Time passed amidst intensive tactical deductions.
The eleven-day countdown had already begun, and a precise rescue operation relying on warp technology had quietly been planned in the Haven Star System, several light-years away from Crest IV.
During a break in the meeting, Osiris retrieved the latest report from Death World Base.
The basic framework of the phase one orbital ring project had completed fifteen percent of its orbital splicing, and progress was as expected.
His gaze lingered briefly between the engineering progress in the Warhammer Universe and the rescue operation in the Koprulu Sector.
This rescue operation was not only fulfilling the transaction commitment to Kerrigan, but also an important technical testing opportunity to test the synergistic combat effectiveness of Protoss warp technology and the eva titan.
"The Eternal seeker will not directly participate in the raid." Osiris announced at the end of the meeting, "I will command from the rear, providing intelligence support and tactical command. The pathfinder will serve as the operation coordination center, and Valerie will have the highest on-site coordination authority. Zeratul, the safety of the infiltration team is entrusted to you."
Zeratul's gloomy green gaze was firm: "I will bring the beacon."
The fleet began making final preparations.
Zeratul selected five elite Dark Templar, and they began counter-reconnaissance training targeting human monitoring systems.
The Arbiter was conducting final calibrations of the warp system to ensure that large units like evangelion unit-01 could be accurately delivered in one go.
Inside the hangar of the pathfinder, evangelion unit-01 was fixed on a specially made warp stabilization rack, and Asuka was undergoing warp adaptability training—although evangelion unit-01 itself was protected by an A.T. Field, the spatial distortion during the warp process could still affect the pilot.
Eleven days later, on Crest IV, in Justice Square, Emperor Mengsk would personally set up the trial podium.
And he would never have thought that this meticulously planned political performance would welcome a fatal raid from the warp network, as well as a red giant god descending directly across space.
In the temporary gathering airspace at the edge of the Haven Star System, the various participating forces completed their final pre-battle coordination.
The Leviathan floated in the void, its massive biological hull surrounded by psionic radiance.
Inside its main chamber, Kerrigan stood before the command throne, her psionic wings fully unfolded behind her, countless fine psionic tentacles extending from the throne to connect with the energy field around her.
Through the amplification of the Leviathan, her consciousness was simultaneously maintaining a connection with the Swarm vanguard forces scattered in three different locations.
Zagara's sharp psionic signal came over: "The main swarm has arrived at the designated attack position, located near the orbit of the third planet of the Korist Star System. Awaiting feint orders."
Dehaka's low guttural voice came through the translator: "Primal predator cluster in place. The defense scan frequency of the navigation beacon station has been recorded, ready to jam at any time."
Kerrigan's will clearly issued the command: "Maintain silence. Launch the feint eight hours after the countdown. Remember, your mission is to create chaos and attract the fleet, not fight to the death. Disengage immediately upon receiving the evacuation signal."
"Understood, Queen." Zagara's signal exuded bloodthirsty excitement.
Kerrigan cut off the direct psionic link with the Swarm, retaining basic monitoring.
She turned and looked into the chamber, where Zeratul was giving the final mission briefing to the five Dark Templar.
The five warriors wore form-fitting dark armor, the hilts of their psionic blades hanging at their waists, each of them seeming to blend into the shadows.
"The surface scan data of Crest IV has been synchronized to your tactical eyepieces." Zeratul's voice was low and clear, "The planetary shield energy calibration window will begin in three hours and last for twelve minutes."
"We will infiltrate on the fourth minute after the window opens, when the shield detection sensitivity drops to its lowest."
He brought up the three-dimensional map around Justice Square: "The landing site is set in the abandoned Industrial Zone two kilometers northeast of the square. There is sufficient cover there, and the density of imperial patrols is relatively low."
"The location to establish the beacon is at the top of the cooling tower in the center of the Industrial Zone, where the view is broad and the signal coverage is optimal."
A Dark Templar asked, his voice grinding like gravel, "The beacon's energy signature might be detected once activated. How much safe time do we have?"
"Forty-five seconds," Zeratul replied. "Once the beacon is activated, the arbiter will immediately initiate warp. After forty-five seconds, regardless of whether the warp is complete, we must evacuate the beacon's location and proceed to the secondary rendezvous point.
If the warp succeeds, we will evacuate with the assault force. If it fails, we fall back according to the contingency plan."
He looked at all the warriors. "The key to this infiltration is stealth. Do not engage with Imperium forces under any circumstances unless absolutely necessary. Our objective is to plant the beacon, not to fight. Understood?"
The five Dark Templar nodded in unison, calm glints flickering in their faint green eyes.
Kerrigan walked over to them, her gaze sweeping across each face. "By rescuing Raynor, you will be preserving a vital force against Amon. I will remember this contribution."
The Dark Templar bowed slightly—an acknowledgment of Kerrigan's strength, not an act of submission.
Zeratul conducted a final inspection of their gear: psionic jammers, signal masking devices, warp beacon components, and emergency short-range psionic transfer crystals. Everything was ready.
"Prepare to depart," Zeratul said. The five warriors followed him out of the main chamber, heading toward the dedicated launch bay in the belly of the Leviathan.
A cloaked small Protoss shuttle was already prepared; it would carry the infiltration team close to Korist
IV and breach the atmosphere during the shield calibration window.
Kerrigan watched them leave and took a deep breath. She glanced at the real-time star chart suspended in the center of the chamber, which displayed the coordinates of the pathfinder and the arbiter. In eight hours, the feint would begin; in eleven hours, the warp assault would commence.
"May you succeed," she murmured softly, unsure whether she was speaking to Zeratul or to herself.
pathfinder Hangar.
