Release that Witch

The following morning, at Tower Station No. 9.

The officers and commanders, after working for more than a week, finally returned to the headquarters at the frontier.

However, Tower Station No. 9 was, technically, not the real frontier now.

Agatha noticed from the map that the railway was now just 15 kilometers away from the ruins of Taquila, and the area within a radius of five kilometers had all been converted to the green ”safety zone”. The biggest change this week, however, lay in the area three kilometers from the ruin, which was an alarming red color.

”You’re finally here,” Morning Light, Ferlin Eltek, said as he trotted up to them and administered a perfect military salute.

The army and the rest of the General Staff all rose to their feet and saluted as well, excited and relieved to see their commanders come back.

Agatha was also put at ease when she saw the smiling looks on her coworkers’ faces. This meant that the newly-developed red area did not really impact the entire ”Torch” plan.

”Well done, everyone. You all did a good job,” Iron Axe praised while nodding in satisfaction as he tapped the map. ”Ferlin, did the demons send their reinforcements?”

”No, sir,” Morning Light replied. ”Those are ditches dug by the demons.”

”Ditches?”

”Miss Sylvie saw them first. Some demons crept out from underneath the Red-Mist-enveloped ground and started to dig the ditches six days ago. Then Miss Lightning confirmed Miss Sylvie’s story and marked the area as dangerous.”

Iron Axe, Edith and, Agatha exchanged looks and asked, ”Are they trenches?”

”We think so too, because, according to Lightning’s map, those ditches, although pretty crude, are very similar to the First Army’s trenches. The horizontal ones are three to 100 feet apart and connected to several vertical ones,” Ferlin explained as he unfolded a crude drawing in front of them. ”The biggest difference is that the demons dug more vertical ditches for retreating purposes, and these ditches almost level, with a differential of less than two meters, so they look tidier than ours.”

”They’re learning from us,” Agatha muttered, unable to help herself.

If what they had heard about the first Battle of Divine Will was true, then it was the second time that the demons had learned from human beings.

”Very interesting,” Edith said after she studied the drawing. ”Those vertical ditches aren’t for retreating. They’re for attacking purposes instead.”

”Yes,” Iron Axe agreed. ”The trenches can somewhat block shells, but they can’t block the Longsong Cannons. A few trenches won’t change anything. The only way for them to change their situation is to attack the First Army.”

”That’s why they make the vertical ditches so close to us?” Ferlin said with a look of comprehension. ”That does save a lot of time when the trenches are so packed like this.”

”So, what are we going to do?” Agatha asked.

”Nothing,” the Pearl of the Northern Region sneered. ”When they’re within the shooting range of the cannons, ask the ’Blackriver’ to fire. Although it’s like putting fine timber to petty use, His Majesty has provided tons of ammunition for us to use in this final battle. I dare them to run right into us against the artillery fire.”

Iron Axe turned to Ferlin and asked, ”How’s the railway construction going?”

”The demons fought back but didn’t cause much damage,” Ferlin reported. ”The Mad Demons know that they can’t approach the encampment, so they rarely come close to us. It was mostly the Devilbeasts. However, only 10 to 15 Devilbeasts come at a time, so I guess there aren’t many Devilbeasts left in Taquila now. We could have detained more Devilbeasts if the Senior Demon didn’t get in our way.”

”Did the Magic Slayer come?” Agatha asked as her brows drew together.

”More than once,” Ferlin confirmed and nodded. ”The battles unfolded pretty much the same way every time. The anti-aircraft machine gun squad first fired at the Magic Slayer, and then the Devilbeasts joined the battle.” Ferlin’s face turned one shade darker. ”Every time I saw him, I felt... I was fighting a real monster.”

”What do you mean?” Edith asked in curiosity.

”He always appeared where we were most unguarded. Then we would go into a sort of trance the moment he landed. Now, it should be noted that the soldiers were all wearing a God’s Stone of Retaliation at that time,” Ferlin said slowly. ”If we didn’t have a God’s Stone to protect us — for instance, those who hid in a bunker, too curious for their own good — we would have panicked outright. The closer we are to the Magic Slayer, the more susceptible we’ll be to his influence. When the encampment sank into complete chaos, the Devilbeasts in the sky would dive and attack. Although Sylvie would always notify us beforehand, it’s not easy to stop a plummeting Magic Slayer that can’t be killed with just one or two shots. The best we’ve done so far was break one of his arms.”

”It looks like that he isn’t always lucky,” the Pearl of the Northern Region said with a faint smile.

”But the thing is, when he showed up a few days later, his broken arm was healed as if nothing had happened,” Ferlin said with a bitter smile. ”Well, the demons may have a special treating method as we have Miss Nana, but...”

”But what?” Iron Axe pursued heavily.

”Many soldiers reported to the General Staff that the Magic Slayer becomes increasingly sneaky. It’s like he has gradually got the hang of the battle. Before, one machine gun would be enough to block him, but now, we need two or three squads. If we didn’t have the God’s Stones of Retaliation and the weapons created by His Majesty, he would have... killed all of us just by himself.”

”They were like that in the Union age,” Agatha said through her teeth. ”As long as they’re alive, they’ll get upgraded in the next battle.”

”As long as they’re... alive?”

”Senior Demons upgrade through battles. The more severe their injuries are, the more powerful they’ll become next time in terms of magic power and combat techniques. They’ve killed many Extraordinaries. In a way, we helped them improve,” the Ice Witch said as she closed her eyes. ”Nevertheless, not every demon survived their injuries. He must have some special abilities to heal himself!”

”Are you saying... that he’s a Senior Demon with both the cursing power and a self-repairing ability?” Iron Axe asked tersely.

”Very likely,” Agatha said resolutely with a hint of steel in her eyes. ”Ferlin’s right. This is a real monster. If we let him go, we’ll have great trouble in the future. So, we must destroy him in this ruined Holy City!”