One after another, the Allied vessels plummeted into the sea.
They capsized amidst towering sprays of water or collided with one another, only compounding the devastation. While the damage dealt in that single instant was significant, the Allied Forces’ numbers remained immense. Relative to their total strength, the loss was negligible.
The remaining ships adjusted their aim and began firing their artillery at Diera.
"Kuhahaha! Struggle against me, then!"
Suspended in mid-air, Diera readied her weapon with a boisterous laugh. She brandished an unfamiliar spear—likely something she had brought specifically for this occasion—and used it to slice through the incoming shells with ease. Diera wasn't relying on spells; this was a defense born of raw, unadulterated skill. The sight was, in many ways, utterly surreal.
Donning armor conjured from her own power, Diera streaked toward the ocean like a falling star, slamming into the deck of a ship. A thunderous roar echoed as she pierced through the hull, splitting the unfortunate vessel in two and sending it to the depths.
From there, she used her Chains of Light to navigate the battlefield with three-dimensional agility, anchoring herself to another ship. Mid-leap, several chains lashed out into the sky, skewering an airship and dragging it down. It exploded upon impact with the surface, drowned out by the screams of its crew. By then, Diera was already claiming more victims on yet another vessel.
I found myself genuinely impressed. The title of the preceding Demon Lord was clearly more than just a hollow honorific.
Humanoid beasts were hiding among the Allied ranks, waiting for a surreptitious opening to strike her down, but they were being slaughtered as effortlessly as the common soldiers. They simply could not stand against Diera's might.
The Chains of Light were a form of Divine Magic bestowed by the Will of the Saint’s World. Far superior to standard Holy Magic, this was a power manifested specifically to end my existence. Naturally, it was designed to eradicate the undead and miasma. For the Beasts of the Outside World, who sustained themselves on miasma, the chains were lethal.
A direct hit from a Chain of Light meant instant death. They were nearly impossible to evade, and half-hearted defenses were useless against them. Even if a beast managed to dodge the chains, the thrust of her spear would be waiting for them.
Diera was a peerless master of the spear, possessing enough technical skill to match the swordplay of that person—the one I had once traveled with. In close-quarters combat, she was effectively invincible. As the beasts fell, unable to offer any real resistance, I quietly collected their remains and teleported them back to the Valley of the Dead.
Left with nothing to do, the Demon King’s Army simply looked on from a distance. I intended to have them pursue the enemy when the opportunity arose, but for now, this was Diera's stage. It was likely best to let her do as she pleased.
I continued to watch the battle for a short while until her voice finally reached me via telepathy.
『Listen well, Dwight-yo.』
"What is it?"
『I shall use my special move now. I leave the defense of the Demon King's Army to you.』
"What on earth does that—"
Before I could ask for details, Diera went into motion. She leapt high into the air and latched onto an intact airship, holding her spear aloft as she stood upon its topside.
The spear began to exhibit a strange surge of magic power. The light flickering from it followed a rhythmic, structured pattern. Then, hundreds of semitransparent tubes extended upward from the spear. The tubes writhed as they unfolded around Diera, gradually coalescing into a single form.
It was a mountain-sized human skeleton.
The semitransparent human skeleton, with Diera enveloped at its core, plummeted into the ocean, submerged up to its waist. The resulting impact created a series of raging waves that swallowed and sank the surrounding Allied ships. I quickly deployed magic to protect the Demon King's Army from the encroaching swell.
The skeletal avatar reached out and snatched an airship from the sky. Ignoring the futile barrage of artillery, it drew its arm back and smashed the vessel down upon a nearby ship with crushing force.