Xyrin Empire
Chapter 366 - Chapter 366 Chapter 366 Sober

Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Sober Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Sober “Vega… as an Imperial Soldier, you dare to oppose me!”

Seeing his attack thwarted by the Scorpion Army right in front of him, Visca’s expression twisted fiercely, and then he pointed accusingly at the Scorpion Girl below, his voice sharp and threatening.

“Sorry, Commander Visca,” Vega crossed the twin blades she held in front of her in the signature challenge gesture of the Armored Scorpions, “It’s precisely because I am a soldier of the Empire that I must stop your actions.”

“Well said! But it’s meaningless… Nactras! Attack!”

With Visca’s shout, the previously still laser cannons hanging in the air suddenly sprung into rapid motion, swiftly darting around high above and raining down a vast number of laser beams like a downpour.

“Maneuver to evade!”

Knowing that normal Armored Scorpions’ energy shields would not hold out for long against the attack of a Leader-level Xyrin Apostle, Vega gave the command, and dozens of Mechanical Scorpions, alongside a series of sonic booms, dodged away from their original positions, utilizing their prided agility to escape the onslaught from the sky. Occasionally one or two Scorpions seized the opportunity to catch laser beams coming straight at them with their long blades and reflected them back, but how could the Floating Cannons be so easily struck by their own artillery?

Aside from two Floating Cannons bisected by an Armored Scorpion that suddenly used a Jump Engine to rush into the sky, the first exchange of blows between the two sides was an even match.

The current skirmish was merely a probing attack against each other.

Visca was a Leader-level Xyrin Apostle with exceptionally strong single combat abilities, but all of her support troops and Super Space-Time Fire Support had been cut off by Shadow City, so the forces she could deploy were limited to her personal gear and the various cannons from her Personal Space, greatly reducing her combat effectiveness. Vega may not be a Leader-level Apostle, but her skill as a Heroic Combat Soldier gave her the capacity to fight against Visca. Coupled with the support of dozens of Armored Scorpions, it wasn’t a difficult task to hold off her crazed commanding officer.

It seemed that everything was heading towards a stalemate.

“Human brat, stay away from the battlefield if you don’t want to die!”

Caught in the midst of explosions all around, One-Way Street suddenly sensed a strong gust of wind at his side. Instinctively activating Vector Reflection, the incoming shockwave from the explosion was blocked by a towering figure whose carapace bore the red lettering ZK-0001. The Mechanical Scorpion casually warded off the scattering explosive fragments with the blade fan created by its long blade and then spoke down from its superior position.

“What did you say…”

Being called such by a strange woman who appeared to him as a mechanical monster immediately set off One-Way Street’s temper, but before he could utter more disrespectful words, the Scorpion in front of him had already grown impatient. The three-meter-long alloy tail shot out toward One-Way Street, stopping less than ten centimeters from his face. The alloy shell at the tip suddenly opened, revealing a Blood Crystal flickering red light inside. The energy fluctuations emitted from the crystal were so intense they made even the strongest LEVEL 5 in Academy City tremble.

Having his confidence repeatedly struck today, One-Way Street now questioned how effective his prized Vector Reflection really was in the face of the endless “monsters.” Nearly half of the rampant Radiation Energy on the battlefield consisted of elements he couldn’t comprehend!

“Get lost! Human,” Vega moved her mechanical limbs irritably back and forth on the ground. The bothersome but not-to-be-indiscriminately-killed nuisance in front of her made the female officer particularly agitated, keen to complete her mission quickly, “Imperial Soldiers’ tempers aren’t as good as you imagine!”

The shrill screech attacked again while Vega was speaking; this time, it was not the kind of Laser Beams that could be reflected with a Ship-Slicing Blade, but Solid Warheads. Vega couldn’t dodge in time and could only swing her tail, using the Laser from the Photon Cannon to destroy the incoming missile closing in at high speed.

