For the Astra Militarum and Scientists, the Dragon army has been almost fully analyzed. The biggest threat is the 500 Golden Dragons; regarding the other dragons, such as Earth Dragon, Wind Dragon, Green Dragon, and Red Dragon, they are not as significant a danger. It can be said that, in the absence of the Golden Dragon, these dragons are second-rate. However, with the Golden Dragon present, the Dragon army becomes immensely powerful and has no notable shortcomings.
Even if their numbers are not large, they are enough to pose a threat to any team. The Wine Panda, created by Sergey, was defeated when 200 Golden Dragons suddenly joined the fight. The number of Kh-22 missiles is limited, so it is natural that they target the most critical threats first.
When Augustus revealed the trump card, the Golden Dragon Phantom, the opposing side grew increasingly impatient. Although the Dragon army formation remained intact, it was no longer as stable as before. Under high-speed impact, some flaws appeared. Lando, who had a strong grasp of fighter tactics, immediately seized this opportunity and ordered the attack.
To prevent the enemy from discovering their plans prematurely, the front lines began to lay a trap using AGM-130 missiles, continuously firing at the Earth Dragon. Judging by this posture, it seemed they aimed to capitalize on numerical advantage.
"Wasted effort," Mok said with a disdainful smile. "The Phantom of the Golden Dragon can be moved at will and isn't fixed in one place. Even if this Phantom is destroyed, the Phantoms of other Golden Dragons can be transferred. Unless..." Mok's smile grew slightly. "Sebastian can instantly destroy the Phantom. But do you really believe that's possible?"
Everyone else chuckled in response.
Amid the overwhelming assault from the Dragon army, the sky seemed to be cloaked in chaos. The missile barrage was deflected by the Phantom; only the continuous explosions and smoke of gunpowder could be heard. At most, this only delayed the advance of the Dragon forces.
The people of the Imperial Region had already begun preparing for the upcoming celebration. For them, winning the All-Stars Competition was an honor worth high praise.
"Hahaha, Augustus is impressive," a top official from the Imperial Region laughed loudly. "In our sector, he's likely to become a member of parliament in the future."
Another leader nodded and added, "The Champion of the competition usually becomes a member of parliament within the year, if nothing else. With Augustus' talent, he's better than most previous Champions; perhaps he will have an even higher future outlook."
Many were caught up in the excitement of the approaching championship, unaware of the larger missile swooping down above the sky. Initially, its speed matched that of other missiles, but it rapidly increased.
"It's over," sighed Bru helplessly after seeing Augustus deploy the Golden Dragon Phantom.
The Elf Empire, a major power in the Endless Star Territory, often experienced friction with the Imperial Region; naturally, neither side looked favorably upon the other. If Augustus wins this championship, it will be a long-lasting source of frustration for the people of the Elf Empire.
"Second place isn't bad," said Svananóg with no regrets. Sebastian's performance had already far exceeded his expectations, an unexpected outcome.
Of course, some still believed in Sebastian's potential. Sergey, one of the favorites in the competition, was among them. Watching the fight so far, Sergey remained silent. The surrounding spectators sighed; it looked like the championship was slipping into Augustus' hands.
Sergey spoke lightly. "It's still too early to tell."
"Sergey, you don't honestly think Augustus will lose, do you?" a man next to him asked in surprise.
"It's not certain he'll lose," Sergey replied with a smile. "But I do know this, Augustus is in trouble."
"Could it be that Sebastian still has some trump cards up his sleeve?" the man inquired.
"It's already appeared," Sergey said, gazing at the projection screen. In the midst of the smoke, the frame of the Kh-22 missile was visible.
"Really?" Jeffery's sharp eyes immediately spotted that it was larger than an ordinary missile.
Not only him, but those with keen eyesight also noticed. This unusual behemoth, compared to the massive Earth Dragon, was not small. Especially at close range, it was very conspicuous. It was hard to ignore.
Soon, the spectators in the square also noticed the swooping missile.
"What is that?" someone exclaimed in surprise. Others widened their eyes in shock.
"Something's not right." The leader of the Imperial Sector's expression suddenly changed. Even through the projection, they could sense the missile's dangerous aura.
