Chapter 169 Tearing Warships Apart with Bare Hands

The distant Griffin-class warship was already battered and bruised under the siege of numerous enemy vessels. Finally, it sounded the retreat alarm and overloaded its shields for the very last time. The originally pale blue glow shifted into a brilliant gold, deflecting all incoming attacks.

At that moment, Vladimir established a connection with the Star-class warship stationed in the cosmos.

"The enemy has activated their ultimate shield defense system. We cannot pierce it in the short term. I am now giving you a direct order to use the interstellar main cannon. You must ensure both of these warships are detained."

The black-robed captain shook his head. "Lord Director, based on our calculations, the enemy's current shielding capability has a resistance as high as ninety-five percent against our thermal impact damage. I cannot guarantee that we can break through their shields."

"Then can you blockade this sector of space to prevent them from executing a spatial jump?" Hagen's virtual projection illuminated from the other end. Upon hearing this, the black-robed captain shook his head. "I am afraid we cannot do that either. I am currently seven thousand kilometers away from the surface, while the effective range of the shipboard spatial blockade equipment is only three thousand kilometers. We cannot lock down the coordinates of this space."

"Is that so? Then fire the interstellar main cannon. It will be best if we can keep the enemy vessels here." Hagen ultimately chose to compromise. On the frontal battlefield, it was indeed no easy task to trap a capital ship; they could only do their utmost.

"Understood," the black-robed captain saluted. "Prepare the interstellar main cannon. Lock onto the coordinates."

...

Seeing that the distant battle was gradually drawing to a close, Xie Liu spoke up immediately, "Vladimir and the others are likely about to use the main cannon of the Star-class warship in orbit for a strike. Once the starship's main cannon is activated, it will cause geomagnetic deviation within a radius of at least dozens of kilometers around the bombardment zone. Our two flagship vessels will probably have to concentrate their energy to counter this phenomenon. That will be our only chance to escape."

"What you say is correct," Ailu said with a very grim expression, especially since the one that had just suffered defeat was a warship belonging to her own Special Alliance. "However, we must deal with this thing first." As she spoke, she pointed at the Moon-Wheel warship hovering overhead.

Everyone had just witnessed its terrifying power. Once it began to spin, it plowed through everything like a bulldozer, sweeping away all obstacles in its path. After the Griffin-class had its shields shattered, its originally sturdy armor was dismantled completely by these earthworm-like warships within mere minutes.

"That shouldn't be a problem. I can take it down," Xie Liu said, rummaging through his pockets for a long moment before pulling out a tiny iron bead-like object. He explained, "I managed to pry this off the armor of a Ravager Legion soldier earlier. They embed this device within their armor to prevent magnetization. However, the principle behind its anti-magnetization effect is the formation of a localized magnetic field on its surface. If I disrupt the convergence field device attached to it that controls this magnetism, it will trigger an extreme magnetic phenomenon. Combined with the main cannon about to strike from above, I can generate a massive magnetic field right around our location."

Xie Liu looked up at the Moon-Wheel warship overhead and continued, "This thing lacks any discernible propulsion system; it can only move because of the dense micro-gravity circuitry embedded beneath its armor. If I interfere with it using the powerful magnetic field we generate, it will lose control, giving us an eighty percent chance of escape."

"You mentioned an eighty percent chance. Where does the remaining twenty percent lie?" Ailu asked, cutting straight to the core of the matter. Xie Liu gave her an approving look. "You've already guessed it. That last twenty percent rests with you."

"I understand your meaning," Ailu nodded. As one of the Special Alliance's elite combatants, she possessed far more than mere brute strength. "Once this massive magnetic field is formed, this big guy will plummet, won't it? My objective, then, is to destroy its core at maximum speed and completely strip it of its mobility."

"Yes," Xie Liu nodded affirmatively. This mission was one that only Ailu could accomplish; no one else possessed the requisite strength.

Having grasped her objective, Ailu stood up and stared intently at the iron leviathan in the sky. "Fine, let's do it. I've been itching to tear this thing apart for a long time."

...

Xie Liu nodded, gripping the iron bead tightly and wrapping it around his gauntlet embedded with hidden weapons. "The moment the interstellar main cannon strikes, I will launch this projectile, and you will make your move. Remember, there are two locations that must be destroyed: the primary nodes at both ends. All of its signals originate from there."

"Understood." Ailu unlatched the Dark Contract and grasped it in her hand. Pitch-dark luster flowed across its surface as the blade pointed slightly toward the ground.

"And... be careful," Xie Liu said after a moment of hesitation. Ailu's body trembled slightly. She wanted to turn back to look at Xie Liu, but she forced herself to resist the urge. Compelling her thoughts to refocus, she looked up at the Moon-Wheel warship in the sky, awaiting the descent of the orbital strike.

"Boom!"

Following a deafening roar, the clouds in the sky were instantly pierced through. A beam of green light, resembling divine punishment descending from the heavens, struck the Griffin-class as it initiated its spatial jump.

