"How’s he doing now?”

[He and his group have achieved victory. They’ll continue to advance, establish bases, and relentlessly strike at the enemy’s headquarters.]

"And what about me? Any praise for me?”

[...Hold on. He’s currently surrounded by his comrades. They’re all praising and admiring the achievements he made with you.]

Achievements made with her. At these words, a wide smile spread across Eve’s face.

His plan had worked.

Eve savored the exhilarating feeling of unity when Shin Woo needed her, sought her help, and ultimately achieved his accomplishments with her assistance.

"I also like that he’s become stronger. It’s thanks to me, so he’ll rely on me more, right?”

[How would you rate his level?]

“It’s not that high, but that doesn’t matter. I can make him stronger. More importantly, humans have the power to surpass their own limits.”

Objectively, Shin Woo’s current abilities were at a level where he would be considered expendable if he were to join the legion.

Though he could handle Formative Force, real battles were a numbers game based on data. According to Eve’s cold calculations, his actual combat power wasn’t even at a level to compete with high-ranking species.

Yet, Eve evaluated him highly, even excessively.

[•••]

“I need to get my hands on gate-related technology soon.”

Eve’s mind was consumed by one topic.

The Kobolds that Shin Woo faced in the demon world were undoubtedly units. And those players were right here in this world where Eve was.

So, the gate technology they used was undoubtedly from this place.

In fact, she had already secured related testimonies.

The wizards of this world were those who had migrated here after losing a long war in a world they called Redrium. The migrants drove out the rampant destructive bacteria in this world with their golems.

How did they reach here? They used magic to leap through space. That method was the gate, and there was even a separate society studying it.

'The gate is top-secret information, and only a few high-ranking officials outside the relevant society can access it. Plus, if they’re passing down the magic of the Stars

Society, it means they have knowledge of other societies.’

Eve inferred the identity of the presumed player. The list of potential candidates was instantly narrowed down to a high-ranking official, most likely on active duty, from a

society. If she based her deductions on the testimony of a society wizard, there would be, at most, a few hundred.

To Eve, this wasn’t a daunting number. She could effortlessly devise a plan to capture and eliminate them all.

[But all information related to the gate is in Menas.]

Even if she wanted to acquire gate-related technology immediately, she couldn’t.

According to the information she had gathered, the society studying magic related to the gate was named Ados. The Ados Society only had its headquarters in Menas, the central city of the continent.

Furthermore, she discovered that Menas was the base of the Continental Council, which ruled the continent, and various wizard societies.

In other words, even with her knowledge, it wasn’t easy to covet."Those bastards...”

Eve, whose mood had just plummeted, hissed with fiery eyes.

The provocation and pride shown by Commander-in-Chief Austin immediately came to mind. It was obvious that those bastards who should quickly spit out everything, fight, and die miserably would resist until the end, which was frustrating.

And Eve still needed a little more time. Above all, she didn’t even know the full strength of the people in this world yet.

Even if she finished expanding to her satisfaction, there was no guarantee that she could immediately obtain the technology she wanted.

"There’s no need to waste time.”

Eve, comfortably seated on her throne, evaluated the situation with a calm demeanor.

She could see and hear everything where the legion had spread. With the defense force practically annihilated, the cities and towns in the vicinity were lawless areas without defense.

'The troops may be slightly lacking, but it’s irrelevant. Obliterate them all.’

Eve repositioned the legionnaires scattered around, including the colossal species that had decimated the enemy and replenished their nutrients.

Humans who had lost their ability to resist would all be killed unless they sought refuge immediately.

[Good. Then, during the remaining time, you can film a video to pass on the newly polished martial arts, referring to the style of the knights here.]

[Why such a reaction? You said you’d show him your face and communicate directly after this battle.]

Eve’s body stiffened for a moment.

It was definitely something she had said. But now, for some reason, her body wouldn’t move.

"I’ll do it later. When Kang Do Yeon... comes.”

[Why? You know how to operate a cell phone now, don’t you?]

"Shut up!”

Eve’s emotions were in turmoil, torn between longing and restraint.

'Not yet. lust a little more.’

