Since Liz and I had fought on different fronts during the Hamperlon war, we only reunited at the end, when Hamperlon barely had the strength left to oppose us.

My only measure of her true strength came from the past that The Merchant showed me, and the life that the Endless later forced me to experience.

Her prime self was the stuff of nightmares, but even now, her current self still holds a high spot among the most fearsome beings I’ve seen.

She toyed with us during her [Event], deliberately letting us struggle for her own amusement while we exhausted ourselves trying to find a sliver of hope.

I could hardly forget the haunting image of her fully healing herself with [Dark Magic] and the fight she had against the Merchant.

The most horrifying part was that, according to the Merchant, the Kingdom was constraining her. She needed more room for her massive spells.

I didn’t fully believe him.

Despite his power, The Merchant wasn’t the most reliable guy out there.

Liz herself would quietly admit that she didn’t hold a candle to her past power. Could she still be that much of a monster?

As it turns out, Earth didn’t suffer from the Kingdom’s lack of space.

And now that Elizabeth could go all out, I’d finally see how the Kingdom’s Demon Queen fought in a war.

Could Earth’s armies stop her?

Miwen: "Goddamn Liz..."

The sky itself began to burn as flames spread across the horizon, its soft blue slowly replaced by black smoke.

I could see dark blue and purple cracks illuminating the smoke from within.

Elizabeth: "...Blazing thunder."

She spoke calmly. The slight tilt in her head was the only sign of the anticipation she felt.

She wanted the Army of the Gifted to fight back. Gloriously, if possible.

As someone who had been in that same position before, I felt some sympathy for them.

Left with no choice, they answered her in kind.

Trails of magic ground against the flames, exploding on contact with the lightning as neither side gave way.

The Valkyries and I covered our ears from the deafening, thunderous noise of the barrage clashing against Liz’s magic.

While the sky was swallowed in darkness, below, a storm burned too bright for the eyes.

Ice shards and stone fragments burst past us as pressurized wind and water cut through the ground surrounding us.

An entire army’s worth of magic met her spell, and yet, it came dangerously close to hitting the ground.

And to think that she had put it as "A polite gesture to the warm welcome our host extended us."

Elizabeth: "...A torrent of flames heralds the coming of a star. Lightning fades inside the darkness. Endflame Comet."

Satisfied by the enthusiasm our enemies showed for her thank-you gift, Liz decided it was time to take things seriously.

I had rarely seen Elizabeth chant more than a couple of words.

There was a reason for that.

The sunlight that briefly found its way through the fading black clouds vanished once again. It couldn’t find a way past the black-fire-coated meteor that cast the entire base into darkness.

With the impending doom approaching from above, the soldiers inside the base stopped firing bullets and magic towards us.

Even the North Dragon got a short break as the order inside the base was heard loud and clear: Every man should aim everything they had on that one single target.

Miwen: "...And what happens to us when that hits?"

Considering the size of her spell, it wouldn’t end well for us.

I was almost rooting for the AOTG to do something about it.

Still, Liz only took a single step forward before turning towards me with a slight smirk.

Elizabeth: "If it hits, we shouldn’t have wasted our time here."

Even though she didn’t answer me in the slightest, she resumed her stroll, acting as if I had asked the obvious.

The Valkyries and I were left looking at each other with a mix of disbelief and amazement in our eyes.

Still, Elizabeth’s words were almost prophetic. The moment we crossed the outer perimeter of Adriarch’s base, the combination of missiles, gunfire, artillery, and magic split the meteor into several parts.

However, a body the size of Rodky couldn’t be stopped that way.

Even its smaller fragments were as tall as a command tower. Their impact left the entire base in ruins, the lightning that sprouted from its pieces causing as much chaos as the fire.

It was hard to say that Elizabeth owned the battlefield. She had basically destroyed it entirely.

The AOTG didn’t have only the Demon Queen as its enemy, though.

The North Dragon dove from the sky, freezing entire sections of the base with its icy breath. Its extended wings cut through an entire office building as the beast mauled and trampled APC vehicles.

Soaring back into the sky, Elizabeth’s pet unleashed a storm of ice shards onto the troops below.

Elizabeth: "...I wonder where we could find their general."

The base Adriarch took was roughly divided into five sections.

The field hospital in the center of the medical bay had its right wing crumbling from a fragment of Liz’s spell, and the surrounding triage tents were mostly scattered. Some were burning, blown into the nearest road.

Instead of moving towards the bunkers of the medical bay, most soldiers gathered at the armory and hangars of the operational zone. Fires were being extinguished even as they formed up for a counterattack.

Quietly watching them, Liz lightly pressed a finger against her lips.

While the Valkyries and I cut through their intercepting forces, her eyes drifted towards the operational zone, wondering if it’d be more amusing to squash their forces before they were ready, or to wait and see what they could offer in return for her "gifts".

