Chapter 459
Knock knock knock.
The mechanical arm pounded the earth, while an aura of destruction spread across the sky. Yuki felt a surge of irony; what kind of friendly fire was this?
The two races approached each other, one above the other, locked in a fierce confrontation. Feeling his heart pounding faster, Yuki a half step back and heard a loud bang, signaling the start of the game.
Call out--
High-density alloy piercing projectiles hurtled through the air, unfurling in layers of rings behind them. Due to their incredible speed, they were rubbed red by the air, while behind them, a dense barrage of beams of light and missiles rained down like a storm, causing Yuki's eyes to suddenly light up.
In terms of firepower coverage, no one is superior to the Machine Race. The torrential rain almost made Yuki instinctively hide in the Night Furnace.
Void Reconstruction: Steel City.
Just then, as the air distorted, a steel city suddenly appeared in front of them, like an umbrella, blocking out the raging storm.
Bang bang bang bang...
Countless sparks burst forth, steel was melted, shattered, and Piercer. In the blink of an eye, a once magnificent Steel City was reduced to a pile of ruins. But the girl gritted her teeth, and the holes blasted out began to rebuild, and the riddled city walls 'grew' back again.
"A combination of void creation and alchemy?" Yuki narrowed his eyes. This unfamiliar purple-haired girl was a Monster IV player. Her skills were used for defense, making her seem almost indestructible.
But that's not enough.
A red cross flashed in the sky, and the Roar beam of light rushed towards them like Torrent, making the girl's face tighten.
"Zhang Lin!"
The male Judge stepped forward half a step, pointed his sword, and the hundred or so small black flags unfurled, spreading across the sky, creating small vortexes.
"Vortex Cloud Soul-Eating Formation!"
Swish--
The Steel City was Piercer directly by the Annihilation Ray, a strategic weapon of the Machine Race. The beam was over 100 meters in diameter and was enough to create another Death Canyon as it swept across the land.
It filled Yuki's field of vision, but he saw that the small vortices were linked together to form a huge vortex. When the light poured in, it was like a piece of meat being thrown into a meat grinder, quickly disintegrating. When it passed through the vortex cloud and collided with the shield, it only trembled slightly.
Oh my, a cultivation-themed player? Could it be the legendary spirit stone?
Yuki raised an eyebrow and saw that many of the command flags had spontaneously ignited black flames. The young man named Zhang Lin looked as if he had lost his parents. He took out pieces of crystal stone, crushed them one by one, and then made the command flags reassemble.
But without any respite, the Machine Race, positioned on higher ground, unleashed a second and third wave of firepower.
"Mr. Rod, speed up! We can't hold them off for long," the purple-haired girl urged, her face flushed red. Players engaging in direct combat with an army was a major taboo; they could only defend passively.
"I know." Yuki solemnly, looking very concerned about his teammates. "How much longer can you hold them off?"
"Five rounds at most, hurry up!"
Without further Yuki, Yuuki, whose incredible defense had given humanity immense confidence, gave the player an order to repair the Steel City, seeing that its repair speed was clearly outpaced by the Machine Race's destructive speed.
"Fortress transformation."
The towering chimney spewed thick white smoke, the piston turned, the joints twisted, and an eight-legged spider quickly stood up, transforming into a steel Giant standing on the earth.
The pale yellow shield was concentrated in front, appearing more cohesive, while a giant shield made from the keel of a warship popped out from the abdomen, and the entire body was tucked behind.
Yuki has no idea how humans transformed a fortress into a robot, how they combined the Machine Race's digital control system, the Orcs's anti-gravity engine, and the Dwarves's high-hardness carbon alloy, but he doesn't care anymore.
"Maximum speed, advance towards the Steel Peak. We must attack the enemy's stronghold, or we'll be kited to death by these scrap metal."
Thump thump thump--
The earth trembled slightly as the giant mech advanced against the raging wind and rain. Stray bullets left dense craters around it, and millions of tons of rock were shattered and collapsed with a deafening roar.
Charge! Charge into the raging storm! The Steel City and vortex clouds overhead moved with the giant robot, weaving through the hail of bullets, making Yuki's eyes widen in disbelief.
That's so damn exciting.
What does it mean to Isshin? The two Judge defended with all their might, their will overcoming physical exhaustion. The Machine Race's cold, relentless firepower continued to cover the city, Piercer the Steel City, shattering the command flags, and occasionally penetrating the shields, only to be stopped by the giant shields. Some of the fire struck the heads or shoulders, exploding into clusters of fireballs.
Boom, boom, boom.
Armor plates flew everywhere as humans reached firing range, using weapons salvaged from various junkyards to repair or modify and unleash a barrage of Incandescence bullets across the sky.
War, a mad war, where humans forgot fear and the Machine Race knew no fear, desperately pouring firepower at each other.
