𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕𝟏: 𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐰𝐧 (2)
Planet Hecartra, 3rd Planet
Phlegeth, outside the colony, watched the battlefield where his pack and the Ycloquasar ground forces clashed.
“Fight until the last one of them is dead!”
Every time the Redefiners fired a blue lightning bolt, more than half of the horde covering the area would be burned or explode to death.
Then, the 650-meter-tall Phenomenon Tuners fired their devastating red beams, toppling colony structures or creating canyons in the ground.
On each battlefield, Mindrockers would spread bio-barriers to protect the pack while hindering the enemies’ movement.
Originally, bio-barriers were meant to continuously influence the battlefield and create favorable conditions, but the firepower of the Ycloquasar ground forces was so overwhelming that even the bio-barriers would burn to death, then repeat the process of surging forward.
Still, Phlegeth had no intention of giving up.
He did not think about lasting longer or buying time.
“We can win. . .!”
Phlegeth genuinely believed that he could defeat the Ycloquasar ground forces.
The bipedal tanks that could pierce celestial bodies with a single weapon. The reason those notorious Phenomenon Tuners could not destroy Phlegeth’s planet right now.
Furthermore, the Redefiners that used to sweep the continent with blue lightning were now confined to exerting their power on a single battlefield.
➖Phlegeth. . . . Report. . . .
‘Their ground forces are no longer showing the overwhelming power they had before!’
The dark nebula was an area that had been widely enveloping the Hecartra star system.
The War Harvesters, presumed to transport the ground forces and supply them with enormous energy, were approaching from the outskirts.
‘It seems like Ludwig-nims dark nebula has cut off the energy exchange between the ground forces and the motherships!’
One of the prepared strategies had worked.
There was only one Phenomenon Tuner deployed on each planet, and it was possible to destroy all of them. Before the ground war could even take place, if the celestial body they were standing on was destroyed by being pierced with red beams, there would be no chance of winning.
However, fortunately, the living dark nebula blocked the energy exchange between the Ycloquasar ground forces and the War Harvesters, preventing such an incident. Therefore, there was a chance of winning the ground war.
Zizizizi. . . Zizizizi!
On the hot ground flowing with lava, Redefiners and Phenomenon Tuners endlessly slaughtered the endlessly swarming horde.
The spilled blood boiled and quickly evaporated. In the rivers of flowing lava, the corpses of Phlegeth’s pack were floating, and there were so many bodies that the bottom could no longer be seen.
Nonetheless, the Chimeraz trampled on the corpses of their comrades and ran.
In the rear, the Hailspatter pack poured burning black liquid onto the heads of their enemies. The Grounsecters fired thick lines of crimson plasma with their pair of energy projectors.
The low sky was covered with bio-barriers and the Cophilia pack, which unleashed gamma-ray bombardments, while the Cresecter pack flew in the high sky, dropping balls of plasma.
Pazizizizik. . . .
At some point, the output of the blue lightning had weakened. The lightning that used to make flying units fall like raindrops could now only sweep away the bio-barrier in the sky, and it could no longer reach the horde in the rear, killing only the ones in the vanguard.
Burns were a familiar pain and a familiar environment to Phlegeth’s pack. Therefore, the Chimeraz that did not explode got back up and fought again.
Clang!!!
Kabana’s claws ripped off the sphere of a Redefiner. He thought there would be some kind of intricate mechanism inside the sphere, but it was just a white cross-section with nothing inside.
Ycloquasar did not need circuits or small parts. Was it that the unknown material that made up the weapon had already replaced those functions?
“Push them back! We’re expanding our front lines from now on!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Redefiners in the vanguard that were attacked by Phlegeth’s pack blew themselves up one after another, killing dozens more Chimeraz.
Bang. . . .!
The Redefiners, who could not withstand the black liquid that had been constantly poured since the start of the battle, also self-destructed. Then, the Phenomenon Tuner staggered unsteadily on its legs under the bombardment of the Cresecter and Cophilia packs.
“Throw off their balance!”
Kwa-Jijijik!
