Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 783

Chapter 783

Chapter 783: Commencing

Satan seemed calm as a lake surface, with no change in his expression . However, Mika could see the struggle hidden behind her father’s eyes . His deep eyes were pits of blackness .

The Dark Citadel had been thoroughly wiped out . How could this not be a significant blow to the king of devils?

As Zeus-1 continued to pick up speed, Mika’s heart was heavy . At the end of this fight, no one knew who would be going home . She was just as uncertain whether they’d defeat their enemies .

Come one! We have to win! Mika grit her teeth . Everything depended on killing the alien menace .

In the distance they could still see the battle raging between the human and alien forces . Flashes of glaring light flashes over and over again . The armada continued to fight on its back foot, retreating as its guns fired at full bore . They managed to keep the distance that was so integral to their ranged strategy, however the aliens were slowly closing in .

Some of the vessels had begun to suffer damage . Rare were the aliens that slipped through the hail of cannon fire, but when they did they threw themselves at the ships with abandon . They could hardly see each through the flashing lights and clouds of gore .

Middle Heaven was a resolute boulder in the center of the stream . It stayed at the rear of the retreating forces, shielding its allies by virtue of its secondary weapons systems alone . So far none of its fighter planes had been deployed .

The aliens were enraged at Middle Heaven’s brawn . Incessantly they threw themselves at the ship, desperate to destroy it . Only once the planet-turned-warship had been destroyed could they clear away the humans . But despite their reckless charge, no matter what the sort of alien, they were all destroyed or thrown aside before the might of Middle Heaven .

The bastion’s energy stores seemed endless, and it alone destroyed nearly as many of the aliens as all twelve fleets that accompanied it . From its position between the humans and aliens, Middle Heaven was perfectly positioned to punish the enemy while protecting its allies .

However, the aliens’ numbers seemed equally limitless . They’d caught up to where they were pressing in on the armada from three sides . As they continued to add pressure, they closed the distance to their prey . They just needed to get close – once the distance was covered the beasts could employ their powerful melee attacks to wreck the human vessels .

All of a sudden both sides were assailed by a thunderous roar, as a blast of energy was released . The massive beam was white-hot but quickly turned red, like a laser shot but far too large . In a blink one one-hundredth of the alien horde was burned to ash . All that remained were their glittering vital crystals, hovering in space . As the residue of the attack’s power hung in the air, the aliens were visibly taken aback, causing the pressure of their charge to ease a little .

The humans were quick to take advantage of the pause and continued to fire indiscriminately into the enemy forces . The distance between them began to increase again .

But what just happened? There was only one thing of human creation that could cause such destruction, and that was a bastion . Tyrannosaurus’ main cannon sizzled in the cold vacuum of space as it continued to retreat .

Up to this point neither Tyrannosaurus nor Poseidon had engaged the enemy . If Middle Heaven was the armada’s shield, these two were the spears behind it . As the danger to the humans increased, Tyrannosaurus at last bared its fangs .

As the battle raged, alien forces had been unable to spot the Northern bastion charging its guns . As a result, a gaping hole had been carved through the heart of the horde . Aliens were painfully reminded that it wasn’t just Middle Heaven they faced . There were two more like it! Poseidon’s guns were still dark, and since the beasts had never encountered Poseidon Group before they did not know what to expect . But it was larger than Tyrannosaurus, and usually that meant more firepower .

Lan Qing sat behind his control panel, watching intently as streams of data flit across his screens . He rarely gave orders as the battle raged, and when he did they were rich with code words and secret meanings .

The first phase of their war plan was in full effect . Lan Qing had been careful not to underestimate his enemy, whose numbers were three times what Lan Jue saw in his scouting mission . The Eastern admiral had prepared for the worst eventuality and it served them well .

Why were Tyrannosaurus and Poseidon not firing their weapons like all the others? To conceal their power . If they had started the fight throwing everything they had at the creatures their enemy would grow cautious and cunning . The likelihood of gaining and losing ground increased .

Lan Qing didn’t want to see that happen, it was unpredictable and they needed to create space for the Paragon strike teams . A base of operations was needed before they could push further in .

Hiding behind the planets had been an effective tactic, one that had perplexed and frustrated the humans to no end . The circular sneak attack was effective but it would only work once . These were intelligence creatures, and the only way to really punish them was in outright war .

Attacking and retreating was not just advantageous for creating distance and maintaining a range advantage . It drew their enemy away from any defensible positions or places to hide, revealing their numbers and exposing them to mankind’s strongest weapons .

Tyrannosaurus’ attack proved the efficacy of their plan . Ten thousand aliens or more had been felled in a blink, and their momentum was thwarted .

Lan Qing was unconcerned with the prospect of the aliens fleeing . Surely they felt they had the advantage . Recharging a bastion’s main gun took time, giving them the opportunity to press the attack . If they gave the humans a chance the next attack would hurt them even worse .

As he anticipated, Tyrannosaurus attack threw the alien horde into a frenzy . Scores of beasts rushed ahead heedless of cannon fire . They braved the hail of burning light, desperate to snuff out these puny human lives .

The alien creature that had depended the planet and thrown aliens at them had also flown in to join them . It moved with incredible speed, catching up with its smaller brethren moments later . Its presence on the battlefield threatened to give the enemy an edge .

Now, in the presence of the mighty leader, the alien attack was much more menacing .

The human ships continued to be pushed back, and inch by inch the bloodthirsty aliens closed in . With each passing moment the humans were in an increasingly disadvantageous position . Tyrannosaurus was still recharging for another blast . All that was left was Poseidon, but was it enough to stem the flood?

ζ

Angel .

A rain of blood followed in the Pharmacist’s wake . The aliens continued to throw themselves at her, only to be impotently cut down by her storm of steel . Lan Jue’s party was quickly nearing the far side of the planet .

The attempts to dissuade them never let up . The further they pressed ahead the larger and more powerful their foes became . Several monsters over a thousand meters long attempted threw themselves at the humans, seeking to stop their invasion with their huge bodies . Yet it proved a foolish endeavor that only put them in the path of destruction . Faced with the Pharmacist’s deadly rush they were cut apart before they knew it, and the humans had another vital crystal .

With unstoppable vigor Occisus’ array conveyed the party toward the planet’s far side . Soon they would arrive at the progenitor’s location .

Lan Jue pulled Qianlin along at his side, gripping tightly to her hand . Their powers were in constant communication, and as Lan Jue’s powers flooded into her her powers likewise were conveyed back to him . They modified each other, fused, then shifted again in perfect harmony .

Under such conditions, what could be expected to happen?

Lan Jue’s face bore a slight smile . He’d waited for this – waited so long and fought so hard to suppress his powers, so that he and Qianlin might advance .

Now they had come to the final, integral step .

In the distance they could see the aliens’ numbers receding . The obstacles that kept them from their target were fewer, and in response Occisus’ manifestations flung around them even faster .

Under the Pharmacist’s direction they arrived . Not far off the enormous and cancerous vessels were in full view . Without question, the progenitor they were about to face was bigger than any they’d seen before . It had to be, if it was funneling vital energy directly to its home worlds!

Suddenly the sky went dark . A familiar sensation tickled at Lan Jue’s mind from somewhere before them .