Chapter 278
On the deck, the Giant and the Gundam led the Psychic Warrior, slaying any insects that passed through the barrage of bullets.
Inside the warship, the defensive line was slowly retreating as the marines pushed heavy weapons into the narrow corridors and pulled the triggers with the heads of the swarm of insects at their feet.
The Electronic Bug are spreading, Johnny Silverhand is losing surveillance over more and more areas, and the ground battlefront is at a stalemate, making it difficult for Levi Ackerman and his crew to advance any further.
Come quick, come quick!
Yuki muttered to himself, not forgetting that the truly terrifying swarm of insects was rapidly returning to reinforce him, and his fists clenched tighter and tighter.
"We need to add another layer of leverage to force out the Zerg swarm's truly high-end combat capabilities!"
Yuki looked at the commander-in-chief with a resolute look in his eyes. It's better to fight sooner rather than later; the sooner we preserve our strength, the more we can do so.
Initiate the Fire Seed Destruction Program to burn the souls stored within.
The commander hesitated for the first time. This was the very foundation of humanity, the culmination of countless martyrs' efforts. If it were to begin burning, the Wall of Sighs would immediately lose its effectiveness.
But the hesitation lasted only a second; now the Wall of Sighs is no longer needed.
In this insect hive, at this very moment, the warriors are humanity's strongest bulwark.
"Okay, I'll start burning immediately. Be careful, the Queen will receive feedback and go insane instantly."
For the first time Yuki admired someone so capable and decisive, a gambler who had long surpassed all others. That was the 'Fire Seed,' capable of rendering not only the Wall of Sighs useless, but also all of humanity's machinery. Even if the swarm was defeated, human technology would regress by hundreds of years.
The commander-in-chief went to Area A, leaving the bridge to the three players. The Smiling Lady had been resting with her eyes closed until now, when she finally opened them slightly.
"He's someone important."
"No one says that story characters are inferior to players, at least I've never seen someone so decisive." Yuki continued watching the surveillance cameras go out one by one, and sighed, "It's a pity we encountered an oddball player, otherwise this mission wouldn't have been difficult."
Despite the apparent disparity between the insects and humans, and the near-despair, the task is not difficult for the players. With a little tacit understanding and cooperation, the main quest could have been completed long ago.
Once the Fire Seed is destroyed, both the Guardians and the Lurkers will have completed their main quest. Whether humanity is destroyed or the Queen can evolve is none of the player's business. Even if the swarm goes berserk, the Defense Force should bear the brunt of its fury.
"So you really do know about the Infiltrators' main mission." Teresa smiled, not at all surprised.
"Their mission is to destroy the Fire Seed. They're not on the side of the swarm to begin with, and they have no reason to protect the queen." Yuki was too lazy to pretend anymore; at this point, his identity was no longer important.
I guessed right!
These words brought a smile to Teresa's face. If those two players hadn't gone mad, they should have stood by and watched, or, if they were a little more cunning, joined forces with the Guardians to kill the flustered Queen and share the spoils of victory.
But her joy lasted only a moment before her expression darkened.
Yes, Yuki had no confidence in cooperating with that cursed spirit and the Yato. It was precisely because he knew them that he was prepared for the worst.
After a fierce battle, the battlefield has been divided into three parts, and the attitudes of Kamui and Mahito have become the decisive factors.
A massive and eerie energy emanated from beneath their feet, and the 'Fire Seed' began to burn. From that moment on, the main quest for all players entered its countdown. This energy was so immense that it even penetrated the walls, forming a thin mist.
These soul energies cannot be absorbed or controlled, yet they can guide you like a beacon.
"Look, the swarm is going berserk."
The moment the 'fuel' leaked, Yuki immediately noticed something different: the insects began to go berserk—no, their queen, who was micromanaging them, was frantic.
Setting off Fire Seed would expose Fire Seed location, and insects would swarm towards it from above and below, inside and outside the deck, even ignoring artillery fire, determined to drill a large hole in the thick armor.
Gulu, not taking the Fire Seed was the right choice.
This is like lighting a torch in the dark; which player can withstand such an attack? For example, the Bat Dragon circling the warship simply swooped down and blocked the cannons with their bodies.
"Tell everyone, the final test has arrived. Whether we live or die depends on this." Yuki gritted his teeth and searched for the remaining surveillance footage. Once the 'Fire Seed' began to be destroyed, all tactics would be useless.
He saw the Human Bug who should have been hiding, each leading a small team whose armor was corroding, and they were advancing in a straight line.
He saw more than a dozen Marines fall silently, their bodies turning into twisted monsters.
"Enlarge the one in section T-10 immediately."
The scene was brought up, showing human bodies seemingly being reshaped and transformed into monsters attacking their companions. Yuki and Teresa exchanged a glance.