Skeletunnels that had approached underground suddenly popped out and bit one of the Phenomenon Tuner’s legs with their crocodile-like snouts.
Snap, snap, snap!
Just like a crocodile dragging its prey into the water, the Skeletunnels dragged one leg of the Phenomenon Tuner underground while holding on to it tenaciously.
The Phenomenon Tuner, which had lost its left-right symmetry, detected the Cophilia pack charging at it from a distance at supersonic speed. The Cophilia pack would crash into it like a shell and explode.
Jijing!
Suddenly, the Phenomenon Tuner’s red glowing eyes looked in the direction of the colony site.
That was when Phlegeth realized.
‘Those things have my location. . .!’
Kuwawawawawawawawawawawawa!!!
It seemed like it had put all the energy it had been holding in reserve for self-destruction into this one attack. The red beam traveled at the speed of light, causing plasma explosions in midair in a straight line and ignoring all the battlefields to reach Phlegeth in front of the colony. It was a truly unavoidable snipe.
It was a very short time. Phlegeth realized that the exploding red beam would soon engulf him, but he did not have time to move his body and dodge it.
That was when he thought about the body he would revive in right after he died like this.
Zeeeng. . .
In the moment of halted perception, a 21-meter-tall bipedal war machine was teleported and reconstructed at the speed of light.
The large war machine held a shield in front of Phlegeth, a shield that was bigger than Phlegeth’s body.
Zeeeeeng. . .!
It was a shield made of a new material. The improved artificial particles formed a larger shield in front of the shield, rotating at the speed of light, and the energy it emitted formed a powerful gravitational field.
At that moment, the gravitational field that had formed spread out in the shape of a shield, distorting space.
Kwaaaang!!!
The red beam that was about to engulf Phlegeth was deflected as it scraped against the shield and shot up into the sky.
Thanks to that, Phlegeth was able to survive with only burns on his head.
“Who is it. . .!”
“It’s Teslafortress.”
Thud!
The Phenomenon Tuner collapsed in the distance.
“Phlegeth. Your pack is the ground force that can best counter the Ycloquasar ground forces. That is why the Administrator ordered me to help you.”
Zeeeng! Zeeeng! Zeeeng!
At that moment, artificial intelligence armies were being teleported one by one to various battlefields that Phlegeth commanded.
“Then why didn’t you come a little sooner?!”
“If we had joined forces and fought from the beginning, there was a risk that Ycloquasar would analyze our strategy. That is why I waited until you gained the upper hand on this planet. To minimize the variables of defeat.”
Phlegeth had recovered from the burns on his head by then.
“Well, I appreciate it, but it’s too early to say that we’ve gained the upper hand.”
“Do you have a mission you want to assign to our army?”
“Go to the continent on the other side! There’s a large-scale womb chamber where Hailspatters are raised there!”
“Womb chamber?”
“It’s a Chimeraz structure where Hailspatters are born and raised! Furthermore, Mindrockers are also needed to manage the womb chamber, so a lot of resources that my colony site handles are stored there!”
“I understand the gist of it. What do you want us to do there?”
“If your artificial intelligence army takes care of the enemies advancing there, we can create more Hailspatters and win the ground war!”
“. . .The battlefield where the energy exchange between the Ycloquasar ground forces and the War Harvesters has been cut off. Hailspatters induce continuous energy consumption from the enemies.”
“Yes! That’s why I’d like to have more Hailspatters!”
Phlegeth spat out some blood and continued.
“It’s the same for us and for you! We can’t receive orbital support because most of the fleet is supporting the fleet battle! So, you’ll have to take care of the continent on the other side with the phase assault technology that allows for swift maneuvering!”
“Understood. We’ll take care of the battlefield there.”
🔷🔷🔷
Planet 4, the capital of the Chimeraz.
Ycloquasar ground forces had also appeared en masse on this planet.
➖My pack is resistant to their scorching attacks!
‘Phlegeth. . . .’
➖Don’t worry about this side!
Ludwig, left alone in the throne room, synthesizes information from all battlefields and establishes strategies.
