Chapter 1766: Into the Darkness
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
For many hundreds of thousands of years, the heart of the Plane of Dreams was shrouded by a layer of “boundary”, and that dark screen that cut off all information flow totally enveloped the most ancient and mysterious sector of the universe. No one could know what was happening with the vision screen. Even when a few mortal civilizations had managed to reach the pinnacle of technologies, they only found eternal darkness at the heart of the universe. And the more fortunate ones (or rather the most unfortunate ones), they would by chance slipped through the visual screen and witness the truth behind the barrier, and without any exception, their minds were all destroyed by what they saw there and were reduced to outright insanity or outright monsters.
Thus, aside from the wardens of this prison, no one knew what the “heart of the universe” truly looked like.
Today, however, as the boundary disappeared and the barrier was gone, the most insane and terrifying part of the universe was now presented before everyone.
It was a scene beyond words because all logical terms and mathematical equations were meaningless in this area. All of the dimensional structures and optical phenomenons familiar to men were completely missing. Behind the screen was a chaotic stacked and interwoven structure so massive that it could consume the entire galaxy. Countless of dark shadows inhabited the space as frenzied dark stars died and reborn behind the shadows while shaped and shapeless objects appeared, and disappeared, and at this very moment, the frenzied universe was madly expanding outwards.
Hao Ren saw the shapeless shadows writhed and expanded swiftly towards the direction of the world of order, and the tide of minions was the vanguard, forming into waves of arrows by the borderland.
A droid army arrived to check the threat, as blinding cannon fire tore through the darkness, and ripped holes big and small on the minions and taint of madness, yet these gaps were rapidly filled and a few moments later, the droids disappeared into the vast space, while another unit took their place…
This horrifying scene would demoralize any normal soldiers, but that could not shake the droid swarm as the hivemind sent its swarms to fill in any gaps, and at the same time sent out directives without any emotions.
“The first combat group annihilated. Commencing reinforcement as per preset protocol.”
“Annihilation Lance charging complete. Target, the vanguard of the chaotic structure. Commencing the first volley.”
“The taint of madness has reached the designated point, activating the ‘vaccine’.”
Countless of light-years away, deep within Star Cluster X, the great hall of the Basilica of the world Tree, a black obelisk floated in the air as countless of crisscrossing beams shot out from the top of the surrounding pillars and focused on the tip of the obelisk, and beneath every pillar was a stern-faced guardian.
As the activation command was given, the guardians lifted their staves at the same time, and the light beams from the pillars instantly turned stronger. An innumerable amount of complex lines appeared on the surface of the obelisk, and this held the will of countless of generations of L’Harroneans, as the ancient device that protected the legacy of the L’Harroneans across so many Turn of the Eras finally activated again, the complex data within it could be extracted and translated into a data stream that could suppress the taint of madness, and through the droid network deployed all over the Plane of Dream it was sent to the front line, and amplified by the antenna system of every fortress there, becoming a mathematical weapon that could control the entire battlefield.
In the vast space behind the fortresses, light spots slowly lit up like a new star forming a veritable wall in space, and the massive antenna array in the center of the Overwatch Bastion too was activated, and the fan-like structure slowly opened, and at the same moment, Hao Ren noticed the chaotic structure spreading across the void clearly slowed down as they ran into an invisible barrier, and the process of them trying to break through the barrier was almost comical.
“The vaccine is effective!” the MDT cheered.
“This is just the first step.” Hao Ren still kept his cool, and while he did want to cheer, his experience with all sorts of novels and TV drama taught him something. Any premature cheering is pretty much a death knell. Any premature celebration would usually end up having your face pressed against the ground by the antagonist. “What’s the situation in the rear?”
A few holographic projections then appeared before him as Y’zaks, the Nangong siblings, Lily and the rest appeared on them. The scenery behind each one was different, one was a royal wizard tower in Holletta, while another was the vast ocean of Io.
“There’s nothing on Holetta yet,” Y’zaks said, and behind him was Lanina who had come from Helcrown to help with the defense. Due to the restrictions of the Wall of Reality, the reinforcements that can be brought aside from the half-spirit half-machine Einherjars were just a handful of people. So Y’zaks carefully picked the best possible hands to help. “You don’t have to worry here. The nations of the entire planet have mobilized, and the militant arm of the Disciples of Glory had completed the defensive fortifications a few days ago. Their divine arts will definitely help.”
