From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 821 The Truth About the Roma
"Roma, do you still not intend to return to the embrace of the 'True God'?! Do you still intend to continue serving your enemies?!"

Liana's voice carried a peculiar penetrating power, echoing through the vast underground dome, each word striking clearly into everyone's heart.

Especially the Roma marines who had just rushed in; the fighting resolve on their faces slowly turned into confusion and bewilderment.

The Roma commander leading the group was none other than Hus the Tiger-Headed. At this moment, his brows were furrowed, and he subconsciously gripped the electromagnetic rifle in his hand. His burly body was tense as he warily watched the elven queen who exuded a dangerous aura.

“What nonsense are you spouting!” he growled, his voice booming.

"nonsense?"

Liana's laughter grew increasingly arrogant, filled with pity and disdain.

"Poor creatures, you don't even know how long you've been deceived. Rom, loyal hounds of the elves, has your master ever told you who put the collars around your necks on you?"

Her gaze swept over the Phoenix King and the elven nobles around him whose expressions had changed drastically, and the sneer at the corner of her mouth deepened.

Hus glanced at Amber instinctively, his eyes filled with confusion and pleading. Amber shook her head and whispered:
"Listen to her first, don't act rashly. I really don't know anything about your tribe's story, and I'm also very curious."

Meanwhile, Queen Liana looked at the Phoenix King and the others with a mocking expression as she continued to speak.

"What? My king, you dare not tell them the truth? You dare not tell them what our ancestors did to their ancestors?"

The Phoenix King's lips moved, but no sound came out. The pain and anger on his face were now mixed with an indescribable complex emotion. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.

Amber watched this scene quietly, without uttering a sound, but taking in the expressions of Liana, the Phoenix King, and the Rom soldiers.

He knew very well that many games' 'official histories' contained shady secrets. Now it seemed he was about to witness a major plot reveal.

"Our history records the kindness of the elves! You cannot sway us with lies!"

The Roma commander, Hus, roared again, trying to drown out his inner unease with his voice.

"A favor?"

Liana seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. The 'Return Beacon' behind her seemed to resonate with her emotions, and the runes on its surface suddenly accelerated, emitting an even more ominous light.

"Since your 'savior' is ashamed to speak, then I will tell you the truth!"

Liana's gaze returned to the Roma, her voice filled with seductive allure.

“Your race, the Roma, has never been a weak civilization on the verge of extinction.”

"You are a 'warrior race' created by the true god!"

"You are the servant army that followed our true masters—the great Forerunner civilization—millions of years ago, conquering this universe and cleansing all filth!"

"It was the pioneers who created you, endowing you with strong physiques and fearless fighting spirit!"

"Your ancestors' hands were stained with the blood of countless elves, yet you are now domesticated by them, living like a pack of dogs."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Whether human, Rom, or elf loyal to the Phoenix King, everyone's mind seemed to have been struck hard by a hammer, falling into a brief blank.

Even Amber couldn't help but widen her eyes, and her mouth involuntarily opened into an 'o' shape.

Were the Roma a vassal army of the Forerunners?
Even the unofficial histories of the elves and Rommen aren't this wild!
This information was so shocking that it completely overturned everyone's perception of the Roma people as a 'gentle and honest' race.

The way those elven psionic masters looked at their Romah "allies" instantly changed.

Suspicion, vigilance, and even a hint of barely concealed hostility began to spread in their eyes.

They instinctively increased the distance between themselves and the Roma marines, and subtly adjusted the angle of their psionic weapons.

Former enemies?
This idea caused cracks to appear in the fragile alliance in an instant.

The Rom commander beside Amber trembled violently, his honest face filled with disbelief. He abruptly turned to look at the Phoenix King in the distance, as if trying to find a negative answer on their faces.

But all he saw was the Phoenix King's pained yet resigned face.

"No, it's impossible," he muttered to himself, his faith beginning to crumble at that moment.

Liana was pleased with the effect of her words. She continued in that cold and cruel tone, tearing open the ugliest scar beneath the most glamorous exterior of the Elven race.

"When the Forerunners completed the 'Great Purge' and left this universe, they should have 'dealt with' you, their vassal army, as well. But for some unknown reason, a small number of your ancestors survived and multiplied on this planet."

"Countless generations have made you forget the glory flowing in your blood, forget your mission as a warrior race, and degenerate into a docile agrarian civilization that only knows how to farm."

"Then."

A cruel smile appeared on Liana's face as she opened her arms as if embracing a bloody history.

"My ancestors, those dark elves who also hid underground and were fortunate enough to survive the 'Great Purge,' met your ancestors on this planet when they returned to the light from the earth."

"Do you think my ancestors, who survived underground, would do when they see the descendants of you, their former enemies?"

Liana gave no one time to think; in an almost aria-like tone, she revealed the bloody answer.

