The Metal Bullet reached a terrifying velocity of more than ten kilometers per second, a speed that even the Level 3 Daemon on the opposite side found frightening. At this moment, the army of Daemons was charging forward frantically, already less than a kilometer away from the Battle Droids.
One kilometer. At such a distance, the Metal Bullets could cross the battlefield in the blink of an eye. Before the Daemons could even fully react, the Bullets had already been fired, and a tenth of a second was all it took. There was simply no time for the Daemons to dodge.
Even if they managed to see the instant the Bullet emerged from the muzzle, by the time their minds registered the danger and their bodies attempted to move, the deadly projectile would have already arrived.
As the Bullets tore through the air, the atmosphere visibly distorted around them. The terrifying kinetic force caused the air to ripple violently, producing sharp, ear-piercing sounds as thousands of projectiles streaked across the battlefield. In the next instant, a Daemon was struck head-on.
The impact left everyone watching the battlefield stunned.
"This is..." Jörn widened his eyes in disbelief before immediately recognizing the weapon. "That is the weapon from the competition."
The Electromagnetic Gun had already gained widespread recognition because of its repeated victories against powerful opponents. Its terrifying performance had caused countless casualties. Among those who had suffered the most from its power were Baroque and Iris.
The greatest strength of the Electromagnetic Gun was its astonishing speed. During the competition, it had been practically unmatched by any other conventional weapon. But this time...
"It's faster." Baroque stared at the battlefield with a serious expression before speaking in disbelief. "And its power is even more exaggerated than before."
Inside the field, the Daemons could only watch helplessly as Bullet after Bullet swept toward them.
They wanted to dodge.
They wanted to retreat.
But their bodies simply could not keep up with the speed of the projectiles so it was impossible to evade them.
Then...
KRAAAAAAAAAAAM!
The projectile struck the target with catastrophic force.
THUUUUUUMMMMMM!
The impact shook the ground as debris blasted outward, and a towering cloud of dust and smoke swallowed the point of impact.
A succession of explosions erupted across the battlefield. Of the thousand Bullets fired in that volley, the vast majority struck the bodies of the charging Daemons.
The Metal Bullets themselves possessed a unique spike-like structure. This design allowed them to forcefully pierce through the incredibly hard outer surface of a Daemon's body before burrowing deep inside.
The terrifying kinetic impact sent the struck Daemons staggering backward several steps. Some were knocked directly into the Daemons behind them, causing even more chaos. In an instant, the entire Daemon formation was thrown into disorder.
A force of 1,000 Daemons, which had originally been charging forward with overwhelming momentum, suddenly became chaotic as panic began spreading through their ranks. Some Daemons even instinctively turned their backs and attempted to retreat.
"I'm impressed!" Sergey, who had just been humiliated by the Daemons moments earlier, couldn't help but exclaim in excitement.
Nearby, Baroque clenched his fists tightly before finally letting out a long sigh of relief. Even the seasoned Jörn and Kanna looked visibly relieved.
"This is what you would expect from a Champion." Kanna smiled as she watched the battlefield. "As expected of the strongest newcomer ever. He really is impressive."
"Yes." Jörn nodded with a smile. "These puppets created by Sebastian are indeed much stronger than those ordinary puppets. But the real question is... just how much stronger are they?"
Jeffery shook his head repeatedly. "This isn't even on the same level."
His expression was filled with astonishment. "Compared with these puppets created by Sebastian, those other puppets are nothing more than a pile of useless scrap. There is absolutely no comparison!"
"That kid..." Volkmar, who had been paying close attention to the battlefield from the beginning, also smiled and sighed. Sebastian's performance had once again exceeded his expectations.
However, not everyone was satisfied. The Astra Militarum's Generals and Scientists were among them. As they observed the condition of the battlefield, their expressions did not show much joy. Instead, there was a trace of dissatisfaction and solemnity in their eyes. Although the newly improved Electromagnetic Gun had demonstrated an extremely powerful ability to injure the enemy, it had still failed to achieve the result they had originally expected.
During the competition, the Electromagnetic Gun could directly penetrate an opponent's body. Once the projectile entered the body, the damage caused by its tremendous kinetic energy was enough to seriously injure or even kill an ordinary opponent. But this time, it was different. The Metal Bullets had pierced the Daemons, yet the damage they caused was clearly insufficient.
This result had actually been anticipated by everyone within the Astra Militarum. They had already understood that the weapons developed for ordinary opponents would eventually reach their limits when facing a Level 3 Supernatural lifeform.
After the brief moment of chaos, the Daemon army gradually stabilized. The Daemon that had been struck repeatedly slowly straightened its body and its previous panic disappeared. Then, its usual rebellious and arrogant demeanor returned once again.
"Hahaha!" Eric's arrogant voice rang across the battlefield. "Yes, Sebastian, your puppets really are impressive."
There was a hint of appreciation in his voice, but beneath that appreciation was an unmistakable sense of contempt.
"To think that you could actually make my Daemons suffer damage for the first time. That's quite impressive." Eric paused. "But that's not enough."
Sebastian naturally understood the situation. Although the Metal Bullets had successfully pierced the Daemons' bodies, the actual damage was far too limited. It was like driving a needle into an ordinary person's body. It would hurt, and it would cause some bleeding. But unless it struck a vital point, it would not cause any truly serious injury. For a Level 3 Supernatural lifeform, such damage was almost negligible.
And then, on the battlefield, an astonishing scene occurred. A Daemon reached toward the wound on its own body. Then, under the shocked gazes of countless spectators, it actually tore away a portion of its own skin.
The Daemon reached into the damaged area and grabbed the Metal Bullet that had just pierced through its body. With a forceful pull, it was ripped out. Then, it casually threw the projectile onto the ground.
It then raised its head and revealed a proud, arrogant smile. The expression was as though it were deliberately telling the Astra Militarum: Is that all you've got?
The other Daemons quickly followed. One after another, they began removing the Metal Bullets embedded in their bodies. Some simply tore open their flesh and pulled the projectiles out while others directly ripped away the damaged sections of their skin.
Within moments, the battlefield was littered with discarded Metal Bullets. The excitement that had appeared on the faces of Sergey, Jeffery, Baroque, and the others gradually faded. Their expressions became serious once again.
The first volley had indeed achieved something.
It had disrupted the Daemon formation.
It had caused pain.
It had even forced the Daemons to retreat temporarily.
But it had not caused any truly substantial damage.
Eric smiled lightly. "This should be your most powerful weapon, right?"
His tone was calm, almost casual. "It's certainly interesting, but it's still too weak."
A trace of pity appeared in Eric's eyes. "What a shame. If you had been given a little more time to grow, perhaps you might have become somewhat of a threat to me."
He paused. "But unfortunately, you don't have that time."
Eric's smile widened. "So, you should surrender."
The battlefield became strangely quiet, and everyone's eyes turned toward Sebastian.
Sebastian, however, showed no trace of panic. Instead, the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.
"The most powerful means?" He repeated Eric's words in his mind, then he smiled.
Naturally, this was not the most powerful weapon of the Astra Militarum. The Electromagnetic Gun was merely another test. It was nothing more than a probing attack designed to determine the defensive capabilities of a Level 3 Supernatural lifeform. The true killer weapon had not yet appeared.
And when it did... That would be the moment the real battle began.