‘Leaders who protect the planet. . . . Since Hailspatters are effective in ground battles, have them utilize those guys. . . .’
Planet 4, where Ludwig was located, was also being invaded by Ycloquasar ground forces. Fortunately, Elise, the flagship of Elise’s fleet, was in geostationary orbit of this planet, so it could receive powerful orbital bombardment support and nuclear weapon transmission from the Phase Assault Troops.
‘Their energy output, which they used to boast about, is not as powerful as before, and it is by no means infinite. . . .’
Mushroom clouds bloomed repeatedly, and nuclear storms raged.
The Chimeraz army and the artificial intelligence army on the ground were able to fight fairly well even on the battlefield where nuclear explosions were rampant.
The sound was deafening. Corpses and debris piled up. Red beams changed the terrain, and blue lightning scorched the army. The atmospheric composition of the planet became thin, and several colony sites burned and disappeared.
Thud! Thud!
65-meter-tall polygonal tanks appeared on the front lines. They were the hulls of Overlecter, the artificial intelligence that controlled Elise’s fleet.
【There are Colossuses bigger than me over there.】
Phenomenon Tuners were large in size, so they could be seen clearly even from a distance. The Cresecter and Cophilia packs were charging toward those Phenomenon Tuners, burning their lives and taking the red beams.
In other words, the Phenomenon Tuners were now responding in the air. Of course, Overlecter did not miss that opportunity.
【Drone Hive. Requesting fire support.】
Asotus, the multipurpose transport ship of the Chimeraz, a flying unit called Asotus, secured a position in the air behind friendly forces under the protection of the bio-barrier.
Zzeureung. . .
When the Asotuses opened their mouths, cube-shaped Drone Hives were each waiting inside their clean oral cavities.
Immediately, the Drone Hives fired plasma direct shots.
The heads of the Phenomenon Tuners that could be seen far away exploded one by one and fell, and the Phenomenon Tuners that tried to move despite falling were ensnared by Skeletunnels that sprang out of the ground like sinkholes.
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
Then, when the Skeletunnels opened their snouts, Chaintrooper units that rotated two pairs of plasma cutters inside flew out and tore the Phenomenon Tuners into pieces.
‘Shockphonia.’
A flying unit that infects enemy ships by swinging its tentacles in fleet battles and steals enemy technology and information.
Shockphonia was a unit that was quite valuable among the Chimeraz flying units because the genetic complexity required for production was too high.
Still, Ludwig had anticipated this kind of situation, so he had kept a few Shockphonias in geostationary orbit without deploying them to the fleet battle.
Click, click, click. . .!
Xenoteras covered the Phenomenon Tuner that had fallen and was torn into pieces. Then, the Shockphonias that had entered the atmosphere lowered their tentacles to the ground and infected the remains of the Phenomenon Tuner.
The Phenomenon Tuner that had been completely torn apart did not self-destruct. It had already stopped working, so it did not have the energy to do so.
Thud, thud, thud. . . .
Soon after, the sphere of the infected Phenomenon Tuner stood up, extending the two legs of a grotesque creature.
At that moment, Ludwig, who had acquired the information that the Phenomenon Tuner had, reported to Kreion.
‘The Phenomenon Tuner’s red beam disassembles and passes through the materials of the worlds we know. . . . Therefore, it would be impossible to defend against those guys’ red beams with armor or shields. . . .’
🔷🔷🔷
Lopez said from Fractal’s bridge.
“The Phenomenon Tuner’s red beam was an unknown particle, as expected.”
Kreion’s hologram was also in the bridge.
“The fact that your Teslafortress deflected that attack with gravitational field distortion means that the Phenomenon Tuner’s attacks cannot be blocked unless space is distorted.”
“On the contrary, you can block it if you distort space.”
“I appreciate you protecting Phlegeth. Thanks to that, the ground battle on Planet 3 became the only advantageous battlefield.”
“What about the other planets?”
“Disadvantageous. It seems difficult to overcome on our own without large-scale orbital support from the fleet.”
