Chapter 73
Allen Walker, one of the twin brothers, grimaced in pain from his back injury, while Eludick, the other twin brother, smiled wryly.
Arlan remained silent, with only his heavy breathing surrounding him.
The next second, the remote communication device emitted a sound, injecting a powerful boost into the long-suppressed darkness:
"Everyone has been evacuated, Arlan, you all need to evacuate from the Supply Zone immediately!"
"But... there may be other surviving clerks."
"That's it... there are no other signs of life."
Arlan knew he should trust Asta, until he saw the Antimatter Legion surge towards them again like a tide. The signal from the surveillance domain was weak, Asta couldn't see it.
At this moment, he was standing in front of the link between the two modules.
He was alone here with a few members of the Security Department. As the person in charge, he had to make a judgment, even if it meant defying Asta's orders—to protect them, he had to close the link at all costs and prevent the monster from getting any closer to the Storage Zone.
"I'm sorry, Miss..."
Before Arlan could explain, he hurriedly threw away the communicator, and the remote communication was cut off.
He recalled that whether he was working at the young lady's house or going to the space station "Herta" to become the head of the Security Department, he had never "hesitated" at all.
Since the young lady decided to go in that direction, it was only natural for me to follow her.
Hopefully this won't be the last time.
Arlan struggled to lift his head as the monster slowly closed in on him. He had never disobeyed his mistress's orders before; this was the first time.
I hope Bai Jun doesn't get hurt...
In the very end, such a thought suddenly popped into Arlan's mind, but he quickly realized how ridiculous it was, since he wasn't as weak as Alan and would certainly be fine.
He used his greatsword to support his body and slowly, steadily, stood up.
Chapter 99 The Strongest as I Am, Please Give Me Your Guidance
"You all retreat quickly; I'll cover your retreat here."
Arlan faced the surging Antimatter Legion alone, urging his staff behind him to retreat.
As the head of the Security Department, he had an obligation to be responsible for the lives of his staff, and Arlan had to make a judgment even at the cost of sacrifice.
Of everyone present, only Arlan possessed the strength to withstand the Antimatter Legion's attack for a little longer. With the strength of the others, even if they stayed, the outcome would likely only be the pointless loss of several more lives, dying in vain.
Not only Arlan, but everyone was well aware of this, yet no footsteps of departure could be heard from behind.
"Brother Arlan, are you looking down on us?"
"That's right, Brother Arlan. We can even withstand Brother Bai Jun's training, how could we possibly be afraid of a mere Antimatter Legion?"
The twin brothers were the first to stand up, standing at the very front like Arlan. They said it was easy, but their legs were actually trembling.
The other staff members stood up silently, but none of them left; they all followed behind Arlan.
"Really..."
Upon seeing this scene, even if Arlan had a lot to complain about, he could only manage a subtle smile that was a mixture of bitterness and emotion.
To be honest, the Antimatter Legion was far more troublesome than Arlan had imagined.
Unlike the first wave of scattered soldiers who served as cannon fodder, the subsequent Antimatter Legion underwent a significant change in their troop structure.
The first thing to be affected was the emergence of Trampler at the forefront of many battle lines. Their strength far surpassed that of ordinary Voidranger. Although their numbers were relatively small, they combined the intelligence of warriors with the power and mobility of ancient beasts. Their roars could summon a large number of Voidranger.
Moreover, the thick armor they possessed made them difficult to deal with with ordinary swords and energy cannons. As the Trampler advanced, many spellcasters and agile Voidranger were also deployed behind them.
So just two waves of attacks were enough to completely overwhelm Arlan's lines.
Arlan gripped his greatsword tightly. Even though he was mentally prepared, the sight of the surging Antimatter Legion still made him extremely nervous.
One... three... six... nine, no, a full thirteen Trampler were deployed at the front of the line, along with several pitch-black Stormbringer. A terrifying storm was constantly gathering into their crossbows, and finally, it transformed into three ready-to-fire Storm Arrows aimed at everyone.
Seeing this scene, even Arlan felt a deep sense of despair.
It's impossible to stop it now; it seems it's really over...
Watching the terrifying storm whistling through the air, Arlan held his greatsword horizontally in front of him, enduring the tearing pain in his hands, and mustered all his strength to prepare for a final counterattack, while the others simply closed their eyes in despair.
"Sorry, there were quite a few henchmen blocking the way, and clearing them out took a little longer than usual, but it seems I arrived just in time."
However, the imagined pain did not come, nor did they hear the howling of the wind. Instead, there was only a voice that was all too familiar to everyone present.
Opening his eyes, he saw that the storm crossbow bolts that should have been flying towards him had vanished without a trace. Upon closer inspection, he could see that Bai Jun had three arrows, each as thick as a forearm, in his hand. He casually tossed the bolts he had caught onto the ground, and after seeing that the others were unharmed, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to me."
Immediately afterwards, Bai Jun turned around, picked up his long sword, and slowly walked towards the swarming Antimatter Legion.
This was the first time anyone had ever seen Bai Jun use a weapon. In previous sparring sessions, no matter how many opponents there were, Bai Jun had never used anything other than his own body. The Allen Walker brothers had seen him use a wooden sword once, but he fell down after less than two seconds.
