The Norad Star System, beyond Asha's border...
The Lila fleet attacked Norad Star without any declaration. Asha's defense fleet fought back with everything it had.
But before an elephant, an ant could not even scratch its skin.
Aboard the Lila command ship, currents of electricity coursed across Mierduoduo's body as he gazed at the pale blue Norad Star. "Take it," he said coldly. "Leave no Asha alive."
In barely half a cosmic time unit, Norad Star had been stained red with Asha blood. Their desperate cries were drowned out by artillery fire. Karen, Norad's defense commander, and her three Imperial Guard Legions fought to the death before the gates of Bright Moon City.
Before them, the Mechanical Army surged forward like a tide, stretching as far as the eye could see. The Ice-Blue Cannons on the walls unleashed Asha's fury against the Lila forces, but they could not hold them back.
"Commander Karen, the Ice-Blue Cannons are too cold. We can't use them anymore."
The news only made a dire situation worse. The Imperial Guard Legions were already locked in close combat with Lila's Mechanical Army.
Without the Ice-Blue Cannons to cut off the Mechanical Army's reinforcements, the Asha warriors' defensive line would not last half an hour. Bright Moon City would fall.
The Mechanical Legion's massive Scarabs poured concentrated cannon fire into the Imperial Guard Legion's formations. Every explosion reduced hundreds of warriors to ash.
"Release the Ice Blue Dragons! Destroy their Scarabs!"
Hundreds of Ice Blue Dragons were unchained and rose into the air from Bright Moon City under their Dragon Riders' command.
Every dragon's roar gave voice to Asha's fury. Ice projectiles slammed into the Scarab Robots, and at last, the battle began to turn.
But Karen knew perfectly well that this reversal was only temporary. The Ice Blue Dragons were Norad's final line of defense, and their legion could not hold out for long.
Lila People's aerial forces, Dragon-Slayer Aircraft designed specifically to counter Ice Blue Dragons, had already taken off. They blotted out the sky as they flew toward the Ice Blue Dragon legion.
"Commander, the Dragon-Slayer Aircraft... should we pull the Ice Blue Dragon legion back?"
Karen laughed bitterly. "Where could they retreat to? The battlefield is the only place left for us!"
In the sky, the Ice Blue Dragon legion was forced into a desperate battle with the Dragon-Slayer Aircraft designed to counter them. On the ground, the Imperial Guard Legions were on the verge of being swallowed whole by the Mechanical Legion.
Of the hundreds of thousands of Asha warriors in the three legions, fewer than a fifth remained. Pinned down before the city gates, despair showed on their faces.
"Warriors, Asha will remember your names forever! For Asha!"
Karen put away her shield, drew her twin swords, and leaped into the Mechanical Legion, weaving among its Robot warriors and cutting them down on all sides.
Karen passed through the dense cannon fire and sprang onto a Scarab. She plunged a sword into its command core, bringing it down, then raised her blade high and roared, "Defend Bright Moon City to the death!"
The radiance of her heroism swept away the gloom of despair. Asha's surviving warriors raised their swords and charged the Mechanical Legion for one final stand.
As Karen stood atop the Scarab, a man's deep, resonant voice suddenly sounded in her mind.
"Need a hand?"
Karen looked around in alarm but saw no one. Holding her sword, she shouted, "Who... who's speaking?"
"Asha's ally! Zhang Fan, ruler of the Rebecca Insectoids!"
"Where is your Insect Race?"
"Above your head!"
A deafening screech shook heaven and earth. The sky tore open, and a gigantic Rebecca thrust its terrifying crocodilian head into view.
All of Bright Moon City was shrouded in shadow, but this shadow cast by an ally warmed their hearts more than sunlight.
The surviving warriors outside Bright Moon City erupted in fervent cheers.
"Rebecca... Rebecca!"
Zhang Fan's voice sounded in Karen's mind again. "General Karen, take your people and rest. Leave the rest to me."
"I won't let our allies fight alone! Especially when they're fighting for Asha."
"Hahaha! General Karen, rest now so you can fight better later. Have your soldiers withdraw. Once the Insect Race starts fighting, they may have trouble telling friend from foe. Hahaha!"
Hearing the hint of warning in Zhang Fan's words, Karen saluted the Rebecca. "Then I'll leave it to you."
Zhang Fan did not answer her again. Tens of thousands of Sword Mantises teleported from the Rebecca to the ground, and their legion charged into Lila's Mechanical Legion with lightning speed.
Before the Mechanical Legion could open fire, countless Robots had already fallen. The Sword Mantises moved so fast that the Mechanical Legion could barely track them.
Countless winged Purple Thorns flew toward Lila's Dragon-Slayer Aircraft like a swarm of locusts. They were tiny and astonishingly fast. The Dragon-Slayer Aircraft had been designed to fight Ice Blue Dragons, and against these little flying monsters, they were utterly helpless.
Mierduoduo witnessed it all from his command ship in space. The Rebecca Insectoids were even stronger than he had imagined. On the ground, they were practically invincible. The only way to destroy them was in space.
As Mierduoduo stared at the hundreds of Rebeccas before him, a bold idea suddenly came to him.
"I advise you not to do that. After all, I have an agreement with His Majesty the Whirlwind Emperor. If you dare break it, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
Zhang Fan's voice suddenly sounded in Mierduoduo's mind. He answered in alarm, "I..."
Only after taking a moment to steady himself did he ask, "What exactly are you after? With your power, have you really come seeking peace?"
"My people and I only want to return home and take our revenge. I don't care whether you wage war or make peace. I only want what I need. But if you dare violate our agreement, I won't mind taking it from you by force."
At that moment, the Whirlwind Great Emperor's voice also sounded in Mierduoduo's mind.
"You bastard! What are you thinking? You dare defy my orders!"
Mierduoduo was about to explain when a violent storm erupted from his body of gathered energy. After a howl of agony, his body shrank to less than half its former size.
The Whirlwind Great Emperor said to Zhang Fan, "I'll discipline my own people. But the next time you threaten us, I'll consider it a declaration of war!"
"Hahaha! Great Emperor, we're each getting what we need. There's no reason to get angry. Our agreement stands. Have your army withdraw."
The Whirlwind Great Emperor roared at Mierduoduo, "Did you hear that? Pull the army back! If this happens again, I'll tear you apart myself!"
With his weakened body dragging, Mierduoduo issued the order for the Lila warships to retreat!
The Lila fleet's three thousand ships slowly withdrew from the Norad Star System, ruthlessly abandoning the Mechanical Legion on Norad Star. They had only ever been tools, after all. But no one had imagined that these tools were precisely the weapons Zhang Fan wanted most.
After the Rebecca Insectoids drove back the Mechanical Legion, the Insect Race began clearing the battlefield. They gathered the Mechanical Legion's wreckage and planted beautiful crystal flowers across the field.
Within days, the once-bloody battlefield had become a Crystal Garden.
Atop the castle in Bright Moon City on Norad, Karen gazed at the endless battlefield, now blooming with crystals in a riot of colors. "What kind of flowers are these?" she asked curiously.
Zhang Fan, the Broodmother, answered, "Flowers from my homeland. Though these only look the part."
Hearing the sadness in Zhang Fan's voice, Liya, who stood nearby, said, "Please don't be too saddened, Ruler Zhang Fan. The empire has already issued an order of the highest priority and offered rewards in the neighboring star systems to help our Rebecca friends find their way home."
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