As the song gradually faded away, the snow stopped. The sky was no longer filled with heavy dark clouds, and the wind had died down a bit, making for decent weather.
On the horizon, over a thousand mechas took off simultaneously from the North and East Zones. After activating their cloaking fields and anti-detection interference waves, they flew low, using the cover of ruined walls along the way as they sped towards the center.
In the East Zone, Jiang Jianming placed both hands on a black broken wall, gazing into the distance.
He wore an earpiece, with a virtual screen projected from his wrist device beside him. The screen showed the inside of a mecha cockpit, where Ryann was speaking to him.
“You’re so good at rallying morale, perhaps you’d be more suitable as emperor than me.”
Ryann said with a half-smile. “I should make a will stating that if the Crown Prince dies in battle, his legal spouse will inherit the empire in the future.”
Jiang Jianming said with a headache. “…Your Highness, please stop teasing me.”
Ryann gave a challenging look at the screen. The disabled human’s casual habit of talking about death was torturing everyone around them.
Now he had learned it too, and could even retaliate in kind.
Jiang Jianming shook his head helplessly and straightened up to walk into the fortress. He pressed his earpiece and said in a deep voice. “In any case, today’s situation is very unpredictable. Please be extra careful, Your Highness. Major General Xie is coordinating now, and I’ll be there shortly.”
“The soldiers from both zones are awaiting orders, and the starships can take off at any time… Let us know if you need any support.”
Ryann made a sound of acknowledgment and fell silent for a long time.
Jiang Jianming didn’t dare speak seeing his serious expression, afraid of interrupting the other’s train of thought. Unexpectedly, after a few seconds the Crown Prince asked, “Did you take your medicine this morning?”
Jiang Jianming: “.”
……
In the co-pilot seat of the mecha L-Twin Stars, Wilson was focused on the controls.
He had already gotten used to the way the two royal highnesses interacted, and was now adhering to the principle of never looking to the side to avoid being blinded.
Just below them, they could vaguely see the speeding mecha army.
Leading the troops were three officers from the Golden Sun Wheel and Silver Big Dipper: Major Zheng Yue, Lieutenant Raymond, and a short, chubby officer from the Second Fortress named Kanter.
Regarding the upcoming battle, last night, the two royal highnesses had a private discussion with the two generals. Lieutenant General Jin Min reported that they had informed the empire of the current situation, and Old Marshal Chen said they could send reinforcements.
But Jiang Jianming believed the role of reinforcements was somewhat ambiguous. This stemmed from the nature of this war, which was very different from wars that had occurred between humans in the past.
In wars throughout history, killing was only a means of deterrence rather than an end goal. The victors wanted to gain power, land, or resources. On this basis, they also wanted to minimize their own casualties as much as possible.
However, when facing the Crystal Cult, this principle changed. The enemy army wanted to create as many crystal disorder deaths as possible, with killing truly becoming their ultimate goal.
The empire needed to avoid crystal disorder deaths, as this was equivalent to replenishing the Crystal Nest’s strength. The Crystal Cult, on the other hand, was not afraid of death. They even had fanatical followers who would use real crystal ores to induce crystal disorder when near death, dragging imperial soldiers to die with them.
So, this was an extremely unfair war.
…
Jiang Jianming walked through the narrow passage inside the fortress.
Temporary lighting was hung along the way, with fully armed soldiers leaning against their mechas on both sides. This was the state of battle readiness.
Walking to the innermost part, he used iris recognition to open the automatic door of the command room.
Xie Yuduo sat in the center, remotely briefing the three team leaders.
“Don’t worry, Major General!”
In a small window on the screen, Raymond saluted and said, “We will definitely complete the mission.”
“As long as we can recapture the main cannon today,” the lieutenant’s face showed a sense of urgency, “we can retake the fortress.”
… Given the extremely unfair current situation, fighting with large high-tech weapons was the best choice.
After reclaiming two defense cores yesterday and successfully taking the North and East Zones of the fortress, their goal today was to recapture control of the central heavy artillery.
That was also the only weapon in the fortress that could effectively strike starships in high altitude and high-level giant alien creatures near the ground.
As Raymond said, once they got the main cannon back, they would basically secure victory.
Xie Yuduo gave a humorless smile and glanced at Raymond through the communication screen. “Alright, you know the principle, but does the Crystal Cult not know it?”
