Chapter 339: The Ancestor

Blue light seeped from the inside outward, spilling from the battle moon as it gradually "expanded" and "collapsed."

Finally…

Boom—!

The scrap‑metal surface cracked open outward, while the slightly inner region was melted by high heat and vaporized, and the core gave rise to a blue star fifteen kilometers in diameter.

Soon.

The blue star quickly dimmed until it vanished completely, and the scrap metal fused by the power of "My Contemplation," along with the green‑skinned orcs wielding "My Contemplation," both turned to nothing.

But the instigator remained unharmed.

Robert's DivineBody stood within the original blast radius.

In fact, it was the plasma "grenade" used by the DivineBody that detonated, creating the "star."

That "grenade" was a plasma projectile equivalent to 260 million tons of TNT.

To ordinary people, this is a strategic‑level weapon; to the OriginalBody's DivineBody, it is simply a "grenade."

Extermination orders can be carried out in many ways, such as assembling a fleet to encircle a planet slated for extermination and then delivering a concentrated electromagnetic main‑cannon barrage, or deploying a prismatic formation to link and amplify beam fire, repeatedly scorching the surface into vitrification, or the most common and economical method: launching a nova‑class nuclear bomb.

Of course, one could also "deploy" an OriginalBody piloting a DivineBody onto a planet's surface to achieve the same extermination effect.

With the assistance and amplification of a DivineBody, even OriginalBodies like Rus, John and Robert, who cannot flexibly wield Spiritual Energy, can easily release the pure Spiritual Energy stored within them, achieving a "star‑burst" effect.

Of course, this method drains stamina and energy to an extreme degree, so OriginalBodies usually do not employ it.

However, the standard "grenade" of a DivineBody, if a hundred or so are thrown on a planet's atmospheric surface, is not much worse than a nova‑class nuclear bomb, just not as "economical," since plasma projectiles exceeding a hundred‑million‑ton equivalent are prohibitively expensive.

At this moment.

Robert actively dissipated his shield, causing the pale‑gold diamond‑shaped blocks to shatter and fade one by one, and he also commanded his DivineBody to reinstall a 1200 mm laser cannon, continuing to snipe the orc fleet from afar.

As for the orcs…

Even though they lost the battle moon they relied on most, they did not collapse like the Ti Pu Empire, and still chose to engage the Limit Legion.

Observing this, and with some advice from his father, Robert knew the key to affecting the orcs' morale—their "boss" who leads them was still alive.

If that is true, that "boss" should be on the surface of the planet Otiño.

Realizing this possibility, Robert immediately seized the moment, cooperating with Kaise's command, methodically annihilating the orc fleet that had lost the battle moon, and swiftly securing complete orbital control of Otiño.

———————

…

Two hours later.

In the space debris of Otiño's low orbit, the wreckage of the orc fleet and the battle moon appeared.

Meanwhile, the Limit Legion's twenty‑seven warships are now docked in low orbit, with numerous repair vessels shuttling between them for maintenance.

Two hours ago, Robert brought a quarter of the Limit Legion's forces, including thirty‑one DawnGuardian ships; now they have lost a Gorgon, an Achilles, and two Resolute‑class vessels.

Among them, the Achilles and the Resolute‑class ships suffered severe hull damage, and in the emergency the surviving crew had to abandon ship.

The Gorgon was almost entirely wiped out; only the Limit warriors who had pre‑equipped Thor Hammers survived the explosion, while the support troops, engineers, and ground crew were all lost—a situation extremely rare in previous naval battles.

The Gorgon was destroyed by the battle moon, and after Robert detonated the battle moon, the orc fleet suddenly unleashed a powerful Spiritual Energy "Waaagh" stance…

Even from inside a warship, one can hear the orcs' erupting "Waaagh" stance, instantly crippling the energy shields of most warships, leaving them to rely on α‑titanium alloy armor to harden against attacks.

Although the final outcome was uneventful—the technologically and firepower‑superior legion won—the "Waaagh" stance's shield crippling caused the legion to lose a troop‑carrier and two escort ships.

At this point, beside the central console on DawnGuardian's bridge…

"No wonder father valued the green‑skinned so much." While browsing casualty and loss data on the holographic screen, Robert couldn't help thinking.

