初女破初的娇喘

The army had no intention of hiding this matter because it concerns everyone. The first thing they did was hold a press conference where they laid out the information they had gathered so far. They didn\'t downplay or overexaggerate the severity of the situation. Their words were concise and straight to the point.

War was coming. Their army was estimated to be 5 million at minimum; the weakest were, of course, Tier 1, but they had a Demon King at the helm of their operations. This was an unprecedented magnitude of a demon horde, one that could seriously threaten humanity\'s existence.

And to further prove their claims, the public witnessed the preparations they were making to face the incoming threat. All abled bodies of the military were mobilized. While they didn\'t forcibly enlist people this time, those who had already joined were mandated to follow orders. Any sign of insubordination was seen as treason and punishable by immediate execution. It didn\'t matter where they were.

Some might say that the army was being too heavy-handed, but the situation calls for it.

You can never be too careful when facing demons, after all.

Due to the threat looming over the horizon, it was understandable that the majority of the citizens were scared.

This isn\'t a Black Sky event where the defenses of their respective cities are being tested. This was a real threat to their existence. It would make sense that they\'re afraid.

Countless posts about the end of the world made by alarmists and clout chasers circulated online, which made the situation worse. Sadly for them, the AI system was too smart and sensible to let them do as they please.

They were severely warned the first time they did it. And if they do it again, Acala herself will throw them into the Purgatory Realm as punishment. This was not a joke; lives are at stake here. This isn\'t the time for these people to gain followers, seek a financial boost, or make political moves.

Not everybody\'s that bad, though.

There were some who responded to the news with solemnity and helped in any way they could. There were people who marched towards the nearest army camps to enlist themselves to help with the incoming threat. There were people who started donating money and resources to help with the war effort, etc.

Superhumans were summoned, and most of them answered the call. Most of them were weak, but the army accepted them all and armed them to the teeth. They were educated about their responsibilities and how to respond to emergency situations.

It is safe to say that everybody, willingly or not, was mobilized. A lot of families were kindly asked to be transferred to bunkers for safety; routes were optimized, curfews were imposed, etc. The army spared nothing to ensure everyone\'s survival.

Those who felt the most pressure were, of course, the soldiers.

Most of them haven\'t seen a real war before. At most, they were exposed to the real situation outside. Some were sent out to gather resources and personally experienced just how grievous humanity\'s situation truly was.

These people knew that if they failed their duties, what they saw outside would mirror what humanity\'s territory would look like after this war, and that alone terrifies them to the core.

And that feeling—that horrible image—was exactly the reason why, despite being terrified, they forced their bodies to move. The terror didn\'t paralyze them. Instead, it made them feel desperate to do everything in their power to prevent that scene from becoming a reality, even at the cost of their lives.

This was only possible because demonic corruption was no longer present around the army camps. It could even be said that not a wisp of demonic corruption could exist anywhere top or bottom within humanity\'s territory, because if it did, then it should\'ve intensified the soldiers\'s fears, forcing them to turn mad.

Their response to their fears was one of hope. A mystical force had sprouted ever since Cedric began making huge changes within. Perhaps no one except Cedric himself and Acala realizes the true value of this hope.

**

"Shit, you are going all out."

High Marshal Filius Greenwood cursed upon seeing Tech God Charles\' arrangements.

Currently, the Tech God is busy aligning grids of drones. Each one was thrumming with thunderous electricity. Additionally, his androids could be seen hauling stuff left and right. Reception towers, turrets, scanners, missile launchers, etc. All types of war instruments were being crafted in real time around him, all while Charles himself wore an exhausted yet determined expression.

"If only I had more time to prepare, I alone would\'ve sufficed. Alas..."

"I\'m not so sure about that, but I appreciate your enthusiasm," Filius replied before frowning. "When was the last time you slept anyway?"

"Nerds don\'t sleep." Charles snorted without peeling his gaze away from his tech forge.

"Yes, they do." Filius rolled his eyes. "Answer me, damn it."

"I don\'t know; I can\'t recall anymore. I\'ve been busy."

"Sleep then. Leave this to the AI."

"No."

"Don\'t be stubborn!" Filius hurled his teenage body over his shoulders, forcibly taking him away from this place.

"Put me down! I\'m not done yet!" Charles protested.

"Rest, god damn it!" Filius snarled. "There\'s still two days before the horde arrives. You have time to sleep and recover. We can\'t have you fainting from exhaustion in the middle of the war. Just listen to me."

"...but it\'s not done yet."

"The AI\'s got it covered. It\'s your magnum opus; have some faith in it. Acala\'s also supervising it; that should be enough."

Charles could no longer protest after hearing that. He could only sigh and relent to his exhausted mind and body.

Even he underestimated how exhausted he was, both physically and mentally. He hasn\'t slept for months now. He essentially locked himself up within his lab, only coming out when the situation called for it. He had repeatedly ignored the AI\'s reminder for him to rest; at some point, he even used his override because he got irritated by its constant nagging.

He kept himself awake by consuming unhealthy amounts of coffee and energy drinks. He also ate from time to time, but only because he was forced by his creations to do so.

The reason behind this was the repeated breakthroughs that came to him ever since making contact with the Young Sage.

Since that day, Charles had seen a way forward, something that he had been searching for a long time. He had burned out and was a creative stump before meeting Cedric. When he witnessed Cedric\'s unique approach to their modern problems, Charles was inspired.

This inspiration burned brightly within his chest and cannot be extinguished no matter what he did. Ideas flowed into his brain like a tide that felt overwhelming. He made progress after progress, which greatly soothed his soul and revived his creativity.

And with the blessings he got after the Origin Energy Storm, Charles became unstoppable.

All the things he brought with him here were his latest developments. None of them had been tested, but the AI pretty much guaranteed that they would work as he envisioned them.

Even now, the inspiration he received still burns brightly. However, his body couldn\'t keep up.

Actually, Charles could feel this too. But he just kept on telling himself that he would rest after finishing up this one but never ended up following it because, before he realized it, he already had his hands on a new project.

By the time Filius arrived at a secured room within the army camp, Charles was already snoring. The High Marshal shook his head and tucked him in before looking at the mechanical dog that followed them.

"A minimum of 24 hours of sleep for him, okay?" Filius said to the smart thing. "If you have to inject him with a tranquilizer shot for it to happen, do it. I\'ll handle the consequences after the war. Understand?"

"Woof!"

"Good boy!" Filius affectionately rubbed the head of the metal dog before disappearing from the room.

He appeared on top of the walls and, unceremoniously, began releasing his magic. Thick vines sprouted from his feet, turning into a gigantic network of thorns that covered the entire wall.

From these gigantic vines, vegetation bloomed; of course, none of them were ordinary.

Carnivorous plants, pea shooters, cherry and chili bomb launchers, grasses that are as sharp as swords...

A myriad of strange plants appeared from the vines. And with the nourishment of true sunlight, they grew crazily and were eager to show off their stuff. Filius\' magic didn\'t end there. His powers reached deep underground, laying all sorts of nasty traps for the incoming horde.

In his youth, Filius was mocked because of his strange powers. His ability to grow plants was never taken seriously by anyone except the alchemist, who only sought to take advantage of him.

Now, Filius rose to the ranks of the High Marshals by relying on his weird class template, and nobody dares to mock him anymore.

The demons will never know what kind of hell Filius could bring to them once they give him enough time to prepare.