togophonebook #314 - The largest wave of Saberbeasts in history
#314 - The largest wave of Saberbeasts in history
The third-floor command center of Fortress 76.
Screens everywhere displayed endless hordes of Blade Beasts.
The military map clearly showed the human side's retreating battle lines.
Technicians constantly gave reports, and even their well-trained voices now had some unwanted trembling.
"The outermost defense line has been breached by forty percent!"
"Execute the retreat order. Mechanical legions advance to replace them, and aerial firepower maintains its advantage."
"Blade Beasts are suffering heavy casualties."
"The main Blade Beast horde is showing large-scale movement, expected to impact all our border defenses within twelve hours."
"Large numbers of flying targets have appeared on the main battlefield!"
"Space forces are under attack by Terrorwing Dragons. New types of General-class Terrorwing Dragon squadrons have been detected!"
Dongfang Zhenghong sank into his command chair.
He was waiting for a major battle.
However, the Blade Beasts showed no signs of crossing the defense lines and directly attacking Fortress 76.
This was Dongfang Zhenghong's biggest worry.
After simulations and calculations by the General Command's supercomputing center, the Blade Beasts' large-scale offensive was aimed at eliminating the Black Storm.
If, like the previous times, the Blade Beasts attacked Fortress 76 with small-scale sneak attacks,
then if we thwarted the Blade Beast sneak attack, the Blade Beasts might halt their peripheral offensive.
But this time was different.
The Blade Beasts weren't launching small-scale sneak attacks but engaging in full-scale war.
And it wasn't just a full-scale war against D5 but a full-scale war that awakened half of the main Blade Beast horde and targeted the existing human-occupied areas.
The current scale of Blade Beast mobilization exceeded the highest recorded numbers since humans began tracking Blade Beast activity.
The difference was that in the past, this scale of Blade Beast mobilization always involved at least six to eight Pillar Blade Beasts.
But now, there were no Pillar Blade Beasts; the highest-ranking were only Super King-class Blade Beasts.
This further confirmed the supercomputing center's prediction:
"The Blade Beasts' target is to eliminate the Black Storm, which threatens the Pillar Blade Beasts."
Dongfang Zhenghong kept pondering.
Hand over the Black Storm?
Wouldn't that be the same as humanity giving up hope? Almost equivalent to directly surrendering to the Blade Beasts!
Could they withstand this scale of Blade Beast tide?
Dongfang Zhenghong was now barely considered a high-level member of D5, with access to higher-level intelligence, so he was now... very uncertain.
'The Blade Beasts probably don't want a decisive battle.'
Dongfang Zhenghong pondered, glancing at Wang Daochang in the corner through the reflection of a fixed screen's edge.
'Let's wait for a miracle.'
Commander Dongfang thought.
Wang Jixuan was meditating with his eyes closed.
He seemed to have entered a state of deep meditation, the crystal cores floating around him constantly releasing pure spiritual energy.
Number Five Spirit Practitioner squinted, seemingly asleep but actually constantly observing the battlefield situation.
Red Serpent crossed her arms, thinking carefully, and couldn't help but complain:
"Are these Blade Beasts crazy? They didn't make such a big fuss even when the Pillar Blade Beasts awakened before."
"The situation is different now."
Zheng Shiduo sighed, explaining worriedly:
"Now the Blade Beasts are actually desperate.
"When the Pillar Blade Beasts awakened, the Blade Beasts wanted to use the Pillar Blade Beasts' power to directly strike down our spirit and deplete our resources.
"But they didn't expect, and we didn't expect, that Wang-ge would solve the Pillar Blade Beasts so easily, and the Pillar Blade Beasts even became our super warships, running to the Arctic Circle to attack the City of Spiritual Energy.
"The Blade Beasts can't disobey the Pillar Blade Beasts' orders.
"So they can only gather their forces and launch a full-scale attack after the Sixth Pillar re-enters slumber. Now their goal is to eliminate the powerful enemy that threatens the Pillar Blade Beasts.
