Chapter 95: What Are You Babbling About? Hyperion, Fire!
"Now, it is time for the cosmos to know your name. At the end of all things, you shall burn away the universe's Remembrance! Arise, Lord Ravager... Moment!" Rekka declared with absolute theatrical flair, clapping a heavy hand onto March 7th's shoulder.
March 7th flinched. Her finger trembled, hovering dangerously close to the glowing red launch button on the command console.
"Don't be so nervous," Rekka coaxed, his tone instantly dropping from apocalyptic herald to casual friend. "Actually, Ai-chan is the one doing the real aiming and firing. You are just here to look cool and give the command. Ai-chan knows exactly how to calibrate the blasts. Absolutely no one is going to get hurt."
"That is not the problem!" March 7th protested, her pink eyes wide with panic. "Didn't you just say you were making me the fleet commander? How did my job title suddenly jump to Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion?!"
"Details, details. I will just ask you this: are you in or not?" Rekka grinned, leaning against the console. "Switching between two completely different identities on the fly. You have to admit, it is going to be a blast."
Sitting cross-legged on a floating holographic chair nearby, Silver Wolf blew a bubblegum bubble and watched the chaotic display with deep amusement. Pop. "You guys really have a terminal case of the acting bug."
"You just don't understand high art. This is called a fully immersive experience," Rekka corrected her, puffing out his chest with righteous indignation. "It is a phenomenally rare chance to play the ultimate cosmic villain without any of the actual moral baggage. Of course we have to milk it for all it is worth! Besides, aren't we doing the Xianzhou Alliance a massive favor? We are helping them flush out their internal moles and hidden enemies."
Shrugging, Silver Wolf hopped down from her chair and effortlessly transitioned into the role of the crew's designated makeup artist and digital disguise expert.
With a few swipes of her holographic keyboard, March 7th's facial features were subtly adjusted. The holographic camouflage shifted her bone structure just enough to make her original, cheerful appearance completely unrecognizable. Still worried that her naturally bubbly personality would ruin the menacing Lord Ravager aesthetic, March took a deep breath and deliberately let her alternate persona, Long Night Moon, take the wheel.
"Oh, that is the vibe. That is absolutely the vibe," Rekka praised, nodding in deep satisfaction.
He studied Long Night Moon. Gone was the bright, energetic archer. In her place stood a chilling figure with dull, highlight-lacking red eyes that radiated pure, apathetic destruction.
Stelle's transformation was far more ethereal and dramatic. She was draped in flowing, pure white garments that defied gravity, her bare feet hovering inches above the metal deck. A massive, planetary ring-like golden decoration encircled her head, tilting downward to completely obscure her eyes. With her hair restyled to match the galactic wanted posters, she looked terrifyingly identical to the real Celenova.
Testing out her new anti-gravity physics, Stelle tried floating forward. She drifted two steps, her feet suspended in the air, the hem of her white skirt swaying gently like a phantom. She felt incredibly light, almost weightless. Frowning slightly, she reached up to tap the massive planetary ring blocking her upper vision.
"Rekka, am I really going to be okay flying a ship like this?" Stelle murmured, her voice echoing slightly. "I feel like I can't see the road clearly at all..."
Clang!
Before anyone could warn her, Stelle drifted straight into a solid steel cargo container.
"I am blind! I am completely blind!" Stelle yelped, immediately breaking character. She covered her face with both hands and leaned backward, the massive planetary ring decoration wobbling precariously around her head with her frantic movements.
Rekka quickly closed the distance and grabbed her shoulders, steadying the floating girl before she could accidentally tip over and plant her rear on the deck.
"This disguise was replicated one-to-one based on the Interastral Peace Corporation's threat data on Celenova. A Lord Ravager probably doesn't need physical eyes to see where she is going," Silver Wolf explained, strolling over to Stelle's side with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. "But since you are currently visually impaired, I will patch the code for you."
Her nimble fingers danced rapidly through the empty air. A cascading string of glowing blue data swept over the golden planetary ring encircling Stelle's head, rewriting its physical properties in real-time.
"There. Now the inner layer of this thing is semi-transparent to your retinas. You can see the outside world perfectly, but anyone looking at you will still just see solid metal."
Stelle blinked tentatively behind the ring. Sure enough, the bridge of the Hyperion snapped back into crystal-clear focus.
