novelnext Chapter 410 71 - The First Shot
Chapter 410 71 - The First Shot
Soon, the first confrontation between the Alliance and the Antimatter Legion, along with their Lord Ravagers, was imminent. As the defending party, all factions had made their preparations well in advance on the predetermined interstellar battlefield. The Interastral Peace Corporation, for its part, established its blockade point near an energy-rich galaxy, its fleet tightly encircling the galaxy and positioning it in the deep rear.
As long as this energy galaxy wasn't lost to a sneak attack, the Corporation's colossal "universal machine" would roar to life, continuously transporting all kinds of supplies and troops to the front lines.
The Xianzhou, however, had no such concerns. The Xianzhou flagships were the most formidable guarantee in themselves. Furthermore, with assistance from multiple parties, the Yaoqing was now fully prepared for a decisive battle with the Lord Ravager, Xingxiao!
As for the forces of [The Harmony], they had rallied everyone they possibly could. The entire star sector designated for the battle appeared chaotic, but the combined strength of the assembled factions was not to be underestimated.
Because the Corporation had to deal with two Lord Ravagers simultaneously, their front line was stretched particularly thin. However, for an entity of the Corporation's sheer scale, the length of these two fronts was negligible. As long as the star rails remained intact, the Corporation's advantage would persist.
Over on the Astral Express's front, Jing Yuan, leading the Xianzhou Luofu, arrived to provide reinforcements, just as everyone had expected.
Of course, this wasn't a unilateral decision by Jing Yuan but an internal resolution made by the Xianzhou Alliance.
With the help of the Xianzhou, the Astral Express successfully established a battle line capable of engaging the entire Antimatter Legion.
When it came to space warfare, the Xianzhou's Cloud Knights and Starskiff Navigators could perfectly compensate for the Astral Express's lack of experience.
Welt also brought everyone a few unexpected surprises.
He had brought the Hyperion and the Moonlight Throne from the Honkai world, and even Cocolia's Heavenly Father mech, to be deployed in space combat.
From the very day of the "Universal Change," Welt had anticipated everything that might happen in the future. He had the people back in the Honkai world working overtime to modify their existing warships, retrofitting them to meet the demands of interstellar travel and even space warfare.
The Hyperion and the Moonlight Throne, in particular, had undergone a major overhaul. The most significant change was the replacement of their original Honkai energy engines with engines that could utilize Imaginary energy for propulsion. It was a mystery how Welt had achieved this, though perhaps a clue could be found in some of the Astral Express's own components.
Then there was the Heavenly Father. The sheer size of this giant robot wasn't particularly massive; it would be nearly impossible for it to even hold off a single Doomsday Beast. But with the triple blessing of Welt, Anti-Entropy's black technology, and Schicksal's own tech, the mech was given a demonic overhaul. And, under the guidance of a certain anonymous Xianzhou master craftsman, this mech from a world that had yet to explore the stars was transformed into one of the most formidable war machines in the Star Rail universe!
Honestly, upon seeing the Moonlight Throne and the Hyperion, a stray thought crossed Wende's mind. He wondered if he could use his power of [Trailblaze] to transform the Hyperion into an "Astral Express" as well.
However, he quickly dismissed the idea. Theoretically, as long as Wende used [Trailblaze] to forge a soul for it, the Hyperion could indeed become an "Astral Express," even though it had absolutely no relation to a train.
But on second thought, the Honkai world still needed that warship. He had to keep these things separate, so Wende decided not to meddle.
If he did, he was afraid that a certain Ms. Theresa, currently serving as the Overseer of Schicksal, would find out and spank his butt raw with the Oath of Judah.
So, it was best to forget it... Instead, he should consider this: if Akivili could create the Astral Express with his bare hands, then why couldn't Wende create his own Hyperion? Preferably the Battlecruiser version with a neutron fusion Yamato Cannon.
Hmm... after this whole incident is over, should he really try to mold one himself?
Wende scratched his chin, then pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
---o---
"Wow... Uncle Yang! Is this that Atohara you were talking about? It's so cool!"
March 7th's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the magnificent Heavenly Father mech before them, which looked like it had been completely rebuilt. She turned to Welt, her face full of admiration. So Uncle Yang wasn't lying to them after all, there really was an Atohara!
