A Hair's Breadth from Death
The silver-colored Starship activated its strongest defensive mode, withstanding a barrage of attacks while simultaneously launching a counterattack.
A concentrated barrage of artillery fire destroyed a Starship blocking their path, creating a gap in the encirclement. The silver warship fled, weaving its way through the meteorite swarm.
The gray Starship chased after them frantically, firing their cannons as they went. Soon, the silver warships' shields shattered under another barrage of attacks.
Shells rained down on the ship, leaving it battered and teetering on the brink of collapse.
Kadisha had no choice but to come out of the warship with about ten guards. If she didn't come out soon, the warship would explode and disintegrate.
When the crew of the gray warships saw Kadisha and her companions abandon ship and flee, they immediately ceased firing. After all, their goal was to capture Kadisha alive in order to maximize their profits.
These people also emerged from the warship and pursued them, quickly surrounding Kadisha and her group, and another fierce battle broke out.
Because of the sheer number of mercenaries, Kadisha and her companions were unable to break through despite their best efforts.
As cultivators of the Star Sea Realm, every move they made was an explosion of the Star Sea, with attacks coming one after another, and the heavens and earth shattered with devastation.
In the end, all of Kadisha's guards were killed in battle, and she herself was seriously wounded, on the verge of falling into enemy hands.
Kadisha's meridians trembled violently within her body, every inch of her flesh and blood like a piece of iron thrown into a furnace, steaming up visible energy mist.
She stared intently at the mercenary leader in front of her, a sinister smile playing on his lips. His armor, forged from black iron, was still stained with the blood of her guards, and the giant axe in his hand gleamed with a chilling light in the dim light reflected from the meteorite shower.
"Give up, Miss Kadisha." The leader's voice, enveloped in energy fluctuations, exploded in the vacuum.
"Your father's Starship Alliance is finished, and no one can protect you."
Surrender obediently, and at least you'll save your life.
Kadisha did not respond, but simply held the Longsword across her chest.
The star pattern engraved on the sword lit up as she poured her Spiritual Power into it. The stars, composed of ancient runes, began to slowly rotate, emitting waves powerful enough to tear apart meteorites.
The silver warship wreckage behind her suddenly exploded violently, the scorching shockwave pushing several pieces of rubble toward her, but they were pulverized by an invisible energy before they came within three feet of her—the last barrier she had created by burning her life force.
More than forty Black Raven Mercenaries surrounded them in a fan shape, each of their weapons brimming with Spiritual Power.
Their greed was almost palpable; everyone knew what capturing this Starship Alliance heiress meant.
That's a bounty enough to buy three resource planets, or to become a guest of honor of some interstellar power.
"First Elder, stop wasting your breath on her!"
On the left, a one-eyed mercenary licked his lips, the energy net in his hand hissing.
"This woman can't hold on much longer, just take her!"
Before he could finish speaking, the one-eyed mercenary had already pulled the trigger on the energy network.
The pale blue electric grid stretched out like a living thing, crackling with electricity as it enveloped Kadisha.
Just as the electric grid was about to touch her, Kadisha suddenly moved.
Instead of dodging, she took half a step towards the electric net, her Longsword slicing through an arc. The Big Dipper in the star pattern suddenly lit up, and a silver sword Sword Qi, like a meteor falling to earth, cleaved the energy net in two!
"Court death!"
The leader roared, and his giant axe came crashing down with a whooshing sound.
The trajectory of the axe blade as it cleaved through the vacuum created layers upon layers of Space Fold. This was a spatial technique that only cultivators at the Star Sea Realm could master, enough to split half an asteroid in two.
Kadisha dodged to the side, but was struck on the shoulder by the axe wind. She immediately felt a sharp, shattering pain in her collarbone and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the sword, making the star pattern patterns even more vivid.
Her back slammed heavily against a meteorite with a diameter of 1 meter. The cold, rocky touch brought her to a momentary jolt Chaos consciousness, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of something shimmering on the back of the meteorite.
It was an extremely faint spatial fluctuation, as if someone had used special methods to hide something.
"Grab her!"
The leader's roar drew her attention back to the battlefield.
Three mercenaries rushed in from three directions, their chains laced with barbs containing Spiritual Power suppressants. If anyone was hooked, even Star Sea Realm cultivator would instantly lose all strength.
Kadisha gritted her teeth, poured all her last bit of Spiritual Power into her feet, and her body suddenly transformed into a streak of light, weaving through the meteorite cluster.
She moved so fast that she left only a blur; her Longsword drew a silver streak behind her, severing all the chains that were chasing her.
The mercenaries were clearly prepared. The remaining men quickly formed Star Dipper Formation, and thirty beams of Spiritual Power shot from different directions, weaving an impenetrable energy net above her head.
Kadisha whirled around, her Longsword pointing straight at the sky. The star map on the sword suddenly rotated in reverse, and the previously dormant dark star symbols suddenly lit up.
This is the Starship Alliance's Forbidden Technique "Starfall," which summons extraterrestrial meteors to attack at the cost of burning a cultivator's life essence.
Suddenly, a violent energy surge came from the sky, and dozens of burning meteorites broke through the clouds, crashing into the encirclement with World-destroying force.
The Black Raven Mercenaries' expressions changed drastically, and they quickly withdrew their attacks and formed a defensive formation.
Violent explosions rang out one after another amidst the meteor shower, the debris and energy shockwaves mixing together, turning the entire battlefield into Chaos.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Kadisha mustered her last strength and rushed toward the meteorite that was shimmering with spatial fluctuations.
The moment her fingers touched the surface of the meteorite, she felt a familiar energy—it was the Starship Alliance's unique Spatial Anchor Point!
Her father implanted an emergency device in her body before she left, and it is now resonating with this meteorite.
"There it is!"
The leader roared, piercing through the explosion's roar, and his giant axe broke through the smoke and dust, slashing towards Kadisha's back with a tearing force.
Kadisha could feel the shadow of death instantly enveloping her; she could even smell the burning, acrid odor of the Spiritual Power burning on the giant axe.
At this critical moment, a two-meter-wide Space Rift suddenly appeared on the surface of the meteorite, and a low, rumbling sound of Starship engine came from deep within the rift.
A hand covered in Golden Scales suddenly emerged from the crack, precisely grabbed Kadisha's wrist, and yanked her in.
The giant axe cleaved empty air, splitting the meteorite in two.
When the leader rushed to the rift, all you could see was the rift rapidly closing, and finally disappearing from the scene.
Kadisha was held in the arms of a figure clad in golden armor. Beneath the figure's helmet, in the eyes, flames burned hotter than Star Core.
"Chase!"
The leader kicked the nearby rubble, his eyes blazing with fury that seemed almost tangible.
"Investigate! Which faction used that space technology just now?!"
On the other side of the Space Rift, Kadisha felt as if she were lying in a medical bay of a Starship.
A soft white light enveloped her body, repairing her damaged meridians.
A familiar voice rang in her ears, trembling with barely concealed nervousness. "Miss, you're finally awake."