Asuka sat in the pilot's seat inside evangelion unit-01's Entry Plug, running through the final neural connection diagnostics.
Streams of data scrolled across her helmet display: synchronization rate at 99.1%, A.T. Field generator status normal, warp stabilization interface linked.
She flexed her fingers, testing the subtle force feedback from the control levers.
This mission was unlike any before—rather than an orbital drop, she would warp directly from the void into the center of the battlefield.
Although evangelion unit-01 had been designed with spatial teleportation stability in mind, this would be its first actual field execution.
"The warp process takes approximately 3.5 seconds," Valerie's voice came over the comm channel. "You'll experience slight spatial distortion and gravitational fluctuations, but evangelion unit-01's A.T. Field will protect the cockpit from being affected.
The moment the warp finishes, enter combat mode immediately. The situation on the ground may differ from the simulations you reviewed, so make rapid assessments."
"Understood," Asuka said, adjusting her posture. "3.5 seconds is just the blink of an eye. Though jumping straight from a dead stop right into combat is definitely a rush."
She pulled up the 3D holographic model of Justice Square to familiarize herself with the terrain once more.
The judgment dais stood in the center of the plaza, where Raynor was to be escorted into a reinforced metal cage atop it.
Several Royal Guard soldiers were stationed around the dais, while siege tanks and Marine fireteams ringed the outer perimeter of the square.
This intelligence came from the Imperium's publicized security itinerary—Mengsk had made parts of the deployment public ahead of time to showcase a "fair trial" and flaunt his fearlessness.
"The warp drop point is right here." Asuka flagged a point on the map, situated on the northern side of the square roughly four hundred meters from the judgment dais. "Upon landing, I'll first use the positron rifle to suppress the guards around the platform, then sprint toward the cage at full speed.
I'll slice open the cage with the High-Frequency Particle Blade, grab Raynor, and fall back to the extraction beacon. The entire sequence is projected to take two minutes, leaving three minutes to handle any contingencies."
"Correct," Valerie confirmed. "However, keep in mind that the Imperium might have undisclosed defensive forces hidden away. Nova and her Ghost Forces, in particular, are very likely lying in ambush nearby."
Asuka smirked. "A Ghost Forces? We even fought primal pack leaders on Zerus; what can a few cloaked runts do? Still, I'll make sure to scan for thermal signatures carefully."
She performed one final diagnostic on her weapons systems.
The positron rifle was fully charged, the blade vibration frequency of the High-Frequency Particle Blade was nominal, and the shoulder missile pod was loaded with six armor-piercing warheads designed for heavy armor.
The surface coating of evangelion unit-01 reflected the cold glare of the hangar lights, its crimson armor gleaming prominently under the illumination.
"Asuka," Valerie's voice came through again, this time bearing a rare touch of solemnity, "remember, your primary directive is to secure Raynor's safety. If conditions deteriorate beyond projections, you are authorized to utilize restricted countermeasures, but ensuring the evacuation corridor remains clear must take absolute priority."
"Leave it to me." Asuka inhaled deeply as LCL fluid filled her lungs. "I am a pro, after all."
She looked at the small feed on the inner wall of the Entry Plug, which showed an exterior shot of the arbiter. Floating beside the pathfinder, the sleek, elegant hull of the Protoss vessel slowly energized its warp matrix, radiating a soft blue psionic luminescence.
In eleven hours, that light would tear through the fabric of space and hurl her straight onto the battlefield.
Eternal seeker Bridge.
Osiris's Main Body stood silently before the primary command console. Dozens of holographic displays fanned out before him, showing real-time telemetry from Crest IV, patrol routes of the Imperial Fleet, energy cycle waveforms of the planetary shield, and the current dispositions of all allied units.
The data cascaded like a torrential waterfall, yet his Logic Core processed each stream with flawless precision.
Integrating the STC data processing algorithms retrieved from the Warhammer Universe with the grand theater command protocols of Mars's Collegia Titanica, he had constructed a highly optimized battlefield situational awareness and predictive model.
"Zeratul's shuttle has entered the outer perimeter of the Korist Star System and initiated complete radio silence," a Navigator Tech-Priest reported. "Estimated arrival at the edge of the planetary shield is in two hours."
"the Swarm's diversionary forces have entered final preparations," another Tech-Priest reported. "Both Zagara's brood and Dehaka's pack have confirmed readiness."
Osiris's optical sensors flared. Everything was proceeding strictly according to plan.
His primary focus remained on the safety of the infiltration team—this was the most precarious link in the entire operation.
If the infiltration failed, none of the subsequent phases could be executed.
"Access the real-time feeds from Crest IV's planetary surveillance grid," Osiris ordered. "Prioritize scanning the vicinity of the abandoned Industrial Zone. If any abnormal patrol movements are detected, alert the infiltration team immediately."
"Interfacing with the Imperium's public surveillance grid... connection established. No abnormal movements detected around the Industrial Zone. The Imperial Guard's primary forces remain concentrated within a three-kilometer radius of Justice Square."
Osiris pulled up the infiltration team's projected route.
From the abandoned Industrial Zone to the cooling tower was a distance of about eight hundred meters, requiring them to cross two building ruins and a dry riverbed in between. The route avoided main roads and residential areas, keeping the risk low.
"Status of the arbiter's warp system," he inquired.
"The warp matrix is eighty-seven percent charged and is expected to be fully ready before the operation begins," the Tech-Priest replied. "Warp coordinates for the large unit are locked, with a margin of error of plus or minus three meters."
A three-meter margin of error was acceptable for evangelion unit-01. Osiris continued to monitor the overall situation. If this operation succeeded, it would yield valuable data: the synergistic combat effectiveness of Protoss warp technology and eva titan, the emergency response speed of the Imperium's core Sector,
as well as tactical templates for rapid strikes against high-value targets.
