BXBX NOVEL Chapter 39: Prelude (2)
Something pure white soared up from the ground, cutting through the atmosphere.
He couldn\'t help but be impressed by the sight of the craft climbing with an umbrella-shaped airflow, thus causing a sonic boom.
“I didn’t expect it to break through the atmosphere so cleanly.”
The Fleet Commander smiled as he watched the entity emitting rings of white waves and approaching in real-time.
That must be the identity of the unidentified energy source.
Its speed was remarkable, likely due to its small size.
He, who was leisurely observing the planet from 1,000 km above the atmosphere, gave an order.
“Prioritize capture or seizure, and refrain from using the main cannon.”“Yessir! Understood.”
“After all, if it gets hit by the main cannon, it might disappear without a trace.”
He had no concern for his safety. On the contrary, he was pleased with this as it caused him less trouble.
Moving the fleet below the atmosphere consumes a lot of Power and has many restrictions. Thus, he couldn’t help but welcome the unidentified craft flying toward them.
He was in the command and control room of a 200km-long Giga-Class Mothership, in charge of the Reconnaissance Fleet\'s flagship. Although the approaching object was a high-purity energy source, its total amount was not enough to challenge the entire fleet.
That wasn’t all. In total, the Reconnaissance Fleet consisted of three Giga-Class Motherships, fifty attack carriers, over 200 Mega-Class battleships, and more than 700 regular battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.
Moreover, this was only a part of the main force. However, it was still more than enough to devastate a single planet.
Also, the power that such a small craft could generate was limited. It’s not for nothing that battleships grow exponentially stronger as they get larger.
Therefore, he did not fear such a tiny craft less than 10m approaching them.
The craft that shot up from the ground stopped in midair before the fleet.
Its Speed Control Technology… is absurd.
The Fleet Commander observed the entire craft, unable to hold back his admiration.
Beautiful.
As a Debran who revered beauty, he couldn’t help but marvel at the craft’s appearance.
No, could it even be called a craft?
It looked like the upper body of a giant robot was wrapping around a woman from behind.
The woman’s body was partially covered with white metallic bones, and metal plates covered various parts like armor.
A large mechanical shield, emitting white fluorescent light, floated above her shoulders like shoulder pads, and a large mechanical arm extended from it, as if to assist her.
Additionally, behind the mechanical shield on her shoulders, there were 50m-long white wings hanging like a tail, with sharp metal plates embedded like feathers, emitting white flames.
Is such a… design even possible?
Above the woman’s head, a mechanical structure reminiscent of an oriental helmet floated, with three protruding ornaments in the center.
Each mechanical structure moved organically around the woman at the center.
It was a design he wanted to emulate.
However, as he was an officer to his very core, he thought it was beautiful but impractical.
After all, only the power source mattered; the exterior didn’t.
He looked at the craft floating leisurely and revised his order.
“If we hit it wrong with the main cannons, there won’t be even a trace of it left. Deploy interceptors.”
“Yessir.”
[All formations, launch.]
At the command, over 10,000 interceptors were launched from 1,000 ships.
The sight of interceptors being deployed as the ships’ hangars opened was beyond majestic. In fact, it couldn’t be described.
An overwhelming force filled space, charging towards the unidentified craft.
And then, light burst from the white craft.
At that moment, the 50m-long wings spread out on either side, and the metal panels that made up the feathers fell off and whirled around her.
Snap-
Then she disappeared.
“!!”
Where did she go? Right above the oncoming interceptors.
In the mechanical hands assisting her, she held two thin, long curved swords, each 50m long.
They were the frames of the wings from which the metal feathers had fallen.
Boom boom boom-
The tens of thousands of long metal panels followed her, exploding all interceptors in her path.
It was as if a path of light was being created along her flight route.
Boom boom boom-
She left the exploding interceptors behind and swung the mechanical arms.
Suaaa-
It felt as if time had stopped.
And as she swung the 50m-long curved swords, the Debrans’ nightmare began.
“Commander! A Mega-Class battleship has been sunk…! Please authorize the use of the main cannon!”
“….”
“Commander!!”
In the sight before them, the mechanical arms, turned into cannons, were firing blasts comparable to the Mega-Class main cannons.