Call out--
The Annihilation Ray fired a second time, piercing through all defenses, but the robot twisted its body, letting the beam that should have blasted it in two pass by its waist, leaving a bottomless crater in the ground.
A massive fireball erupted at the robot's waist, causing it to stumble a few steps but maintain its balance as it stepped into the dried-up sea, where the enemy's lair lay just ahead.
The Machine Race's hive was actually an isolated island, now within visual range, and at that moment, the dark clouds in the sky finally began to move.
In an instant, the dark clouds dissipated, and like a hornet's nest being stirred up, thousands upon thousands of machines of all kinds fired and swooped down.
"Close combat and the tactic of attacking where the enemy must defend has worked!" Yuki clenched his fist, his face full of excitement. As long as they were engaged in close-quarters melee, the individual advantages of each player could be brought into play.
"Signaling Lord Dio Brando, this is the best we can do."
Without him saying anything, the purple-haired girl had already sent the message, her delicate face full of joy.
The plan was going smoothly. If the Machine Race had huddled together, with their ferocious firepower, it would have been difficult for the Judge to get close to their target. But now that they were scattered, the opportunity was readily available.
"Mr. Rod, on behalf of the Judge, I thank you for your cooperation and look forward to the next collaboration."
We must thank them; even if the other side hadn't made a move, without these robots bravely advancing through the storm, the enemy wouldn't have been able to scatter.
Yuki was taken aback. He glanced at the dozen or so steel behemoths in the sky. The number of Machine Race surrounding them had decreased significantly, especially the large number of mass-produced warriors that swarmed around them like bees.
Beams crisscrossed, bullets rained down, and fireballs exploded from the giant robot's body, its charge slowing down.
He clenched his fists, smashed a suddenly appearing Infiltrator mech to pieces, sparks flew, and finally smiled.
Listen to this, he even wants to thank us!
"It's our turn now. Hopefully, this time everything will be alright."
Somewhere on the battlefield, a rift quietly tore open in space, and Dio Brando saw a gigantic robot that was almost crawling.
It was emitting smoke, and high-energy beams and miniature nuclear bombs shattered its armor. Humans operated the turrets, or simply held rifles, exchanging fire with the surrounding swarm of bees.
This is a drop in the ocean. Fortunately, an incomparably powerful epic-level player flies through the air at several times the speed of sound. Apart from a few mechanical vanguard soldiers, there are almost no enemies who can withstand a single blow. However, this kind of martial artist is too inefficient. Even if he can shatter several machines with one punch, it is still just a drop in the ocean.
"This person's physique is stronger than an average level 9 person. That faction talent 'Resolve' must have accumulated a lot of faith."
Dio Brando stroked his chin and explained the passive ability of the 'Orc King' himself: 'Resolve' is the faction talent of the Hero Kingdom, just like 'Noble Phantasm' for the Valhalla, it is the core of any faction.
"That 'Hooray! Charge' just now even got me fired up." As a mercenary, Nine Dragons loves the thrill of war; what could be wrong with that?
Rod really did his best, and there was no way for humans to put on a show. Both sides fought to the death, and even the two Judge, Phil and Zhang Lin, performed beyond their usual level. Perhaps they will have a chance to advance to epic level after this battle.
Dio Brando remained silent. He appeared wild and evil, but in reality, he was extremely cautious, observing his surroundings from within the spatial rift.
The main force of the Machine Race was not actually moving. The core mechanical vanguard was still circling the squid warship, which looked very lively. In reality, there were as many of those mass-produced machines as needed.
"Is there a problem with the people he left in the Battleship Graveyard?"
"They've exceeded the maximum surveillance range, but these people are well hidden, and no players or other races have made contact with them."
"How are the other races doing?"
"They're getting restless; we need to hurry, or things will get increasingly complicated."
Then there's no problem.
Dio Brando took a deep breath and went through the whole thing in his mind. Even if there were any doubts, he could explain them logically.
"Send home one last intelligence message. This Rod is interesting. If he's willing, I can recommend him to become Judge."
Withdrawing his admiring gaze, he snapped his fingers, and spatial rifts scattered throughout the battlefield simultaneously appeared.
"Do it!"
The true intentions were revealed: the so-called humans and Yuki were merely bait to distract them. The seven Judge suddenly emerged from all directions, escorted by some kind of substitute, and had quietly arrived at the core of the Machine Race's camp, perfectly surrounding their target.
Without pausing, fortunately the Machine Race reacted extremely quickly, turning around swiftly and unleashing various high-energy beams and Molecular Vibration Knife, but the Judge ignored them completely, locking onto the pink-haired girl in the center.
They've arrived.
His pupils contracted, but fortunately Ikaros was prepared and, without thinking, swooped down towards the ground.