If it failed, the losses would include Asuka (possibly), evangelion unit-01 (possibly), Zeratul and elite Dark Templar (possibly), and Kerrigan's trust. However, the Eternal seeker itself was at no risk, and he could evacuate at any time.
The risk-to-reward ratio was within an acceptable range. Osiris's mechanical fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the console. Now, he only needed to wait for time to pass, for the infiltration team to establish the beacon, for the Swarm to launch its feint attack, and for the light of the warp to flash.
Crest IV, abandoned Industrial Zone.
A small shuttle glided into the atmosphere like a ghost, its surface's Psionic Energy camouflage coating allowing it to blend almost seamlessly into the night sky.
In the fourth minute of the planetary shield energy calibration window, the shuttle landed at the designated landing point—behind a half-collapsed warehouse.
The hatch opened silently, and Zeratul leaped out first, his glowing green eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. Five Dark Templar followed closely behind; everyone immediately entered stealth, suppressing their Psionic Energy fluctuations to a minimum.
"Scan the environment," Zeratul instructed via the Psionic Energy link.
One warrior raised his arm, and a device on his wrist emitted invisible Psionic Energy ripples. Three seconds later, feedback came in: "No life signals within a five-hundred-meter radius. An Imperial patrol team is 1.2 kilometers to the southeast, moving away. Clear."
"Advance."
Six figures traversed through the ruins like shadows. Their movements were virtually silent, as Psionic Energy-assisted muscle control allowed each of their steps to precisely avoid rubble and metal shards. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the base of the cooling tower.
The cooling tower was about eighty meters tall, its surface covered in rust, yet its structure remained solid. Zeratul looked up at the top of the tower; that was the best position to establish a beacon.
"Two on guard, the rest come with me."
Zeratul and three warriors began to climb. The Dark Templar's Psionic Energy enhancements allowed them to move rapidly across the vertical surface like geckos, reaching the top of the tower in just two minutes.
The top platform offered an expansive view, taking in the entire Justice Square area. In the distance, an execution platform had already been constructed in the square, illuminated as bright as day by spotlights, with Imperial engineers putting on the final touches.
"Begin assembling the beacon."
Two warriors retrieved warp beacon components from their equipment cases. It was a triangular base formed by three Psionic Crystals, with a complex energy focuser in the center. They assembled the components quickly, their movements skilled and precise.
Zeratul crouched at the edge of the platform, scanning the square's defensive layout through his eyepiece.
Royal Guard soldiers were deployed around the execution platform, and the shapes of siege tanks and Marine squads were visible along the outer perimeter of the square—largely matching the basic deployment in public intelligence.
But his sharp eyes caught more details: in the high-floor windows of the buildings around the square, there were several thermal signature outlines that, despite deliberate camouflage, still appeared unusual—those were Snipers, or even more dangerous Ghost Agents.
"Hidden units detected." He marked the coordinates and synchronized them with all members via the Psionic Energy link. "Prioritize these positions upon warp arrival."
"Beacon assembly complete," a warrior reported.
Zeratul glanced at the timer. Four minutes remained before the shield calibration window closed. Sufficient.
"Activate the beacon."
A warrior pressed his palm onto the beacon base, infusing it with Psionic Energy. The three Psionic Crystals began to glow with a soft blue light, and a swirling spatial vortex gradually formed in the center of the energy focuser. The beacon was activated.
Almost simultaneously, Zeratul felt a subtle energy fluctuation sweep across the top of the tower—the Imperium's passive detection network had picked up the anomaly.
"We've been scanned. Engage the jammer."
Another warrior immediately activated a Psionic Energy jamming device, and a distorted energy field shrouded the top of the tower, temporarily blocking the detection signals. But the Imperial security forces had undoubtedly noticed the anomaly by now.
"Warp countdown: forty seconds," Zeratul said calmly. "Prepare to evacuate the beacon location."
Below the tower, the two Dark Templar on guard sent a message: "The Imperial patrol has changed direction and is heading toward us.
Estimated arrival in two minutes."
"Sufficient."
The spatial vortex at the center of the beacon grew brighter and brighter, establishing a connection with the arbiter far on the outer rim of the Star System. Zeratul could feel powerful warp energy gathering.
Countdown: ten seconds.
Five seconds.
"Evacuate!"
All six Dark Templar leaped down from the top of the cooling tower simultaneously, activating their Psionic Energy dampeners before landing smoothly in the shadows of the ruins. They moved rapidly toward the secondary rally point while looking back up at the top of the tower.
The beacon's light reached its peak.
The next instant, a blinding beam of blue light descended from the heavens, striking the beacon's location with pinpoint accuracy. Within the light beam, space began to warp and tear apart, revealing a massive outline—red armor, an exaggerated horn-like head, and raised weapon platforms on its shoulders.
evangelion unit-01, warp arrival.
Meanwhile, on the outer rim of the Korist Star System, the Swarm launched its feint attack simultaneously. Swarms of Mutalisks swept toward the third planet's mining base like dark clouds, Corruptors spat acidic spores, and the roars of Ultralisks shook the starry sky. Alarms blared throughout the Imperial Fleet as Battlecruisers turned one after another to engage the enemy.
And on Justice Square of Crest IV, the red giant opened its eyes, aiming the muzzle of its positron rifle straight at the execution platform.
The rescue operation had officially begun.
The impact of evangelion unit-01 landing sent shockwaves through the ground of Justice Square.
Its metallic feet stomped spiderweb-like cracks into the paved alloy floor tiles, and the kicked-up dust settled slowly amidst the faint glow of the A.T. Field.
