Super Mothership
Wolf Civilization Wormhole.
Eight hours after the counterattack force launched its assault and invaded the Wolf Civilization’s territory—
A sudden swirl opened in the void, and under the gaze of the Gemini people, a warship wreathed in thick smoke burst out of the wormhole, badly damaged and retreating…
The Gemini fleet had clearly been mentally prepared for such an event. Their defensive formation did not falter in the slightest; several large rescue ships immediately advanced, carrying repair crews and equipment to assist.
Losses in a wormhole battle were inevitable. Commanders would naturally order damaged, combat-incapable ships to retreat first—so such a sight wasn’t unexpected.
However, as more and more ships limped back through the wormhole—some lightly damaged, others gravely so—fleeing in panic like beaten dogs, a creeping sense of dread spread among the ranks.
Even those aboard the Fallen Angel noticed that large numbers of friendly ships were retreating into their defense sector…
“Tsk, tsk! Just look at that scene… seems like they got smacked right back where they came from, huh?” Nie Yun rubbed his chin, watching the disorganized return of “allies” with a touch of schadenfreude.
From the complete lack of formation in their retreat, it was obvious that this counterattack had gone terribly wrong.
Soon after, Catherine arrived with a grave expression, bringing the latest command from headquarters.
“Lord Arthas, we’ve received new orders — we are to enter maximum combat readiness immediately and prepare to engage the enemy!”
“Engage the enemy?”
Even though Nie Yun had mentally prepared for bad news, the order still took him by surprise.
Things… were looking even worse than he had imagined.
The Fallen Angel had barely finished powering its shields to maximum when, in the void ahead, the enemy appeared—
Almost tailing a retreating warship, a dozen cyan-colored enemy mechs burst through the wormhole. After a dazzling exchange of covering fire, they tore the unshielded vessel to pieces within moments.
Their kill complete, the pursuers immediately turned toward another nearby destroyer!
The unfortunate target appeared to be a legion-class command ship, even larger than the Fallen Angel.
The enemy, however, knew exactly which fruit to pick first — the damaged and weakened one. This ship was already heavily battered, and its surrounding defenses were nearly depleted. Only a dozen escort mechs remained—far too few.
Yet, the desperate will to survive drove the crippled ship to fight back fiercely!
“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!”
Its powerful anti-air batteries wove a dense web of fire, and the automated electromagnetic defense turrets spat out clouds of metallic slugs. The warship unleashed its full firepower, trying desperately to keep the attackers at bay.
The barrage tracked the oncoming enemy mechs, chasing their exhaust trails, compressing their maneuvering space, leaving behind scorching trails of radiation across the void.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
After losing nearly half their number, the remaining nine mechs finally broke through the mid-range air defense screen and closed in for direct combat with the escort mechs.
In one-on-one mech duels, the Wolf Civilization held an absolute advantage. These so-called “Bronze” mechs were not only more advanced in performance—each pilot was as skilled as an ace.
The clash turned into a slaughter.
After a one-sided massacre with a 12:4 kill ratio, five remaining Bronze mechs rushed straight for their true target—the command ship itself!
But then—
a golden-red mech burst from the command ship, the Gemini ace unit — the Sea Storm-class!
A legion-class flagship having a Sea Storm mech wasn’t unusual, but the Wolf forces clearly recognized its threat. Four Bronze mechs immediately moved to intercept and engage it.
The fifth, however, broke past the melee, continuing toward its original prey!
At this range, the ship’s anti-air weapons could no longer effectively threaten such a nimble target. After a few swift evasive maneuvers, the Bronze mech raised both arms, the grin of a victor twisting across its face, and aimed straight at the ship’s bow.
Inside the now-exposed bridge, every officer stared in terror and despair as the energy glow in the mech’s weapon ports grew brighter…
It’s over!
The “Peacock Man” collapsed back into his chair, eyes dull and lifeless, watching what might be the final moment of his life.
