Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 603-601: Battle Situation and the Demon Lord's Feast
On this day in August of the 319th year of the New Divine Calendar, day and night were reversed, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.

The intense light was comparable to the height of summer, causing countless people in the Old World to be filled with fear and dread.

Then came the meteors falling to earth, streaking across the sky, lasting for over a month. After that, the meteors continued intermittently, their number becoming countless.

Some say that this was a war of supremacy between the allied forces and the empire, and that so many people died that the gods punished them.

Some say it's because a terrifying being from the astral plane is approaching, causing a shower of meteorites.

Some even say that this is an invasion by foreign enemies, with the gods organizing legions and engaging in a chaotic battle in the heavens.

There were many different opinions and speculations, but no one paid them any attention, and no one told them the truth.

The war of gods is not something everyone is qualified to participate in.

The gods rarely summon mortals to participate because mortals cannot survive in the astral plane.

The supplicants converted from believers, or the divine servants and angels, are not purely flesh and blood.

While they cannot travel through the astral plane for extended periods, they can survive for short durations.

In the divine kingdom, they are fearless of death and have no shortage of food and drink. As long as the gods do not indulge them, they can train and hone their combat skills without any scruples.

They are the most trustworthy warriors of the gods, and the last line of defense for the divine kingdom.

When they land in the floating city and begin their conquests across the vast land, it signifies the official start of this divine war.

At this moment, all the turmoil and conflicts of interest in the prime material plane no longer matter.

This divine battle atop the floating city will determine the future of the Herka world.

Thanks to her good relationship with the church, Loy was able to get firsthand information.

Furthermore, although it dared not get too close, the near-orbital magic eye's scanning capabilities remained intact.

As long as you don't recklessly try to observe the gods and the mysterious temple, you can still get a glimpse of the real battlefield.

The combination of these two factors made Luo Yi one of the very few people who had a firm grasp of the battle situation.

The fierce battle between the two sides truly broadened Luo Yi's horizons.

First, there's Netheril's side. While they've moved beyond the stage of magic-based industries, they've clearly surpassed it by far.
It could even be said that because of Luo Yi's intrusion, they have already embarked on different paths.

For example, they have completely phased out magic field cannons and have not developed long-range missile technology, instead replacing them with mage towers.

The Mage Tower in Netheril, or more accurately, the Arcane Tower, is the best amplifier for aggregating magical energy.

Under the control of the tower master, the assistance of the tower spirit, and the manipulation of numerous arcane mages, it can not only flexibly use various types of war magic to carry out targeted attacks;
It can also be transformed into a turret for long-range fire suppression.

Most importantly, while possessing a certain degree of autonomy, it is also a link in the entire floating city network, allowing for mutual support and cooperation.

The forbidden magic used by the great arcane mages, comparable to super divine power, is often the result of gathering the power of numerous mage towers.

In reality, the artillery battalion is not even in the same league as Herka's mage tower, and it is even several generations behind in terms of technology.

Then there's the ground assault force.

Although Netheril did not follow the path of tanks and mechs, their golem army was actually more advanced and more powerful.

The drawbacks of conventional golems are that they are bulky, inflexible, and have fixed programs, making them unable to handle complex and unexpected situations.

However, these shortcomings can be compensated for by using the magic of mental projection, which allows arcanists to control the system remotely.

Moreover, for arcane mages, even if the golem is destroyed, they only lose some spirit and magic power.

They can also ride other steel golems to continue fighting.

In other words, with the Arcane Tower as their base, they can fight endlessly, regardless of harsh environments or death.

Morale and such are completely unnecessary.

The same principle is even more evident in the air force legions used in aerospace combat.

Compared to the fourth-generation fighter jets of the Flower Territory, the aircraft of Nesseril have achieved a qualitative leap in terms of unmanned operation, miniaturization, and multi-aircraft linkage.

Arcane Flyer is undoubtedly one of the most popular professions among arcane mages, requiring abundant magical power, a strong mind, and incredibly delicate mental acuity.

For example, they can divide their mental energy into dozens of streams, each controlling an aircraft.

In this way, one person can control dozens of aircraft and practice different tactics.

The class level of an Arcane Flyer is determined by the number of aircraft they control.

It is said that the most powerful legendary pilots are capable of piloting thousands of combat aircraft by themselves and executing various tactics and combined attacks.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that one person could form an army!

And that doesn't even include those specially made flying machines; bombing and self-destruct command types are common, as are those engraved with magic runes and capable of using magic.

Although it is expensive to build, it is really strong in terms of mobility and combat power.

It's not hard to see from these two legions that the training and development of arcane mages is not easy, and their lives are extremely valuable.

Even the floating cities couldn't withstand a large number of arcane mage casualties, so they were basically fighting offline.

However, this also creates another problem—whether it's a golem or a flying machine, it's ultimately not a human.

They lack the flexibility of humans and are unable to handle complex situations, so a replacement legion is needed at this time.

