Him and their stars.

Chapter 2098 It's Good Enough for His Majesty

The eternal psionic array that had been operating within the Chenxiao Fortress for over a dozen centuries was finally fully activated. Before the Star Knights could launch their attack, the psionic composition itself began its own autonomous assault.

It is a superposition of forces from multiple fields.

The first thing to arrive was the gravity anomaly that was still troubling Yu Lian's operations. The effect instantly expanded from ten times to more than twenty times, enough to crush even the most advanced combat robots into a substantial little pancake.

At that moment, Yu Lian actually experienced a long-lost feeling of being unable to breathe, a feeling he had never experienced even when he was riding a giant dragon through the vacuum of space. Immediately afterwards, his bones, muscles, internal organs, and even blood vessels and nerves faintly groaned in unbearable pain, as if every cell that made them up was on the verge of collapse.

However, this feeling only lasted for a moment.

The spiritual energy enveloped every cell, even every atom that made up the cell. As a result, all the pressure was instantly relieved.

However, even though it was only for a moment, it still caused a noticeable dullness in my body.

This is certainly not the only effect of the Eternal Array.

What follows is a more subtle yet more intense form of mental interference. This is a kind of spirit-dissipating field, its interfering factors scattering like cations into every layer of the atmosphere. Its effect is to directly sever the spiritual connection between body and mind, essentially a forced separation of spirit and body. This will directly disrupt the psionicist's technique process and will certainly affect the execution of martial arts techniques.

In this situation, ordinary psionicists cannot even unleash one-tenth of their power.

They certainly don't have the time or energy to build a more robust mental defense.

In an instant, a mental shriek, like a fiery storm, poured directly into the intruder's brain. This was enough to make any brain that hadn't had time to build a defense instantly boil over.

When this psionic array is activated, it forms an impenetrable psionic attack, coordinating even more closely than most well-trained Star Knights.

However, Yu Lian simply stood there, watching all the attacks pass right through him, without even moving an inch. He was even smiling, as if he had only encountered a gentle spring breeze.

He now realizes that if he wants to continue, he will have to expend more than ten times the physical strength he did before.

So it's better to let the other person do it themselves.

Sure enough, the Star Knights, having mustered their courage, began to act.

The knight at the head, a vaguely familiar figure—judging from the armband on his emblem machine, he should be a standard-bearer—took a step forward and roared at Yu Lian. It was a roar that was completely imperceptible to normal hearing, yet the shockwave seemed to ripple through a higher dimension.

That was the power of the War Cry.

At that moment, the metal floor of the passage groaned under the strain, and the lights on the walls flickered violently. The air was instantly filled with ozone and a strange, high-energy burning smell. Spiritual light seemed to rise and then disappear, and the ripples of the force field rolled like tangible mud, crashing towards the single target within the confinement field.

That was the invisible "ash resonance," a sophisticated psychic technique that could be released with the power of words, amplified to the maximum extent by the psychic arrays scattered throughout the site. Its power could ignite matter and also burn the spirit.

Despite being clad in heavy, flame-colored armor, this astral knight squad leader was surprisingly a well-trained mage.

Yu Lian couldn't help but take another look at the other person. This kind of man who cultivated both demonic and magical techniques was indeed worth looking at with more respect. Immediately afterwards, the air around him visibly distorted, and his body did indeed freeze and deform for a moment.

He seems to need to fight against the malice of the entire world simply by standing still.

His skin had turned a shade redder, as if every inch of it had been covered in burn makeup.

However, he still smiled: "That's more like it. The technique of activating the Word of Power is good because of its suddenness, but its power is weakened. However, with the array's home field advantage, the biggest problem is overcome. You chose the right time."

He began his critique; his voice, though slightly distorted by the interference of psionic energy, was still clearly transmitted to the sensors of each knight.

However, their emblem machine was clearly set up to completely block out all of the other party's voice.

The dragon's voice is a bewitching, seductive sound; you must not be careless!
Well, the knights were actually quite calm. They knew it was absolutely impossible.

"You finally know how to spend the budget wisely, that's good." Yu Lian continued to comment: "Chenxiao Fortress is located in the heart of the territory, and it doesn't need a large-scale naval port with main guns, or even a large-scale garrison. However, the daily maintenance of the psionic array must be kept up so that it can be restarted at critical moments. You did a great job."