"Faced with their former enemies, the elves who returned to the ground did not hesitate at all. They reaped your ancestors who had laid down their weapons like livestock."

"A massacre has begun."

"On one side are the 'Dark Elves,' who maintain a high degree of militarization and whose every member is a warrior even in the harsh underground environment. On the other side are you, who have long forgotten about war, with weapons stored away and horses grazing peacefully."

"The outcome of the battle is a foregone conclusion."

Liana surveyed the stunned Roma people, her eyes filled with pleasure.

“The vast majority of your ancestors were slaughtered in the rebellion, and only a small number of the youngest were controlled by my ancestors for the purpose of ‘revenge’.”

"Then, through generations of brainwashing and enslavement education, the true history has been completely distorted, turning you into a subservient race that only knows how to be grateful and fawn, and even making you willingly sell your lives for the enemy."

"This is your 'history,' a lie written by the victors, full of benevolence and glory!"

The truth, like a poisoned blade, pierced the heart of every Roma present.

A deathly silence fell over the core area of ​​the mausoleum.

The loyal elven psionicists were filled with shame and embarrassment. They dared not look into the eyes of their Rom allies and could only silently lower their heads.

The Roma marines, on the other hand, were completely stunned.

Hatred, confusion, humiliation, anger—countless emotions flashed across their faces. Their hands gripped their weapons so tightly that their knuckles turned white, and their bodies trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Liana knew the time had come.

"Now, your fellow beings, those spirits who remain faithful to the true God, have shown you the way back!"

Her voice was rousing, and her arms were outstretched as if to embrace them.

"See through these hypocritical 'masters' around you! They only know how to use and enslave you!"

"Come back to us! Return to the ranks of your true creators—the Forerunners! Join us and you will reclaim the glory of your ancestors, becoming masters of the stars, not cannon fodder for alien races! The Forerunners will grant you true power!"

In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on the Roma commander.

His decision will directly affect the course of this battle.

The commander's breathing became heavy. He glanced at Liana, whose face was full of seduction, then at the elves around him with their complicated expressions, and finally, his gaze fell on Amber.

Amber's expression remained largely unchanged throughout. Although he was initially shocked, he quickly calmed down.

He just looked at him calmly, his eyes showing no complicated emotions, only the same pure trust as always.

It's as if it's saying: I believe in your choice.

The commander's frantic heart miraculously calmed down the moment he met Amber's eyes. Many images flashed through his mind: the history of the elven rescue he had read about in textbooks since childhood, the bloody massacre Liana had just described, and the casual remark Amber had made after a mission, patting him on the shoulder.

"Your life is your own; don't let anyone tell you how to live."

Yes, freedom.
The confusion in the commander's eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and determination.

He grinned, revealing a somewhat simple yet incredibly relieved smile.

“Perhaps…perhaps what you’re saying is true.” He looked at Liana, his voice steady and powerful. “Our ancestors may have truly had such a past.”

"But so what?"

His voice suddenly rose, filled with power: "The past? Under the hands of those so-called pioneers, our past was also one of enslavement! What is there to be proud of in such a past? Our glory does not come from some bullshit 'creator,' but is earned by ourselves with blood and loyalty!"

The next moment, he suddenly raised the electromagnetic rifle in his hand, the dark muzzle resolutely aimed at Liana and the traitors behind her.

"Click! Click! Click!"

Hundreds of Roma marines, almost simultaneously, raised their guns and cocked them in perfect unison. The clanging of metal created a torrent of steel, filled with a sense of resolute determination.

"We may be foolish, but we can tell who our true friends are and who are the madmen who want to take advantage of us!"

"We fight for freedom and the bright future that is just around the corner!" the commander roared.

Liana's smile froze instantly, replaced by extreme anger and disbelief.

"You ungrateful fool! You scum who betrayed your bloodline!"

She let out a shriek, and a massive surge of psionic energy erupted, transforming into a thick torrent of energy that crashed towards the leading Rom commander.

However, a blue figure was faster than her attack.

Amber instantly appeared in front of the Rom people, stretching out one hand, and a blue spherical barrier made of pure psionic energy appeared out of thin air.

The chaotic and violent psionic shockwave crashed into the perfect blue sphere, but instead of a spectacular explosion, it was silently absorbed and annihilated, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

“Your opponent is me,” Amber said coldly.

"Fire!"

The Roma commander did not waste the opportunity created by Amber and roared out the order to attack.

The dense, high-speed steel needles, like a torrential downpour of revenge, instantly engulfed the last remaining rebels in a devastating blaze of light and fire.

Those elven rebels who have been fighting for a long time, although they all have high levels of psionic energy, are now running out of psionic energy reserves.

