Xyrin Empire
Chapter 578: The Mist

Chapter 578: Chapter 578: The Mist

There’s a term in the world: melodrama.

It refers to all the plots that are clichéd, the connections that are clichéd, the causes, processes, outcomes, characters, timing, and settings that are clichéd, the third-rate storylines that have been overused but still enthusiastically employed by some, where you can almost guess how many people will die by the end just by listening to the intro music. It’s undoubtedly one of the most worthless things ever created by humans. They occupy a huge bandwidth of your brain, and all they leave you with is a cast list...

But sometimes, you have to admit, melodramatic things can actually happen.

The illustrious Queen, the maternal figure to all under heaven, the Queen in black silk, whips, and tight-fitting attire... cough cough, let’s skip that last part. In short, this Queen, in a stroke of silliness, personally decided to meet with a group of mysterious soldiers from another world. In another stroke of silliness, she was ambushed not two hundred million kilometers from her kingdom’s borders. In yet another stroke of silliness, she was encircled and trapped, and then she waited for us to rescue her. Why does this plot seem so familiar to me?

"The Oblique Star Belt is right here, not too far from the asteroid belt where we last battled the pirates, but it’s behind that heavy element cloud," Reynolds pointed at the blunt triangular shaped asteroid belt on the star map aboard the Light of El, flicking it with his laser whip. "This area has a large number of metallic core asteroids that are huge in size. Many of these asteroids can partially shield the radar systems of warships, making it an ideal spot for an ambush. However, to ambush the entire Queen’s Fleet, the forces needed can’t possibly be hidden by a mere asteroid belt. That Queen just had bad luck."

Cough cough, I’m not pointing fingers, but whether it’s your Kerrigan or my Sandora, they’re all queenly creatures. Keep it decent, mind your own well-being, uncle.

"We’re currently at sub-light speed in a low visibility cloaking mode, and in about an hour we’ll be nearing the combat zone. If all goes well, Jie En’s army will also be ready from another direction with a matter-energy strike — the same kind of super weapon that ignited the entire battlefield last time. However, it will only come into play at the very end, so we should make this a quick battle. Our primary objective is to rescue the Queen’s Flagship. Most of the soldiers are concentrated there. If we can’t rescue the rest of the warships, we’ll use them as fuel to blow up the entire Sky Zone."

"You mean, the soldiers on those warships are abandoned?"

I raised an eyebrow, quite surprised at Jie En’s decision.

"Of course not," Reynolds shrugged. "Those warships are unmanned autonomous intelligent ships. They are the strongest fleet of the Free Kingdom, more cunning and ferocious than manned warships. But now, Jie En has his Queen’s orders: in a crisis, he’d rather destroy those warships than let the enemy get their hands on the artificial intelligence technology."

I: "...Damn, another bizarre layer of tech in this world."

The strongest fleet of the Free Kingdom turned out to be unmanned high-tech warships, fiercer than those manned by humans? Damn vicious! The disparity in the equipment between national regular forces from top to bottom is staggering; it feels like the Queen is surrounded by Gundams, while the local forces are armed with pitchforks.

Aside from the super weapon of the Jie En Army that required a two-hour breather after firing once (that’s right, the old handsome guy’s flagship, that innocent-looking Eggship that always seemed to observe the battle from the sidelines, its fourteen-kilometer belly is a matter-energy generator), everything else was pitchforks.

"Detecting high energy explosion ahead, determining attack... not an attack, maintain course, alert level increased."

Light of El’s artificial intelligence interrupted our debate over Gundams and pitchforks with this statement, making me freeze on the spot.

"Damn it! Disengage invisibility, fleet accelerate — don’t you die on me yet, unlucky Queen, I’m still waiting for you to reimburse my fuel cost!"

The recent massive energy explosion was undoubtedly the result of a battle. If the Queen’s Fleet "Victory Glory" had to resort to using their super weapon, it meant they were on the brink of desperation. If it was the opponent who used a super weapon, then we’d prepare to go and pick up the scraps. Of course, with such a melodramatic Queen, I really feared she might have pulled an even more dramatic stunt just now: a flagship self-destruct mission, aiming for a heart-stopping moment.

"Listen, Jie En, we’re accelerating. Your Queen can’t hold on much longer — get over here now!"

