Sergey was far from the only one whose mind had begun to race; nearby eyes shifted immediately, locking onto Augustus.
A faint, uncomfortable tension crossed Augustus' face; the Finals of the All-Stars Competition remained a bitter nightmare he had yet to fully move past. Deep down, he felt an odd trace of gratitude for this sudden invasion. It had diverted the spotlight away from him; without it, he would still be the primary target of endless mockery. Remaining silent, Augustus merely gave a curt nod to characterize the event and settle the matter.
Over on the side of the Daemons, the leader of the younger generation snapped out of his brief astonishment, his mind racing to process the shock.
"Eric, are you... Alright?" A tall demon stood beside Eric, eyeing his grim, darkened expression with deep worry.
"I'm fine," Eric muttered, shaking his head. "Losing a thousand is a minor setback. What I want to know is what kind of strike possessed that level of raw devastation! I refuse to believe the mere self-destruction of a puppet could yield such terror!"
Eric's outrage echoed the unspoken thoughts of the crowd; none of them were fools. Though caught off guard initially, the sheer scale of the obliteration shattered any lingering illusion that those Battle Droids were ordinary vanguard units.
"Look at this," another Daemon called out, activating a projection that instantly drew everyone's focus.
The footage displayed the climax of the Finals of the All-Stars Competition. A nuclear missile pierced the sky, detonating directly against the Five-Headed Dragon. The arena flared with blinding radiance, an explosion almost identical to the blast that had just swept through their ranks, perhaps even more intense.
When the light faded, the massive Five-Headed Dragon had been completely vaporized. The Daemons stared in stunned silence as the truth sank in: the catastrophic weapon that had annihilated their vanguard was no hidden trick or secret asset brewed specifically for this battle. It was public knowledge on Sebastian's side all along.
Until now, these Daemons had paid little heed to Sebastian beyond his affiliation with the Endless Star Territory and one of its six major forces, the Council of Stars. Hearing that a peerless newcomer was hailed as the greatest talent in history had only stoked their arrogance. How could any genius from the Endless Star Territory hope to compare to the elite of the Warp?
While the Warp Daemons were far fewer in number than the population of the Endless Star Territory, their strength was absolute. The great war a million years ago had made that clear; bringing down a single Daemon often required a joint effort from several, if not dozens, of enemy combatants. As for high-tier combat power, the Warp had thoroughly dominated the field.
A team comprising Augustus, Sergey, Iris, and Baroque had suffered defeat, yet Eric ranked only tenth among the younger generation in the Warp, a stark, terrifying testament to the gulf between the two factions.
Driven by this pride, the Daemons had reacted to Sebastian's rising fame with contempt, changing their strategy to provoke him directly. Crushing Sebastian would shatter the morale of the Endless Star Territory, a perfect double victory.
In truth, they had never taken Sebastian seriously. They viewed him as an anomaly, perhaps, but ultimately insignificant when measured against the true monsters of the Warp, especially in an era producing the most powerful Daemons in memory. Entrusting the opening strike to the tenth-ranked Eric reflected that supreme confidence.
They hadn't even bothered to analyze Sebastian's combat records or learn of this weapon's existence. Now, forced to confront the reality on screen, several Daemons frowned, quietly harboring the bitter realization that they had been far too careless upfront.
Eric clenched his fists tightly, his teeth grinding in frustration. Had he shown greater prudence and studied Sebastian beforehand, he might have spared his forces. A full thousand elite Daemons were wiped out in an instant; it was a brutal humiliation. Yet, even as he reflected on it, Eric had to admit that knowing about the weapon provided no easy defense against its destructive power.
A heavy silence fell over the gathered Daemons as each pondered how they would fare against such a strike. It was the exact dilemma that had haunted the competitors after the Finals of the Stars Competition, one that Sergey and Iris had debated at length without reaching a solution.
"Wait, something's off," a Daemon noted, leaning closer to the projection. "In the finals, this terrifying weapon was deployed as a single, unified strike. But just now, it seemed embedded within those puppets. Can this weapon actually be separated?"
The others reexamined the footage, noticing the discrepancy.
"Splitting it is impossible," the tall Daemon countered, frowning thoughtfully. "As we all know, concentrated payload is the foundation of such firepower."
"Could it be..." another Daemon pondered aloud, "that those puppets house an internal formation? Something capable of linking their destruction into a unified explosion?"