Before the expedition, Sui Bian had spoken with him alone, sharing many traits of the green‑skinned orcs and granting him permission to use the extermination order.

Robert didn't bother puzzling over how his father learned the orcs' traits; now, after the first clash with this pack of "Waaagh," he began to wonder how to eliminate them once and for all.

He fell silent for a moment.

Robert flicked his left hand to the right, switching the holographic display to a 3‑D model of Otiño marked in red and yellow.

The red zones, based on fleet orbital observations, are presumed fallen; high‑altitude scans show ruined "medieval" cities and the corpses of the Velyn people, with only traces of orc activity remaining.

Conversely, the yellow zones still harbor many surviving Velyn, struggling against an endless "green tide."

Otiño's current state is equivalent to being fallen.

Even if the surface orcs lose fleet supplies and have no hope of escape, the species' spore‑reproduction trait, combined with blood seeping into the soil and corpses scattered everywhere, has already claimed Otiño as theirs.

Thus employing the extermination order to curb their numbers is the only choice.

However, before using the extermination order, Robert doesn't mind a "relief mission," forcing the Velyn to provide useful intelligence.

Having determined the next steps, Robert raised both hands and operated, assigning the six remaining yellow zones numbers "01" through "06."

Immediately after, Robert divided the fleet into six groups, taking charge of zone 01 himself and appointing five temporary commanders for the remaining yellow zones.

Outside the bridge.

With the latest orders issued, DawnGuardian and two Gorgon ships head toward the northern hemisphere, approaching a massive "medieval" city.

The remaining twenty‑five warships, also per Robert's instructions, form groups of five and proceed to different zones.

———————

…

Meanwhile.

Inside the machinery bay of DawnGuardian's hull, the "clack!" of weapons being loaded and equipment fastened fills the air.

There are neatly arranged lockers and weapon racks, and many "soldiers" already fitted with their TPS Power Armor.

From their matte black paint and uniquely shaped helmets, one can tell these "soldiers" are Umbrella's most insane, most lethal, and pinnacle "mortal" troops: the HellParatroopers.

The helmets' visor edges bear red, shark‑tooth‑like patterns, and the left arm armor's insignia reads "HellParatrooper Frenzy‑tooth Shark Regiment."

Once all Frenzy‑tooth Sharks finish rearming, securing their weapons and ammo, they briskly exit the machinery bay, join other regiments and battalions of HellParatroopers, rush to the airdrop prep chamber, and enter the single‑person drop pods labeled with their names and personnel numbers.

The pod doors close.

The HellParatroopers and the ferocious‑toothed sharks both looked through small sealed windows at the preparation cabin whose lights had already been shut off, keeping silent as they waited.

"You stinky brats!" At that moment, a deep‑voiced pre‑battle speech rang over everyone's communication channel: "From now on I, Carlos Oliviera, will personally lead you to set foot on the surface, and together with our extreme warriors confront those green‑skins first, to save the elves' purity…"

Ahem! To rescue the Veylin tribe from peril, let the alien husks see what the hell a death‑god descending looks like, what the hell a battle looks like! So, stinky brats, are you all ready??!!

"We will be the first to step into Hell, sir!!"

As soon as Carlos finished speaking, his emotion already "ignited", the HellParatroopers, about to enter a "frenzied" state, let out a unified battle roar.

And Carlos Oliviera…

He was a "veteran" who served in a jungle guerrilla unit at the end of the twentieth century, was hired by early Umbrella to UBCS, and has been active ever since being recruited into Sui Bian's faction.

He has taken part in the Lockford Island assault, the Sheheba Fog incident, raids on castles occupied by vampires and werewolves, and so on—truly a record of countless merits, and is also one of the elders of Sui Bian's faction, currently serving as a brigadier general of the Extreme Star Zone, commanding all HellParatroopers, and also possessing deployment authority over the UNSC Airborne Division.

The reason his rank is "only" brigadier general is simple: it is not that Sui Bian or Robert deliberately suppress him; in fact, Carlos himself refuses promotion so he can continue leading troops in the charge.

However, a brigadier general who likes to ride in an airborne pod and habitually leads his subordinates to be the "first to step into Hell" may be aggressive, even odd, but it greatly boosts morale.

