Using Hell's own energy as a weapon to destroy demons.
Using dead demons as raw materials to build more war machines.
Using those war machines to counter-invade the Hell Dimension!
Yes!
Luca's so-called "Hell Civil War Project" wasn't just about endlessly grinding demons in this dimensional meat grinder.
Having the "Hell Furnace" acting as a pump meant that even if the demons wanted to quit—if they stopped sending troops into the Dimension War—the Hex Legion could still continuously siphon energy from Hell to feed the Hex Dimension.
Luca planned to wait for the right moment, then amass his forces, drive every last demon out of the battlefield, and establish a new defensive line on Hell's home soil.
That way, after he turned the entire Dimension War zone into one giant Hell Furnace Power Plant, he wouldn't have to worry about Hell's scum threatening his precious pumps.
Of course, all of this hinged on the Ancient One keeping Mephisto on a leash. If the Devil Lord returned to Hell to take charge, Luca's plan would crumble.
If Mephisto came back, all these machines running on Hell energy would be nothing more than a death wish.
Take Luca himself as an example.
Even as a half-baked "Lord of the Hex Dimension" with less than 0.01% authority, he had complete control over Hex energy. He might lack finesse, but if someone tried to use Hex energy against him? With the [Quincy Cross] and the Mind Stone amplifying his control, he could detonate their Hex Solar Furnaces with a thought and blow them sky-high.
Now swap Luca with Mephisto, an ancient Lord of Hell.
If Luca rolled up with his "Hell Gundams" and "Hell Tanks," Mephisto might just wave his hand and "enlighten" these machines. Suddenly, Hell would have a few new species of elemental constructs or mechanical demons in its roster.
Mephisto would probably laugh his ass off.
But... a risk was just a risk.
As long as Luca could build a "Pseudo-Hell Legion" strong enough to push back the endless demon horde before Mephisto returned...
Facing a Hell Dimension sucked dry of energy...
Who the real Lord of Hell would be then was anyone's guess!
The worst-case scenario was Mephisto breaking free early.
If that happened, Luca would just shut down and self-destruct all the Hell Furnaces. The Ancient One wouldn't let him walk into a trap without a heads-up, right?
Luca rubbed his chin, pushing the low-probability disaster out of his mind.
It's a pity the Gundam design is still too complex. Trying to mass-produce them with a fully automated, modular line based on Yuri's tech is a hassle.
Otherwise, he'd just build an all-Gundam legion and drown the demons in giant robots!
Standing in front of the base's clearing, watching groups of Haro Engineers finalizing the assembly and wiring of the new buildings, Luca shook his head with a mix of pride and regret.
Right now, the mobile units produced by the Hell War Factory were... crude.
The "Hell Beam Tank" was just a Yuri Magnetron slapped with a Hell Furnace and a modified GN Beam Rifle.
The "Hell Missile Truck" was even lazier—literally just a Gundam's GN Missile Pod put on wheels.
They weren't really new weapons designed for combat. They were just products of early testing lines meant to burn off excess Hell Furnace capacity while churning out Gundam spare parts.
Even worse was the "Hell Turret" Luca had whipped up on a whim. It was just a Hell Furnace with a Heimerdinger Turret glued on top for auto-targeting.
Honestly, it functioned more like a high-output generator scattered around the base than a defensive structure.
"Forget it. Baby steps. Worst case, I'll build the Hell Gundams on Earth and ship them here. It's a bit more trouble, but whatever."
"I can't make tens of thousands of Gundams right now, but whipping up a few dozen to help Dunshan hold the line shouldn't be an issue."
Thinking this, Luca patted the orange Haro in his arms.
The little guy completely ignored the roaring battle outside the base. Its red eyes flashed rhythmically, looking far more relaxed than Luca.
"Remember to upload all the data to the main MCV database here. Let Dunshan and the others replicate these buildings as needed."
"And give Tony lab access too. I doubt he's going to spend all day suiciding on the battlefield. When he has free time, maybe he can help design some interesting new weapons."
"Also, compile the Hell Furnace data for him. Even though he worked on the Hell Generator with us before, this is different. More data will save him from going down blind alleys."
Hearing this, the little thing in Luca's arms tried to roll upward, seemingly wanting to roll its eyes at him.
But with Luca's current strength, it had zero chance of escaping.
In the end, it could only mutter angrily:
"Exploitation! Exploitation!"
Whether it was talking about itself or the unlucky Tony was anyone's guess.
Three days later.
Just as Dunshan had said, the slaughter in the Dimension War was unceasing, but the intensity wasn't always at peak levels.
Or rather, for the cannon fodder on the ground—whether Hex grunts or Hell demons—the intensity never changed.
Many bio-soldiers didn't even last ten minutes from birth to destruction.
Even tough units like the Brutes, being melee fighters, had an average lifespan of only about thirty minutes.
But correspondingly, high-end threats like Demon Lords didn't show up every second.
Over these three days, there were only four Lord-class demon assaults. Two of them happened precisely during key Hex resource recovery moments.
Getting familiar with the environment gave Luca plenty of time to confer with Dunshan and Ipei.
Communicating his plans with the commanders on the front line was crucial.
However, while Luca was busy building and planning...
To his surprise, Tony actually spent three whole days and nights fighting non-stop in the most brutal sectors of the Dimension War.