I cut off the communication with Jie En; the Federation Fleet’s speed began approaching the speed of light, activating the space-time barrier within the ship. Immediately, the external view screens showed only the tunnel of light characteristic of redshift.

"Ha, it’s finally my turn to show off! Let those lowlifes see how powerful the oldest human King really is!"

"Jil, you better not cause any trouble for me later!" Dragging that glittering idiot’s neck and throwing her back into her seat, I reckon nobody in history has ever dared to treat the oldest queen of mankind like this. If it were the past, Yanfeng Qili wouldn’t dare to do such a thing, let alone surpass his limits or he would have been flipped by the arrogant and proud Gilgamesh (I firmly believe that a gender-bent Heroic King would be even more terrifying because these women can essentially find a reason to do things men can’t), but Little Baobao, devilish from Jil’s perspective, had successfully reconditioned Golden Pica. When I threw her out, she did nothing but yell "commoners" a couple of times and didn’t dare to resist at all.

"This time, I’m sending you Heroic Spirits to the battlefield so you can familiarize yourselves with warfare in this high-tech world, to gather experience points for the protection of the Crystal Saint Mother. Jil, just take it easy and have fun, that’s why I called Little Baobao!"

Instantly, the brightness of this flat-chested girl, sparkling with gold, dropped by another six or seven percentage points.

Little Baobao’s remaining prestige has already pierced through the crystal barrier of the universe.

"Chen, I have this strange feeling."

No sooner had I tossed out Sister Jil when the Knight King, Altoria, came over with the strand of hair on her head spinning around in mid-air like it was powered, drawing my attention as I glanced back and forth, "Our enemy might... Please, stop looking disrespectfully at this lock of hair that symbolizes victory!"

...My king, are you so bored that you’re bestowing titles on your own hair?

"Indeed, I’m also feeling a bit odd," said Medusa, with an explosive figure Cavalry Sister maintaining a distance of over three meters from the Pandora Sisters, cautiously creeping over and speaking in a low, serious tone, "The crystal energy inside is fluctuating... Please trust our instincts, we might not be as powerful as you, but as guardians of the World God, we have a very sharp intuition about many things, please..."

"Engine acceleration halted, entering the normal space-time line."

Artificial intelligence interrupted the Heroic Spirit sister’s report, and I waved my hand forcefully and coughed again to signal a bunch of clearly unfocused Heroic Emperors, and the even more out of it sisters and Qianqian to snap back from their various games of Go, Poker, KOF doodles, "Comrades! The battlefield is coming! There’s no need to brief the professional soldiers of the Federation, but I really can’t trust you bunch of Heroic Spirits. This is your first encounter with space battleships, something even world guardians like yourselves might not be able to withstand, remember your objective for joining the battle?"

Before I could finish, Sister Jil, glittering like a moving brick of gold, jumped out: "For money, for treasures, for territory!"

Half of your fortune came like this, didn’t it?

"For victory and glory!" Altoria had a commanding look, her ahoge standing straight like a soldier—why don’t you just say ’blood and thunder’?

"For the advanced worker of next month!" That was Medea.

"For the end-of-month bonus!" That was Cu Chulainn.

"For a break of two days from a heartless boss for us hard-working Heroic Spirits who work all year long." Who’s this jerk?

"For the two hundred bucks I bet with Caesar!" I don’t even know this one anymore...

Luckily, before I went mad, there was still a likable person who came out hesitantly. Medusa unconsciously clutched her precious PSP and whispered, "For gathering experience?"

Before I could even start laughing, she added, "Then LEVEL UP?"

"You bunch... never mind, as long as there’s motivation. After this mission, you all get a holiday—except for you, Jil! If you’re not satisfied, go negotiate with your Master!"

"You get the same treatment as the Little Princess of the Empire, and you’re still not satisfied? What’s wrong?"

"Tch, underestimating people, that’s what’s wrong. We are now the Guardians of the World, the super Heroic Spirits of the True God’s side; we aren’t any worse than the space ships you speak of..." Scolded by me, Sister Jier could only mutter to herself as she went off to draw circles.

