leonardwarren Chapter 413 - 74 - Heavenly Fire, Unsheathed
Chapter 413 - 74 - Heavenly Fire, Unsheathed
"Squish!"
It was the sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh.
"Gurgle... Ptui!"
A final torrent of blood erupted from a sliced throat. Under pressure from all sides, internal organs turned to paste. The killer was a Voidranger of the Antimatter Legion.
Covered in blood! Reeking of death, a demon from hell!
"Thud!"
Finally, it fell to a human weapon, its form gradually annihilating, casting a black haze upon the crimson earth.
This place was a slaughterhouse.
It was also one of the IPC's defensive lines.
The Lord Ravager they faced was not one of the known names, but one of the three whose movements had only ever been observed from afar!
Four system hours after the battle began, they had been forced to shift from defending in space to using a nearby planet for defense, engaging the Antimatter Legion in a relentless war of attrition.
Countless low-level IPC combat personnel, clad in high-performance battle armor developed by the Corporation, were locked in a life-or-death struggle with the universe's most reckless monsters, whose numbers were as endless as the tide!
Although supplies from the rear were continuous, the war had already far exceeded everyone's expectations!
At the start, their starships and warships were holding the line against the enemy in space. But one system hour later, their fleet in space suffered a devastating blow! The reinforcements that arrived afterward couldn't suppress the Legion's offensive momentum. They could only clear a path for supply ships while doing their best to eliminate anti-planetary weapons, allowing the ground troops to bog down the Antimatter Legion's advance!
Now, the only thing they could do was hold on and wait for the Corporation's subsequent mobile forces to arrive as reinforcements!
No one knew why the ships that had been defending the line so well were suddenly "destroyed," nor did they understand why the Antimatter Legion's offensive was so abnormally fierce.
Although the name of the Lord Ravager they were fighting was unknown, in the IPC's intelligence systems, it was called the "Star-Devouring Beast." It wasn't hard to understand the meaning behind this moniker from its past actions. Based on its combat methods, the Corporation's strategy department had conducted a thorough analysis and deployed a large number of warships near the system's star, precisely to prevent the Star-Devouring Beast from detonating it and causing their front to collapse!
However, it turned out they were wrong.
The Star-Devouring Beast never arrived. They never even caught a glimpse of it! And then... the fleet lost contact.
Now, the Corporation controlled the outermost planet of this system as their battlefield. They had built defensive fortifications on this planet in advance for such a contingency, but they never expected... that these fortifications would be put to use so soon...
In their plans, they had prepared for a protracted space war between both sides, but... the progression of events had spiraled beyond anyone's control!
The Corporation had gone from proactive defense to a completely passive defense dictated by the Antimatter Legion!
This was just one of the IPC's battlefronts. The other one was in a much better state by comparison. However, from a strategic perspective, this more advantageous front would likely face reduced supplies in the future. The Corporation would not abandon one front for the sake of victory on another, so it was logical to place more emphasis on the front that was in trouble. This was a little-known tradition of the Corporation.
After all... as a Corporation that followed the philosophy of [Preservation], no matter how aggressive it acted, it would ultimately fall back on conservatism.
The benefit of this was low risk and high return.
---o---
On the Xianzhou Yaoqing's front, the battle against the Lord Ravager Xingxiao was proceeding smoothly.
Within four system hours, both sides had progressed from cautious feints to phased engagements. There were wins and losses on both sides, but neither had launched an all-out offensive. It seemed both wanted to seize a flaw in the other's defense and break through in a single decisive blow!
But such opportunities were often hard to grasp and fleeting.
Therefore, the most stable front at present was the one between the Yaoqing and Xingxiao.
As for the front manned by the Family of [The Harmony] and a coalition of other forces, while it couldn't be said that they had made great progress, they weren't being completely suppressed either. They even managed to score some morale-boosting small victories occasionally, which was already quite good.
Currently, it seemed as if all the battlefronts had reached a strange state of [Equilibrium], as if some force was deliberately maintaining the balance of power between the two sides.
But soon, this "unbalanced" equilibrium was about to be broken...
On the front lines of the Astral Express's position, the chessboard before Jing Yuan was now fully laid out. But this board was strange; although the two sides were engaged, neither had truly crossed the boundary line. Even the weakest pawn could withstand the pressure of stepping across that border.
Chess wasn't played this way, and if such a situation appeared on a battlefield, it all depended on what the players on both sides were thinking.
When the "referee" finally tipped the scales, whose piece... would capture the other?
"But from the looks of it now, our chariot is about to take their elephant."
Jing Yuan smiled and placed his chess piece, then moved his cannon to a new position.
