Alan's poisonous demon ancestor had achieved perfect meditation.
Next, the "gathering" moved to Sonia's home turf.
Avernus, the first layer of Hell.
The main battlefield of the endless bloody war, the bridgehead against the demonic invasion.
Sonia's ancestor, a half-blood witch,
Yearned to achieve merit and rise to prominence in this war-torn land.
In fact, the demonic world was overflowing with young people with similar ambitions.
This wasn't even a lofty ideal, more like an instinct for survival and evolution.
Sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat.
The brutal competition for survival was even more starkly manifested in Hell.
The demonic world was a class society even more rigidly structured than the warlock world.
All species of demons were divided into different classes.
Devils of higher rank are more favored by Hell's will, possessing greater power and the power to decide life and death over demons of lower rank!
To evolve into a higher-ranking devil, there are only two paths:
Either master flattery, gain the favor of a noble, and rise to the top.
Or achieve merit on the battlefield, earning advancement through merit.
The ancestral spirit Sonia had fused with was merely a half-blood from the lower classes of society.
The high-ranking devil nobles wouldn't even bother to look at her.
For someone with such a humble background, hoping to rise through the ranks by navigating officialdom was pure fantasy.
There was only one path before her: participate in bloody battles and risk her life for advancement!
For the first half of her demonic life, Sonia's ancestral spirit had a relatively smooth journey.
She had decent qualifications and was considered an excellent student in school.
She seized the first opportunity of her demonic life. After passing through numerous rounds of screening, she successfully joined the Faust Institute.
Hundreds of graduates from the same class interviewed, but only thirteen were ultimately selected.
Her job involved testing new mechas.
Life after joining the company was dull and monotonous.
For two years, Sonia spent her time between the dormitory, the cafeteria, and the testing grounds.
The Construct Research Institute, under the direction of Dr. Faust, was developing a demon-fighting construct weapon codenamed "Hell Angel."
Sonia was also assigned a "Hell Angel."
This magical magical construct, to be more precise, was an enchanted flexible exoskeleton.
It could be worn as casual attire.
It resembled a tight leather jacket, not uncommon.
When a pilot enters its atavistic state, the Hell Angel transforms into a true form of body armor, granting the pilot three bonuses:
· +4 to Strength, Agility, and Natural Armor.
· Immunity to armor-piercing damage from silver-alchemized weapons.
· Unlocks a special weapon: the Hellfire Floater.
…
Most demons are naturally allergic to silver-based metals, such as silver and mithril.
Therefore, their enemies, including demons, often prefer to use silver-alchemized or silver-plated weapons to torment them.
The Hell Angel addresses this shortcoming, offering exceptional defense.
As for offense, the Hell Angel's special weapon, the Hellfire Floater, is a truly groundbreaking masterpiece!
When a pilot activates the Hellfire Floater, several small black holes form around them.
These soaring black holes are known as "Floaters."
The pilot uses his mental power to remotely control the floater, locking onto its target and unleashing a fiery volley of hellfire.
Each shot consumes mana.
This attack method sounds simple, but it's actually incredibly difficult to master!
The maximum number of floaters that can be remotely controlled, their maximum range, and even their lethality all depend on the pilot's mental attributes!
The higher the pilot's mental power, the greater their combat effectiveness as a Hell Angel.
Sonia's test team consists of thirteen pilots: seven men and six women.
Sonia's mental power ranks above average.
She can simultaneously control twenty-four floaters, placing her second among female pilots.
An even stronger witch, Becky, can simultaneously control twenty-seven floaters!
Becky's strength ranks second among the entire team.
The only one stronger than her was Captain Miles.
Miles, this freak, could actually control thirty floaters simultaneously—a true genius!
Naturally, Miles and Becky became idols of the other pilots.
Sonia's fused ancestral spirit was no exception.
Through the ancestral spirit's memories, Sonia sensed that it harbored a fondness for Captain Miles.
At the same time, she was also Becky's little sister, like a maidservant to a young lady.
No matter how you looked at it, the ancestral spirit felt she wasn't worthy of Captain Miles.
The Captain and Becky were universally considered a perfect match.
Becky had always been caring and considerate of her, her idol.
She didn't want Becky to see her feelings for Captain Miles, so she kept them to herself.
