Boom, boom, boom...
"Pfft!"
"No, I can't hold them off any longer! Has backup still not arrived? Ahhh!"
Boom... Before the soldier could finish his sentence, a laser beam pierced through beside him, and an intense burning sensation instantly spread throughout his body.
At this moment, the five million strong army from both sides on the battlefield began their face-to-face slaughter.
In the sky, the Monster Country Federation's bombers, under the cover of fighter jets, relentlessly bombed the Eastern Empire's front lines.
The airships, on which Granite had placed high hopes, were destroyed by the dense swarm of fighter jets in the sky just as they activated their magicule disturbance devices.
"Lord Granite, we can't go on like this; the disparity in our combat strength is simply too great!"
"That's right, our Monster Beast Legion has already lost two-thirds of its forces, and only a few Monster Beast Knights have survived!"
Gladim's eyes were red, and his face was filled with despair; the confidence he had before the war had been completely shattered by reality.
Gladim had originally thought that with the skill [Beast-Demon Fusion], he could give the enemy a harsh welcome.
However, before they could even get close, thousands of giant mechs, over ten meters tall, charged straight at them.
The greatswords in their hands, crackling with electricity, were simply weapons of mass destruction on the battlefield; anyone they touched died instantly.
In the sky, there were also countless flying machines, as numerous as locusts, moving so fast that their own airships couldn't even see their taillights.
"How many troops does the Mech Modification Corps still have?"
Granite stared intently at the map, his eyes filled with weariness.
"Currently, there are still 1.2 million, but we lost 600,000 in just half a day—600,000!"
Kali Julio shouted, his voice tinged with a hint of collapse.
"Leave 200,000 troops to cover our retreat, and the rest of the forces prepare to withdraw.
This war, we have lost..."
After Granite finished speaking, he seemed to have shed a heavy burden.
"This..."
Upon hearing Granite's words, everyone present looked at each other, and no one spoke further.
Seeing the silent expressions of everyone present, Granite raised his head, scanned the room, and then softly said:
"The responsibility for this war's failure rests entirely with me.
I will give an explanation to His Majesty the Emperor.
Now, go and carry out my orders..."
"Yes, Lord Granite!"
As Granite's order was relayed to the front lines, the remaining troops began to move to the rear.
"Report! Supreme Commander, the enemy is beginning to contract their defensive line, suspected of showing signs of retreat!"
A soldier suddenly ran into the command hall, saluted, and shouted loudly.
Hearing the report, Benimaru did not look up, but calmly said:
"Good, I understand!"
"Yes!"
Seeing that the report was finished, the soldier saluted and then left the command hall.
"Sure enough, I was right; the other side is planning to run."
Tsuru watched as the symbols of the Eastern Empire's various units on the holographic projection moved frantically towards the rear.
On the front line, only a small number of troops were still engaged in delaying actions.
Just then, Benimaru suddenly spoke:
"Connect me to Commander Azazel."
"Yes, Supreme Commander!"
Buzz... "Supreme Commander!"
Azazel looked at Benimaru's projection that appeared before him, quickly put down the manga in his hand, stood up, and saluted.
Although he was somewhat cynical, he knew very well when he could be playful and when he could not.
"I order the First Fleet to carry out a saturation attack along the Eastern Empire's retreat route!"
"Yes, Supreme Commander!"
As the order was given, the First Fleet, which had been bored to the point of dozing off, instantly transformed into a roused beast.
The muzzles of numerous warships were already aimed at the designated coordinates below.
Swish... Pffft... "Ugh... Ah!"
"Monsters!!!"
"Damn it, is this the end?!"
Kamado Tanjirou casually cut down several Eastern Empire soldiers with a single slash, traces of blood still on his usually gentle face.
"Major General Tanjiro! Commander Gobuta orders you to cease pursuing the enemy and stand by!"
"Alright, I understand!"
Hearing the order relayed by the soldier, the coldness on Kamado Tanjirou's face finally began to melt, slowly becoming gentle.
"Tatsumi, how are you? Are you alright?"
"Major General Tanjiro, I'm fine, just a little nervous participating in such a massive war for the first time."
Tatsumi wiped the bloodstains from his face, revealing a smile as he replied to Tanjiro beside him.
"We're about the same age, so just call me Tanjiro.
All my friends call me that."
"This... Alright, Tanjiro."
"Mhm."
Tatsumi was originally employed at the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, but one day, he was suddenly transferred to the First Legion as an acting adjutant by a transfer order.
And the instigator, at this moment, looked at the two sunny youths and, with extreme malice, complained:
"Tsk tsk tsk, Kamado Tanjirou and Tatsumi, these two together really give me the feeling of 'good buddies for life'."
"A Chen, you really have a twisted sense of humor..."
Hearing Rimuru's words, Zhong Chen, far from being ashamed, showed an evil smile, taking pride in it.
"Hehehe, I'm not a good person, you know."
"A Chen, you really should go to Impel Down and get some good training."
Suddenly hearing Rimuru mention Impel Down, Zhong Chen asked curiously:
"Who is in charge of Impel Down now? Is it still Magellan?"
"The person in charge of Impel Down, ah..."
Rimuru's face was filled with contemplation as he said this, then as if he had thought of something, his face immediately broke into a brilliant smile and he loudly said:
"I don't know!!!"
"I'm going to faint!!! If you don't know, why are you so righteous about it!"
Zhong Chen looked at Rimuru speechlessly.
"Hmph!"
Just then, Grayfia, holding a tray, suddenly spoke:
"Master, the current warden of Impel Down is Hannyabal, and Magellan has been transferred to the General Staff Headquarters."
"Hannyabal, that Pharaoh?"
"Pfft!!!"
Hearing Hannyabal's name, Rimuru couldn't help but laugh as he thought of his image.
"Hey, hey, hey, even if he is a bit ugly, you're being too much."
"He just has a bit of a big belly... and is a bit perverted... *pfft* Hahahaha!!!"
Zhong Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud himself as he spoke towards the end.
Although both Zhong Chen and Rimuru were laughing, they didn't mean to mock Hannyabal.
As the saying goes, laugh at the joke, not the person.
Just based on what Hannyabal said to Luffy and the others in the original work, he deserves the title of warden.
"In a couple of days, I'll go visit Impel Down.
I heard that the criminals inside now are all cross-world offenders."
Milim's small eyes, hearing "cross-world criminals," lit up like light bulbs.
She quickly moved closer to Zhong Chen, tugged at his sleeve, and looked up at him with a pitiful expression.
"Cross-world? That's amazing! I want to go see it too... Please, pretty please..."
Zhong Chen looked at the pitiful Milim, and remembering that although she was a Demon Lord, she had never really had any friends, his heart softened.
Zhong Chen raised his right hand and gently stroked her small head.
A gentle smile appeared on his face as he softly said:
"Hehe, Milim... who are you trying to act cute for here? Don't you know what kind of person you are..."
No sooner had Zhong Chen finished speaking than the abyss had already crashed down on Milim's head.
"Damn you, A Chen! You saw through me! I'll fight you!"
"Come on! Who's afraid of whom!"
"Take my Dragon's Impact!"
"Great Pendulum..."