The construct knight legion and the armored warriors are such beings.

Although they belonged to the ruling class, you can't deny that on the battlefield, they had to fight to the death.

Arcane Tower, flying machines, steel golems, armored warriors, construct knights...

These are the basic configurations of an Arcane Tower. Perhaps each Arcane Tower is different, or has its own unique characteristics and powers.

However, the existing ones already cover the needs of multi-faceted operations, including long-range, close-range, air, and ground combat.

After obtaining the data, Luo Yi handed it over to various project teams and the military headquarters without any further discussion, for in-depth analysis and study.

Although the paths taken are different, there are many aspects that can be learned from, and it can even be considered as pointing out the research direction for the flower collar.

As for the military, the task is naturally to study how to deal with and fight using the existing forces and weapons of the Flower Kingdom.
As the saying goes, it's always better to be prepared, and it's never a bad thing to be extra prepared.

As for the God War Legion, that's a completely different style!
In a sense, the supplicants are merely souls, without any actual physical form.

Their physical forms depend on the pool of rebirth in the Kingdom of God.

Apart from angels, almost every deity constructs a different physical form based on their followers.

As a result, almost all the gods would choose the one they preferred.

Therefore, you can see that under the Beast God's command are all warriors with excessive levels of berserk factors.

For example, there are the furious moon bear people, the roaring rhine lion people, the incredibly strong mammoth people, the lightning-fast black-spotted leopard people, and the eagle people soaring through the sky.

And then there's the absolute king among the orcs, the Behemoth orc, as powerful as King Kong.

These are all top-tier orcs, possessing maximum speed and strength.

Furthermore, those under the command of the Elf God are mainly rare beings from the Elf race.

For example, light spirits, who are extremely rare in reality and skilled in light magic.

There are moon spirits who can draw upon the power of moonlight and praise the moon goddess.

There are also the Sivanasti elves, whose dynamic vision is extremely strong and who are skilled in archery, and the Kagunasti elves, whose physique is superb and who are skilled in close combat.

Moradino, the god of dwarves, commands a multitude of exaggeratedly large hill dwarf kings, as well as the golden dwarves, silver dwarves, and bronze dwarves from the three great royal families of dwarves.

As for Quetzalcoatl's subordinates, they mostly appeared in beast form.

Every incredibly powerful beast that has ever appeared in Herka's history can be found here.

The forces under the Sun God are the most unified, and the angels are high-end combatants and also the commanders.

Humans, on the other hand, mostly appear in the form of extraordinary powerhouses, with infantry legions at the forefront, knights flanking them, and archers and ranged priests positioned in the center. In terms of organization and coordination, they are undoubtedly number one.

The divine war they launched was far from the order and rhythm that Loy had imagined; instead, it felt like a chaotic rush.

However, the weakest among them were all extraordinary level experts.

Individual military prowess masked the shortcomings of large-scale army operations, thus preventing the situation from becoming too dire.

This result left Luo Yi somewhat puzzled, yet also somewhat enlightened.

Even gods have limitations in their understanding and can be trapped in their own established cognitive systems.

In the era in which they grew up, large-scale military warfare was not yet prevalent. Accustomed to chaotic battles, even after becoming gods, they found it difficult to change.

Therefore, in terms of casualties, the losses suffered by the Prayer Legion were far more severe than those of the Arcane Tower.

It often takes two or three supplicants to exchange for one steel golem.

However, these supplicants did not truly die when they died.

When the body dies, the soul will enter the reincarnation pool again. After being resurrected, the soul can take up weapons and equipment and return to the battlefield.

To truly kill them, you must obliterate their souls.

Unless a truly powerful expert intervenes, the only option is to kill them repeatedly until their souls dissipate.

From this perspective, both sides can be considered to be immortal to a certain extent. The war is fierce and brutal, yet it feels like it will never end.

This 'endless' nature is also reflected in the battlefield situation.

The Sun God shattered the floating city's escape plan with a single move, "Great Sun Fall." The shattered Great Sun transformed into a fireball and destroyed defensive force fields in many locations.

The native gods of Herka used these 'loopholes' to send down their divine war legions and establish strongholds.

When the angels and supplicants light the sacred bonfire, and with these deities maintaining it behind the scenes, the legions of supplicants can descend in an endless stream.

Then, the Invoker Legion gathered at their strongholds and advanced in all directions, engaging in a full-scale struggle for control of the local Arcane Towers.

The outcome of the war will either be the destruction of the Arcane Tower and the loss of control of the region by the Arcane Council.
Either the sacred bonfire is extinguished, and the invokers leave the battlefield.

The battle was fierce, with legendaries and demigods frequently clashing, and numerous arcane towers and sacred bonfires being destroyed.

However, Luo Yi could also see that at most, it was a mutual probing phase.

Spanning a century, both sides were preparing for this battle, clearly having several major moves in mind.