Silently blessing the Captain and the eldest sister, hoping they'd find a happy marriage.
…
The ancestral spirit's secret crush left Sonia in a state of both laughter and tears.
She and the ancestral spirit had absolutely no agreement on this issue.
Captain Miles was indeed tall and handsome, but he wasn't Sonia's type.
He loved to act pretentious, play it cool, and was very domineering, self-centered.
Sonia vaguely saw in him the shadow of circus ringmaster Ethan...
Just resisting the urge to kill him was a real challenge!
Luckily, her ancestral spirit only had a crush on Miles.
She had neither the courage nor the opportunity to develop a romantic relationship.
This was a relief for Sonia, saving her from the nausea!
The day when the wheel of fate suddenly turned had finally arrived.
That afternoon, the research institute conducted routine tests.
Thirteen pilots, including Sonia, gathered at the range.
Just as they were about to begin target practice, a shrill alarm blared.
Amid the chaos, the pilots received bad news.
A group of crazed demonic terrorists had broken into the base, attempting to destroy the research facilities.
These lunatics, though only low-level demons, each possessed a terrifying skill.
Incineration Explosion!
Simply put, when severely injured and on the verge of death, they would self-destruct!
Instantly releasing all their magical energy, the detonation was far more terrifying than when they were alive.
Even the magically reinforced walls of the laboratory couldn't stop these walking bombs.
A horde of demons rushed forward, ramming into the wall and exploding, causing it to collapse...
The terrorists from the Abyss blasted their way forward in this frenzied manner, blasting their way through a path leading to the test site!
The demons' purpose was clear.
These lunatics were after the Hell Angels!
Dr. Faust's urgent warning echoed over the magic radio.
"All pilots, prepare for battle!"
"Secure the test site gate!"
"Destroy the demons at all costs!"
"We must not let a single Hell Angel fall into the hands of the demons."
The young pilots were both nervous and excited.
After two years of testing, the opportunity for real combat finally arrived.
Everyone was eager to seize this opportunity and perform well.
Sonia was no exception.
As usual, Miles and Becky stood in the center of the formation.
Both had activated their atavistic forms.
Miles's atavistic form was a "Beard Demon."
It resembled a tall man with reddish skin.
It had thick, barbed tentacles growing from its chin.
Becky's atavistic form was a "Thorn Demon."
It resembled a Spike Demon, also covered in thorns.
It differed in being smaller and possessing a pair of thorn wings for flight.
In combat, a Thorn Demon could fire its spikes, dealing triple damage: piercing, flaming, and explosive.
Sonia also transformed into a "Thorn Demon" form and followed behind Becky like a minion.
Becky suddenly turned around and coldly said to her, "You, stay away from me!"
Sonia was stunned for a moment and wanted to retort, "Who the hell do you think you are!"
However, the ancestral spirit's will would not allow her to contradict her elder sister.
The poor ancestral spirit was even terrified and wondered:
"Could it be that Becky's sharp eyes saw through my peek at the captain in the cafeteria, and that's why she's so cold to me?"
This mentality almost made Sonia laugh.
Atavistic meditation requires respecting the ancestral spirit's will as much as possible.
She had no choice but to retreat in shame.
She squatted in the corner, with nothing to do, and drew a summoning circle on the ground.
If the battle went against her, she would use this circle to summon Alan.
In fact, Sonia could still summon Alan without drawing the circle.
However, doing so would be too shocking, and she didn't want to arouse her colleagues' suspicion.
At this moment, a demon's roar could be heard in the distance.
Occasionally, violent explosions could be heard, shattering the crystal windows.
The power of the demon's self-detonation made the young pilots, who lacked practical experience, nervous.
Except for Miles and Becky.
The two exchanged glances and simultaneously summoned the Hellfire Floater.
A flurry of discussion rang out from all around.
According to the manual, Hell Angel pilots should not activate the Hellfire Floater unless it was a critical moment.
This weapon was too complex, extremely demanding to operate, and consumed a significant amount of mana.
Miles and Becky hadn't even seen the demon yet, and now they were unleashing their most powerful weapons. Was that necessary?
Just as everyone was wondering...
Miles and Becky had already remotely controlled the Floater, firing!
The target wasn't the demon outside the corridor.
It was... the companion beside him!