heavenly Descendant generals?" Victor, who lay weakly in his seat, suddenly grinned alongside the other 13 exhausted young men and women. Victor looked especially delighted.
He could already picture himself bragging about this moment for the next 20 years. Whether it was to his future children or grandchildren, he could always say:
"Back in the day, before I even finished college, I was already on the battlefield. During our journey, we were ambushed, and together with the top genius of our family, we killed five alien generals."
"Exactly," Muria confirmed their contributions.
While Victor was lost in his fantasies of future boasts, the Empire significantly increased its vigilance following the attack. Resources, reinforcements, and supplies from the Federation were now under tighter protection.
At the same time, a large-scale purge began. The attack revealed a severe information leak within the Empire. Otherwise, even if the Heavenly Descendants had immediately dispatched five generals to break through the human defensive line, they wouldn't have targeted the Federation support train so precisely.
This cleanup had little to do with Muria. Upon arriving at the station, he was given a grand reception by the Empire. Numerous high-ranking figures came personally to welcome him.
As the annual support envoy leader, Muria typically wouldn't receive such a reception. However, his stunning feat of single-handedly annihilating five generals and their elite troops in just 20 minutes earned him unprecedented accolades.
This level of strength was nearly incomprehensible to Star Armor users, whose combat effectiveness was generally stable, with limited variation between their upper and lower limits.
Unlike Martial Artists, whose prowess could vary greatly. In their prime, Martial Artists could occasionally perform beyond common expectations, albeit temporarily and unreliably.
After the Empire's warm welcome, Muria officially entered the battlefield between humanity and the Heavenly Descendants. The supplies he brought were handed over to the Empire, and the soldiers from the Federation were sent for further training.
"One million soldiers... I wonder how many will return with me in three years," Muria mused as he hovered above, watching the soldiers being escorted away. His eyes held a tinge of sorrow.
The brutal war with the Heavenly Descendants was so devastating that none of the human powers—Federation, Church, or Empire—publicly disclosed casualty numbers to avoid widespread panic.
"Three years? If 100,000 survive, that would already be fortunate," a nearby elder sighed as he also looked down. Even the Douglas family had set a 50% mortality rate for its participants, which meant the situation for ordinary soldiers was grim.
In this war, there were no captives—only life or death.
"How do they even manage to keep this under wraps?" Hearing the grim survival rates, Muria couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Fortunately, humanity's population was vast. When the Heavenly Descendants arrived, the human population was already large enough to sustain the war effort. Despite the entire human race being dragged into the conflict, the overall strength of humanity's three major factions continued to grow.
However, this came at a cost. The average civilians of smaller human nations were plunged into extreme suffering, struggling to meet even basic needs.
Modern communication technology was incredibly advanced. For instance, the Federation lost nearly a million young lives annually, yet this barely made any visible dent in their overall population. Officially, there was almost no news coverage on these losses, demonstrating the strictness of information control.
Those who survived the war would likely have to sign confidentiality agreements upon returning.
...
"Imperial Martial Lord Gerlos, it's an honor to meet you. The Norman Defensive Line is now under your command."
"As long as I'm here, no alien will breach this line," Muria responded calmly as he arrived at the fortress designated for him.
"Are you the only one?" a Star Armor user asked skeptically, noticing Muria taking command.
"You haven't heard? Before reaching the battlefield, Gerlos was ambushed by five alien generals. He killed all of them in less than a quarter of an hour," another Star Armor user chimed in, laughing.
"I've heard about it. But individual strength alone isn't enough. Those creatures don't attack from just one direction," the skeptical one retorted, still concerned.
"You don't need to worry about that. Although I came alone, I brought my pets along. They can help defend the line," Muria said, unfazed by the doubt.
"Pets? What kind of pets?"
"My Primordial Beasts. They can hold their own against alien generals for a time. Want to see them?"
"Let's take a look," the Star Armor users said, intrigued.
Soon, they found themselves in an open field, where Muria revealed his concealed pets—giant creatures seemingly from a prehistoric era.
A massive serpentine beast covered in spiked scales, a towering bear, a languid black hound, and a colossal stag with gnarled antlers—all appeared before them.
These creatures looked like ordinary animals or low-tier Primordial Beasts, except their sheer size defied all expectations.
"Th-these..." A Star Armor user stammered, sensing that if he were surrounded by these beasts, he might not fare well.
"With their help, you can rest assured about this defensive line," Muria said.
"R-right," they replied, reassured.
...
Three months after arriving in the Empire, Muria officially became the guardian of a strategic-level defensive line.
His delay in taking up the position was partly due to compensation from the Empire following the ambush—they allowed him three months of leisure before assigning him a role.
Additionally, his feat of killing five generals had shocked not only humanity but also the entire Heavenly Descendant race. Such a loss was rare, making the aliens hesitant to act rashly.
Once they identified Muria's location, they avoided direct confrontation, leaving Muria feeling as if he were on a battlefield vacation.
"I might as well enjoy the rest while I can," he muttered, glancing at the inactive frontlines.
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