Man on the ark, forced to become king

……

huh... huh...

A deep darkness flowed across the battlefield, and the Demon King's power swept across the land, engulfing large numbers of soldiers.

Theresa gasped for breath, clearly sensing that many people had been swept away by her power and lost their minds.

The soldiers who lost their ability to judge under the influence of the Demon King's power were robbed of their ability to think, and she was powerless to control them, so she could only let those mindless beasts indiscriminately attack everything around them in the chaos.

Influence on the consciousness of ordinary soldiers is easy, but precise control is impossible. Not to mention, she also has to deal with the constant ranged attacks and artillery bombardment, leaving her with no time or energy to exercise more detailed control over the army under the power of the Demon King.

Let alone control it, even maintaining the current scale of the spell has put immense pressure on her, and she is barely managing to hold on.

It is indeed too difficult for an individual to fight against an army.

The power of the Golden Tree flowed through her body, but it was still insufficient to offset the massive energy drained by the large-scale spells. Feeling her energy being continuously drawn out, Theresa couldn't help but smile bitterly.

She was increasingly confused about how Lin Lu managed to withstand the drain of such a catastrophic spell.

That kind of incredible magic requires even more energy than she does now; it's simply a pipe dream to support it with her own strength.

But that man did it, and he did it with ease every time.

Just thinking about it is terrifying.

In fact, if it weren't for her unwavering determination and refusal to admit defeat, she would have given up long ago.

Anyway, even if we collapse now, there will be someone to support us, so the situation won't get any worse.

From the very beginning, Theresa knew that Lin Lu was hiding on the battlefield, and that she had previously used a massive meteor spell to wipe out an artillery unit of several thousand men.

If they fail, he will definitely show up to clean up the mess.

At that time, the legion sent by Ursus to provide support will certainly not be able to escape from his hands, and their fate will be the same as that of the artillerymen buried by the meteorite.

It might even be worse.

If that's the case, why grit your teeth and persevere?

The outcome is the same no matter which way you go, so giving up sooner will make things easier.

only……

"I don't want to be looked down upon!"

A sense of resentment fermented within her, and her nearly depleted power surged forth once more, stabilizing the crumbling Demon King's Domain. Theresa was enveloped in a thick shadow, letting out a silent roar. The pitch-black domain, which had already expanded to its limit, actually expanded even further, pulling the soldiers trapped within into an even more violent frenzy.

The commander's guess was correct; she was indeed powerless to precisely control the soldiers consumed by the shadows, and could only make them attack instinctively, resulting in very limited damage.

However, if it comes to the final moment, she still has a killer move that can take many people away at once—a mental burst.

Destroy the mind of the manipulated person directly from the soul realm, killing them on the spot or turning them into an idiot!

Furthermore, the longer the delay, the deeper the corruption by the Demon King's power, and the greater the impact on the final mental outburst.

Next…

"Try harder, let me see what you can do..."

Theresa witnessed Saria and her group's sabotage of the siege cannons and the forceful advance of the Goredia squad into the battle formation. The Demon King mustered her spirits, and a small glimmer of hope involuntarily surfaced in her heart.

Maybe those guys really will pull off a miracle?

If she could just stall for a little longer...

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

"Damn it! Where did this guy come from?!"

Seeing the soldiers on the surveillance footage being mowed down like weeds by the suddenly appearing man, the commander, who had been maintaining a calm demeanor, could no longer remain composed.

Unlike the women who could be slowed down, this man's destructive power was so great that even he found it unbearable.

The number of people seemed to have lost its meaning in front of him. The fully armed soldiers were like wheat to be harvested at will. Most importantly, he was only a few hundred meters away from the location of the command vehicle!

This is too close...

Judging from the speed the man in the video showed, he could easily break through the crowd and attack the command vehicle with just a few sprints.

With an attack capable of severing more than a dozen soldiers in one go, the commander didn't think the vehicle's armor could stop such a person.

If he were allowed to charge, the most likely outcome would be a catastrophic accident resulting in death and destruction, and the collapse of the military's command structure, with unimaginable consequences.

By then, this legion would essentially be finished...

completely annihilated?

Just thinking about it was unacceptable to the commander. A strong sense of shame consumed him, gnawed at his reason, and fueled his rage.

Unfortunately, he really didn't have any particularly good solutions for this kind of enemy!

The army's advantage lies in its overwhelming numbers, not individual strength; he doesn't have any warriors under his command who can match this kind of enemy...

A mixed-race Wendigo might be an option, but it's too late to bring him over now.

Damn beast!

"Evacuate immediately!"

Realizing that he was powerless to stop the enemy's surprise attack and that the situation had deteriorated to an extremely dire state, the commander made a decisive decision after a brief moment of thought: to prepare for a retreat.

Abandoning the command vehicle will certainly have some impact, but the consequences of the army losing command are undoubtedly more serious.

however--

boom!

