The dark fluctuations were hidden within the seawater.
Surging tides swept in all directions as a dense curtain of light beams shot straight up from the bottomless abyss.
"BOOM!!!"
A brilliant golden halo flashed before her, and Cheche met the unknown assault head-on, shattering it with a direct impact!
However!
This curtain of light was not an inanimate object.
Even after being shattered by Cheche to less than a quarter of their original magnitude, the beams continued to fly toward the fleet behind her—
"BOOM!!!"
In a single pass, any starship with its shield effectiveness set below 20,000 HW was instantly blown into tumbling wreckage and debris, which began to rapidly float up toward the higher levels of the Quantum Sea.
"Sovereignty-class vessels."
"Release [Gospel]."
"All other ships, unlock auxiliary control permissions. Link your shields."
The previous attack had destroyed over 400 standard battleships. Although this was only about 3% of the fleet, as a probing attack, it was already considerably threatening.
After all, the fleet had yet to even see the enemy's shadow—
"Coordinates 99.32.14.15, [Apocalypse] coverage!"
"VMMMM!!!"
The main cannons of the waiting fleet opened fire in unison!
Compared to the immensely powerful [Genesis] or [Book of Enoch], the [Apocalypse]-class main cannon was a heavy weapon that could be equipped even on [Sovereign Might-class] Titans and [Sovereign Presence-class] Super-Dreadnoughts. While its destructive power was not as great as the other two, its range and coverage area were on the same level.
Cheche's perception was not as keen as Shesha's.
However, relying on her strong adaptation to the Quantum Sea and her rich combat experience, she locked onto the enemy's coordinates before the second strike could arrive.
"BOOM—"
A muffled sound, like a heavy tire being punctured, came indistinctly from the depths of the sea.
Before the echo had even faded...
"Prepare for boarding!"
A new warning quickly spread throughout the entire fleet!
And just as Cheche's words fell, a dark, oppressive fleet appeared directly on their port side!
---o---
In front of the Monarch, Cheche was a harmless, white-haired loli.
But on the battlefield, especially against the Quantum Sea, no one in the Empire had more experience than she did.
[Star].
This was the weight behind the only "single-character Sacred Engraving" among the eleven high-ranking members of the Empire.
"Port side, release barrage!"
"Legions! Initiate boarding action!"
A dark undercurrent swirled around the starships.
A fleet, pitch-black and slightly translucent with carved violet markings, materialized right next to the expeditionary fleet—
They were projections from the Quantum Sea, mimicking the "creations of the Tree."
Like the quantum beasts the Empire had encountered in its early days, these creatures, which populated the shallow and middle layers of the Abyss, were mostly mimetic fusions of various natural organisms and Honkai beasts.
The shallow layers of the Quantum Sea corresponded to the lower trunk of the Imaginary Tree. If one delved deeper, the corresponding "projections" would change to mimic the creations of the advanced civilizations in the Tree's canopy. The "Fourth Quantum Frontline" had already reached the boundary between the middle and lower layers. The enemies the expeditionary fleet now faced... the number of "standard battleships" was as exaggerated as a swarm of quantum "mosquitoes."
Incidentally, this regional division was a standard set by the Empire, with criteria similar to those of the Imaginary Tree. Just as the Tree had a top, the Sea had a bottom—both were sights that an Astral God could "see with the naked eye." Of course, to physically touch these realms was another matter entirely.
"SWOOSH!"
The Imperial fleet was truly a battle-hardened force.
The higher the class of the starship and its crew, the longer they had been immersed in the Quantum Sea. Over 95% of the "sailors" in the Imperial fleet participating in this expedition had more than 2,000 years of service time.
In response to Cheche's commands, their reaction speed, driven by muscle memory, was faster than the time it took to even think.
"BOOM!!!"
Countless secondary cannons immediately aimed at the fleet's port side.
A storm of energy beams and kinetic munitions washed over the suddenly appearing "Quantum Projection Fleet" with the ferocity of a tempest!
"CRACK—"
A large section of the dark fleet was instantly disintegrated.
The Abyss was not without tactics, of course. While they couldn't block a super-spec main cannon like those on a [Sovereignty-class], "Quantum Titan ships," capable of withstanding several hundred or even a thousand hits from secondary cannons, moved to the front to shield the others from the dense web of fire.
With them absorbing the damage, the assault ships (large) and storm boats (small) behind them wouldn't be wiped out in one go. Even if the expeditionary fleet's firepower could barely punch through the "Quantum Titans," it wouldn't be able to inflict significant damage on these dedicated boarding vessels.
