Karuman's counterattack
After the Mechanical Civilization's Engineering Platform entered the newly captured area, it did not immediately advance deeper.
Numerous robotic arms extended from beneath the platform, driving metal pillars—used to stabilize space and order—into the still-unsettled starry sky.
The Ash Fire continued to spread outwards from the gap that Locke and Saine had just torn open.
Further away, the Dark Sword Formation that had been relit were slowly adjusting their positions.
Separated by a vast expanse of shattered starry sky, the two sides refrained from immediately engaging in a new round of direct confrontation.
However, this calm did not last long.
The Mechanical Probe responsible for perimeter surveillance quickly detected a surprisingly large, dark yellow, Law Tide on the flank.
Instead of approaching the newly occupied area directly, those forces circled around to the rear of the Mechanical Engineering Platform from a greater distance, following several broken dark channels.
The Qisha Time-Space Legion has arrived!
They clearly had no intention of contesting the front lines with the Destruction Divine Kingdom Legion.
The numerous War Platform, enveloped by the sandstorm, maintained a highly dispersed formation, leaving behind dozens of indistinguishable fluctuations in the rules along their path.
The legions that actually carried out the attack missions were hidden deeper within the sandstorm.
Their goal is to establish a new connection between the Mechanical Engineering Platform and the rear transportation area.
Once this air route is cut off, the Engineering Legion entering the newly occupied territory will have to rely on their own energy to maintain operations.
Meanwhile, Ebony's rearranged Dark Sword Formation deeper within will also provide an opportunity for a counterattack.
Just as the Qisha Legion rounded the first shattered star field, an even thicker sandstorm rose from the other side of the transport route.
It turned out that Karuman had arrived.
This Level-12 sandstorm behemoth did not conceal its aura of power.
As its massive form slowly unfolded in the starry sky, the surrounding mechanical Transport Platform appeared incredibly small.
Compared to when he first submitted to Locke, Karuman's Rule True Body has undergone tremendous changes.
Its main body is still composed of dim yellow Dimension Sand Crystal produced in the Qisha Time-Space.
But beyond these sand crystals, large patches of dark black armor had already grown along its shoulders, back, and limbs.
One after another, menacing thorns extended outwards from the gaps in the armor.
They are not real Flesh Tissue, but rather the bodies of destruction that Karuman has condensed over the years after absorbing the Origin of Destruction.
Even within the swirling, yellowish storm surrounding Karuman's body, countless dark Destruction Factor were mixed in.
The fusion of the two forces makes it look even more ferocious than before, and more suitable for appearing on the Dimension Battlefield.
Over the years, Karuman has indeed been tamed by Locke.
Whether it was the resources that the Destruction Divine Kingdom gave to it and its direct race, or Locke's continued nurturing of it at the rule level, both far exceeded the treatment that Duolie had given it back then.
Karuman has not forgotten where he came from.
But it will also never forget who abandoned it at the end of the Qisha Time-Space War.
It was extremely familiar with all the Qisha Legion that were attacking it.
The outermost layer of sandstorm, which appeared to be a formidable force, was merely a cover to conceal the true direction of the attack.
Of the more than ten fluctuations in the rules that continuously emanate from within the sandstorm, at least half are false.
Even the largest War Platform were just empty shells used to draw enemy fire.
The Rule Nodes that truly maintain the operation of the entire legion are hidden in a few inconspicuous areas just behind the sandstorm.
Karuman did not probe.
With a stomp of its forelimbs, dark Destruction Factor spread rapidly along with the surrounding sandstorm!
Two storms of similar nature collided head-on.
There was no violent explosion as expected.
Countless Sand Grains, upon contact, immediately begin vying for every inch of space around them.
The sandstorm from the Qisha Legion attempted to divide the power released by Karuman and then slowly wear him down using their numerical advantage.
But they soon discovered that the dark, Destruction Factor mixed in with the Sand Grains could not be guided in the same way as before.
Once the two sides make contact, the Destruction Factor will directly penetrate deep into the Qisha Legion's rule structure.
The sandstorm's previously relatively stable pattern was suddenly marred by large black cracks.
Karuman's massive beastly body crashed into it at that moment!
The first War Platform it targeted only lasted a short while before its outer Sand Curtain was completely pierced by dark thorns.
Its heavy forelimbs then fell.
The core rules that maintained communication between legions at the center of the platform, along with a large number of surrounding facilities, were crushed!
The yellowish-brown storm suddenly dispersed to both sides.
The hidden Qisha Legion then realized that Karuman had never been affected by those false nodes from the beginning.
It is too familiar with the legion system of the Qisha Time-Space!
Even those battle formations that had been adjusted many times held little secret in Karuman's eyes.
The second Rule Nodes was quickly surrounded by dark sand.
The nearby Qisha Legion attempted to move it, but Karuman preemptively suppressed the surrounding space.
Large amounts of Destruction Sand Grains seeped inward along the gaps in the formation, severing the connection between this node and other legions.
The Destruction Legion, which had been waiting in the rear, then pressed in from the front.
A group of Destruction Angel with jet-black wings crossed the outer edge of the sandstorm, cutting the exposed Kisha fleet into several pieces.
More Destruction Creature then crashed into the enemy's position through the path torn open by Karuman.
The Qisha Legion's forte—wearing down and besieging—was never truly implemented from the outset.
Karuman was far more ruthless than they had anticipated.
It did not attack those insignificant outer legions; every move it made was aimed at the key areas that maintained the operation of the entire legion.
After the third Rule Nodes was destroyed, the sandstorm, which was still extending towards the transport route, finally lost control over a large area.
Several War Platform that were unable to evacuate in time were caught in Karuman's surface storm.
The dark, Destruction Factor is constantly being compressed from the outside in.
The outer protective layer of the platform first developed dense cracks, and then, along with the Kisha organisms inside, it was ground into large, inactive, dim yellow fragments.
The remaining legions dared not linger.
They quickly retreated in the direction they had come from, abandoning several heavily damaged Combat Platform along the way.
Karuman gave chase for some distance.
But when the Duolie aura of the powerful rules emanating from further away wafted over, it stopped.
It had promised not to attack Duolie first.
Karuman did not break his promise.
However, it showed no mercy to the Qisha Legion before it.
A large sandstorm slowly receded behind it.
The captured platforms, along with the scattered Kisha resources in the surrounding area, were quickly taken over by the Mechanical Legion that followed.
The rear transport route has also been stabilized thanks to the reinforcement of Engineering Devices.
Karuman's massive beast-like body remained stationary on the outer edge of the shipping lane.
The yellowish-brown storm still swirled around its surface, and the dark, Destruction Factor within it appeared even more concentrated than before the battle began.
News of the Flank Battlefield quickly reached Duolie.
At this moment, the Dimension Lord of Qisha Time-Space was still assisting Ebony in resisting Locke.
When that fragmented battlefield scene unfolded before him, the first thing Duolie saw was Karuman crushing the Kisha War Platform.
The sandstorm around him, which had subsided somewhat, suddenly surged violently again.
Karuman's appearance is completely different from what it used to be.
But Duolie recognized it at a glance.
In particular, the dark Destruction Factor that were deeply integrated into the Rule True Body the Karuman Rules made the storm around Duolie even more oppressive.
"Karuman..."
Duolie, resonant sound echoed deep within the sandstorm.
The next moment, his gaze swept across the vast battlefield and locked onto the transport route that had just resumed operation!