Him and their stars.

Chapter 2145 You're Not the Only One with Forced March

It turned out to be the case.

The emperor controlled a portion of the core biological organization and spirit of the Void Lord, while his subordinates (or unknown partners) created this grotesque steel golem to serve as its body.

The two combined in a way that was full of evil and blasphemy, resulting in the indescribable monster that is now half-mechanical and half-illusionary lord.

Even with the power of the Galactic Empire, creating such a monster would require an enormous amount of resources and time, so it's impossible that it was specifically designed to target Yu Lian.

Yu Lian was almost certain that after the Emperor defeated this monster during the Seventh Galactic War, he began to rack his brains to figure out this operation.

So, who exactly is your partner? Just as Yu Lian was about to ask this question, he heard Xiao Hui's reminder.

"here we go."

On the floating screen beside it, the colossal creature, resembling a steel demon, appeared like a predator that had finally locked onto its target. Its twisted body, draped in colorless light spots, instantly entered a charging state. The red light at the top of its body began to burn, and surging energy was poised to be unleashed.

“He will launch the first attack on your fleet,” the Emperor said.

"I'll wait and see," Yu Lian replied proudly.

Within his perception range, the colossal object composed of steel and illusory structures began to advance, its target clearly the direction of the Hand of Glory. The nearby Earth fleet, of course, also noticed the dramatic change in the starry sky, half an astronomical unit away, and halted their advance, regrouping for a strategic maneuver.

Little Grey promptly delivered the latest live footage. It showed the main guns of the Hand of Glory fortress beside the fleet, floating on a layer of fluid metal, adjusting their firing arc—clearly preparing to aim directly at the colossal golem.

However, the Silent One fired its cannons before the positron cannons on the Hand of Glory fortress could even fire.

A mere half an astronomical unit is indeed within the irradiation range of a double-penetrating electric arc.

“I didn’t do this, it was your subordinates,” Little Gray said.

Very good. Although the scene of Earth's warships fighting alongside the Imperial fortress was rather surreal, his comrades were indeed full of spirit, which made Yu Lian feel very safe. As an eighth-ring psionicist who was challenging the side of truth, he never felt that seeking security from "mortals" was anything shameful.

“I originally thought it was for humanitarian reasons, and that we wouldn’t need this weapon in the Heavenly Realm,” Yu Lian laughed.

The rhythmic arcs of electricity in the space flickered for a moment before enveloping the entire body of the Steel Demon God. Flames appeared on the armor he wore.

Yu Lian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, not because his comrades were ready for battle, but because the monster hadn't gone after all, it hadn't targeted the various space cities filled with civilians.

Okay, I guess I'm still a good person after all!

He exhaled a breath of moral superiority and refocused his attention on the emperor.

"If you intend to use this large-sized watchdog, you should evacuate the residents of the Heavenly Domain in advance. There are six inhabited star systems within a radius of 100 light-years of the capital, enough to accommodate 1000 billion residents."

If this is how the "true god" looks down upon all living beings, then he is an evil god who should be condemned! He should be trampled upon by mortals!
The emperor did not answer directly: "But I am very weak right now."

This really doesn't sound like something a deity would say.

The emperor's spirit touched his forehead, as if he had truly become a frail old man plagued by a hundred ailments: "He is breaking free from my control. I wonder when the instincts of the Void Lord will take over."

"What exactly do you want to say?"

"Will your counterattack harm His physical body first, or the mechanisms that restrain His instincts?"

Yu Lian glanced at the screen, and the image immediately zoomed in and became much higher definition. The steel behemoth covered in flames could be vaguely observed, and the strange ripples emanating from beneath the mechanical devices were becoming more and more numerous.

Ordinary people might think that's an illusion, but Yu Lian could never think that way.

"Your subordinates hacked into the capital's surveillance satellite network. Now, your subordinates are sharing all of Tianyu's surveillance with the Privy Council," Little Gray said.

That's great! If Yu Lian had received this news five minutes ago, he would have been even more delighted.

He heard the emperor's voice: "When it is completely freed from its shackles, what kind of catastrophe will it turn into?"

"You're using your moral high ground again!" Yu Lian glanced at the emperor. "You can't expect me to hold back for the safety of the capital's citizens. If there are civilian casualties, it's your fault."

The Emperor laughed: "No, I have never had such a wish! For people like us to pin our hopes on our opponents making mistakes is, of course, the most foolish choice. And even more foolish is to pin our hopes on our opponents' mercy. I simply feel that since this is a stage, every actor has a role to play. This may be my last time on stage, so how can I allow the stage to become unbalanced?"

"As for the citizens of the Celestial Realm, my people, may their souls find peace with the spirits of the universe. All casualties are the choice of the times. Even if half of the citizens of the Celestial Realm perish, it will not affect the strength of the empire. On the contrary, the spirit of this nation and this people will be tempered by blood and fire. Only then will change come. Young Earthlings, change comes at a price. You should understand this."