“The second echelon, move up! For the Empire and for Glory, advance!!”

Vega raised her battle blade high, letting out a cry mixed with the sound of metal grinding, and then leaped into the air. She sliced a firing Floating Cannon into thousands of metallic films. Being a species born of the Xyrin Race, known for their skill in three-dimensional warfare, the Armored Scorpions’ aerial mobility was certainly not compromised. It was only their combat approach and conventional fortress infiltration tactics that made these Scorpions unfamiliar with air battles. Now, led by their Commander, a dozen Armored Scorpions let out a unified low growl and collectively took to the air, obliterating Visca’s Floating Gun Array with their absolute advantage in speed and agility–they held no illusions of attacking Visca, the controller. Not to mention that the Emperor had ordered that the crazed commander must not be harmed, even Vega herself knew she was far from a match against a Leader-level Xyrin Apostle.

“Haha, how amusing, immensely amusing…” Seeing her Floating Gun Array being gradually torn apart by the Armored Scorpion army, Visca instead began to laugh excitedly, “Let me show you fools what a real difference in level means!”

“It’s a Helium Flash! Spread out quickly!”

Visca suddenly leaned back and opened her mouth wide, as if she was taking a deep breath. Vega’s expression changed instantly, and after waving her hand to smash a Floating Cannon that was buzzing with sparks toward her, she shouted loudly,

A huge blood-red Energy Array appeared in the air the moment Visca finished charging. Accompanied by a piercing scream, an uncontrolled flood of energy, drawn directly from the Leader-level Apostle’s Ghost Energy Reactor, swept across the sky with a sob. Visca had lost control, and her target was not Vega but the Academy City behind her!

Despite Pandora’s efforts to cover the entire area on the outskirts of the battlefield with a Barrier, the only purpose of such a barrier was to block external observation of this place, akin to spatial camouflage. It had no protective ability whatsoever, and Visca’s Helium Flash would undoubtedly split the entire Academy City in half without any surprises.

“Imperial Barrier!”

Just as Vega thought it was all too late, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly rang out on the battlefield. Then, all attacks from Visca seemed to collide with an invisible barrier and abruptly stopped in mid-air. Even the terrifyingly powerful Helium Flash paused for a moment, and although it was less than a second, it provided the Scorpions with an opportunity to react.

“Launch crystals! Neutralize it!”

Dozens of Armored Scorpions opened their alloy shells at the tail, and the specially focused Ghost Energy Crystals emitted a blinding red glow. Amid a series of whooshing sounds that tore through the air, the Photon Cannons–charged to the limit–were thrown like bombs, bombarding the slightly paused Helium Flash. There was no expected massive explosion, not even a whisper of sound. The two energies silently disappeared into the air upon collision.

However, the severely distorted sky still revealed that the annihilation of energy was far from as calm as it appeared on the surface.

“Zuotian Tsuruya!?”

Seeing the human girl appearing not far away, even the composed Vega couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Vega… Sister!? How could this…?”

Zuotian Tsuruya, who had run over due to some inexplicable call, now looked at the familiar figure of the mechanical Scorpion’s upper body and felt dizzy, even speaking somewhat incoherently.

“Not only has the soul become a Xyrin Apostle,” Vega clenched the long blade in her hand, immediately choosing the option that was most favorable for completing the mission, “First squad, assemble! Protect the Commander!”

A dozen Armored Scorpions immediately disengaged from the combat lines in the sky, gathering beside Zuotian Tsuruya. Being surrounded by a group of “mechanical monsters” made the human girl involuntarily let out a shriek, but what was even more shocking soon diverted her attention.

“Toys, very good toys! But a local sacrifice is for the greater good…”

Amidst such mad and raucous shouts, Floating Cannons rained down like bombs dropped from bombers, causing a series of massive explosions. Fortunately, under the Scorpions’ protection, all the explosive fragments targeting Zuotian Tsuruya were blocked, and the astonished human girl finally noticed the figure floating in the air.

