Everything fell into chaos.
In the midst of the turmoil, Ryann barely managed to protect Raymond’s team as they retreated from the central zone.
People kept falling behind along the way, but there was no time to save each one. Those who could still move forward rode flying mechas, breaking through the crystal particle turbulence, advancing towards the eastern zone.
Looking at the horizon again, Xie Yuduo’s army finally stopped resisting to the death. They retreated and scattered towards the northern and eastern zones, allowing the group of mechas carrying the Crystal Cult’s corpses to rush towards the center.
“Your Highness!”
The major general’s urgent voice came through the communication, “How are you? What about that bishop!?”
“Also, I can’t contact the Little Excellency. Did he come to find you? If you see him, please quickly persuade him to return to the rear. His body will be in serious trouble if it’s damaged again…”
Ryann’s eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth without speaking.
The eastern zone was already in sight.
In the distance, the national flag that had been hung up yesterday was still fluttering in the wind in front of the ruins.
Ryann suddenly stopped his mecha’s advance and said to Raymond and the others, “Walk the rest of the way on your own! Xie Yuduo’s army will pass by soon, let him cover your return.”
Wilson was stunned, “Your Highness, aren’t we leaving?”
Ryann didn’t answer.
He turned his head back, his cold gaze passing over the sky dome—
Central Zone.
Margaret, her body completely wrapped in white crystals, lay on the ground and moved weakly.
The crystal particle turbulence swept over, countless Crystal Cult mechas crashed into the main cannon’s defensive blue net, falling and crashing around her.
The Bishop of Death slowly got up, a blank expression on her face.
She dazedly stretched her hands towards the sky, then withdrew them, slowly making a praying gesture.
“Crystal particles…grace…all beings…”
Just as His Excellency Archbishop Gaius had taught her.
Countless white crystals sprouted from her face. Margaret opened her mouth wide, clutching her throat, vomiting streams of white crystals.
Out-of-control crystal bones sprouted from her arms and legs, from her chest and waist, lifting her tremblingly off the ground.
—She had turned into a monster.
Eastern zone, temporary treatment area.
Hearing that Lieutenant Raymond was seriously injured, Tang Zhen anxiously rushed out, brushing past Zheng Yue and his group who were returning.
“All troops retreat!” Zheng Yue waved his arms, shouting sternly as he ran, “Take the wounded and retreat, the crystal particle concentration here will rise quickly, everyone with tranquilizers at hand, take three full doses!”
Tang Zhen’s heart jolted, he quickly took out his personal tranquilizer and injected it, secretly feeling relieved: New humans had a very low need for tranquilizers, which were more like special emergency medicine; normally, even Silver Big Dipper wouldn’t bring so many doses on an expedition.
Fortunately, before Little Jiang came over from the second fortress, he insisted on bringing enough tranquilizers to supply every soldier. If not for this, the number of deaths to follow would likely be several times higher!
Suddenly, Tang Zhen’s eyes widened, the empty syringe falling from his hand, “Holy sh*t… what is that thing!?”
In the center of the fortress, a giant white crystal object rose up.
Zing! Zing zing!!
Countless crystal bones as thick as giant trees pierced into the ground, also piercing through the alloy iron walls of the fortress along the way, sparks flying, smoke and dust scattering.
Margaret’s originally tiny body had now expanded to dozens of times its original size, lifted high into the air by crystal bones.
Her eyes were wide open, blankly scanning this fortress area, then she raised her “leg” and stepped forward.
The earth trembled as the Bishop of Death, now in a non-human form, took a step towards the main cannon.
…….
“She still has consciousness.”
“She still remembers the orders given to her.”
It wasn’t until the Crown Prince’s voice coldly rang out that Alen Wilson vaguely understood what was happening now.
The order the Bishop of Death had received. She had just said it herself: Kill the imperial army, destroy the main cannon.
The main cannon’s defense shield could block even a starship’s particle cannon, but what about facing such a monster beyond current understanding?
“It’s no use, it looks like we can’t protect the main cannon. Your Highness, please come back quickly. In the worst case, we may need to consider evacuating Alpha Alien Star…”
Xie Yuduo was shouting in the mecha’s built-in communication. “My Crown Prince, are you listening to this subordinate’s words!?”
Suddenly, Wilson realized a terrifying problem.
Why was the communication channel so quiet earlier when the Crown Prince was fighting the Bishop of Death on the gun platform?
Why did it fall to him, a mecha pilot, to call out for His Highness to retreat!?
The answer couldn’t be clearer.
At the moment when the crystal disorder storm erupted, was it more urgent to save the main force, or to eliminate Margaret?
Should they trade the lives of hundreds, thousands, or possibly tens of thousands of soldiers for the life of an enemy bishop who might pose an extreme threat?
Neither Xie Yuduo nor Jiang Jianming were on the front lines, they didn’t dare make this judgment.
So they chose to trust the Crown Prince’s judgment, even if it was perhaps only instinct or intuition.
But… Wilson’s face turned pale, had he interfered with His Highness’s judgment?