It's just that the time isn't right, and nobody's willing to bring it out easily!

However, there is no doubt that this is a very good start for the gods of Herka.

The start of the God War was a seismic event for the entire world of Herka.

Apart from the Habsburg Empire, which experienced political and economic stagnation and increasingly severe social unrest after the signing of the Treaty of Luttia.

The others, even the Slavic empires, chose to keep quiet, none of them wanting to risk trouble at this time.

Those powerful beings affected by natural disasters, including legendary figures, almost collectively chose to remain silent. They didn't even venture outside.

After the war, the third-tier transcendent beings, who had almost become cannon fodder, suddenly found that they seemed to be able to tremble again.

However, 'silence' does not mean inaction. In fact, countries are promoting and developing the magic energy industry quite rapidly.

The various rudimentary industries that developed during the wartime began to be cultivated in a more refined and in-depth direction, expanding the depth and breadth of industry.

Putting everything else aside, just the same everyday Magic Energy Car alone has spawned seventeen or eighteen brands, creating a vibrant and diverse scene.

It is worth mentioning that with the start of the God Wars, the existence of the Netheril civilization was no longer a secret among the ruling class.

Correspondingly, the ruling class became aware of Netheril's schemes and the harm caused by environmental pollution.

By this point, it's impossible for them to completely abandon Magic Energy Industries.

The explosion of productivity brought about a significant improvement in living standards. After tasting the benefits, even if you were willing to go back to the agricultural era, you would have to see if those ordinary people who couldn't get enough to eat would be happy.

Furthermore, competition between nations has always been ruthless; if you don't develop, you're just a lamb to the slaughter.
Other countries won't sympathize with you.

However, industrial development cannot be slowed down, but environmental protection must also be put on the agenda.

Although the Church of the Sun could not devote much energy to it, it still used the Environmental Protection Law of the Flower Territory as a model to promote the treatment of industrial pollution in various countries.

This led to a surge in sales of the environmentally friendly equipment developed by Flower Leader, resulting in a windfall for them.

Of course, at this point, Luo Yi no longer cared about such small sums of money. While focusing on the God War, he was more concerned with promoting the Abyss Strategy.

His original idea was to proceed slowly and steadily, without being arrogant or impatient, taking one step at a time.

Once he defeats the last demon lord of the 138th floor of the Abyss, he will be the undisputed King of the Abyss, and no one can object to him!
In fact, the start of the God War forced him to speed up.

He adjusted his strategy, shifting from a steady and cautious approach to a more proactive one.

The method is simple: issue ultimatums to the demon lords, starting from the nearest and moving to the furthest.

Either offer your true name, offer your loyalty,
Either missiles pave the way, the expeditionary force pushes directly to the doorstep, destroys the Demon Castle, and kills or drives out the Demon Lord.

His "either/or" stance demonstrated Loy's toughness; however, in order to speed things up, he still offered relatively favorable terms to the demon lords.

The true name must be offered; this is fundamental and unshakeable.

However, Roy could sign a relatively lenient treaty with them.

For example, after they surrender, Loy will not ask them to fight for him, nor will he treat them as slaves; he may even give them considerable autonomy.

Of course, the annual offerings are indispensable.

In other words, Loy gave them the right to 'obey orders but not proclamations,' and as long as it didn't involve betrayal, everything was fine.

This is what has attracted the attention of many demon lords.

Especially those demon lords who have no powerful backing and rely solely on their own hard work.

Unlike Alex, the Lord of the Abyss Gnolls, who has the support of King Yenogu, they can still live well even if they lose their territory.

If they abandon their territory and run away, it would be equivalent to losing their status as demon lords.

Over time, the number of believers will become unsustainable, and the divine flame may even be extinguished, causing the divine power to drop to that of a demigod.

This outcome is something they absolutely cannot bear.

From this perspective, submitting to Luo Yi is nothing.

Luo Yi's move was clearly a combination of suppression and appeasement.
The one most sensitive to strategic changes was not the many generals of the Flower Territory, but Ophelia, the Dark Elf lord, who was outside the core of power.

She gave Luo Yi a suggestion.

Abyss Fortress, beneath the Demon Throne.

Luo Yi lowered his head slightly, looking at Ophelia who was kneeling on the ground, and asked, "You mean, you want me to hold a banquet of the level of a demon lord?"

The Dark Elf lord Ophelia respectfully replied, "Yes, my lord!"

"Tell me more specifically?"

"Your power is evident to all. No one in the entire 138th layer of the abyss can stop your might. It is only a matter of time before you completely take over this place."

They actually knew all this too!

"Hold a banquet and invite all those demon lords over, so that they may witness your power and the invincibility of the Iron Legion."

They would naturally feel fear, unease, and hesitation!

"At that time, those who are willing to surrender to you will naturally offer their true names."

"If they are unwilling, then they are naturally enemies and should be utterly destroyed!"

(End of this chapter)