"Er... actually, it's not, but... it's close enough?"
Welt pushed up his glasses. Looking at the Heavenly Father, which now bore the exclusive Atohara insignia, he nodded without a hint of guilt.
During the modification process, he did indeed want to turn the Heavenly Father directly into his Atohara. But that woman Cocolia simply didn't understand a man's romance, which resulted in many of the mech's modules being fixed in place. Any rash alterations would damage its fundamental structure, so Welt was unable to make any changes to its physical frame.
You wouldn't want the Heavenly Father to be crippled by a minor wound right after joining the battle, would you?
"The warship Hyperion... Are you sure it's okay to lend it to us like this?"
Stelle turned to Welt, a little puzzled. She often interacted with Kiana and the others and had naturally heard them mention the Hyperion many times, so she knew its importance. Logically speaking, shouldn't the Honkai world have a greater need for this warship?
"Rest assured, the Honkai world doesn't have much need for such large warships anymore," Welt shook his head and explained to Stelle. "Besides, this is an opportunity to verify if the technology from the Honkai world can withstand the trials of the Star Rail universe. They wouldn't refuse such an excellent testing opportunity."
"It would be so great if we could go on a trailblazing journey on this warship~"
Looking at the tall and mighty Hyperion, March 7th was already fantasizing about boarding it and soaring across the galaxy!
"Passenger March, are you starting to dislike Pom-Pom's train?"
Hearing this, Pom-Pom looked at the daydreaming March with a very hurt expression.
"Ah! Of course not! How could I ever abandon our most wise and brilliant Conductor So, Conductor I'd like some juice, iced lemon flavor!"
"Right, right Passenger March"
Watching Pom-Pom hum a little train tune as he headed to the kitchen, March breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was to be kicked off the Express in a fit of anger by the Conductor!
Although Pom-Pom would never do that, of course.
Except, perhaps, to a very select few individuals.
"Why does Dan Heng look so grave?" Himeko put down her hot cocoa and smiled at the solemn-looking Dan Heng not far away.
"Ms. Himeko... I'm just a little worried."
Dan Heng shook his head. He still had some reservations. Although everyone had witnessed the power of that man, Kevin, he was being pitted against the legendary Lord Ravager, Fenfeng...
For thousands of years, almost no one had been his equal. The strongest being beneath the Aeons... while this title was a great exaggeration, it wasn't entirely baseless.
Even with Jing Yuan, another Emanator, present, he still couldn't feel at ease.
In truth, Dan Heng himself possessed the combat power of an Emanator. After Long the Permanence "passed away," the Emanators of Permanence naturally lost their Aeon's blessing. But as the former High Elder of the Vidyadhara, Dan Heng's strength was absolutely unquestionable.
And... the power of the Astral Express didn't end there. While Stelle's strength had not yet reached a stage comparable to an Emanator, the Stellaron within her granted her infinite possibilities.
Even March had become mysterious due to the Garden of Recollection's attitude toward her.
Perhaps... he really was overthinking things...
Dan Heng sighed softly. The great battle was approaching. It was better to think about how to face the enemy rather than letting his imagination run wild and boosting the enemy's morale while lowering his own.
---o---
Xianzhou Luofu
Jing Yuan had already given the orders for the pre-battle mobilization. Although the Luofu had experienced major events like the Stellaron outbreak and the invasion of Phantylia, it was now stronger than ever before.
With the help of the Astral Express, the Luofu had essentially wiped out all the hidden members of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. The sense of fear surrounding the Mara-Struck had also been greatly diluted. While it remained a major constraint on the Xianzhou, under the banner of Wende's name, many were able to set aside their fears of the Mara-Struck.
If you spent all day lost in anxious thoughts, it'd be stranger if the Mara didn't strike, wouldn't it?
Inside the Seat of Divine Foresight, Jing Yuan stared at the Alliance's current resistance route, stroking his chin in thought.
This battle line, with its six nodes, represented six battlefields. Those who could step onto these battlefields were undoubtedly the elite of the elite.
But Jing Yuan had a feeling that things wouldn't be so simple. After all, the Antimatter Legion had a fearsome reputation, and those Lord Ravagers were not to be trifled with.