“This battle won’t be easy. You three, be careful not to lose your lives at your own doorstep, you hear me?”
Jiang Jianming walked in at this moment. He looked at the image and asked, “Have they entered the Central Zone?”
Xie Yuduo nodded. “Yes, let’s start dividing the troops.”
Raymond: “Received instructions. Silver Big Dipper First Army, halt!”
The wind howled as the mecha army sped past a high platform.
At this moment, a small number of mechas abruptly decelerated, separating from the main force.
Their wings folded and mechanical feet activated magnetic suction, silently clinging to the alloy outer wall of the fortress like geckos.
Lieutenant Raymond gave an order. “Down!”
Those mechas hummed as they hovered horizontally a few centimeters, sliding down the outer wall about a hundred meters. A minute later, they turned into a dark corner and silently came to a stop again.
Raymond pushed open the cockpit. Exhaling white mist, he reached out to brush away the snow on the seemingly empty alloy outer wall and pressed a few times.
The password was correct. A neat crack split open in the middle of the outer wall. That piece of alloy first retracted a few centimeters, then folded to both sides, revealing a hidden passage.
The faint sound of artillery fire came from above.
Raymond looked up into the distance. The main force had already encountered the Crystal Cult in the Central Zone.
He retreated into the cockpit. “High alert, follow me to infiltrate.”
In the command room, Jiang Jianming and Xie Yuduo exchanged nods.
As expected of the elite among the empire’s elite, their execution of orders was as perfect as if controlled by a program.
According to their plan, Kanter and Zheng Yue would lead 3,000 soldiers in mechas from high altitude to attract the enemy’s attention.
Secretly, Raymond would lead 500 Silver Big Dipper soldiers familiar with the First Fortress through hidden passages to infiltrate the main control room and reclaim control.
“Little Excellency, this subordinate must go now too.”
Xie Yuduo stood up and turned, placing both hands on Jiang Jianming’s shoulders, and said seriously, “Soon the Crystal Cult from the South and West Zones will rush towards the center. I need to personally lead people to intercept them.”
“You stay here to control the overall situation. Don’t move around, alright?”
Jiang Jianming’s expression softened, knowing Xie Yuduo was worried about him. “Don’t worry, Major General. Please take care.”
And so, Xie Yuduo left as well.
Only Jiang Jianming remained in the command room.
The young man with black hair calmly pulled out the chair in front of the large screen and sat down in the spot Xie Yuduo had just vacated.
The window in front of him was divided into many sections. From one of them, he could see the scene above the fortress:
As Zheng Yue and his mecha troops approached a certain distance, their cloaking fields were broken. They were now engaged in intense combat with the Crystal Cult, with neither side gaining the upper hand for the moment.
The Crystal Cult from the South and West Zones indeed prepared to rush over, but were intercepted by the imperial army from the East and North Zones respectively. At the same time, small and medium-sized starships docked at the fortress took off, rushing towards the location of the central main cannon.
Jiang Jianming put on his earpiece and adjusted the channel.
“Your Highness, can you hear my voice?”
Casualties had already started on the battlefield, but Ryann still hadn’t moved. L-Twin Stars hovered in mid-air, not too far or too close, like a Damocles sword.
The Crown Prince was both a deterrent and a trump card, necessarily kept in reserve.
“I can hear you,” came the voice through the earpiece, low and a bit husky.
“So did you take your medicine?”
“I did,” Jiang Jianming said calmly with a serious expression, while taking out a pill bottle from his outer coat pocket. “Is there anything unusual on your end?”
He directly chewed up the pills and swallowed them, hearing Ryann’s voice. “Nothing for now… What are you chewing?”
“Sugar tablets, it’s not important.” The medicine was bitter. The black-haired young man lowered his eyelashes, brows furrowed, barely managing to swallow it down. “Your Highness, do you remember the girl bishop in the Glorious Cathedral during the internal strife at the Aslan Festival?”
… At the highest level in the center of the fortress stood a huge black heavy cannon, its muzzle pointed diagonally at the sky.
In mid-air, laser beams crisscrossed into a net. A mecha rotated to its limit, dodging a special “missile” from the Crystal Cult: its raw material was real crystal ore with activated crystal particles.
