Chapter 322: Feint and Transmission

Golden light flashed.

Those canine beast demons, only four meters long and covered head to toe in blood‑red scale armor, spontaneously burst into flames, burning extremely fast, turning to ash in the blink of an eye and scattering in the wind.

Roar!!

And that bloodthirsty giant beast, its body likewise engulfed in inextinguishable flames, was howling in pain and struggling.

"What... what is happening?!?" the soldier exclaimed in shock.

The sudden turn of events left this twenty‑something soldier somewhat "frozen," his eyes wide open, even doubting whether he had already died, for only then could he witness a "miracle" that should have been impossible.

"Thud, thud,..."

At that moment, the soldier again heard the sound of magnetic boots stepping on the ground, so he looked toward the right side of the sound source, and upon seeing the visitor's face clearly, he could not believe his eyes:

"Chairman Sui?!?!"

The person walking toward the soldier was none other than Sui Bian.

However, at this moment Sui Bian wore his exclusive black‑gold armor, and in his right hand he held the Sword of the Chancellor, whose blade burned with golden flames.

The leaping flames seemed to raise the temperature nearby, yet the soldier felt only comfort and ease, his tense nerves instantly relaxing.

As Sui Bian gradually approached, the soldier, having regained his composure, hurriedly tried to stand up.

But his individual powered armor was severely damaged, and with his wounds, he could not manage the simple motion of standing.

Yet Sui Bian, who had come to one side, said, "Rest well, child. With me here, Harvest Star will not fall, and humanity will not be defeated."

Having said that, Sui Bian did not wait for the soldier's reply, but turned his head to look at the bloodthirsty demon still struggling to escape the burning flames.

He put away his kindly expression, raised the Sword of the Chancellor, and gave it a casual swing.

A "Boom~---!"

The bloodthirsty demon was instantly reduced to ashes, leaving not a trace.

At the same time, a crimson aura of spiritual energy appeared beside Sui Bian, then turned into golden light and swiftly vanished, as if he had instantaneously completed a "plunder" and an "absorption."

Moreover, whether because of Sui Bian's appearance or some other reason, the "gate" that had been releasing the canine beasts and bloodthirsty demons automatically sealed shut, preventing any further demons from being summoned to Harvest Star.

"..."

Having witnessed all these unbelievable events, the soldier was still pondering how Sui Bian could simply wave his hand and "dispel" the bloodthirsty demon... no...

That probably isn't the point.

The point is, Sui Bian, who became UEG Chairman after layered elections two years ago and now serves the 2100th session, why is he wearing powered armor, wielding a flaming longsword, and possessing such powerful spiritual energy??

Indeed, too many questions troubled the soldier.

Soon.

The Sparta heavy armor squad sent out five brothers for guard duty, and the squad leader responsible for command came before Sui Bian, reporting in a respectful tone:

"Father, we have just received notice that the gates near the space elevator, as well as in Ordgar and indeed all of Harvest Star, have been sealed, and we are currently mopping up remaining enemy forces."

"I will handle the mopping up myself." Sui Bian returned the Sword of the Chancellor to its sheath at his hip, glanced over the UNSC soldiers—corporals, privates, and others—who had lost mobility and combat ability, and continued to give orders:

"You and your squad stay here for now, guarding these soldiers until the rescue craft arrives."

"Yes, Father."

Having received Sui Bian's direct order, this Sparta heavy armor squad no longer headed toward the space elevator.

As for Sui Bian...

He lifted his head, his eyes filled with golden light, and then——

Boom——

Then a visible spiritual shockwave, shimmering with golden radiance, burst outward from Sui Bian and rapidly spread in all directions.

Viewed from above,

the urban areas and outskirts of Ordgar, the farmlands and estates, then the forests and oceans, finally Harvest Star, including the near‑Earth orbital region, were completely enveloped.

The lingering demons ravaging Harvest Star were also mercilessly burned; even those with weaker spiritual energy would spontaneously ignite upon seeing the golden radiance, unable to resist.

Their physical bodies and souls turned to ash, while their spiritual energy was seized by Sui Bian as his own.

On the contrary, the human side that likewise witnessed the golden radiance and was enveloped by the spiritual shockwave experienced the exact opposite state, with even injuries receiving a degree of treatment and relief.

The radiance faded.

The explosions and gunfire ceased, indicating that the battle on Harvest Star had come to an abrupt halt.