And then—what can I say? The reason they are called surprises is because they always occur when you are too busy doing something incredibly rewarding to pay attention to anything else. For instance: putting a group of Ancient Heroes in their place, or a group of Ancient Emperors, or both at the same time. As I was enjoying the thrill of urging a bunch of emperors and chancellors to raid and plunder, a flash of unprecedented intensity tore through the sky, lighting up the earth beneath the Light of El Ghost Energy Shield, and also causing the Command Hall to turn deathly pale.

Next was the teeth-gritting sound of an energy screech coming from hundreds of meters outside the Energy Shield, resonating throughout the entire Space Fortress.

The grating sound of the air-raid alarm blared instantly throughout the fleet.

"Warning, the flagship has been hit by highest level Ghost Energy attack; energy level... Imperial Main Battlecruiser cannon, threat level extremely high, shield stability decreasing... Shield stability restored, all reactors at full power, all components begin charging with Ghost Energy..."

Everyone stared blankly at the holographic projection, at the flash that had yet to dissipate. Seconds later, I snapped to my senses: "Damn it, that’s the Galaxy Main Gun! We’ve been bombarded by Empire warships!!"

Reynolds immediately stood up from his seat, issuing orders urgently: "All personnel to their stations! Connect the warship’s Ghost Energy modules online! Small escort fighters, dock with your mother ships, full power output for shields, we’ve been attacked by an Empire weapon, I repeat, we’ve been attacked by an Empire weapon!"

"Adjust the warship’s Ghost Energy Shield to an energy level of e+105," Visca unceremoniously flung a Protos Warrior operating the defense system out seven or eight meters and clacked away on the crystal control panel, "All warship shields adjust to energy level e+105. This will temporarily disrupt the Empire’s extra-long-range radar tracking... Tch, such a sluggish operating system, it’s annoying, primitive... With all the advanced technology data from the Empire at your fingertips, can’t you develop something better?!"

"That’s enough." Annoyed, I tapped on the head of the irritated little Loli with feline eyes, and casually lifted her away from the control console. "You’re not even half as tall as a Protos Warrior. Can’t you stop being so irritable when you speak?"

While we were hastily responding, the second wave of attack from the front was already upon us. A distorted space tunnel suddenly appeared tens of kilometers ahead of the fleet, then a shockingly compressed stream of pure Ghost Energy burst forth like a blinding white torrent from the Galaxy, sweeping across the entire Federation Fleet. The first attack had caught us off guard, but this time I saw it clearly—no doubt about it, it was the fully-charged Galaxy Main Gun!

Super Space-Time Strike, Galaxy Main Gun, Ghost Energy Stream; if it’s not an Imperial warship on the other side, I’ll jump into the reactor!

"Warning, the highest level Ghost Energy and Super Space-Time Strike detected, unavoidable... The main body of the warship has been hit, shield resistance successful, warship damage is zero, artificial intelligence suggestion: Please leave this area quickly..."

The second direct hit by the Galaxy Main Gun, and the Federation Fleet was unscathed—a miracle for a fleet that used to be swept by a single Imperial Ship. In a way, this was a victory for Imperial technology. The enhancements of Xyrin Technology to these Federation ships proved its worth at that moment. Even though they were a level lower, these ships could be considered as products of Xyrin’s military industry. Facing the powerful Imperial ship cannons, although the Federation battleships were weaker, they were not defenseless.

But they were not that much stronger either.

"Change course! Maintain the shields, continue on a curving trajectory! For El!!"

The fire control system of the Galaxy Main Gun was capable of Super Space-Time Strikes, and merely maneuvering the ship wasn’t enough to escape its range. Zeratul did not take the artificial intelligence’s advice to evade but resolutely announced full speed ahead.

He had full confidence in the crew of Leader-level Apostles and a team of Heroic Spirits on the ship, whose combat power was no less than that of a warship.

But I was filled with confusion.

Imperial Fleet? The Imperial Fleet that’s suddenly attacking us? Where did this Imperial Fleet come from in the universe?

The first thing that sprang to mind was, of course, a certain natural-born fake lolita who was as black-hearted as they come, the kind who habitually executes before reporting. That Pope girl seemed capable of pulling such a stunt, but I immediately dismissed the notion. At the very instant the super space-time strike begun, the Galaxy Main Gun’s targeting system could clearly scan the target’s form. There was no reason for Lilina to fire a second shot after realizing the targets were us. The only remaining possibility was...