“Visca, little sister!? How could this be!? Vega, sister, what in the world is going on…”

“There’s no time to explain,” Vega struggled to block the increasingly intense barrage from Visca, turning her head to shout loudly, “Commander, we need your power!”

“My power?” Zuotian Tsuruya, who was just an ordinary Earth girl student a few minutes ago, was completely confused by the current situation. However, seeing new Floating Cannons continuously appearing in the sky, she instinctively followed the innate impulse deep in her soul.

“Twist Command!”

But the effect seemed insignificant. Aside from less than ten Floating Cannons whose attacks deviated, the rest of the more than a hundred cannons did not show even a millimeter of aiming deviation.

Despite being in the midst of gunfire and bullets, Vega still found time to shout to Zuotian Tsuruya, “Don’t use your powers on Commander Visca; her strength is not something you can contend with. Enhance the speed and defense of the Scorpions; our only task is to delay the battle until the Emperor arrives!”

“Oh…” Although still not quite clear on the situation, seeing the mechanical Scorpions fighting to protect her, Zuotian Tsuruya put aside all doubts in her heart for the moment and began to concentrate on using her powers.

War Premonition, Glory Assault, Imperial Assault, the Halo Skills known as the three-blade axe of survival for the Storm Commander, instantly unfolded; the defense, evasion speed, blocking, parrying strength, attack, resistance, and experience points of the Mechanical Scorpions–all of it, not to harp on it, soared straight up. The Storm Commander indeed lived up to his reputation as a bug-like human-shaped fire control tower. Although he was just a bootlegged commander with a human identity, buffing up a handful of Mechanical Scorpions for Zuotian Tsuruya was clearly not an issue. After a broad-range adrenaline injection, the Scorpions, which were already good at fighting tenaciously, unexpectedly started to overwhelm the General, who could only use Single Soldier Armament. Had it not been for orders from above not to harm the opponent, it was very possible that Visca would have been injured.

Finally, just as Visca was about to lose his patience and launch a Helium Flash, and the Scorpions had run out of Photon Cannons to throw, reinforcements arrived at last.

“Time, stop right there!”

And then, everything went quiet.

The floating cannons sweeping across the sky, the crisscrossing laser beams and solid warheads, the dancing blades, even the dirt kicked up into the air–all of it froze in place in an instant.

“Qianqian… at least put me down…”

I was trying to keep my Void-stepping pose, with tears streaming down my face.

Shouldn’t the leading man who swoops in to save the day at the last moment enter dressed in flowing robes, treading through the air? Why did I have to be hung up in the sky by my own girlfriend and cosplaying Jesus Christ?

“Ah, sorry, sorry.”

Qianqian hurriedly apologized, then released me from the temporal freeze, casually allowing those equally unlucky Scorpions that were hit by friendly fire to regain their freedom.

Looking at Visca, shrouded in black smoke, wearing a ferocious look, I felt a twinge of pain in my heart, then slowly stepped forward.

“Qianqian, unfreeze her time.”

“But…”

“It’s fine, she… isn’t actually afraid of superpowers, remember?”

Yes, Visca was never afraid of any superpowers to begin with. Even with Qianqian’s Time Freeze, she couldn’t be controlled without going all out. However, the little lass was now quietly floating in the air as if she had truly been frozen.

My silly little sister, you think you can fool your brother?

With that thought in my heart, I spread out my arms to the sky and sure enough, the next second Visca pounced fiercely downward, the black mist surrounding her dissipating completely, before she crashed into my arms like a human cannonball.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Visca, who had regained her senses after re-establishing a Spiritual Connection with me, sobbed quietly, apologizing intermittently as she trembled, just like a kitten about to be abandoned by its owner, “I’m sorry, big brother… I really just wanted to teach him a lesson… I never thought I would lose control…”

Looking around at the devastated ground, I couldn’t help but utter a reprimanding word.

