Him and their stars.

Chapter 2228 You'd better not die

Ah... So, who exactly is this King Nokono Motong? Has this whole thing gone too far?
Yu Lian's spiritual senses spread out like mercury, quickly perceiving the direction of the sound. In an instant, all the life pulses within the fortress also entered his perception range.

The battle of the entire fortress had ended at just one spot, which was also the entrance to the naval port.

Guards from all directions were converging on the only passage. However, the rebel-led assault team had long since vanished, leaving only the life force blocking the entrance.

It was an unusually familiar life response, flickering like a candle in the wind, yet burning and boiling like a raging fire.

It's Claire Belmont.

His aura grew heavier, his psionic energy fluctuations became chaotic and thin, as if they might be extinguished at any moment, yet they were held in place by an extremely tenacious spirit. And so, he ignited.

What a contradictory yet courageous fellow!

Yu Lian sighed, and in another instant, he appeared in the naval port. Like a bystander of history, he looked down upon Claire Belmont's final battle.

...Or rather, it's that damned King Nokono Motong.

He saw the person, whose head and face were covered by a heraldic machine, whose warhammer drew a silver arc, cutting through the air and even cleaving through dimensional rifts, before striking the person hidden in the ripples of space.

Blood spurted out from behind the ripples, and a mournful cry echoed from the ceiling.

A figure in a black power suit emerged from the blood, then flew backward like a kite with a broken string, even circling in the air for several weeks before crashing heavily to the ground, twitching a few times before going still.

It's clear that this is a psionicist who wants to launch a sneak attack; judging from their abilities, they might be an Inquisitor or something similar.

"Look, isn't this the ideal death you chose? A magnificent death painted primarily with human blood. You should even thank me!"

For Krell, wielding a battle axe and smashing people inside an Imperial fortress was probably a first for him. Yet, he did it with considerable flair.

"This is the fourth Imperial psionicist I've killed today. Isn't there anyone even remotely decent? Couldn't I have at least a knight commander as well? Before my heroic spirit is summoned away by the God of War, I should at least use a knight commander's head as decoration, shouldn't I?"

Krell boasted nonchalantly, like a seasoned mercenary from the age of cold weapons. He used gravity to brush away the bloodstains clinging to his warhammer. In reality, however, a large amount of dried blood had already congealed on it, turning a dark red color.

The battle axe, a weapon combining a sickle and a warhammer, had long since lost its silvery-white arc.

"I don't know why, but I feel like this color suits me better." A low murmur, suppressing bloodlust and madness, came from behind the thick helmet and mask, making him look quite like a typical Katai.

The Imperial grenadiers looked at each other, hesitant to move forward.

They were never cowards, but faced with this invincible assassin, they were unable to overcome their innate biological fear.

So, these steel giants (clad in mechs), averaging two and a half meters tall, not only didn't advance, but even took a few steps back. Their guns were, of course, pointed at the only enemy in front of the passage, but they dared not fire.

Keep in mind, this is a powerful psionicist. His spirit and will have already created an impenetrable yet unbreakable force field shield in the passage.

That thing even has a ricochet function, capable of reflecting all physical bullets and even ion beams back. Many of their comrades have already fallen in this confused state.

So, is it going to be a hand-to-hand combat charge?

In reality, the scattered limbs and the blood smeared on the walls and ceiling already proved the truth. Indeed, when a psychic is truly prepared to die fighting, defending their territory to the death, these mortals are truly helpless.

So we can only leave it to the psychic master, right?

The grenadiers' gazes were fixed on the still convulsing corpse of the judge, and they involuntarily took a few steps back.

Yes, not just a psionic master, but a top-tier psionic master!
Just half a day ago, everyone thought that their Elathel Fortress was the Felmor Group's rear base, and absolutely safe. But who could have imagined that this battle would have such a special effect?

Such a tragic scene could not possibly appear here. Is it because His Majesty has passed away, and the empire's destiny has also been tarnished?

Just before the grenadiers' fear was about to turn into an avalanche that would completely crush them, a voice finally rang out.

"Although they are enemies, they are truly admirable!"

A figure clad in heraldic armor strode through the crowd. He was undoubtedly an Imperial Astral Knight, his broad shoulder armor bearing not only a unicorn crest but also the insignia of crossed spears, swords, and banners.

This is a flag bearer, essentially a vice-captain. In the Star Knights' straightforward rank system, he is at the third level, considered a high rank, and naturally, a highly skilled individual.

The grenadiers all breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, the problems of experts should be solved by the experts themselves; they, the ordinary people, were doing their job well, which was enough for their monthly salary of over a hundred gold dragons.

As for why this expert and the psionicist who died in battle only arrived now, it wasn't because they were slacking off, but because they received a warning and then rushed back from the front lines through a pre-established spatial array.