The Star Knights were momentarily stunned, even forgetting their fear and tension.

They simply felt that the demonic dragon's attitude was far too self-righteous. Wasn't this roughly the same attitude His Majesty the Emperor had when he inspected Chenxiao Fortress and gave important instructions and comments?

However, being a well-trained knight, he ultimately wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

The massive sword, as large as a door panel and carrying a disintegrating force field, cleaved down with the force of splitting mountains and shattering peaks the moment Yu Lian paused! At the same time, the psionic spears and spiral impact spears of the knights on both sides thrust out like venomous snakes, sealing off all his space to dodge.

The psychic light emanating from them merged into a single, stable whole.

"What a courageous and generous act of dying!"

Yu Lian looked at the knights rushing towards him, raised his fist, and with a movement more than ten times slower than usual, smashed it directly onto the front blade of the greatsword.

"Qiang——!"

A piercing metallic clang suddenly rang out. The greatsword, crafted from high-strength carbon alloy, clearly infused with spiritual metal, and enchanted with psionic runes, instantly trembled violently, like a thin sheet of plastic.

The invisible kinetic energy even inexplicably reached the knight's breastplate, causing cracks to appear on the sturdy alchemical armor and releasing a subtle, bloody smell.

The flag bearer stumbled backward, crashing directly into his comrade and nearly being pierced by the enemy's light spear. The two alchemical steel mechs, estimated to weigh at least a ton combined, were now entangled together with their owners.

Yu Lian sidestepped the third Star Knight's spiraling impact spear, and his left hand actually grabbed the spearhead, which looked more like a huge drill, just two feet below it! The energy field that was enough to cause the armor to begin to collapse seemed to have no effect on his hand in the air.

With a gentle tug, he pulled the knight and his heavy armor off balance, while his right leg lightly tapped the knight's waist.

His kicking motion was relaxed, but it still produced a dull "thud!" The armor on the waist of the emblem machine visibly dented, still looking like a poorly made tin pot.

The knight was sent flying backward, but before he could crash into the alloy wall, he was stabilized by an orderly force and landed lightly on the ground.

That was the operation by the knights in the rear.

They didn't charge recklessly together, but instead prepared to provide support from the rear, and now the timing was perfect. They wielded weapons resembling halberds, and from small branches hung banners formed of condensed spiritual light, like flags.

Yu Lian had certainly seen this type of spiritual artifact before.

The "Lion King's Banner" in Giafil's hands and the "Spatial Architect's Banner" in Ostana's hands are both similar psionic weapons. Of course, if they have special purple equipment, the knights are at most carrying green "mass-produced" items. However, even if used properly, they can still achieve perfect tactical effects.

However, they did not seem to intend to linger in battle. The psionic light flowing from their banners transformed into a solid shield wall, directly surrounding Yu Lian from all sides, as if forming a cage.

Yu Lian dragged his body, which was much heavier than before, and gently touched the wall of light in front of him, feeling as if he had touched a curtain made of cotton.

This curtain appears to be just a semi-transparent wall of light, yet it is also quite profound.

"Interesting. If I'm not mistaken, I can't attack from the inside to the outside, but I can attack from the outside to the inside. Is that right?" Yu Lian nodded approvingly, still like a leader reviewing the abilities of his subordinates.

As for the knight squad leader and his men who had just been injured, they had already straightened up, reorganized their formation, and then began to retreat without hesitation. As they retreated, they lowered the explosive machine guns on their shoulders and poured down a storm of energy light.

The Star Knights, clad in their emblem machines, disliked using technologically advanced weapons, viewing it as a sign of disloyalty and a lack of spirit. However, this was before the war.

This regional war, which lasted for a year, had a subtle but profound impact on the Imperial soldiers.

Yu Lian's body suddenly turned into a phantom, and he swayed like a ghost before breaking through the light barrier.

The blazing energy beams pierced through his seemingly intangible shadow and fell into the psionic cage behind him, only to be sucked away as if by a black hole.

The knights continued their retreat in large strides, firing as they went. It was clearly a rhythmic retreat.

Yu Lian wanted to use a more powerful pursuit method, but he felt exhausted due to the effects of the fortress's eternal array. He sighed, slowed his pace, and allowed his body to return to its original form.

