Him and their stars.

Chapter 2097 They are very brave

Out of basic considerations of social stability, Schlenburg and the Golden Feather Palace were burned to the ground, and the news of the disappearance of this generation of King Philian of Slein had naturally been suppressed by the Privy Council long ago.

But if the general public didn't know, how could the frontline officers on the scene not know?
In fact, Princess Phileanne's portrait had already been distributed to all junior and mid-ranking officers and senior sergeants after the Battle of Schlenburg.

After all, he is the one being chosen as emperor, and he is still in power, so of course we should do everything we can to rescue him.

After all, she's a beautiful underage girl, so the image of a pitiful princess in need of rescue is very solid. Even the most extreme Tiriro military (meow) monarchical madman couldn't bring himself to say something like, "How can a dignified chosen emperor become a prisoner? Shouldn't he dedicate himself to the country?" when faced with this delicate and lovely girl.

In short, every Imperial officer who aspired to advancement initially dreamed of becoming the knight who could save His Highness.

And now, the princess has appeared.

They rode on the neck of the dragon that was devouring them.

The commander stared in disbelief at the scene, then completed the logical construction in the shortest possible time.

"Despicable! Despicable and shameless! They actually used His Highness as a shield? They are utterly inhuman!"

"Yes, yes, so that's the kind of person the Demon Dragon is! And he calls himself a liberator?"

"Honor! The honor and sublimity of the God of War have been trampled upon by himself!"

Well, it seems that these people's anger is directed a bit astray, but no one dares to fire a shot.

Two Flame Wyverns, one Rainbow Dragon, one Titan Dragon, and one Quadruple Dragon, with their agile, almost ruthless gait, followed the fleeing Imperial soldiers into the plaza at a leisurely pace—in truth, the idea that Star Dragons are unsuitable for walking is a stereotype. Their wing-like spiritual amplification organs are undeniably prominent, but closer inspection reveals that their torsos and limbs are actually quite feline in appearance.

It was only then that the Imperial soldiers realized that, besides Princess Philian who had been "forced to become a shield," another person was sitting on the back of the leading, powerful flame dragon.

Upon closer inspection, each dragon also has riders on its back, all of whom are wearing heraldic armor.

At first glance, it really looked like a well-trained Star Knight was on the move.

The dragon's gaze swept over the panicked imperial soldiers in the square, and then they all raised their heads and flapped their wings to take flight.

Without the slightest pause, without even clearing away the panicked dock crew and guards around them who were barely holding up their weapons, they simply soared straight into the sky. Their gaze seemed to pierce through the dome, through the wide passageway that ran through all the floors of the fortress, and directly locked onto a certain area on the upper level of the fortress.

The enormous four-phase dragon opened its massive jaws and let out a silent roar. Immediately afterward, the dome that had sealed off the entire space cracked open and then shattered completely half a second later, revealing a wide atrium leading to the upper level of the fortress.

That dome was made of armored alloy! And it got pierced like that? Are the internal systems of the Imperial fortress made of paper?
So, it truly lives up to its name as the Star Dragon, truly lives up to its name as our guardian beast!
The imperial officers stared blankly at the spectacular scene, then felt a terrifying suction from the sky.

To conserve energy, the atrium through which small ferries and rail elevators passed was a vacuum. The pressure imbalance that occurred the instant the dome shattered naturally created the most terrifying storm.

Many Imperial soldiers, wearing only light protective suits, screamed as they were sucked into the dome of the sky, like willow leaves being lifted into the air by a tornado.

"Gas is leaking! Gas is leaking! Shut it down immediately! Shut down the atrium immediately!"

"Stop all the rail elevators!"

"The dome! What about the second level of the dome?" the commanders on site shouted hoarsely, their voices barely audible in the storm.

But by then, the dragons had already easily slipped through the hole in the plaza's dome. The Chosen One riding on the back of the Flamewing Dragon and the unidentified psionicist even faced the swift air currents strong enough to tear steel with their bare hands, easily reaching the central courtyard.

Now, every level of this fortress is their target.

At the fortress command post, General Yelik, who witnessed this scene through the internal monitoring system, remained silent for a long time. It wasn't until his adjutant, who was already in armor, and the captain of the guard pushed over a set of mechs that he finally sighed: "In our fortress, do we have... Ah, yes, all twelve of the original dragon nests here have been closed."

After all, it's a fortress on the mainland, so why spend so much money to maintain such expensive alchemy facilities?

