From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 822 Eldalam is dead

The pillar of light that rose from the core area of ​​the mausoleum, piercing the heavens and the earth, seemed to be the final lament of Eldaram.

It was not a weapon, but a life-sucking conduit, a grotesque straw inserted into the lifeblood of the entire elven civilization.

Whether it's a bustling royal avenue or a remote, quiet town, whether it's civilians praying in a shelter or psionic technicians steadfastly holding their posts.
All the elves, regardless of gender, age, or social status, stopped what they were doing at the same moment.

Their eyes suddenly burst forth with an eerie blue light, which then quickly faded like a candle flickering in the wind.

Their life force and spiritual energy were forcibly extracted from their bodies by an invisible and domineering force and merged into the pillar of light that pierced through the heavens and earth.

They fell like harvested wheat, swathes of them lying down, their faces still frozen with the shock and pain of death.

Every city, every forest, every inch of land in Aldaram fell into an eerie silence at this moment.

The elven civilians who were running through the streets of the capital to escape the war had not yet lost their fear when the light in their eyes suddenly went out, their bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground.

The pilot controlling the bio-combat weapon also lost consciousness in mid-air, and the bio-combat weapon linked to the pilot's mind also fell out of control like raindrops from the sky.

In a hospital far from the capital and untouched by the war, a newborn elven baby stopped breathing in its mother's arms. The blue light in the eyes of the mother and child shone brightly at the same time, then dimmed at the same time.

Life and spiritual energy were forcibly separated by an irresistible force, transforming into invisible trickles that traveled thousands of miles to flow into the greedy vortex deep within the royal tomb.

In just a few dozen seconds, the entire planet was transformed into a vast, silent graveyard.

The loss of billions of lives did not even cause a ripple.

On the tracks, the elven fleet, which had been engaged in fierce combat, suddenly ceased firing at the same time.

On a Silverleaf family cruiser, the crew on the bridge collapsed in unison at their posts, like soulless puppets.

On the bridge of the 'Morning Star', the resolute commander of the garrison fleet was about to issue a new order, but his words were stuck in his throat forever, and he fell straight backward.

At this moment, there was no difference between loyalists and rebels.

Their warships turned into coffins floating in the void.

"What happened?!"

Lilith's projection appeared on the Combined Fleet's command channel, and for the first time, her voice carried a clear hint of confusion.

"All elven warships have lost response; communications are silent, and all life signals have disappeared."

On the royal road, Natalia had just beheaded a rebel when the elven royal guards around her suddenly fell to the ground like wheat being cut down.

Not just enemies, but even comrades-in-arms.
"Cease fire, everyone!"

Natalia's roar echoed through the channel.

The human and Roma soldiers stared blankly at the bizarre scene before them; the enemies who were fighting to the death just a moment ago had turned into corpses scattered all over the ground.

The battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

That terrifying force that seemed to siphon everything also enveloped Amber, Agnes, and Ellenita.

Inside the temporary ground command post, Agnes let out a painful groan as she felt her psionic energy being forcibly pulled out of her body by an external force.

"Your Highness!"

The guards around her cried out in alarm and rushed over, but Agnes could no longer hear them.

She gritted her teeth, and her dragon bloodline was activated to its limit at this moment. An invisible pressure burst out from her body, barely offsetting the pulling force.

Just then, she saw Ellenita beside her, who was also in pain, but the latter clearly did not have the same resistance as her and was about to be drained by this strange power.

In that split second, Agnes realized that if she let this woman, who was also very close to Amber, die, she might lose a rival.

But
Based on Agnes's understanding of Amber, perhaps saving this elf would be the best way to bridge the gap between her and Amber.

With that thought in mind, Agnes no longer hesitated and grabbed Ellenita's hand.

"Use all your psychic powers, hold nothing back, I will help you."

Ellenita, who was nearly unconscious from being whipped, finally regained a moment of clarity. She nodded weakly and then began to resist according to Agnes's instructions.