A violent roar exploded overhead, and the command vehicle suddenly shook violently. Visible dents and twists appeared in the thick metal walls covered by armor. To the adjutant's horrified gaze, a sharp black blade pierced through the outer protective barrier and stabbed into the vehicle.

creak... creak...

The friction between the metal was extremely harsh, and the sharp blade that pierced into the car caused the surrounding body to twist under the force, tearing open an irregular crack.

A strong smell of blood seeped in through the crack, and behind the crack were a pair of scarlet eyes!

The scene, resembling the gaze of a demon, was truly terrifying. A chilling murderous aura permeated the command vehicle, causing all the officers except the commander to instinctively stiffen.

The brief delay completely deprived them of their chance to escape.

The crack was widening, expanding from a narrow opening that could only accommodate a blade to a size large enough for a person to drill into.

A figure flashed, and a tall, slender woman appeared inside the car. Blood flowed from her clothes, and her terrifying aura completely filled the space inside the car.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Ruthless Skills of War Mages

Without any suspense, the Ursus support force's central command vehicle fell to Goredia's spear.

This result is caused by a series of coincidences pieced together.

Theresa's outburst drew away most of the legion's firepower, and Lin Lu's intervention cleared out most of the elite guards near the command vehicle. These two powerful individuals, far stronger than ordinary people, were like tigers among sheep, delivering a devastating blow to the Ursus support force, making this originally impossible mission a reality.

Even after the loss of the supreme commander, the basic command system composed of middle and lower-ranking officers continued to function, but Christen's presence turned this leaderless command system into the beginning of the collapse of the entire army.

In terms of combat, Christen is truly useless; she's a complete weakling, even less capable than an ordinary soldier.

However, with operational equipment, her value became apparent—the Ursus army's command system, which relied on modern equipment, held almost no secrets for her. Most of the encryption was easily cracked, and the various high-end devices and weapons mobilized through the legion's internal electronic network, along with the drone surveillance system, all became playthings in Christen's hands.

Weapon-laden drones pointed their cannons at the legion's soldiers, numerous devices were forced to activate their self-destruct programs, the standard casting units in the hands of the mages were directly locked, the siege cannons aimed at Theresa were instantly paralyzed, turning into a pile of large scrap metal, and the hastily fabricated command orders turned the originally orderly and dynamic military formation into a chaotic mess of distrust among the soldiers.

This outcome was far more serious than the complete collapse of the command system that the already deceased commander had envisioned.

At the very least, a complete collapse would only result in a temporary loss of supreme command, and the remaining mid- to high-ranking officers could easily cobble together an inefficient but usable command system to regain control of the army.

However, under Christensen's manipulation, countless false orders were transmitted. The ever-changing commands made it impossible for junior officers and soldiers to distinguish between the real and fake orders. The entire legion was divided into small groups that distrusted each other and were no longer able to work together to fight the enemy.

The explosion of weapons and equipment after the self-destruct sequence was activated further exacerbated the chaos. Soldiers, who had lost command and were deceived by false instructions, were nearly out of control. They did not know where the enemy was or who to attack, and could only remain in place.

The only ones in the entire legion who still retain combat effectiveness are the mixed-race Wendigos and war mages who are independent of the command system, as well as the mid-to-high-ranking officers who are quite capable themselves.

Wendigos and War Mages are not regular units and, strictly speaking, do not need to follow the Legion Commander's orders. They are only involved in coordinated operations, but they can make independent decisions outside the Legion.

Mid- to high-ranking officers, being part of the military's top brass, possess considerable decision-making power and are therefore unaffected by false or chaotic orders. If necessary, they can take over command.

Right now, it's a necessary situation.

However, with the entire command structure in enemy hands, they could do nothing but protect themselves and control their small number of elite troops.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that this support legion is finished.

The shattered bricks and stones had crumbled into coarse gravel, making it difficult to reassemble. Moreover, there were enemies mixed in within, controlling the army's internal network. It was like adding water to broken mud and sand, causing the scattered gravel to drift with the current and completely losing the possibility of reassembly.

Moreover, the fact that the Demon Lord of Kazdel is still alive is an even more nightmarish reality.

Freed from the army's control, Theresa was freed from her difficult struggle and quickly recovered from her weakened state.

When Wendigo, who was closest to the Demon King and had regained consciousness from his control, assessed the situation, an abyss-like, terrifying aura rose once more, sweeping across the land.

Such an inhuman recovery speed is simply despair-inducing.

Even war mages with rigid thinking and little ability to make flexible judgments in most situations know how unwise it is to continue fighting against such monsters.

Without the restraint of the army, the Demon King, now free and fully recovered, is a monster on the battlefield. With their remaining strength, they have no chance of defeating him, and there is absolutely no possibility of victory.

Even escaping is difficult.

A small group of officers, who had barely managed to escape the chaos with their elite troops and regrouped with the mixed-blood Wendigos and war mages, involuntarily swallowed hard, staring blankly at the hundred-meter-long greatsword that pierced the sky.