Almost simultaneously, Augustus also detected the missile. His brow furrowed involuntarily. There was no need to know its precise power; just by its body size, it was clearly larger than the previous missile, indicating greater destructive potential.
"All Golden Dragons, pay attention," Augustus ordered calmly but firmly.
But the Kh-22 missile was moving too fast, faster than a railgun-fired metal bullet. By the time it was noticed, it was less than two kilometers from the Dragon army. Augustus was stunned, then quickly issued commands. The missile had already slipped through a gap in the formation and was heading straight toward the Golden Dragons behind.
Without specific orders from Augustus, the Golden Dragons could only adopt defensive stances instinctively. However, their decision to gather together was a grave mistake; they intended to rely on cooperation and the Phantom to withstand the attack.
Based on the power of the previous missile, since one Earth Dragon could block ten missiles, the Golden Dragon should be able to handle this one as well. It should be manageable.
Seeing the Golden Dragons' choice, Augustus let out a sigh of relief. He believed that no matter how powerful this missile was, it wouldn't be enough to cause catastrophic damage. At most, the Golden Dragons would be seriously injured. With their formidable physiques and the healing effects of the Leaf of Life, recovery would come quickly.
"Humph! You dare use a sneak attack. I will make your infantry pay the price," Augustus's eyes flashed with coldness. From the start of the competition until now, he had never fought like this before, being ruthlessly calculated against.
The missile headed straight for the Golden Dragon that was hurriedly gathering. It struck the body of a middle-positioned Golden Dragon, but first made contact with the Phantom.
A deafening explosion followed, unprecedented, terrifying, and earth-shaking. The air seemed to tremble violently, and a deep rumble echoed through the sky. A shockwave radiated outward from the center of the blast in all directions.
In the face of this unimaginable shockwave, even the Golden Dragon Phantom vanished instantly. The Kh-22's high-yield, high-energy payload was mixed with various chemicals for maximum destructive effect, using everything available to the Imperium.
The shockwave obliterated the Phantom and swept over the Golden Dragon. Its thick, hard scales were shredded like paper by a shredder, shattering into pieces. Following that, the dragon's skin, tendons, muscles, blood, bones, and internal organs were torn apart by the force of the blast. This Golden Dragon was instantly reduced to nothing.
It didn't even scream before vanishing into the air. The shockwave, propagating through the air, fully demonstrated the destructive power of the Kh-22. Had it been on the ground, obstacles like soil, stones, and vegetation would have mitigated the blast. But in the sky, the only obstacle was the Golden Dragon itself.
After the first Golden Dragon was destroyed, the shockwave continued to spread. Given its speed, faster than a railgun, it rapidly engulfed the nearby Golden Dragons. They realized they were in danger, but there was no escape. In an instant, dozens of Golden Dragons were completely drowned.
The outcome was inevitable. As the smoke gradually cleared, many spectators remained silent. All eyes fixated on the projection, unwilling to miss anything. Even without fully understanding what had transpired, they could tell from the enormous explosion and the ground-shaking sound that this weapon launched by the pilot was extraordinary.
Boom! The smoke still lingered in the sky when a massive Golden Dragon fell heavily to the ground, covered in wounds. Two of its four claws were broken. The blast had nearly torn its body in half. Golden blood spilled out, and the dying dragon lay in ruin. High above, countless pieces, stumps, broken arms, dragon meat, rained down like a shower of flesh. Claws, keels, hearts, scales, and teeth scattered across the battlefield.
Many more severely injured dragons collapsed onto the massive body of the fallen. Few remained unscathed, and some bore terrifying scars. Observers, familiar with the Dragon family, understood the severity of this damage. When a Golden Dragon could no longer stand, it signaled grave injuries.
In the sky, those Golden Dragons still able to fly were also heavily scarred. Their companions, unscathed but frightened, retreated in terror, daring not approach. This was the first time since their creation that they encountered such destructive power.
"Report: in the attack just now, 22 Golden Dragons were killed, 31 seriously injured, and at least 50 slightly wounded," a scout in the Astra Militarum front lines reported to Lando.