"That's plausible," the tall Daemon agreed with a nod. "Notice how tightly clustered those puppets were right before the blast. Such a formation would require proximity to chain the detonation. Which means..."
A sinister grin spread across another Daemon's face. "The weapon has a vulnerability."
"Precisely," the tall Daemon confirmed. "It relies on a concentrated point of impact rather than a dispersed spread. Eric's only mistake was allowing our vanguard to advance in a dense formation."
"Then the counter is obvious," Eric declared coldly. "I won't be careless next time. As long as our formation is spread out, even if this thing is powerful, it won't cause such sweeping damage."
"No, no, Eric," the tall Daemon interrupted with a dry chuckle. "This issue has already surpassed your ability to handle."
"I can't? Can you?" Eric snapped back defensively.
"To be entirely honest..." The tall Daemon spread his hands helplessly. "I can't either. We have to give credit where it's due: Sebastian, this so-called greatest newcomer in the history, possesses real ability. At least among new Planetary Lords, no one in the Warp currently rivals him."
The Daemons fell quiet once more. Though young themselves, the distinction was clear: the title of 'newcomer' applied strictly to a Planetary Lord like Sebastian, whose planet had been awakened for less than a year. Past that threshold, the label no longer applied.
"Newcomer or not, it changes nothing," another Daemon laughed dismissively. "We are in the middle of a war for survival. The battlefield doesn't care whether you're a novice or an old-timer." He paused, his tone hardening. "He won't be given the time to grow. No matter how immense his talent, he remains a newcomer whose planet awakened less than a year ago."
"Exactly," several Daemons murmured in agreement, their confidence returning. You may be a newcomer with terrifying talent, but growing up is for later.
"Talk is cheap," Eric sneered. "So which of you 'old people' plans to step up and meet this newcomer next? Or are you going to give up and admit defeat?"
"Admit defeat?" The tall Daemon shook his head smoothly. "That is naturally impossible."
"Then who goes?" Eric pressed with a scoff.
The group exchanged hesitant glances. A few present surpassed Eric in raw power, but not by a wide margin. Against Sebastian's terrifying weapon, none had a clear strategy beyond trying to evade the blast.
The tall Daemon looked around the silent group before speaking again. "Our only option is to go and ask the Captain."
"The Captain?" A Daemon blinked in surprise. "Is that really necessary?"
Frowns spread through the group. Their Captain stood as the undisputed supreme genius of the Warp's younger generation. Blessed with extraordinary group evolution traits and unparalleled talent, he was revered as the 'Son of the Devil.' The high command viewed him as the definitive heir, destined to become the next supreme ruler of the Warp, the King of the Warp.
"Even if Sebastian is the most extraordinary prodigy in the history of the Endless Star Territory," Eric questioned, "he is still just a rookie after all. Is he truly worth letting the Captain step out?"
Nods of agreement echoed through the ranks.
"I don't want to," the tall Daemon admitted, spreading his hands. "But let me ask you this: setting the Captain aside, who among you is sure to defeat this Sebastian?"
Silence returned, heavier than before. Arrogant as they were, not a single Daemon present could claim certainty against Sebastian's devastating firepower.
"Be that as it may..." Eric's brow furrowed. "This matter is very important, and I must first ask the Lord for instructions."
"Then do what you need to," the tall Daemon smiled and nodded.
This 'Lord' referred to a Warp Lord, beings second only to the King of the Warp in power, equivalent to a Level 6 Planetary Lord like Volkmar on the human side.
"To think this Sebastian possessed such a weapon..." Far from the debate, the Protoss watched the field, a rare glint of surprise breaking through his serene gaze.
"No wonder," He murmured quietly to himself. "Before this, he was able to pass all the trials so quickly. The most stunning genius in the history of the Endless Star Territory is proving to be far from simple. It seems what we've seen so far is merely the tip of the iceberg showing his true strength."
He knew better than anyone. The race created by Sebastian, when flattening the mountain ranges, relied on something far beyond nuclear firepower. They were a strange species, far more dangerous than the King Demon Ape, capable of actions that were even more terrifying than a Nuclear Bomb.
"Things are getting interesting now," He mused, observing the movement of the Daemons. When he heard them discussing that they were going to invite the Devil's Son, a smile touched the corner of his mouth. For the Protoss, no drama was too big to watch unfold.
"One is the ultimate prodigy of the Warp," the old man whispered to himself. "The other is the strongest genius in the history of the Endless Star Territory. If those two fight, now that will be a sight to behold."