Inside the airborne pod.

Carlos, with his helmet unfolded, revealing a "middle‑aged" appearance and three claw marks on his right cheek, listened to the HellParatroopers' battle cries, and after seeing the holographic display on his left side flash the word "Ready", he immediately sealed his helmet, completing the seal of his TPS Power Armor, then raised his voice again and roared:

"Stinky brats, hold tight and brace yourselves, it's time to depart!"

"Hoo‑ha!!"

At this moment, outside the airborne pod and outside the ship.

The DawnGuardian maintained a steady altitude, then ejected thousands of single‑person airborne pods, as well as Astate's exclusive five‑person pods, hurling toward the ground; when all the pods broke through the atmosphere, they resembled an intense meteor shower.

At the same time, the hangar released a swarm of troop‑transport aircraft to follow the pods to the ground, and the two Gorgon ships that had rushed to this orbit with the DawnGuardian also began descending, preparing to provide fire‑suppression for the ground forces.

—————————

…

At dawn.

It should have been the darkest time of day, when diurnal creatures sleep most deeply, yet at this moment the forest's burning flames, the spray of "fire snakes" from guns, and the dazzling light from released "magic" illuminated the whole area.

A view from the sky.

A vast, magnificent classical city was surrounded by an endless "green‑skin ocean".

Fortunately, the towering, sturdy walls temporarily kept the green‑skin beasts from entering the city.

These green‑skin beasts all looked similar, extremely muscular, and their clothing and armor matched the rugged, exaggerated weapons they wielded perfectly, without a hint of incongruity, as if they were meant to be that way.

Joining the assault on the classical city were numerous tanks, armored vehicles, and mobile fortresses of similarly rugged design, and in the sky were also ragged fighter‑jets and bombers with propellers.

"Waaagh～!!! Hahaha!!"

When charging, the green‑skin beasts lacked the solemn atmosphere of a "normal" race; instead they shouted with laughter and cheers, and even when their fleet vanished they showed no sign of tension, as if they treated war as fun.

Even stranger, they seemed to have a dedicated "rock band" that played accompaniment to the gunfire, artillery, and the "Waaagh" shouts…

Honestly, the rhythm was quite good and pleasant to listen to.

But the classical city, fighting a desperate struggle to delay "their" extinction, only regarded the beasts' heavy‑metal rock as detestable trash.

On the walls.

The long‑eared elves clad in dark‑red knight armor, leveraging their high‑ground advantage, used slender spear‑like firearms to pour pale‑blue high‑energy beams onto the green‑skin army, or drew bows to fire metal arrows wrapped in various Spiritual Energy glows, no weaker than thermal weapons.

"Ping!! Boom—!"

The mages in white robes could unleash massive Spiritual Energy lightning and pressure, directly roasting and blasting the green‑skin beasts that approached the wall first.

Coordinating with the Spiritual Energy crystals mounted on the wall, the mages could chain their Spiritual Energy lightning like a prism tower, thereby amplifying its power.

And moreover…

As a "plant" race, when the beasts are charred, there is indeed a "grilled green‑pepper scent".

But at the moment of life and death, these Veylin elves have no time to think about grilling.

The walls stand firm, and the Spiritual Energy shield they raised will not be shattered easily in the short term, but over time, the city's fall and the people's death are inevitable.

Even knowing the outcome, the Otiño people have no recourse.

The crystals and warships stationed in low‑Earth orbit were completely destroyed by the beasts' overwhelming numbers and unique Spiritual Energy stance; escape was hopeless, leaving only the attempt to buy time, for the ancestor's daughter of their tribe had foretold that a reinforcement would descend upon Otiño to help them weather this crisis.

It was hope that drove all Otiño folk to fight to the death, sustaining the supposed arrival of the reinforcements.

At that moment, a beast towering far above all the green‑skins, at least seven meters tall, stepped slowly out of the forest, raised its massive hammer, its face alight with excitement, and grinned…

"Waaagh! Hahaha!" he roared, releasing a visible yet intangible Spiritual Shock that smashed the southern wall and shield of the classical city, giving countless green‑skin youths the chance to surge into the city in one blow.

This beast, it seems, is their "boss".

(End of Chapter)