"Oh, this is excellent." Stelle clenched her fists, a dangerous smirk creeping onto her lips. "I feel full of power now!"
'I am the storm that is approaching...' Rekka thought, mentally supplying the heavy metal background music to match her sudden dramatic pose.
"So, what is our first order of business?" Stelle asked, floating back over to the command console.
Rekka grinned like a maniac. "Fire! Fire everything!"
Outside the massive viewport, the dark fabric of space violently tore open. The Hyperion's main cannon roared to life, unleashing a blinding torrent of pure destructive energy.
Rumble...
The sheer kinetic force of the terrifying bombardment rippled through the cosmos, instantly erasing a cluster of barren, uninhabited planets from the star chart in a silent bloom of cosmic fire.
Light-years away, on the bridge of the Xianzhou Luofu's flagship, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
"General, should we activate the full-line defense grid?" a Cloud Knight lieutenant asked, his voice tight with barely suppressed panic as the tactical monitors flared crimson.
"No rush," Jing Yuan replied, his tone as smooth and unbothered as a tranquil pond. He kept his golden eyes fixed on the holographic projection of the distant explosions. "If the opponent truly intended to launch a decapitation strike, that shot would not have conveniently hit a cluster of dead, uninhabited planets... Or rather, does she have other plans entirely?"
It was common knowledge across the cosmos that Celenova was the most relentlessly hardworking vanguard general serving under Nanook. Her reputation made it abundantly clear that she was absolutely top-tier in both tactical cunning and raw, unadulterated combat power. Not to mention, she was a Great Lord personally headhunted—no, personally elevated to godhood by the Aeon of Destruction Himself.
Around the year 5700 of the Star Calendar, she had audaciously demanded that the Zhuming Xianzhou unconditionally surrender and alter its entire navigational course just to assist her in conquering the homeworld of the Wingweavers. The Yaoqing, the Zhuming, and the Fanghu Xianzhou all possessed extensive, blood-soaked historical records of brutal wars fought against the Antimatter Legion pawns marching under Celenova's banner.
Suddenly, a second terrifying bombardment tore through the void. The colossal beam of energy deliberately grazed the absolute outermost edge of the Xianzhou Alliance's territory, missing their patrol fleets by a hairsbreadth.
Hmm...
As a centuries-old veteran who had seen the rise and fall of countless stars, Jing Yuan still showed absolutely no outward reaction. His posture remained relaxed, his hands resting easily on his hips.
Internally, however, he was actually starting to harbor serious doubts.
The grand, theatrical declaration of war they had intercepted earlier was already quite problematic. It lacked the usual mindless, rabid bloodlust of the Legion., the first shot missing its mark entirely could be explained away as a calibration error or an intimidation tactic. But the second shot still failing to hit a target as massive as the Xianzhou fleet? That pointed to a very specific, glaring problem.
Someone was intentionally trying to muddy the waters.
Jing Yuan's lips curved upward. That was good.
The esteemed Divine Foresight general smiled. In that moment, he looked remarkably like a cunning, white-haired fox, practically projecting the illusion of a massive, fluffy tail wagging lazily behind him.
However, some things were much better left unsaid.
It just so happened that there were quite a few hidden pests and treacherous factions currently festering within the Xianzhou Alliance. A little apocalyptic pressure from a fake Lord Ravager might be exactly the excuse he needed to shake the tree and watch all the rotten fruit fall out.
A third apocalyptic bombardment fired. This one precisely grazed the opposite edge of the Xianzhou Alliance's perimeter, leaving a brilliant, lingering trail of superheated light scarred across the starry sky.
The sheer mathematical precision of the miss completely solidified Jing Yuan's suspicion.
Meanwhile, back on the bridge of the Hyperion...
March 7th—or rather, the terrifying Lord Ravager Moment—was having the absolute time of her life.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
What are you babbling about? Just fire the cannons!
With the main cannon controls practically linked straight to her brain, the sheer dopamine rush of pressing the big red button had completely replaced all rational thought.
'I, March 7th of the Astral Express, have finally risen to true greatness!' she cheered internally, her highlight-lacking red eyes practically glowing with manic joy.
She felt that firing a planet-destroying superweapon was simply too satisfying for words.
"Ah, this is so stress-relieving," she sighed happily, leaning over the console.