Faced with this situation...
...the eager Imperial "redshirts" didn't even need Cheche's command!
The best way to prevent the enemy from boarding and capturing their ships was to charge onto the enemy's ships before they could act!
The web of fire woven by the secondary cannons couldn't sink the projection fleet hiding in the back, but tearing a few holes in their shields was an easy task!
"SWISH!"
A dazzling array of light trails streaked wildly across the less-than-half-an-astronomical-unit distance between the two fleets!
Gundams, Godslayer Armors, even unarmored shock troopers... the tactics and equipment of the Empire's different legions varied wildly. The only similarity was a willingness to face death that, to other civilizations, looked no different from madness!
"BOOM!!!"
In just thirty seconds, a magnificent spectacle like blooming fireworks exploded continuously along the front line where the two fleets met.
The instantaneous loss ratio reached a staggering 50:1!
The projection fleet's ambush did not give them the upper hand; it took 50 projection ships to trade for one Imperial starship. Although they were in the Quantum Sea, it didn't mean quantum energy was infinite. The projection fleet's energy replenishment rate couldn't keep up with the Imperial fleet's rate of destruction... In terms of recharge speed alone, these fakes were even slower than the Imperial fleet.
However, just as the Imperial boarding parties charged into the projection fleet, breaches were torn in the outer perimeter of the expeditionary fleet as well.
Six months of training was not a short time, but it was far from enough to turn the followers of other Astral Gods into veterans. In reality, that amount of time was just enough for them to adapt to Honkai energy. Their combat and tactical proficiency had to be filled in by their own prior experience.
Thus, the middle and rear of the fleet, where these followers were most densely concentrated, became the projection fleet's breakthrough point.
And then—
"Calamity Beast!"
A colossal shadow, projecting a size comparable to a [Sovereignty-class] ship, slowly materialized above the breach in the expeditionary fleet.
[Calamity Beast]
An extremely rare "high-level seafood" in the Quantum Sea, its status and combat power were akin to a Grand Monarch's to an Astral God—
The variously shaped [Calamity Beasts] were the sole followers of the "Outer Gods."
"Durandal, that one is yours."
"Understood!"
The alarm had just sounded on the bridge when Durandal received Cheche's order. With the amplification of a [Sovereignty-class] ship, she could use the [Book of Enoch] to single-handedly hold off this unknown Calamity Beast until the fleet was free to concentrate fire and eliminate it.
As for why Cheche didn't act herself—
"SKREEEEE!!!"
A piercing roar surged up with a vortex.
The ambushing Calamity Beast was not alone.
These creatures, which were rarely seen even in the depths of the "Sixth Frontline" with its few hidden [Sentry Posts]...
...four of them had appeared at once!
In other words, the Abyssal vanguard that had wiped out the "Fourth Legion" had at least four combatants equivalent to Grand Monarchs among them!
"Kiana, Mei."
"Tie down the two on the sides. I need seventeen seconds."
Cheche immediately targeted the super-massive [Calamity Beast] that had appeared in the center, its size ten times that of the other three. The power this thing displayed was a whole level higher than the other "Galaxy-class" creatures.
"No..."
But then, Cheche immediately negated her own plan.
Although Kiana and Mei's [Sacred Seat] rankings were higher than Durandal's, it didn't necessarily mean they were stronger. When it came to fighting the Abyss, their lack of experience meant they might not be as adept as Durandal.
[Calamity Beasts] were, after all, Abyssal creatures on par with Grand Monarchs. The enemy was coming on strong, and executing a plan based on the best-case scenario could easily lead to problems—
"Sacred Crusaders!"
"Here!"
Over 40,000 individuals responded simultaneously to Cheche's call in the mental network.
The [Sacred Crusaders] unit originated from the [Temple Legions], primarily the [Death Legion]. All members were volunteers, and this unit, composed of over ninety percent of the [Clergy] from the four major legions, was formed for a special purpose... a unit for "sacrifice."
"The Empire requires your sacrifice."
"For the Monarch—"
Simultaneously burning their bodies and souls, using their Imaginary energy and their Path as kindling, they allowed an Imperial member to communicate with the Monarch's will from within the deep sea.
"Sanctus!!"
The power in the middle layers of the Abyss was not enough to sever the connection between the Tree and the Sea.
But with the appearance of these [Calamity Beasts], the situation was completely different. As followers of the Outer Gods, even the power they passively radiated was enough to easily change the Abyssal environment, making the vicinity no different from the "deep sea zone."