In the core area of ​​the royal tombs, Amber's situation was equally dire.

That force was like countless invisible needles, piercing into every corner of his body, trying to drain his spiritual energy.

The blue psionic energy on his body flickered violently, desperately resisting this brutal plunder.

He looked up and saw the elven psionic masters around him, each with a pained expression. Some of them could no longer hold on and followed in the footsteps of their compatriots outside, turning into lifeless shells.

"Everyone come closer to me!"

A weak but resolute roar rang out.

It is the Phoenix King.

He stood up unsteadily, the golden spiritual energy belonging to a king on his body now like a candle flickering in the wind, yet burning with unwavering resolve.

He spread his arms and released his remaining strength without reservation, forming a golden, translucent barrier that enveloped Amber and the surviving elves.

The Phoenix King deliberately cut off the terrifying suction force from the homecoming beacon, drawing all the pressure onto itself.

His body began to become transparent, and the bones and veins under his skin were clearly visible. His life force was burning at a terrifying speed.

"His Majesty!"

The surviving elves cried out in grief.

Amber's pupils suddenly contracted. He could clearly sense that the Phoenix King was using its own life essence to buy them a chance to survive.

After realizing this, everyone released their spiritual energy to help the Phoenix King erect this life-saving shield.

Finally, after the homing beacon had drawn enough energy from the entire planet, the terrifying suction force slowly subsided.

everything is over.

The golden barrier that had enveloped everyone crumbled inch by inch, like shattered glass.

The Phoenix King could no longer hold on; its body went limp, and it collapsed onto the cold ground.

"Catch him!"

Amber reacted with lightning speed, rushing forward and catching Phoenix King just before he fell to the ground.

The feeling of holding it made Amber's heart sink to the bottom.

The Phoenix King's body was as light as an empty shell, and its once powerful life force had become extremely weak.

"Life support unit, begin vital sign scan!"

Amber gave a low shout.

A pale blue beam of light swept across Phoenix King's body, followed by a series of red warning and danger values ​​that jumped wildly on Amber's visor projection.

[Warning: Target's vital signs are extremely weak.]

The brain's core energy is on the verge of collapse, and life energy is dissipating on a large scale.

Multiple organ failure, with nervous system activity below 20%.

[Overall assessment: The target is in a near-death state.]

The situation was worse than imagined; the elven leader might perish on the spot at any moment.

But Amber knew that the Phoenix King could not die.
At least not now.

He was the last symbol of the Thousand Star Empire, and the only spiritual pillar sustaining the elves. Without the slightest hesitation, Amber carefully probed his psionic energy into the Phoenix King's body.

The remaining spiritual energy within the Phoenix King's body surged wildly through his meridians like a herd of runaway horses, accelerating the passing of his life.

Amber's psychic energy formed a fine net, precisely calming and gathering the rampaging energies one by one, guiding them back to stillness.

This is an extremely delicate operation, requiring far more mental effort than a high-intensity battle.

At the same time, he activated the medical unit on his powered armor gauntlet.

"High-concentration vitamin supplements, cell repair fluid, and nerve stabilizers, injected directly at maximum dose!"

Several vials of medicine, shimmering with different colored lights, were generously injected into the Phoenix King's body through tiny needles.

A cold, mechanical voice rang in Amber's ears.

[Vital signs are beginning to stabilize.]

[The rate of psionic energy dissipation has slowed.]

The target is temporarily out of danger.

Amber breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to find the dome completely silent.

The few elven masters who had miraculously survived stared blankly at him, then at the corpses of their brethren scattered all around them, their faces filled with indescribable grief and despair.

They had realized the terrible thing that had happened: all their fellow human beings on this planet were dead.

Just a moment ago.

Huss the Tiger-Headed and his Roma marines laid down their weapons, looking at this hell on earth with complicated expressions.

They were just fighting for their freedom and future, but in the blink of an eye, the land they had protected with their blood and sweat has become a real graveyard.

