As the Mad Demons and Terror Beasts that landed were eliminated one by one, the chaotic situation gradually came under control.

Agatha circled around the artillery positions, where broken remains of giant beasts could be seen everywhere. It had to be said that the God's Punishment Witches were unmatched in close combat, especially after being equipped with His Majesty's specially made new firearms. Without their support, the Witch Union would have been overwhelmed dealing with these thirty-odd Terror Beasts, not to mention guarding against the Mad Demons' attacks.

However, instead of using large-caliber xiàndàn guns to shatter the enemies, they seemed to prefer the ancient ways of revenge. Agatha had seen more than one ancient witch, after the opponent had lost the ability to resist, put away their firearms and switch to knives, swords, or even fists for the final blow, as if only bathing in the flesh and blood of demons could bring them comfort.

It seemed that the long wait of four hundred years had indeed changed many things.

The demons probably also couldn't understand why a group of male humans could beat them back again and again, and were superior to them in both strength and speed. This unknown would undoubtedly bring fear. Therefore, by the time it came to the last two Mad Demons, they had almost given up resisting, and were eventually controlled by the opportunity-seizing Hefeng, who also used a javelin to shoot down one of their comrades who was trying to provide assistance.

Now the substitute artillery had entered the positions, and the four cannons that had been overturned by Terror Beasts during the melee had also been re-erected, and would soon be able to rejoin the ranks of striking the enemy. And the fortress cannon that had recovered the fastest and had been firing all along, every shot became a heartening bugle call.

"How many enemies are left?" Agatha asked Zoe after everyone gathered.

"Sixteen, if they don't have new reinforcements." Zoe glanced at the sky, "Nearly 70% of the flying Terror Beasts have been lost. No matter what their purpose is, this is already considered a failure. The fact that they haven't retreated yet means they must be brewing for a final attack."

"Final attack?" Agatha couldn't help but frown.

To avoid jiqiang fire, the remaining demons had all unanimously increased their altitude, even beyond the range of javelins. Trying to approach the artillery positions again would undoubtedly greatly increase the risk. More importantly, everyone was now fully prepared. Even if they had to endure a wave of javelins, they could keep the losses to a minimum. Since failure was already a certainty, retreat seemed like the most reasonable choice.

"You were a member of the Exploration Society before, and rarely participated directly in war, so you may not be very familiar with their habits," Zoe explained calmly, "Adult Terror Beasts capable of ziyou flight are valuable individuals even to demons. To send so many at once, there must be a commander among these Mad Demons. For this type of demon, the mission always comes first. If they fail to achieve their goal, they would mostly rather die in battle than retreat."

"If that's the case, then why didn't it rush down at the beginning?" Hefeng couldn't help but ask from the side.

"Because it didn't find a suitable opponent," Zoe showed a strange smile, "If there were an Extraordinary Witch among us, it might have come down long ago."

"Why?"

"Perhaps it's due to their nature," she turned her gaze back to the sky, "Bloodthirsty, combative, savage, and brutal. Even if they become more and more like humans, they can't change this... If it weren't for this characteristic, Nataya and the Starfall Queen would not have been able to find opportunities to fight High-Ranked Demon Slayers in the demon army, and ultimately break through to become Extraordinary."

So, the enemy did not join the attack at the first time because they underestimated them, and then refused to retreat because of responsibility? Regardless of whether this deduction was correct, it was impossible for an ordinary person to so directly reveal the advancement experiences of two of the three seats.

Agatha couldn't help but ask, "During the era of the Union, what exactly were you..."

"Didn't Pasha tell you?" Zoe smiled, "I was one of Nataya's Shadow Guards, and also the 'Crimson Lotus' of the Holy Guard."

The Ice Witch realized that she had heard this name before—if she was the youngest promoted witch in Taqila and a recognized talented researcher, then Crimson Lotus was a rising star in the combat world, a power-type Extraordinary, and considered the most likely to succeed Nataya.

Unfortunately, the Union did not last until the moment she broke through.

If she remembered correctly, Crimson Lotus should be about the same age as herself.

But now, Zoe showed absolutely no trace of the past.

She seemed to have been molded into another person by time.

"They're coming," Zoe's words interrupted Agatha's thoughts at this moment, "You protect those fragile mortals, and leave the enemies to us."

As if to confirm her statement, Sylvie's exclamation came from the Listening Rune, "Oh my god, what is that! Agatha, be careful! The enemy has multiple magic power source reactions!"

In theory, witches can only have one magic power cyclone, while demons use embedded magic stones to exert their abilities, so it is possible to have multiple cyclones. The Union collectively called this type of enemy High-Ranked Demons. Their strengths may vary, but without exception, they are all extremely difficult opponents.

"Is it okay?" Hefeng asked worriedly.

"Ah, don't worry," Zoe said slowly, "The path chosen by the Starfall Queen may have been a mistake, but she was not wrong about one thing—the God's Punishment Witches were prepared from birth to deal with High-Ranked Demons."

As she spoke, a black shadow burst out of the clouds, rushing straight towards the artillery positions!

The other circling Mad Demons also responded, driving their mounts down in a dive—although the vertical drop from above greatly xiànzhi the firing angle of the jiqiang in the positions, the anti-aircraft squads arranged on the outer circle could fully pour bullets into the enemy's path. Even though the demons adopted serpentine evasions, several were shot down in the process of approaching.

This time, the enemy's javelin target was changed to the anti-aircraft jiqiang next to the fortress cannon.

There was no doubt that everything they did was just to allow that black shadow to reach the core directly.

While assisting the soldiers in resisting the bone spears, Agatha was surprised to find that the object falling like a meteorite was actually a huge Terror Beast, its size even exceeding that of Maisie, and its wings and abdomen were covered with black armor, like pieces of dim, dull crystals. Not only that, but its head and horns were also sharper. At first glance, it actually looked somewhat like the legendary "Dragon".

The moment it landed, the entire ground trembled, and dust was blown up by the strong wind, making it difficult to open one's eyes for a moment.

Then the Terror Beast opened its bloody mouth and made a series of regurgitating sounds—

A tall, black-armored demon emerged from the wet throat of the Terror Beast and stood before everyone.