Meanwhile, I had my eyes on the HQ at the center of the base.

The surrounding logistics buildings had been heavily damaged. The fuel silos burned uncontrollably, and continuous explosions could be heard at the munitions depots.

Yet, the HQ and most of the offices in the administrative area remained suspiciously unscathed.

I wanted to infiltrate the base and kill The Mechanic to limit Adriarch’s ability to escape or reinforce other positions in the future, but given these circumstances, it’d probably be easier to find him at the HQ.

At least, that was what would make sense.

However, I should’ve considered the Colonel’s personality a little more.

Adriarch: "Hahaha! Missy! I’ve been waiting for you! And you too, lad!"

The old man’s boisterous voice somehow echoed louder than the crackling of the fire and the thunder.

He used the black flames burning beside him to light his cigar, sitting atop the wreckage of a destroyed vehicle.

Beside him was another figure, with greyish hair and a headband covering his forehead. He was the most important target after Adriarch: Bruce, his mechanic.

Miwen: "That’s an interesting way to say you surrender."

I rested a hand on Liz’s shoulder.

They already had a lot of casualties on their side, and I could probably earn a few points with the government by capturing the base while drawing as little blood as possible.

That should stop them from keeping my plans stuck in their bureaucratic hell.

Adriarch: "That’s a little soon, lad. Don’t give up without a fight."

Aha!

I should’ve known. A commander who refused to evacuate and joined the frontline despite the devastation wouldn’t concede so easily.

I can’t say I disliked that, either.

The old man reminded me a little of my father. He seemed like one of those men of action that Piper liked so much.

Adriarch: "Hah..."

He took a slow drag from his cigar before pulling a silver pistol from his pocket.

Cracking his back, Adriarch straightened his posture, aiming the gun at Elizabeth.

Smoke rose from his cigar, and then, from his gun.

The sound of shattering glass echoed as the bullet he fired stuck on the second layer of Elizabeth’s barrier, right between her eyes.

Elizabeth: "...That’s one-"

Before Liz could speak another word, Adriarch fired again.

The shards of her barrier scattered across the ground, dissolving into pure mana.

For a brief moment, everything and everyone fell silent.

Their eyes were locked, and even their breathing was measured.

Adriarch’s expression was the first to change.

He laughed. Loud and clear, for everyone to hear.

Adriarch: "Oh, the young these days... That’s no way to look at your elders."

Elizabeth: "Agreed. I’ve allowed you to stare from above for far too long."

As he loosened his posture, Elizabeth’s boots left the ground.

She rose above him, with a dangerously amused smile on her face.

Adriarch: "Dear... I wasn’t talking to you."

While firing at Liz, he pulled a rifle from thin air and aimed it at me.

I wasn’t fast enough to react on my own. Cassandra had to take control of my arm to deflect the last bullets.

Adriarch: "Why do I feel my heart beating this strongly... I hope it’s not a cardiac arrest. Not when we’re about to have so much fun."

Miwen: "Don’t ask me. As long as it’s not love, it’s not my business."

Besides...

Miwen: "Man... You’ve already stirred the hornet’s nest. I get that the honey is sweet, but picking a second fight with the bear is a bit much."

A smile briefly appeared on his face as I pointed Cassandra at him.

I wasn’t interested in the staring contest, though.

While Liz launched a machine gun’s worth of fire and wind bullets at him, I charged forward.

Before I could reach him, Adriarch took out a small cylinder from his hand.

It began to spread white smoke, hiding his presence.

Bullets trailed around me from every angle, forcing me to use [Wind Magic] to blow everything away.

However, Apollo was faster.

I was thankful for the small help, even though I had no idea why he had followed me.

But there was something off about him.

Instead of returning to my head or my shoulders like normal, Apollo flew before my face, launching wind blades against my arm.

They barely scratched me, but not satisfied, the dumb sparrow began pecking me.

Miwen: "What’s wrong, little guy?"

I couldn’t understand his chirps.

But he looked frantic.

Desperate.

Bruce: "Looking away!?"

The Mechanic sped toward me on a red motorcycle, firing as he closed the distance.

I raised an ice pillar in front of me and leaned out from its side, sending a volley of sharp ice needles straight for his tires.

Not a single one hit, but at least they forced him to change directions.

It wouldn’t be long before he found another angle to target me, though.

Miwen: "Tch. I got it. I’ll finish this soon, so hang on a little."

Apollo didn’t seem to like my decision.

He flapped his wings against my face, blocking my vision.

It was pretty obvious what he meant. There was something I wasn’t seeing.

However, my hands were tied, and he wasn’t exactly helping the situation.

So, I trapped him inside a stone cage, keeping him safe and quiet inside my pocket.

Whatever it was that Apollo wanted, it would have to wait. Dealing with Adriarch and the Mechanic came first.