In that instant, only one thought flashed through his mind—
“I was such a fool… really…”
Once, there had been a mission right in front of him—one that could’ve let him coast along like a salted fish—but he hadn’t cherished it. Only after losing it did he realize how bitter regret could be...
Flirting is risky, and showing off comes with consequences!
Unfortunately, he’d learned that lesson far too late…
Yet, just as the “Peacock Man” shed tears of remorse and waited for death, a figure flashed across everyone’s view like a streak of light!
“Shnk!”
In that electric instant, a blinding blade arc lit up the void—
And in the next heartbeat, the mech that had been charging its energy weapon was cleaved cleanly in two at the waist! The light of its weapon flickered and died out, powerless…
The pilot inside didn’t even have time to react before being reduced to cosmic dust by the ensuing explosion.
The assailant finished off the Bronze mech with crisp efficiency, revealing for a brief moment a gold-and-red body, familiar to all who saw it. Then it swept into a graceful arc, charging straight toward the remaining four enemy units in the distance!
“That’s… the Sea Storm-class! Haha! It’s a friendly! Look—it’s one of ours!”
On the bridge, the Peacock Man’s despair turned to euphoria. He pointed at the screen, laughing madly in relief.
Bridge of the Fallen Angel.
“This is outrageous! Completely outrageous!”
Captain Emilia’s face was a mix of fury and panic.
“As a fleet commander, how could he personally head to the front lines and throw himself into battle!? Hurry! Contact Lord Arthas immediately—tell him to return to the ship at once!”
Even if the commander didn’t usually have much of a presence, he was nominally the highest-ranking officer of the Third Sub-Fleet. If anything happened to him, not only would they all be held accountable, but fleet morale would take a devastating blow.
Not to mention—he was the direct heir of the Cruze family. No matter what, his safety had to be ensured!
“No need to worry. Lord Arthas just wants to personally test the enemy’s capabilities. We’ll provide support.”
Catherine, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm.
“What? You knew about this beforehand? Then why didn’t you stop him!?” Emilia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Stop him? Why would I stop him?”
Others might not know their commander’s strength—but Catherine had seen a glimpse of it before. If he had the confidence to sortie alone, even if victory wasn’t guaranteed, escaping unharmed certainly was.
“That’s…” Emilia was left speechless by such a matter-of-fact reply.
She was just about to argue that being good with words didn’t mean one could pilot a mech—when a distant explosion of flame made everyone’s eyes widen in shock.
“Bang!”
A single kick sent a Bronze mech spinning away.
A three-round burst immediately followed, sealing off another mech’s escape path and blasting it into critical damage.
The next instant, the gold-red mech raised its massive sword, parrying a sudden blade strike from behind. In one fluid motion, it twisted its torso and smashed an elbow into a third attacker’s chest armor, shattering it completely!
Blades clashed, sparks flew, and the two metallic giants clashed in brutal close combat, both forced back by the recoil of their blows.
From the moment it entered the battlefield, the newly arrived Sea Storm had disabled one Bronze mech and crippled two others, displaying an overwhelming level of piloting mastery—a stark contrast to the other Sea Storm-class mech that was being overwhelmed and barely holding on against four foes.
“Hmm… that feeling just now…”
Inside the cockpit, Nie Yun stared at the mech he had just countered, his expression slightly puzzled.
At the briefest instant when they clashed at close range, he had sensed something faint—like telepathy—a subtle but powerful mental wave radiating from the enemy pilot.
Even though the signal was weak—and this body limited his perception—Nie Yun was certain. That feeling couldn’t be wrong.
“This Wolf Civilization… how interesting.”
He smiled faintly, intrigue gleaming in his eyes, and drove the mech forward to attack once more.
Elsewhere, those watching the battle from afar each let out very different exclamations.
“So strong! Which fleet’s ace is that!?” the Peacock Man shouted excitedly.
“So strong! Don’t tell me that’s our ‘mascot’ of a commander?” Emilia gawked, half in disbelief, half in denial.
Only Catherine remained calm and composed.
This level… I could almost do the same now.
Lord Arthas… you’re holding back, aren’t you?
TL Note- Holding Back?
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