The greatest effect of this "aura" was to interfere with the Tree-Sea connection; in other words, to make it difficult for the Astral Gods on the Imaginary Tree to perceive the situation within the Sea.
At times like this, the value of the [Sacred Crusaders] became apparent...
...in a manner that would horrify other civilizations.
"FWOOSH!!!"
40,000 torches ignited at once.
Through the passing of these lives, Cheche was able to communicate with and borrow the Monarch's power, reducing the time needed to enter her "Collapsed State" by six seconds. The deaths of 40,000 [Sacred Crusaders] were just to turn seventeen seconds into eleven.
And the difference of these mere six seconds could turn the tide of the entire battle:
The losses the Imperial fleet (and Cheche) would incur to deal with the four [Calamity Beasts] would be reduced from an estimated 4,200 ships to fewer than 500.
Incidentally, the blessing of eternal life had not vanished from the Empire's subjects, but the Monarch, having lost the [Dominion of Finality], no longer possessed the power to resurrect his deceased followers. This was also why the [Sacred Crusaders] had to be volunteers. Over half of the [Sacred Crusaders] were the rare "humanoid primordial species"... they were the purest members of the "Orthodox Imperial Banner."
"DONG!!!"
Golden armor was sketched into lines across Cheche's body. The next moment, the majestic star beast charged straight toward the ferocious [Calamity Beast]!
The two [Sovereignty-class] ships following close behind also rammed into the [Calamity Beasts] without hesitation. [The Throne's] deployment capacity was limited; while it could send all [Sovereignty-class] ships into the Abyss, it could only bring along a maximum of four [Saint]-level individuals, including Cheche.
In a clash between vanguards, the one who would survive... would be the side that did not fear sacrifice.
---o---
Fifteen minutes later.
"Thirty percent losses. Acceptable."
The [Calamity Beasts] had been completely eliminated, and the fleet's attrition rate had reached just over 30%... this was the loss ratio for the entire expeditionary fleet.
"As long as the Sovereignty-class ships are fine."
Cheche was currently crushing the cores of the [Calamity Beasts] one by one.
"Have the carriers release the heavy cruisers. Destroy all world bubbles within a twenty-fathom radius of the 'Fourth Frontline'."
"All of them?"
"Yes."
The process of a [Calamity Beast's] birth was very complex, but one thing the Empire had confirmed:
Its core was inevitably formed from the fusion of a large number of world bubbles that had sunk into the Sea. The "quality" of the world bubbles themselves was directly related to the [Calamity Beast's] combat power. The world bubbles in the deep sea were usually of high quality, and while those in the middle layers varied greatly, their vast numbers could compensate.
The Empire's reach extended far into the Sea. Even if they weren't ruled or salvaged, all undestroyed world bubbles were, in fact, under the Empire's surveillance.
Now, with the "Fourth Quantum Frontline" destroyed by the Abyss, the "surrounding" world bubbles no longer had a reason to exist. Never mind the Empire, the entire star-sea universe had invested its power in this expedition, so there was no extra energy to spare for the trivial matter of world bubbles. Besides... [Calamity Beasts] couldn't be born from nothing. How many world bubbles still survived in the middle layers was now truly an unknown.
"Understood."
The carrier command acknowledged Cheche's order.
It was cruel, but necessary... and utterly without mercy. Just as an ordinary human might squash an ant on the roadside when in a bad mood, when the Empire deemed something "harmful," it would be directly eliminated.
Just like the leaves of the Tree that fluttered everywhere during the great battle between the Monarch and Annihilation...
...it was perfectly normal.
"Sacred Crusaders."
"Here."
"Are your numbers still sufficient?"
"If we are to coordinate with the [Dominion Matrix] of the Sovereignty-class ships, the remaining 110,000 of us are more than enough," the former deputy commander of the Death Legion, now the commander of the Sacred Crusaders, slowly replied.
"The outcome is merely a shift from exhaustion to death. For us Sacred Crusaders, who will have difficulty contributing much in future battles, this is the best possible end."
"And perhaps a few thousand might even survive."
The power the Sacred Crusaders gained through sacrifice was directly proportional to the piety of their faith. The older and more powerful the Sacred Crusader, the less likely they were to survive.
"But from now on, we can no longer serve His Majesty the Emperor."
For the Sacred Crusaders, as long as a sacrifice had value, it was not something to be feared.
"..."
"Little Bai will remember your sacrifice."