In the cockpit, Zheng Yue panted and roared, recklessly bombarding into the enemy formation. Instantly, a flash of intense light surrounded them.
Ryann: “That white-haired girl? Her crystal bone rank was very high, almost on par with me… In what situation do you think she would appear?”
“If she participates in this battle,” Jiang Jianming said coolly, “there are two possibilities.”
Inside the fortress, Raymond’s team finally encountered alien creatures and had to engage in direct bloody combat.
The Crystal Cult discovered the Silver Big Dipper’s infiltration, and their followers swarmed towards this squad of soldiers like ghosts.
After several encounters, the imperial army had roughly grasped the Crystal Cult’s fighting style. Most of the enemy’s combat power relied on alien creatures, with the most threatening being their methods of inducing crystal disorder.
Fortunately, before this expedition, the tranquilizers had been upgraded to the third generation. The soldiers’ resistance to crystal disorder was much higher. Combined with some strategies, they could now barely engage in normal combat, no longer completely helpless as they were initially.
Jiang Jianming: “If she appears outside the main cannon area, trying to lure Your Highness away, it indicates the enemy is showing weakness. That Bishop of Death only has the ability to obstruct you temporarily, without the capability for a quick victory.”
Ryann: “Mm.”
“But if she appears near the main cannon, it means the Crystal Cult judges that the Bishop of Death has a chance to overcome you. Or rather, they judge that while fighting you, she still has the capacity to obstruct those soldiers trying to recapture the main cannon.”
“…”
Ryann fell silent, waves seeming to surge in his emerald eyes.
“This,” Wilson beside him listened with cold sweat breaking out on his back.
He scanned the high sky and muttered, “But now, that bishop or whatever hasn’t appeared yet, doesn’t that mean…”
Jiang Jianming sighed lightly: “Yes, that’s why I’m a bit worried.”
He shook his head, suddenly feeling somewhat regretful. This morning, he should have chosen to board the mecha together with Ryann.
…
Inside the fortress.
With a huge bang, the automatic door of the artillery’s main control room was blown off by the explosion’s fiery blast.
A bloated alien creature flew in along with the door, crashing hard onto the floor. A Silver Big Dipper officer, face covered in blood, screamed as he clung to its body with all four limbs, using his crystal bones to tightly strangle the alien creature’s head, squeezing harder and harder.
As he exerted force, the officer’s crystal bones cracked continuously, but he kept fighting as if unaware of the pain.
“Lieutenant!”
After an unknown time, it took two or three soldiers behind the man to pull him away. “Lieutenant, Lieutenant… it’s already dead!”
Raymond had gone berserk with killing. He panted and coughed, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood before finally catching his breath. “Dead… is it dead?”
“The rest of the enemy forces have also retreated,” a soldier wiped the grime off his face, exclaiming with wild joy, “We’re going to win, Lieutenant!”
“Don’t celebrate too early.”
Raymond struggled to stand up, with a soldier supporting him. “A few of you come in with me, cough… go in and check carefully. The rest stay in your mechas and keep watch outside.”
Inside the main control room was pitch black, with various machines dormant within blue defense membranes. The remnants of the explosion still burned in the corners, illuminating a trail of bloody footprints left by the soldiers.
They supported each other, dragging their battle-weary feet. Many more comrades had fallen forever on the path behind them.
Raymond walked to a raised control screen and began the first level of unlocking.
When the Silver Big Dipper First Army strategically retreated earlier, they had locked all large weapons to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Unable to obtain the empire’s unlock codes, the Crystal Cult chose to use brute force destruction – that’s how the other defense cores were destroyed.
Fortunately, the main cannon and its corresponding control room had their own additional defense system. Even after enduring two rounds of indiscriminate starship bombardment from both the Crystal Cult and the empire, they remained undamaged.
“Beep—…”
The first layer of locks opened, and the blue defense membrane dissipated.
All soldiers tensely revealed their crystal bones and raised their weapons. The mechas outside the control room also aimed their cannons inside.
Silence fell.
There were no enemies in the control room, only the intermingling sounds of the Silver Big Dipper soldiers’ breathing could be clearly heard.
Thump, thump thump… Everyone could hear their own hearts beating violently.
Raymond cautiously called out the numbers of three mecha soldiers and beckoned. “Come in, turn on the searchlights and scan around.”
