Chapter 638: with translation of chapter title

John

Originally thinking the plague doctor had nothing to do with the war's start, upon hearing John's words he realized Talasin had already shut down, and impatiently strode to Talasin's side, raising his right hand to slap the metal back of the head.

Xun·Balahaer

"Huh?" accompanied by a clear sound, Talasin finally regained consciousness and, somewhat dazed, looked around.

Seeing the smashed main control console and noticing a hint of hostility and contempt, Talasin immediately realized that "its" thought logic had been invaded by Xun·Balaher, thereby allowing the enemy to successfully breach the supposedly impenetrable shield world.

Zelasi

"Doctor, keep an eye on it and take it away from the central control room." Since he knew this undead overlord's action was unintentional, John couldn't be bothered to negotiate with Talasin.

"Come on, this place will get boring right away, hurry! Keep researching that Zelas with me!"

Lie'aonida Hao

"Although your father said he wanted me to watch over the plague doctor, if you need me to provide assistance or undertake a strike mission, just give me advance notice."

Death Spirit

John merely nodded slightly in response, offering no further reply, and at the same time used his armor to activate the holographic star map, displaying the relevant positions, information, and data of our legion and the enemy fleet, etc.

He then issued the order: "Notify all battalion and ship commanders, whether warship or battalion headquarters, to adopt the three-three formation for guerrilla tactics and support, ensuring our flanks and rear are secure while eliminating as many enemy alien vessels as possible."

Five-Dimensional Space

Honor Guard Iron Fist

Battalion Commander

Through the many screens before John and the fixed screen on the control console, one can see that the Sparta fleet has now engaged in fierce firefight with the undead fleet, and both sides have opened with a full salvo.

Battalion HQ

This is also the main reason for the tremors on the Leonidas; of course, the space undead's attacks are all blocked by the energy shield, but the opposing world engine also has a defensive stance, making ordinary attacks ineffective against these two celestial‑class warships.

However, among the escort frigates, cruisers and other small warships that took part in the opening salvo, some were not so lucky, suffering multi‑angle bombardment and then exploding violently, or else sustaining engine damage and left drifting in this five‑dimensional space.

Warrior Guard

Setting aside the world engine of true planetary size, the remaining undead ships seem endless, with ever more flying pyramids joining the battle.

Even though the Empire's ships have more comprehensive performance and firepower, and against same‑class, same‑size undead space ships they dominate, and Sparta excels at frontal assault and likewise at withstanding offensives, Sparta is ultimately not a legion overly specialized in defense.

Moreover, even if Rog personally leads the Honor Guard's three thousand warships, without changing the strategy the outcome would only be heavy losses, possibly total annihilation in a short time.

This is why John's initial order had all ships and battalions disperse in a three‑three formation.

At this moment John did not interrupt his speech despite the obvious shaking; he simply continued, "Given that the enemy fleet is more than ten times our size, once all our ships and battalions have formed the three‑three formation, dispersed and kept sufficient distance, we will immediately use the jump‑drive to charge into the enemy warship group."

The Leonidas will deal with that merely intimidating world engine, but notify Timis·Tokli that the 1st Battalion's jump‑drive journey must precede the whole fleet, and their goal is not to charge into the enemy warship group but to rush straight to the edge of that solitary island, dispatch ground troops to land, and attempt to locate the exact position of the Brilliant Star Map.

Furthermore, I will send a squad of 300 warrior guards, plus two OriginalBodies to assist the 1st Battalion in carrying out this mission.

Shengjilesi

Having received the OriginalBody's direct orders, the Sparta and auxiliary forces seated in the central control room have already relayed all commands to the respective units.

"Sir!" However, the female auxiliary responsible for liaison with the 1st Battalion turned her head and loudly reported to John, "Battalion Commander Tokli sent a reply saying the enemy warship formation is too dense; if we deploy directly…"

Warrior-exclusive Centurion

Aresi

Brilliant Star Map

"Gentlemen." After issuing the orders, John dismissed the holographic screen before him, then, while scanning those present, he also did not forget to open the public channel and spoke in a low voice:

Public Frequency Comms

Holographic Star Map

Holographic Screen

Sparta Corps

Seeing the morale was good, John immediately turned and walked out, with An Na Jin, Wokan and several warriors following him.