Through the 360-degree panoramic screen in the Entry Plug, Asuka rapidly scanned her surroundings; the square was larger and emptier than she had anticipated.
The execution platform stood four hundred meters directly ahead, with a solitary metal cage standing upon it.
The figure in the cage wore Raynor's signature brown jacket, head bowed, face obscured.
Standing around the platform were several Royal Guard soldiers clad in golden Power Armor. Though clearly stunned by the sudden appearance of the red giant, their rigorous training compelled them to raise their Gauss Rifles without hesitation.
Around the perimeter of the square, the turrets of multiple siege tanks began to rotate, while several Marine squads surged out from behind cover, quickly fanning out into combat formations.
"Arrived at target area!" Asuka's voice came through the encrypted channel, carrying a hint of mission focus. "Target cage located, preparing to carry out rescue."
"Copy that," Valerie's voice was calm. "Proceed according to plan. Watch the time window. Zeratul's team is in position, ready to warp out for evacuation at any time."
Asuka piloted the evangelion unit-01 to take its first step.
The wind pressure whipped up by the massive machine's movement set the banners along the edge of the square flapping violently.
The Royal Guard soldiers opened fire. Gauss spikes rained down against the evangelion unit-01's A.T. Field, kicking up ripples of pale gold, but not a single round could pierce that seemingly fragile yet indestructible barrier.
"Attacks of this level—" Asuka curled her lip, not even bothering to deploy the weapon systems. The evangelion unit-01 continued advancing with steady, rapid strides.
The siege tanks on the perimeter opened fire.
Ninety-millimeter plasma shells trailing dazzling wakes hurtled straight forward, carving four arcs through the air before almost simultaneously impacting the evangelion unit-01's chest armor and shoulders.
The blast of fire engulfed the upper body of the red machine, and the shockwave completely flipped over the decorative fountain in the center of the square.
Dense smoke billowed upward.
Yet in the next second, the evangelion unit-01 walked out from the smoke completely unharmed.
The ripples on the A.T. Field became more pronounced upon taking the heavy blow, as pale golden hexagonal grids flashed across the machine's surface, perfectly deflecting and absorbing all the explosive energy.
Asuka didn't even feel any noticeable impact—the inertial dampening system inside the Entry Plug had reduced the vibration to a minimum.
"Hey, is that all you've got?" Asuka mocked. At the same time, the evangelion unit-01's right hand had already gripped the hilt of the High-Frequency Particle Blade behind its back.
She paid no more mind to those futile attacks.
Time was precious.
The evangelion unit-01 began to accelerate, shifting from a walk to a sprint, the four-hundred-meter distance closing rapidly beneath its massive strides.
The ground shook violently with each footfall, shattering the window glass of buildings around the square's edge.
Royal Guard soldiers attempted to form a human wall to block it, but the evangelion unit-01 merely swept its left arm—not even an attack, just casually brushing them aside like weeds—and the Royal Guards, along with their weapons, were hurled flying, smashing heavily against the perimeter walls of the surrounding buildings as the shrill alarms of their Power Armor blared.
The siege tanks began their second volley, the Marine' gunfire grew even denser, and several rockets were even fired from atop the flanking buildings.
Yet every attack was deflected the moment it came into contact with the A.T. Field.
Rockets detonated uselessly in midair, Gauss spikes bounced away like hail, and plasma shells erupted across the field's surface in dazzling yet harmless sparks of energy.
This wasn't a battle at all; it was a one-sided exhibition.
Asuka's attention was now entirely focused on the judgment platform.
The evangelion unit-01 braked to a halt twenty meters from the platform, its massive shadow engulfing the entire metal cage. She manipulated the machine to bend down, reaching its left hand toward the cage—and right at this moment, the figure inside who had kept his head lowered suddenly looked up.
That wasn't Raynor.
It was an entirely unfamiliar face. Though crudely disguised with brown-dyed hair, a similar style of jacket, and even a fake beard glued to the chin—the facial contours and gaze bore no resemblance to Jim Raynor whatsoever.
More crucially, his eyes lacked Raynor's distinctive blend of exhaustion and resolve; instead, a cold, sharp gleam of a successful scheme flashed across them.
Asuka's pupils constricted sharply.
"It's not Raynor! It's a stand—"
Before she could finish her warning, the "fake Raynor" inside the cage made his move.
His movements were unimaginably fast, completely surpassing human limits.
The metal bars of the cage tore apart before him like paper. He launched out of the cage like an artillery shell, holding an oddly designed Sniper rifle whose muzzle gleamed with an eerie blue light.
A Ghost Agent.
And a specially enhanced model at that.
Asuka instantly discerned the other party's identity. Beneath that disguised jacket, he was certainly wearing a form-fitting Ghost Hostile Environment Suit.
The Ghost Agent lined up his aim in midair. Rather than firing at the evangelion unit-01's heavy armor—which was obviously pointless—he aimed the muzzle straight at the evangelion unit-01's head.
The energy readings from that special rifle's muzzle climbed rapidly on Asuka's sensors.
A contemptuous smirk curved the corner of Asuka's mouth.
With a slight shift of her will, the evangelion unit-01's head tilted casually to the side.
An eerie blue energy beam erupted from the muzzle—a highly concentrated Psionic Energy-enhanced beam.
The beam accurately hit the evangelion unit-01's head, yet was stopped dead in its tracks before the final invisible barrier.
The A.T. Field barely even rippled, merely letting off a faint, near-invisible glimmer at the point of impact, silently neutralizing and dispersing all the energy.
The Ghost Agent landed and rolled, seeking a second firing angle.
But Asuka was no longer going to give him the chance.
The evangelion unit-01's left hand—the hand originally meant to open the cage gently—altered its trajectory.