That was the work of a top-tier curse spirit!
The surveillance footage showed no one; it was as if a ghost was toying with each squad, and even Psychic Warrior were not spared, or rather, they would become material for something even more powerful.
"Does it not know which side it should be on?" Teresa wondered.
"These lunatics are beyond comprehension; all they want is slaughter." Yuki's face was equally grim as he coldly said, "Even if such a person is on our side, we can't trust them. Since they are the enemy, we should kill them."
"Should you go or should I go?"
Yuki hesitated for a moment. He knew this cursed spirit quite well and was more skilled in soul combat, but the bridge was the shortest route to Area A, and he had to stay here.
"Go ahead, but be careful, don't be fooled by his sweet talk."
"Don't worry, I never like to waste words when I'm hunting." Teresa drew her greatsword from her back, her silver eyes tinged with a golden light. Her 'liberation' contained too much of the flesh and blood of demons.
Just like a frame drop, each step covered more than ten meters, and in just three steps, he disappeared from Yuki's sight.
In terms of average combat strength, the Hunters is indeed the strongest.
With such reliable teammates, Yuki felt at ease. Looking around, he saw that there were only a few people left on the bridge.
Apart from Chris's "Crimson" squad, there were only a few dozen operators left. Now that the warship was under Johnny Silverhand's complete control, they no longer needed his help and all changed into marines' equipment.
"Mr. Yuki, shall we continue to standby?" The girl watched as the monitor screen dimmed one by one, her forehead covered in sweat.
"Couldn't hold back any longer, Captain?"
"Yes, I want to participate in this epic battle!"
An epic battle, that's true; that's the direction my script was designed to take.
Yuki doesn't enjoy helping others, and even if he feels comradely towards these Defense Force, his primary goal is still to profit.
Glancing at Teresa, who was charging head-on towards the cursed spirit, I saw that every area inside the warship was engulfed in battle, the Hope was riddled with craters, and fireballs from explosions were constantly shooting out from inside.
It's almost done.
Yuki raised his hand, gripped the sword tightly, and his crimson eyes shifted to the side as the high-strength glass surrounding the bridge shattered with a deafening roar.
Click.
There was nothing there, but the operators by the window were torn to pieces, hacked into a mangled mess. The Psychic Warrior, led by Chris, were stunned and put down their helmets.
"It's Stealth Assassin Bug. Switch to thermal tracking mode!"
This is the evolved form of the Assassin Bug, a true advanced Zerg. The Blaster Rifle that shot out blasted the control panel to pieces, while the blurry shadows leaped back and forth between the walls and the ceiling.
They were more than twice as fast, and in the blink of an eye, the first Stealth Assassin Bug was in front of the captain. He quickly dropped his gun and grabbed a knife, while his teammates stood up behind him with large shields.
Clang--
Sparks flew across the alloy shield, leaving four deep marks where the hard alloy had been cut, and the warrior holding the shield was blasted back several meters.
Puff.
Before Chris could draw her sword and slash, the flaming blade shot through the air and quickly ignited a huge creature.
The black worm was about three meters tall, with four cuttlefish-like blades and a thick armor covering its body, resembling a standing longhorn beetle.
"Provide covering fire and hold the gate."
Yuki stepped on the bug's back, thrusting his blade 180 degrees in the opposite direction. He dodged to the side, stuffed a lava grenade into the bug's mouth, and kicked it towards the window.
Boom!!
The grenade exploded directly in his mouth, like someone had smeared green tomato sauce on the bridge. Blood and flesh were blown everywhere, and some shadowy figures smeared with blood were moving rapidly.
Four of them, specifically designed for close combat.
With his scarlet eyes scanning the surroundings, Yuki retreated continuously, sparks flying as the floor was sliced open, and the control panel he crashed into disintegrated in mid-air.
Yuki retreated towards the elevator, suddenly lying straight back. He could feel the sharp touch of an invisible blade cutting through the tip of his nose, and then the air became Incandescence.
Da da da da...
The soldiers pushed outside the bridge were divided into two rows, front and back Blaster Rifle and electromagnetic cannons opened fire at full speed, and the wide bridge was filled with stray bullets. Accompanied by the hissing of the swarm of insects, Yuki patted the floor lightly and stood up straight.
The gunfire stopped immediately. The Stealth Assassin Bug, riddled with bullet holes, lost its balance and found itself facing a burning blade.
Swish--
The heavy cleaver General Bug in two evenly. A shot of acid-dissolving spores flew from the side but was deflected by the protective force field. Yuki swept through the air and pulled out a heavy Blaster Rifle from his storage space.