And...

"Father?!?"

Those towering giants, those countless youths who aspired to be warriors and "heroes," actually called Chairman Sui "father"...

And...

Chairman Sui even released a spiritual energy burst powerful enough to alter the course of a planetary war!

The soldier was even more shocked.

The existence of spiritual users was no longer a secret, yet the soldier had never imagined that Chairman Sui himself was a spiritual user.

Sui Bian, sensing the soldier's state of mind, gave no explanation and did not hide the fact that he and Astate were in a father‑son relationship.

As for planetary‑level spiritual energy bursts, he had once released such an event sixty years ago in Arcadia.

Back then many Arcadians had witnessed the golden radiance, and related pictures and videos circulated online,

although discussion of it cooled due to deliberate downplay by UEG, Umbrella, and UNSC, once officials disclosed the existence of spiritual users, the matter was dug up again.

By this point, people realized that the one who emitted the golden radiance was a spiritual user, but his identity remained a mystery.

Some guessed it was Shengjilesi, others thought it was Magnus, with much speculation.

Others speculated that it might be a certain hidden figure, a "guardian" who walks unseen among humanity, who appears in different guises whenever humanity faces crisis to help them through.

As a soldier who likewise cared about, participated in, and discussed this matter, he instantly realized that the hidden identity, the "guardian" walking the world, seemed to be none other than Chairman Sui before him...

Suddenly, the blue‑white "light cluster" on the power pack of Sui Bian's black‑gold armor flashed, rapidly expanded to envelop him entirely, and then vanished into thin air.

'Sizzle…~! Sizzle…'

At the point where Sui Bian disappeared, only a faint current remained.

———————

…

At the same time.

The low orbit of Harvest Star.

After many years, a large fleet of warships has gathered here again.

The main force of the Sparta Corps fleet, responsible for defending the star region's capital, consists of the Hope Vessel flagship, carriers, and battleships—sixteen ships in total—while the remaining thirty-plus ships of the corps fleet are evenly distributed throughout the star region.

Also, the main forces of UNSC's 16th, 22nd, 27th, 30th, and 31st Fleets, tasked with jointly defending the star region alongside the Sparta Corps, as well as half of the Dark Angel Legion that has just arrived to provide support.

When the void storm began to rage, the Dark Angel Legion arrived promptly to offer support, and together with Harvest Star's preemptive evacuation efforts, it seemed humanity had already prepared.

But the preparation was still insufficient.

Now.

Above Ordega, the Valor Praise docked beside the orbital elevator hub.

On the bridge.

'Sizzle~!'

Another surge of current stirred, and the pale-colored 'light cluster' appeared before the bridge's hatch.

In fact, this is the commotion caused by the Terminator and dedicated power armor when activating the Short-Range Teleportation Device; once the 'light cluster' dissipates, Sui Bian completes the teleport and returns to the bridge.

He walked toward the central console.

At that moment, Hong Hou and the White Empress waiting on the bridge immediately flanked him.

Hong Hou then spoke up to report: "Chairman, OriginalBody Leon still needs two hours to reach Marl Star to support the Marl people."

As for the situation in the Border Fortress Star Region, it seems to have been brought under control, especially Harvest Star; when the Chairman teleported to the surface, all the portals linking real space and the void vanished, and even the void storm is shrinking.

But the situation in the Musan, Extreme, and Forging star regions is far from optimistic, especially Oslo Star Region, which is under the responsibility of OriginalBody Rus.

The void storm ravaging Oslo Star Region continues to expand its range, nearly consuming the entire region.

Currently, OriginalBody Rus is organizing defenses as best as possible, rallying remaining forces to the capital planet Finnris in preparation to stall the void storm's further expansion.

"Chairman..." she said, and Hong Hou suddenly shifted her tone: "All of Harvest Star's transfer gates have closed simultaneously, and the situation in the Border Fortress Star Region has been brought under control..."

It gives me the feeling that this was done deliberately by the demons, and the Prophecy information provided by the Marl ancestor Erinmir seems mistaken."

During the report, Hong Hou and her companions had already come to the side of the central console, while Sui Bian frowned slightly as he looked at the holographic star map.

The "Prophecy information" Hong Hou mentioned was actually from Erinmir, who urgently contacted Sui Bian not long ago, saying she had foreseen that the Border Star Region and the Marl Star where the Marl people live would be eroded by the void.

