The day after Bai Qi released the Earth Fiend, major news outlets ran extensive reports on the sudden appearance of this terrestrial demon.
However, unlike Bai Qi, all coverage of the Earth Fiend was overwhelmingly negative.
There was no other way. After all, the Earth Fiend was not Bai Qi; it was inherently dim-witted and incapable of discretion. Coupled with Bai Qi's intentional instigation, its rage towards humanity had reached its peak.
After leaving the initial ruins, it immediately proceeded to several densely populated cities, causing immense destruction, and the death toll skyrocketed like a rocket.
Some might wonder, given that the Earth Fiend had just returned from hell with less than a tenth of its original strength, and considering the peculiar nature of this world, were there no one to stop it?
Where had the Justice League, Superman and his crew, gone?
Unfortunately, the Earth Fiend's rampage occurred on the Iberian Peninsula. Both the Justice League and S.H.I.E.L.D. were domestic American organizations and, by convention, were not permitted to arbitrarily enter other countries. Doing so would be considered a provocation and a severe infringement of sovereignty.
Law-abiding citizens like Superman could not engage in combat with the Earth Fiend on foreign soil unless it entered American territory and wreaked havoc.
Furthermore, the leader of West Iberia was a hardliner, expressing strong displeasure with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interference. Upon the Earth Fiend's appearance, he outright rejected America's offer of aid and dispatched a large contingent of troops to the city where the demon was located, intending to obliterate it.
The spirit was commendable, but ultimately futile.
Even weakened, the Earth Fiend was one of the Eight Great Demons, and ordinary weapons were incapable of harming it. Facing tanks, the Earth Fiend could smash them into iron discs with a single punch, and fighter jets were shot down by stones hurled by the demon.
"Bastard! You bastard!"
In the command center, the West Iberian officer, watching the Earth Fiend wreak havoc with no means to stop it, pounded the table in frustration.
His mind was consumed with how to eliminate the creature quickly, or at least, how to foist it upon a neighboring country.
The officer's urgency wasn't due to patriotism or any such noble cause. The simple truth was that he was less than three months away from retirement. Encountering such a disaster at this crucial juncture could very well lead to a court-martial, spending the rest of his days behind bars.
Despite his deployment of extensive firepower against the demon, it remained unharmed, resulting in significant casualties and material losses. This deeply displeased his superiors, and immense pressure was thus placed upon the officer.
Just then, a soldier in uniform rushed in with a document, saluted, and reported, "Report, sir, the civilians have been evacuated. We are ready to commence bombing."
He handed the document to the officer.
Upon receiving the authorization for bombardment, a flicker of relief crossed the officer's face.
Three hours earlier, the officer had proposed a plan for a saturation bombing of the demon to his superiors.
In his view, the city had already become a battlefield, riddled with the demon's destruction. Sending more troops would be akin to sacrificing lives in vain. Even if they eventually drove off the demon and reclaimed the city, the resulting ruins would hold little value.
Instead, it would be better to take a drastic approach: a saturation bombing to eliminate the demon, wiping the entire city from the map. They could rebuild later, saving time on demolition and reconstruction.
The officer's superior had agreed to his proposal, promising to persuade the higher-ups to approve it, but with one condition: the bombing could only proceed after all civilians in the city had been evacuated.
Three hours had passed, and all residents had been safely evacuated under military protection. The official order to bomb had just arrived.
Without hesitation, the officer decisively ordered a saturation bombing of the city where the demon was located, erasing both the demon and the city from the map.
The officer's intentions were sound, and his orders were decisive. Given the Earth Fiend's current strength, enduring such a saturation bombing would likely result in severe injury.
However, it was a pity. Demons possessed not only infinite lifespans and powerful bodies but, more importantly, mastery over formidable magic, some innate and some acquired.
The Earth Fiend, in its case, was incapable of acquiring new magic. Even if it had tried, it would have certainly forgotten everything during its time in hell.
Yet, as a demon of the earth, its innate earth magic would never be forgotten.
Sensing the impending threat, the Earth Fiend did not hesitate. It burrowed into the ground and dug downwards to hide.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of missiles rained down upon the city, the explosions audible from a considerable distance.
Alas, all efforts were in vain.
The sheer volume of missiles had indeed leveled the entire city, leaving behind scorched earth, as if ravaged by a cataclysm. But this was merely superficial.
The Earth Fiend was hiding five hundred meters underground, feeling only a slight tremor and remaining entirely unharmed.
Once the bombardment ceased, the Earth Fiend slowly emerged from beneath the earth.
Surveying its surroundings and the scorched landscape, it couldn't help but sigh, "Humans have indeed changed."
Perhaps other demons had also noticed humanity's transformation over the millennia, but their pride prevented them from admitting it.
The Earth Fiend, unlike other demons, was not prone to convoluted thoughts. Change was change, and it openly marveled at humanity's progress.
However, it was precisely this profound change that intensified the Earth Fiend's animosity towards humans.
Humanity's rapid development in such a short period, if left unchecked, could, at a certain technological level, genuinely threaten its own safety.
With this thought, the Earth Fiend wasted no time. It burrowed back into the ground and swiftly proceeded towards the next city.
The Earth Fiend was not intelligent enough to devise sophisticated methods to curb human development. Therefore, it employed what it perceived as the most effective strategy: the destruction of all human cities, forcing humanity back into the age of cold weapons.
In the command center, the officer stared at the Earth Fiend rampaging in another city, speechless and pale with shock.
As the officer remained lost in his stunned state, a persistent telephone ring jolted him back to reality.
Trembling, the officer picked up the phone. Before he could speak, a furious tirade erupted from the other end:
"Are you a complete idiot!"