Although Bai Jun said that his strength was already very gentle, everyone thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. But only now did everyone realize that Bai Jun might have been too gentle.
Several enormous Trampler roared madly and charged forward with lightning speed. The ground trembled slightly under their charge, and their massive, ferocious hooves crushed the hard ground in their path. At the same time, countless Voidranger swarmed forward.
The Stormbringer behind them began to gather a storm once more, this time far more powerful than before. The trajectory of the gathered energy even distorted the surrounding light, and the storm condensing on the arrow almost solidified into a single point.
Even just watching such an attack from afar was terrifying; cold sweat dripped uncontrollably from everyone's foreheads, and they were all holding their breath for Bai Jun.
The first Trampler to arrive raised their iron hooves, their lower bodies rising high like a giant bow, gathering strength to slam Bai Jun down from above at maximum distance.
Bai Jun remained in the position of holding the long sword, seemingly making no movement whatsoever, not even glancing at the Trampler.
She appeared completely unprepared, her steps so light they seemed almost like she was going on a picnic.
Unlike humans who show mercy to their prey, the Trampler does not tread lightly with its iron hooves. Yet, its movements are always maintained in a state of charged energy, with its lower body raised high.
As if frozen in place, its raised hooves did not fall even after Bai Jun walked past it.
This bizarre state persisted until a barely perceptible thin line suddenly appeared on the Trampler's body. The next second, the burly and ferocious body split in two and crashed to the ground without even a scream.
The armor, which could easily withstand swords and energy cannons, was completely useless. Perhaps it didn't even realize it had been struck until its last breath.
At the same time, the other Trampler and Voidranger who rushed forward also fell into the same state, without exception being immobilized in place by lightning-fast slashes that were invisible to the naked eye.
During this time, Arlan and the others behind him didn't even understand what was happening before they saw the Antimatter Legion around Bai Jun freeze in place and then all split in two.
It was a complete and utter crushing defeat. Even when a storm of arrows came rushing in from the front, Bai Jun didn't make any response, or rather, he was too lazy to dodge.
The storm of energy could not be stopped by swords alone. The huge explosion directly engulfed Bai Jun, who was standing still. The horizon and the firelight turned into one color. The entire cabin trembled violently under this attack. Even a child could imagine the consequences of being hit head-on.
The energy wreaked havoc at the center, producing a large amount of thick smoke and dust. When the smoke cleared, Bai Jun, who was at the center of the storm, was completely unharmed, and even his clothes were unchanged.
"This time, it wasn't an arrow shot with the help of wind, but a storm formed by pure energy? For your insignificant existence, that's praiseworthy. I'll just have to accept this power that has left my hair disheveled."
He dusted off his clothes, seemingly annoyed by the tedious farce. He then subtly activated the surging power of the Sun within him, maintaining the same level of power as his physical form. Only his azure pupils were tinged with gold, and his tone of voice underwent a slight change.
Immediately afterwards, he casually waved his hand, and the floor in front of him instantly shattered and fell off. In the storm generated by his arm swing, a large number of Voidranger were crushed into dust and disappeared from sight, turning into countless particles and dissipating together with the smoke.
The sheer force generated by simply waving an arm—an utterly ordinary act—far exceeded the massive storm created by the combined full force of the three Stormbringer, and it produced no energy fluctuations whatsoever. In other words, it was all pure power generated by the physical body.
The smoke dissipated completely after the attack, and at the same time, the Antimatter Legion lost nearly 60% of its forces.
"You're not only stupid, but also incredibly unlucky to have come all this way just to die."
Bai Jun calmly watched the Antimatter Legion retreating in fear before him. He slung his longsword over his left shoulder, then pointed his right hand to the ceiling and said calmly and naturally:
"Bai Jun, the chief of the Flame Wheel Eight Leaves of the Flame Wheel Forging Palace, the True Monarch Liujing Liu Jing, engrave this name deep in your soul. This is the only thing you can do at the end of your lives."
The strongest among them formally announced their name.
The ensuing battle was far easier than Arlan and the others could have imagined. It didn't feel like a fight at all; it was as if Bai Jun was simply taking a walk in his yard and casually clearing away the weeds.
When he came to his senses, Bai Jun had already returned, and his eyes had returned to their previous azure blue state.
"It's so good to see that you're all safe and sound."
"Yes, it's so good to see you... Wait, Bai Jun, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be protecting Miss and Ms. Herta?"
Arlan's relaxed mood instantly turned tense again. The sudden movement of getting up caused his wounds to reopen, and the intense pain made him cry out in agony.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine. Only a small number of enemies infiltrated the Base Zone, and I've already cleared them out. The only enemies left are in the Storage Zone and Supply Zone."
Bai Jun sighed, distributed the emergency medicine he had brought to everyone present, then walked over to Arlan, unscrewed the cap, and forcefully shoved it into his mouth.
"I was originally planning to go straight to the Storage Zone, but then I remembered that the Supply Zone is in the hands of an idiot like you, so I came here specifically."