Fallen Apostles...

Those damned persistent pests! They never know the right time to pop up. I came here to reclaim my sister, not to... Hmm? That doesn’t seem right either. The recent Galaxy Cannon blast didn’t have the slightest whiff of Abyss Energy; it was pure Ghost Energy. I couldn’t possibly be mistaken about that – the attacker wasn’t from the Abyss!

A shocking hypothesis suddenly barged into my thoughts:

Could it be that in this world, we’re about to encounter another Imperial Army!? Another remnant of the Empire that hasn’t yet fallen into slumber!?

At that moment, I was overwhelmingly excited, but then promptly besieged by worry— what if I were to pick up another Queen and bring her back? Would I be eaten alive by her?

In the span of a second, a whole host of unreliable thoughts flashed through my mind like a flood, occupying more than half of my mental space, and yet the third Galaxy Cannon strike never arrived: Visca’s suggestion was correct; she had indeed found a Ghost Energy frequency that could interfere with the mother ship’s radar.

"I also have some knowledge that my dimwit sisters aren’t aware of!" When the alarm on the Light of El began to subside, the kitty-eyed little loli promptly puffed up her delicately curved little chest with pride, showing off her sense of superiority.

"Yes, yes, my beloved little sister is truly one of a kind," already knowing how to keep her completely satisfied at such times, I did not stint on my praise while ruffling her little head. I turned to Zeratul, "Where are we now?"

"We’ve deviated from our intended destination, but we’ve successfully entered the fringe of the battlefield," Zeratul’s deep, sonorous voice carried a reassuring reliability. He corrected a few parameters on the star map, then enlarged a series of pictures taken by the super-range probes, "There are large energy reactions ahead. Definitely a combat zone. Shall we move closer?"

"The battlefield is 770,000 kilometers from here. For the Galaxy Main Gun, we’ve already entered their direct range—Visca, to what extent can this interference work?"

"We can advance another 300,000 kilometers at most. The onboard computers of Eternal-class ships aren’t so easily fooled."

"Cruise speed forward. Switch to the communication tower array of the Imperial Admiral to help me search for the communication frequency of the Imperial Fleet ahead— Let’s hope their distance from here doesn’t affect the signal decryption."

While speaking, my gaze never left the screen in front of me. On it were images sent back by the super space-time probes that had just jumped away.

In the vast space scattered with broken asteroids, two fleets were engaging in fierce combat.

The most eye-catching was the enormous Queen’s Fleet. This fleet was entirely different from the Jie En Army I had seen before. They were uniformly equipped and well-arrayed, clearly products of the same technological system. These ships exhibited a uniform aerodynamic slender style, entirely silver, with blue trefoil marks etched on the bow, distinctly divided into three size categories. The smallest were raid ships only tens of meters in length, dart-shaped and incredibly fast, their propulsion type indiscernible. Then there were over a thousand "Big Head Battleships," each two kilometers long, bulbous at one end and tapering at the other, elongated like water droplets, their entire bodies reflecting a silvery sheen. Seemingly made of mercury, their seamless exterior showed no hints of cannons or propulsion systems. Their weaponry seemed to be some sort of field effect, as various energy glows expanded from their fronts, continuously destroying attacks from the enemy. Rather than main fighting ships, they were more like massive escort ships that excelled at defense, relying on agile fighter crafts for offense. The third size category included only one ship, the total flagship of the fleet, protected at the heart of the formation.

It was glaringly obvious; anyone could see that the 30-kilometer-long colossal mother ship, shaped like a seashell at the center of the fleet, was the total flagship. Not to mention its size and prominent position, just the several characters on it that could be as wide as half a kilometer each told the whole story:

"Queen’s Flagship"...

Could Her Majesty of the Gotaque Free Kingdom be a natural fool!? Are you just asking to be killed!?

Shocked by this formidable-looking fleet with a flagship full of points to criticize, I had to face the grim reality that they were on the verge of collapse — situated several hundred thousand kilometers from those Mercury Liquid Drop Guard Ships, their enemies appeared far too strong, even though they were only one-third their number.

An Imperial Fleet, comprised of more than two hundred massive Eternal-class mother ships, and countless assault ships... (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)