Within hours of receiving their orders, the White Eagle Fleet deployed to the waters surrounding Sakura Prefecture, maintaining a state of high alert. Sakura Prefecture itself was immediately placed under martial law, with waves of Evolver soldiers arriving by transport ships at coastal regions to prevent Monster landings.
Initially, the residents of Sakura Prefecture were reluctant to comply with the martial law measures. But the moment heavily armed soldiers began swarming the island, they promptly retreated indoors and obeyed.
Such a massive military mobilization naturally drew the attention of the neighboring Dragon Nation. Fortunately, Elysia had already contacted Dragon Nation officials to explain the operation's purpose, averting any suspicion that might arise from such a large troop movement so close to their borders.
By the time preparations were complete, the official operation commenced on the third day. Mad Lion stood on the aircraft carrier's flight deck, gazing at the sea below. "Do you really think a horde of Monsters will appear later?"
Firefly, in her SAM form, stood beside him, her mechanically altered voice replying, "Affirmative."
Some time ago, Firefly finally granted Mad Lion's persistent request for a rematch. Having trained in martial arts, Mad Lion had indeed grown stronger, no longer relying solely on brute force. He even managed to deflect one of Firefly's Supernova Overloads with skillful force, emerging unscathed.
However, Firefly's combat capabilities were simply too overwhelming. To withstand that single Supernova Overload, Mad Lion had to focus his entire attention, expending a tremendous amount of physical and mental energy. For Firefly, unleashing a Supernova Overload was as effortless as pressing a button.
Despite Mad Lion's progress, he still couldn't force Firefly into her third form, the Full Combustion mode. After a prolonged battle, his stamina completely depleted, and he was ultimately defeated by SAM in his Secondary Combustion State.
Following this grueling fight, Mad Lion required a full week of rest to recover, during which he remained bedridden, relying on the care of the aircraft carrier's staff.
By sheer coincidence, Herta returned shortly after he regained his strength, providing them with a free fighting asset.
Herta perched sideways on her Key, soaring above the aircraft carrier before landing on the deck beside Mad Lion and SAM. Observing her, Mad Lion stroked his chin. "So, you're the reinforcement Elysia mentioned? You don't exactly look impressive."
This time, Firefly hadn't requested Mad Lion's assistance. Elysia had called him directly, and Herta and Firefly were also participating in the operation as "assistants" summoned by her.
Herta shot a silent glance at Mad Lion, ignoring him completely as she stated bluntly, "Prepare to move out."
As she spoke, small Herta Puppets began to appear in the sky—ten, a hundred, then a thousand! Each one followed closely behind Herta Herself, arriving on the battlefield simultaneously.
The sight left both Mad Lion and the White Eagle soldiers wide-eyed. Every puppet radiated immense Magic Power, so potent that even ordinary people without magical abilities could feel the overwhelming pressure descending from the heavens.
Each puppet shone like a miniature sun, its intense presence dominating the sky as it flew past. The most astonishing part? There were a thousand of them!
Truthfully, Mad Lion was supremely confident. He estimated he could swiftly dispatch any single puppet in combat. However, facing ten simultaneously would present a formidable challenge, even for him.
As for facing a hundred or a thousand, there was no need to elaborate. Mad Lion scratched his head, realizing his earlier judgment had been too hasty. Quick to speak but also quick to admit his mistakes—that had always been one of his commendable traits.
Mad Lion clasped his fists, bowed deeply to Herta, and apologized, "My apologies!"
Herta remained silent.
Then, like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, the puppets plunged into the sea one after another, quickly vanishing into the depths. Herta Herself handed the key beneath her seat to one of the puppets, instructing it to carry it down. She had no intention of entering the water herself.
Mad Lion and Firefly followed, diving into the sea and beginning their descent. Previously, as they sank deeper, visibility had deteriorated rapidly. By a few hundred meters, Mad Lion could see nothing at all, relying solely on his hearing to navigate.
But this time, all one thousand Herta Puppets cast the Daylight Art spell, transforming the underwater world into a realm illuminated by a thousand soft, radiant suns. The gentle white light penetrated the depths, creating a magical glow.
As they approached a depth of one thousand meters, the fishmen appeared on schedule, just as before. However, all one thousand Herta Puppets simultaneously cast magic, and naturally, water-based spells were the most effective in the sea.
Nearly invisible ripples of water shot from the Puppets' fingertips, slicing through the bodies of every fishman they touched. In the blink of an eye, the massive horde of fishmen had been completely annihilated, leaving behind only a sea of severed limbs.
Mad Lion's eye twitched involuntarily at the sight. While the fishmen weren't individually strong, their sheer numbers had been nauseating. Yet now, they were being mowed down like vegetables.
Finally, the group reached the seabed and the location of the Dimensional Rift. This was Mad Lion's first time seeing it in person. The thousand Puppets immediately dispersed, positioning themselves around the rift, while the Herta Puppet holding the Key stopped before it and activated the device.
A white substance began forcibly sealing and patching the Dimensional Rift. True to form, just as had happened in the Evil God World, new monsters began to materialize out of thin air, appearing suddenly near the group without warning.
These were colossal humanoid creatures, their heads bristling with tentacles and their bloated, gelatinous torsos adorned with scale-like patterns. Leathery, bat-like wings unfurled from their backs.
Unlike the densely packed swarms of Featherless Birds, only three or four of these behemoths existed, each towering over ten meters tall. As expected, they constantly emitted pheromones, though not in overwhelming quantities. Even a fleeting glimpse of these monsters would likely induce dizziness and nausea in ordinary humans.
The Herta Puppet remained unaffected by these pheromones, as did Firefly, since she and Herta were essentially the same entity. Mad Lion, however, furrowed his brow slightly, indicating he was experiencing a minor influence.
Ordinary people descend into madness when they gaze upon an Evil God because their brains are forcibly overloaded with incomprehensible information, causing them to shatter. But Mad Lion's thick skull, filled with nothing but "muscle" and as unyielding as steel, proved stubbornly resistant to such mental overload.