"I'm sorry... I just wanted to buy some more time for everyone back."
"The idea isn't wrong, but we need to be realistic about our capabilities. Besides, there's me and Herta on the Xianzhou station. As the saying goes, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. When it comes to risking our lives, it's not your turn yet."
Bai Jun knew this was due to Arlan's personality, so he didn't say much, just tapped him on the head, and then turned his attention to the twin brothers beside him.
"You guys really went through a lot, especially the two of you. You didn't leave even in that situation. I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
"Brother Bai Jun!!!"
The two were already deeply moved by Bai Jun's heroic appearance, which seemed to descend from the sky, but now his admiring gaze made them, who had just survived a near-death experience, burst into tears, forgetting all about their image.
After everyone had taken the emergency medication and their condition had improved slightly, Bai Jun said to them, "You should hurry back to the Base Zone and meet up with Asta and the others. I need to go to the Storage Zone next; I'm a little worried about the Stellaron."
The group hesitated, but Bai Jun wouldn't allow them to refuse. Perhaps his personality, still swayed by the Favor of the Sun, hadn't fully returned to normal, and his tone was somewhat cold.
"Now obediently return to the rear, that's an order."
Arlan knew he would only be a hindrance to Bai Jun now, so he stopped being coy, got up, and led the other staff to retreat. Just before leaving, he suddenly and solemnly reminded them, "By the way, there's an enemy wearing Molten Armor deep inside the Supply Zone. Although I know you're strong, Bai Jun, please be careful!"
"... I see."
Upon hearing Arlan's words, Bai Jun glanced at the Supply Zone with a slightly complicated expression, then nodded slightly.
In the Storage Zone, a woman with long, wine-red hair strolled leisurely down an empty corridor, surrounded by the countless corpses of Voidranger.
Soon, with heavy footsteps echoing down the corridor, many more Voidranger emerged.
The woman showed no sign of panic; a gentle smile remained on her face.
She tugged at her gloves, and a slender, sharp blade slowly emerged from her waist. An exquisitely designed gun popped out from her sleeve. Her coat, moving at lightning speed until it came to a complete stop, caused the wide sleeves to flutter and dance before slowly falling to the ground under the force of gravity.
Amidst the crisp sounds of weapons breaking and armor crumbling, the enemy was completely annihilated. The spent cartridges clattered as they fell, and the process, elegant yet swift, was completed. The remaining enemies then proceeded in the designated direction.
However, in a blind spot of her vision, a Voidranger blade, who had miraculously survived the hail of bullets, saw the woman's unguarded back and silently followed her.
Just as its sharp blade was about to touch the woman's nape and easily take her life, a cracked, black sword silently pierced its head.
"Thank you, Blade."
"When will death come? I'm getting anxious waiting..."
The black-haired man sheathed the Shard, blood-stained ancient sword and silently followed behind her.
"Don't be impatient, Blade. Just follow Elio's 'script' first."
The woman with long, wine-red hair comforted Ren as she walked around the corner and saw a cold girl with a silver ponytail sitting on a bench not far away. The girl was chewing gum expressionlessly, blowing a bubble out of boredom, and then stood up and stretched lazily after hearing the woman's footsteps.
"System time 1:27:35, you're late this time, Kafka."
"Sorry, Silver Wolf, the Antimatter Legion on the road is proving a bit tricky."
Kafka shrugged, looking slightly helpless, while Silver Wolf smiled smugly, "Looks like the troops I lured in are of decent quality; they've even managed to make you say they're somewhat troublesome."
How's the situation on Sam's side?
Kafka approached the Silver Wolf and asked softly, her gentle and patient tone just like a kindergarten teacher talking to a child.
"Everything went smoothly. She's completed her mission in the 'script' and disappeared outside the space station... Speaking of which, this mission was particularly exciting. What exactly happened? Are they planning to blow up the Herta's space station? Sam again, Blade again... Please, say something. 'No chatting until the 'script' says so.'"
Silver Wolf patted Blade's arm with a complicated expression, but the other party's response was still a series of silences.
"Today's mission is very simple; it's just a matter of putting the target into the vessel. As for why we're all being mobilized... Elio said there was an unexpected variable, and Wolfie, haven't you always said that missions are boring? This time, perhaps we can pique your interest a little."
"Ugh, please stop making empty promises. I've never seen a mission like this before. Even mobilizing the entire team wouldn't be enough, and now I have to go and get this little thing..."
Silver Wolf sighed and rubbed his forehead, operating the screen that appeared out of thin air. A special bottle appeared from the spatial rift, containing only a uniquely shaped Mini True Sting.
Instead of taking it out, she quickly stuffed the bottle back into the spatial rift.
"Alright, Silver Wolf, have you found the room that houses the Stellaron?"
Kafka's expression remained gentle, her gaze towards the Silver Wolf tinged with doting affection. She crossed her arms and asked with a smile.
"Of course, come with me."
Silver Wolf ignored the growing unease in his heart, casually swiped the floating screen to Kafka, and led the two of them unhurriedly toward their destination, a room deep in the Storage Zone corridor, to retrieve their mission objective— the Stellaron.