Austronesian Empire, Imperial Maharlika, Mindanao, Mount Apo

2000, 2, 1st Week, January

Up high in the sky, an object is floating through the dark confinement that is called space. The object is seen revolving around the entire planet where they were currently on, silently capturing pictures and gathering intelligence through the shadows of the sky. The object that was floating through the dark space is known as the "First Austronesian Third Eye" or FATE. It is a military satellite used for gathering information through its advanced camera and a strategic altitude that made it a formidable tool for surveillance.

One image that was taken by FATE was a haunting image of the battlefield in the streets of General Santos City. There are almost no recognisable structures and almost everything has been reduced to mere rubbles. At the heart of the battlefield with thousands of demons before him, was a creature with human-like limbs clad in a dark robe. What made the people through the satellite gasp is when the creature's gaze met with the camera of the satellite, smirking as if the creature was aware of every move being watched from above.

A hundred miles of what's left of General Santos City, lay a military base hidden within a large mountain known as Mount Apo, which is 20 kilometers away from Davao city. Inside the base's control room stood a man with a humble appearance of a military officer that was filled with twinkling medals that spoke of his service.

This man was Bagwis Alon Calag, a lieutenant general in the Austronesian Liberation Army, hailing from the Imperial State of Maharlika.

As of now he was commanding an army of 50,000 troops to liberate what was left of General Santos City after their failed previous offensive. What was once a cultural hotspot for Mindanao has now been reduced to ruins and ashes, with more than half a million inhabitants slaughtered by the demons.

"So, the demon lord's name is Andromalius, is it?" said Bagwis.

[Indeed,] chattered the voice on the television screen, sounding similar to the woman named Amelia whom Melian had spoken with earlier, [As it turns out, this demon lord had single-handedly wiped out an army of 10,000 troops we've deployed. But right now, we don't know why he didn't repeat like last time, but we've speculated that he's examining us, which explains why he isn't making a move.]

"Indeed, and it is still surprising that we had just gained a valuable ally in this world, if we help her of course," Bagwis continued, lowering his gaze and inspecting the countless notes he had received, which could be potentially valuable in this conflict.

In this world, there are various of them, but the most widely used is the one established by the Free Guild System. This system classifies individuals, monsters, and other hostiles by evaluating various variables such as Magicule Levels, Physical Strength, Defensive Capabilities, Speed, Skills, and Intelligence. Based on these variables, entities are assigned a tier ranging from Level 1 to Level 10.

Level 1 is assigned to those with Magicule Levels below 1,000. Threats in this tier can be easily handled by a normal soldier, with the most strongest creatures being comparable to a full-grown adult bear.

Level 2 to 3 are assigned to those with a Magicule Level between 1,000 and 3,000. These threats possess power enough to threaten a heavily armed soldier.

Level 4 to 6 are assigned to those with a Magicule Level between 3,000 and 6,000. At this level, that's where it gets serious as those types of threats had high resilience, making them resistant to normal bullets and difficult to penetrate even with smaller bombs such as grenades. Their formidable combat power is enough to threaten a fully armed squad, requiring a group of at least 5 to 15 soldiers to defeat.

Level 7 to 8 are assigned to those with a Magicule Level between 6,000 and 8,000. Beings at this level have the strength to tear through steel alloys and move at speeds difficult for the human eye to follow. They are true war machines that pose a severe threat.

In other words, these types of threats are capable of threatening the safety of an entire city. Imagine something so fast that it was difficult for the normal eye to reach, and so strong that it was capable of tearing through metal. The mere thought of such a being appearing in a city is too terrifying to even contemplate.

One example of this threat level includes the demonic knights that the Liberation Army had encountered occasionally. Just 13 of these knights caused hundreds of deaths within two days. The strongest beings in this tier include a dangerous demonic beast that the elf woman called the Hell Mounts, fiery horses from hell. According to her, centuries ago, a demonic cult once summoned three of them in a beastman city, resulting in over one hundred thousand beastmen deaths.

From what Bagwis had recalled, he remembered there was a report of encountering a fiery horse that had caused a huge wildfire. Thankfully, it was easily neutralized by three Thunderwings before it could reach a nearby city. Nonetheless, these threats are severe enough to cause a national state-level emergency and would require a battle tank or an entire platoon of them just to defeat one.

Level 9 is assigned to those with a Magicule Level between 8,000 and 9,000. These entities have the potential to severely damage an entire city, requiring the deployment of a company of tanks to be taken care of. One example of these threats were those large dragons that first appeared in the nation from day one and the massive Leviathan that the "ALN Teuku Umar" managed to defeat.

While those types of threats are horrifying to face, they are not the most terrifying part. What was even more terrifying is the existence of a level beyond Level 9, the so-called Transcendent Level.

The first Transcendent Tier 1, they are assigned to threats with a Magicule Level between 10,000 and 100,000, and they are considered as Calamities. They are threats that boast enough power to destroy entire cities and small-sized nations, requiring the deployment of a battalion or a military division to defeat.

What was even more alarming was that these threats were impervious to bullets and other conventional weapons. Their combat power was extraordinarily formidable.

