Chapter 179: The Collapse of the Immortal Boat
"All units—charge!" General Yueyu's voice, strained and digitized, echoed in the ears of every warrior, a final command in a battle that already felt lost.
The metallic shriek of the Xianzhou war horn cut through the omnipresent smoke, a signal of pure, desperate violence.
You gripped the sword in your hand, its cold metal a familiar anchor in the chaos. Beside you, Feixiao's knuckles were white on the haft of her massive battle-axe. She was a coiled spring of pure, unadulterated rage, her silver fox ears pinned flat.
"It's finally here…" she snarled, her voice a low growl that was barely human. "Borisin mongrels, I've come to collect my debt!"
The war began.
Beneath your feet were the shattered, jade-like ruins of the Xianzhou Fanghu. The air, thick with the smell of ozone, burnt metal, and the coppery tang of old blood, was a chaotic canvas of tracer fire and desperate shouts.
Before your eyes was a tide of endless Abominations of Abundance, their flesh twisted into howling mockeries of life. They charged alongside heavily armed Borisin shock troops, their red eyes glowing in the gloom.
High above, blotting out the stars, the colossal shadow of the "Jidu Mirage" mothership loomed—a living, planet-sized entity that birthed swarms of smaller warships, reinforcing the assault.
"Feixiao, look out!" you roared, your blade flashing as it bisected an Abomination that lunged at her flank. The creature dissolved into black ash.
"Don't tell me what to do!" she shrieked back, her reply less a statement and more a battle cry. Her battle-axe became a crimson whirlwind, a storm of blood and gore. She wasn't just fighting; she was butchering, cleaving limbs and shattering armor with a ferocity that bordered on madness.
High above, Neergul piloted her warship, the 'Stray Cat', weaving skillfully through the storm of enemy fire. Her skiff dove like a hawk, cannons blazing, tearing a path through the dense enemy lines to create a pocket of safety for you.
But there were still too many enemies, like a tide, endless. From the colossal shadow of the "Jidu Mirage," more fiends surged out. The ground trembled with their advance.
"Jiang Li, report the situation! Now!" you yelled into your comms, your voice tight as you parried a Borisin blade.
Static crackled, followed by your sister's panicked voice, punctuated by the sound of nearby explosions. "Too many casualties! Brother, the front line pressure is too great! They're... they're breaking through the perimeter! The field hospital is about to collapse! We're out of medical supplies! You must be careful!"
The thought of Jiang Li in danger sent a cold spike of fear through you, but it was quickly replaced by a hotter rage.
The blood aura around Feixiao grew heavier, and her green eyes began to glow with an ominous, pulsing crimson.
"Feixiao! Are you alright? Calm down!" you shouted, recognizing the signs.
"I… I'm fine!" she shrieked, backhanding a giant, two-headed fiend with enough force to send it flying in two pieces. "I can still kill! Kill them all!"
Her movements grew frantic, sloppy, losing all semblance of order. Her mind was slipping, leaving only pure, indiscriminate destructive intent.
Finally, her crimson gaze locked onto a Cloud Knight fighting beside you. Her Moon Madness had flared up.
[Inorin's Note: Moon Madness is a specific racial trait of Feixiao's (Saran's) subspecies, a berserker state that grants immense power at the cost of sanity.]
"Feixiao! Stop!" You lunged forward, parrying her descending axe just as it was about to cleave the unsuspecting ally.
CLANG!
The immense, inhuman force of the impact vibrated up your arm, making it go numb to the shoulder. She wasn't just strong; this was the raw, untamed power of the Madness. She recovered instantly, swinging again, a wide, sloppy arc aimed at your head.
"Get lost!" she snarled, her moves growing more vicious, her eyes vacant. She no longer recognized you. She was swinging with clear intent to kill.
You spotted an opening. She was all rage, no technique. As her axe swung wide, you sheathed your blade and took a single, precise step inside her guard. You struck the back of her neck with all your strength. It was a gamble, striking an ally in the middle of a warzone. But it was a necessary one.
Feixiao's body went limp, the berserker rage vanishing in an instant. She collapsed forward into your arms.
"Take her to the rear! Quickly!" you roared at two approaching logistics Cloud Knights, who stared at the scene with fearful eyes.
Watching her being carried away, you drew your blade again, turning to face the bloody storm alone.
Mystic Eyes, full open!
The world transformed. The chaotic battlefield drained of color, becoming a stark, black-and-white net of intricate death lines. The sheer volume of "ends" before you sent a spike of agony through your temples, but you gritted your teeth and embraced it.
You charged into the enemy formation.
You were no longer just fighting; you were performing a surgery of annihilation. Your blade didn't cut flesh; it traced the lines.
An Abomination lunged, and your sword lightly grazed a line on its claw. The creature didn't just stop; it fell apart, its very existence severed. A Borisin fired an energy bolt; you cut the line on the bolt itself, and it dissipated into nothingness. You moved through the enemy formation like a phantom, a whisper of death.
But soon, the intense pain from your brain grew stronger. The cost of perceiving 'The End' of so many things at once was too much. Your vision began to blur, the headache threatening to split your skull open.
You gritted your teeth and closed the Mystic Eyes, the world flooding back with color, sound, and the overwhelming stench of death.
You relied on your combat skills and [Abundance's Blessing] self-healing ability to continue.
A fiend's claw tore open your shoulder, but the wound quickly healed with a steaming hiss. You backhanded your sword, severing its head!
A Borisin's bone blade pierced your abdomen, sinking deep. You paid it no mind, roaring as you used the impalement to pull the warrior in, plunging your own blade into its heart!
You were fast, strong, and healing... but you were not invincible. You were ultimately overwhelmed.
Hundreds of fiends surrounded you, a living tide of claws and fangs. They piled onto you, their weight dragging you down. You felt your bones snap, your flesh being torn, only for it to rapidly heal and be torn anew. The feeling of regeneration, only to be instantly mangled again, was a unique form of torture. You were pinned firmly in place, buried under a mountain of your own regenerating flesh and the bodies of your enemies.
"...Brother!" Neergul's anxious voice came through the comms. "My sensors show your vitals are critical! I'm coming to support you! Hold on!"
"Wait… don't come over! It's a trap! The firepower here is too dense!" you roared, your voice muffled by the pile of bodies. "Stay back, Neergul! That's an order!"
There was a half-second of static.
"No! I must come! You, Jiang Li, Feixiao... you're my family! I don't want to see you get hurt again! I won't lose you!"
A small, agile warship, the 'Stray Cat', broke away from its formation, plunging resolutely towards you amidst the overwhelming gunfire.
It was Neergul.
She succeeded! The gunfire from her warship vaporized the fiends piled on top of you. You crawled out of the pile of mangled flesh, just as you looked up to thank her—
You saw it.
A heavy Borisin beast-ship, lurking in the upper atmosphere, had swiveled its main cannon. A dull red targeting laser locked onto her fragile skiff.
"Neergul! EVADE! NOW!"
Your warning was cut short. Bang—!!
A thick energy cannon shot from the beast ship, hitting Neergul's warship dead center.
For a single, frozen, eternal second, there was only silence. A brilliant, white light engulfed the small skiff.
Then, the fire exploded. It was a silent, beautiful flower of destruction blooming in the void.
There were no screams. No last words.
The warship, along with the girl inside who always shyly called your name, in an instant… turned into countless, glittering fragments scattering across the cold, indifferent void.
The comms, which had carried her determined voice, were now filled with a deafening, empty static.
"Neergul—!!!"
You watched with wide, unblinking eyes as the burning wreckage began to rain down.
Your mind was blank.
She… died.
Not even a complete corpse left behind.