"Even a Lord Ravager is no match for him?"
Hearing March 7th's words, the members of the Astral Express crew exchanged skeptical glances.
As Emanators of Nanook the Destruction, the Lord Ravagers were infamous throughout the cosmos. Even a top-tier faction like the Interastral Peace Corporation wouldn't dare to pick a fight with one.
Forget Welt Yang; even Dan Heng at the peak of his power, wielding the full might of the Imbibitor Lunae, wouldn't necessarily be a match for a Lord Ravager.
Although Su Mo was from another world, how could he possibly command such a terrifying level of power?
"Mr. Su, if you're willing to help, I thank you on behalf of everyone on the space station."
Though Himeko had her doubts, she didn't show them. On the contrary, she was exceedingly polite to Su Mo.
It wasn't just because of the potential relationship between him and March 7th, but also because of the goodwill Su Mo himself had shown.
To be willing to travel to another world for a rescue mission based on March's word alone spoke volumes about his character.
As for his strength, even if March was exaggerating a little, her standards were by no means low. For her to speak so highly of him meant his power was at least on par with her own. She didn't need to worry about him being in danger.
Since there were no issues with his strength or character, and he was willing to come all this way, she certainly couldn't refuse his help.
"We don't have a clear picture of the situation on the station yet, but we will soon."
As she spoke, the Astral Express successfully docked at the space station's platform.
With that, a more stable connection was established. Himeko tapped her phone a few times and quickly connected to the director of the Herta Space Station.
A holographic image flickered to life, revealing a young woman with pink hair at the center of the screen. Around her, researchers were scrambling and fleeing in panic.
Upon establishing the connection, the young woman was clearly ecstatic.
"Ms. Himeko, you're finally here! Thank you for the support from the Astral Express. The space station will remember this kindness!"
Help arriving in a time of crisis was always the best opportunity to build good relations.
There weren't many factions capable of dealing with the Antimatter Legion. Although she had the authority to mobilize the IPC, distant water couldn't put out a nearby fire. The only ones who could arrive in time were the Astral Express.
"Think nothing of it, Ms. Asta. Watching over and helping one another is the creed of us Trailblazers. The Antimatter Legion is an enemy to us all."
After the brief pleasantries, Himeko got straight to the point.
"Ms. Asta, what's the current status of the invasion? How can we best support you?"
"The invasion was incredibly sudden. I've already tried to isolate the completely overrun sectors, but many researchers couldn't evacuate in time. They're entangled with the monsters of the Antimatter Legion. The station's security forces are insufficient. Without reinforcements, we may have to abandon some sectors."
Asta was in no mood for small talk either, immediately laying out their predicament.
The Herta Space Station had been designed with external threats in mind, but not an invasion of this scale.
While they could seal the bulkhead doors to protect the core areas, they were powerless to help in the zones where both staff and Antimatter Legion forces were present.
If they attempted a rescue, their security forces were too thin. If they abandoned those staff to protect the core, it would crush morale.
But if they did nothing, the Antimatter Legion would inevitably use these breaches to push deeper into the station, and then they'd be in real trouble.
Himeko was slightly surprised by Asta's response.
She hadn't expected this young station director to be so remarkably mature.
Abandoning a sector was tantamount to abandoning the people in it. While it was the most logical decision, not everyone had the resolve to make such a hard sacrifice.
"In that case, if we split our forces and advance on multiple fronts, we should be able to alleviate the crisis," Himeko quickly formulated a plan.
The members of the Express crew were all skilled fighters. Even March 7th, the least experienced of the group, could hold back an entire enemy lane on her own.
The station's biggest problem right now was its lack of security personnel. If the crew could fill that gap, cut off the Legion's advance, bring the trapped researchers back to safety, and seal the doors, they could minimize casualties.
Asta's face lit up with joy when she heard Himeko's plan.
"That would be wonderful! The Legion is mainly invading through four primary routes. There are monsters on dozens of other routes too, but those sectors don't lead to the core, so it's less of a problem."
"We won't be able to look after the researchers who are hiding all over the place, but this isn't the time to worry about that. Stopping and repelling the Antimatter Legion is the top priority!"
The invasion had been so sudden that many researchers had panicked and run off on their own instead of following instructions.
Even with reinforcements, there was little that could be done for people like that.
They could only search for survivors after the Antimatter Legion was completely driven out.
"Alright!"
Seeing Asta agree and send over a map of the Legion's invasion routes, Himeko nodded, ready to give the command.