He then picked up the formation-commanding saber that was placed by the door and walked out of the command ship with Yanqing, who was waiting for him. It turned out they, too, were on the front lines. But now, it was time for this line to be cleared!
"Cough cough... You've got some skill... There are few in this world who can fight me to a standstill, and even fewer who can push me into such a desperate situation... How many years... How many years has it been since I've felt this? Let me think..."
At the very center of the battlefield, Fenfeng, who had been fighting fiercely with Kevin, suddenly stopped. His claws, dripping with molten-hot blood, were gradually healing. The powerful life force of an Emanator was on full display.
Even though he was covered in wounds, he was as if unharmed. In just a moment, these wounds, large and small, would recover.
It was true. At their level, unless it was some weapon of immense power, they could recover in a short time even if they were beheaded and had their heart torn out!
Ah, provided the head was reattached quickly enough, otherwise, you'd really be screwed!
Kevin's condition was normal, though his shirt had been destroyed at some point, and his pants were riddled with tears. It was clear, however, that Fenfeng's attacks were all aimed to be fatal, never striking anywhere else.
Seeing Fenfeng muttering to himself, Kevin did not relax his guard to listen to the ramblings of this guy who was obviously stalling for time to heal. Instead, he instinctively tightened his grip on his greatsword.
His intuition told him that this battle maniac's sudden stalling wasn't simply to recover from his injuries.
Those wounds meant nothing to him. With his enormous body and mass, they wouldn't affect his movements in the slightest.
This meant that this guy's sudden strange behavior was a prelude to something else. He was brewing something!
"I still remember when Lord Nanook first laid his gaze upon me. My soul was thrown into the crusade of [Destruction]! My [Aesthetics of Destruction] is absolutely the noblest among all Emanators."
"So!"
Fenfeng's tone shifted, and he looked at Kevin with a ferocious expression.
"Are you ready? To witness my! True Aesthetics of Destruction!!"
Fenfeng roared madly! His colossal body began to flash with red light. A temperature like that of a stellar nova radiated from his skin! Then, his form swelled again! A doomsday dragon ten thousand meters tall appeared on the battlefield!
"Come! Witness! Your destruction!!!"
The sky-blotting dragon roared, launching a fierce, indiscriminate attack at the ant-like Kevin! Some of the Antimatter Legion troops nearby were instantly incinerated and melted into ash just by the passing of his giant claws, a testament to the dragon's terrifying temperature!
At this moment, Fenfeng was like a behemoth evolved from a star itself. It was reminiscent of a certain event in cosmic history, the unprecedented "Twilight Wars"...
"Hoo..."
Facing the behemoth, Kevin took a deep breath, then raised the Might of An-Utu in his hands.
At this moment, the entire universe was watching this man's every move. As the first-ever opportunity to directly witness a battle between Emanators and the situation on the front lines, the IPC had naturally deployed many observation devices on this battlefield. Many of the previous spectacular scenes, including Master Gongshu's heroic sacrifice, were broadcast live to every world connected by the star rails and subscribed to the IPC network!
The moment Fenfeng transformed into the stellar behemoth, almost everyone thought Kevin would lose. Even for an Emanator, this was too exaggerated...
How could anyone win against such an enemy?
It seemed... this battlefront was about to fall... Was the Astral Express to be no more? Was the universe truly going to be [Destroyed]?
A series of pessimistic and negative emotions flooded the minds of everyone watching the live broadcast. An atmosphere of despair spread across the universe...
And then, Kevin, the underdog, did as he had before. He raised his greatsword! His gaze was as resolute and calm as ever, as if the enemy before him had not changed from the very beginning!
"What's the use of raising his sword now? Isn't he still going to lose...?"
Someone said pessimistically, as if Kevin's defeat was already a foregone conclusion... a fact that no amount of effort could hide.
"The hell! The man on the front line fighting for his life hasn't given up, and you, a fucking spectator, are starting to sing a sad tune? You can get the fuck out!"
"That's right! He hasn't given up! What are you whining about!"
"So what if he loses! Is that Fenfeng truly invincible!? Should we just give up the struggle because of him? If you want to surrender, go hang yourself from your rafters right now!"
"Yeah! That's right! Go, warriors on the front! Go!"
"You can do it! Don't let that ugly thing beat you! Big brother with the greatsword!"
Of course, Kevin did not know he was being broadcast live, nor did he know that his fighting figure would inspire so many people.
He simply raised the Might of An-Utu as he always had, his mind不由自主 (bùyóuzìzhǔ - involuntarily) recalling the past... the feeling of powerlessness against the Finality was far greater than the behemoth before him!
But the Kevin of today was not the Kevin of the past.
He took a deep breath, exhaling a gust of cold wind, then snapped open his azure eyes!