These are the predicaments faced by psionicists in the face of prolonged battles. They must use pure psionic crystals to replenish their supplies, and it is clear that these rebels who have retreated to the core area of ​​the tomb are already running out of resources.

Although the combined forces of humans and Rom are not as strong as them, they can continue fighting after a long battle by simply replenishing their batteries and ammunition. They can also maintain their physical strength by using combat stimulants.

Therefore, when faced with the Romarian marines in power armor continuously suppressing their fire, the psionic shields of these elven traitors, already overwhelmed, became increasingly dim in the face of dense firepower, and eventually shattered completely.

Immediately afterwards, their bodies, now devoid of psionic enhancements, were torn apart by a storm of steel needles.

Screams, explosions, and wails of escaping psionic energy mingled together, but soon fell silent.

In just a few dozen seconds, Liana's last followers were completely wiped out of the world by this torrent of steel.

Inside the dome, only the two sides remained in a standoff.

The anger and disbelief on Liana's face transformed into a morbid, manic calm.

She looked at the wreckage scattered on the ground, at the Roma pointing their guns at her, and then at Amber, whose psionic barrier stood firmly in front of them.

“Traitors deserve to die,” she muttered to herself, her voice hollow and venomous.

"Liana, it's all over."

The Phoenix King clutched his chest wound and walked forward step by step, his eyes filled with endless sorrow.

"Come back with me and face trial. This is your last chance."

"Go back?" Liana suddenly laughed, laughing so hard she almost fell over, tears streaming down her face. "My king, you're still so naive. You think this is the end?"

She turned around abruptly, opened her arms, and pressed her back against the cold 'homecoming beacon' without hesitation.

"No, this is just the beginning!"

Amber's alarm bells rang, and she immediately shouted, "Stop her! She's going to use herself as an energy source!"

Before she could finish speaking, Liana's entire body began to burn wildly in a self-destructive manner.

The deep blue psionic energy was no longer a weapon, but transformed into the purest fuel, flowing wildly through her body into the homecoming beacon behind her!
"By my command, I respectfully welcome my lord!"

"With my soul, I ignite the star torch!"

"With my blood, I pave the path to God!"

She uttered her final, and most fervent, chant.

Her body began to become transparent, and the blood vessels and bones beneath her skin emitted an eerie purple light, her life force draining away at a visible speed.

But at that moment, a steel needle struck her delicate head precisely, and under the powerful kinetic energy, it exploded like a bursting watermelon.

Everyone turned around and saw that Huss, the tiger-headed man, was slowly lowering the muzzle of his gun, seemingly muttering something under his breath.

With the queen's passing, the beacon that had been lit slowly went out.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and the allied forces began to finish off the rebels on the ground.

When the royal guards discovered a high-ranking rebel who was seriously wounded but not yet dead, there was no sign of frustration at the failure of his plan on his face. Instead, he coughed up blood and let out a maniacal laugh.

"Hehehe cough cough Do you really think you can stop us? Cough cough cough We've been planning for so long, how could we possibly fail so easily?"

After saying this, the rebel leader slowly stopped breathing, leaving only his manic laughter frozen on his face.

His words immediately made Phoenix King and Amber and the others feel uneasy. The two exchanged glances and were about to say something when they felt a chilling psionic fluctuation.

Meanwhile, in the deep space within the Thousand Star Empire, on those planets and asteroid belts marked on star maps as 'celestial navigation beacons'.

In each of the dusty, sealed chambers, devices with designs strikingly similar to the 'Returning Beacon' in the core area of ​​the royal tombs lit up one after another.

Around these devices, the massive amounts of psionic crystals stored here are also having their psionic energy rapidly extracted by these devices.

Ultimately, psionic channels, even perceptible to ordinary people, traversed deep space from these secondary devices, connecting to the depths of Eldram's royal tomb.

The return beacon, like an ancient beast awakened, began to emit a deep rumble.

The runes on the base lit up one by one again, turning from a dim gold to a dazzling incandescent white, and waves of indescribable, terrifying energy emanated from them, causing the entire underground space to begin to collapse violently.

"Wait, no—!" The Phoenix King let out a heart-wrenching roar and transformed into a golden light as it rushed forward.

But it's too late.

In the capital of the Thousand Star Empire, the terrified elves throughout Eldaram, regardless of age or gender, suddenly had a burst of blue light in their eyes, and then fell down in swathes like harvested wheat.

The psionic energy forcibly extracted from the corpse was also drawn into an invisible vortex, converging from all corners of the planet into the device in the core area of ​​the royal tomb.

"boom--!!!"

An indescribably thick beam of energy shot into the sky from the top of the homecoming beacon, instantly piercing through thousands of meters of rock, penetrating the earth's surface, and tearing apart the atmosphere of Eldaram, like a sword of judgment stabbing straight into the boundless deep space!

(End of this chapter)