“Then the leaders of the disadvantaged planets. . . . . . . .”
“They’ll buy time and die. That is, if our fleet battle doesn’t create any leeway.”
Fleet battles were taking place throughout the dark nebula.
In fact, to call it a fleet battle, it was different from what the races of the local galaxy group had known so far.
There was no Ycloquasar weapon operating in space other than the War Harvester. That is why the Phase Assault Troops and the Chimeraz fleet were putting the energy they had into deploying gravitational fields rather than firing their main guns.
When the War Harvester distorted space and destroyed several fleets, the nearby fleets would deploy gravitational fields again to restore space to its original state.
In other words, they were defending in that way, but they were not able to attack from this side.
Thanks to the fact that the mechanical and biological membrane that made up the dark nebula continuously supplied energy to friendly fleets and blocked the energy exchange of the enemies, the movement of the War Harvester was restricted.
“I calculated the change in spatial mass observed before the dark network was reduced.”
“What is the result?”
“There are probably 25 War Harvesters. We have to defeat all 25 War Harvesters in this closed space.”
“That’s too many.”
The War Harvester they had defeated in the first battle was the sum of all the War Harvesters they had defeated so far. At this moment, the 25 War Harvesters that were engaged in fleet battles from all directions were still intact.
“We, and the Believers trapped in this space, are also creating black holes by making fleets battle. However, the Believers’ attacks are made at the cost of sacrificing their members.”
“The dark nebula that surrounds our territory is also being consumed. Petra’s planet’s production capacity will have its limits.”
“Yes. At this rate, the density of the dark nebula will gradually thin out, and the Ycloquasar ground forces will be able to exert their original power.”
“We can’t keep holding on like this.”
“The time for gathering information and devising meticulous strategies is over. So you and I need to change the situation. Right now.”
Lopez looked around the holograms and monitors of each battlefield that floated in the bridge.
Among them was the largest, Gorgo’s Star.
48 Gorgo’s Stars, 265 bio-planets orbiting them. And without exception, Ycloquasar ground forces were being teleported to the surfaces of those living celestial bodies and carrying out wars.
Therefore, Kreion must be feeling anxious by now.
It must be a very different feeling from the anxiety he had felt so far.
‘If she dies even by one chance, Kreion. . . .’
Lopez threw away the tragedy in his imagination and focused on the present.
‘I have to find a way right now.’
At the same moment, Kreion in the heart must have been racking her brain.
In order to defeat one War Harvester, one artificial planet and 265 bio-planets had to fire antimatter pulses, Fractal and Elise had to fire their main guns, a large number of mechanical and biological membrane and the Believers had to be consumed, six landing discs had to be swung, and six black holes had to be created.
To defeat one War Harvester.
It was impossible to repeat such consumption 25 times in the future. It was a problem that this side did not have enough room for that, and it was also a problem that the Ycloquasar would not continue to fall for the same method.
‘Ycloquasar also has extraordinary intellectual ability.’
If you have an extraordinary intellect, you won’t fall for the same method when you’ve been hit by one strategy.
So, if this side tries one strategy to change the situation of this fleet battle, that strategy must succeed. Also, even if it can’t be used twice, it should defeat as many War Harvesters as possible with one use. So, so, so. . . .
“Kreion. How many bio-planets does Gorgo have now? Are they still intact?”
“All 265 are intact.”
“There are 25 War Harvesters. . . .”
“Yes.”
This was Lopez’s calculation after going through numerous battles. A cold strategy that staked everything on calculation rather than imagination or creativity.
Therefore, it is not 100% certain.
However, is there a strategy that has a 100% chance of success? Even against Ycloquasar.
“There is a way to bring one War Harvester at a time by sacrificing 10 bio-planets.”
Bio-planets are Planet Weapons and moving large-scale colony sites. Sacrificing all such bio-planets definitely requires Kreion’s consent.
“. . .The opportunity is only now, when the density of the dark nebula is high and the number of the Believers is considerable. Instead, it’s over if we fail.”
“We’re all at the end anyway.”
That’s how the dice of reversal were thrown.