Chapter 428: The Final Assault Begins

When Song Chi returned to the Duchy fleet, it was just in time for the senior officials to decide on the final offensive. With the approval of the elders of the Song Family, the Heavenly Ruin joined the assassination squad.

The group concealment component provided by the Song Family is called ‘The River of Obscurity,’ an upgraded silver legendary Oddity at level 70.

It can bind up to 300 warships, with a high priority on concealment. When not actively attacking, its duration can last up to 240 hours, with formidable attributes.

However, this fixed assassination plan requires going deep into enemy territory, making it quite dangerous. Only ships like Zhulu‑class Cruisers can participate.

Because of that, the entire squadron is actually less than a hundred ships. After all, the Morningstar Duchy’s fleet also has only a few hundred Zhulu‑class Cruisers. Pulling out 300 would mean halving their fleet!

The alien coalition on the other side isn’t fools. If they suddenly lose so many high-level ships, they could probably guess the assassination plan immediately. Losing the element of surprise would mean losing the advantage entirely.

…..

Three days pass in the blink of an eye.

In the area where the fleets face off near Gexing Sector.

With another fleet mobilization, both sides, each with over ten million ships, clash again in full scale.

Gunfire roars. After the first wave of the alien coalition’s starships finishes firing, the Morningstar Duchy fleet, maintaining their usual formation, suddenly turns to face the center. The front-line tanks, responsible for initial defense, quickly spread apart toward their respective directions.

Soon, a massive, black, circular steel fortress over 6,000 kilometers in diameter appears right before the eyes of millions of alien troops.

“Damn it, it’s a high-level mobile war star!”

The top-tier units of the alien coalition immediately recognize this high-level mobile war star provided by the Eagle Family.

Fueled by a powerful controllable nuclear fusion reactor, this steel war star, comparable in size to a typical annihilation ship, accelerates forward. Behind it, over 100,000 pioneer warships follow closely in the shadows.

“All alliance fleets, focus fire on that mobile war star!”

The supreme command of the alien coalition issues the order swiftly. Tens of millions of starship main guns charge and fire, yet despite the densely packed energy points ahead, the high-level mobile war star keeps advancing steadily, unwavering in its progress.

The ferocious alloy exterior is lined with countless gunports, all adjusting in anticipation of the incoming barrage. Inside, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Eagle Family members do not aim their formidable firepower at the enemy starships directly, but instead prepare to use their firepower as a secondary interception measure.

The initial plan was very clear. The sole task of the Eagle Family’s high-level mobile war star is to ensure that more than 100,000 pioneer warships are sent behind enemy lines into the alien fleet. The subsequent group-fused attack on the enemy ships is the responsibility of the reinforced pioneer fleet.

Time slips by. The war star has only advanced a few dozen kilometers, yet the enemy’s dense firepower begins firing one wave after another. Bright fireworks bloom from afar, creating a dazzling spectacle as they approach.

However, inside the war star, the Eagle Family members are not impressed but instead are struck with fear.

That’s hundreds of millions of volleys flying at once. Although the outer layer of the high-level mobile war star is protected by energy shields capable of resisting sixth-tier attacks, that’s no joke.

Honestly, even the firepower of hundreds of millions of ordinary starships surpasses what a sixth-tier energy shield can handle. Plus, many shots contain attacks from units above the fourth tier.

Fortunately, the war star benefits from the group-fusion component, plus defenses boosted by multiple Fireworks Battleships in the rear. The shield and armor values now are dozens of times their original state.

Additionally, the war star’s numerous gunports open fire in unison, trying to intercept the incoming barrage. The hundreds of millions of Duchy ships behind also pour their firepower into aid.

Despite the rapid fading of the shield over time, the high-level mobile war star continues to push forward steadily.

Half an hour later, just before the energy shield overloads, the war star finally breaches into the enemy’s defensive zone.

Though some alien ships have already retreated from this area, a fleet nearly ten million strong is too difficult to reorganize quickly. This high-level mobile war star has successfully torn a gap in the alien fleet’s defenses.

With that, the Eagle Family’s war star has essentially completed its mission. The following ten thousand pioneer ships quickly gather and open fire, trying to expand the breach further.

However, even with the fusion amplifiers, these ten thousand ships face concentrated fire from enemies dozens of times stronger. Within moments, over a hundred ships are damaged or destroyed.

Back at the main Duchy fleet, seeing the pioneers breach the enemy line, the fleet command orders a full advance.

This sudden push forces the alien fleet to divert most of their starships to block them, relieving some pressure on the Duchy’s vanguard fleet.

…..

Just as the two fleets battle fiercely, a squadron of smaller ships approaches quietly from the side unnoticed.

This small fleet has fewer than ninety warships, but the lead ships are five battleships. The rest are Zhulu‑class Cruisers, a truly luxurious lineup.

‘Brother Dingbang, this concealment component’s attributes are quite good. The concealment priority is probably over 8,000, right?’

In the communication group, the ship captain of the Morningstar Family casually remarks.

Song Dingbang senses the other’s probing intent. He chuckles softly and says nothing in response.

At this moment, the Morningstar family’s battleship captain shifts the topic.

‘When do we attack? We’re already close enough to the alien fleet. Moving closer might risk exposure, don’t you think?’

Hearing this, Song Dingbang shakes his head.

‘Not yet. We have only one shot. We can’t turn the tide completely just yet, but we should aim to kill as many high-tier alien units as possible and cause their command system to go into temporary chaos.’

The Torch Captains in the communication group all nod in agreement with Song Dingbang’s words.

Though their lineup is considered luxurious, it consists of fewer than a hundred ships. Once they act, the alien coalition will be on alert and won’t give them another chance. They must make the most of this opportunity.

