Smart programming combined with manual control of the Battle Droids, under this double guarantee, the Small Nuclear Bombs concealed within their bodies detonated at the predetermined moment.
And at almost the exact same time, behind the Battle Droids, Guardsmen were hiding inside specially prepared Hover Vehicles. These Hover Vehicles had been purpose-built for this very operation, with their outer shells covered in a thick layer of Radiation Protection material.
To ensure an additional layer of safety, the Guardsmen inside were also wearing specially designed Radiation Protection Suits, each one equipped with a thick protective layer capable of resisting intense radiation.
This was not merely a battle. It was also the first field test of the Radiation Protection capabilities of this state-of-the-art material. Therefore, this operation had two objectives.
The first was naturally to eliminate the enemy.
The second was to determine whether the newly developed Radiation Protection technology could truly withstand the terrifying aftermath of a Nuclear Bomb detonating at such close range.
If the Radiation Protection capabilities of the Hover Vehicles and the Guardsmen's equipment proved successful, then future battlefields would become much easier to deal with. At least, the Astra Militarum would no longer need to worry so much about the radiation produced by their own weapons.
But before anyone could think about the results of the experiment, everyone's attention remained firmly focused on the Demon army rushing toward them. With 1,000 Demons charging forward simultaneously, it was naturally impossible for all of them to arrive at exactly the same time.
This was precisely what the Battle Droids had been waiting for, so the detonation timing had been calculated in advance. They would wait until the majority of the Demons had closed the distance before detonating the Nuclear Bombs.
And now, the moment had arrived.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
A terrifying series of explosions suddenly erupted. Fission occurred first, then came Fusion. The two processes combined together, initiating a terrifying chain reaction and releasing an astonishing amount of energy in an instant.
Although the power of these Miniature Nuclear Bombs was weaker than the weapon used in the competition, the fundamental principle remained the same. It was still a weapon capable of unleashing alarming, destructive energy.
And just like the Bomb that had exploded during the last final battle, the first thing that appeared was light. An incomparably brilliant light. In an instant, it seemed as though the entire world had been swallowed by a dazzling white radiance. Everything nearby was enveloped.
At that moment, there was nothing else.
No sky.
No ground.
No Battle Droids.
No Demons.
No weapons.
There was only an endless, blinding light.
The Demons closest to the detonation were almost instantly blinded by the terrifying radiance. Their eyes were filled with nothing but pure white. They could not distinguish any other color, nor could they see what was happening around them. Their ears also seemed to have suddenly become deaf, as if the world itself appeared to have fallen completely silent.
But this was merely the beginning, as the most terrifying part had yet to arrive. The light of death was only the prelude while the curtain of destruction had just been lifted.
The Spectators watching from a distance might not have felt anything yet, but the Demon trapped within this layer of deathly light had already become completely terrified. Their Innate sense of danger was far more sensitive than that of ordinary creatures.
Almost instinctively, they understood that this was not an attack that could be produced by an Electromagnetic Gun. This was something entirely different. A truly terrifying and deadly weapon. An unprecedented sense of danger surged through their bodies, and they could feel it: An apocalypse was coming.
Although many of them could not even see their surroundings anymore, they instinctively attempted to flee. Among the Demons, most were Low-Level Demons, while a handful were Medium Demons. Yet at this moment, every single one of them had exactly the same thought. Escape or die.
It was the first time in their lives that they had experienced such overwhelming panic. Their bodies shook involuntarily. Their instincts screamed at them to flee. Their sense of danger was even stronger than that of the Golden Dragon. In ordinary circumstances, this terrifying instinct would have been enough to allow them to avoid countless dangers.
But now, it could not save them. At such a close distance, even if the speed of these Demons were to double, it would still be completely too late. The distance between them and death had already become zero.
At the very center of the detonation, the Battle Droids were instantly melted away. Their mechanical bodies, despite being constructed from advanced materials that were normally extremely resistant to damage, could not withstand the terrifying energy released by the Small Nuclear Bombs.
Under the unimaginable temperature, they were like ice and snow placed beneath a scorching sun. They melted, evaporated, and then they completely disappeared. Even the most advanced materials were utterly powerless before such destructive energy.
At the same time, the terrifying heat continued expanding outward at an astonishing speed. The Demons that had been entangled with the Battle Droids bore the brunt of this terrifying temperature. Such a temperature was already beyond anything that ordinary lifeforms could comprehend.
The nearest Demon watched helplessly as the Battle Droid standing directly in front of it disappeared without leaving even the slightest trace. For an instant, it probably understood what had happened, and its expression changed. The arrogance that had previously filled its face vanished completely, and what replaced it was pure horror. The pupils of the Demon contracted violently, and its body quivered.
At this moment, every Demon was screaming internally. An unprecedented sense of regret suddenly emerged from the depths of their souls. If they were given another chance, they absolutely would not come here. They would never willingly approach such a terrifying and deadly weapon again.
They had thought that these strange mechanical puppets were merely troublesome opponents. They had thought that even if their weapons were powerful, they would still be able to rely on their physical strength and speed to crush them. They had been wrong. Completely wrong.
But regret was meaningless now. It was already too late. In the terrified eyes of the Demons, the deadly heat swept over them like an unstoppable tide. Although the most terrifying wave of heat lasted only a few seconds, those few seconds were already enough.
The Demons that were too close had no opportunity to escape, and the heat engulfed them like a gigantic wave. There was nowhere to hide. There was nowhere to run.
The next moment, around the Battle Droids, all the Demons disappeared cleanly. Their bodies were completely annihilated and reduced to ashes. Some were not even left with ashes; they were obliterated into nothingness. The terrifying destructive force swept through everything in its path.
After the overwhelming heat came an enormous shock wave. The air itself seemed to distort violently as the shock wave expanded outward, carrying with it an equally terrifying force of destruction.
However, by this point, that no longer mattered. Before Level 3, shock waves could still cause considerable damage to Supernatural Lifeforms. But against these Level 3 Demons, the ultra-high temperature was far more effective. Their physical bodies were simply unable to withstand such terrifying heat.
"It ended." Seeing the situation before him, Alpin, who was commanding the operation, finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Although his expression remained calm, the tension that had been hidden deep within his heart finally relaxed. This was the first time the Army had fought against a Level 3 lifeform. Although they had prepared a complete plan beforehand, and although every possible situation had been carefully considered, there had still been a trace of uncertainty in everyone's hearts.
After all, planning and actual combat were two completely different things. A Level 3 lifeform was not an ordinary opponent. If something had gone wrong during the operation, the consequences could have been disastrous. Fortunately, the result had exceeded expectations as the weapon had successfully accomplished its mission.
On a ship in the distance, Sebastian watched the battlefield in silence. Then, a faint smile appeared on his face.
This first battle was merely a small test.
A test of their weapons.
A test of their tactics.
A test of their Radiation Protection technology.
And, most importantly, a test of whether conventional technology could truly contend with increasingly powerful lifeforms.
But for everyone else watching this scene, the significance was completely different. They were shocked to the extreme. Because they had just witnessed something that completely toppled their understanding of warfare.
A group of mechanical Battle Droids had sacrificed themselves, carrying miniature nuclear weapons directly into the enemy formation. And in a single moment, thousands of powerful Demons had been completely erased. This was no longer simply a battle; it was a declaration.
A declaration that the power of technology had once again stepped onto an entirely different battlefield.