Among these threats they had discovered was a hundred meter tall octopus with a Magicule Count of over 80,000. It wreaked havoc in the waters and managed to sink a cargo ship weighing tens of thousands of tons. Another example is the giant crocodile that attacked a city in Aceh. With over 90,000 magicules, it single-handedly wiped out a battalion and it took hundreds of bombs, rockets, and missiles just to inflict heavy injuries.

Transcendent Tier 2 is assigned to those with a Magicule Level between 100,000 and 1,000,000. Although they hadn't encountered one yet, according to the elf woman, these threats could potentially bring down an entire country.

The most dangerous of these types of threats possess enough power and influence to rival a large country, requiring a powerhouse nation to stand a chance against them. Given their immense power, Bagwis believes that an immediate nuclear strike would definitely be essential when confronting one.

And finally is the Transcendent Tier 3.

With over 1,000,000 magicules, these threats are considered too great for any single nation to handle, requiring international cooperation beyond the framework of national defenses for a chance of survival. Such beings possess enough power to obliterate entire countries from the map, which is an extremely terrifying prospect.

According to the elf, only a few such entities exist in this world at this level.

The Bagwis thought about it, the more he felt fascinated about this, but at the same time, horrified. He feared that such beings that existed here might even be capable of withstanding or possibly parrying a nuclear arsenal.

While very fascinating, Bagwis's expression turned sour as he lowered his face.

"However, this world is still backwards. Slavery still exists here? Discrimination is also normal? Hopefully, the Emperor will let us liberate our fellow brothers and sisters who have been enslaved and teach them how we, the weak race from this world, persevered despite all odds and eventually rose to the top. We shall be the defenders of humanity! Glory to the People's Empire!" Bagwis proclaimed to the television screen with ferocious vigor.

[Glory to the People's Empire.] Amelia echoed from the other side of the screen.

After communicating with the woman on the television, Bagwis immediately began handing out commands as usual.

"If the situation becomes even more dire as of now, then I am afraid that we would be forced to use a nuclear bomb within our own country," Bagwis thought to himself.

As if fate were on their side, the woman on the other side of the screen spoke up.

[Oh, and Lieutenant General, I have heard reports from Manila that new weapons and inventions from the Science Department are almost ready to be deployed.]

Bagwis was flabbergasted. What weapons had these science nerds finished? He thought it was already stated that bombs and napalms were ineffective against the demon lord and countless powerful demons with him. Hell, he doubts that even nuclear weapons might have any effect.

However, his worried look turned into a smirk.

"Is it that bomb that they have been researching for decades?" Bagwis silently muttered.

[Project Extermināta? No, the process is still ongoing, but it is close. What I'm referring to is the new secret task force that we've developed.] Amelia responded.

Bagwis's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean…?"

Amelia nodded. [Yes, the Archangel Programme.]

The next moment, the screen displayed a highly classified document for the Major General. As Bagwis read the contents, his eyes widened in shock.

"Holy shit, those mad lads finally did it!" Bagwis shouted while laughing hysterically. "This war will definitely be the perfect time and place to test out these new units. I’m afraid even those commies in the North American Empire might think twice before taking a step again in Asia if these are revealed to the old world! But we are no longer in that world, and it seems we won’t be coming back anytime soon," he uttered with a smirk on his face.

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Austronesian Empire, Imperial Maharlika, Metro Manila, In The Outskirts Of Manila

2000, 2, 1st Week, January

Clink! Clink! Clink!

In a secret base miles from the capital city of Manila, the sound of metal clanging echoed as over a hundred figures emerged from the depths of the hallways.

“Leyte, Cebu, Boracay, Samar, Bohol, and the rest of the Visayas region of the Imperial Maharlika are facing a large demonic wave. We need to go and support them.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” came the unified response that shook the air, but the faces of over a hundred men remained cold and stoic, like machines.

They didn’t just look like machines, they could really rival machines.

They were one of the Austronesian Empire's most secret task forces.

The Archangel unit.

Every one of these individuals underwent extensive modifications and cybernetic augmentations with technology far ahead of its time, which deprived them from pain. They then went through hellish training, supported by extensive resources, to strengthen their bodies, and that is how a fearsome task force was created.

With decades of scientific research and technological advancements from the Science Department, along with assistance from several large corporations, this task force became the first generation of superhumans. They were so strong that the weakest among them could take on three platoons (60 to 150 soldiers).

Now, an elite squad known as the Archangel Unit had received orders from their superiors to provide support. Fortunately, they were not too far from the affected locations. With their speed, two or three hours would be more than enough.

Thinking this, the Commander in charge was the first to rush out.

*Boom!*

With a fearsome outburst of strength, coupled with their steel-like bodies, the Commander shot out like a bullet. Subsequently, over a hundred figures followed suit, one after another.

Upon closer look, their speed was several times faster than a car, and every member of the unit was unfazed by fatigue and unafraid of pain. If it were not for the fact that they could still think, they would be no different from machines.

Rumors among the higher echelons of the military and government whispered that the Archangel Unit was not only the smallest among the ten Secret Task Forces, but also had the highest death rate during recruitment.

This was mainly because many Archangels continued training even when they were already exhausted, and by the time the test subjects realized it, they had lost their vital signs.

Even so, their bodies remained unaffected, as if they were still alive, which was quite frightening.

That is why for over several decades, only less than a hundred of these cybernetic soldiers had been a success over tens of thousands that had failed and died.