The New Army

“Attention!”

Aria’s crisp, commanding voice cut through the silence hanging over the training grounds.

At the order, three hundred soldiers clad in brand-new, identical standard armor snapped to perfect attention.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they shared a single body.

The faint metallic scrape of joints rubbing together merged into a chilling, disciplined rhythm—not a single stray sound.

This was the Evernight Territory’s first batch of “New Army.”

After three months of Aria’s near-tyrannical training, this unit had finally shed all traces of sloppiness and chaos, taking on the embryonic form of a true regular army.

From the elevated platform, Vivian stood quietly, her gaze sweeping across the silent, motionless phalanx below.

She nodded in satisfaction.

These soldiers were utterly unlike traditional demon armies.

Traditional demon forces revered extreme individual prowess.

In battle, they relied on the strong charging ahead while weaker units followed.

Coordination between squads was crude at best, command structures simplistic, and tactics almost nonexistent.

Though they had squad leaders and could barely claim a chain of command, once combat began there were essentially only two orders: “attack” and “retreat.”

Any deeper tactical cooperation was virtually nonexistent.

Only packs like As’s Shadowmoon Demon Wolves possessed instinctive teamwork.

Yet even they, when mixed with other demon clans, inevitably devolved into every warrior fighting alone.

But the army before her now radiated discipline and order from its very bones.

This was exactly what Vivian wanted.

Every recruit had been drilled strictly according to the New Army Manual she had personally written—one brimming with modern military concepts from another world.

And the one executing her vision most perfectly was the iron-faced, utterly loyal head maid, Aria.

The soldiers shifted formation again, crisp and flawless.

“Right face!”

The sound of three hundred bodies turning as one rang out.

All faced the same direction without the slightest deviation.

“Forward march!”

The column began to move.

Their footsteps thundered in perfect unison, like a single giant striding across the earth.

Even the dust they kicked up rose in neat, rhythmic waves.

Watching this scene, Vivian nodded again, deeply pleased.

This was the embryonic form of a modern army.

To someone from her previous life who had seen true steel torrents, this might seem like mere basic drill.

But in a magical world steeped in individual heroism and chaotic melee, training a motley collection of demons to this level was nothing short of miraculous.

Of course, some would scoff and say, “It’s just marching in neat rows. What’s so special?”

Yet behind those neat ranks and unified action lay absolute obedience, iron discipline, and a command system that responded like an extension of the commander’s own limbs.

For any army, what could possibly be more important than that?

“Your Majesty, how do you find them?” Aria stepped to Vivian’s side.

A rare, barely perceptible trace of pride flickered across her usually cold and solemn face.

“I personally trained this batch for three full months. They are finally presentable.”

“Excellent work. Truly outstanding,” Vivian praised.

“Formation, discipline, coordination—all have met my standards.”

She paused.

“But how is their actual combat ability?”

“Please watch and see,” Aria replied.

“I have prepared a demonstration exercise: the New Army versus a traditional squad.”

The exercise began at once.

On one side stood the three hundred New Army soldiers, equipped with standardized weapons and simple magitech armor.

On the other, an equal number of traditional guards—armed with a chaotic assortment of gear, each radiating noticeably stronger individual auras, their eyes filled with the characteristic arrogance and disdain of veteran demon warriors.

By all rights, the side with superior individual strength should have held the advantage.

Yet the moment battle was joined, the outcome shocked everyone.

The New Army operated in basic tactical squads of ten, forming tight, mobile fortress-like formations as they advanced steadily.

Roles were optimized by race:

Front rank—massive minotaurs and rock devils wielding tower shields.

Middle rank—agile demons thrusting extra-long war spears.

Rear rank—keen-eyed harpies and spellcasters providing precise ranged support.

Squads coordinated seamlessly, attacking and defending as one.

In contrast, although the traditional guards charged with ferocious individual might, they utterly lacked teamwork.

They quickly found themselves hemmed in by the New Army’s impenetrable shield wall and the forest of spears stabbing through the gaps.

Arrows and low-tier spells from the rear rained accurately onto their weak points.

“Shield wall, hold!”

“Spearmen, thrust!”

“Right-flank squad, envelop!”

“Archers—three volleys, cover the enemy rear!”

Clear, forceful orders rang out continuously from the squad leaders serving as command nodes.

Aria and Vivian merely observed from the sidelines.

The New Army executed every command with mechanical precision, advancing step by step.

In less than fifteen minutes, the traditional guard force was utterly routed.

The watching demons were dumbfounded.

“How… how is this possible?”

“The traditional guards were clearly stronger individually!”

“They were completely suppressed by that formation… just like a human army.”

The crowd of demon spectators—including several veteran officers who had come to observe—stared in stunned silence, then erupted into heated discussion.

Vivian merely smiled faintly.

This was the power of tactics.

This was the power of discipline and coordinated strategy.

Before a systematic tactical framework, raw individual bravery often proved pale and powerless.

A truth proven time and again by the history of another world.

“Very good,” Vivian said to Aria.

“Maintain this training intensity.”

“Additionally, I want you to expand the New Army to one thousand soldiers.”

“Understood!”

Aria straightened her back, her voice ringing with iron resolve.

She would carry out Vivian’s orders without question or hesitation.

At that moment, Lucia arrived at the training field.

“Your Majesty, the first batch of new equipment has arrived,” she reported.

“Shall we distribute it now?”

“Of course,” Vivian nodded.

“Perfect timing—let everyone see the fruits of our military industry.”

Several sturdy carts pulled by powerful land beasts soon rolled onto the field.

They were loaded with gleaming new equipment that radiated cold metallic light and faint magical fluctuations.

This was the “Standard Magitech Armor” Vivian had personally redesigned.

Drawing inspiration from the blueprints provided by the Gilded Gold Chamber of Commerce, she had adapted them to Evernight’s available materials and crafting capabilities.

Compared to traditional heavy, cumbersome plate armor, these used lighter alloy linings.

Critical areas were inlaid with processed mana crystal fragments and etched with basic protective runes, providing solid physical defense alongside moderate magic resistance.

Thanks to ongoing trade with the Gilded Gold Chamber and other merchants—and under Vivian’s direction in establishing mana crystal workshops—Evernight City had finally regained basic forging capabilities.

And this was the very first set of equipment she had personally overseen from design to production.