"Sir, based on the enemy's current attack direction... there is danger. Please put on your armor and then move immediately," the adjutant said.

“I know that they can reach our command post by climbing to the 17th floor and flying 20 kilometers,” General Yelik said. “However, this may also mean that the Earth psionicists on the Dragon Ship have all come over.”

The adjutant and the captain of the guard exchanged glances, thinking that what he said seemed to make sense.

"Let the soldiers continue the attack! We must break through the obstacles and recapture our dragon ship. Inform His Highness and Lord Milerke that we also need psychic support here."

The adjutant and the captain of the guard exchanged glances again. The former gritted his teeth and answered tremblingly, "Your Excellency, the Star Knights are gathering on the fourth level. The Star Seer and the Inquisitor have also gone there."

The captain of the guard said solemnly, "His Highness's communication with Lord Milerke has been cut off."

Just as General Yelik was about to say something, he vaguely heard a chilling dragon's roar pierce through the thick armor plates of the fortress and resound throughout the fortress command post.

The moment that strange sound rang in my ears, an uncontrollable feeling of dizziness arose automatically, and then spread outwards.

……

In the passageway on the fourth level of the fortress, Yu Lian, still walking slowly with an air of indifference, couldn't help but look up at the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.

His gaze seemed to have pierced through the spatial barriers of the fortress, and he saw the dragons ascending into the sky.

“They will successfully enter the command post of Chenxiao Fortress.” Feifei’s voice rang in his ears: “The Empire has always regarded Star Dragons as an auxiliary force to the knights, used for close combat and boarding maneuvers in fleet battles. In fact, they are more effective in urban warfare in fortresses. Isn’t this a kind of tactical innovation?”

Does this count? Yu Lian felt that this was the emotional support provided by his beloved wife, but thinking of Fei Fei's radiant smile, he smiled smugly and contentedly: "Yes, this definitely counts. I really am a tactical genius!"

"Of course, the key is to be willing to use dragons as a vanguard. In urban warfare, the power of dragon breath and innate spiritual abilities can be maximized, but the room for dodging and maneuvering is also greatly reduced," Fei Fei added.

She was being very fair.

"As I said before, the rise and fall of dynasties throughout history all boil down to not treating people as human beings. Only by treating dragons as expendable resources can their greatest power be unleashed! I gave them a more magnificent stage! Shanzi and the others should thank me." Just as Yu Lian finished speaking, he heard an "Oh dear" from another communication channel.

It was Gongsun Qing's voice.

“Chiji was hit by a cannon shot just now. Don’t worry, he’s fine. Oh, Your Highness’s hair was set on fire by the plasma that jumped over, but I’ve already extinguished it. He’s perfectly alright,” Gongsun Qing said.

I always felt that your method of putting out the fire was a bit out of place. (Image of Yu Lian)

“I’ve already taken out the turrets that were firing sniper shots. I’ve set up the light spear cannons, and I won’t let a single one escape.” That was Ina Shilica’s voice.

"In short, we are helpless! We are helpless!"

Although these words sounded ominous, since they were so confident, Yu Lian had no choice but to believe them.

“However, even if Xiao Qing, Ina, and Xiao Feilian, who acts as a shield, could destroy the entire fortress’s command center, they still wouldn’t be able to seize control,” Feifei added.

“We can’t take them. Putting aside that conflicted young prince, those others are, on average, semi-literate. The most educated among them, Gongsun Qing, is an art student. The most notable thing is their lack of culture,” Yu Lian said.

"You seem to have a really deep prejudice against liberal arts and art students, which is really unnecessary." Feifei wanted to say that she was also an artist, but after examining her own academic background, which was that of a top student from a military academy, she really didn't have the right to say anything nice.

Yu Lian added, "Of course, although they are all uneducated, with Xiao Hui's help, it's a different story."

Feifei looked around: "Didn't she say she wouldn't take sides? She's been silent since the start of the war."

"Of course she wouldn't take sides, at least not directly. But those emblem machines are operated by Bifang. Once inside the command center, the lines can connect to the Pilgrimage Ship and also to the Silent Ship. This means it can't be handled by simple physical shielding." Yu Lian fiddled with the golden whistle bouncing on his fingertip. This child had long been part of the Silent Ship's central control system, making him even more pleasing to the eye.

"It's foreseeable that the enemy will launch a fierce attack on Shipyard C, a relentless assault at all costs. Even if Xiao Qing and the others capture the command post, they won't stop. The fleet will also come back to support them," Fei Fei added.