At that time, the evil god's chosen one will sacrifice the human inhabitants of the Border Star Region and the lives and souls of tens of millions of Marl people, then use the Border Star Region as a "forward base" to launch a full-scale war against humanity.

After all, humanity has now almost completely "shielded" the void.

To void-born beings, human territory is gradually growing "dim," becoming impossible to scout or lock onto, and the Solar System, as humanity's origin, has become an untouchable zone, completely plunged into "darkness."

Moreover, this phenomenon is expanding outward from the Solar System, threatening to "devour" the entire Orion Spur and even the whole galaxy.

Void-born beings regard this "darkness" as a disaster, causing the lofty evil gods to cease their scheming and infighting; they would rather cooperate, but they must eradicate this darkness before they can find peace.

After learning of this Prophecy from Erinmir, the human military began to devise countermeasures, mobilizing troops and concentrating forces mainly in the Border Star Region.

Meanwhile, the Dark Angel Legion on patrol split into two parts, with Leon leading half the legion to Marl Star, while Sui Bian rushed to Harvest Star to assist John in holding the entire star region, awaiting further reinforcements while preparing to personally slay the Gods' Chosen.

However, upon arriving at Harvest Star, the void storm in the Border Star Region began to dissipate on its own, while Oslo Star Region suffered heavy damage instead.

Clearly, Erinmir's Prophecy has deviated; of course, the evil gods are more likely to have deliberately shown her a false future.

"Your feeling is correct, Hong Hou; those guys hiding in the void really pulled a fast one on us."

Sui Bian did not deny his AI secretary's "feeling."

Since the void storms erupted at both ends of the territory, the prayers murmuring in Sui Bian's ears have never ceased.

These prayers come from company staff, legion auxiliaries, and UNSC field officers, among others who know his deeds and true identity.

At the same time, he also heard a reminder from the system in his mind…

It concerned the reminder that, when his troops and the Astate dealt heavy physical blows to powerful demons, he should conduct Spiritual Energy plunder.

It also included Genluogede, who opposed Paersixi.

Sui Bian did not know the condition of Genluo and his comrades—whether they were dead or alive—but he knew human casualties were severe.

Fury…

Now is not the time for anger.

Calming his thoughts, Sui Bian continued: "The reason they went to such lengths, feigning an attack on the Border Fortress Star Region, was to lure me away, for they fear my ability."

Upon hearing that,

"If that's the case…" Hong Hou's prosthetic face showed a contemplative expression, then suddenly realized, frowning as she said:

"In other words, the demons have always aimed straight at the weakly defended Oslo Star Region, intending to sacrifice the 45 billion people living there and then firmly secure the passage from the void to real space."

"And Harvest Star is 890 light-years from Finnris; a jump takes nineteen hours, and within that span the Gods' Chosen could already have achieved its goal." said the White Empress.

"Highly likely." Hong Hou nodded, turned to Sui Bian, and said: "Chairman, we can notify OriginalBody Shengjilesi and Kelakesi…"

"No." Sui Bian raised his hand to halt Hong Hou's suggestion, his voice low: "Perhaps they are waiting for us to make this decision, leaving the star region without an OriginalBody to hold it down—know that during a void storm, the speed at which they open portals surely surpasses jump travel."

Moreover, before that Gods' Chosen steps into real space, we cannot truly discern its target; we can only say the odds are highest for Oslo.

However…

As long as I remain still, that Chosen will emerge from its hiding place; then I will personally slay it, to honor our fallen comrades.

Hong Hou wondered: "But… Chairman, you also said jump travel can't match a portal, unless we also possess the corresponding Space Gate technology."

"It's not really technology; it's more like magic." Sui Bian lightly waved his left hand and continued:

"As for long-range teleportation, I and Magnus will handle it; therefore, Hong Hou, focus your efforts on the Oslo Star Region, coordinating the nearby UNSC navy fleet, the Supervisory Bureau's strike teams, and the Grey Knights to rush reinforcements."

White Empress, disclose certain war details to society, inform the public of the characteristics of the 'abnormal phenomena' and 'abnormal creatures' that provoked the war, so the public knows what we are fighting.

"Yes (good), Chairman." The two secretaries replied in unison.

Finished giving orders.

Sui Bian prepared to contact Magnus, having this studious son help him prepare to open a 'Teleportation Portal'.

(End of chapter)