“Io is super peaceful yo!” Lily followed, and behind her was the Einherjars in their shining armor. “There’s nothing but the sea here, and all of the ocean cities are right under my eyes. Nothing will go wrong.”
“Master, Tannagost had a minor incursion.” The third projection was Valkyrie in her silver armor. As the highest commander of the Einherjars, she was based in Tannagost, and the defense of the planet proper was also tasked to her. “There was a minor incursion near the Valley of the Sacred Springs. They have since been dealt with.”
As Valkyrie’s voice faded, Nangong Wuyue’s projection by the side followed up with, “There’s a small scale incursion of the chaotic monsters, but they were wiped out by Veronica’s Black Raven Knights as soon as they appeared. The people of Collow are very adept at taking care of these ‘small taints’, and it doesn’t seem like they need us at all.”
After listening to the reports from all of the planets, Rheia pondered. “Aiming for those planets with intelligent life the moment you broke through the perimeter huh… even when you had gained the ability to think, you are still not that bright.”
“The vaccination area has reached a hundred percent, and the current broadcast load is seventy-two percent… There is sufficient balance left.” The droid swarm’s voice rang from the liquid metal above the command center. “Scanning the chaotic structure… minor gaps detected, transmitting to the Petrachelys.”
“Nolan.” Hao Ren switched channels. “How’s the preparation going?”
“Shield’s full, thrusters primed, Boss!” Nolan sounded very confident. “We can depart at any time.”
“Check your systems properly, this is a one-way trip.”
“Right, right, right. You’re the boss. Don’t worry, I’ve checked it many times over. I’m currently standing by at the dock, come and get your one-way ticket!”
Hao Ren and Vivian looked at each other and smiled.
Rheia, on the other hand, stood up before them. “Come, the path is clear.”
For a battlefield spanning the length of light-years, minuscule could no longer be used to describe a tiny hundred-meter-long starship.
It was almost as if it was simply space particles, a particle that everyone ignores.
A nondescript launch bay opened up at the central tower of the Overwatch Bastion, and the argent inspector frigate slid out silently before turning into a stream of light and charged into the chaos and darkness while the barrages of cannon fire and ruined wrecks became a storm that was left behind.
“Transferring front line command to the hivemind and Commander Salaman, and all planetary defensive commands to Y’zaks and Valkyrie.” Hao Ren gave order upon order as he sat in the captain’s chair. “The Basilica of the World Tree, transition to automatic mode, and monitor the situation for changes.”
“Muru, Lemendusa, Loken, remember your mission,” Vivian spoke into the communicator before her as well. “If things take a turn for the worst… do not hesitate, bring as many people you can evacuate out of this universe, the droid’s teleportation network will all be unlocked then, and you will be the new guides.”
“We will soon entire the chaotic dimension, and that massive dimensional structure is before us.” Hao Ren looked up and watched the images sent back from the sensors outside. Around the Petrachelys, countless of massive, ethereal black pillars and crevices formed imposing mountains, and within the darkness, there were countless pairs of eyes, limbs, and tentacles writhing about mindlessly, but if he was to focus, they were all nothing but illusions. “Wish us luck.”
“At the very beginning, only the deepest part of the Dark Abyss was like this,” Rheia said softly. “These structures had only appeared a few months back. In the battlefield ten thousand years ago, I ultimately was one step behind, the Mad Lord had absorbed an endless supply of nightmarish powers from the annihilation of countless planets, and that power allowed it to grow to this state.”
Nolan’s voice then rang across the bridge. “Shield system activated, entering stealth mode.”
A layer of ethereal light appeared on the hull of the Petrachelys and the light around the ship started distorting, collapsing, and the amount of information released by the ship decreased. A few breaths later, it had “disappeared” from the battlefield.
The cannon fire and wreckage were already far behind her, and what was on the screen now was nothing but a frenzied dimension.
If one were to close their eyes, the silence on the bridge even gave everyone the false sense that the war was over.
However, the data appearing on the control panels showed the truth, the shields were reacting every passing second, and the damage control sensors were ceaselessly sending out alerts.
Even when there were no visible enemies, the attacks had never ceased since the beginning.
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