The Dawnbringer had barely broken through Dust-Hidden Star's thin atmosphere when it came under fierce attack.
Star-Burner's enhanced hunter warship opened fire first. Countless searing dark-red beams wove a web of death that swept toward them. Not only were these beams terrifyingly hot, they also carried an eerie power that burned souls. Ordinary energy shields were as flimsy as paper before them.
"Star-Celestial Shield, maximum output!" Standing on the bridge, Lin Ye activated his Rinnegan and Jōgan simultaneously, pouring his chakra and star-celestial power into the ship's defensive systems. A spherical silver-white shield patterned with pale-gold tomoe instantly spread around the vessel.
Hiss, hiss, hiss-!
The dark-red beams slammed into the shield, erupting in dazzling sparks of energy. The shield shuddered violently, broad ripples spreading across its surface, yet it stubbornly withstood the first volley.
"Oh? What an interesting little toy." From within Star-Burner's warship, a mocking, cruel pulse of thought sounded directly in Lin Ye's and the others' minds. "Is this what gives you the nerve to resist? Let me see how long it can burn."
The dark-red patterns on Star-Burner's warship blazed brightly. A dread-inducing dark-red fireball began gathering at its main cannon's muzzle, the intense heat slightly warping the surrounding space.
Meanwhile, the bizarre black skull-shaped warship-Eclipse Bone's vessel-hovered silently a little farther away without attacking. But an invisible malice that chilled souls and withered life had already spread like a tide, silently eroding the Dawnbringer's shield and the vitality of everyone aboard.
"He's draining our life force!" Karin's face paled. She could clearly feel the vitality within her slowly slipping away. Though the drain was gradual, this erosion seeped through every defense and was exceptionally difficult to counter.
"We have to take the offensive. We can't let them attack and erode us without restraint!" Sasuke said