Calon stared fixedly at the countdown in the Holographic Projection, every second stretching as long as an age.
He could hear metal grinding throughout the ship, feel the faint tremors beneath his feet caused by the main gun overloading, and hear the suppressed sobs of the slaves aboard the Transport Ships through the communications channel.
He clenched his fists and prayed silently, It has to work. I have to get this batch of goods out!
Otherwise, he would be skinned alive. He had already taken deposits from certain people.
"Ten seconds to countdown!" the weapons operator called out, with a trace of nervousness in his voice.
"Lion's energy restoration is complete. Main gun has locked onto the target!"
"Falcon reporting: small debris cleared. The Transport Ship fleet is ready to break through!"
Calon drew a deep breath, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's, and issued a low command into the communicator. "Fire!"
The instant the words left his mouth, the Malleby's main gun fired first, unleashing a brilliant orange-red beam like a roaring fire dragon toward the largest asteroid ahead.
Almost at the same time, Lion's main gun also fired a pale purple beam. The two beams converged in space and struck the asteroid, more than ten kilometers in diameter, with pinpoint precision.
Boom—
A deafening blast echoed through space. Though sound could not travel through the vacuum, everyone could feel that World-destroying force through the vibrations of their ships.
The massive asteroid shattered instantly beneath the bombardment, countless fragments spraying in every direction, only to be blasted apart one by one by Falcon's Secondary Guns, which had long been prepared.
"The passage is open!" the communications officer shouted excitedly.
A flash of wild joy crossed Calon's eyes, and he immediately gave the order. "Dire Wolf will lead the