Having delivered the opening strike, Lucius swiftly returned to the mothership, taking merely a fraction of a nanosecond. He was greeted with a warm embrace from Cryselia.
"Daddy," murmured Cryselia softly, pressing her head against Lucius's broad chest.
"Wow—that was truly a devastating assault, young master," Emilia offered heartfelt praise, accompanied by a gasp of admiration for Lucius's actions, which she found exceptionally brutal.
Even the other officers reflexively nodded in agreement with Emilia's assessment. Some of them were still fixated on a holographic screen displaying the enemy's warships shattered into fragments.
'So, they're monitoring the enemy fleet,' Lucius thought, reaching a conclusion.
"I don't think that should be called an opening move, given the staggering level of destruction," Eleonora remarked as she walked closer to Lucius, speaking in a soft and melodious voice, while flashing him a sweet smile.
"Hmm—really?" Lucius replied, a slight look of confusion on his face.
As they continued their banter, an officer shouted loudly upon realizing that the enemy had deployed Astonishing-class Sorcerers in retaliation.
Lucius could also sense hundreds of individuals with formidable energy approaching at high speed.
Throughout their advance, numerous naval warships were sunk by various types of magical assaults. However, some managed to withstand these attacks due to the presence of Sorcerers of similar class on their side.
"Activate full defensive mode for each warship immediately, and order the submarines to launch the mana-diffuser missiles," Emilia commanded the officers firmly. "We'll first weaken the enemy Sorcerers' movements," she muttered under her breath, gazing at the distant enemy Sorcerers.
"There's no need to launch such expensive mana-diffuser missiles," Eleonora interjected, halting the officers ready to execute the command. "Sister Emilia, leave those low-class Sorcerers to me," she proposed confidently.
Emilia nodded gratefully, "In that case, I'll rely on you," she replied softly.
"Understood," Eleonora responded succinctly before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Utilizing her control over light, she concealed her presence and soared through the air at the speed of light, forming a long-handled golden scimitar composed of high-energy light particles.
Unbeknownst to the enemy, Eleonora began slicing through the Astonishing-class Sorcerers one by one. They couldn't react even for a second to her speed and perfect camouflage.
A trail of golden light energy could be seen on the bodies of the Sorcerers who had been cleaved by Eleonora's light blade.
In merely a fraction of a nanosecond, hundreds of Astonishing-class Sorcerers were bifurcated almost simultaneously. Their bodies plummeted into the sea, accompanied by a gruesome spray of crimson blood.
As with Lucius before her, Eleonora arrived within mere nanoseconds at the very location from which she had set out to dispatch her target to the infernal realms.
∆∆∆
Flagship, Three-headed Cerberus Fleet.
Within the confines of the specialized command room, several high-ranking officers were engrossed in monitoring the unfolding situation on the front lines of the battlefield.
Their composure was shattered by the sudden and massive assault launched by the naval forces at the very onset of the conflict. Frustrated beyond measure, they deployed hundreds of Astonishing-class Sorcerers to retaliate against the enemy's offensive.
However, the situation spiraled into unforeseen chaos. The rash decision led to the ludicrous loss of hundreds of Astonishing-class Sorcerers.
"Damn it—who on earth is responsible for slaughtering them all?" one of the senior officers inquired, his tone laden with enigma, as he endeavored to analyze the perplexing developments.
From the shadows of the chamber's doorway emerged a woman, her presence both commanding and ethereal. Cloaked in mystery, her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and a mask concealed her visage, hinting at secrets untold. With an air of regal authority, she stepped forward with confidence and grace, her every movement a testament to her dominance. She claimed the most opulent and elevated chair in the room, her status towering above the other high-ranking officers present.
Accompanying her were two masked women, attired in the garb of maids, their demeanor subservient yet poised to spring into action at her behest. The suddenness of her entrance sent ripples of urgency through the assembly. Each officer, regardless of rank, rose swiftly from their seats, bowing deeply in deference, as if they were mere servants in her presence.
"Do you have any orders, Lady Lilith?" inquired a sturdy old man, his voice laced with reverence and humility, a stark contrast to his rugged appearance.
"Let us cease squandering our finest Sorcerers any further," Lilith decreed, her voice a blend of chilling authority and enchanting allure. "Summon those two to swiftly behead Admiral Emilia and Princess Eleonora. Meanwhile, I shall focus on capturing the frostfire Phoenix."
Her words, spoken with an unsettling yet captivating dominance, left no room for dissent, echoing with a melody that was as terrifying as it was beguiling.
Without a single objection or dissent, all the high-ranking officers responded in unison, affirming their readiness to execute the given orders.
∆∆∆
The battlefield at the frontline was a cacophony of large-scale assaults, with barrages from artillery and heavy-caliber machine guns emanating from the warships of both sides.
Many of these attacks faltered, as each battleship was equipped with its own magical defense systems. Yet, some strikes found their mark, aided by the sorcerers from both factions who deftly disrupted the enemy's magical defenses through the use of a certain specialized technique.
As the battle raged on, the sorcerers stationed aboard the warships activated their flight artifacts, engaging in fierce aerial combat. Among them, a few sorcerers stood out, their powers clashing with remarkable intensity. However, the spectacle paled in comparison to the monumental events that unfolded at the battle's outset.
Amidst the chaos, two colossal surges of mana energy reverberated through the air, palpable even to those lacking sensitivity to mana. On the naval flagship, Emilia, Eleonora, Lucius, and Cryselia sat in a special chamber, monitoring the conflict in real-time on a massive screen.
Initially, they watched with a sense of boredom as the mid-level sorcerers engaged in lackluster skirmishes, failing to ignite any real excitement among the four. Yet, their expressions of ennui quickly turned to shock and intrigue as the immense mana detonations rippled through the battlefield.
"A surge of mana energy that magnitude... Who are these two sorcerers?" Lucius inquired, his voice tinged with eagerness. He promptly activated his Omniscient Perception, honing in on the two enigmatic sorcerers with precision.
In an instant, Lucius was inundated with vivid imagery and detailed insights about the two green-haired twins. Despite their identical origins, their appearances starkly contrasted one another. One boasted a robust physique with cropped hair, while the other was slender, with long, straight hair and dangerously narrow eyes.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, Lucius's attention was diverted elsewhere. He sensed a far more formidable entity, capable of suppressing its mana signature so effectively that it nearly evaded his Omniscient Perception. An ominous aura of malevolence emanated from this presence, stirring a deep-seated sense of danger within him.
"This battle promises to be more enthralling than any we've witnessed before," Lucius remarked with a satisfied grin, leaving his companions to ponder the newfound information he had gleaned.