Him and their stars.

Chapter 2103 I never expected you to forgive me too.

Multiple spiritual domains pressed down on Yu Lian like silent ghosts. His senses began to blur, but the only thing that remained was pain. Not only that, but it also seemed much more intense.

He felt an intense burning pain, as if every cell in his body was being thrown into an incinerator. Even his bone marrow and blood were being evaporated.

This experience deeply moved him.

Back in the day—no, back in the last playthrough—my friends and I launched a surprise attack on the Dawn Angel with space beacon missiles. As we passed through the midsection corridor of the warship, we were scorched by a raging inferno that blocked our advance. It was a spirit fire created using alchemical tools. That's exactly how I felt back then.

The problem with history is that it's too complex; it always seems like an old person about to be abandoned by the times, constantly needing to reminisce. Isn't this a kind of curse on knowledge and memory?

Even more strangely, he vaguely felt that the flow of time he could perceive had become uneven, sometimes like a babbling brook, sometimes like a rushing waterfall. In each change of time, different parts of his body, even each specific cell and tissue, were subjected to completely different pressures and erosion.

He felt as if his limbs, torso, and even his internal organs had been separated by a strange and mysterious high-dimensional force and sent to different spaces and different worlds.

If things continue like this, it won't just be a matter of disrupting one's own fighting rhythm, but rather a matter of negating the rationality of the body, causing the body to twist and break apart, and the soul to dissipate along with it.

This isn't metaphysics. Denying existence by denying what is reasonable, ultimately resulting in fatal damage, is a consistent tactic of psychics.

However... high-level psionicists often use this tactic to deal with giant Void Lords, in order to overcome the size difference between them.

In a sense, the "Spirit Burial" technique of the Void Realm Special Attack that Yu Lian learned from his master is also a similar method.

Well, without realizing it, I've started getting attacked as a Void Realm Lord? Should I be proud of that?
Yu Lian raised his hand—a movement that took him more than ten times the effort he usually did—and looked at his fingers, clearly seeing the light and shadow cubes disintegrating between them.

Yes, if I just hold on a little longer, my body might really break down.

However, this does not mean that he has been deprived of his ability to act.

Despite the constraints imposed by the rules, Yu Lian still spoke: "In the end, you are the only one facing everything, leading the battle, and sacrificing yourself. But shouldn't this be something you and the Prince of Wei should be leading together? If you went together, perhaps you, an old man, wouldn't have needed to sacrifice yourself. Is that right?"

He certainly wouldn't get any response.

The "knight" held his greatsword horizontally in front of his forehead, slowly gathering his aura, while half of the "wizard's" body had already melted into the void.

His expression lost its human warmth, but he also lost all semblance of divinity; he simply became increasingly heavy and unnatural.

“The price is gradually appearing,” Yu Lian said. “But is this really the price you should pay? Is he waiting for your dedication to duty, waiting for the state of the empire after I enter the Heavenly Domain? Is that so? Lord Milerke, you once served as the King of Wei’s teacher, so you should be able to represent his will.”

Yu Lian stared at the old knight commander's face, but saw only a calm, still expression, or perhaps a deathly silence: "You people have been waiting for this day for a long time, haven't you? Tell me, where is this day?"

There was still no answer, but the burning pain intensified, to the point that Yu Lian could hardly breathe.

He, Commander Yu, is at least a demigod!
“You’re in a hurry! Your Excellency, Knight Commander.” Yu Lian gave the Knight Commander opposite him a thumbs up, his smile very bright.

While enduring intense burning pain all over his body, he could still laugh. He even felt like a freak, but what could he do? That was just the kind of man Yu Dashuai was.

Whether it was because he was confident of victory or because he felt it would be impolite not to answer, Knight Commander Milerke finally spoke up: "Actually, I have been the chief instructor of the Dawn Royal Family for sixty years."

"So, you actually have a close teacher-student relationship with Brunhilde."

“I have guided twenty electors on the basics of cultivation, and Prince Brunhilde is the last one,” he said.

“However, you represent a large number of Tirelo nobles and have chosen King Velent.” Yu Lian scanned the “light lion” emblem machine on the old man’s body.

"This scene seems so familiar! Is it from the civil war of the empire five hundred years ago?"

