"Pfft—pfft—!"
The sound of explosions reverberated throughout the docking bay as explosive spike rounds, like precise "kiss of death," struck a group of assault troopers ahead. In their wake, both armor and bodies shattered simultaneously, tearing apart like ragged cloth and scattering in every direction.
Armor that could relatively withstand energy attacks was utterly ineffective against the .75-caliber explosive spike rounds, which moved as swiftly as lightning. The faint sheen on the armor was instantly broken as the violent impact and explosion demolished both the protective plating and the body beneath.
The explosive spike rounds functioned like miniature tracking missiles, homing in on each assault trooper attempting to resist with their firearms, and in an instant, devouring them into unrecognizable ash.
Even more lethal was the presence of a machine gunner among the veteran squad—he hefted a massive plasma cannon in both hands, its searing blue glow erupting from the barrel to obliterate every target in its path. Each hit from the plasma cannon barrage carried tremendous heat and energy; upon impact, an enemy's body was completely vaporized, leaving no intact corpse behind—only scattered metal fragments and charred debris, as if those individuals had never existed in this world.
"Run, run faster!!"
"Good heavens, what kind of monsters are they?!"
A few desperate screams rang out amidst the chaos, shattering nearly everyone's composure. Ground crew and logistics personnel, still reeling from the shock, witnessed these apocalyptic scenes—a blood and gore spectacle so horrifying that they frantically bolted to escape this death zone.
"Beep beep!"
Meanwhile, those highly self-preserving "rat" robots vanished without a trace. Their systems, upon detecting imminent danger, swiftly retreated—saving themselves was their primary concern. As for the assault troopers who had to face the barrage from the Blood Raven veterans' guns and cannons, they had little choice.
Although the veterans' assault was ferocious and the sight of their comrades' gruesome deaths was horrifying, for the moment they still enjoyed overwhelming numerical superiority—thousands to six. With the expansive space of the docking bay providing ample room for higher command to deploy reinforcements, a few heavy armored units were on the way, ready to deliver robust fire support.
Thus, only by holding on and completing the mission to clear out the enemy could they avoid harsh punishment from above—and secure the relatively precious positions and livelihoods they held.
"Whoosh—whoosh—!"
Soon after, accompanied by intense heat and shock, energy beams rained down like a torrent, converging on the positions occupied by the Blood Raven veterans. Titanium-powered battle armor reacted swiftly, instantly generating energy shields that formed an apparently indestructible luminous barrier around the veterans, flickering with rippling energy waves akin to splashing water.
"Buzz—buzz—!"
As the dense energy beams struck the shield, it trembled violently, yet most of the attack was successfully deflected. The veterans, however, did not rush to counterattack immediately—nor did they need any orders. The six Blood Raven veterans quickly dispersed tactically to reduce the risk of being focused on by enemy fire.
At that moment, they harbored not the slightest thought of retreat. Although they were well-equipped and battle-hardened, facing the overwhelming numbers of the assault troopers still imposed tremendous pressure. After all, the energy weapons in the Star Wars universe were no less formidable than the hard-light series used by the main universe's Empire; each side had its advantages. In one-on-one confrontations, the assault troopers were helpless against Astartes-level opponents, but when numbers reached a certain threshold, even the Blood Raven veterans faced the danger of their shields breaking and armor being penetrated.
As the Blood Raven veterans dispersed like fleeting shadows, the clustered assault troopers immediately fell into disarray, unable to organize any effective countermeasures. Even if the individual systems of the assault troopers possessed advanced auxiliary calibration functions, when confronted with targets moving at high speed like humanoid tanks, they were rendered ineffective—and their armor and weapons simply lacked such supplementary features. Those assault troopers closest to the Blood Raven veterans had no time to react; they were literally "smashed" by an overwhelming brute force. Yes, literally smashed. No matter what armor or power suit they wore, when faced with an Astartes clad in battle armor weighing several tons and moving at nearly 70 kilometers per hour, they appeared shockingly fragile. In the moment of impact, their bodies shattered like delicate glass, flesh and blood splattering as fragments of armor and internal organs flew apart in midair, enveloping the scene in a dense, horrifying blood mist.