Just then, she noticed Su Mo standing beside her and quickly asked, "Mr. Su, do you have any thoughts on this plan?"
Since he was here to help, it was only right to respect his opinion.
Hearing Himeko's question, Asta's expression grew curious.
"Oh? Is this Mr. Su a new Nameless?"
"No, he's a friend of the crew who we invited to help," Himeko replied, shaking her head.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Su! You will forever be a friend of the space station!"
Asta's expression turned serious. True friends are revealed in times of hardship, and a friend of the Astral Express was someone she could trust.
"It's nothing. I'm just helping a friend out," Su Mo said.
After glancing at the holographic map and sensing the presence of the nearby Antimatter Legion monsters, he asked, "Can you confirm that these are the only types of monsters in the Legion forces, and that they don't possess any cloaking or disguise abilities?"
With a wave of his hand, he created projections of several types of Voidrangers, Baryons, and other lesser monsters.
Seeing the projections, Asta blinked and then nodded.
"That's right. They're all standard monster types so far. We haven't seen any Doomsday Beast-class enemies yet."
"Good. I understand."
Su Mo nodded, then turned to Himeko.
"Ms. Himeko's plan is excellent. It's only natural that you didn't fully account for my combat capabilities, given our lack of familiarity."
"Are you saying you have a better proposal, Mr. Su?" Himeko asked curiously.
"Mm," Su Mo nodded. "My method can reinforce all routes simultaneously. I just need Ms. Asta to make a station-wide announcement to avoid any friendly fire."
"Reinforce all routes simultaneously?"
Asta's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That would be ideal, of course, but how can one person reinforce every route at once?"
While the galaxy was full of powerful individuals, very few were capable of such a feat.
"Subordinates? Ah, I get it!"
March 7th, standing to the side, quickly caught on.
Though she didn't know which of his races Su Mo planned to use, any of the forces under his command were more than enough to handle the Antimatter Legion.
"Don't worry, Ms. Asta! This is easy for Lord Su Mo!" she declared with absolute confidence. Himeko thought for a moment and silently acquiesced.
Seeing this, Asta didn't hesitate. She immediately broadcasted the arrival of reinforcements to the entire space station, warning everyone to avoid friendly fire while simultaneously boosting their morale.
While Asta made the announcement, Su Mo vanished for a split second. When he reappeared, a young girl with a vacant expression, dressed in a gorgeous kimono, was standing beside him.
"Hello, Miss Holou!" March 7th immediately greeted the young goddess.
"Assessment: Divine power operating within normal parameters. No negative effects detected. Conclusion: Holou is currently fine."
After a quick self-diagnostic, Holou looked around at the drastically changed environment, her gaze finally landing on Su Mo with a questioning look.
Before she could speak, Su Mo addressed her.
"Put your questions on hold for now. I'll answer them later. What I need right now is the military might of the Ex-Machina."
With that, he looked out the window.
"Schwi, remember the information I gave you. Eradicate all individuals marked as 'Antimatter Legion.' Be careful to avoid large-scale destruction as much as possible!"
"As you command, my One True God!"
More than ten thousand Ex-Machina responded in perfect unison. The synchronized shout was so powerful it startled Pom-Pom, who stumbled and fell right onto the floor.
It was only then that Asta, Himeko, and the others realized it wasn't just Holou who had arrived.
They immediately looked out the window and were met with the sight of the Ex-Machina legion departing in perfect formation. The army of steel, numbering well over ten thousand, scattered like a tide, a sea of backs disappearing into the station.
The sight of this iron tide, moving with perfect discipline, left everyone except March 7th completely and utterly stunned.
A legion of this scale looked even more terrifying than the Antimatter Legion.
No wonder Su Mo had specifically told them to be careful with identification. Otherwise, it would be impossible to tell who the invaders were.
"This is…?"
Himeko's gaze toward Su Mo became heavy with gravity.
To command such a massive army was to be a major power in interstellar society.
A moment ago, she thought March 7th's description was an exaggeration. Now, all she wanted to know was who in the world this man was.
"My One True God?"
Asta caught the title, her expression filled with curiosity as she looked at Su Mo. That was not a title just anyone could earn.
"What a terrifying army!"
Welt Yang couldn't tear his eyes away from the retreating figures of the Ex-Machina.
He sensed a power within them similar to his own. By his estimation, even the weakest of these Ex-Machina was stronger than an elite from the Antimatter Legion. An army of this caliber was on par with a Lord Ravager's personal forces.
What kind of existence could command the loyalty of such a legion?