At this moment, the two fleets had entered close-quarters combat. Within a vast area spanning tens of thousands of kilometers, tens of thousands of ships were entangled in a chaotic melee, relentlessly attacking one another. Every moment, flashes of azure energy projectiles streaked across the battlefield, massive hydrogen explosions erupted, and ships disintegrated in fiery bursts.
This was the most brutal graveyard of starships.
Beyond the main battlefield, the side skirmishes were just as intense. Though less chaotic than the main engagement, these battles were no less dangerous.
Here, satellites engaged in a shadowy struggle. They tracked, counter-tracked, concealed, and counter-concealed while destroying enemy satellites and attempting to preserve their own. All the while, they fulfilled the critical task of gathering real-time intelligence for the main battlefield.
Xiao Yu observed one of his satellites, freshly launched from an internal factory, immediately targeted by a diamond-shaped Luka Civilization satellite. After a pursuit spanning thousands of kilometers, the diamond-shaped satellite locked onto it and destroyed it with a laser beam. Moments later, it was spotted by one of Xiao Yuâs counter-surveillance ships and taken out with a single miniature nuclear bomb.
The war raged on under such relentless brutality.
On the main battlefield, Xiao Yu watched as three of his Village-Class ships and two Town-Class ships focused their attacks on an enemy Village-Class ship. The five ships dodged enemy fire while unleashing a barrage of energy cannon shots. However, due to their limited firepower, they failed to breach the shipâs energy shield even after 90 seconds of concentrated fire. Instead, the enemy ship managed to destroy two of Xiao Yuâs ships.
The tide turned when another Town-Class ship joined the fray. After 135 seconds of continuous bombardment, the enemy Village-Class shipâs energy shield flared brightly before vanishing. In the next instant, it was struck by dozens of energy projectiles, exploding into pieces.
The remaining four of Xiao Yuâs ships immediately dispersed, seeking out new enemy targets. Throughout this process, the monitoring satellites surrounding the battlefield provided Xiao Yu with real-time, detailed data, enabling him to direct the four ships with unmatched precision and efficiency.
Despite this success, Xiao Yuâs fleet remained at a significant disadvantage on the main battlefield. The presence of the force field meant that his ships were continuously sustaining damage. Any increase in speed caused vast amounts of energy to be generated across their hulls, affecting internal instruments, equipment, weapon systems, and even nuclear fusion reactors.
This mysterious force field severely limited the agility of Xiao Yuâs ships, forcing them to align their movements closely with the trajectory of the enemy flagship to minimize the relative motion and associated energy buildup.
To counter this situation, Xiao Yu swiftly redeployed his two City-Class ships, pulling them 40,000 kilometers away from the enemy flagship to escape the force fieldâs coverage. There, they began preparing their energy cannons.
The 100 Droplet Hull Fragments were ready. After being processed under intense magnetic fields, extreme heat, and high pressure, these fragments were to be launched. Upon reaching the enemy flagship, they would unleash a force at least a thousand times greater than the maximum output of a standard energy cannon.
Xiao Yu hoped this devastating and unexpected attack would destroy the enemy flagship and eliminate the oppressive force field.
Sixty seconds passed. The energy cannons were primed and ready.
Xiao Yu silently awaited the perfect moment.
Guiding his fleet with calculated precision, Xiao Yu directed his ships to aggressively attack enemy vessels, drawing away any ships that might obstruct the line of fire between his City-Class ships and the enemy flagship. With his immense computational capabilities, Xiao Yu identified the fleeting opportunity. At the critical moment, the two City-Class ships simultaneously unleashed their most powerful energy weapons.
At that moment, there was no matter of any kind between Xingtai, Handan, and the enemy flagship. Even if the flagship detected the incoming energy projectiles through superluminal tracking systems, it had no means to counter them. There were no smaller ships it could sacrifice to shield itself, nor any evasive maneuvers it could employ in time.
The enemy flagship had no choice but to rely on its energy shield to withstand the two incoming energy projectiles!
Xiao Yu had sacrificed at least 3,000 ships to create this opportunity.
Before the two City-Class ships fired their energy projectiles, the twelve massive energy cannons from the Tianyuan C armed satellites had already launched their own shots. These projectiles were timed to converge with those from the City-Class ships, delivering a combined strike on the enemy flagshipâs energy shield.
Through the omnipresent surveillance satellites, Xiao Yu kept a close watch on the movements of the enemy flagship.