On the surface, everyone believed that the most difficult front was the one where the Astral Express was confronting the "one-man army," Fenfeng.
But in reality, information on Fenfeng could be found from multiple sources. The man was arrogant, grandiose, and eager for merit. The battles he was recorded in were basically won through brute force. As for strategy, perhaps some of his subordinates in the Antimatter Legion were tacticians, but he himself was definitely the type who disliked using his brain.
Therefore, although this so-called primary front line seemed perilous, in Jing Yuan's eyes, it was actually the most stable front of all.
The Alliance had made such a grand show of setting up defensive lines targeting all the Lord Ravagers in advance. Any Lord Ravager with a bit of sense would know what their plan was.
What if these Lord Ravagers suddenly changed their routes midway, or merged their armies... the Alliance's other defensive lines would be in trouble.
But the front against Fenfeng was one where such a thing was guaranteed not to happen. If all Lord Ravagers were proud, then Fenfeng was definitely the proudest among them. He would absolutely not allow anyone to suggest he switch fronts or merge forces.
On Jing Yuan's chessboard, this move, which appeared to be the most dangerous, was in fact the safest.
Since that was the case, he needed to carefully consider what came next...
Should he provide reinforcements, or secure their gains... or perhaps... a pincer attack!
The Divine Foresight, flawless in his calculations!
But... it had been so long since he had to worry about military affairs. To return to it and be immediately saddled with such a variable... Sigh, I really want to go back to fishing...
Today was another day the certain Divine Foresight wished he could retire.
---o---
"Achoo!"
In the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan, sitting on her high seat, inexplicably let out another powerful sneeze, causing Qingque and Qingmu beside her to shiver.
"How strange. Who on earth is gossiping about me behind my back? The weather is perfectly fine, why do I keep sneezing?"
Fu Xuan wrinkled her delicate little nose, but she wasn't even in the mood to perform a divination. Seeing that the divination art before her was about to be interrupted by a sneeze, Fu Xuan quickly formed a hand seal, shifting the deviating core of the Matrix of Prescience back into place.
They were on the eve of a great battle. Although the Matrix of Prescience had already calculated all the possibilities, at this final hour, she still wanted to add another layer of assurance for the Xianzhou's soldiers. For this reason, she, Qingque, and Qingmu had been working continuously in the Divination Commission for three days straight.
Qingque and Qingmu wore numb expressions. They had originally thought that their savior, Otto, had liberated them from the sea of suffering on miHoYo Planet. They would no longer have to work overtime day and night!
Who would have thought! They had just returned to the Xianzhou, only to be forcibly dragged into overtime by the Master Diviner!
Right now, Qingque and Qingmu were suffering in silence!
The six armies of Destruction pressed ever closer. Less than two days remained before the start of the great war. The observation instruments of all factions could now see the path of the Antimatter Legion advancing through the stellar nebula.
Everything was proceeding in a tense and orderly fashion. Even factions that were indifferent to this war had their eyes fixed on these six battlefields. For the factions directly involved in the fighting, this was a war they had to win. If they allowed the Antimatter Legion to continue its advance, not only would they suffer tremendous losses, but the overall prestige of their factions would also decline. That would be a truly untenable situation.
Losing a war didn't mean you couldn't survive, but being condemned by the entire universe... that was something you couldn't survive!
Therefore, apart from the Xianzhou and the Astral Express, the other factions were already thinking about what excuses to use to minimize their losses in case of defeat.
As for why the Xianzhou wasn't doing the same... could you really stop doing business with the Xianzhou Alliance? Besides, they had sent their flagship directly to the front line. When it came to righteousness, the Xianzhou had never lost.
Moreover, the Xianzhou Yaoqing was currently gearing up, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Xingxiao, the Lord Ravager who had caused the Xianzhou no small amount of trouble in the past. This was a truly worthy opponent, deserving of the Xianzhou's full attention!
As for the other Lord Ravagers... they either only knew how to use brute force, were sneaky and underhanded, or were cowards who didn't dare to show their true faces. They really looked down on such individuals!
As the Antimatter Legion passed through the stellar dust that symbolized the border between the frontier and the central star sectors, this galaxy-spanning, war of the century was about to fire its first true shot!