"What is going on? What did that guy Muria do?" The Dragon Princess, who had just been immersed in the joy of conquering two worlds, suddenly felt angry when she heard that all the other small worlds had been occupied by her opponent.
She couldn't understand or figure out how this had happened. What kind of move was this? How did Muria's army suddenly occupy four small worlds controlled by the Locusts in an instant?
She never dreamed that Muria had brought a terrifyingly cute creature that had taken down the highest ruler of the Locust civilization and then brazenly assumed his position.
"Your Highness, now is not the time to think about these questions. If you want to achieve victory, you need to attack the Locusts' home world now. If that lord gets the scepter and crown first, you lose. If you get them, the small worlds they occupy will be meaningless," advised Lynn, the sapphire dragon, calmly. She was more of an advisor than a combatant under the Dragon Princess.
"I know," said Princess Felicia, who was unaware she had already lost. She began to summon all the dragons and legion commanders under her command to discuss the attack...
In the Soros World, in the God-King Palace:
"Sword Sovereign of the Stars and Executioner, I entrust this defense to you both," Indra declared loudly, repeating each word as Muria had instructed, sounding exactly like the real Locust God-King, Kirov.
"Your Majesty, aren't you joining the battle?" asked the high-ranking legendary Locust Executioner, invited by five Locust gods.
"I must stay here to guard against unforeseen events. Besides the invaders you two are about to face, there is another invading force outside this world capable of killing four Locust gods. Their strength should not be underestimated. I must stay to prevent their attack."
Muria, who planned to send most of the Locust civilization's main forces to battle against the Dragon Princess, had Indra give a perfect excuse to avoid participating personally. He couldn't let Indra get involved directly.
"What a tumultuous time!" sighed the Executioner, feeling immense pressure. Even as one of the top figures in the Locust civilization, he felt the immense burden of their race's survival resting on his shoulders.
"The Locust civilization will not perish here. We will endure," Indra declared firmly, inspiring the Locust gods.
Thus, the defensive war across a thousand kilometers of front lines began. After Princess Felicia's void warships broke through the Soros civilization's home world barrier with a volley, they were met by thirty million Locust troops and two high-ranking legendary Locusts leading seventeen legendary Locust gods.
Under Muria's manipulation, nearly 80% of the Locust civilization's forces were directed to resist the Dragon Princess's invasion.
But that wasn't all. Muria, in the name of the God-King, issued massive war mobilization orders, forcibly recruiting Locusts who had developed extraordinary powers and sending them to the front lines, exhausting every ounce of the race's potential.
Such militaristic actions caused social order within the Locust civilization to teeter on the brink of collapse, leading to the emergence of anti-war and surrender factions.
Some Locusts began to believe that they should not oppose the invaders, especially given their overwhelming power.
But any such anti-war factions were swiftly suppressed by strong Locust warriors sent by Muria. Surrender to the Dragon Princess? Dream on! They had to fight to the death. All those advocating surrender were traitors and should be beaten to death.
Three years passed. The battlefield between the Dragon Princess and the main forces of the Locust civilization had receded nearly ten thousand kilometers. Thousands of cities fell, millions of Locusts were displaced, and even more died. The survivors didn't know if they were lucky or unfortunate, as their future seemed bleak.
"Have these Locusts gone mad? How can they throw so much force at me? Why aren't they attacking Muria's forces?" asked Princess Felicia irritably after advancing the front lines over ten thousand kilometers in three years.
"Your Highness, the Locusts are also fighting against Muria's forces, but not on the same scale as us," replied a tired-looking Lynn.
"Ha, you call that an attack? The number of Locust troops sent to intercept Muria's forces is not even a fraction of those we face," Felicia scoffed.
"This may be because your threat is too strong, Your Highness. Muria's giant army, disguised with spells, cannot compare to yours."
"Something's wrong. Muria is definitely up to something. He must have planned a scheme. We fell into a trap three years ago," Princess Felicia, who had witnessed countless schemes growing up in the royal family, declared decisively. Despite her arrogant personality due to her father's and brothers' pampering, she was no fool.
"Indeed, Muria's army behaves unusually. Despite the weak Locust forces, they've only advanced a thousand kilometers in three years, and only three legendaries have shown up, while Muria himself has never appeared," Lynn agreed.
"Maybe Muria is planning a decapitation strike, given the highest rulers of the Locust civilization have never appeared on our battlefield," another advisor suggested.
"Impossible. Titans are strong, but not strong enough to kill high-ranking legends just after advancing to legend status. Even weaker legends wouldn't be silently taken down by Muria. We'd detect such battle fluctuations," Princess Felicia retorted, recalling how she had seen Muria beat up Seraph descendants. "Muria would never use stealth; he prefers frontal combat."
...
"God-King, our race, our civilization is on the brink of extinction, and you sit in the God-King Palace, doing nothing but suppressing your own people," a maimed, weakened Locust god angrily confronted Indra, who had assumed the form of the God-King.
"I am coordinating the rear, providing war resources and supplies, and suppressing all traitorous Locusts. And you dare question my actions?" Indra retorted.
"Traitors? Who said they were traitors?"
"I did."
"They were only trying to find a way out for our civilization, but you labeled them as traitors. You are the biggest traitor, wanting our civilization to perish?"
As the war dragged on, anti-war sentiments among the Locusts had reached the ruling class. Over three hundred million Locusts had died, and more than half of the legendary Locust gods had perished, including the high-ranking Sword Sovereign of the Stars. Those remaining were all gravely injured.
"Presumptuous!" Indra, disguised as the God-King, roared. A tangible psychic tide surged from her, sweeping through the God-King Palace and forcing the questioning Locust to vomit bug fluid, tinged with transparent flames—injuries from the battlefield that had reached the foundation and remained unhealed.
"What do you want to do, Kirov?" Four other Locust gods, who had come with the questioning god to demand answers, stepped forward to resist the psychic tide.
Over three years, this ruler of the Locust civilization had killed at least a million of his own kind. In the external war, besides transporting resources and sending suitable Locusts to the front lines, he had done nothing else. Such a ruler had lost the respect and support of these Locust gods.
"Do you intend to rebel against me?" Indra sneered, his soul's voice mirroring the mockery the real God-King had shown Muria three years ago.
"You are unfit to sit there, Kirov!"
"That's right. You should abdicate, traitor."
"Our civilization will perish under your rule."
The continuous rebukes almost made Muria, disguised as a Locust, burst out laughing as if watching a farce.
"Abdicate? Who will take over? The Executioner? Or perhaps you? Are you worthy?" Indra laughed scornfully. "A bunch of surrendering traitors, do you want our race to become slaves to others?"
"Hmph, I will gather our civilization's last strength and join the war with the Executioner. If I fail, it means I've died in battle. Then, the future of our civilization will be in your hands. But for now, I am in charge. Defiance is treason."
Hearing these words, all the Locust gods fell silent and retreated quietly...
"God-King, you have finally come," the hunched Executioner greeted Indra, who had brought eight million Locusts. Though he had once been puzzled, now he felt deep respect, knowing the God-King intended to die in battle, never bowing.
"Executioner!" At that moment, a Locust in a servant's robe broke ranks and approached the Executioner, who watched in confusion. Suddenly, a golden thunderbolt pierced his chest.
"Sorry! I didn't want to end your life this way!" a soul voice whispered in his ear.
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