usatvline Chapter 418 79 - The Decapitation Plan
Chapter 418 79 - The Decapitation Plan
Based on the location Wende provided, the IPC and the Xianzhou joined forces to annihilate the Antimatter Legion forces hidden within the central star systems. With the help of the risk-taking Professor Ratio, they even managed to capture a few Antimatter Legion "tongues." Although the stereotype of the Legion was that they were all mindless madmen, their heads filled with nothing but a frantic impulse for destruction, the major factions knew that sometimes, the evidence didn't depend on the captive, but on their own methods.
In any case, the marauding Antimatter Legion unit in the central star systems had been eliminated. Although some price was paid during the annihilation operation, it meant that, for the foreseeable future, supplies could be sent to the front lines without being attacked again.
For the front lines, this was not only a powerful material guarantee but also an extremely morale-boosting piece of news.
A victory in the rear could greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the frontline soldiers; such was the motivational power of success.
And yet, even after that entire group of the Antimatter Legion was wiped out, the hidden Lord Ravager did not reveal himself. The other four Lord Ravagers also remained absent. The front lines remained unchanged, with both sides continuing their long, drawn-out war of attrition.
Next, the [Alliance]'s focus would shift to finding this infiltrated Lord Ravager. This was the ultimate test of the Alliance's internal unity. If the leaders of the various factions continued to suspect each other, then the Alliance would soon collapse without a fight...
After seeing the Antimatter Legion unit being jointly annihilated by the various factions, Wende finally retracted his watchful eyes. His eyes were about to dry out from sending them all that intelligence.
But it was all worth it. He believed that even without his help, it was only a matter of time before that Lord Ravager was found.
But... that was assuming the Antimatter Legion didn't suddenly ramp up its offensive.
Some time passed. The war had now been raging for a month. The soldiers fighting the Antimatter Legion on the front lines had been rotated out batch after batch, while the Legion's Voidrangers were like insects, impossible to completely exterminate. Many soldiers required psychological counseling after returning from the front and were extremely resistant to being redeployed.
And so, the two sides remained in a stalemate. Neither had gained the upper hand. All the battlefronts had returned to their initial state, maintaining a strange equilibrium.
Until one day, the now formally reorganized Astral Express joined the battlefield, providing initial support to the Xianzhou and IPC fronts.
With the addition of the Nameless, the combat dynamic on the front lines was instantly transformed. All the battlefronts that received aid began to push back against the Antimatter Legion with the help of this "surprise army." They seized the opportunity to expand their gains, capturing many important planets as "buffer zones."
This was the strength of the Nameless. They were the adventurers of this universe, the people who least lacked the spirit of exploration. Wherever they went, they would surely bring [Trailblaze].
And yet, even as their lines began to crumble, the Lord Ravagers still did not appear. Apart from Xingxiao, the others seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Wende was also very puzzled by this. Even when he practically pushed his eyes into Nanook's face, he couldn't find any sign of those Lord Ravagers. There was definitely something wrong... a big problem! They had to be preparing something behind the scenes, otherwise, they wouldn't be so careless!
Just as Wende was thinking this, the situation... finally changed!
On the IPC's front, an Antimatter Legion unit was pinned down within a star system. Wanting to press their advantage, the IPC forces led several hundred ships and over a hundred thousand troops in pursuit into an ordinary star system. This system had no life-sustaining planets and very few exploitable resources. It was a rather unique system in the grand scheme of the universe.
And it was in such a system that the Antimatter Legion had chosen to make its stand.
Any discerning person could see it was a trap, but the IPC executive in command of this battle, for some unknown reason, approved the pursuit request...
And so, the system's star... detonated.
Hundreds of ships were instantly crippled by the high-energy particle shockwave from the stellar explosion. A hundred thousand people were counter-encircled by the Antimatter Legion, which had used the detonated star as a weapon. In one fell swoop, the elite fleet was annihilated.
And this, like some kind of signal, threw the other four battlefronts into chaos, all except for the Xianzhou's!
Malfunctioning machines, illusory enemies appearing like mirages, suddenly vanishing stars...
At the same time, Xingxiao made a startling move: she retreated before the Yaoqing!
This unbelievable action instantly plunged the entire Yaoqing into confusion. They immediately launched an investigation to analyze the situation and issued a strict order: no soldier was to pursue without authorization, on pain of Xianzhou military law!
This retreating Antimatter Legion force soon appeared on the other four battlefronts. On those four fronts, five Lord Ravagers revealed themselves, showing the universe why they had held back at the start.
