Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 680

Chapter 680

Chapter 680: The Cusp

A stillness came over everything, but instead of easing the fear in Lan Jue’s heart it only increased it . As he watched the asteroids crash into one another, he and his friends were bathed in a beam of light from Tyrannosaurus .

A tractor beam . Lan Jue’s sullen expression lessened . The Admiral had come to their aid instead of kicking them while they were down . The beam drew them in, and in a flash they appeared within the belly of the Bastion ship .

A familiar face was waiting for them when the scouting party settled . It was Ling Ya, though her face was absent the prideful glower from before . Now it was drawn and pale . She bowed respectfully before them . “Please, everyone, come with me . The Admiral has requested I bring you to meet with him . ” She turned and headed away .

“I’ve got it . ” Lui Xianni scowled, and with a wave of her hand the pink manifestation of her power sprang up and covered them all . In a blink they were again within Kang Hui’s office .

For a Paragon of Luo Xianni’s standing the internal security o Tyrannosaurus was in name only . She only needed to know a location to transfer herself and anywhere she pleased right to it .

When they appeared in the office, Kang Hui rose to his feet in solemn silence . He saluted .

The gesture represented his respect and appreciation for their work in those crucial moments . Words couldn’t express his sentiments well enough . Besides, there was still an eminent danger to address .

“Admiral, is there anything on the radar?” Lan Jue wasted no time, immediately engaging the Northern commander in questioning .

Undoubtedly, the ship’s radar systems were state-of-the-art . Only through it would they be able to pick out encroaching alien forces as early as possible .

Kang Hui’s eyebrows drew together . “Everything is strangely quiet . But several of our smaller ships were dragged away by that strange force . I’ve already ordered the ships to pull into defensive formations as quickly as possible . ”

As he spoke, he indicated one of the large screens near him . It switched to a large radar display . It crackled and flickered, for although it was constructed of the best technology it was still affected by the Starfields’ interference .

There were a few blips indicating alien forces . But as they watched the number of bogies grew .

“They’re gathering!” Lan Jue hissed .

Kang Hui muttered . “They aren’t moving quickly… slow . At this rate they’ll be on us in an hour . ”

“Admiral, prepare all ships for battle . These are aliens, we can’t face them the normal way . The one who infiltrated your ship is known as the Violet Prince – one of their strongest . He’s good at looking like us, copying our genetics . They need it because they believe our DNA will unlock their potential as a species . ”

Kang Hui sighed . “How many of his kind are there?”

He knew that without the intervention of these people before him, Tyrannosaurus would have been lost . The devastation a fourth-degree Paragon could do was unthinkable . He didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened without their help .

“We aren’t sure . At least two that we know of, and we believe the planets themselves are alien lifeforms . Those three worlds are probably the strongest of all the alien creatures . ” Lan Jue voice was gloomy .

The Admiral sighed once more . It seemed things were worse than he thought .

He reached out a pressed a button on his desk . “Combat division, spread the word: All ships, prepare for battle . Get back into formation as quickly as possible and engage shields . Wait for the attack . ” The aliens were amassing for an offensive, now wasn’t the time to charge ahead . They would wait for their foes to come to them .

The five fleets were some of the North’s best . Their formation had been broken by the surprise traction, but they were already forming back up . They would only have one shot at this, so the ships formed an arc formation centered around the Bastion . It allowed them to unleash the full might of their weapons on the aliens as they came .

The full might of the aliens were on full display . All of humanity’s combined military might couldn’t copy what was amassing just outside of the fleet’s strike range .

The living planet continued ahead unabated, maintaining stable speed . The large black hole that was its maw remained open, and the mass of the planet itself seemed a hundred times larger . The length and breadth of space as far as the eye could see was thick with alien creatures .

‘Terrifying’ didn’t do the scene justice . However, they faced five of the best trained fleets in space with a planet-sized ship at their head .

With every kilometer they drew nearer, the anxiety in the air thickened .

Kang Hui closely monitored the data as it flit across his screens, ticking down the distance between the two armies . He’d called to prepare them early because different ships needed different prep time . The larger the vessel, the more time was required to charge their weapons .

Lan Jue watched the screens as well, but his mind was on other things . When he struck with Captus he felt it slip into the Prince’s body . The beast’s mighty defenses seemed significantly less mighty in the face of the Banishing Blade . In other words, the god weapons were particularly well suited against them . The Violet Prince would likely be able to survive a direct blast from Jue Di . This meant what aliens feared the most was the combination of a Paragon’s abilities and weapons such as Captus . They devoured vital energy, but it was also their undoing .

The only way to prove the hypothesis was to face the creatures again . When the Prince’s eyes had found his own, Lan Jue didn’t see hatred . He saw respect .  He respects me? He must know the Princess sought me out and made her proposition . These monsters are no less intelligent than mankind . But what was their end game?

As he thought Qianlin stood silently by his side . Ling Ya was nearby as well, lifelessly staring at them .

She’s so beautiful! She thought .  So beautiful… but where did she come from?

The two of them together seemed like towering pillars . Ling Ya’s feelings were strange; before seeing Qianlin she was anxious to test herself against Lan Jue . However, once the beautiful woman in white appeared that eagerness abated .

She couldn’t figure out why, but it was true nonetheless . It made her uncomfortable .

The communicator on Kang Hui’s desk was never silent . Reports flooded in to Tyrannosaurus from the various fleet leaders . His office doubled as the center of military action, where all of his staff officers sent information and waited for the admiral’s orders .

Eventually Lan Jue looked at the man responsible for the Northern fleets .  Being admiral was no easy job, he thought .

“Sir! The alien forces will be in range of our main cannon in five minutes . We’ve charged and ready to fire on your orders!” One of the gunnery officers shouted into the office .

“Give the order,” Kang Hui began . “Capital ships and dreadnaughts have their weapons at the ready . Once they’re in range, let them have it . Let’s test their defenses!”

It was the first time in his life Kang Hui gave that order .

How terrifying was the strength of a Bastion’s main gun! He had no choice but to see . There were two reasons; First, the enemy was clustered, it was a good opportunity to see how strong their defenses were . Second, it took twenty minutes to fully charge the weapon . Using it at the battle’s onset gave them a chance to fire it a second time .

It was a weapon of mass destruction, and two blasts increased their chances of victory .

The Skyfire scout team watched with baited breath . By now they were recovered from their fight with the Prince, but his escape was clearly planned . How was the alien planet going to face these human defenders?

What was about to transpire was one of the most important moments in human history . Who lived and who died hung in the balance .

The decision would soon be made!

“Enemy will be within range in one minute! Fifty-nine… fifty-eight… fifty-seven…”

The countdown began . Tyrannosaurus turned end over end toward the beasts, revealing its base . To save on energy the ship’s main thrusters and main canon were constructed together .

A canon the size of a small moon extended from the base . An angry red light roiled within the barrel . Even the soldiers of the Northern fleet peered out of the windows with nervous excitement . Witnessing a Bastion’s main weapons fire was a rare event .

The center of Kang Hui’s desk separated, and from the opening arose a single, blood-red button . As he placed his hand upon it, a light scanned is retinae .

“Retina and fingerprint scan complete . DNA conformation complete . Emotional state; normal . Heart rate; normal . Identification process complete . ”

Not even the ship’s Captain could be trusted implicitly with a weapon as powerful as this . Checks were required to make sure they were in the right state of mind . Only then could the hell that was Tyrannosaurus’ primary cannon be unleashed .