Chapter 150: "Swear Loyalty to the Emperor! For Terra!!"

On the battlefield, golden light shone brightly.

As soon as Samuel Young stepped out of the drop pod, he raised his right hand, pulled the trigger, and fired a golden psychic bullet from his custom 1911. The bullet pierced through the Blood Demon's magical barrier, shattering its head.

The headless body quickly disintegrated into a crimson mist, which then gathered into a ball, drifting toward Samuel. It seemed to be "crushed" and "devoured" from a distance, disappearing without a trace.

After killing the Blood Demon with a single shot, the owner of Atlas didn't stop. He raised his left hand, made a throwing motion, and with a slight flick—

Whoosh——!!

The Empire's Spear, blazing with golden flames, shot forward like a meteor skimming the ground, tearing through the darkness at a speed too fast for the eye to follow. It pierced through everything in its path, bursting the bodies of believers and orcs like arrows popping balloons.

At the same time, 

Bang Bang——!!

The crisp, resonant gunfire of the Thunder Warriors' explosive rifles rang out. Under Samuel's psychic control, the warriors, possessing exceptional combat awareness, continued to methodically eliminate any remaining resistance as they expanded the secure zone after clearing the landing area.

Meanwhile, a massive aerial formation composed of hundreds of Silver Gull transport ships, Luna transports, and three Shadowstrike assault ships broke through the dark clouds by rapidly ascending to near-orbital altitudes. The formation roared over the town of Sandsea and the two military fortresses.

The three Shadowstrikes quickly reached their designated positions, switching to magnetic-levitation mode and hovering 100 meters above the ground. They opened their vertical missile launch bays.

Swish-Swish!

Dozens of air-to-ground missiles streaked through the sky, trailing white plumes as they homed in on heat sources below.

Boom—Boom—!

In an instant, explosions covered the battlefield in firelight.

The Shadowstrike assault ships, acting as aerial fortresses, rained down hundreds of rockets from their mounted launchers on the battlefield below.

After the barrage of "cleansing" attacks, the Luna transports slowed down, deployed their landing gear, and touched down in the "green zone" cleared by the Thunder Warriors.

Rear doors opened;

"Hurry! Move your asses!"

"Squad 1, set up defensive lines on the west side. Squad 2, pick off those bastards to the southeast and drive them back to their nests!"

"Logistics has made it clear: don't spare the bullets, but don't toss the magazines either! Got that?!"

"Oorah!"

The officers' shouting echoed through the communication channels.

Equipped with full-coverage combat gear and desert-colored uniforms suited for the environment around Sandsea, the Emergency Countermeasure Squadron (AECS) rushed out of the transports. 

Tracked Titan main battle tanks and hovering, twin-barreled Slaughter tanks slowly rolled out of the Luna transport's cargo hold, joining the battlefield. 

Clone soldiers operating small-caliber plasma cannons, Tyrant-class units, and three-barrel Gauss combat mechs formed up, coordinating with the main forces to attack Moydo's vanguard.

This Atlas aerial formation deployed nearly 10,000 ground units in less than two minutes.

Among the AECS forces was the 2nd Composite Brigade, whose original purpose was to respond to the opening of space gates and explore unknown universes. This brigade, over 3,000 strong, was equipped with numerous combat mechs, armored vehicles, clone soldiers, Tyrant-class units, and biological weapons such as Hellhounds. Their special operations unit often protected construction teams building forward bases.

The remaining mixed AECS forces were mostly new recruits, accounting for about half of the deployed forces. Among them was the unit that included Maggie Shaw (Queen Maeve).

Their main task was to assist the 2nd Composite Brigade and gain more combat experience through cooperation with the veterans.

The last group, numbering just over a thousand, was the Rapid Response Squad (ARS).

These elite soldiers, skilled in stealth and assassination, activated their optical camouflage the moment they left the Silver Gull ships. Their mission was to capture high-value targets among the believers, orcs, and mutated creatures for further research by the bio-labs.

From an aerial perspective, Atlas' ground forces formed an inverted "V" shape, cutting a dividing line between the few remaining forces of Moydo's vanguard to the south and the dazed allied forces of humans, elves, and dwarves to the north.

At this moment, where Tina, Dalein, and Hixoton stood:

"By the Emperor…" 

The lord of Sandsea Town dismounted, dropped his bloodstained spear and helmet, and stared in disbelief at Samuel Young, standing a hundred meters away, muttering, "That must be the Emperor. I never thought I'd witness the Emperor's arrival in my lifetime. Terra is saved! We are saved!"

"It's the Emperor!"

"Praise the Emperor!"

"We're saved!"

As Hixoton's words spread, the human cavalry dismounted, slowly gathering toward Samuel, whose outline was enveloped in a faint golden glow.

Indeed, from any angle, Samuel fit the prophecy of the Human Emperor. 

From their perspective, he had unleashed the ten "suns" of high-level magic, destroying half of Moydo's army. Then, he led warriors who descended like thunder from the sky, and with a single strike, killed the Blood Demon.

Not long ago, the crimson pillars of light representing the sacrificial ritual had shaken Hixoton and the human cavalry to their core, making them believe they had witnessed "divinity." They had begun to question if Moydo was truly an unbeatable "god."

Now?

Now, the humans had found their leader again. They no longer needed to wander aimlessly or fear the darkness.

As a dwarf, Dalein's reaction wasn't as emotional as Hixoton's, but he no longer cracked jokes or spoke boldly as before. He dismounted and led the dwarf cavalry toward Samuel as well.

Tina, meanwhile, had already approached Samuel.

Though the Elven Queen maintained her calm and indifferent demeanor, her eyes were filled with undisguised anticipation and disbelief.

When the five Thunder Warriors raised their weapons toward her, Tina stopped and knelt on one knee, speaking with great reverence: 

"Tina Losrian, Queen of the Losrian Kingdom, greets the Human Emperor."

Hearing this, Samuel, who had just used his psychic powers to recall the Empire's Spear, now gripped it in his left hand. He turned to look down at the sincere Elven Queen and then glanced at the growing number of humans, elves, and dwarves kneeling before him.

He sensed their strong emotions—hope, admiration, and loyalty.

But Samuel's expression remained unchanged, as though he had long accepted the role of "being forced to become the Emperor."

After a moment of silence, he used his psychic powers to amplify his voice with a slight echo effect and said:

"Everyone, rise. Now is not the time for ceremonial formalities. The darkness has not yet receded, and I will do everything I can to lead you to victory, to free the people of Terra from Moydo's threat."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Hixoton and the human cavalry were the first to shout in response.

They leapt to their feet, raised their swords high, and, with a flash of swordlight, pointed them to the sky, as if venting their long-suppressed determination: 

"Everyone! Swear your loyalty to the new Emperor and join us in breaking the darkness! For Terra!"

"For Terra!"

The roar of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, echoed through Sandsea Town and beyond.

It seemed that even the dark clouds covering the land responded, as they were slowly purified and dispelled by a faint golden light, allowing the moonlight to once again bathe the battlefield.

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