The assault troopers watched in horror as their comrades turned into fragments in an instant, a scene straight out of hell that sent waves of terror crashing over them. Their heartbeats pounded like drums, and their breathing became rapid and disordered. They finally understood why Scariff had fallen in such a short time. Confronted with these monstrous beings that seemed to belong in myth and legend, any resistance appeared utterly futile.
Even Sith warriors, it must be noted, would not recklessly smash people aside; certainly, these assault troopers would never have the chance to engage a Sith warrior up close in their lifetimes. Fear and despair permeated their eyes, and the shadow of death loomed over everyone.
At the edge of the area bombarded by plasma cannon volleys, a lieutenant from the assault troopers struggled to crawl out from the rubble. His helmet lay in ruins, blood streaming down his forehead, staining half his face. The sounds of his comrades' agonized screams, along with the cacophony of bodies exploding, armor shattering, and the whistling of explosive spike rounds, filled his ears. His hands trembled slightly, but the instinct to survive quickly brought him back to consciousness. He immediately activated his comms and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Support! We need support! Now!"
The lieutenant's voice was hoarse and broken—a cry squeezed from deep within, laden with unmistakable despair. On the other end of the line, a communications officer replied in an almost dispassionate tone, "Support is on the way, but according to current intel, there are only six enemies in the docking bay. How can your force of thousands be unable to handle them?"
"Only six?!" The lieutenant's eyes narrowed sharply, veins bulging at his temples, and his voice suddenly rose in a roar, almost as if he were screaming:
"You office-bound idiots! Open your eyes and see the reality on the battlefield! Those six aren't ordinary enemies—they are walking war machines! They are tanks in human skin! Our firepower against them is laughably inadequate!!"
His roar was intermingled with the distant rumble of explosions, and on the other end, the communications officer seemed taken aback by this sudden outburst. After a brief silence, the officer's voice returned, tinged with hesitation: "But theoretically, thousands to six—by all accounts, we hold absolute superiority."
"Theory?! To hell with theory!" The lieutenant slammed his fist hard onto a nearby piece of twisted metal, the dull impact echoing. "You fools hiding in safe zones have no idea what we're up against! Their speed, strength, and equipment are beyond human capability! Our soldiers are like paper—they crumble on contact! If you dare question this again, I swear I'll report you all to the highest command so that you'll never live it down!!"
After this, the line fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of electrical current audible. Clearly, the communications officer had been cowed by the lieutenant's fury. Moments later, the officer's voice returned, noticeably softer: "Understood. We will immediately coordinate for a more powerful support unit. Please hold on."
"Good."
With that, the lieutenant voluntarily cut off the communication. The officer's change in tone was understandable; complaints during wartime could severely affect one's career, and being deliberately targeted by high-ranking officials associated with the assault troopers meant a lifetime of misfortune. Nonetheless, it wasn't surprising that the officer had posed a question in the first place. After all, the concept of thousands versus six is elementary—if thousands truly held absolute superiority, why was additional support needed?
If the officer had witnessed a scene of a Blood Raven veteran casually crushing several assault troopers with a single punch, he might have understood the lieutenant's rage. Thus, in order to swiftly quell the chaos in Sector 7 of the lower hemisphere, the officer's request for support was reported to higher command, and the Death Star's top command quickly responded, indicating that "specialists" would be dispatched to handle those enemy "humanoid tanks."
Meanwhile, the battle in the Scariff sector raged on with relentless intensity—a scene of apocalyptic grandeur that left every onlooker stunned.
"Whooo—whooo—!!"
"Ri—whoosh—!!"
Thousands of energy beams and plasma discharges burst forth like stellar explosions across the dark void, leaving long trails of light in their wake. Each trajectory of an electromagnetic main cannon seemed to herald the destruction of an entire vessel; those searing beams shone with extraordinary brilliance amid the expanse of the Scariff sector.
"Boom—boom—!"
Moreover, when small vessels and various fighters exploded, the silent sparks and blinding flashes resembled the most dazzling fireworks in the universe, scattered with a golden halo throughout the Scariff sector.