"My Wang-ge ah, is definitely the focus of the whole world."
Red Serpent exclaimed, "As expected of the man I've been optimistic about from the very beginning!"
Deep Sea reminded, "Call him Teacher. You're now one of Teacher Wang's only two students. Otherwise, you and Wu Man can call him 'Sensei.'"
"Alright, alright," Red Serpent smacked her lips, "Looking at this situation, we're in a bit of a tough spot this time."
Zhou Zhengde, who had just been summoned by Dongfang Zhenghong, smiled upon hearing this, "Don't worry, justice will prevail!"
Dongfang Zhenghong turned his head to correct him, "The premise of justice prevailing is that the two sides are at least evenly matched. Our total reserves are limited, while the Blade Beasts are virtually limitless. According to satellite monitoring data, fifty percent of the main Blade Beast horde has awakened."
"How much? Fifty percent?" Zhou Zhengde was also shocked.
"Yes, they left enough protection around each Pillar Blade Beast... most of the main Blade Beast horde has awakened."
Dongfang Zhenghong's expression was as gloomy as water:
"Not only that, but we've also photographed large numbers of pseudo-spirit slaves crawling out from underground.
"There's a batch of these pseudo-spirit slaves near each Pillar Blade Beast.
"The Blade Beasts' experiments combining crystal cores with human bodies have definitely not been done in a day or two! I just don't know why they're only taking out this trump card now.
"Now the only thing we're fortunate about is that the pseudo-spirit slaves don't have the ability to use our weapon systems."
Everyone was silenced.
Ji Xiaowen asked, "Are the Blade Beasts spawning troops and new troop types again? Are they planning to directly wipe out humanity?"
"Maybe," Black Shell answered, "The only thing we can say for sure now is that the existing defense lines of the nine integrated war zones may be breached within twenty-four hours. The density of General-class and Sub-King-class Blade Beasts in the main Blade Beast horde is too high."
Dongfang Zhenghong said, "Don't think so much. We are the last line of defense protecting Wang Zheng. It's enough to make the worst-case scenario... Zhengde, let's study the matter of resident relocation."
Zhou Zhengde began to frown.
Is the Blade Beast offensive so fierce this time?
The battle lines are still relatively far away from here, and we already have to relocate the residents of 76...
Zhou Zhengde subconsciously looked toward the corner, seeing Wang Jixuan still calmly meditating there, and a sense of security inexplicably grew in his heart.
But in reality;
Number Five and Wang Daochang were constantly whispering to each other.
"The situation isn't quite right," Number Five transmitted, "Many of the new troop types that the Blade Beasts have brought out this time are ones we haven't seen before, and they are very targeted at humans."
"This only shows that the Blade Beasts have actually regarded Earth humans as potential opponents a long time ago."
Wang Daochang transmitted back:
"Can you confirm that as long as the Sixth Pillar doesn't move, they won't be able to move the Sixth Pillar away?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
Number Five said simply:
"Without the Sixth Pillar's own gravity circuit, there's only one way to move such a big thing.
"And that's to dig down and vertically sink the Sixth Pillar."
"Hmm, that's good," Wang Jixuan said, "Prepare for relocation. Later, if they chase me too closely, we may have to separate for a while."
"No problem, I'll listen to your arrangements. Do we need to ask those three old guys for help?"
"No need."
The Daoist said slowly:
"The large-scale appearance of pseudo-spirit slaves is likely their doing behind the scenes.
"Apart from their own evolution, the Blade Beasts' research capabilities are not strong."
"This is indeed a bit suspicious," Number Five said, "I've already awakened a few reliable spirit slaves and sent them to the front lines to capture a few pseudo-spirit slaves for research. News will come back soon."
"Good."
Thoughts swirled in Wang Jixuan's mind, and he made a bold decision.
This could also be considered an investment.
"I'll teach you a few Buddhist scriptures," Wang Jixuan transmitted, "The Vajra Body Mantra can strengthen your close combat ability, and the Myriad Dharma Annihilation Wheel Sutra can allow you to master the ability to annihilate souls on a large scale... I don't want you to use these things on me and human civilization."