Yu Lian squinted at the spirit who was smiling so calmly, pondered for a moment, and then exhaled a breath of bloody breath: "You are indeed an evil god who should be defeated."

"I should be honored!"

Before the words of "change of location" had even finished, the dawn-colored light blade was suddenly drawn, enveloping a collapsing force field that emitted a buzzing sound, and slammed into the spirit's body, but landed on the crystal cluster spear that suddenly raised its head.

Like small branches of a tree, they jammed the vast disintegration field.

“Very good, I sense your anger! That’s right! The end of an era must be resolved in a classical way.”

"You are now not only an evil god, but also a clown god who orchestrates clumsy farces."

Their movements were so fast that only two flashing streaks of light remained. The light blades and the crystal collided countless times in an instant, yet there was no earth-shattering energy eruption. All the power of the two psionicists was contained within a tiny space.

However, the garden space inside the dome was still trembling slightly.

It's more like a violent roar caused by high-frequency friction of the air.

Yu Lian pushed the atomic light spear technique from the Empire to its limit. The golden light wheel, like a blazing sun, carried a force field capable of shattering everything, launching a tidal wave of attacks on the Emperor's spirit from the most cunning angles. Thrusts, sweeps, thrusts, and slashes—each strike was concise and fierce, containing a killing power honed through countless trials.

However, compared to the agile and elusive challenger, the emperor's spirit appeared far more stable. His responses remained leisurely and unhurried.

The crystal halberd changed angles at will. Although it was a fiery red color, it always drew clear and cold trajectories in the air, as if weaving an invisible net.

The attack, as intense as the blazing sun, struck the layers of halberd shadows, yet only managed to create faint ripples of spiritual energy before being easily neutralized. The disintegrating force field itself, capable of directly destroying matter, dissipated silently the moment it touched the crystal halberd.

This wasn't a fusion, but rather a rejection by some higher-dimensional concept.

This is the emperor.

“Very good! Young Earthling, you truly delight me. However, if you wish to seek change in the world, this is far from enough!” He stared into Yu Lian’s eyes, finally revealing a cruel smile: “You should be able to do better!”

This was the first time Yu Lian had seen genuine humanity on his face.

He responded with a smile: "You're too modest. I was only able to hold on until now because you lost your body. But doesn't that mean you're not invincible? You're not, and neither is your dog."

"Just wait and see. Young man, just wait and see," the emperor replied with a loud laugh.

Beyond the trembling dome behind them, a faint crimson beam of light pierced the dark night sky, hurtling towards the advancing steel behemoth. It was as if a god had hurled a spear of light in judgment upon a demon.

That is the Hand of Glory fortress.

The Imperial fortress and Earth's fleet have actually joined forces. Well, actually, the Hand of Glory had already taken control of Earth's landing forces and the Zerg swarm.

The fortress's positron cannon slashed at the steel behemoth, but at a considerable distance, it seemed to fall into an invisible mist, its trajectory noticeably deviating.

The boiling energy was directed into the depths of space, and the ancient behemoth clad in mechanical armor responded.

A brighter, sharper, and faster red light struck the outer wall of the fortress in an instant. The explosion created a monstrous wave on the fluid metal layer, instantly reducing the positron main gun floating on it to ashes.

Immediately afterwards, a series of explosions rose up beneath the fluid layer.

Clearly, this shot had penetrated all of the Hand of Glory's defenses and directly damaged the fortress itself.

The bombardment resembled a light spear cannon, but the destructive effect was not quite the same.

Yu Lian's light blade parted the crystal cluster, and after the two took a step apart, he couldn't help but ask, "A new type of energy weapon?"

The emperor shrugged: "As far as I know, the Imperial Crafts Academy does not have such a design. Perhaps it is a natural product of the combination of the virtual realm and the prosthetic body? I am not sure how far it can go."

Clearly, the Hand of Glory was not the monster's primary target. After temporarily depriving the fortress of its ability to retaliate, it turned around and fired the same beams repeatedly towards the fleet.

That didn't sound like a steel warship firing its cannons; it sounded more like a master unleashing the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

Fortunately, the Earth fleet has already dispersed, and the Wide-Area Silence at the core has perfectly played the role of a tank, attracting more than 80% of the enemy's attacks.

This Titan-class behemoth was already moving with the agility of a destroyer in the void, like a white swan dancing in the starry sky.

The deadly red light arrived in an instant, but it could only hit the Silent Signal a few seconds earlier.

She's not a cumbersome fortress; she has speed and cunning.

She even had room to retaliate, continuing to pound the sand pot of that steel behemoth on the electric arc.

Sure enough, one of the iron stakes stuck in the guy's back was knocked off.

Thus, the energy of the illusory realm dissipated into the air, transforming into eerie dark clouds. Immediately afterwards, countless monsters of various shapes, all clad in mechanical armor, emerged from behind the clouds. The largest were larger than assault ships, while the smallest were the size of a single-soldier fighter jet, each one baring its fangs and claws like a chaotic dance of demons.