However, it turns out that such difficult psionic manipulation takes time and is a great burden for them.

By the time they recovered a little strength and arrived at the scene, it was too late.

They failed to leave behind their colossus, or even most of the attackers; only this last assassin remained.

“You were merely covering the rear, and you’ve succeeded,” the vice-captain advised. “Your comrades who stayed behind with you to cover the rear have all perished, and now you are the only one left. Surrender. There’s no need to waste your life any longer.”

"The Ketai people will never be slaves! We have already destroyed the tyranny of the Crimson Mane family, and the next step is the tyranny of the Empire!" Krell shouted.

"Clumsy acting!" The Star Knight's tone was tinged with exasperation, not so much because he felt rejected, but because his intelligence had been insulted: "The Regency Council has already determined that King Mo Tong is currently in Bamu. He is one of the three great protectors of Ketai. How could he be here? Just because you stole his ship doesn't mean it was him!"

"The one in Bamu is just a stand-in! And I'm here to smash the heads of your imperial nobles and announce our arrival to the universe!"

The knight was amused and exasperated. Although the other party was wearing mecha and their voice had been altered to some extent, they were definitely human; how could he not tell?

"You are a human being. Lay down your weapons, activate your mech and surrender. This is your last chance to be treated as a prisoner of war."

"How are you going to prove it? Come here, if you want me to open the mech, why don't you do it yourself?"

The knight quickly regained his composure. He scanned his surroundings, his eyes filled with the corpses and blood of his men. This bewildering attack had lasted three hours, yet the Imperial army had paid the price of over a thousand lives and the destruction of an entire colossus, and still couldn't even confirm the enemy's identity?
This was the only survivor, and a powerful psychic at that; he couldn't let him go.

This guy, though loud and imposing, had reached his limit. He couldn't let such a good opportunity slip by again.

"A level one cannon has been installed on the fortress. We will attack the Emperor's Staff immediately. It is absolutely impossible for it to be taken by a mere group of terrorists," the knight said.

Krell's body stiffened, as if he had been struck by an impact.

In reality, this was a tactical verbal exchange. The moment the knight caught a glimpse of the enemy's momentary lapse in concentration, he pounced. The scene unfolded so fast that it was completely imperceptible to the naked eye, and even the high-speed, highly sensitive cameras of the machine's firepower platform remained unaffected. In just a fleeting instant, the astral knight had already flashed to the enemy's side.

He had already dodged the opponent's counterattack, smashed through the force field shield, and pierced the light spear in his hand through the joint gap on the opponent's shoulder armor.

The emblem machine cannot withstand a direct assassination by a Noble Phantasm at close range.

Intense pain exploded in Krell Belmont's back. He could clearly feel the disintegrating light cleaving through his armor, tearing through his protective suit, and neutralizing the "mithril skin" flowing across his skin. But then, the high-temperature force field blade continued its advance, shattering his left shoulder blade and penetrating deep into his torso.

He coughed up blood and clearly smelled the burning odor. However, he merely turned his head slightly, staring at the Star Knight, his words in the Imperial Commons clear and distinct, without the slightest wavering.

"By the way, what's your name again?"

“I am Viscount Gatuser Yarrow.” “Oh, a branch of the Duke Yarrow’s family.”

"This is not fatal, you can give up now. If you receive full gene therapy now, you can at least survive."

"Thank you for your honesty. So, King Nokono Motong, I hereby declare that you are the last imperial devil I have killed."

"And there's still King Mo Tong here." The knight, instead of being angry, laughed and was about to say something when he suddenly realized that he couldn't draw his light spear.

But at that moment, the terrorist, who had already suffered a near-fatal blow, raised his warhammer again and slammed it down on the Star Knight's head.

Perhaps due to a lack of practical experience, or perhaps because he was complacent and became wary, or perhaps because he never expected that his opponent, a dignified psychic, would actually prepare such a mutually destructive fighting style, the Viscount remained stunned as the warhammer came crashing down, completely flattening his helmet.

The mech, clinging to the Viscount's body, did not fall, but it eventually ceased to move.

The light spear, having lost its psionic support, automatically retracted its light blade, transforming into an unremarkable metal rod a little over a meter long, which clattered to the ground.

However, this forceful movement caused Krell's wound to worsen.

Even the nerves shattered by the light spear couldn't stop the pain from spreading. A spiraling, searing agony swept through his entire body, and blood gushed out, soaking his silver-gray mech inside and out. The blood formed a red waterfall, flowing onto the surface of the armor and then onto the ground.

At this point, the attacker's blood finally flowed into the pool of blood on the ground.

This must be a fatal wound, right?
"Now, you can kill me."