[Prepare yourself quickly. Kang Do Yeon has encountered the enemy.]

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, an event occurred that quickly settled Eve’s turbulent emotions. Kang Do Yeon had not participated in the last battle. She had a separate mission. And now, she was face-to-face with the enemy for that mission.

'Good. Proceed as planned.’

Eve commanded the execution of the prearranged plan. It involved a small, nimble force splitting from the main army to ambush the enemy’s detachment of 2,000. The numbers were small, merely in the tens, but the operation included several high-ranking legionnaires, including their strongest, Kang Do Yeon.

"Hmm?”

"I felt it too.”

However, as Kang Do Yeon neared them, both she and Eve sensed something. A string connecting to the outside, a soul string. Someone in the detachment possessed it.

*

"Damn it. What the hell is that?”

Rozes Leblanc, the instigator of the current chaos, was mentally drained. He glanced up at the sky, cursing without regard for his dignity. He had been sporadically fighting with the legionnaires and had just concluded a degrading negotiation with a peculiar monster claiming to be the former king of the demon world. Now, a creature capable of delivering the final blow to his weary mind and body was descending from the sky.

"That thing...”

"Vice President! Ahhh!”They landed in the center of the star team without slowing down, causing a massive shockwave.

'What the...’

The first thing Rozes saw, squinting through the shockwave and dust, was a pair of jet-black wings. Wings enveloped in black feathers. But soon, those wings were swallowed by a crimson flame, swinging like a blade and creating a fountain of blood.

"That’s an enemy! An enemy!”

"Get in formation!”

The startled soldiers hastily aimed their weapons and magic at the monsters that had appeared from the sky.

"Fire!”

Rozes quickly commanded. They had been taken by surprise by the sudden attack, but the enemies had landed in the middle of a bustling allied camp. A barrage of indiscriminate magic was unleashed onto the enemies.

Amid the blinding flashes and explosions, Rozes watched the scene with tension.

[It’s useless. They’re... unscathed]

However, the moment the magic bombardment ended, he saw the flickering letters in front of him and his eyes widened. Simultaneously, the dust cleared, revealing the enemies surrounded by a crimson barrier that resonated with their bodies.

The high-ranking species, who had tucked their wings into their backplates, stood back to back, aiming their spears in all directions. In the middle of them stood the owner of the black wings.

Now, the mask she wore had no effect on the hormonal system. The mask was simply for hiding her face.

For a moment, Rozes’ eyes met the four red glows flickering inside her mask.

'We’re going to die.’

He instinctively sensed it, even though he was enveloped by a protective barrier. It took him less than a second to leap off the golem he was riding and take cover behind a fellow magician.

Immediately after that.

From the pointed spears, from the outstretched hands, energy began to erupt at maximum output in every direction.

This energy onslaught was a unique technique possessed by the legion, who had not learned any magic or sword techniques. It simply erupted, and the thousands of troops that had surrounded them were exposed and incinerated alive, exploding and turning into a chaotic mess.

"This... this is...”

In the aftermath of the shock, more than half were obliterated in an instant. An eerie silence descended over the area, and people whose mental state had been shattered were frozen in place, unable to move or even twitch.

"Ugh!”

In the meantime, a knight who had been screaming in anger after seeing his comrade, who had been close to him, evaporate leaving only an arm holding a sword, got up and ran with his sword.

"Cough.”

The female legionnaire moved without any unnecessary movements, knocked off his sword with her armored hand, and kicked him in the chest. The knight, who spat out blood with his breastplate crushed in one breath, fell to the ground rolling.

"Uh...”

"Ah...”

Fear and despair spread among the survivors in an instant.

Even though half of them were still alive, and they were armed with revenge and anger, they couldn’t dare to rush at the enemies, who were only five in number.

"Where’s the Vice President, the Vice President of Blackl?”

"We need heavy firepower. He can provide it!”

People naturally sought out the strong. There was definitely still hope. There were only five enemies, the allies still had strength left, and it was burdensome for the enemies to spew out firepower once again.

"Vice President..?”

But where he had once stood, there were only gruesomely disfigured corpses.

Only his discarded robe remained in the spot where he had vanished without a trace.