Each of them exudes the aura of the illusory realm.

If there were veterans present who participated in the Glory Mission military exercise back then, they might be very familiar with this scene.

Although Yu Lian didn't witness this scene firsthand, he instinctively sensed a subtle danger. He pushed aside the crystal clusters, quickly retreated tactically to distance himself from the emperor, and telepathically said, "Let them..."

"Escape? You want me to relay your orders to them so they can escape, right? Aha, little brother Yu Lian, I haven't taken command of the warships even once. Not even once."

Well, it is indeed an insult to a group of roused soldiers to leave the battlefield.

"I mean, if you can, you should run away. Little Grey, that thing is most likely after you."

"A provocation? I won't fall for it. Wahahahaha!" The robot girl let out a barbell-like, demonic laugh inside Yu Lian's head: "I'm a civilization-guiding robot, you know. Observing things up close is my duty. To be honest, I observe a lot of things, but technically, this is about the only thing that can arouse my slight curiosity."

The implication is that even though there is some danger involved, it is still worth the risk.

"Then do something. I don't know how long I can hold on. As the most important subject of observation, you have to bless me to live a few more years!" Yu Lian pleaded directly, while struggling to deflect the crystal that was reaching out from behind him.

He now felt as if the emperor was launching attacks from all sides, and those terrifying crystals could tear his body apart from all directions at any moment.

From these dangerous clashes, Yu Lian clearly spotted the increasingly distinct crack beneath the unfathomable sea of ​​spiritual energy.

Even in his ghost form, the Emperor remains a flawless warrior, but perhaps because he has lost his physical body, he needs to expend more psionic energy to simulate kinetic energy in this battle.

He remains an invincible giant of light, but his efficiency in transmitting power is no longer what it once was.

"This is torture for both of us. I might be the first to give up..." Yu Lian thought firmly, "But there's a chance!"

If that's the case, why not provide off-field assistance?
As a demigod who was challenging the pinnacle, he didn't feel ashamed at all to ask for help.

Calling in reinforcements, boss battles, it's not a bad idea.

Little Grey said, "Feifei is forcibly breaking through the spatial lock surrounding Dragon Palace. Her spiritual reaction is very strong, and the hidden door you left for her isn't wide enough. I will stand in an impartial and neutral position and help her with some energy analysis."

To be fair, it was already quite an achievement for Yu Lian to leave a secret door right under the emperor's nose.

"Tell Fifi not to worry, I can handle it. By the way, where's Norddos?"

"Who?"

"An unimportant passerby."

Well, since you've asked, then it's indeed not important. Wishing Your Highness all the best!
"Where's Charlie?"

“She is there, but it’s hard to pinpoint her location. The swarm theory is a biological swarm theory, which is not the same as our cybernetics school.”

Your school of thought has changed its name again!
"She can escape at any time, and she can help at any time; this is also the quantum state of the swarm."

Well, the fact that she didn't run away already says a lot. Yu Lian seemed quite relieved.

"Hold on tight, there's always a way," Little Grey comforted him. "Just hold on for another three to five minutes, and they'll definitely be able to break through! Remember, hold on tight, there's always a way!"

If they hadn't been partners for two lifetimes, Yu Lian would have suspected that this troublemaking robot girl was cursing him.

Little Grey added, "Also, another group of not-so-fierce guys have arrived outside, but don't get distracted."

Yu Lian certainly couldn't afford to be distracted at this moment. He was already doing his best to spare even a little attention to ask Xiao Hui to call for help.

The emperor's spirit, hovering in place, can switch from defense to offense.

However, at this moment, the situation suddenly changed. Just as the emperor was about to use a small branch with a cold, eerie light to slit Yu Lian's throat, he withdrew his crystal spear once again.

"It's coming!"

"You've prepared a lot of guests."

"I only worry that I am not prepared enough. But this time, they are the masters." The Emperor gazed at Yu Lian, his expression shifting instantly from solemn divinity to smug humanity: "You are a renowned general of our time, but the Imperial Army, with its glorious traditions, is no mediocre force either. The Empire has never lacked young people with a fervent sense of responsibility and loyalty to the country and its people. Seeing them gives me unwavering confidence in the future of the Galactic Empire, and gives me the courage to challenge the realms beyond the edge of truth."

The emperor said proudly, "Young man, you are not the only one who knows how to march quickly."

At the same moment, on the bridge of the Wide-Area Silence, everyone was in a state of full combat readiness and was in a state of great anxiety when they detected a jump fluctuation at the edge of the star system on the other side.

"The enemy fleet has arrived... The flagship is... the Demon-Suppressing Rabbit!"

On May 17th, 835 of the Common Calendar, at 04:38 AM Galactic Standard Time, the Jaeger-Sobek fleet finally arrived in the Celestial Realm. They were the first fleet to successfully reach the Celestial Realm, arriving nearly three days faster than their enemies had anticipated.