"Um... March," Stelle interrupted, floating over with her arms crossed. "You have pressed it thirteen times already."
"Really?" March 7th blinked, then immediately slammed her palm down on the button again. "I feel like the bombardment isn't satisfying enough yet. Only thirteen times? That is not much. Not much at all."
"It is not a matter of how many times you press it," Stelle said, awkwardly scratching the back of her head, nearly knocking her golden planetary ring askew. "Don't you think spamming the fire button like this continuously is a bit... uh, too much?"
"Too much my foot!" March 7th shot back righteously, fully embracing her dark persona. "We are cosmic villains now! Shouldn't villains be a bit arrogant and trigger-happy? Besides, Rekka specifically said this is just a border-outlining attack. We are just tracing their silhouette in space. It won't actually hit anyone anyway."
"My point is," Stelle deadpanned, reaching out, "you should let me fire a few rounds too. I am supposed to be Celenova, the vanguard general. Let me play."
Without waiting for permission, Stelle snatched the remote firing module right out of March 7th's hands.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep—!
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom—!
The recoil shook the massive dreadnought. Stelle watched the distant stars ignite into glorious fireworks.
Okay, this really was incredibly stress-relieving. She instantly understood why March 7th was having so much fun.
For the next several minutes, the two fake Lord Ravagers took turns mashing the firing button, giggling like schoolgirls and enjoying themselves immensely as they painted the cosmos with imaginary destruction.
"A friendly reminder from your beloved captain," Rekka chimed in, leaning over the tactical map. "If you keep outlining their borders with such perfect, mathematical regularity, they are going to catch on. As long as the military strategists on the Xianzhou aren't complete idiots—and Jing Yuan certainly isn't—they will definitely see that we are just putting on an act."
Stelle paused mid-press. "That makes sense. So, what should we do now to sell the threat?"
"Aim directly for the absolute thickest part of their main planetary shield," Rekka instructed, a wicked glint in his eye. "I will have Ai-chan load up the Planet Buster. We will use the specific payload designed exclusively to target and eliminate Antimatter Legion signatures. It won't actually harm their hull, but the visual effects, the imaginary energy spikes, and the sheer cinematic spectacle will be completely maxed out. It will look like the end of the world. They definitely won't see anything wrong with that."
Rekka flashed them a confident thumbs-up.
"Really?" March 7th's dull red eyes suddenly sparkled with incredibly bright, un-villainous excitement. "There is actually a weapon that does all that?"
"Of course there is. Have a little faith in my arsenal," Rekka chuckled.
Boom—!!!
A cataclysmic light, infinitely more blinding than any of the previous shots, erupted from the Hyperion's primary cannon. The colossal beam of energy tore through the void like a divine sword piercing the dark sea of stars, crossing the vast distance in a fraction of a second before slamming violently against the main defensive shield of the Xianzhou Luofu.
Blinding, golden energy ripples instantly erupted across the shield's surface. Massive, visible shockwaves spread outward in rapid, concentric circles, distorting the very fabric of space around the flagship. The sheer kinetic impact forced the entire Xianzhou Luofu's defense system to instantly spike to maximum capacity. The resulting clash of energies generated a light so intensely bright it was almost impossible for the naked eye to look directly at it.
The apocalyptic beam held its ground, bathing the Luofu in a terrifying glow for a full ten seconds before finally, gradually dissipating into a shower of harmless cosmic sparks.
When the light faded, the planetary shield remained completely intact, without a single fracture. However, the sheer energy reading had triggered every single proximity sensor on the ship. The Xianzhou's internal alarm systems were now blaring frantically, painting the command deck in flashing red emergency lights.
"Wow..." Stelle murmured, genuinely impressed by the light show.
It was exactly as Rekka promised. The imaginary energy performance was completely maxed out for maximum theatrical terror, but with the friendly fire parameters strictly enforced by Ai-chan, the devastating blast hadn't even managed to scratch the outer layer of the Xianzhou's shield.
Back on the Luofu, amidst the screaming sirens and panicked officers, Jing Yuan stood perfectly still. He stared at the unharmed shield, his usual relaxed demeanor faltering just a fraction.
"...Strange," the General murmured softly to himself, finally raising a curious eyebrow. "What exactly is the purpose of this now?"
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