"Mr. Amber! Mr. Amber!"

Natalia's anxious cries came through the communication channel.

Amber immediately switched communications: "Natalia, what's wrong?"

"The elves on the ground, whether rebels or allies, have suddenly lost their vital signs! Princess Agnes! And Lady Elenita and the others have also fainted!"

Natalia's voice carried a hint of panic that she herself was unaware of.

Amber's heart clenched: "How are they?"

"They still have vital signs, and I have already had them moved into the field life support pod."

Amber felt slightly relieved. It seemed that the two were in a similar situation to the Phoenix King, and shouldn't be drained like the elves.

"Take good care of them, I'll find a way to get up here right away."

Amber cut off the communication and handed the Phoenix King, whose vital signs were stabilizing, over to a surviving Elf Master.

He stood up and looked again at the still-humming homecoming beacon, the beam of light piercing the heavens and earth showing no signs of weakening.

Liana died, but her plan succeeded.

The signal has already been sent.

An unprecedented chill rose up Amber's spine.

This is no longer a war about rebellion and suppression.

These madmen used the lives of their entire kin on this planet to light a beacon that spans the universe.

And now, something is coming along with the light.

"Lilith, I am Amber."

Amber connected with the Crown Fortress, her voice calm and composed, devoid of any emotion.

"How's the situation outside?"

"Master"

Lilith's voice came through the communication, carrying an unusual solemnity.

"Aldaram is no longer showing signs of life."

“Besides the core area of ​​the royal mausoleum where you are, and another high-energy reaction point on the ground, which should be Princess Agnes and the others, the entire planet has become a dead star.”

Although it was expected, everyone present still felt their hearts clench when the fact was clearly stated.

The last trace of color drained from the faces of the surviving elf masters. One of them collapsed to his knees, his legs giving way, and let out a beast-like howl.

Lying on the stretcher, the Phoenix King had two silent tears streaming down his face.

He was the king of this civilization, yet he became its final mourner.

“The same goes for the Elven fleet on orbit,” Lilith’s voice continued. “I sent marines to board the ships and check. It is estimated that more than 4 Elven crew members died at the same time. Now, those warships are just tombstones floating on orbit.”

Amber remained silent for a moment, processing this heavy and suffocating information.

He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing.

He is now the de facto supreme commander of this isolated force, and he cannot afford to make a mistake.

"Hus, take your men out and meet up with Natalia and the others. Immediately take stock of the casualties, regroup the troops, and await my orders."

"Lilith, keep the fleet on high alert and monitor the entire star system. Notify me immediately of any unusual jump signals."

“And another thing,” Amber took a deep breath, “I need to find a way to analyze the energy composition and information flow of that beam of light. I need to know what it is broadcasting to the universe.”

After issuing a series of commands, Amber took a step and slowly walked towards the source of the apocalypse—the homecoming beacon.

The closer they got, the clearer the heart-pounding energy fluctuations emanating from another dimension became.

It's like a giant information tower, projecting a coordinate into the boundless dark depths of space in a way that current human technology cannot comprehend.

Amber reached out, blue psionic electricity dancing at his fingertips, carefully touching the beacon's cold outer shell.

A massive, ancient, and chaotic torrent of information instantly flooded his mind.

That is neither language nor data, but a more fundamental 'call' originating from the level of universal laws.

It is calling out to its creator.

It is calling upon those terrifying beings known as the 'Forerunners,' who have long since departed this universe.

Amber abruptly withdrew her hand, her face turning pale.

Just then, the beam of light at the top of the homecoming beacon suddenly flickered violently.

"Wait, is this a response?" Amber's voice was extremely dry.

He looked up and, through the beam of light piercing the dome, seemed to see that desolate starry sky.

This planet is dead.

But for the guests who are about to arrive, a grand feast is just beginning.

"Is this what they mean by 'the future is approaching'?"

(End of this chapter)