More Gold-Eater Clan creatures surged up from behind. They were bigger, too. High-tier individuals over five hundred meters long began appearing in view.
Chen Siyao watched the white regions on the holographic heat map swell relentlessly and made a decision.
"Xi He."
"Here." The shipboard AI answered instantly.
"Activate the Psionic Cannon."
The bridge lighting changed from standard white to orange-red alert mode. This was standard procedure when the main cannon charged.
"Psionic Cannon activating. Drawing energy from Flame Spirit Stones. Charge at ten percent."
Deep within the main warship's keel, the matrices of Flame Spirit Stones stacked in the energy storage bay began glowing red. Energy flowed along the main cannon conduit toward the bow.
"Thirty percent."
The hull trembled slightly. The attack craft formations had already begun spreading toward both flanks. No friendly units could remain within the main cannon's firing arc.
"Eighty percent."
Chen Siyao held her hand above the tactical console. A firing line was marked on the hologram, running from the Zhenyuan's bow straight through the center of the Gold-Eater Clan formation and extending to the edge of visual range.
"Charge complete. Firing countdown—three. Two. One."
"Fire." Chen Siyao pressed the confirmation key on the tactical console.
The Zhenyuan's bow split open.
It was not damage. It was a built-in mechanism. The outer armor plating of the entire bow unfolded to either side, exposing the massive cannon barrel inside, which occupied a third of the ship's length.
The muzzle was over five hundred meters in diameter.
A beam of light shot from it.
It was neither white nor blue, but golden-red—the color released when the Flame Spirit Stones' primal energy was compressed to its absolute limit.
The beam was five hundred meters wide. After leaving the bow, it extended forward at the speed of light.