There were strategists among the Lord Ravagers, and this "strategist" had laid out all the lines of attack from the very beginning. Although Fenfeng's death had caused some delays, with a few minor adjustments, their plan was now proceeding perfectly!
---o---
"What a... brilliant strategy..." Jing Yuan stared at the strategic map before him with a blank expression, muttering to himself as his brow furrowed deeply.
He finally understood the full picture. The Antimatter Legion's initial plan was likely different. After Fenfeng's death, the [Chessmaster] must have changed their entire operational plan. The war of attrition was just a smokescreen. Their true goal was to make everyone let their guard down. The Lord Ravager who had caused trouble in the central star systems might have been real, but he must have been positioned there long in advance, coordinating with their various plans...
Now, with the exception of the Yaoqing and Astral Express fronts, the other lines were broken almost instantly! One other Xianzhou front was still desperately holding on, but its collapse was only a matter of time.
The Astral Express also received this bad news. After the lines were broken, a large number of [Nameless] were attacked by the Antimatter Legion. Most of them managed to return to miHoYo Planet using the Realm-Restricting Anchors, but the rest...
This sudden turn of events shattered the original plans of all the factions. The already fragile Alliance vanished from the stage of the universe the moment the four fronts were breached.
The representatives of the various factions madly shirked responsibility and pointed fingers at each other before finally being forced to accept reality. They left Pier Point and returned to their own territories to prepare for battle against the Antimatter Legion within the central star systems.
The original defensive line strategy had been completely broken by the Antimatter Legion, and the Alliance was no more. Most factions were now isolated islands, their destruction only a matter of time.
After the Alliance dissolved, the IPC immediately chose to form a triangular front with the Xianzhou Alliance and the Astral Express, contracting their lines based on the territories the three factions currently controlled, forming a triangle on the star map.
This time, the three parties cooperated with perfect tacit understanding, and within a single day, they had formulated a crucial plan.
The "Lord Ravager Decapitation Plan."
The IPC believed that the reason the Antimatter Legion was able to break into the central star systems was due to the absolute control the Lord Ravagers had over them. As long as the Lord Ravagers were defeated, the Legion would instantly become a headless flock, flying aimlessly through the central sectors. And catching a blind bird... was a simple matter.
The plan was simple. After verifying its feasibility, the next step was execution.
Assassinating a Lord Ravager. If you mentioned this in any pub in the universe, everyone would think you were drunk. But it was indeed the fastest way to solve the problem right now.
After some discussion, the plan was swiftly approved.
"Do you all really think this plan is reliable? Do you think you're all Polka Kakamond?"
Wende looked at the people present with a headache. What if this plan was also a trap set by the enemy? Wouldn't they just be walking right into it?
"But... it seems this is the only path we can take now. The Antimatter Legion is advancing incredibly fast. Those Lord Ravagers, who have abandoned their so-called aesthetics of destruction, are acting like毁灭疯子 (huǐmiè fēngzǐ - destruction maniacs). In the single day since the lines were broken, more than twenty planets have been annihilated..."
Himeko shook her head, her voice heavy with helplessness. No one had expected the war to take such a dramatic turn. From the very beginning, they had been led by the nose by the Antimatter Legion!
"Wende... the Antimatter Legion's numbers grow with war and destruction. They can forge the bodies of the dead into Voidrangers and send them to fight across the universe. If we continue to fight a protracted war with them, I'm afraid they will only grow stronger."
"So... I want to ask for your help, to ensure this operation is foolproof."
Welt stood up, his face etched with a gravity Wende had never seen before.
"..."
Staring into Welt's earnest eyes, Wende couldn't help but close his own and think carefully.
He understood what Welt meant. It was nothing less than asking him to help teleport people directly to the Lord Ravagers' sides. Such an "assassination" would undoubtedly be the most effective, fastest, and most convenient.
The price of doing so was... his identity would likely be discovered. Although it was only the part related to [Trailblaze], but...
After a period of hard thinking, Wende finally agreed to Welt's request.
Because aside from this method, he really had no other way to change the current situation. He couldn't just use his Chaos power to annihilate all those Voidrangers into dust, could he? If he did that, another cataclysm would befall the universe, and it might really turn into an Aeon-level battle royale... and the first 1v1 would be him against Nanook!
After gaining Wende's consent, Welt was somewhat surprised. He thought he would have to put in a lot more effort to get Wende to act. But on second thought... Wende was indeed a very kind person who cared for others. Even after becoming a god, he had never once put on the airs of an Aeon...
That's right... even when he bestowed his blessing upon us, he did it from the shadows...
