Attack

Iron Mountain spoke in a muffled voice.

"This is more like it."

Shadow remained silent, but his body tensed slightly.

Spirit Wind walked over to Qian Yu and said in a low voice.

"First real fight, nervous?"

Qian Yu shook his head.

"It's fine."

Shuang'er sidled over, blinking her big eyes.

"Qian Yu, don't be scared. I'll protect you."

Qian Yu rolled his eyes.

"Alright, then you'd better protect me well. Don't make me come save you instead."

Shuang Yue walked to the console and pulled up a star chart.

"The Dark Star Realm is made up of three main stars and countless dangerous zones. From this cleared area to the target zone, we still have to fly for over two months. During those two months, we'll be flying through all kinds of perilous places, and combat could break out at any time."

She paused, looking at Qian Yu and the others present.

"Our squad has eight people. The shortest time any of you has spent on the Outer Domain Battlefield is... well, Qian Yu, you just got here. But the other veterans all started as rookies. If a fight breaks out later, don't hold us back."

Dark Dream smiled.

"The captain sure is blunt as always."

Qian Yu nodded.

"Understood."

Two months later.

Deep in the Dark Star Realm, within a belt of asteroids.

The Seventh Elite Squad's ship docked beside a massive derelict vessel wreck.

The wreck was enormous, over a hundred kilometers long, its surface scarred with battle damage, clearly destroyed long ago.

"We'll rest here temporarily."

Shuang Yue ordered.

"Shadow, stand guard."

Everyone entered the wreck's interior.

The inside was a mess, but it was serviceable as a temporary base.

They found a relatively intact cabin, cleaned it up a bit, and each settled in to rest.

Qian Yu leaned against the cabin wall, closing his eyes to recuperate.

Suddenly, Shadow's body shifted slightly.

"Something's coming."

Everyone's eyes snapped open.

Shuang Yue's body tensed instantly, a sharp glint flashing in her pale purple eyes.

"All attention! Battle ready—"

Before she could finish—

"Boom!!!"

Dozens of thick energy rays suddenly pierced through the wreck's hull, shooting straight toward their position.

Qian Yu's pupils contracted, and he instantly sprang back.

"Boom—!"

The entire wreck exploded in an instant, a terrifying shockwave mixed with countless metal fragments sweeping in all directions.

The surrounding asteroids were shattered by the blast, flames roaring into the sky.

Eight figures burst out of the explosion almost simultaneously, gathering in the void.

"It's the Mechanical Race."

Shuang Yue swept her gaze around, her voice low.

"Everyone, be careful."

Mad Blade grinned, but there was no humor in his eyes.

"Tch, these guys who love hiding in the shadows again."

Dark Dream frowned as she looked around.

Faint metallic glimmers flickered within the shattered asteroid belt.

"Something's wrong..."

Shuang Yue's face changed abruptly.

"Not good—this is the Thunder Prison Realm commonly used by the Mechanical Race. We've fallen into a trap!"

"What?"

Iron Mountain rumbled.

"The detector didn't find anything at all?"

Spirit Wind's expression turned grim.

"The Mechanical Race's detection tech is far beyond ours..."

Shuang Yue looked at Shadow.

"Shadow, try to locate his position!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Shadow closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly as his perception spread out in an instant.

Just then—

"Boom boom boom!!!"

Dozens of asteroids ahead suddenly exploded, revealing the massive wingmen hidden within.

Those wingmen were a hundred meters long, their cannons aimed at the group as they began unleashing a frenzy of firepower.

Countless energy beams poured down like a torrential rain.

"Scatter!"

The group instantly dispersed, moving at high speed through the void.

Though the fire was dense, for Realm Lord-level battle commanders like them, being hit wasn't easy.

But the next moment!

From the shattered asteroid belt, wave after wave of mechanical puppets surged forth.

Those puppets were entirely silver-white, their eyes flashing red, densely packed like a tide, numbering at least ten thousand.

"E9 Mechanical Puppets!"

Shuang Yue said in a low voice.

"Everyone, these puppets aren't strong individually, but there are too many. Qian Yu, focus on smashing their cores with heavy strikes—don't waste time fully destroying them."

Qian Yu nodded.

"Understood."

Shuang Yue pointed with her short sword.

"Destroy all these puppets! Let the Mechanical Race know the cost of provoking the Seventh Elite Squad!"

"Yes!!"

The group roared and shot out in all directions.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom!!"

Mad Blade's war blade swept into a storm of light, mechanical puppets snapping apart wherever it passed.

Iron Mountain's fists hammered out, each punch shattering three to five puppets.

Dark Dream's form wove through the mist, puppets she touched instantly losing power.

Spirit Wind's telekinetic weapons turned into streaks of light, precisely piercing the cores of puppet after puppet.

Shuang'er's support radiance enveloped the battlefield, boosting everyone's speed and strength.

Shadow's figure flickered through the shadows, puppets falling with each appearance.

"Hahaha!"

Mad Blade laughed.

"Daring to mess with our squad—today, we'll bleed him dry!"

Dark Dream smiled too.

"As long as we destroy enough mechanical puppets, the Mechanical Race will feel the loss and come out. These E9 puppets aren't cheap to make!"

Iron Mountain rumbled.

"Then let's wreck more!"

Qian Yu joined the fight.

Hundreds of mechanical puppets surged toward him, so dense they nearly blocked his view.

He raised his hand!

One slash swept out.

In an instant, countless blade lights manifested in the void.

"Clang clang clang clang clang!!!"

Where the blade lights passed, those E9 Mechanical Puppets seemed like paper—instantly sliced in half.

Sparks flew from their severed bodies, all cores shattered.

In a single moment, hundreds of puppets before him were split in two.

The rest of the group was startled.

"Holy crap!"

Mad Blade's eyes went wide.

"Cutting through E9 Mechanical Puppets in one slash? What kind of attack power is that?!"

Dark Dream sucked in a sharp breath.

"One slash, hundreds of puppets... terrifying attack power."

Iron Mountain rumbled.

"Stronger than me."

Spirit Wind's mouth twitched.

"What the hell is this guy's background..."

Shuang'er waved excitedly.

"Qian Yu is amazing!"

Qian Yu ignored their astonishment, raised his hand, and swept all the broken puppets into his World Ring.

These were all spoils of war. Then, with a flicker of his form, he continued the slaughter.

"Hahahaha!"

Mad Blade laughed loudly.

"Never thought you'd be this strong, Qian Yu! Keep going, everyone! Let that Mechanical Race feel the pain!"

Though Qian Yu was a Realm Lord War General, none of them had ever seen him fight before.

But now it was clear—Qian Yu's strength was likely terrifying.

The group's morale soared, and they struck faster.

In the void, countless mechanical puppets surged forward like moths to a flame, only to fall in waves under the group's attacks.

The battle lasted a full three minutes.

In those three minutes, they had destroyed at least seven thousand mechanical puppets.

"Shadow!"

Shuang Yue spoke.

"Keep searching for that Mechanical Race's location!"