Chapter 1818 - Another Two Hours!
The space ripples raised by the wormhole bomb expanded into a gigantic swirl more than eighty kilometers in diameter in only ten seconds. Together with all the ‘impurities’ that were enshrouded inside, it was crystalized first and then became an ivory light ball. The light ball then perished in a moment, reducing into a singular point that was unobservable in the three-dimensional universe.
Centered at the singular point, all the materials within thirty kilometers vanished. They were either teleported to the other side of the universe billions of lightyears away or paved evenly in every corner of the universe, leaving a spherical area of ‘vacuum’ true to its meaning. It was so dark and so pure that the area was the best example of ‘obliteration’.
The materials between thirty to fifty kilometers from the center suffered severe space-time twisting, too. Parts of them were teleported.
In terms of starships, it was often the case that the heads of some starships were still in the Heaven’s Origin Sector, but the rears had vanished. It was also possible that the engine compartment stayed where it was, but the stabilization system was gone, which immediately resulted in a series of dull internal explosions.
In terms of the human bodies protected by crystal suits, if the internal organs and even part of the brains were teleported, even the experts in the Core Formation Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage would find it hard to maintain their normal combat ability with the remaining body tissues, if they could survive at all.
The starships more than fifty kilometers away from the center of explosion, and some even a thousand kilometers away, were all affected by the shock, too. They were swallowed by the surging tides when the three-dimensional space was ripped apart by brute force.
The starships shook violently. The crystal suits flew randomly like headless flies. Tremendous magical equipment lost their functionality. The power rune arrays and the spiritual energy of a lot of people lost their colors at the same time. Both the common warriors and the high-level Cultivators felt that more than ten of themselves overlapped at the same time, like the high-frequency vibrations of the metal rod after it was hit by a tuning fork!
The battlefield, which had been more heated than ever a moment prior, fell into a weird silence because of the unexpected space-time explosion.
“Was Black Swirl… blown up?”
On Silver Moon, on Burning Prairie, and in the highest command center on the ground, countless pairs of eyes were focused on the surveillance light beam, trying to see through the hazy ripples and get the situation of the flagship of the Black Wind Fleet.
Finally—
The battlefield, which was silent for a moment, began to run like a mechanical slaughterhouse whose springs were fully-wound. Passing through the twisted space and knocking away countless broken starships, Black Swirl leapt out like a wounded beast!
A shocking round wound appeared at the center of the starship, as if it had been bitten hard right in the middle by a huge, invisible mouth. Tremendous important cabins, components, and magical equipment units were gone. Countless parts and even crew members were spurting out, forming quite a few weird metal streams. But the damage was as smooth as a mirror, without the slightest sign of ripping. Had it not been for the fireballs that were bursting out one after another, the starship would have left the impression that it had been produced exactly in such an appearance.
The terrible space beast was not completely teleported away and even kept part of its combat ability!
Lu Qingchen’s keen reaction at the last moment had saved both Black Swirl and the Black Wind Fleet.
The wormhole had not detonated in the range of absolute destruction, and Black Swirl had performed crazy dodging in advance. Therefore, it had only lost about twenty percent of the body, and none of the critical parts were damaged.
Such behemoths that could serve as flagships of the expedition armies were all unbelievably thick and sturdy. They might not be knocked down after being bombarded for three days and three nights.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The ‘Gai’-level super crystal processor in the highest command center of the Defense Counsel of the Federation analyzed and calculated quickly. After only one moment, it sent the latest analysis report to Burning Prairie, Silver Moon, and other command starships in the federal fleet.
“By preliminary estimation, the hyperspace shock just now destroyed at least five ‘Storm’-level arsenal starships, three ‘Iron Dome’-level heavy shield starships, and two Colossi. In the meantime, the space-time ripples cast certain interference to the space gate being established at the rear of the enemy’s fleet, too.
“But Black Swirl did not suffer a fatal blow. By estimation, it has lost twenty-five percent of its speed and thirty percent of its firepower. Nothing more.
“By comprehensive evaluation, the hyperspace shock has delayed the assembly of the enemy’s space gate for approximately two hours, which is not long enough for the Burning Prairie Fleet to break the Black Wind Fleet’s defense and destroy the space gate.
“Based on the situation on the battlefield, it is very possible that the enemy will have reinforcements in three hours. On the other hand, the three space gates on our side are so badly damaged that it will take at least ten hours’ maintenance before they can navigate the reinforcement to arrive!”
After all the trouble, sacrifice, desperation, and lucky coincidences, the wormhole bomb had finally detonated successfully, but all that was earned was only two more hours.
It would take more than ten hours for the reinforcements of their side to arrive. What could they do in two hours?
Such a result cast both Silver Moon and the highest command center into bitter silence. Their hearts that had been soaring a moment ago all hit rock bottom.