Clearly, Welt had developed a very noble image of Wende, completely unaware that the guy was actually just afraid of getting beaten up by the other Aeons and had been forced to take this drastic measure.
He couldn't help it. What that guy Dragon had said was too terrifying. Staying alive was the priority.
But now, it was a matter of survival. Trading one disguise for five, or even six, of the Antimatter Legion's Lord Ravagers...
That didn't seem like a bad deal, did it?
---o---
After the Antimatter Legion entered the central systems, the guys who had been hiding in the shadows stopped pretending. They all revealed their true forms and began to command the "destruction." Although their god didn't let them pursue their personal aesthetics of destruction anymore, he never said what kind of destruction didn't count as their aesthetic.
They just had to change their perspective, and their "destruction" would still be full of beauty!
However, in a corner unknown to them, a group of prepared "reapers," with the help of another [Aeon], was already preparing to cross the vast sea of stars to claim their heads!
The first to be targeted was the Lord Ravager known as the "Star-Devouring Beast." Its body was just as its name suggested, and its favorite pastime was "playing with stars." The destruction of the IPC fleet by the exploding star was likely its doing.
Now, it was time to settle the score. After confirming the beast's exact location, Wende nodded to Kevin beside him.
"I'm ready. Let's begin."
Kevin, holding the Might of An-Utu, said calmly.
"Alright."
Wende said only one word. The next second!
Kevin's figure vanished from miHoYo Planet, faster than an instant! It was as if he had phased through space! He appeared directly in the area where the Star-Devouring Beast was located.
"Is this... the power of an Aeon?"
Wiping the blade of the Might of An-Utu, Kevin murmured to himself.
He had felt the mighty power of the Amber King, but Wende's power... was even greater than Qlipoth's!
It was simply unbelievable...
After only a moment's pause, Kevin remembered his mission. Seeing the figure of the Star-Devouring Beast in the distance, Kevin decisively activated the power of Preservation, igniting the Might of An-Utu, and instantly slashed at the beast, which was still posturing over a planet!
"BOOM!!!"
Although it wasn't as exaggerated as when he was directly blessed by the Amber King, a monstrous sea of fire still engulfed the Star-Devouring Beast's form. The immense power was still enough to turn it to ash. By the time the Antimatter Legion reacted to the fact that their Lord Ravager had gone to meet their god's ancestors, Kevin's figure had already returned to miHoYo Planet.
"How do you feel? Any discomfort?" Wende asked, looking at Kevin, whose expression was a bit off.
"No... it's nothing. I just felt like... something glanced at me..."
Kevin shook his head slightly. The instant Wende teleported him back, a gaze of immense pressure had indeed fixed on him for a moment...
"Glanced at by something..."
Wende's face darkened. He wanted to ask Kevin for more details about what he had felt, but Kevin couldn't describe it...
Wende could only bury the matter in his heart for now and turned his gaze to Welt.
He was already prepared for the next assassination. Kevin was clearly not in the right state of mind. Sending him again might lead to an accident. But Welt, now blessed by [Trailblaze], had regained much of his former prowess. As long as it wasn't Xingxiao, he was confident he could kill any of the other Lord Ravagers in a single sneak attack!
Seeing that Welt was ready, Wende said no more. He only reminded him to be prepared to be "watched," then found a seemingly ordinary-looking Lord Ravager and instantly sent Welt over.
The scenery flashed. Welt looked at the figure before him and, without a second thought, directly unleashed the Zeroth Power Release of the Simulated Star of Eden!
The cane in his hand instantly shattered. At the same time, the power of [Trailblaze] converged with the residual Herrscher of Reason power within him! Tens of thousands of Simulated Stars of Eden were instantly reconstructed, and they unleashed their full power upon the incredulous figure in the center of the pseudo-black hole!
In an instant, gravity multiplied upon itself! The Lord Ravager's figure was directly crushed by the immense gravity into primordial dark matter, not even leaving carbon behind...
And after doing all this, Welt's vision went black, and he fainted from exhaustion.
Wende quickly teleported him back to miHoYo Planet. And in that instant of teleportation, he too seemed to feel a certain gaze upon him for a moment...
"Was it my imagination?"
That was the last question in his fading consciousness.
Wende quickly propped up the collapsing Welt and used his Chaos power to check his condition. He found that it was only exhaustion. He had focused his entire Emanator-level power into a single point in an instant, so it was not surprising that he would collapse.
If Wende remembered correctly, the Lord Ravager Welt had just insta-killed was likely the "Chessmaster." A fitting turn of fate... he probably never imagined he would be suddenly crushed into the very origin of the world...