The massive rifle was usually used with power armor, but Yuki found the tin can too bulky and didn't wear it at all. Besides, for a 'monster,' one hand was enough.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three explosive shells blasted through the air, spraying green blood. The sound of air being torn apart came from behind, but Yuki ignored it and rushed forward with a single step.
A hail of bullets swept past his back, blasting the sneak-attacking Stealth Assassin Bug backward. Yuki's back was unharmed, but before the Stealth Assassin Bug could regain its footing, a long sword had already pierced its head.
The second one is not enough, far from enough.
Yuki adjusted his breathing and instantly felt the pressure on his shoulders increase dozens of times. He pressed his toes down again, and his eyes shifted to the side.
At the front of the bridge, shadows kept creeping in through the broken windows. It was clear that Aslan and Reiner Braun were no match for these advanced insectoids. Some were agile Stealth Assassin Bug, while others looked like ordinary people covered in pustules after having syphilis. They were barely clothed, and their bodies were covered with signs of mutation.
Human Bug, the best user of soul energy.
Yuki's mind flashed through the data, and at a glance, he saw that several had already climbed up, some of them spreading their arms and freezing the bullets in mid-air with their Psychic Force Field.
This force spread, freezing everything within a hundred meters. Yuki seemed to fall into water, his movements slow.
Blood-Burning Heart.
An even greater force surged forth, Yuki broke free of his shackles through brute force, his eyes scanning the area like a scanner.
Kamui hasn't arrived, and the Queen hasn't appeared. Do you want to watch a show? Or do you think this little attack is enough to defeat us, so you can save your energy to deal with the Commander-in-Chief?
The commander-in-chief beneath your feet is the final defense; defeating him will grant you the Fire Seed, and the commander-in-chief is clearly another boss.
Our forces are already at their Limit; only a few operators remain in the reserves. I'm sorry.
"If you don't show your true abilities, you won't get past me."
As several Human Bug focused their attention, and as blurry shadows appeared from all directions, Yuki twisted the blade.
[Conceptual Craft Essence Activated. Your Latency Is Too High. ]
Yuki has never forgotten her own characteristics. The key is where to use this Conceptual Craft Essence. As a domain-type skill, the way for the opponent to break it is very simple: just retreat desperately to create distance.
But at this moment, he is on the defensive, and the bridge, covering thousands of square meters, is just right for the 'domain'.
An invisible energy enveloped the bridge, and a bizarre scene unfolded.
The attacks all hit thin air. Yuki's body began to flicker strangely. Even though the psionic energy had hit him, the swordsman appeared dozens of meters away as if nothing had happened and chopped off the head of the Stealth Assassin Bug with a single strike.
As the delay increased, his body became difficult to capture, sometimes even appearing comical.
Yuki swung his sword in place, slashing dozens of times at the air. Then, just as the swarm of insects was about to focus their fire, he suddenly retreated, as if he had pressed the reverse button.
In the blink of an eye, a Human Bug was riddled with bullets. Turning back, the man was still Sadist in the middle of the bridge, drawing his gun and putting it back, drawing it and putting it back.
What the hell is this???
Not only was the insect swarm baffled, but Chris and the others were also dumbfounded. If Yuki wiped out the entire insect swarm with a single strike, things wouldn't have turned out so strange.
It was neither teleportation nor a psionic illusion, and she quickly regained her senses.
"Great opportunity! Open fire with full force!"
The swarm couldn't understand this characteristic at all, and now they were like targets, being shot and torn to pieces. The swarm kept pouring in from behind, and the ones in front had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge forward.
The wide bridge was like a chasm, preventing them from retreating or catching the eerie figures. The man with the knife seemed to be hitting an invisible wall, moving forward and backward in the same spot, while the insects that passed by either had their heads chopped off or their legs severed.
Barely managing to rush towards the elevator, they were about to be riddled with bullets by the Psychic Warrior, who were divided into two rows. The swarm had played a card, but it didn't achieve the desired effect at all.
This is what is meant by "One man can hold the pass against ten thousand."
Chapter 40 Yato? I'm in a hurry! (6K)
The battlefield is like a card game; it's all about who has more cards in their hand.
When the human reserves were exhausted, the Zerg swarm decisively played a new card. Theoretically, these Stealth Assassin Bug and Human Bug were enough to break through the defenses and rush into Area A to face the commander-in-chief.
Yuki can't conjure reinforcements, but by utilizing patience and wisdom, her special ability can also be used as a card to counteract the swarm.
They only needed to send a group of insects to entangle Yuki and the others, and then move down the bridge to locate the Fire Seed, but they couldn't get past them no matter what they did.
They were cut down by the ghostly Yuki and shot down like targets by Chris and the others, their emotions becoming increasingly frenzied.
They're getting anxious, these bedbugs are getting anxious.