Thus, amidst the roaring battlefield ahead, over eighty concealed ships patiently wait, like seasoned hunters, for the perfect moment to strike.

Time passes quickly—half an hour slips by in an instant.

At the Duchy vanguard, after this desperate attack nearly tripled the size of the initial breach, the cost was high: fewer than seventy thousand pioneer ships remain from the original hundred thousand, and their numbers are still rapidly dropping.

Right in the middle of the vanguard, inside the Eagle Family’s high-level mobile war star.

The war star command room, after many consultations, issues an order to charge the Empire’s Type-5 orbital cannon. The target is precisely the high-tier units clustered in the alien fleet’s command zone.

With this order, the enormous orbital cannon’s aperture begins to concentrate light.

The Empire’s Type-5 orbital cannon, developed by Xian Qin Heavy Industries of the Xian Qin Divine Dynasty, is the most advanced star war weapon. Its power is terrifying—at peak, it can unleash an attack comparable to a half-step seventh-tier blow, but it requires a long charging and buffer time.

Because of that, the command room has not given the attack order for nearly half an hour. Now, with the casualties mounting, they hope to relieve some pressure with this strike.

Meanwhile, many Torch Captains lurking in distant side positions have sensed this moment.

In the starship communication group, Song Dingbang’s voice quickly rings out.

‘Now! All ships, activate all main guns and super main guns for attack charge. Target coordinates are…’

As Song Dingbang issues the attack command, nearly ninety ships line up in a row, their bows blazing with concentrated energy, ready to fire.

The most intense are Song Chi’s Heavenly Ruin and a few other ships.

For Song Chi, the active abilities are ‘Soul-Annihilating Iris Beam,’ ‘Taiyi Quantum Sword Array,’ and the fully cooled ‘Life-bane Arrow,’ assisted by the ‘Zen Seal · Internal · Time Acceleration.’

Most importantly, the ‘Taiyi Quantum Sword Array’ is in full effect. When the Silver Main Cannon of the Heavenly Ruin reaches sixth level, it can condense forty-two phantom swords, so the attack energy now manifests as forty-four sword phantoms in front of the ship.

He also utilized 294 black hole energy points from the ‘Black Hole Evolution Layer,’ binding it to the ‘Taiyi Quantum Sword Array’ components. Each of the forty-two phantom swords carries seven points, meaning that once they erupt, the resulting collapse could cause unimaginable damage.

That’s not all—two other Zhulu‑class Cruisers have even more energy phantoms, over sixty each, indicating their main or super main cannons likely have area-of-effect abilities.

Just as the assassination squad’s ships prepare for attack, the Empire’s Type-5 orbital cannon on the Eagle Family’s high-level war star finishes charging. A super beam over 100,000 meters wide rapidly erupts, directly targeting the suspected command fleet of the alien coalition.

The scorching beam sweeps across everything, turning alien starships in its path to dust almost instantly.

However, just as the Eagle Family’s members inside the war star are full of anticipation, many sixth-tier starships in the distant alien command fleet react simultaneously.

Several cloaking lights emerge from three sixth-tier ships, instantly forming three layers of special fields around the fleet.

The blazing beam from the Empire’s Type-5 cannon quickly clashes with the first layer of fields. Although it destroys this layer swiftly, the beam dims considerably; after a few moments, the second layer is also wiped out, but the beam’s power has already dulled significantly.

Unsurprisingly, the third layer remains barely intact before the attack’s energy dissipates completely.

This outcome leaves all Vanguard members feeling icy cold in their hearts.

But before they can react, an unexpected attack occurs: hundreds of energy phantoms suddenly appear on the right flank of the alien fleet.

Like before, these energy phantoms and beams target what appears to be the alien fleet’s command ship group.

“Assassination squad, that’s an attack from the assassination fleet!”

The Vanguard’s communication group erupts in excitement from a high-tier Fireworks Captain who knows about this operation beforehand.

Because of the suddenness, the assassination fleet’s concentrated fire blindsides nearly all the alien starships. The last layer of special fields shatters almost instantly, and over a hundred enemy command ships are hit with low-tier attacks, causing immense damage.

This barrage results in nearly fifty million starship casualties, throwing the enemy fleet into chaos. Some weaker ships that have long been cannon fodder flee at once, scattering in all directions.

Some starships even start firing at their own allies, further complicating the chaos.

Seizing the moment, the Vanguard, assassination fleet, and Duchy main fleet attack from different directions, trying to deepen the chaos and break the enemy’s formation.

In the central area of the alien fleet, nearly a hundred high-tier starships caught in the crossfire also plunge into confusion.

Several sixth-tier ships quickly restore communication and issue orders to reorganize the fleet, but the overextension reveals the flaws of the coalition’s command system.

Not just the lower-level starships, even the surviving high-tier command ships are disoriented, ignoring orders and fleeing chaotically.

Seeing this, the commanders of several sixth-tier ships swiftly retaliate, firing their main cannons to sink the disruptors.

Only then can they regain control of the fleet’s order as fast as possible.

But the Duchy’s four sixth-tier Torch Captains won’t make that easy.

Once the enemy fleet regains composure, even if it’s weakened, they will still pose a significant threat, so they must act decisively now.

Therefore, aside from Rocetta Morningstar, the other four flagship ships activate their cloaking devices. When they reappear, they are towering mechs, ten thousand meters tall, standing close to several sixth-tier enemy ships.

Terrifying laws’ power, wielded by the four mythic mechs, rips across starship hulls with silver weapons, producing sharp metal screeches. While they don’t destroy the ships directly, they prevent the enemy ships from re-establishing chaos.

This swift move is the fastest way to restore order to the fleet.