Chapter 68: Reckless Overconfidence
No matter how it shrieked, the other members of the Swarm paid it no mind, scattering in every direction to flee for their lives.
They lacked the intelligence of the High-level Swarm, but they still knew the feeling of impending doom. In a life-or-death situation, they couldn’t be bothered to obey the commands of a high-level bug.
All they could do was rely on instinct to survive!
When they were clustered together, the combined force of their spiritual power attacks wasn’t weak; they could put up some resistance. But now, they were utterly stunned and scattered. A routed army, they had lost all ability to fight back.
Every shot was a direct hit!
The soldiers grew more excited with every shot, their morale soaring. They had always been so restricted before. They had never had such a satisfying, unrestrained battle against the Swarm.
’This is incredible!’
"Concentrate your fire on that S+ Mutant Series," Felix York commanded.
The S+ Mutant Series was, without a doubt, the most difficult to handle. The Swarm’s physical defense systems were formidable, and their endurance and combat prowess both exceeded their designated Level.
In other words, this S+ was at least on par with an Imperial SS Level threat, perhaps even stronger.
Even without its poison, they couldn’t afford to be careless.
"Roger!"
"Roger!"
Upon receiving Felix York’s command, all units focused their efforts on the S+ Mutant Series.
The Starbug dodged frantically, but it still accumulated countless wounds, both large and small.
As if refusing to believe that its prized Poison Energy Wave had been neutralized, it continued to attack the warship relentlessly.
It couldn’t understand why its previously invincible ability was now useless.
Agitation! Fury!
It darted about, dodging the onslaught. Amidst a rain of countless Energy Bullets, an Energy Cannon finally blasted clean through one of its wings, leaving a gaping hole. Blood instantly soaked the entire appendage.
A piercing shriek suddenly assaulted everyone’s ears.
Even with the Poison Energy Wave filtered out, the shriek was still deeply unsettling.
Sophie Wexler furrowed her brow involuntarily.
After its wretched cry, the Starbug abruptly froze in mid-air.
The bug’s head swiveled, its blood-red eyes darting about.
"What’s going on?" everyone wondered aloud.
Felix York frowned as well. "All units, attention. Encircle it."
’It’s safer to completely encircle it to prevent any escape before moving in for the kill. Best to avoid any new complications.’
But the moment Felix York finished speaking, the situation changed dramatically!
In that instant, Sophie Wexler felt a sudden chill run down her spine, as if something had locked its sights firmly on her.
The Starbug’s eyes fixed on a single direction. It let out a series of shrieks, then, faster than anyone could react...
...it shot off in that direction!
"Damn it, it’s attacking the warship Miss Wexler is on!" an alarmed voice shouted.
"Quick! Converge on Miss Wexler’s warship now! Don’t let it get through!"
’It had clearly realized the person blocking its Poison Energy Wave was on that warship.’
’As long as I kill her, these humans will be just as vulnerable as before.’
’As long as I kill her, I can live!’
’Kill her! I just have to kill her!’
Every cell in its brain screamed the same, intense message.
In the void of space, a massive surge of energy began to gather, containing terrifying power.
Everyone could imagine the destructive force of a full-power strike from an S+ Mutant Series Starbug.
The attack slammed into their defensive shield. The energy on the shield rippled, crackling loudly. Then, as everyone watched in horror, cracks began to appear on the shield!
The cracks spread, spiderwebbing across the surface, until the shield could take no more and shattered into a million pieces!
Seeing this, the Starbug let out a triumphant shriek, as if celebrating a victory already won.
"Miss Wexler!"
"Miss Wexler!"
The warship’s comms crackled with anxious voices.
Sophie Wexler felt the imminent threat to her life, and her heart nearly stopped beating.
Everyone else wished they could move faster, just a little faster, to reach the warship carrying Sophie Wexler.
Just as everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats...
...the diving Starbug froze in mid-air.
It was as if it had been bound by some invisible force.
A terrifyingly powerful wave of spiritual power surged toward it, seizing control of the entire creature and holding it fast.
"How arrogant." The man’s eyes narrowed, a golden glint flashing in their depths.
The next second, the Starbug’s body disintegrated. With the sound of splintering bone, a massive burst of energy caused the creature to explode in mid-air, splattering blood and gore!
Before anyone could recover from the sudden turn of events, the immense spiritual power vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
’Who killed the Starbug?’
The control over that spiritual power had been incredibly precise, bypassing everyone to strike the Starbug directly before retracting just as swiftly after the kill.
It was so fast that none of them had even noticed its point of origin.
While everyone else was baffled, Felix York and Ethan Cross were not.
They exchanged a look. Ethan Cross asked, "Was that the Marshal?"
His expression hardened as soon as he spoke. ’For the Marshal to mobilize his spiritual power like that... the poison in his body!’
’This is bad!’
Realizing the implications, he immediately ordered their warship to approach the one carrying Sophie Wexler and Cillian Forrest.
Meanwhile, on that warship, Sophie Wexler gasped for air, a cold sweat drenching her back now that the danger had passed.
Cillian Forrest closed his eyes, his brows knitted tightly. His Spiritual Sea was in violent turmoil as the rampaging spiritual power, now laced with the original poison, battered against its confines.
He used all his strength to suppress it. A sudden warmth rose in his throat. Cillian Forrest opened his eyes, forcing down the coppery taste of blood.
Once Sophie Wexler caught her breath, she saw his terribly pale face. "Cillian Forrest!"
Just then, Ethan Cross and Felix York arrived.
Ethan Cross looked at Cillian Forrest, about to say something, but swallowed his words after Cillian shot him a look.
He then shifted his gaze to Sophie Wexler. "Miss Wexler, the Starbug has been eliminated. Are you all right?"
"I’m fine." Sophie Wexler did her best to appear calm. ’This isn’t the first time I’ve faced danger head-on. I’m doing much better than when I first started.’
Just as she was about to ask about Cillian Forrest’s condition, she was interrupted by a report.
"Sir, report! The warship we just rescued is from the Capital Planet," a soldier ran up to inform Felix York.
Felix York and Cillian Forrest exchanged a look, then both turned to Ethan Cross.
Ostensibly, Ethan Cross was the only one here who could make official inquiries.
Ethan Cross accepted the unspoken task. "I’ll go take a look," he said before turning to leave.
With the Starbugs cleared, Felix York immediately ordered the fleet to begin its return journey.
After stating his intentions, Ethan Cross boarded the rescued warship. The casualties inside were staggering.
Ethan Cross made his way inside. The next second, upon seeing a seriously injured man within, he stopped dead in his tracks and cried out, "Leo Fane!"