This enormous ship, shrouded in a dim green glow, hovered in space like a harbinger of ruin and deathâa veritable star of destruction. With over a thousand turrets on its body, it continuously unleashed devastating energy projectiles. Its overwhelming firepower meant that any area it entered was completely cleared of Xiao Yuâs ships within ten minutes.
Xiao Yu had previously sent a strike force consisting of five County-Class ships and a thousand Village- and Town-Class ships to try to overwhelm the flagship with sheer numbers. However, the closer they approached the flagship, the stronger the effects of the force field became. Before reaching optimal firing range, a quarter of the fleet was lost due to the force field. The remaining 700 ships were then caught in a fierce battle with the flagshipâs escort fleet. Though they managed to destroy over 30 enemy Village-Class ships, the strike force was ultimately annihilated.
Not a single projectile from the strike force even reached the flagship.
This result left Xiao Yu bitterly cold. It solidified his determination to destroy the flagship at any cost, leading to his decision to sacrifice 3,000 ships to create an opportunity for his two City-Class ships to strike.
The Xingtai and Handan, positioned 42,000 kilometers from the flagship, prepared to unleash their most powerful projectiles. In just 0.3 seconds, these would reach their target.
Xiao Yu watched intently.
As the cannons of the two City-Class ships flashed, two azure-glowing energy projectiles streaked invisibly toward the enemy flagship. Midway, they converged with the twelve energy projectiles fired from the Tianyuan C base, forming a salvo of fourteen powerful projectiles aimed directly at the flagshipâs energy shield.
In just 0.3 seconds, the fourteen projectiles struck the flagshipâs shield.
What Xiao Yu witnessed next was astonishing.
This was the most powerful attack Xiao Yu had ever launched since leaving the solar system. Even the ten-projectile barrage against the Droplet paled in comparison.
[T/N: No clue what these ten-projectiles the author is talking about. Iâm sure the strongest shot he did was using the protons from the collider but iâll leave it as is just in case.]
The simultaneous detonation of the fourteen projectiles unleashed an immense energy storm that ravaged the void of space. Through his surveillance satellites, Xiao Yu even detected spatial distortionsâa ripple, as if space itself had been affected.
At that moment, the flagshipâs pale green shield turned a glaring white, its brightness increasing severalfold, resembling a sudden starburst.
Xiao Yuâs heart leaped with joy. He knew this was a sign the shield was about to collapse!
But his elation was short-lived. In the next instant, the shield dimmed and gradually reverted to its original pale green hue, albeit thinner than before. The flagshipâs movements also slowed noticeably, and the force fieldâs intensity diminished significantly.
âStrike while the iron is hot!â Xiao Yu gritted his teeth. âFourteen energy projectiles couldnât kill you? I donât believe it! Xingtai! Handan! Charge!â
Driven by desperation, Xiao Yu commanded the two fortress-class City-Class ships, accompanied by over a thousand escort ships, to close in on the flagship.
The Luka Civilization seemed to have finally realized the threat, as all their remaining ships began converging on the flagship to defend it. Undeterred, Xiao Yu ordered his remaining fleet of over 10,000 ships to launch a frenzied assault. The two City-Class ships threw caution to the wind, firing their energy cannons with reckless abandon.
The battle reached its fiercest intensity.
âEven if I lose all 10,000 ships here, I must destroy it! I still have 80,000 ships stationed at Tianyuan B and Tianyuan A. If these ships are lost, so be itâI can afford it!â Xiao Yu roared with unrelenting determination.
Xiao Yuâs relentless offensive resulted in jaw-dropping losses. Ships were being destroyed at an alarming rate.
A County-Class ship took a direct hit from an enemy energy projectile, leaving a massive hole in its hull. Nanorobots immediately began repairing the breach, but before the repairs could be completed, another projectile struck, obliterating the ship.
In its final moments, the doomed County-Class ship fired one last shot, destroying a heavily damaged Town-Class enemy ship with a weakened shield.
Xiao Yuâs ferocity forced the Luka Civilization into a defensive posture.
âPush forward! Push forward!â Xiao Yu commanded as the two City-Class ships, accompanied by their escorts, recklessly advanced toward the flagship, relentlessly firing their energy cannons.
Both City-Class ships sustained significant damage, with their mobility severely impaired.
Finally, as they closed to within just 100 kilometers of the flagship, the two City-Class ships reached their limit and lost propulsion.
âWell then, self-destruct! Self-destruct! Each of these City-Class ships carries over 20 billion tons of hydrogen bombs, along with massive nuclear fusion reactors. When they detonate, the force will rival the power of the Droplet Hull Fragments.â
âGo to hell!â Xiao Yu roared furiously.