Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 825

Chapter 825

Chapter 825: The Battle for the Universe Begins

Lan Qing shook his head . “Don’t be hasty . We’ll call them when we need them the most . ” He had his plans, the core of which were secret even to Kang Hui and Hua Li .

Kang Hui couldn’t help but admire the Admiral as he looked at his calm façade through the screen . It was more than impressive that he could maintain his composure in the face of this alien threat . No wonder he achieved the rank of admiral so young .

He made no further complaints . The Eastern leader’s fortitude washed away any final doubts he had .

Middle Heaven didn’t stop or slow after the appearance of this mighty impediment, and maintained the same forward momentum . Its honeycomb array of cannons stretched out, smoldering with orange light . They were ready to fire at a moment’s notice .

The three bastions and their twelve support fleets moved into battle formation .

The center of the alien force was the twelve crocodile titans and the twelve avatars that rode them . The rest of the horde spread out on either side, far enough to avoid taking too much damage from human long-ranged attacks . Measures were taken to even the playing field and reduce their enemy’s advantage, learned from a wealth of experience on the battlefield .

It was necessary . Out here in the emptiness of space there was nowhere to hide, and so long as they were outside of melee distance they were inhibited . What’s more, their loss at Angel meant they didn’t have a rear force to fall back on .

Somewhere behind them was Europa and their home worlds, trying desperately to succeed in their own breakthrough . But the aliens didn’t fear, they were confident the humans couldn’t break their line .

Lan Qing’s guess had been correct, the aliens had not used their full strength at the beginning this war . One important reason was they feared destroying the human soldiers outright would reveal to them how strong they would need to make their next attempt . The creatures didn’t want stronger opposition .

Now the human armada was proving to be more troublesome than they’d predicted . The only way to make sure they were stopped was to finally reveal the strength the aliens had been hiding this whole time . Victory would come at a cost, but it was necessary . If another group of humans of comparable strength showed up, they could negatively impact their masters’ evolution .

And so a dogfight was inevitable where the aliens would try to do as much damage as they could while maintaining their own numbers . As ever their goal was clear – stall for time .

So far, at least on the surface, they appeared successful . The humans had made it into the solar system’s interior, but it’d cost them dearly in time and resources . Every moment brought them closer to the ascension of their home worlds to godhood . Even if the humans sent another group, by the time they got here it would be too late .

Stretching over two thousand meters tall, the central avatar seemed to lead the others . Its head snapped up, quickly followed by the others . Twelve thunderous roars were released as one from the monsters they rode .

The waves of sound and energy were so intense they shook the empty space between the two armies . Miniscule cracks appeared in reality as the wave of power headed toward the human ships . A shockwave, their version of a long-ranged attack .

Lan Jue had provided his brother with more than news of their victory . He’d also handed over a full recording of the encounter, and with it integral information about this massive fiends . Armed with this knowledge Lan Qing had ordered all ships to have their ships on and at full capacity .

Middle Heaven responded by releasing a barrage of orange light back at them .

The rays of energy burned holes in the shockwave that bled off its power . Still, the combined ire of twelve Nirvana-level beasts was intrepid .

Danger to the bastions themselves was limited, large as they were – the worst they might suffer was a good tremor . However, the smaller ships fared less fortunately . A few were blasted out of formation and strained the armada’s steel curtain .

Just then the aliens rushed in like locusts from either side, madly gnashing their teeth and swiping their claws . The titanic monstrosities followed close behind, propelled forward by beating wings . Their target was Middle Heaven .

The commanders of the alien horde were cunning . They knew the key to routing the armada was to first destroy the largest of them . With Middle Heaven destroyed human morale would plummet . Victory would be in their clawed grasp .

Standing in the command center, Lan Qing was unfazed by the deadly tide bearing down on them . Instead he only muttered to himself . “This is all you’ve got?”

“Interstellar fleets, proceed . ”

Helmsmen aboard the scores of human vessels received the order and the ships began to move . The three bastions threw open their hangar bays and belched out clouds of drones . Like launched like guided missiles . Drones were typically between thirty and fifty meters long, though each bastion was equipped with slightly different aircraft .

Drones from Tyrannosaurus were a sky-blue color and were marked with a dinosaur insignia . They were fifty meters long, equipped with a laser blaster and four antimatter missiles that packed as much punch as a small positron cannon . Only the North, with its deep pockets, could outfit their drones with so much firepower . Neither the North nor West could compare in this regard .

Poseidon Group, however, was another story . As the richest organization in all of human history, it was impossible to understate how highly they regarded their flagship . Nothing was spared in its construction nor in the fleets that accompanied it . Up to now those fleets had proven their technical superiority, in some ways performing better even than Tyrannosaurus .

The drones aboard Poseidon were forty meters long, slightly smaller than their Northern counterparts . They were a deep, cobalt blue and had the Poseidon trident emblazoned on their surface . They also bore laser blasters, two instead of one, and six guided missiles . Two of those were antimatter missiles, and the remaining four were soft water bombs . Their destructive power far outstripped Tyrannosaurus’ drones, and boasted of Poseidon’s wealth .

Laser fire was the proverbial bread and butter of fighter drones . It’s how they stayed in the fight . Missiles were damaging, yes, but more importantly was whether the ships had enough energy reserves to stay in fray longer . Arming these drones with two laser guns proved Poseidon Group’s faith that they had enough energy to meet and surpass their brethren from other alliances – the result of extensive scientific research .

Ten thousand drones were released from the bowels of Tyrannosaurus, a truly stunning number . However, not to be outdone, Poseidon boasted eighteen thousand fighters of their own – even more than the North’s fallen Terminator bastion .

Middle Heaven’s drones were white and were marked with the ensign of the Bloodiron Khans . They were a surprising sixty meters long, even larger than Tyrannosaurus’ . Were it not for the sheer size of Middle Heaven, it wouldn’t be capable of housing very many such machines .

Although they were long, their construction was exceedingly slender and streamlined . None of them were fitted with missiles, but they did have four laser cannons as replacements . They were specialized to only one mode of combat . Flame decals adorned their tails .

Three very different classes of fighter drones, each as effective as the last . Poseidon’s vessels appeared to be the most punishing, but were also the smallest . Appearances were deceiving . Tyrannosaurus’ drones were middle of the road in regards to size, and showed off the North’s technical superiority .

Finally there was Middle Heaven’s squadron, largest of the group . However size was not the most important factor in interstellar combat . Larger ships made larger targets for the enemy! What’s more they didn’t have any missiles as secondary artillery . Contemporary military strategists would conclude they were the weakest of the three classes .

The four laser cannons were notable, but largely disregarded as laughable especially for Northerners . The North had more bastions – and thus more experience with them – than any other alliance . The drones aboard Tyrannosaurus were the result of all their research and expertise . They struck the perfect balance between attack, speed and maneuverability .