However, none of the grenadiers present dared to step forward. To them, this man, soaked in human blood, was a bloodthirsty demon crawled out of hell. As long as he could still move, he was enough to intimidate all their enemies.

"Well, who wants to achieve fame and fortune? Who doesn't want to be the one to kill King Nokono Motong?"

The Imperial Army even took another step back.

Krell Belmont snorted, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Despite suffering such severe injuries and losing so much blood, the man in the armored suit showed no signs of weakness. At this moment, he was certain he was more excited than ever before in his life.

Viscount Gatuser Arron remained completely still, as if frozen in place. But Krell knew that the Star Knight's life force had already been extinguished.

He laughed, without a trace of pain, but the laughter of a magnanimous and open-minded hero, the magnanimous yet self-satisfied smallness of a victor.

Given the circumstances, no one else besides him had the right to laugh.

Blood continued to seep from the wound. He could feel his strength and vitality draining away, but at that moment he felt no regrets about his life.

Of course, even he himself couldn't quite explain why he had no regrets.

He remained in place, looking down at the Imperial soldiers before him. He thought the Emblem Machine was truly a wonderful thing; it allowed him to stand a head taller than ordinary mechs and look down upon everyone.

These grenadiers, who were invincible in the mountains of corpses and seas of blood of the rebel army, held their breath and stared at him in disbelief.

No one had the courage to fight him at that moment.

"Ah, what a perfect way to die. Claire Belmont, thirty years old, his last words before dying... Quick, sell my shares in the 'Power of Love' club. And my terminal, can you clear it out?"

The Imperial soldiers finally began to advance, but the vanguard was still made up of robots.

Belmont had no time to look at them. The neural pathways that occupied his vision were sinking into a dark river, but before that happened, he had to detonate all the neuronal circuits within his body.

He would never allow the Imperial Army to obtain a complete body. Especially not the body of a former Alliance general.

"After the spirit circuit is detonated, I will either be turned into minced meat, or I might be corrupted into a void beast, right? No, no, then even the browsing history in the terminal won't be able to save my life."

He strives to seek out the beautiful things in his past life so that he can maintain his pride as a human being in the final lesson of his life.

“Right, right, yes, my Goodnight Kittens, my Sheena, Lux, and Vivi… yes, right, and that person, her name is Lina Bell… wait, why the hell did I end up seeing Yu Lian’s face?!” He suddenly widened his eyes, and his whole being seemed to come alive again.

In reality, a spiritual light that he could not comprehend at all had been injected into the tendons, blood vessels, and gaps in the bones. The dead limbs were infused with indescribable power and began to revive at the cellular level.

He felt a warm current flowing through his limbs, and his senses began to return. Then, a voice rang in his ears: "Yes! I also hate entering a man's final gallery, so I've decided not to let you die!"

A beam of light flowed across the dying psychic, and his body was completely swallowed by the spatial ripples, disappearing without a trace, leaving only a shocking pool of blood on the ground.

Of course, the Astral Knight mech, now devoid of its light spear and with its helmet dented and crammed into a ball, still stood frozen to one side.

A heavy, deathly silence enveloped the naval port passageway.

A few seconds later, a grenadier's rifle clattered to the ground. The sound seemed to trigger a switch, and a panicked commotion erupted among the Imperial soldiers like a plague.

“Disappeared?!”

"Psionic teleportation? No... at this time, with such severe injuries... how is that possible?"

"It's a hallucination! It must be a hallucination!"

"None of that matters anymore? But the Viscount is dead, so many lords are dead, and we can't even hold off the enemy who were covering our retreat."

"Waaaaah, we'll all be executed by cannon fire."

The last sentence finally broke the defenders' composure, and the elite grenadiers surged backward like ants in a swarm.

Pushing, trampling, panicked shouts, and the dull thud of metal clashing mingled together. They didn't even dare to clean up the battlefield or collect the bodies of their own and their enemies; they were only concerned with escaping this eerie place.

Of course, at least they survived, which is something to be thankful for.

Yu Lian stood in place in an invisible spirit form, took one last look at the distant starry sky through the porthole, watched the colossus, which was already at a safe distance, continue to move away, and then leisurely walked forward.

His body passed through the wall at will, truly like a weightless ghost.

He easily passed through all the key parts of the fortress. For safety reasons, he casually knocked off the core control panel of the fortress's main cannon before continuing forward until he entered a data control room.

A group of Imperial technical officers were busy at their workstations, and no one noticed Yu Lian's arrival.

Or rather, even if you see it, you'll automatically ignore it.

"Was this all within your expectations, Yani?" Yu Lian asked.

Not long after, he clearly heard Amida Berencaster's voice: "I was sure it would start this way, but how it ends is not up to me."

"Making peace, and the fact that you're not trying to determine the future, is certainly the best dynamic."

(End of this chapter)