Number Five muttered, "Why do I feel like you're saying your last words?"
"Don't say such unlucky things! We cultivators are very particular about spoken words."
Wang Jixuan began to transmit the teachings.
This wasn't simply teaching Number Five some syllables but also teaching her how to mobilize her own spiritual energy.
Having had the experience of teaching the Buddhist Hall squad before, Wang Jixuan was now skilled at teaching this 'large spiritual energy user.'
Number Five quickly began to sit cross-legged as well.
A little golden light gradually grew in the corner where the two were.
"Thanks," Number Five said in a voice as thin as a mosquito's.
Wang Jixuan pretended not to hear.
She didn't even offer tea;
Her heart wasn't sincere.
......
At noon, the nine integrated war zones were all attacked by Blade Beasts.
The newest novels are first published on 69shu.com!
The City of Spiritual Energy sent out sixty-four special task forces, led by S-level spirit practitioners, to support all integrated war zones outside of D5.
The area with the fiercest fighting was still centered around the slumbering Sixth Pillar.
The Blade Beasts paid a heavy price, relying on the pseudo-spirit slave legions to charge into battle, and finally broke through the last line of defense set up by the human side.
Humans did not give up;
A large number of living forces were withdrawn, and a large-scale mechanical legion joined the war, engaging in a tug-of-war with the Blade Beasts' pseudo-spirit slave legions.
At the same time, the three space fortresses began to be harassed by flying Blade Beasts.
The war had entered a three-dimensional stage.
On the human side, several older war zones had problems with insufficient material reserves, but fortunately, the War Alliance, which had just resumed work, was conducting unified resource allocation.
Blade Beasts were almost impossible to kill completely;
Even if the human side had achieved the highest Blade Beast attrition rate since the last century, they dared not cheer and celebrate even slightly.
Blade Beasts occupied more than seventy percent of the Earth's land;
Blade Beasts also had breeding bases in the ocean;
But now, in the deep areas of the ocean and Blade Beast territory, large numbers of Blade Beasts are constantly awakening. In some areas, Blade Beasts are even actively devouring each other, transforming into true, complete versions of ordinary Blade Beasts, forming aerial squadrons and bearing down on the human battle lines with oppressive force.
The entire battlefield is experiencing multiple collapses.
Sub-King level Blade Beasts are appearing in large groups.
A large number of King-level Blade Beasts are evenly distributed across the nine major war zones.
The human resistance against the Blade Beasts will face a complete crisis at dusk.
The firepower support from the space fortresses is completely unable to cover all battlefields, and can only provide support where there are gaps in the lines.
Humans are not machines after all, and there will always be mistakes in the battle lines.
The margin for error left to the human command is getting lower and lower.
Today, the old generals of humanity have begun to recall the great fear brought about by the Blade Beast tide eighty years ago.
The battle reports Wang Jixuan is hearing have gradually shifted from complete advantage to mixed news of joy and concern.
As more and more Blade Beasts pour into the human defense lines, the pressure on the human side is increasing.
Discordant voices have begun to emerge.
Some are questioning whether seizing the Sixth Pillar has any direct benefit, suggesting it might be better to abandon the area where the Sixth Pillar is located.
This voice was quickly suppressed.
For no other reason than that the area near the Sixth Pillar is where the most Blade Beast living forces are being annihilated, and also the area where the most Pseudo-Spirit Slaves are dying.
Abandoning the Sixth Pillar would be tantamount to giving up a strategic stronghold for nothing.
In addition, the large number of Spirit Energy Users sent by the Spirit Energy Capital have indeed played a certain role.
Perhaps they have been accustomed to throwing their weight around for too long, these Spirit Energy Users are slightly lacking in terms of charging into battle, but are quite accomplished in the area of unauthorized retreat.
In short: useful, but not very.
At dusk, the human battle lines fully contracted, and dozens of military fortresses that had been waiting for a long time were simultaneously activated, using the military fortresses as strongpoints to strengthen the battle lines.
