The next day, at Tower No. 9 station. San Cun Ren Jian
The officers and decision-makers of the United Front, who had been busy in Neverwinter for over a week, finally returned to the frontline command post.
However, it could no longer be considered a true frontline.
Agatha noticed that on the map marking the defensive circle, the railway front line had almost approached within fifteen kilometers of the ruins of Taqila, and a five-kilometer radius around it had been designated as a green "safe zone." In contrast, a bright red area had appeared nearly three kilometers ahead of the ruins, which was clearly the most significant change in a week.
"You're finally back," Fuling. Xierte of Dawnlight Morningstar quickly stepped forward and gave everyone a standard military salute.
The army and other members of the staff also stood up, saluting with joy on their faces. Seeing the return of their backbone, everyone's eyes revealed a sense of relief.
This ease also relieved Agatha slightly. If her colleagues could still smile, it at least meant that the sudden "danger zone" did not threaten the entire Torch Project.
"Good job, it seems everyone has been busy these past few days." Tieaxe nodded with satisfaction, then walked to the map and tapped it. "Fuling, report on the situation. Have the devils received reinforcements?"
"No, sir," Dawnlight Morningstar replied. "It's a ditch dug by the enemy."
"A ditch?"
"The first to discover the enemy's movements was Sylvie xiaojie. A group of devils crawled out of the Red Mist Corrupted Land and began digging six days ago. Later, Lightning xiaojie confirmed this situation and noticed devils active in the ditch, so she marked it as a dangerous area."
Tieaxe, Edith, and Agatha exchanged glances. "Trenches?"
"We think so too, because according to Lightning's hand-drawn map, although it looks crude at first glance, its overall layout is very similar to the trenches in front of the First Army's position. The front and rear transverse ditches are spaced ten to dozens of meters apart, and are connected by multiple longitudinal ditches." Fuling spread a rather rough drawing in front of everyone. "The biggest difference between us is that the devils use more longitudinal ditches for gradual retreat, and they are basically in a line, with a deviation of no more than two meters at most, so that the overall appearance is more regular."
"They are learning from humans," Agatha couldn't help but whisper.
If the rumors before the First Battle of Divine Will were taken as fact, then it meant that after nearly a thousand years, the devils were once again imitating humans.
"Interesting," Edith pondered the sketch and then said, "Those longitudinal ditches may not be used for retreat, but for attack."
"Yes," Tieaxe agreed. "Hiding in the ditches can indeed reduce the chance of being hit by shrapnel, but they don't have weapons that can compete with fortress cannons, and a few trenches alone can't change the situation. Only by attacking the First Army's position can they hope to win."
"So that's why they built the longitudinal ditches so close?" Fuling also quickly reacted. "If they are all together, it can indeed shorten the travel time a lot."
"How should we respond?" Agatha asked.
"Nothing needs to change." Pearl of the Northlands sneered twice. "Wait for them to dig within the firing range of the cannons, and let the Black River fire. Although it's a bit of a waste, His Majesty has prepared ample ammunition for this decisive battle... I want to see if they can dig the trenches in front of us while withstanding the artillery fire."
Tieaxe looked at Fuling. "How is the railway construction going recently?"
"The enemy's counterattacks have become more frequent, but the damage caused is not significant." The latter reported. "It is almost impossible for Mad Devils to approach the position, so they rarely send out ground troops anymore. The attacks are mainly carried out by Terror Beasts. However, judging from the number of ten to fifteen sorties at a time, it is estimated that there are only a few Terror Beasts left in Taqila that can fly. If it weren't for the protection of High Devils, we could have left more Terror Beasts behind."
"The Demon Slayer has been dispatched again?" Agatha frowned.
"More than once." Fuling nodded. "And each time, it attracts the firepower of the anti-aircraft machine gun squads,
and the Terror Beasts then launch an attack." Speaking of this, his expression was a little dignified. "Only when I see it each time do I feel... that I am fighting a real monster."
"How so?" Edith asked curiously.
"It often inserts itself into the weak spots of the position, and after landing, it can instantly make those who are watching it lose their minds for a few seconds, even when the soldiers are wearing God's Stone of Retaliation." Fuling said slowly. "Without the protection of the God's Stone—such as those workers who hide in bunkers but can't control their kindness—they will fall into extreme panic. The closer you are to it, the more serious the impact will be, and the Terror Beasts waiting in the clouds will take advantage of this gap to launch a surprise attack. Although Sylvie informs the front line in advance each time, it is still not easy to intercept targets diving from above, not to mention that one or two hits will not cause fatal damage to it. Our best result so far is breaking one of its arms after the enemy landed."
"It seems that the other party also has unlucky times," Pearl of the Northlands smiled.
"The problem is, when it reappeared a few days later, the broken arm had been restored as before, as if it had never been hit." Fuling's smile was slightly bitter. "If it were just like this, we have NanaWawa xiaojie, and they may also have some special healing methods, but..."
"But what?" Tieaxe asked in a deep voice.
"Several squads of soldiers have reported to the staff that they feel that the Demon Slayer's movements are becoming increasingly difficult to capture, as if it is gradually adapting to this level of combat. In the past, one machine gun could block its route of action and force it to change direction, but now it takes the cooperation of two or three squads to do so. Without these weapons and God's Stone of Retaliation invented by His Majesty, I guess... it might be able to kill all of us by itself."
"In the Union era, they did do this," Agatha gritted her teeth. "And as long as they don't die, they will definitely be used in the next battle."
"As long as... they don't die?"
"High Devils evolve from constant battles. The more severely they are injured, the more powerful they will be when they come back—both in terms of magic power and combat skills. Many Transcendent ones died at their hands, not only failing to cross that threshold, but instead allowing them to go one step further." The Ice Witch closed her eyes. "But not every devil can survive after being severely injured. Being able to recover in such a short time can only be its own ability!"
"You mean... a High Devil with both curse and self-healing abilities?" Tieaxe's expression became serious.
"Most likely." When Agatha reopened her eyes, the icy pupils were filled with determination. "Fuling is right, this is a real monster. If we let it retreat safely, I'm afraid it will bring us unimaginable trouble in the future. We must destroy it completely here—in this fallen land of the Holy City!"