If the main cannon was really destroyed, if the recapture of the first fortress failed because of this, then he…
At this moment, in his memory, the eyes of that young, sickly non-crystal military officer became incredibly calm and profound, his gaze piercing towards him like icicles!
There was a click sound.
[L-Twin Stars, main and sub-bodies have separated!]
Wilson turned his head. He saw the Crown Prince’s hand on the mecha’s separation lever.
Finally, Ryann seemed to give him a faint smile.
“Stop thinking so highly of yourself, Your Excellency Wilson.”
The Crown Prince’s voice came drifting over.
“There isn’t a second person who can change my judgment.”
In a flash, L-Twin Stars split in half, with the main cockpit section of the mecha body suddenly soaring upwards!
“Your Highness——!!!”
The biting cold wind cut off Wilson’s shout.
Looking out, the central main cannon area was already a sea of pale white, with imperial troops in the air constantly retreating.
Long-range cannons from the northern and eastern zones opened fire on that white crystal. Soldiers roared with red eyes, but the monster remained unmoved, taking another step towards the main cannon, the fortress iron walls along the way crumbling.
Just as the shadow of “death” truly loomed over the alien star.
The main half of L-Twin Stars turned around, its direction different from all the imperial troops.
The mecha flew lonely towards the central gun platform.
He was alone.
A vast light filled Ryann’s eyes.
In his memory, that clamorous night of raging fires rose up.
“Is this empire very important to you?” he had asked.
“People always need a place to belong,” someone had answered with gentle eyes, “Something they’re willing to live for, or die for.”
At that time, he didn’t understand, so he could only embrace that person, entrusting all his strength to them.
So, what about today?
What about today?
A familiar voice pierced his eardrum.
“—Your Highness!!”
Ryann’s pupils trembled. He saw Jiang Jianming running along the broken wall of the fortress’s highest level.
The sunlight was clear and bright, casting that slender figure as the only silhouette between heaven and earth.
They saw each other at first glance. The surroundings were filled with the clamor of cannon fire, but when their gazes met, the collision was so pure and lonely.
Jiang Jianming’s eyes widened slightly, the wind whistling through his outstretched fingers.
“Your Highness,” he called, “Ry…”
In that patch of sky traced by his fingertips, the Crown Prince’s mecha flashed by!
In the central zone, the monster Margaret was only a few steps away from the gun platform. She raised her crystal bones high.
“It’s no use… we’re too late.”
Outside the temporary treatment area, Bei Man’er and Tang Zhen, who had just arrived, supported the blood-covered Lieutenant Raymond and other wounded soldiers as they retreated to the rear.
Someone murmured while looking at the horizon. “We can’t make it in time.”
“Your Highness!!”
Xie Yuduo’s side was almost going crazy, “What are you trying to do? It’s too late to save the main cannon, we can only give up—Come back first, we’ll think of another way when you’re back!!”
Noisy.
Ryann reached out to cut off the communication.
But the next second, it was Jiang Jianming’s voice that came through.
“Your Highness.” He called him.
No, don’t try to persuade me.
Ryann thought with a painful ache in his chest. Then, he heard Jiang Jianming rapidly speak—
“Listen to me, the speed of the large mecha isn’t enough. Now, detach all parts that can be removed!”
Ryann’s eyes suddenly brightened. Real crystals instantly shot out, violently piercing through the mecha’s alloy structure.
Crack——!!
Over a dozen parts including mechanical arms, mechanical feet, probes, main and secondary gun barrels, treatment cabin, and storage compartments were simultaneously severed, falling towards the vast snowy ground in the fierce wind!
L-Twin Stars suddenly increased its speed by a level.
Rumble… vibrations came through the wind as the monster Margaret’s crystal bones smashed hard towards the gun platform.
The blue defense net rose again, but emitted an overloaded sizzling sound, the light net flickering on and off!
“Stay calm, the defense shield should be able to hold a bit longer,” Jiang Jianming’s voice came almost simultaneously, “Alien creatures are approaching ahead. I’ve just taken over the control of long-range cannons in the eastern and northern zones. Wide-range sweep fire in five seconds, you must push through—no problem, right?”
“…Of course.”
Ryann said through gritted teeth, but his eyes reddened.
He was already far from the eastern zone, yet Jiang Jianming could still accurately judge his current situation. This wasn’t something that could be done just by looking at a map from the rear.
But the Crown Prince couldn’t even spare the energy to look back now, he could only ask through the communication. “Where are you?”
As soon as he spoke, his voice was hoarse beyond recognition.
The rising tone at the end was choked with emotion.
The other side of the communication heard and laughed, saying gently, “Doesn’t Your Highness already know?”
On the vast horizon, two mechas flew by one after another, skimming low.
They passed over the frost on the ground, thick snow, white crystals, and skylight.
The latter chased the afterimage left by the former.
Ahead, dense swarms of alien creatures, stimulated by the concentrated crystal particles, rushed over in a frenzy.
Shadows loomed, connecting the sky and the horizon into one, like night falling prematurely.
“Of course,” Jiang Jianming said calmly inside the mecha Snow Dove, “I’m always behind you.”
Both mechas accelerated at the same time.
It seemed as if they could thus rush together towards the end of this darkness.