Small groups of Blade Beasts began to break into the major war zones.
Pseudo-Spirit Slaves and a large number of Mimic Blade Beasts have already fully infiltrated the major war zones.
After a full day of all-out war, the Blade Beast side finally began to reveal their true strategic intention—
[Eliminate the Bane of the Beast God].
7:00 PM.
The thirteenth batch of transport convoys is departing from Fortress 76, transferring residents to the nearest Fortress 82.
A batch of weapon systems has already been transferred to Fortress 82.
Wang Jixuan stood on the hangar rooftop on the surface of the fortress, extending his spiritual sense outward, searching for possible Pseudo-Spirit Slaves and Mimic Blade Beasts.
The atmosphere inside the command room was too oppressive.
Everyone has already assumed that the Blade Beasts will launch a full-scale attack here.
The Blade Beast tide has abandoned the tactic of small-scale sneak attacks, using a more domineering and almost unsolvable method to crush the human defenses one by one, gradually approaching Fortress 76.
Even Wang Jixuan, who is no longer the 'old' cultivator in the mountains, is feeling a slight disturbance in his Dao Heart due to this pressure.
He wants to sing loudly and directly cut a bloody path.
Unfortunately,
Even if he burns the remnant soul of the Mahayana, because the burst of power has a time limit, it would be difficult for him to eliminate too many Blade Beasts.
He will avoid using this move for now if possible.
As for other aspects, weapon crafting, alchemy, talismans, formations, and the Demon Art of Different Souls, he has prepared everything to the best of his current ability.
He also used a nested doll approach, carrying more than sixty large storage magical artifacts with him, not only storing a large number of crystal cores, but also collecting the precious materials seized from blowing up the pseudo-interstellar gate twice.
Night fell.
Wang Jixuan is now completely unsure whether he will be able to see the next sunrise here.
“Commander,” Mu Dan called out from below, “the Commander-in-Chief has sent a communication.”
One of her little fingers flew up with a trail of fire, unfolding a projection screen on its own.
Wang Jixuan clicked the connect button, and Fu Jian's smiling face appeared before his eyes.
That pressure instantly dissipated by more than half.
“Is there good news?” Wang Jixuan asked.
Fu Jian smiled and said, “Isn’t this good news? The Blade Beast swarm without the Pillar Blade Beasts is rushing towards our territory at all costs. Although this is a huge challenge, as long as we win, won't we be able to expand outward in all directions? The current situation is better than having the Twelve Pillars lead this group of Blade Beasts charging at us, especially since we have already fully prepared for war.”
Daoist Wang: … …
Very good comforting skills.
“I understand the general situation,” Wang Jixuan said simply, “If you can't hold on, just tell me, and I'll go find the Blade Beasts to settle things.”
“This is not some emotional dispute.”
Fu Jian said solemnly:
“Wang Zheng, I know you may be suffering right now, feeling that the source of this war is to protect you.
“But it’s actually not.
“We will eventually have this battle with the Blade Beasts, because of your existence, the Blade Beasts were not fully prepared, and the most powerful combat force, the Pillar Blade Beasts, are still dormant.
“This is a great opportunity for us.
“We still have backup plans, and the defending side can occupy the terrain advantage. If you want to help humanity, then give a speech, announcing to the Blade Beast and human worlds that you are here.
“We will attract more Blade Beasts to our D5 here, and I have prepared a gift for them that has been accumulating for fifty years.”
The Daoist finally smiled: “Your Doomsday Autonomous Mechanical Legion?”
“That’s right, this is the best opportunity,” Fu Jian said, “If you can’t taunt, I suggest you bring Zheng Shiduo along, he is an expert in this area.”
“Forget it, I don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of the Blade Beasts.”
Wang Jixuan's eyes flickered slightly.
Since Fu Jian has said so, then he can put down a bit of the cultivator's dignity and use some taunting skills as well.
He can have Wu Man translate it and directly provoke the Blade Beasts.