Battle (Part One)

"I sensed it."

Beyond the human river systems.

An incomparably profound black vortex slowly rotated, devouring and drawing in everything that came near.

It resembled a black hole, yet it was countless times larger than one.

Its entire volume was only slightly smaller than the other river systems.

"Someone has restarted the Life Process."

A vast will slowly surged and spread within the dark vortex.

"Someone has restarted the Life Process."

"Someone has restarted it."

The will seemed to carry an echo, endlessly reverberating and intertwining within the vortex.

"A part of us is missing," another will said in a deep voice.

"Follow our will. Find the Rebooter. Find him. Protect him."

The enormous black vortex trembled faintly, and black particles like points of light began to evaporate around it.

Countless black particles steamed upward, spreading out and shooting in every direction.

"Hope. That is hope."

Four layers of will fluctuations, like voices, thundered through the entire vortex.

*

*

*

Human battlefield, in the cosmic airspace between the Lyra River System and the Shengyun River System.

At this moment, enormous fleets were locked in combat, slaughtering one another.

Every moment, tens of thousands of warriors fell and exploded.

The fragments of colony armor had nearly formed a river, endlessly scattered and colliding amid explosions, beams, and kinetic force.

From afar, this battlefield resembled a galaxy constantly flickering with countless points of light.

Every shining point was an exploding colony armor unit, warship, or spacecraft.

Cross-shaped carrier ships, each countless times larger than colony armor, lit up with the dazzling brilliance of their main cannons along their sides.

Vast mire force fields unfolded, using the carrier ships as links to connect with one another and bog down all enemy colony armor in the surrounding area.

Screech!!

The combined white beam