In real history, the owner of this heraldic machine, the Duke of Beleros, did not become an ally of Queen Iwenya. Instead, he maintained a detached (ambiguous) attitude and remained impartial until the end of the civil war.

Yu Lian stared at the other person: "Is history about to repeat itself? Your Excellency, have you also staked the future on this new era? Are you certain that this new era will definitely arrive?"

The old knight commander didn't speak, but suddenly opened his eyes, and golden light burst forth from them.

Okay, he's getting impatient again.

However, Yu Lian's body, which had been suppressed by the domain to the point of almost turning into a wisp of smoke, re-condensed from its illusory state.

In an instant, the colorless beam of light suddenly tore through the void, stirring up wave after wave of energy ripples, as if a handful of stones had been thrown into that stubborn spiritual particle domain.

Immediately afterwards, the ripples of energy condensed into an almost invisible band of light, which then coalesced into a sharp blade. That spatial blade tore through the sky and, with unstoppable force, pierced straight toward "Wizard Milerkat," who was still holding the scepter.

The spiritual domain that had been pressing down on Yu Lian instantly collapsed, and he regained his mobility.

So this is the "Dragon"! How can it still fight back under these circumstances? It can even break through conceptual-level restraints. It truly deserves to be the Empire's most dangerous enemy this century!

The old knight commander Milerkai sighed inwardly, becoming even more vigilant and admiring, but this did not affect his tactical movements at all. He had already blocked his "quantum superposition state" clone, and the spiritual light on his greatsword unfolded to form an energy shield, colliding with the ripple of light, yet intertwining to form a chaotic vortex of power.

"Ugh..." The old knight commander seemed to be jolted by the impact, letting out a muffled groan. Even his enormous body, which looked to be half a ton under the Lion of Light, staggered backward uncontrollably like a scarecrow.

However, before he collided with his own quantum superposition clone, he suddenly lost his physical form.

His body instantly teleported above Yu Lian's head, and the greatsword came crashing down. Before the blade even arrived, the spatial tear created by the stirring of spiritual particles had already drawn more than a dozen dazzling afterimages.

This is less of a slash and more of a psionic technique that cuts and tears space.

Even without this quantum superposition state clone, this old knight commander was still a master of both magic and martial arts. Of course, perhaps because he forced himself to do both, he was stuck at the peak of the seventh ring for half a century, always just one step away from becoming a demigod.

Just as Yu Lian was expressing his regret for the other party, he saw the "Wizard Milakah" slam his scepter heavily onto the ground.

It remains an invisible, closed domain, but it incorporates conceptual-level mystical manipulations, forming the operation of "lawful confinement." The surrounding physical rules have been reinforced with "definitions" that are highly consistent with real-world cognition.

When Yu Lian tried to use short-range spatial teleportation to dodge the enemy's attack again, he was shocked to find that the spatial structure he was in had become unshakeable, as if steel and concrete had been poured into every atom of the air.

Even so, the Knight Commander still managed to leap right under his nose. Now, the three-meter-tall Old Deng was still hovering above him, contemplating wielding his massive, door-sized sword for a head-on smash!

Therefore, the objective phenomenon of "spatial blockade" has not been formed here, but rather the subjective act of the enemy wanting to "move through space" has been subject to a high-dimensional "rule barrier".

A mere seventh ring, with the added bonus of the fortress array, began to operate at a rule-based level.

As an outsider who was under the pressure of the rules, Yu Lian only felt that the flow of spiritual energy was also pulled to the same level by the rhythm and tempo of the array.

This constitutes a occult concerto, a slow and rigid concerto.

However, this was his own initiative to adapt to all these changes, and any attempt to challenge this harmony would result in a backlash from the domain.

Yu Lian stared as the opponent's attack landed. As the increasingly complex spatial slash tore through his body, spiritual light once again escaped from his pores, forming golden spiritual fire.

His movements were a little slower than before, but they remained steady.

"The concept-level operation is fascinating. But that's all it is; ultimately, it won't kill anyone!"

The infinite space torn apart returned to its origin in an instant, leaving only the physical attack of the greatsword.

"You've severed the branches of the phenomenon, but failed to touch the root of the problem. Lord Yu Lian, you've avoided the raging waves, yet you remain in the vast ocean of laws. Will this battle end in a way you cannot accept?" the old knight lamented.