However, he had only taken a few steps forward when the preset psionic nodes were immediately activated.

Colorless and formless spiritual light flowed sequentially through these nodes, illuminating a series of runes. The mystical mechanisms embedded in the passage walls also began to move, resonating strongly with the array.

Yu Lian felt that the curtain that had been binding him, like a ball of cotton, had moved to his feet. But now he felt as if he were standing in a swamp.

The knights stopped in their tracks, a hint of relief finally appearing in their eyes, as if they had lured a mad bear into a trap.

The flag bearer stared intently at Yu Lian and roared, "For the sake of the empire! You are exiled!"

His shout seemed to be a way of encouraging himself, but one has to admit, he was a very polite and classically styled knight! Yu Lian returned the other's approving look with great interest.

Immediately afterwards, a strange tearing sound of airflow suddenly rang out.

Just as Yu Liancai felt the mournful cry of space being forcibly torn apart, the light around him was distorted.

The metal floor beneath his feet vanished silently, replaced by a terrifying gap that suddenly opened, its interior a chaotic flow of colors and violent energy—a spatial rift hastily torn open, leading to turbulent currents between dimensions.

Yu Lian seemed to have no time to resist, not even enough time to process what was happening. His figure was instantly swallowed up by the chaotic colors, and the cracks suddenly contracted, as if they had never existed.

He felt as if he had been thrown into a kaleidoscope, his figure becoming blurred and uncertain under extreme stretching and compression.

The light from the psionic array in the passage dimmed, but the scorching heat from the energy overload still filled the space, and the knights let out heavy, panting breaths like those of an old-fashioned computer case heatsink.

"...Success?" a knight asked in a trembling voice, his emblem machine arm still shaking slightly from overload.

"It should be a success," the flag bearer said. He was not so much answering as he was reinforcing his own belief, much like his earlier ceremonial shout.

Everyone stared intently at the spot where the demonic dragon had disappeared, their hearts pounding in their chests.

This powerful enemy who had driven them and the entire empire to the brink of destruction—had they really fallen for their trap? Had they been successfully lured to their predetermined location and banished by the Eternal Array into a dimensional turbulence where even time itself was undefinable?

Are they the saviors of the empire?

Medals, titles, bestowal of titles on wives and children, and a place in history—are these all waiting for them?
Interestingly, none of the people present had such thoughts. They didn't even feel any sense of accomplishment or satisfaction from winning. They just waited anxiously, as if they were waiting for a grueling trial.

Fortunately, they only endured the ordeal for less than ten seconds.

Unfortunately, it's bad news.

"The dragon's biological source has been detected again. He's still in the fortress. He's escaped. He's escaped!" The fortress's announcement, like a trembling demonic chant, reached their ears.

"So, even spatial exile can only trap him for half a minute?"

Of course, the good thing about this misfortune was that the source of the organism appeared in another compartment, more than three kilometers away from them in a straight line.

Unfortunately, he is now in Area A, quite a distance from all the Star Knights and Psionicists.

"Your Excellency, we..." a knight, still carrying a banner of light, asked cautiously. He sounded quite young.

The flag bearer sighed, his tone still heavy, but his breathing subtly relaxed: "He has left the area we are responsible for."

"Huh? This?"

"Don't you understand? We've done everything we could. Reaching this point is already more than enough..." The knight leader gazed at the red dot that had bloomed again on the fortress map, clenched his fist in a gesture of blessing, and whispered, "We've done enough for everyone!"

"But is this fair to our sense of honor and all the training we've put in?" the young knight asked.

"We did our best!" The knight, leaning on his battering spear and clutching his waist, looked like he was barely standing. He was the unlucky guy who had almost been kicked against the wall by Yu Lian earlier. "Didn't we just give it our all? Even if we were in the Privy Council, the big shots wouldn't deny that."

"Yeah yeah!"

"Exactly! If he had taken it seriously just now, would we still be alive?"

None of them noticed that an elusive figure had already walked through the dim array of spiritual light and silently passed by the knights.

“You have worked hard. You have indeed done enough for His Majesty,” she said.

"Yes, yes, I'm glad you understand. Uh...did anyone speak just now?"

"No! Hey, it's already this late, don't scare people anymore!"