The golden shield suddenly flared with blinding brilliance, placing itself before the emerald beam. The next second, violent blue arcs of current erupted across the Griffin-class, linking it to the distant, burning Terminator-class warship. The two vessels shifted their heading, and amidst a thunderous shockwave, space itself seemed to collapse inward. The pair of warships were swallowed by the collapsing void and vanished from sight.

The interstellar main cannon punched straight through the shield and bored deep into the ground, scorching a hundred-meter abyss into the earth.

"Could we not keep them here?" Vladimir gripped the railing in front of him, the light in his eyes trembling. Although he had anticipated this outcome, actually witnessing it unfold still left him with a lingering sense of disappointment.

"Forget it. Some things cannot be forced. It is already quite fortunate that we suffered no catastrophic losses this time," Hagen's voice resonated. "Do not forget what our true objective is."

"Of course I haven't forgotten." Vladimir withdrew his gaze from the front. Following the bombardment of the interstellar main cannon, their warships had engaged their defensive systems and were temporarily immobilized. He looked out into the distance at the remaining small Special Alliance vessels scrambling to escape, and finally let out a soft sigh.

"Xie Liu, I could only help you this far. What comes next will depend entirely on your own choices."

...

Xie Liu aimed his gauntlet at the Moon-Wheel warship hovering in the sky. "Now!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, firing a concealed dart that carried the metallic sphere directly into the hull of the Moon-Wheel warship.

Instantly, the entire Moon-Wheel warship seemed to stall in mid-air before plunging straight down from the sky.

"Everyone, get back!" Xie Liu shouted, pulling Ye Leng away. "Ailu, you can make your move."

"Understood!" Ailu nodded, taking her first decisive step forward. At that moment, Qili stepped up and called out, "Lady Ailu!"

Ailu's movements paused for a fraction of a second. Qili hesitated briefly before speaking with unwavering determination, "Thank you. And... please be careful."

...

A faint smile touched the corner of Ailu's lips before she let out a hearty laugh. "Watch me tear this thing to pieces!" With that, she launched herself into the air.

Compared to the colossal Moon-Wheel warship plummeting from the sky, Ailu's figure appeared utterly insignificant. Yet, that diminutive form was lethal. Leaping upward, she surged a hundred meters into the heavens. With a sharp cry, her dark blade swept down in a spinning arc. A beam of pitch-black radiance pierced the starry expanse and viciously stabbed into the gargantuan machine before her!

"Boom!" The first neural node on the Moon-Wheel warship was shattered, plunging half of the vessel into instant darkness.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Alarms blared across Hagen's command center. Watching the scene of Ailu piercing straight through the Moon-Wheel warship, his eyes widened in shock. "Who is she?! She must be eliminated!"

Unaware that she had just become the most formidable threat in Hagen's eyes, Ailu tossed her silver hair and let out a resounding roar to the skies. The Dark Contract spun rapidly in her grip as she sprinted along the plunging hull of the Moon-Wheel warship, charging toward the second node.

"Fire! Attack!" Hagen roared in fury and disbelief. Their capital ships were temporarily paralyzed and unable to maneuver, but that did not mean they were helpless. Every single gun emplacement capable of targeting starships shifted its orientation, fixing its crosshairs on Ailu's slender figure.

"Lord Director, that is our own Moon-Wheel warship!" someone cautioned. In response, Hagen slammed his command staff heavily against the floor.

"With strength like that, she is undoubtedly a top-tier warrior of the Special Alliance. What is a single Moon-Wheel warship worth? Destroy her!" Hagen bellowed, whereupon every single turret locked its barrels onto the warship where Ailu stood.

"Ahhhhh—!" Ailu roared, sprinting directly against the howling gale, her silver hair streaming behind her. Resembling a goddess traversing the void, she transformed into a breathtaking streak of light that tore completely across the length of the Moon-Wheel warship!

"Clang—!" With a crisp, resonant sound, the White Covenant spun backward through the air. Ailu leaped into the air, caught the immaculate, peerless greatsword, flipped her body over, and plunged downward from the sky, driving the blade directly into the spherical node!

The second node was pierced through by Ailu's decisive thrust. The White Covenant buried itself deep into the core, severing its internal circuitry. An engine shutdown whine echoed out, and the entire Moon-Wheel warship went completely dark.

"Well done!" Xie Liu clenched his fists in triumph, an expression of exhilaration lighting up his face as he watched the hundred-meter-long Moon-Wheel warship lose all power and plummet entirely out of the sky!

"How was that?" Ailu pulled free her white greatsword. The moment the control node was severed, the entire Moon-Wheel warship ignited from within, its trapped energy erupting all at once as orange flames spewed from every single armor seam.

Standing atop the apex of the dying warship, Ailu slowly turned around. Her sleek black combat suit caught the crimson glow of the flames, while her emerald eyes reflected the brilliant, fiery radiance—a dazzling spectacle.

Such a woman, standing amidst the roaring flames like a miracle, offered a faint, gentle smile down toward Xie Liu and the others waiting below.