A week later, we managed to locate a demon camp where at least a dozen of them resided. An operation to capture prisoners was then planned. In addition to the large convertiplanes in my army's arsenal, we also had single-seat quadcopters equipped with heavy blasters. At least, that's how these magical artifacts appeared externally. The aircraft descended to an altitude of a couple of kilometers, and then the rear doors opened, releasing thirty quadcopters into the air.
The airborne assault descended and carried out a massive bombardment of the area using blasters, destroying the undead. Although they wielded magic, they were not particularly strong and could not maintain shields against the high-tech magic's onslaught. The demons tried to resist but could not counter the barrage of paralyzing spells. Some of them fled and hid in corners, but I managed to capture four prisoners. Given the lack of losses on my side, the operation could be deemed a success.
Interrogating the demons, which I conducted in an underground base quickly constructed in the continent's mountains, revealed an interesting picture. The current ‘invasion’ was merely a work brigade sent to clear a ‘neutral’ world. Initially, the portal from the demon world had been opened in the north. It was a well-known passage, and the first visitors were greatly surprised to find a densely packed mass of snow and ice on the other side. However, they then excavated the portal platform, established a ‘snow base,’ and sent a small army to this continent. The demons had a map of the planet, so transporting the troops was not particularly challenging. Initially, the undead traveled south, and after reaching open water, ships made of magical ice were constructed to ferry the entire army.
The goal of the expedition was to transform the planet into another demon world. For this, it was necessary to eliminate the local biosphere, adjust the planet’s energy, and then create an icy hell at the poles and a fiery hell on the central continent. Such plans were completely unacceptable to me, so I decided to engage in the genocide of the invaders. Fortunately, their knowledge of geography was also lacking, and they were completely unaware of the existence of my islands. So, I had no choice but to put the results of years of training of the warrior caste into practice.
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I started with the simplest approach—airborne terror. Each aircraft became a mobile portal through which thousands of spiders on quadcopters emerged onto the continent. They flew at a safe altitude of one kilometer and bombarded all targets within range. The undead and demons posed a threat only to ground targets within a hundred meters, so they could do nothing. Of course, there were losses among my troops, but these were isolated incidents caused by successful hits from spells created by the strongest liches.
My ‘blasters’ had an effective shooting range of ten kilometers with self-guided charges. The spell was so complex that even a trained mage could create it in no less than five minutes. However, using artifacts allowed shooting at a rate of ten shots per second, creating an overwhelming firepower advantage. Knowledge once again triumphed over brute force.
Simultaneously with the commencement of hostilities, I ordered the mass production of aircraft carriers. Four planes were too few. Moreover, they were equipped with more powerful weapons and might be needed in the future. I didn’t want to use nuclear weapons because their efficiency was low and they caused significant radiation problems. Nuclear bombs were good for flattening large cities, but they were nearly useless against scattered enemy forces.
The destruction of the invading army quickly transitioned into a struggle against guerrilla forces. Once again, circumstances were in my favor. The undead showed almost no initiative, so they could only act effectively under the control of a mage. The magically created wasteland had no cover, and in the forest, the undead quickly became prey to predatory animals. So, the demons were left to dig underground tunnels and hide in them. Unfortunately for them, I had scanning spells that could detect sources of magical energy. As a result, within a couple of days, nearly all the demons fled through portals to their main base, leaving the undead to fend for themselves.
The population of my island was nearly a million spiders, about a third of whom were warriors. All of them were eager to participate in the war, justly believing that there would not be enough enemies for everyone. However, there was still hope for a counterattack from the demons, so my civilization’s industry shifted to a war footing, producing equipment and gear for each soldier.