"Th-These Alchemy Puppets self-destructed?"

"To think they possess such terrifying power... But why didn’t any of us sense a powerful fluctuation of Magic Power?"

Gazing at the six terrifying, small mushroom clouds rising outside the city, countless humans and Snake People were blasted by the shockwaves, forced to squeeze their eyes shut.

These killing machines weren’t just running on micro-nuclear power units; they were also armed with miniature nuclear devices.

But even for a miniature nuclear blast, the terrifying force of its impact was no less than an all-out strike from an Eighth or Ninth Tier being.

What’s more, the six Snake People they faced had very little Magic Power remaining.

It was only natural, then, that they were utterly annihilated when facing the blast head-on.

The shockwaves from the nuclear explosions were completely blocked by three other special killing machines.

Without a doubt, these three killing machines were robots made from High Tier materials.

In terms of both Magic Power and technological sophistication, they were far superior to the more common Low Tier killing machines.

"With stars for a crown and a black hole for a diadem! Wherever the Star Road leads, that land is under the Dragon God’s protection!"

"KILL!!!"

With cold, indifferent eyes, the three High Tier robots roared in unison!

"With stars for a crown and a black hole for a diadem! Wherever the Star Road leads, that land is under the Dragon God’s protection!"

"KILL! KILL!! KILL!!!"

At that moment, all the nuclear infantry let out furious roars!

Simultaneously, the ten hundred-man squads of killing machines began to clear out every visible Snake Person in the vicinity with even greater frenzy!

"High Priest!"

Seeing the terrifying scene unfold, the High Tier Snake People flanking the High Priest had looks of pure terror in their eyes.

"I’m not a fool!"

"What’s all the shouting for? Fine. We’ll count the Human Race lucky this time. All units, withdraw from Brady County!"

"The origins of these Alchemy Puppets are truly suspicious. However, once the great Father Snake succeeds in ’redeeming’ the Pseudo-Gods of this world, this world will become his kingdom, our paradise."

"Hmph. Do the Deities of the Star Realm think they can use these Alchemy Puppets to reject the Divine Grace that the great Father Snake brings to this world? Heh. I’d like to see just how many more of these puppets those Deities can produce."

"But what is that strange language they’re shouting? I can’t understand a single word."

The power of the Alchemy Puppets indeed exceeded the Snake People’s comprehension.

But in the High Priest’s opinion, even the Deities shouldn’t be able to produce such powerful Alchemy Puppets so easily.

So what if they had to retreat?

He would inevitably be mocked by the snake priests of other territories, but that was of little consequence.

Besides, given enough time, he could easily rebuild his legion of snake priests.

The mortal world was teeming with life. Humans, common animals, and even Demons could all serve as incubators for new Snake People.

And so, under the watchful eyes of the people in Brady County City, the vast army of Snake People began to retreat.

The strange Alchemy Puppets, for their part, stopped their advance and did not give chase.

「On the battlements of Brady County City.」

"Your Grace!"

The previous commotion outside the city had long since alerted the Duke of Brady County.

Despite his severe injuries, the Duke had still made his way to the battlements, accompanied by a group of High Tier Professionals.

The elderly Duke frowned slightly as he watched the terrifying army of Puppets assembling outside the city.

"When these terrifying Alchemy Puppets descended, did any of you Priests receive an Oracle from my Lord?"

Hearing this, the three High Tier Priests standing nearby grew solemn.

"Your Grace, we have not received any Oracle."

"Even now, we have not received any hint from the Deities."

"I see."

Duke Zane pondered.

Then he said, "Well, regardless of their origins, these Alchemy Puppets have resolved the crisis of corruption for us."

"Let us go. Whatever their origins, we must observe the proper courtesies."

"Yes, Your Grace!" the High Tier Professionals answered in unison.

Moments later, Duke Zane’s body began to levitate.

Seventeen other High Tier Professionals rose into the air with him.

By the time the group arrived before the legion of killing machines, the machines had already finished assembling their forces.

In the entire cleanup operation, the killing machine legion suffered virtually no losses, aside from the six self-destructing infantry.

However, ammunition consumption was enormous.

This wasn’t an issue, however, as the three twenty-meter-long supply vehicles at the rear could produce basic ammunition on their own.

One was a Magic Power collection vehicle, its primary function being to absorb Magic Power from the ambient Magic Environment of the Earth Realm and condense it into Magic Crystals.

Another was a mineral collection vehicle, designed to prospect for ore. It was equipped with small mining bots and a multi-functional micro-foundry for refining Metal.

The final supply vehicle, naturally, housed a small-scale production line.

In short, a thousand-strong legion of these killing machines was completely self-sufficient at a basic level.

That said, the resources consumed by such a legion were considerable. Their total value was easily comparable to the cost of nurturing a single, ordinary Saint Tier individual.

However, for the vast and prosperous Star Empire, this was less than a drop in the bucket.

The arrival of Duke Zane and his retinue naturally drew the attention of the robot legion.