For Bai Kaixin and other leadership of the Burning Prairie Fleet on Burning Prairie, they did not even have the time to feel sorry for themselves because the ear-splitting alarms each louder than the last suggested that more Colossi of the Imperium had broken into the flagship of the federal army!
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rumbling noises were echoing from deep inside Burning Prairie. The pictures on every surveillance camera were devastating messes.
The few Colossi of the federation immediately retreated for defense.
But they had all fought for a long time. In terms of crystals, ammunition, and storage of spiritual energy, they were utterly incomparable to the well-prepared, high-spirited Colossi of the Imperium that had just been released from Black Swirl.
The federation had fewer Colossi in the first place. The consequence of the few Colossi retreating to defend the flagship was that the most powerful weapon against the Colossi of the Imperium in the space field was lost. The space battlefield immediately turned into a slaughterhouse for the Colossi of the Imperium.
In such an impasse, it was barely possible to break Burning Prairie and other main-force warships of the federation away from the chaos, not to mention breaking the defense of the Black Wind Fleet!
Time passed by one second after another.
Black Swirl went on a rampage in space like an animal that grew even more ferocious after suffering heavy wounds.
Behind it, the space gate was already taking shape. It opened slowly like an enormous eye of a fiend.
…
“What do we do?”
On Silver Moon, mist filled Jin Xinyue’s eyes, but a moment later, it was ripped into shreds by her passion and determination. “All demon troops, march toward Black Swirl right now. We don’t have a choice. The federation doesn’t have a choice. We will either be obliterated or immortalized!”
…
“Chief Advisor!” On the bridge of Burning Prairie, an officer whose face was blackened and bleeding staggered in and shouted, “The enemy’s Colossi are close to the bridge now. Please evacuate through the emergency teleportation array!”
“Evacuate?” Bai Kaixin’s face that was always filled with sorrow now put on a scornful smile. “Are you asking me, the commander of the Burning Prairie Fleet, to abandon the flagship?
“I will live and die with my starship. The home planet of the Heaven’s Origin Sector is right behind us. Where can we evacuate to?
“Burning Prairie, set course for Black Swirl and move at full speed!”
…
On Infinite Fire, the flagship of the Big Bai Fleet, Bai Xingjian’s flames of spiritual energy were so scorching that the entire bridge was almost melted. Every pathway in the entire warship was echoing his thunderous roar.
“Forward! Forward! March at full speed toward the side of the Black Swirl that was heavily damaged just now! The daring team, be prepared. Let’s go to the Imperium and turn their nest upside down!”
…
Outside of the No. 9 star fortress on the Wall of Heaven’s Origin, the orbital defense ring, Ding Lingdang had no time to enter the fortress for rest and simply received treatment and refilled her spiritual energy on a medical starship.
“Good enough!”
After only spending twenty minutes in the medical cabin, she tore off the high-pressive, active oxygenic mask and jumped out of the nutrition liquids.
“But,” the specialist of the medical team objected, frightened, “your wounds are not entirely recovered. Besides, the Draconic Phoenix was too seriously damaged to be repaired so quickly!”
“Without a Colossus, I can still fight in the crystal suit!” Staring at the enormous light beam hanging in front of the medical room, Ding Lingdang declared, faced with the burning sea of stars, “My friends are all out there. I must go there, too, to the heart of Black Swirl!”
…
On the bridge of Black Swirl, Heiye Ming put on a smile of utmost disdain with intense black air flowing on his face.
“Are you still struggling before death? Since your wild gamble just now failed to completely destroy Black Swirl, it will be futile whatever you try right now.
“The space gate of the Imperium will open in two hours. Nothing can possibly stop the main troops of the Black Wind Fleet arriving here, destroying the federal fleet, and suppressing the entire federation!
“Fate is on our side. Now, just wash your neck and wait for your new life. Hehe. Hehehe!”
…
In the highest command center of the Defense Counsel in the Heaven’s Origin Sector, Wan Guqing’s face that seemed to have been unchanged for ten thousand years finally had twisted cracks.
“Speaker, according to the latest analysis report, the odds of our army successfully destroying the enemy’s space gate have dropped to… 3.1%. The enemy’s reinforcements will surely arrive earlier than ours. The odds that all the main-force warships including Burning Prairie are destroyed have been increased to… 65%.
“The space battle has come to an end in advance. It is time to issue the highest alarm planetwide and prepare for the next phase of the planetary defense, isn’t it?”
The leader of the analysis division of the federal army suggested bitterly.
Wan Guqing closed his dirty eyes. It was not until a long time later that he nodded softly, “Prepare for the planetary defense. In half an hour, I will give a national speech. In any case, the Heaven’s Origin Sector will fight to the end…”
Before Wan Guqing could finish his sentence, he was suddenly interrupted by a desperate roar.
“Reinforcements! R—R—Reinforcements!”