The entrance to Three-way Canyon.

Hundreds of Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions were packed together, a dense black mass that looked like a dark carpet spread across the ground.

They were angry. They were restless.

After circling a few times, the five strange silver birds in the sky, seemingly intimidated by their vast numbers, shrieked as they ascended and vanished into the clouds.

The Giant Scorpions let out triumphant hisses.

In their simple minds, driving away the enemy was a victory.

The few elite leaders climbed onto high rocks in a show of force, waving their giant pincers as if declaring their prowess to the swarm.

However, they failed to notice that on a high plateau forty kilometers away...

Ten steel machines, designated "Purgatory," had already silently deployed their support struts.

"Outriggers fixed."

"Firing solution calculated."

"Wind correction: Westerly, Grade 3."

"Target area: Fan-shaped assembly zone, Three-way Canyon entrance."

Allen stood behind the "Purgatory" battery, listening to the system reports. His gaze pierced the holographic screen, as if he could already see the scorpions celebrating their victory forty kilometers away.

"The current distance is forty kilometers."

Allen murmured to himself, ’For a typical Magical Beast, this is an unreachable distance. But for "Truth," this is just the entry fee.’

He reached out, his finger hovering in mid-air as if over a red button.

"Purgatory One through Ten, first salvo, fire all munitions."

"Ready—"

Allen’s finger pressed down hard.

"Fire!"

WHOOSH—!!!

A piercing shriek instantly tore through the air.

One hundred and twenty launch ports on the ten Purgatory platforms lit up simultaneously with a ghostly blue glow—the catapulting Force Field Runes inscribed within the launch bays were charging.

One hundred and twenty Rune-covered Magic Missiles screamed toward the sky like a volley of siege-grade Crossbow Arrows.

They traced deadly parabolas across the sky, eclipsing the sun and casting a rapidly moving shadow across the land below.

As the Magic Missiles reached the apex of their trajectory, the [Illusion Rune Array] activated, and the dense swarm of projectiles vanished from the sky.

At the mouth of the canyon, the Giant Scorpions stopped hissing.

They lifted their heads, their thousands of compound eyes reflecting the pale red clouds in the sky. The shrieking grew ever louder, yet they could see nothing.

An immense, primal fear instantly enveloped the entire swarm.

The elite leaders reacted first, letting out terrified shrieks as they attempted to scramble back into their burrows.

But it was too late.

For the Magic Missiles, which were closing in at incredible speeds, covering the remaining distance took but a single breath.

The first missile landed right in the center of the scorpion swarm.

There was no earth-shattering boom, just a dull POP, like a giant bubble being pierced.

Immediately after, a dark red orb of light suddenly expanded.

That was the color of detonated, compressed Fire Element Crystal dust.

Then came the second, the third, the one hundred and twentieth...

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!

The continuous explosions finally converged into a single, earth-shattering roar. In that instant, the entire entrance to Three-way Canyon became an erupting volcano.

The ground trembled as a shockwave, carrying shattered rock and severed limbs, radiated outward like a tsunami.

But that wasn’t the most terrifying part.

The explosions produced not only a shockwave but also a spattering of "toxic blended Magical Beast oil." This viscous liquid clung to every surface—rocks, sand, and the Giant Scorpions’ hard carapaces—before erupting into ferocious flames.

Flames reaching thousands of degrees instantly transformed the area into a true inferno.

Screams of pain?

No, there were no screams to be heard.

The explosions had instantly consumed all the oxygen in the blast’s epicenter. The Giant Scorpions caught there didn’t even have time to make a sound before the intense heat carbonized their lungs and tracheas.

Allen watched, expressionless, as the dark red mushroom cloud rose on the screen.

The brilliant light of the inferno reflected in his pupils, but it failed to warm the coldness deep within his eyes.

"Your package has been delivered."

After a moment of grim satisfaction, the corner of Allen’s mouth twitched.

’This one salvo cost twenty-four thousand Magic Stones... Fucking expensive.’

Despite the sting of the cost, Allen’s hands didn’t stop moving.

’Strike while the iron’s hot.’

"Reload for the second round."

"Same target. Adjust strike coordinates to cover the escape routes on the periphery."

"Fire!"

’Since I’ve decided to attack, I have to maximize the destruction of the enemy’s combat forces.’

Another 120 missiles soared into the sky.

Another round of brutal bombardment.

Allen waved his hand. "Pacifists and Spider Slayers, all units, move out. Get a look at the situation."

...

The smoke cleared.

The once-narrow entrance to Three-way Canyon had been blasted a full twenty meters wider.

The ground had taken on an eerie, vitrified texture—sand that had been instantly melted by the extreme heat and then solidified.

A nauseating, scorched smell filled the air—the stench of burnt protein mixed with the residue of explosives.

The once-invincible army of Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions was now nothing but a field of scorched remains.

Their vaunted crystalline carapaces, capable of refracting energy rays, had failed to protect the flesh within from the dual assault of kinetic explosions and sustained, intense heat. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Some juvenile Giant Scorpions had been so utterly obliterated that not even their carapaces remained, leaving behind only black stains on the ground.

Only a few of the massive elite Giant Scorpions, thanks to their thick armor and immense vitality, were still barely breathing.

But they were only just barely breathing.

All of their limbs were severed, and most of their internal organs had been cooked by the extreme heat.

One elite Giant Scorpion lay on its back, its massive pincer pointing feebly toward the sky, as if questioning the heavens for this divine punishment.

"The gods don’t have time for you."

A black Steel Giant entered the silent, devastated ruins with heavy, deliberate steps.

"Pacifist" PX-0.

The ancient shield in its hand easily swept aside the rocks blocking its path as Allen’s processed, synthesized voice boomed from a speaker on its back.

"Only Truth has time."

Allen himself had not entered the battlefield right away.

As a cautious Wizard, he preferred to observe the world through the eyes of his Golems until he could confirm that it was absolutely safe.

[Battlefield Scan Complete.]

[Residual Life Signs: 3.]

[Kills Confirmed: 60 adult Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions, 4 elite individuals.]

[Juvenile and subterranean targets unconfirmed.]

’Two salvos, 240 missiles in total, for the annihilation of over 60 units.’

Sitting in his command vehicle, Allen quickly calculated the cost-benefit ratio.

’A single missile costs 200 Magic Stones. The cost to kill one scorpion is around 800 Magic Stones. And the materials from the corpse of an adult Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion are worth over 3,000 Magic Stones...’

’Although most of the corpses were obliterated, drastically reducing their material value, the heat-resistant crystal shells and the hardest parts of the pincers should still be salvageable.’

’As long as I can recover even a tenth of the value, this battle won’t be a loss.’

Allen breathed a sigh of relief.

’The worst thing about war is ending up with a net loss.’

"Continue the advance."

At his command, thirty Spider Slayer Mk. IIs surged past the Purgatory battery, rushing onto the battlefield like a clean-up crew.

They weaved nimbly through the ruins, using their sharp forelimbs to sift through the wreckage for valuable remains or deliver a final blow to anything not quite dead.

Two Pacifists flanked a transport vessel, guarding it as they advanced.