The shockwave's effect was astonishing, but Lando merely nodded slightly, with no sign of joy. The main reason for so many casualties was that the Golden Dragons did not expect the Kh-22, and their defense strategy was rushed. If they had been prepared and dispersed, the missile would have killed only a few. Such a devastating effect was nearly impossible otherwise.
"After this Kh-22's impact," Lando said calmly, "the enemy will not give us another chance."
"But it can serve as a deterrent," Cyrus replied.
Heavy losses to the Golden Dragons were only part of the story. The most crucial outcome was to instill fear in the Dragon army so they would not dare to charge recklessly. Even if they understood the Astra Militarum's intent, they would be hesitant. The recent display had terrified all the dragons.
Not only the dragons but the spectators, even Sergey, who believed in Sebastian's potential, did not expect the missile's destructive power to be so overwhelming. After a brief silence, intense and unprecedented discussions erupted, each more incredulous than the last.
"God! What kind of weapon is this?! The pilots possess such terrifying weapons?"
"Did you see that over ten Golden Dragons turned to ash instantly? That's far more powerful than the previous weapons that looked similar."
"I thought it was just a stronger version, but I didn't expect it to be so much more powerful."
"It's horrifying. Even the Golden Dragon melted away in an instant. Who can stop this?"
They discussed fiercely.
"Hahaha, now it's interesting that Sebastian has such a terrifying weapon hidden," Jeffery said excitedly, always discontented with Augustus.
"It seems Iris lost to Sebastian earlier, so she was lucky," Sergey added with a smile. "If Sebastian had used such a weapon then, she would have lost much more."
"Sister, are you convinced now? You can't say you weren't wrong to lose," Aya said to Aini with a smile.
"Can I still be unconvinced?" Aini replied, a bit depressed. She wasn't convinced; she felt unlucky to have encountered a monster like Sebastian so early. If the opponent had been someone else, her ranking would likely be better.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Sector, a dead silence fell. The earlier cheerful celebration instantly stopped. Shock was evident on everyone's face. The situation still seemed manageable, but just moments ago, more than twenty Golden Dragons had been destroyed.
With only 500 Golden Dragons in total, each one's creation was a costly effort, consuming countless precious resources. This time, losing twenty top-tier spaceships, in terms of quantity alone, was significant. But more than that, it was a severe blow to morale. The Dragon army, which had been arrogant and dismissive of the 'weak' Astra Militarum, now looked shaken.
Even many Golden Dragons grew timid, with fear evident in their eyes. The other four Dragon races were even more terrified.
"This..." The black-clothed youth was still in disbelief. "How can Sebastian have such a powerful trump card? There's no sign at all."
They saw it too; the sudden missile launch caused the Golden Dragon's defensive strategy to fail catastrophically, leading to devastating casualties.
"This weapon is indeed alarming," Mok admitted, frowning slightly. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing." He paused, then continued: "At least it didn't cause more casualties, which is within an acceptable range."
"Right," agreed the Level 6 Planetary Lord, leading the team. "This is probably Sebastian's strongest trump card. I underestimated him before, which gave him the chance. But..." He smiled slyly. "I suspect Augustus will be motivated now. We may finally witness Augustus' true trump card."
Mok and others brightened. Though they roughly knew Augustus' strongest move, they had never seen it with their own eyes. Now was the perfect opportunity.
"I understand sacrifice," Volkmar, who presided over the competition, said. "But I wonder if there is any precedent for the Dragon Clan to make sacrifices."
"A sacrifice?" Sebastian first thought of this after observing the Dragon army's actions. But it seemed different from the legendary sacrificial ceremonies; this venue didn't look suitable for sacrifice. No items or materials suggested any such ritual.
"If it's not sacrifice, then what is it?" Sebastian wondered silently.
The Astra Militarum also frowned, as the concept of sacrifice was too distant for most scientists; no one understood it. Meanwhile, the missiles were no longer useful, and they couldn't interfere with the enemy's actions.
"Take a good look, this can't be a sacrifice. I'm not that crazy," Augustus said with a smile in the starry space.
"No, this isn't a sacrifice! It must be..." Bru suddenly remembered something, and a shocked voice escaped.