Moreover, the tens of thousands of missiles launched from the surrounding ships were intercepted by the metal panels swirling around her.
Just the sight of it was enough to make them lightheaded.
Considering the resources and time it took to build a single ship….
“Commander! Please hurry and make a decision!!”
But despite his adjutant’s urging, he couldn’t speak.
-Make sure to secure it. It will be a clue to advancing beyond outer space and into the galactic system.
-Yessir! Supreme Commander!
-Remember. It’s worth more than your life.
It was the Supreme Commander’s order. Moreover, one that was emphasized repeatedly.
If he authorized the use of the main cannon and the target was destroyed, he would lose his head.
“Commander!!”
His trembling eyes froze.
At the moment when an attack carrier was sunk by the bastard’s blade.
“Unleash the main cannons of the ships. From now on, change the objective to elimination.”
“Yessir! Understood.”
Soon, a fierce battle began between 800 ships and a single humanoid craft.
“Kyaaah!”
Her eyes clenched shut. A massive beam of light, over 1km in diameter, grazed past her.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a force field overlapping the trajectory of the main cannon.
“W-Wahh, heung, eung, AHHHHH!”
She wept loudly. However, despite her actions, the craft continued to move at high speed, seeking another target.
[AUTO MODE]
That was the reason for her lack of free will.
Booooooom-
Another ship exploded, turning into dust. In Auto Mode, it was able to identify the engine section so well that it seemed almost supernatural, while also causing explosions after evasive maneuvers.
Boom-
Due to the explosions, red and blue lights flickered everywhere, as if the Milky Way was spreading in space.
Perhaps it could even be said that flowers of light were blooming in what was supposed to be a void.
Swoooooosh-
The craft moved so fast that it was hard for even her to perceive, destroying everything in its path.
It was the very embodiment of destruction.
“Kyaaah!”
The largest ship in the fleet fired its main cannon. Upon this, a circular wave spread from the shield on her shoulders, making a sharp turn.
As she moved, rings of waves emanated from her back, accelerating her further.
Roaaaaar-
The attack made her skin tingle, just by being near its path.
However, her mind lay elsewhere.
“Kyaaah! 124 million?!!”
[Real-time Karma Points]
[-124,127,580 P]
The minus Points were increasing in real-time.
[Real-time Karma Points]
[-124,370,122 P]
[-124,584,877 P]
[-125,890,344 P]
…
[-126,255,335 P]
“Kyaaah! 126 million Points!”
The debt increased instantly whenever she destroyed a battleship.
“How does this make any seeeeeeeeeenSE!”
She could take out a Point loan from the Oradge with his permission. This was set by the Oradge for emergencies, and as much of this unknown power called Ether or whatever was used, the debt kept increasing.
Moreover, that debt didn’t even include the cost of the armor she was wearing.
Considering she would also have to pay the rental fee for the craft later, it was indeed disheartening. In fact, it was downright deplorable.
After the Oradge had stripped her of all her assets, she had accumulated a considerable amount of Karma Points while working as the Empire’s Saintess. But now, there was no trace of it left.
Booom-
But that didn’t mean she could stop. No, rather, if only she could pilot it herself! Then she would have moved as economically as possible!
In reality, Auto Mode moved with maximum efficiency. But how was she supposed to know that? After all, she was already losing her mind, watching her debt Points were increasing with each movement.
But still, maybe she should be happy to have protected the world?
“Kyaaah!”
When considering the Oradge\'s usual temperament, she had no idea how to repay the debt accumulating now.
But did she know? The Points being deducted in real-time were actually significantly reduced thanks to the Karma earned from saving the world. If she did know, she might very well have fainted.
She went absolutely batshit crazy.
Even though she wasn’t piloting directly, she wanted to immerse herself in the craft’s destructive actions to relieve her stress.
Because of those bastards… I…!!
“DIEEEEEEEE!!!”
As if understanding her feelings, the craft’s mechanical arms swung the curved blades gracefully toward the last giant battleship.
A slash of white light sliced through the main cannon, striking the engine section with a direct hit.
BOOOOM-
“KYAAAAAAAAH! NO! I take it back! Cancel! Cancel! 180 million??!!”
She wanted to slap herself.
With the explosion of a mothership, her Points also had an explosive increase. Into the negatives, of /genesisforsaken