This devastation was unleashed by the main force of the Blood Raven Company, led by the Emperor-class flagship.
Barely had the fleet completed its hyperspace jump and arrived in the Scariff sector when it launched a relentless, thunderous barrage upon the Galactic Empire's fleet. The fleet, originally led by Darth Vader but for various reasons stranded around the Death Star, was utterly decimated by the full might of the Blood Raven main force. Primarily, it was the Emperor-class electromagnetic main cannons—with power beyond imagination—that proved to be the decisive weapons in the early stages of this confrontation, determining a brief but critical outcome.
At full power, these electromagnetic cannons can accelerate a 40-ton, needle-like steel projectile to 6% of the speed of light. To put it in perspective, 6% of the speed of light is approximately 18,000,000 meters per second. Using the kinetic energy formula Ek = (1/2)mv and knowing that one ton of TNT is roughly equivalent to 4.184×10^9 joules, a 40-ton needle-like steel projectile accelerated to 6% of the speed of light would deliver an impact equivalent to over a hundred thousand Hiroshima atomic bombs—or about 155 megatons of hydrogen bomb yield.
Thus, even a single Star Destroyer stranded in Scariff could not withstand the onslaught from an Emperor-class main cannon—it would be obliterated in one shot. Simultaneously, an Emperor-class warship is capable of executing a planetary extinction order against the surface of a terrestrial planet.
Of course, such full-power firing is not without its cost. Due to various constraints, full-power output can only be achieved outside an atmosphere. Moreover, while this tactic can instantaneously destroy enemy vessels with extremely robust defenses, it also greatly accelerates the wear on the main cannon and may even shorten the overall lifespan of an Emperor-class vessel; hence, it is not used frequently. As for systems like the Cruiser-class that could theoretically "blow apart" an entire planet, even an Emperor-class warship capable of accelerating a 40-ton tungsten steel projectile to 6% of the speed of light could not manage that feat—and the number of 1-megaton hydrogen bombs required to shatter Earth is astronomical.
Most importantly, the Blood Raven Company understood that they must give the enemy no breathing space; a swift, decisive battle was imperative to destroy the enemy fleet as soon as possible. Therefore, the Emperor-class warship was not the sole source of firepower. Other main vessels within the Blood Raven Company were simultaneously firing their oversized energy weapons, their brilliant flashes piercing through enemy ships like a devouring torrent, tearing them apart one by one. Whether it was capital ships or fighters, their wreckage scattered into countless fragments amid the explosions.
This initial clash was marked by such ruthless brutality and destruction that the entire Scariff sector was transformed into a burning, merciless graveyard. Behind the silence of the explosions and energy beams lay the absolute suppression of the Galactic Empire's fleet by the Blood Raven Company main force—without any emotion or compromise, only cold, unyielding victory. Every artillery strike seemed to announce the enemy's fate, like the final judgment in the cosmos, showing no mercy.
Meanwhile, reinforcements from nearby systems belonging to the Galactic Empire began to arrive in the Scariff sector.
"Swish—swish—!"
As a series of brilliant lights signaled the end of hyperspace travel, a large number of Imperial vessels started joining the massive battle erupting in the Scariff sector. Among these were over a dozen Star Destroyers nearly two kilometers in length, along with roughly two hundred assorted frigates, destroyers, and other types. In terms of numbers, the two sides were vastly different; in terms of firepower, they were fairly evenly matched. Consequently, the battle was poised to devolve into a protracted stalemate.
More importantly, not only were the main universe's Empire and the Galactic Empire committing their forces to Scariff, but other detached factions had also begun to focus on the area. For instance, the Rebel Alliance based on Yavin IV had already dispatched three squadrons of X-Wing fighters to conduct reconnaissance in Scariff. However, at this moment, the Blood Raven Company—and perhaps Magnus, their leader—had no time to consider the movements of other forces. Instead, they immediately ordered Curze and the Glory Guard of the Midnight Lord to execute a jump operation to the docking bay in Sector 7 of the Death Star's lower hemisphere.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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