The remaining soldiers split into three teams, following the three mechas to begin inspection.
Footsteps fell irregularly but not without order. Searchlights swept through the darkness, occasionally illuminating tense faces.
“Report to Lieutenant, no enemy presence!”
“Report, no anomalies detected.”
Every corner was carefully searched. The Silver Big Dipper soldiers walked along the control room to the open gun platform below. Dazzling sunlight shone in, and they saw mechas circling in the distance.
Flashes of cannon fire and shadows of alien creatures flickered. They watched helplessly as imperial army mechas fell, engulfed in flames.
Finally, someone couldn’t hold back. “Lieutenant, the battle outside is still fierce. Those Crystal Cult bastards will be swarming over soon. We need to hurry and activate the main cannon. It’s our turn to cover for our brothers now!”
Raymond shook his head. The main cannon was too important; it could only be unlocked and activated after confirming the main force had entered the Central Zone.
He put on his earpiece, connected to the communication channel, and said in a hoarse voice. “Reporting to Major General, the control room has been cleared. The main cannon can be activated at any time.”
Towards the end, Raymond couldn’t help but get a bit excited, his voice wavering slightly, “Request the main force to enter as soon as possible!”
However, the voice that came through was gentle and clear.
“This is the East Zone’s command room. Major General Xie has gone to lead troops to support you. I am Jiang Jianming.”
Raymond was stunned for a moment. He sheepishly rubbed his head, “Oh… it’s Little Excellency.”
He just remembered that Major General Xie had indeed mentioned going to the front lines personally. The recent battle had been so brutal that he had forgotten.
“Then, I trouble Little Excellency to inform the Major General, or you can directly order the main force to quickly enter the Central Zone.”
As Raymond spoke, he started to walk up the long stairs connecting the control room and the open gun platform. “The main cannon has been successfully recaptured…”
“Wait,” Jiang Jianming’s voice suddenly became serious.
“Don’t approach the gun platform yet. It’s been too smooth. A formidable enemy has still not appeared.”
“Little Excellency,” Raymond was a bit anxious, “there’s no one left in the control room, and no one visible on the gun platform. We know our own place well, the area under the platform is solid. There can’t be any hidden mechanisms!”
In the command room.
The blue light from the screen tinted Jiang Jianming’s eyes a somewhat mysterious shade. His expression remained calm as he remained silent.
“Little Excellency!”
Raymond’s anxious voice continued to come through the earpiece.
Finally, Jiang Jianming took a light breath. He leaned forward and reached out to connect another communication channel. “Your Highness.”
“Here,” came Ryann’s voice.
“Please…”
Jiang Jianming’s gaze fixed on the large screen, scanning one by one the images displayed:
The high sky with howling winds, the low sky filled with artillery fire, the fortress’s alloy outer walls, the control room with bloody footprints, the main cannon platform piercing the clouds.
His gaze paused on the last image. Jiang Jianming said calmly. “Go check… inside the main cannon.”
Inside?
Wilson, sitting in the co-pilot seat, almost doubted his comprehension. Inside the cannon’s barrel?
Could there possibly be something hidden in there?
But Ryann didn’t hesitate for even a moment. His golden crystal bones touched the control panel, and the mecha reached maximum speed almost instantly upon activation.
Whoosh!
The wings of L-Twin Stars’ mecha made a wind-splitting sound as it flew in an arc trajectory, speeding towards the main cannon.
The fortress’s main cannon was so enormous that as they approached, they could clearly see the frost that had accumulated on its black surface over the years, never melting, like an eerie vortex ready to devour someone.
When L-Twin Stars entirely entered the depths of this heavy cannon’s barrel, visually it looked as if they had been swallowed by the vortex.
And then, Ryann and Wilson saw it too.
A small white figure.
Margaret was sitting right there inside.
The girl wore a white dress, barefoot, hugging her knees.
If the main cannon were to be activated, her position would be instantly shattered by the energy blast. But the Bishop of Death sat quietly, like a carefully placed doll.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t a real doll.
Margaret gazed at the approaching mecha with her blue eyes. She slowly stood up, spider web-like snow-white crystal bones extending from her back.
“You all,” this bizarre girl bishop said in a light, tender voice, “are going to die today.”
