Hearing Celenova's chilling words, Jing Yuan's expression changed drastically as if struck by a sudden realization. He exclaimed in shock and anger:
"You deliberately lured me here?!"
"Hehe, finally figured it out, Divine Foresight General of the Luofu."
Iron Tomb's mocking mechanical syllables grated harshly:
"From the very beginning, there were more than just three Lord Ravagers participating in this battle."
"Although we don't know how you managed to deal with Phantylia… even if you did resolve her, so what?"
"It's merely a laughable, desperate last stand."
"By the will of Lord Nanook, the day of the Xianzhou's demise has arrived."
Jing Yuan's expression flickered between anger and grim realization.
Feixiao, momentarily disengaging from her fierce battle with Iron Tomb, also looked furious.
"Jing Yuan, hurry back! Leave these two to me!"
"Hehe, so what if you've figured it out now? At this very moment, that one has likely already destroyed the Cloud Knights defending the eastern front… Hmm, given that one's crude style, perhaps they've already reached the Xianzhou itself?"
"And now, we must trouble you two Generals to keep us company a while longer."
The battle grew increasingly desperate.
Jing Yuan and Feixiao's hearts sank to rock bottom as the Legion's true intentions were revealed.
---||---
But at this moment, back on the Luofu, the young woman [Qingque] gazed at the Go board beside her, propped her cheek on her hand, and sighed.
"First, they tried a pincer attack with Phantylia from the inside, which failed. Now they want to use Iron Tomb to manipulate General Jing Yuan's position?"
Looking at the Legion pieces on the eastern and western fronts of the board, [she] curled her lip:
"Truly devious, playing their hand so calculatingly."
The highest form of command lies not in directing your own forces, but in directing the enemy. And precisely, in this engagement, the Legion operated under this principle.
Phantylia's infiltration was merely the Legion's crudest opening move.
However, due to Jiang Qiao's intervention and Phantylia's own greed, this initially promising opening move was ultimately wasted.
But even so, for the Legion, this was merely a minor setback.
After Phantylia's failure, the commander on the opposing side used Iron Tomb to attempt a feint – appearing to attack one place while secretly maneuvering elsewhere.
This forced Jing Yuan into a choice.
If Jing Yuan didn't move, then this hidden maneuver could heavily damage the Yaoqing front, allowing the Legion to break through. Then, just as Jing Yuan feared, they could completely shatter the Xianzhou defensive line, bringing the full might of the Legion down upon the Xianzhou proper, plunging it into a perilous situation akin to the Cangcheng Xianzhou facing the Omen Varka centuries ago.
And if Jing Yuan did go…
It didn't matter either.
Even if Celenova and Iron Tomb couldn't defeat the two Generals, merely holding them in a stalemate was sufficient. Battles between Emanators were inherently complex anyway.
Besides, the Legion commander had another move prepared.
The eastern front, deprived of Jing Yuan, was now left extremely vulnerable.
The Denizens of Abundance joining the fray would further draw away the already scarce defensive forces from the Xianzhou itself.
Consequently, both the eastern front and the Xianzhou proper were left critically exposed.
And at such a time…
---||---
Stationed aboard the flagship Bifang, Qingzhu, commanding in Jing Yuan's stead and stabilizing the line, initially breathed a sigh of relief. She thought the Legion's offensive had slightly eased, and with no sign of Iron Tomb, the eastern front should be secure. But in the next moment, her face turned ashen, and she began to tremble.
"Hostile Emanator-level reaction detected! Cross-referencing database… It's… Lord Ravager… Zephyro!"
A terrifying wave of scorching heat swept across the interstellar space.
Even Xianzhou warships, specially smelted with highly heat-resistant materials, began to visibly melt. Communications started failing. The wreckage of Legion and Cloud Knight forces floating in space began to vaporize, disappearing without a trace. Meteorites caught in the blast radius immediately began the process of vitrification.
This utterly despairing, apocalyptic scene caused even the most resolute Cloud Knights holding the eastern line to feel hopelessness creep into their hearts.
Although the Xianzhou's primary species, the natives, were among the strongest followers of Abundance, it was clear that even they struggled immensely against extreme heat, the natural enemy of carbon-based life.
In fact, from a certain perspective, the mere fact that they hadn't instantly evaporated or melted like most of the Legion's voidspawn and war chariots under this intense heat was proof enough of the Xianzhou natives' incredible resilience.