"Trying to escape? Nine Dragons, you take two men and hold off these scrap metal, the rest of you come with me!" Dio Brando grinned maliciously. After planning for so long, how could he let his opponent escape so easily?
He saw Ikaros flickering, as if swimming in space, and then snap his fingers.
Epic Metamorphosis. The King of Stands.
Hierophant!
Gem-like threads covered the space like a spider web, fixing it in place. The target, like prey, was stuck in the web. The gems reflected light like mirrors, while another double stepped out of the mirror.
The Hanged Man. Transformation.
The exchange between Dio Brando and his Stand allowed him to suddenly appear in front of Ikaros. Just as he was about to snap his fingers a second time to activate 'The World,' Icarus had already transformed into a phantom and passed through the spider web.
Particle-like movement?
Forcibly penetrating the locked space would come at a huge cost, just like the blood lines all over Ikaros's body. But this Machine Intelligence ignored the pain, and its blood pool was very thick, which made Dio Brando show a strange expression.
Did she know I was going to freeze time and launch a fatal attack?
What seemed like recklessness actually secured a sliver of hope, as it instantly exceeded the range of the Stand, and it didn't seem like a coincidence.
The Hachishaku-sama, who had been waiting there, unfurled her white dress and released hundreds of bloodthirsty rabid dogs. These dark, ferocious dogs were some kind of mutated energy creatures, with sharp teeth capable of biting through any known matter.
The Machine Intelligence knew no fear. Ikaros's crimson eyes darted around as he calculated at full power, his white wings unfurling.
Epic Metamorphosis. Strategic Angel.
[All forces are concentrated at the core]
[Particle blade deployed, locking onto the following targets]
[Obey his orders and do not allow the Grand Inquisitor to approach within 2000 meters.]
[Power reactors fully operational; evacuation to the designated coordinates is the highest priority]
[Communication with the Machine Race is successful. Requesting cover.]
Some things can only be done by machines, such as this action with millisecond precision. She allowed the bloodthirsty hounds to penetrate the defensive shield, biting her body until it was covered in wounds, and sonic booms unfolded as she frantically swooped down towards the ground.
The rabid dog was like a leech, impossible to shake off, but then, a dazzling laser beam fell from the sky—it was the main cannon of the squid warship—and instantly shattered the pursuing rabid dog.
"How high did this girl's reputation get that the Machine Race would protect her despite the threat from the Nine Dragons?"
Dio Brando was somewhat confused. A squid warship had been destroyed by a mech. That was the 'Belief Mech,' a magical weapon disguised as science fiction, whose function was to 'make your wishes come true.'
Seemingly weak and powerless projectiles, empowered by unwavering faith, can transcend the laws of physics and pierce through any alloy. However, the Machine Race also invests a significant amount of computing power in protecting Ikaros. This racial talent is very useful; the Netway Will personally controls it, achieving accuracy down to the millimeter.
Tsk, it's difficult, but we have to do it.
Dio Brando had no choice. He saw Ikaros suddenly leap a few meters above the ground, flying at an extremely low altitude along the earth, his target the Hive. The steel mountain revealed a crack, guiding Ikaros inside.
Catching a turtle in a jar? No, who knows if there's a secret passage or teleportation array inside this mountain.
The battle had progressed to this point, and there was no possibility of stopping. He made a grasping motion in the air and pulled out a futuristic-looking silver pistol.
The Emperor. (The phrase "Piercer" is a slang term meaning "through" or "through" in Chinese.)
The tiny beam of light melted a large hole in the fortress, which was several times more solid than the main fortress itself. Dio Brando, along with his subordinates including Hachishaku-sama, entered through the hole, and the light dimmed instantly.
Where is she?
"The tracking chains are beneath our feet; she can't escape," one of the Judge replied. As an elite scout, he had witnessed the invisible chains making contact with the target during the battle.
Even if there really were a teleportation array, they could simply follow the coordinates to get there; it wouldn't be so easy for them to escape the tracking of professionals.
"Well done." Dio Brando didn't bother with any more words, raised his gun, and activated his Stand again.
Emperor. Tracking Projectile.
This Stand has built-in tracking capabilities, and after being enhanced, its range has increased several hundred times. The projectiles travel through complex alleyways, sending out illusory images along the way.
The pink-haired girl, expressionless and covered in wounds, was running towards a door with a distinctly different style; the door exuded a spatial aura.
"He really wanted to run. Chase him."
A Judge with an ant-like head led the way, his super-strong acid melting through layers of alloy corridors as he pursued the enemy in a straight line, while the others guarded the perimeter, intercepting all the defensive weapons within the hive.
The Judge pursued faster than Ikaros could escape. As the last layer of armor dissolved, Dio Brando saw the pink figure. The figure did not look up, and the door outlined with golden lines was slowly opening.
A spatial aura emanated from within, and without a command, a Judge immediately activated their skill.
Dream of All Things.