39: They're here.

The 48th day since the disaster descended.

Looking out, the massive herd of beasts besieging from beyond the sky had not decreased in the slightest. They covered the dome's red Ion Shield so densely that not even a sliver of light could squeeze through.

It was as if every Galaxy Beast in the Northern District near Blackstone Star had been drawn here.

During this time, as the strength of the Galaxy Beast herd increased visibly, the interval for switching between various sectors of the Ion Shield grew shorter and shorter, leaving no time for recovery or rest.

If not for the experts from various factions and the members of the Transcendent Association here all committing themselves to the fight, the front line would likely have already been on the verge of collapse.

The entire ground was covered with the severed limbs and flesh of monsters, as well as the alloy wreckage of various weapons, emitting a pungent, fishy stench and the smell of tar.

With the endless fighting and this kind of environment, even the most high-spirited soldiers were left with nothing but numbness on their faces, executing orders mechanically.

At this moment, in the command center.

"Viscount, the various sectors can no longer hold, and there is simply no time to repair the weapons and equipment. Morale has plummeted to freezing point. Without reinforcements, the AI predicts the front line will be completely breached in 17 hours, 32 minutes, and 11 seconds."

A battle intelligence officer reported with a grim expression.

"Damn it, these brainless beasts, don't they know fear! What on earth are they trying to do, why must they fixate on this place!"

Viscount Kane smashed his fist against the table and chair, creating a loud noise.

Everyone was so frightened they didn't dare to breathe, silent as cicadas in winter.

"Otherwise, should I go there myself?"

After a long silence, Leios slowly spoke up.

"No, Mr. Leios, your strength must be reserved to guard against the S-Class Star River Beast; it cannot be wasted."

After venting his frustration, Viscount Kane gradually calmed down a little.

Leios was the only S-Class Transcendent here.

Although the situation was dire, as long as there was enough energy and the Leios-Stan level ion defense system remained, it wouldn't truly collapse.

And the S-Class Star River Beast was an existence that could truly deal a devastating blow to the defense system; it could not be ignored.

"Fine... pass on my order, the Shadow Strike Squad is to prepare for deployment, everyone seize the time to rest."

Viscount Kane's expression was uncertain, a flash of pain in his eyes.

The "Shadow Strike Squad" was an elite unit he had secretly built by spending countless funds and even risking judgment by Imperial law. They were equipped with the Empire's truly advanced gear.

It was even more so to prepare for seizing power in the family later.

If the situation were not truly critical, he would not want to dispatch them at all; losing even one would be a huge loss.

Ten minutes after the order was issued.

The ground of a restricted area slowly unfolded, and hundreds of slender starships rose into the air in formation.

They were about 300 meters long, with a pointed, conical head when viewed from afar, and several spherical objects surrounding the area near the tip.

Glorious Assault Ship.

This was one of the active-duty ships announced by the Empire five years ago, possessing an extremely powerful assault capability.

"Void Particle Cannon, ready."

The fleet's Commander looked at the claws-bared and fangs-bared herd of beasts on the dome and gave a cold order.

In an instant, all warships deployed in formation and turned their direction.

The spherical objects at the head suddenly opened, and with the transmission of energy, streaks of blue-white cyclones began to brew within them.

"Energy charging complete..."

"Void lens calibrating..."

"Target locked... Particle Cannon, fire!"

The next moment, the blue-white energy cyclones in all the spheres converged on the cone at the top of the warship, and a white laser beam, several dozen meters thick, suddenly tore through the void, shooting straight into the sky!

At the same time, the red Ion Shield in the corresponding area on the dome closed at the right moment.

Streaks of world-destroying power rushed straight into the beast herd.

The moment the terrifying beam made contact, it automatically split into more small lasers, jumping and refracting among the enemies; most of the monsters hit were instantly reduced to ashes.

In the dazzling light, the dense dark clouds dissipated rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Assault squad, move out, clear the remaining targets."

Taking advantage of the moment the beast herd was briefly repelled, countless mechs flew out from beneath the starships; silver-white laser combat blades popped out from their hands, and they swung at the void while still several thousand meters away.

Surprisingly, an A-Class Galaxy Beast, which was struggling against the particle beam a few kilometers away, was caught off guard and was directly decapitated by the swinging weapon, killed in a single strike.

"Is this the Empire's true elite force?"

"Terrifying..."

For a moment, a glimmer of hope rekindled in the hearts of the exhausted defenders.

"Prism refraction technology... curvature technology? No, it seems there is also a shadow of Transcendent power."

Zhang Huaiyuan's eyes flickered slightly as he watched this scene, but there was no joy on his face.

Today is already the 48th day.

Unsurprisingly, those three S-Class Star River Beasts had already completed their evolution and were familiarizing themselves with their power.

They could descend at any moment.

Relying solely on these hundreds of elite starships, they could never be a match for an SS-Class Star River Beast.

"They are retreating, they are retreating! Haha, they know fear too!"

At this moment, a burst of enthusiastic cheering suddenly rang out all around.

It turned out that the beast herd, which had been fearless of death, seemed to feel fear under the powerful fire suppression of this elite fleet and began to retreat one after another.

The long-lost light shone down on the ground through the gaps revealed when they moved, bringing a trace of warmth.

"No... something is wrong..."

The unease in Zhang Huaiyuan's heart grew increasingly stronger.

When he was researching Transcendent structural science, he browsed quite a bit of knowledge about Galaxy Beasts; they were definitely not the type to retreat at the first sign of a setback. Otherwise, they wouldn't have kept launching suicide charges when facing the star defense system before.

"Unless..."

Zhang Huaiyuan was suddenly shocked and immediately shouted through the communicator:

"Lord An, Miss, quickly notify the people of Dark Annihilation to return and hide in the area covered by the Ion Shield!"

"What...?"

"Okay!"

"I suspect..."

Before Zhang Huaiyuan could explain, suddenly a point of scarlet light flashed in the starry sky, and several chilling energy blades attacked from behind the beast herd, slamming heavily onto the red Ion Shield.

Bang!

The light shield, which had remained as steady as Mount Tai despite being besieged by countless Galaxy Beasts, shook violently at this moment; the area that was hit seemed unable to withstand the force and had already dented downward by several dozen meters, and it was still increasing!

Finally, the power of the defense system reached its limit, and with a slight tearing sound, that energy blade sliced open the red shield, continuing downward with undiminished momentum.

And looking at the position, it happened to be exactly the direction where Viscount Kane was located!

"They are here."

Zhang Huaiyuan's heart turned cold.