However, to Zephyro, this was merely an insignificant aftereffect.
"Xianzhou."
Glancing coldly at the struggling Xianzhou fleet, Zephyro felt only indifference.
He made no attempt at communication. To him, these Xianzhou pawns were unworthy. Likewise, his aesthetic of destruction did not include ridiculous 'malicious pranks' like Phantylia's.
Instantaneous annihilation, not even enough to cause suffering. Direct destruction, pure destruction – that was all.
Destroy the eastern front, then destroy the Xianzhou proper… Although he disdained cooperating with other Lord Ravagers, it was Lord Nanook's will. As such, it must be executed.
"Stop!"
A sharp, youthful voice rang out beside him. His gaze fell upon an insignificant, tiny Xianzhou native – Yanqing.
He held an ice sword, and though trembling uncontrollably, he stood firm, blocking Zephyro's path.
However, the ice sword continuously melting under Zephyro's scorching aura, and the 'sizzling' sound of roasting emanating from Yanqing's own body, like meat on a hotplate, made the entire scene utterly laughable.
This disregard didn't anger Yanqing. In truth, merely resisting the extreme agony of feeling his entire body being incinerated was enough to shatter his will.
Yet, the General had entrusted him, entrusted him to hold the line.
Since that was the case, he absolutely could not disappoint the General.
Even if he had to face a Destruction Emanator.
Struggling, he swung his sword with all his might.
But it was meaningless.
Just another defeat added to the record of this young genius swordsman.
His consciousness gradually dimmed. The scorching sword in his hand melted into liquid metal, scattering away. He felt immense regret…
Sorry… General. Yanqing has failed you…
However, the next moment… a surge of life force, like dead wood meeting spring, flowed into his body. His cells, almost entirely 'cooked', regenerated with vitality. Even… a primal power belonging to the Xianzhou natives, gradually lost after sealing away the Abundance's calamities, returned anew.
"Child of the Xianzhou, you did well."
A gentle voice sounded beside him. Opening his eyes, he saw a white-haired woman in military attire, radiating a maternal glow.
"Leave the rest to us."
Simultaneously, an audio transmission reached the battling flagships Bifang, Chuihong, and other Cloud Knight vessels.
"Brave Cloud Knights of the Xianzhou! Your arduous battle has not been in vain! Your will has moved Glamoth! Glamoth will not permit the Antimatter Legion's destructive acts of slaughtering life across the universe, nor will we ever endorse the Path of the Destruction Aeon, Nanook! By order of Her Majesty the Empress, the Iron Empire of Glamoth now formally joins this war between the Xianzhou and the Legion as an ally, to fight in defense of Her Majesty's will!"
Accompanied by rousing music, before the astonished eyes of the Xianzhou fleet, warships distinct from Xianzhou vessels, bearing the insignia of the currently most powerful force in the universe – the Iron Empire of Glamoth – materialized from the void.
"Fight for Her Majesty, the Empress!"
"Fight for Glamoth!"
The Legion's greatest advantage was the cheapness of its soldiers. After all, the Legion's voidspawn were sourced from remains remelted in the war forges.
However… as countless Glamoth warships emerged, as Glamoth Iron Cavalry clad in firefly-like armor appeared on the battlefield, their chilling numbers, like swarming locusts, couldn't help but evoke memories of the Swarm Disaster that once plagued the universe.
Of course, Glamoth's Iron Cavalry didn't just possess numerical superiority. After all, neither Firefly nor Jiang Qiao would allow Glamoth's knights to be used like the 'bullets' of the past.
Therefore, they not only had numbers, but also… their quality was second to none.
Glamoth's appearance instantly threw the Legion into disarray.
Zephyro wanted to intervene.
However…
Looking at the white-haired woman before him, who gave him an incredibly familiar feeling, he felt a headache coming on.
This one… is also an Emanator!
"It's time we settled our old scores, Zephyro."
Brunhilde's face was frosty, devoid of her earlier kindness.
Well now, this seemed to be an old enemy.
Though, he had no interest in when exactly he had made an enemy of her.
After all, the Legion never lacked enemies.
Zephyro didn't think he would lose. After all, due to his high compatibility with the concept of Destruction, he was practically the strongest Destruction Emanator under Lord Nanook.