The massive mechanical palm flared open and slapped down like a closing Venus flytrap.
The Ghost Agent displayed astonishing agility.
Digging in his feet, the thrusters on his power boots ignited briefly as he fell back sharply to the flank, raising his Sniper rifle to shoot at the evangelion unit-01's wrist joint—usually a relative weak spot for massive mechanical units.
But he underestimated the evangelion unit-01's speed.
Or rather, he underestimated Asuka's rage at this moment—the fury of being toyed with and having her mission objective slip away.
The evangelion unit-01's palm accelerated abruptly mid-strike, its five metal fingers coming together and closing in, shifting from a slap into a crushing grasp.
The area covered by the palm far exceeded the Ghost Agent's estimates; no matter which direction he dodged, he remained beneath the shadow...
...of that colossal hand.
"Got you."
Asuka said coldly. The evangelion unit-01's hand clenched shut.
In the final split second, the Ghost Agent tried to parry with the Sniper rifle, but a human-sized weapon was meaningless before Titan-grade gripping power.
The screech of warping metal mingled with the dull crunch of shattering bone, transmitted faintly to the cockpit via the evangelion unit-01's hand force-feedback sensors.
The hand tightened, then opened.
A mangled, contorted body mingled with shattered armor and mangled flesh plummeted from twenty meters high, splashing into a dark-red smear across the judgment platform. The specialized Sniper rifle snapped into three pieces, scattered all around.
The entire square fell into a brief, dead silence. Even the Imperium forces' artillery paused for a moment.
Then, the real ambush was sprung.
Around the square, the facades of buildings that had seemed ordinary slid open abruptly, revealing hidden silos and access conduits behind them.
More siege tanks rolled out of underground garages, their barrels already preheated.
Imperium forces far exceeding the numbers indicated by prior intelligence swarmed out from underground bunkers across the square, swiftly taking up every vantage point...
...and firing position.
On the upper floors of the buildings, the windows where Asuka had previously detected "abnormal thermal signatures" all slid open, revealing that behind them were not Snipers, but mounted missile launchers and compact energy cannons.
Further away, four banshee fighters swooped down through the clouds, the rocket pods beneath their bellies already spinning and powering up.
"A trap." Valerie's voice rang out in the comm channel, still calm, but her speech quickened, "The extraction point is blockaded. A large number of Imperial Fleet ships have been detected entering low-altitude orbit. Zeratul, what's the status of your group?"
"We are surrounded." Zeratul's voice carried static from Psionic Energy interference, "At least three squads of Ghost Agent units and Imperial forces are closing in on us. They knew our location—they knew from the very beginning."
Kerrigan's voice cut into the channel, filled with suppressed fury: "Mengsk—He planned this long ago. The public trial was just a bait to lure us out."
Asuka gritted her teeth and maneuvered evangelion unit-01 to straighten up.
The red machine slowly turned around in the center of Justice Square, surveying the Imperial forces surging out like a tide all around.
The barrels of the siege tanks all pointed at her, the firearms of the Marine shimmered with a charging glow, and the roaring engines of the banshee fighters grew closer and closer.
"So what now?" Asuka asked, her voice devoid of fear, filled instead with the exhilaration of being provoked, "Fight our way out?"
"Evacuate according to the original plan." Osiris's voice suddenly joined the channel, his synthesized voice steady to the point of being cold, "Valerie, recalculate the extraction coordinates. Zeratul, your group move toward the B3 rendezvous point. Kerrigan, your feinting forces from the Swarm must immediately switch to a full-scale assault and stall the Imperial Fleet at all costs."
"Understood." / "Received." / "the Swarm is already attacking."
Osiris continued giving orders, every word as precise as a scalpel: "Asuka, your mission is to break through the blockade and reach the new extraction point. You are authorized to use all weapon systems, but prioritize the integrity of the mecha. I need all combat data from this operation, including the performance of the A.T. Field under saturation attacks."
"All weapons?" Asuka's eyes lit up, "You should've said so earlier!"
The muzzle of the Heavens Punishment Class Volcano Cannon on the back of evangelion unit-01 began to rotate and charge with a low hum, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations. The high-frequency particle blade was still gripped in its left hand, and the blade began to vibrate at a high speed invisible to the naked eye, emitting a low hum.
The Imperial forces seemed to have received the order for a general assault.
The siege tanks deployed in the square opened fire simultaneously, pouring down plasma shells like a rainstorm.
A large number of Marine pulled their triggers, their gauss spike rounds forming a metal storm. Missile launchers on high-rise buildings spewed white smoke, and anti-armor missiles rose into the sky dragging trails behind them. Diving banshee fighters dropped all their rockets, and the sky filled with a falling rain of death.
In that instant, the entire Justice Square was completely swallowed by the flames of the explosions.
The shockwave of the explosion overturned everything in the square that was not secured.
Gunsmoke and dust formed a mushroom cloud up to a hundred meters tall, completely shrouding the center of the square.
In the Imperial command channel, the front-line Commander's voice reported with certainty: "Saturation strike on the target area complete, hit confirmation for all weapons. Repeat, hit confirmation for all weapons."
But the next second, the report stopped abruptly.
Because amidst the gunsmoke, a faint golden light lit up.
At first, the light was faint, like the morning dawn piercing through thick fog.
But as the smoke and dust slowly settled in the aftermath of the shockwave, the light grew brighter and clearer—that was a barrier covering the surface of the red giant god, composed of countless hexagonal light grids.
The A.T. Field.
evangelion unit-01 stood unscathed in the center of the crater-filled square.
The ground around it had turned into a pitted landscape resembling the lunar surface, but the mecha itself—its armor did not have a single scratch, its paint had not a single charred spot, and it had barely moved from its standing position.