A flame appeared on the greatsword in his hands! Then, a pure crimson flame enveloped his entire body!
"..."
In an instant! A colossal statue of a giant, as magnificent as the galaxy itself, materialized in the star chart behind Kevin. Its gaze fell solemnly upon him! Holding a giant hammer, it spoke no words and made no move.
But at this very moment, this [Emanator], acknowledged by Qlipoth himself at some unknown time, had earned the Amber King's gaze! And it was under the watch of the entire universe!
The flame on Kevin's Might of An-Utu burned even brighter! Then!
"Heavenly Fire..."
"UNSHEATHED!!!!!"
"BOOOOM!!!!!"
"VMMMM!!......."
With a flash of white light, everyone's vision went white. After a violent explosion, a long, drawn-out ringing filled their minds.
This was a shortcoming of the Synesthesia Beacon's simulation. Sometimes, it could be truly uncomfortable...
Especially in the face of a blow like the very dawn of creation...
This was destined to be a battle recorded in the annals of history. And its core, Kevin, the Emanator of [Preservation], would be forever remembered in the cosmos. He would earn a place in [Remembrance].
After the white light faded, the ringing in their ears was gone...
When people came to their senses, the star-class behemoth was gone.
The ten-thousand-meter-tall body had vanished completely from the universe, without a single trace or remnant left behind.
And behind where the behemoth had stood, the Antimatter Legion, once like a sky-blotting swarm of locusts, had also vanished. The entire battlefield was wiped clean, as if nothing had ever been there...
The entire universe seemed to have fallen into a kind of silence. There were no sounds from anywhere.
Not from the battlefront, not from Kevin himself, and not even from the people watching the broadcast...
This great silence lasted for a full ten minutes, followed by an incredible, frenzied celebration!
They won! They won! Kevin had not only single-handedly annihilated the so-called walking calamity and one-man army, Fenfeng, but he had also wiped out the entire Antimatter Legion he led along with him!
This was something no one had expected. Even Wende, who had been ready to intervene, was left in a daze.
Just now... did the Amber King make an appearance? And did He lend a part of His power to Kevin?
Others might not know the significance of Qlipoth's recent descent, but Wende, behind the scenes, had seen it crystal clear!
The Amber King had actually lent a small portion of the power belonging to his Path to Kevin. Although it was only for an instant, Wende saw it clearly. That was indeed the Path of [Preservation]!
What on earth had happened... to make Qlipoth personally grant Kevin power... Even if it was just a one-time-use trial card, this... was completely illogical!
Wende's brow was furrowed like a pretzel. No matter how he thought about it... this didn't feel right!
While Wende was perplexed, the entire battlefront, and indeed the entire universe, had erupted!
Someone had actually defeated a Lord Ravager and his Antimatter Legion with a single move! This was simply unbelievable!
---o---
"Um... General, are we still going over?"
Yanqing, who had just stepped out of the warship, gently closed his jaw and looked awkwardly at the grim-faced Jing Yuan.
"Mm... We should head back. It seems... we are no longer needed here."
Jing Yuan shook his head slightly, his gaze profound as he looked at the distant Kevin.
Clearly, this had also been beyond his expectations.
In the original plan, they wouldn't have lost, but they certainly wouldn't have won so easily...
The words of the Amber King just now reminded him of something someone once said...
"In the game of Aeons, you must choose the side of the victor."
This was what that mysterious itinerant merchant had said to him as he was being escorted away.
"Aeons..."
Jing Yuan chewed on the deep meaning of these words again, then shuffled the chess pieces on the board before him.
This time... what was his role, and the role of the entire Xianzhou...?
---o---
"This is... unbelievable... Am I dreaming? Can you pinch me?"
March 7th stared blankly at the star sector, which was now cleaner than clean. If it weren't for the wreckage of some Doomsday Beasts and Antimatter Legion troops still floating around the front line, proving that a great battle had indeed taken place here... she would have really thought she had been dreaming!
"Such power... I fear only the light of the Reignbow Arbiter's arrow could match it..."
Tingyun didn't know what to do either, merely muttering to herself as she stared at the scene.
"Was that... the Amber King? Why would He appear here?"
Welt frowned, looking at the recording with great confusion.
That figure... there was no mistaking it... but why?
Welt couldn't figure it out. Not only him, but many others couldn't understand it either. Even Kevin himself... couldn't understand.
He had been confident that his sword strike could defeat Fenfeng, but not to the extent of taking him and all the soldiers behind him with him...
What... what in the world had just happened?
In a place unknown...
"Is it really okay for you to always bother Him? It was something that could have been solved by just tipping the scales."
"Hahahaha! This is much more... fun! Let's make this grand performance... even more interesting!"