“Alright, fortunately, there wasn’t too much damage…”

I forced a small smile, finally suppressing a sigh deep within me.

Compared to blowing up the entire Academy City, the current bombing at the edge was already the best case scenario. I really should thank those who set up the “God Project” for choosing such a secluded location for this “experiment”. If it was in the center of Academy City, well, I might have been able to conveniently take out Aresta too.

With such an unscrupulous thought, I couldn’t help but feel a headache about the aftermath of this incident.

Despite having used all means to limit the destruction caused by Visca, and Vega and the others successfully restrained the actions of this little madman, and Pandora’s energy interference barrier also blocked most of the outside world’s prying eyes, to be honest, these series of measures probably couldn’t even fool an idiot.

At least, before Pandora’s interference barrier was deployed, Aresta must have seen something. We surely can’t declare, like those magical media, that the victims, after being run over by seventeen heavy trucks, are now out of danger thanks to the efforts of multiple rescues, right?

Similarly, I don’t think Aresta would believe that the war remnants that spread over dozens of kilometers were caused by the setting off of fireworks…

And to say the damage caused by Visca wasn’t significant. Well, that’s in comparison to our worst initial assumptions. Even though we were far from the various school districts, the Floating Cannons firing indiscriminately still inevitably destroyed quite a number of the damned city buildings. Even avoiding the densely populated central area, the number of people involved is probably not insignificant. Although, so far, Pandora’s life-sensing radar hasn’t scanned for any fatal cases, the number of injured is enough to overwhelm the medical institutions in the nearby districts. Apart from being responsible for the bombardment of the city, our biggest headache is how to remedy these casualty incidents–hopefully, Pandora’s personal space’s nanomachine factory can withstand such high-power operations.

“Why don’t we just claim to be a base organization?”

Qianqian, who felt equally helpless about these possible troubles, proposed in a defeated tone.

And then, I was completely hopeless about this young lady’s thought processes.

“I’ll go talk to that old fox Aresta.”

If you look at it from the perspective of genuine Xyrin Apostles like Sandora or Pandora, such an “accidental military injury” incident might not seem like a big deal. But after all, we still have the decency of Earthlings, setting off fireworks in someone else’s city and saying nothing seems somewhat disingenuous.

“You really don’t have an ounce of an Emperor’s demeanor, do you?”

A familiar voice rang out beside me, as Lin Xue walked over, shaking her head.

“Your position demands you to be ruthless and decisively idiotic. But you’ve always had the mindset of a small townsman… Well, that’s one of your strong points.”

I have a feeling the string of adjectives you just used included a very subtle pair of words. Is it just my imagination?

“Reporting, Commander! Armored Scorpion ZK-0001, Vega has completed the task! Should this human be destroyed?”

Scorpion Sister’s resounding voice interrupted my thoughts. She was referring to One-Way Street, who, despite being the strongest power user in Academy City, and perhaps even more formidable in combat than Vega, was still a human living in the normal flow of life with birth, aging, sickness, and death. After being controlled by Qianqian’s Time Freeze and then fastened by the Scorpion Soldiers with a collar that could remove superpowers, he had temporarily become an ordinary person.

“Ling Ke… ahem, One-Way Street?”

That was close. I almost blurted it out.

“So you’re the ‘Emperor’ these monsters speak of?” Despite losing his abilities, One-Way Street seemed unconcerned, or to be exact, his powers were never really what he cared about. Even his own life was just an “Ah, if it’s there, it’s there” kind of thing. As for his current situation, apart from curiosity, he showed no sign of fear. “You’re really good at pretending to be a human.”

“Not a bad dinner.”

Qianqian smiled indifferently, then continued to explain, “Of course, I’m referring to the parts of you that are edible.”

It wasn’t just One-Way Street who almost felt sick… (To be continued. For the subsequent events, please visit www.NovelFire.net. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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