All attacks were deflected, dispersed, and absorbed the moment they contacted that faint golden barrier.
Some shells were deflected toward the sky, exploding into useless fireworks high above; others bounced around, mistakenly injuring the Imperial forces' own troops.
But even more energy was absorbed by the A.T. Field.
The surface of the faint golden barrier rippled like water, and the hexagonal grids flickered on and off, completely converting the blast's shock, high temperature, and fragment kinetic energy into harmless energy ripples before dissipating into the air.
Inside the Entry Plug, Asuka looked at the field load data displayed on the screen: the peak reached 47%, but it was dropping rapidly.
She didn't even feel any obvious vibration.
"Is that it?" she said into the comm channel, her voice carrying undisguised contempt, "And here I thought the Imperium was so formidable. Back at NERV, the Apostles' attacks were way more fierce than this. Now it's my turn to fight back!"
As she spoke, the Volcano Cannon on the back of evangelion unit-01 finished charging.
"Rumble!!!"
An indescribable, blazing jet as thick as a mountain gushed forth from the muzzle! That was not simple energy or live ammunition, but a torrent of destruction imbued with extremely high thermal and kinetic energy.
In a split second, heaven and earth lost their color.
In the area directly hit by the artillery fire, the ground didn't just simply explode; it was instantly vaporized and melted, forming a giant crater over a hundred meters in diameter, churning with dark red magma!
The terrifying shockwave rapidly spread outward in a ring shape, and wherever it passed, whether building debris or Imperial vehicles, all were crushed and blown away.
The air was ionized, making a harsh crackling sound, and even briefly distorted light.
With just a single strike, the Imperial firepower emplacement on one side of the square was completely wiped out, along with devastating blows to the building complex behind it.
The Imperial forces fell into severe chaos.
The comm channel was filled with cries of astonishment and incomprehension.
They had never faced such an enemy—a terrifying unit capable of ignoring all attacks while possessing the ability to erase an entire position with a single strike.
Frontline command was temporarily interrupted, and the troops showed brief signs of rout.
But the Imperial forces were, after all, the most elite human troops in the Koprulu Sector.
The chaos lasted for over a minute, until higher-level commands forcibly intervened and stabilized the footing.
"All units, switch to special warheads! Reorganize! This is a direct order from His Majesty the Emperor!"
The order was quickly issued, carrying unquestionable authority in the voice. The surviving siege tanks began changing ammunition types, and their muzzles re-gathered a dark red glow.
The Marine were regrouped, and the banshee fighters received new attack orders.
Under the personal supervision of Emperor Mengsk and the arrival of subsequent reinforcements, the second wave of attacks was organized once again.
This time, the nature of the attack was different.
When the psychic interference shells exploded on the surface of the A.T. Field, they didn't produce flames and shockwaves, but rather circles of purple energy ripples.
These ripples eroded each other with the faint golden field, emitting a teeth-gritting friction sound.
Asuka noticed that the load reading of the A.T. Field began to slowly rise—from 47% to 53%, and the rate of decrease noticeably slowed down.
"Psionic Energy disruption?" She frowned. "Is it effective against an A.T. Field?"
"The effect is limited, but interference definitely exists," Valerie's voice came through as she rapidly analyzed the sensor data. "The essence of an A.T. Field is the materialization of mental power, sharing a fundamental similarity with Psionic Energy. The Imperium may have developed targeted disruption Tech from their previous battles with the Protoss."
"Doesn't matter." Asuka pulled the control stick, and evangelion unit-01 began to move.
The red machine no longer remained stationary as a target.
It took stride, breaking out toward the northern side of the plaza—the direction of the new evacuation point.
Every step crossed a distance of twenty meters, the ground collapsing beneath its metallic feet like a fragile carpet.
The Imperium forces attempted to intercept it.
Two siege tanks outflanked it from the side, attempting to block its advance with crossfire.
evangelion unit-01 did not even pause; it simply raised its left arm, its High-Frequency Particle Blade tracing a silver arc.
There were no sparks of colliding metal, no screeching friction.
Like a hot knife through butter, the particle knife sliced cleanly across the turrets of both tanks.
The turrets slid along the smooth incisions and crashed to the ground, giving the crew inside no time for their Reflexes to register what had happened.
Deprived of their turrets, the tank chassis surged forward several meters on inertia before crashing into each other, completely crippled.
The Marine tried to slow evangelion unit-01 down with dense fire.
A metal storm of Gauss Spikes pelted the A.T. Field without pause, sending continuous golden ripples cascading across it. The field load reading climbed slowly but steadily: 43%... 46%... 49%...
"Relentless pests." Asuka clicked her tongue. The missile pods on evangelion unit-01's right shoulder snapped open, launching several armor-piercing warheads simultaneously.
The missiles dispersed quickly after launch, each locking onto a different target. Slaloming around cover, they penetrated building windows from cunning angles and struck the firing positions of the desperately firing Marine with pinpoint accuracy.
Detonations sounded in rapid succession, tearing a hole through the Imperium's defensive line on the northern side of the plaza.
Yet the Imperium's response speed exceeded expectations.
The moment the breach opened, several banshee fighters swooped down, raining cannon rounds and rockets toward evangelion unit-01. Simultaneously, several heavy units never before mentioned in intelligence reports charged out from the buildings west of the plaza.
They were Thor Mechs.
Standing over ten meters tall, these massive war engines were armed with heavy ordnance on both arms, their thick plating bearing the Imperium insignia. They were the ace units of the Terran Dominion's ground forces.