Therefore, he possessed the confidence to defeat any Emanator, except perhaps those from the Family.
The Family was different; that was basically Aeon intervention.
If you fought them long enough, the Mother of the Cluster of Stars, Xipe, might actually come down and beat you up personally. Furthermore, the nature of the Path of Harmony allowed its Emanators, with Xipe's permission, to draw upon almost the entire Imaginary energy of the Path… which was basically equivalent to fighting an Aeon itself.
This was also why he secretly held strong opinions against a certain Lord Ravager within the Legion who had planned this grand battle.
With my power, do we really need all these convoluted schemes?
However, the supremely confident Zephyro soon felt just how difficult the 'Mercy's Bane Broodmother' Brunhilde – who simultaneously inherited the powers of a 'Propagation Emanator' and an 'Abundance Emanator' – truly was to deal with.
Especially since, during the previous response to the Gray Tide, the Aeons had returned the fragmented concepts of the Path of Propagation, divided after defeating Tayzzyronth, back to [Firefly].
This meant the Path of Propagation was no longer the weakened, post-war version, but had returned to its peak state – the height of the Swarm Disaster.
Of course, what disgusted Zephyro even more wasn't just that.
Those insignificant Glamoth Iron Cavalry, beneath his notice, had done something. Under the influence of some weapon, his Emanator authority to manipulate Imaginary energy began to suffer severe interference.
---||---
Regarding this situation.
Back in the Seat of Divine Foresight, [Qingque] calmly placed a piece on the Go board, precisely blocking the path, sending the brown-haired girl opposite her, Little Sushang, into a head-scratching frenzy.
[Qingque] slowly stood up.
"Er… Aren't we playing anymore?" Sushang asked, puzzled and a little unwilling to stop.
She felt like she was just about to win.
"A little mouse snuck in~ I'm going to take a look~"
"Don't worry, pay it no mind, just keep playing~"
"Ah… How can I play if you're leaving?"
"Well, you can't solve the current board anyway, right? By the time I get back, you should have figured it out."
"Of course, you can also play with this little guy~"
The girl pointed at Mr. Domescreen.
"Doot~?" Mr. Domescreen, seemingly understanding, looked utterly bewildered.
Little Sushang was also confused, but watching the girl's retreating back, she pondered for a long moment before understanding dawned.
"Honestly, looking down on people like that!"
"How could I possibly lose to this big strawberry mochi baby?!"
She huffed, full of indignation. Although she felt playing Go against Mr. Domescreen was a bit like bullying, the currently furious Miss Sushang desperately needed an outlet.
Simultaneously, she resolved to prove to a certain someone that she could at least beat Mr. Domescreen!
"Doot~" Mr. Domescreen looked completely innocent.
Sushang, however, could hardly wait.
A fierce battle between Mr. Domescreen and Little Sushang was about to erupt.
---||---
Meanwhile, deep within the Shackling Prison.
Huaiyan was also locked in a fierce struggle with Phantylia.
"Hehe, working so hard, old General, but how long can you keep me trapped?"
"Right now, the Legion bears down with overwhelming force."
"All this painstaking effort is nothing but an empty, fleeting dream."
"...Heh, my duty right now is to watch you," Huaiyan replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, his words laced with chilliness, yet betraying a hint of fatigue.
Although using the Zhuming materials meant to seal Flint Emperor could indeed contain Phantylia, the hastily gathered materials required him to use the blessing granted by Lan just to barely suppress her – especially since Phantylia's will to resist was stronger than Flint Emperor's, and she was also a Destruction Emanator.
Heliobus grew more dangerous the more complex and wicked their experiences were.
And Phantylia's danger level exceeded even Flint Emperor's; she was, after all, a master of sowing discord.
During this process of guarding her, Huaiyan had to dedicate his mental energy to supplementing Lan's blessing in order to fully suppress her.
Inevitably, this led to mental contact.
And at such times, although Phantylia couldn't use her Destruction Emanator powers, she didn't lose the Heliobus's signature skill: manipulating hearts.
She didn't aim to control this old man; Phantylia knew very well this old fellow was a tough, stubborn character. Controlling or possessing him was almost impossible.
However, just a sliver of hesitation… no, just a moment of laxity was enough!
Then she could use the connection to her other part to transmit her status, and then, with external help, she could escape this damned cage!