"Yes, but we still have time."

As Yu Lian answered, he continued forward. Then, he heard the blaring alarms and urgent shouts echoing through the passage: "All guards! All Star Knights! Stop him at all costs! Don't let him break through! Knightly honor!"

Hmm, I vaguely remember hearing that voice somewhere before, but it wasn't the King's or an old man's; it belonged to a middle-aged man around forty years old.

So, where exactly did you hear this? Was it from one of the Star Knights you had spoken with?
Yu Lian thought about it carefully, but still couldn't dig out any special information from the crevices of his cerebral cortex, so he had no choice but to give up.

Enough, enough. In this day and age, someone like me can't possibly remember every single person I've ever slain, nor can I possibly remember everyone I've ever laughed and joked with.

I am a legitimate carbon-based life form, and my memory is limited, which is perfectly normal.

What interrupted Yu Lian's thoughts was the spiritual information he subsequently sensed. He stopped thoughtfully and looked down at the ground. His naked eyes, of course, saw nothing, but he clearly sensed the change in spirituality.

“Very good, the change is very timely.” Yu Lian raised his head and gave the Star Knights who appeared in front of him a warm, friendly smile: “Hello there!”

He even smiled so wide that his teeth gleamed under the light, and there wasn't a single trace of blood on them.

The Star Knights, who had just appeared, seemed to have recovered from their shock and took a step back, trembling.

Each of them is a descendant of a long-established Tyrello psionic noble family, having undergone the most rigorous military and psionic training. They are all clad in priceless heraldic machines and alchemical weapons, and each possesses the ability to infiltrate and escape an entire division of grenadiers seven times over.

However, they still seemed to have seen their natural enemy.

Yu Lian continued, “Very good, you have finally seen me. After the gravity was enhanced and the heat source was detected, you finally found me. The eternal array in this fortress is truly an exquisite work of art, capable of adding functions as needed at any time.”

The knights did not answer, standing there like a group of lifeless, oversized figurines.

“If you were to ask those knights from before, all I could say is that they were very brave.” Yu Lian looked at the knights. “The gravity field will affect all hostile units that enter this area, including humans and robots. However, if runes that neutralize the effect are engraved on one’s armor beforehand, the effects of the array can be overcome to the greatest extent. Moreover, the Kulan people have their own racial talents, and after becoming psionicists, they also have related special abilities.”

Yu Lian stepped forward and repeated his words again: "They are very brave."

However, this gesture, which represented hostility, seemed to have truly awakened them.

The leading astral knight, a figure with blue and gold insignia, also stepped forward, held up his nearly three-meter-long door-panel greatsword in front of him, and bowed.

Behind the armor, a middle-aged man's voice rang out; it was the same voice from the broadcast earlier: "It's been many days since we last met. It's an honor to see you still in good health."

Uh, so who are you again? You look so familiar, do we know each other?
Yu Lian felt that it would be very embarrassing if he didn't recognize her, so he nodded with a professional smile.

"Back in Asti, I knew that one day you would become the brightest star in the entire universe. And back in the Eye of the Devil, many people also knew that you would eventually become a major threat to the Empire. Yet, no one thought of eliminating you. It is our duty and honor to defeat the Empire's powerful enemies honorably and eliminate its hidden dangers!" he added.

That's very ambitious! Even Yu Lian wanted to applaud.

He drew his sword and roared with fervent passion: "Forward! For the Empire! Slay this fiend! The Empire may be vast, but we have nowhere to retreat!"

"Glory is upon us! We will advance, not retreat!" the knights shouted in unison, trying to dispel the sudden chill that rose in their hearts.

Even though their limbs were weak, their hearts were cold, and they could barely see the person's face, at this moment, the glorious history of the imperial nobility still gave them a proud fighting spirit.

The knights discovered that they had regained control of their bodies and psychic powers.

Dozens of emblem machines simultaneously erupted with brilliant spiritual light, and various weapons enhanced by alchemy, such as spirit light spears, high-frequency oscillating swords, and spiral impact lances, revealed their formidable appearance.

A devastating energy storm was brewing, threatening to completely fill and tear apart every inch of the passage! Such power was enough to crush an entire legion in an instant.

At the same moment, the spiritual light hidden in the cracks of the floor suddenly came alive and began to flow, drifting darkly and furtively toward Yu Lian, who was still moving forward.