The arrival of the Thor Mechs brought a subtle shift to the battlefield. Their particle beam cannons did not fire solid shells, but a continuous stream of high-energy particles. Several thick blue beams struck evangelion unit-01's A.T. Field at once, and this time, the barrier's ripples were visibly more violent than before.
The field load began to spike faster: 52%... 56%... 59%...
"Continuous exposure to high-energy particle weapons detected," Valerie warned. "A.T. Field power consumption rate is rising. It is recommended to prioritize neutralizing high-threat units."
"Understood." Asuka's eyes narrowed slightly. evangelion unit-01 stopped its northward breakout, pivoting its massive frame toward the Thors.
The difference in scale between the red machine and the Thors bordered on the absurd—like an adult standing over a toddler. evangelion unit-01 did not even bother with complex tactics; it simply raised its right leg and brought it down.
One Thor attempted a point-blank shot with its 330mm assault cannon, but before the barrel could fully elevate, evangelion unit-01's red-armored foot crashed down with the weight of a mountain.
"BOOM!!!"
The roar of metal being crushed and shattered by titanic force drowned out every other sound on the battlefield. Under the Titan-grade stomp, the Thor's thick armor collapsed inward like cardboard, its internal mechanics and cockpit instantly compressed into a pancake of mingled metal and flesh. Secondary explosions tore through the ruptures, leaving the burning wreckage beneath evangelion unit-01's foot.
The pilots of the other two Thors were visibly shaken by the spectacle, causing a momentary pause in their firing.
And that pause gave Asuka the opening she needed.
The Nemesis Volcano Cannon mounted on evangelion unit-01's back began its deep, low rotation and charge once more. This time, however, the muzzle did not point into the distance; it angled slightly downward, aiming straight at the position of the two remaining Thors.
"Sayonara."
"BOOOOOM!!!"
A thick torrent of devastation burst forth once again, but over an extremely short range, sweeping virtually flush with the ground.
Both Thors, along with half the building behind them, were instantly engulfed and vaporized in the searing thermal stream. All that remained on the ground were two scorched trenches several meters deep with molten edges, alongside a scattering of mangled, unrecognizable scrap.
However, the instant the Thors were wiped out, a preset device inside one of the wrecks was activated. It was not a missile, but several specialized warheads flickering with an ominous purple light. Rolling out from the fractured plating, they detonated simultaneously mere meters from evangelion unit-01's feet.
There was no earth-shattering explosion—only a silent purple ring of light expanding outward in an instant.
The A.T. Field fluctuated noticeably within the ring. Across the pale-gold barrier, the regular hexagonal patterns momentarily warped and blurred. The field load reading jumped: 65%... 68%...
Inside the Entry Plug, Asuka felt a faint but unfamiliar wave of dizziness. It was not a physical impact, but a hazy interference targeting her consciousness, as though subtle static was boring into her mind. Her synchronization rate slipped from 99.1% down to 95.4%, though it quickly stabilized.
"Psionic Energy disruption... targeting the pilot?" She frowned, shaking her head to clear the discomfort.
And that brief moment of disruption was keenly seized upon by the Imperium forces.
The remaining siege tanks, all still-capable Marine, the banshee fighters overhead, and Imperium special forces regrouping from the rubble shifted tactics at once. They no longer attempted to attack evangelion unit-01 directly; instead, they concentrated their fire on the ground around and beneath its feet.
A saturation bombardment. The objective was not to breach the A.T. Field, but to create enough concussive shock and disruption to shatter the terrain and trap this red colossus.
Under the continuous shelling, the plaza around evangelion unit-01 began to cave in massively.
Alloy pavers shattered, laying bare the conduits and cables underneath, while the deeper subterranean foundations groaned under the unbearable strain.
"Asuka! The ground structure is on the verge of total collapse!" Valerie's voice carried an uncharacteristic urgency. "Disengage immediately! evangelion unit-01 has more than enough mobility!"
Asuka shook her head, forcing herself to focus.
With the synchronization rate holding at 95.4%, she slammed the control stick back and floored the pedals.
Unit-01's massive body executed an explosive backward leap completely unbefitting its immense size.
Its leg hydraulic systems and synthetic tendon structures output maximum power. As if yanked back by an invisible giant's hand, the red unit broke away from its spot in an instant, leaping nearly a hundred meters backward and slamming down heavily onto the relatively intact edge of the plaza.
Below, the ground where she had stood collapsed completely, revealing a crater ten meters deep and over thirty meters in diameter.
Shattered rock and metal structures cascaded into the pit like a waterfall. If she had been a second later, Unit-01 would have fallen into the trap.
All firing angles of the Imperium forces immediately readjusted, continuing their pursuit.
Due to the continuous saturation fire and prior Psionic Energy interference, the A.T. Field's load remained at a high level of around 68%.
Asuka could feel that Unit-01's energy reserves were depleting at a steady rate—maintaining a high-intensity A.T. Field was an immense drain in itself.
"Evac point! How much farther?!" she roared over the channel.
"Three hundred meters! But there is a newly deployed Imperium energy barrier ahead of you!" Zeratul's voice came through, laden with combat static. "My team is attempting to destroy the barrier generator, but we need time!"
Time. The thing she lacked most right now was time.
Unit-01 did not pause for a second upon landing. Its colossal metal feet crushed the broken ground as it charged straight toward the designated extraction point.
Raising its right arm, the positron rifle fired in high-frequency bursts. Incandescent white energy beams relentlessly tore through the closing Imperium battle lines, buying precious seconds for Zeratul's team to sabotage the barrier.
Relying on their numerical advantage, the Imperium forces pressed in from all sides, the encirclement steadily tightening.
Right then, Osiris's voice cut into the channel: "Unit-01, turn southeast and destroy the planetary communications array core node atop the Hall of Justice. Paralyze their ground command network and create a window for evacuation."