"So, what exactly is the price? Old Knight Commander, what is it? I'm not talking about the past, but the future! What price will you have to pay in the future?"

Knight Commander Milerkai did not answer. The greatsword, clearly an alchemical artifact, continued its momentum, sliding down Yu Lian's shoulder and smoothly cleaving his body, still covered in spiritual fire, in two.

However, before the sword's edge had fully fallen, the Earthling's body closed up again amidst the swirling spiritual fire. A ball of spiritual fire, as if it had caught a swarm of wasps, smeared directly onto Milakay's face.

The old knight commander, clad in heavy armor, resembled a wild monkey on drugs, leaping and tumbling several times to create distance between himself and Yu Lian.

His face was still covered in the lingering flames of the spirit, as if it were about to burn his head off. At first glance, you might mistake him for some wild Ghost Rider.

Thus, the old knight commander could only stand there and deal with the persistent, though not very damaging, and extremely humiliating, facial burning.

As for the quantum superposition clone known as "Wizard Milakah," it remained expressionless, standing in place, and once again slammed its scepter onto the ground.

Changes occur suddenly.

...Well, Yu Lian was completely used to this. At this stage of the war, it would be news if nothing unexpected happened.

Within the passageways and cabins, the psionic runes hidden beneath the ceilings and floors suddenly shone brightly, transforming from gentle starlight into a blazing sun. Solid beams of light fell to the ground, and tall, clearly defined figures clad in heraldic armor rapidly materialized.

Those were all the Star Knights of this fortress; they all seemed to be gathering here.

No, although their outlines are clear, their bodies are translucent.

Psychic projection? Yu Lian frowned slightly, but then denied his own judgment.

This is certainly not an ordinary psionic projection. You must know that the conditions for achieving this kind of technique are extremely demanding. Without the full power of the original body, and with a limited duration, even if hundreds more people came, they wouldn't be able to do anything to Yu Lian in his current state.

In a sense, this is even a waste of the eternal array.

The Knight Commander clearly projected a portion of the power and fighting spirit of the knights from various places to this place through the Eternal Array, and at the same time relied on the war puppets generated in the conflict zone, so that it could be manifested in reality.

Indeed, whether it's arrays or techniques, the power that can be combined is the strongest.

"But, Your Excellency Knight Commander, what is the price?" Yu Lian asked again. "Each of them will face death here!"

The flames on Knight Commander Milerke's face hadn't yet died down; he had even let out a muffled groan of pain. Yet, he still endured the agony, and from behind the silver flames uttered his own sigh: "The sparks they ignited today will ultimately become the dawn that illuminates the empire tomorrow. Your Excellency, what we are paying is not a price, but the future. This is the true future!"

They are the future? Yu Lian paused for a moment, then realized: "Yes, they are the future, not that false god wearing the crown of emptiness? Is this your choice?"

The old knight stood frozen in place, seemingly unaware of what actions or expressions to make.

"Your Excellency, I never knew that a senior knight commander with thick eyebrows and big eyes, from a prestigious family, could be so forgiving!" Yu Lian said, moved. "What an honor this is."

"Don't hurt me! These are not the same thing at all!" That's probably what the Knight Commander wanted to say. For the first time, visible fear appeared on his face. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly covered his already burned face and quickly retreated, letting his figure disappear into the halo of light, as if he wanted to become a part of the light.

As for that "wizard," of course, it's long since become impossible to see clearly.

"Charge!" The old knight's voice flashed in the bright light, still containing the power of words, but the domain laws he summoned no longer posed any trouble for Yu Lian.

However, even though he had truly lost some of the power of the rules, the old man's voice was still full of youthful passion and sincerity.

"Fight! Your support lies in the War Dolls of the Conflict Realm! The death of your substitutes will not break you! On the contrary, today's deaths will become a treasure to enjoy for a lifetime! Fight! Slay the Demon Dragon!"

He raised his enormous sword high, as if raising a battle flag, and his defiant roar naturally drew a loud response from the knights.

Even now, these Astral Knights remain semi-transparent, their features unclear, resembling abstract ancient stone sculptures. Yet, each knight exudes an undeniable, fiery passion.

So, the question now is, how exactly does this conflict unfold? Looking at the Astral Knights (projections) about to launch an attack on him, Yu Lian fell into a brief moment of contemplation.