"The Hall of Justice?" Asuka's gaze swept across the tactical map, locking onto the target instantly. "Understood!"
She yanked the control stick hard. Unit-01's massive frame carved a sharp angle mid-charge, abruptly wheeling toward the southeast.
This sudden tactical shift threw the relentless Imperium intercept fire into momentary chaos and disarray—firing trajectories tangled, and some units even stalled in place due to conflicting commands.
The eight-hundred-meter distance vanished rapidly beneath Unit-01's full-tilt sprint.
Two banshee fighters attempting an oblique interception had just swept out from behind a building when the High-Frequency Particle Blade sweeping from Unit-01's left wrist cleaved them out of the air; their wreckage tumbled into the streets below trailing thick smoke, triggering secondary explosions.
The pyramidal silhouette of the Hall of Justice loomed clearly ahead, the giant dish array on its roof enveloped by a pale-blue energy shield.
"Shield identified," Valerie prompted.
"Taking it down." Asuka's eyes sharpened. Unit-01 raised its right arm on the run, the glow at the muzzle of the positron rifle rapidly contracting and—
—coalescing, letting out a low hum on the verge of energy overload. She took no detours.
At a distance of one hundred and fifty meters, Unit-01 ground to an abrupt halt, its massive frame plowing two deep trenches into the ground.
In the next instant, what erupted from the rifle was no longer a slender beam, but a massive torrent of energy broad enough to engulf nearly half the rooftop! Pure—
—white destruction slammed head-on into the apex of the Hall of Justice.
The shield flashed violently before shattering and extinguishing under the overload.
The specialized alloy structures and precision instruments below melted and vaporized like snow under a blistering sun amid the relentless scouring of the positron stream.
Sympathetic detonations cascaded downward from the top. The upper structure warped and collapsed amidst the violent energy discharge as flames and thick smoke, choked with debris, surged toward the sky into a filthy pillar connecting earth and heavens.
Almost simultaneously, across the comm channels of every Imperium combat unit on the surface of Crest IV, shrill static and cutoffs replaced clear orders.
The automated defense systems exhibited pronounced latency and confusion.
"The barrier is destroyed! The extraction corridor is open!" Zeratul's voice came through, breathless.
"All units, assemble at the extraction point at full speed! Warp window opening soon!" Valerie's order followed immediately.
Unit-01 did not linger in battle, wheeling around to sprint toward the northern extraction point once more.
Stripped of unified and effective command, the Imperium forces' intercept fire turned scattered and ineffective, utterly unable to halt the red colossus's stride.
The three-hundred-meter distance closed in an instant under Unit-01's sprint. The intersection at the extraction point was littered with vehicle wreckage and scorch marks. Zeratul and five Dark Templar used broken walls as cover to hold a temporary defensive line, surrounded by the bodies of even more fallen Imperium soldiers. Unit-01's heavy footfalls slammed to a stop before them, the wind pressure from the chassis whipping up clouds of dust. Asuka decisively activated the external loudspeaker, her terse, commanding voice cutting through the combat din: "Get on!"
Without hesitation, the eerie green light in Zeratul's eyes flashed. His Psionic Energy-enhanced body leapt first, landing precisely onto the outstretched—
—room-sized left palm of Unit-01. The remaining five Dark Templar followed like shadows, agile and swift, as six dark figures secured their footing within the red giant's grasp.
At almost the exact same moment, along the edge of the high clouds, a pocket of distorted light quickly shed its cloak—the pathfinder, which had been lurking in silent concealment, revealed its streamlined hull. Beneath its ventral hull, the complex ring structure of the warp matrix suddenly lit up, intense blue psychic radiance pulsing like a heartbeat, and a dense pillar of light beamed down with precision, enveloping the center of the extraction point.
Yet, a lethal threat arrived in the heavens almost simultaneously. An Imperium Battlecruiser, just concluding its orbital transit and cutting into this airspace, cast its colossal shadow over the surface. Along its broadside, the heavy armor plates of several large laser turrets slid aside, exposing crystal arrays spinning madly as they gathered energy. Dazzling radiance surged as they locked dead onto the decloaked pathfinder.
"High energy signature! Naval-grade!" Inside the pathfinder's Bridge, shrill alarms and the sensory officer's cry rang out at once.
"Disregard the interference! Maximize warp matrix output!" Valerie's voice was cold and swift, cutting away all hesitation.
The blue light beneath the pathfinder's belly instantly blazed too blinding to look at, the whine of the warp matrix drowning out even the ambient battlefield explosions. Below, Unit-01 and the warriors upon its palm were completely engulfed by surging Psionic Energy radiance; space began to twist and fold violently, and physical outlines blurred and stretched like watercolor dissolving in liquid.
In orbit, the barrels of the Imperium warship finally erupted with devastating flashes—several thick, searing Lances ripped through the atmosphere, plunging downward with the sheer might to obliterate everything!
The moment the beams made contact, the blue psychic vortex collapsed violently inward, dissipating completely into thin air. At the center of the extraction point, nothing remained—save for air disturbed by lingering energy wash and a scorched circular imprint on the ground.
The beam fire of the Imperium warship was a fatal moment too late, blasting in vain against that empty, scorched earth to trigger a deafening—
—explosion as a magma-like crater opened up.
In that exact instant, the silhouette of the pathfinder was enveloped in violent spatial fluctuations, blurring and fading in the blink of an eye, breaking completely free of the Imperium warship's fire-control lock.
On the ground, nothing remained but still-burning ruins, pervasive smoke, and the stunned, bewildered faces of countless Imperium soldiers gazing up at the sky. The rescue target had never once revealed itself.