Space Death Spirit

Space Wild Wolves

The carrier‑based aircraft squadron stationed here had long been ready; all pilots had boarded, awaiting the Leonidas to complete its jump‑strike, after which they would immediately sortie from the hangar to join the battle.

However, what is docked here is not only ordinary carrier aircraft, but also the Honor Guard's exclusive bio‑mechanical centurion, and the "standing" unit at the very center…

Energy Shield

As the OriginalBody's exclusive bio‑mechanical armor, the DivineBody has, since its birth, continually received Umbrella's "upgrades" and "enhancements"; moreover, the DivineBody, which possesses "life," is also growing on its own, and its average height has now reached 160 meters.

Over time, the DivineBody's physique and appearance will also exhibit OriginalBody traits—for example, Rus's DivineBody has two pairs of protruding fangs, while the most obvious is Shengjilesi's DivineBody, which bears a pair of white wings with a wingspan of up to a kilometer.

As for the Sparta OriginalBody's DivineBody, it possesses the currently strongest physique, muscular to the fullest while retaining coordinated proportions, extremely aesthetic, resembling an ancient Greek sculpture.

Equipped with its exclusive helmet, armor and cloak, it resembles an ancient Greek heavy‑infantry general, almost indistinguishable from the fallen "war god" Ares of ten thousand years ago.

Regardless of whether Artemis believes it or not, after Umbrella's continual tuning, the DivineBody's physical physique has in fact already surpassed the Greek gods, so the DivineBody is no longer a counterfeit "divine body".

Besides, standing to the left and right of the DivineBody are three hundred centurions, each about thirty meters tall, likewise equipped with exclusive helmets, armor and cloaks.

As the Sparta legion and also the OriginalBody's bodyguards, the Honor Guard, like the legendary 300 warriors of Thermopylae, is a one‑in‑ten‑thousands existence.

Battle of Thermopylae

And this "one in ten thousand" is no exaggeration, given that the Sparta legion has already expanded to over a thousand battalions, while the total number of Astate approaches a million, so describing it as one in ten thousand fits the facts.

Company

At this moment, An Na Jin standing on the edge deck, upon seeing the distant DivineBody, could not help but exclaim, "Truly worthy of the DivineBody; I don't know when I will have mine."

"Don't worry." Looking at his own DivineBody, John patiently explained to his two brothers, "At the moment you are reborn, the company has already begun cultivating an exclusive DivineBody from your blood; once you grow up and come of age, possessing your own legion, the DivineBody will naturally be handed over to you."

Speaking, John turned to look at the much shorter An Na Jin and the soon-to-be-equal Wokan, and cautioned:

The main cannon of the Leonida is currently charging; as I just ordered, you two will go ahead with the 300 Warrior Guard, teleport to the flagship of the 1st Battalion, and after the main cannon clears the blocking obstacles, directly leap to that lone island.

"While searching for the location of the Brilliant Star Map, also try to search for their dynastic core… if it exists, that would effectively ease the pressure on the fleet, but don't get too hung up on the core issue—the Sparta on the front battlefield fears no enemy."

"This…" An Na Jin hesitated slightly.

To be frank, when he saw the melee outside through the holographic screen, he felt himself utterly insignificant, as if he could play no decisive role at all.

The scale of the battle before them far exceeded the extraterrestrial extermination war of the 109th universe, and even all the engagements they had participated in.

Although they learned of all the expeditions through the White Empress and the Imperial Palace Library, among them, the expedition a hundred years ago by the main universe against the 03rd universe had mobilized a total of 170,000 warships of all classes.

But to them at that time, 170,000 was merely a number; even with video records, it lacked the shock of firsthand participation.

He wanted to do more, such as previously single-handedly carving a path through the overlord's tomb of Clarke.

However, the battle before them had already surpassed An Na Jin's expectations, and he lacked the strategic talent of Helusi and John, leaving him feeling utterly overwhelmed and even a sense of emptiness.

Mainly, this journey seems to have dealt An Na Jin too many blows.

"Good." Wokan nodded as usual.

Seeing Wokan, whom he had grown up with since childhood, still fearless of everything, An Na Jin finally made up his mind: "Me too, brother."

"Hmm." John then turned his head slightly, and to the helmet-unfolding squad leader with neat short hair beside him, he said in a low voice: "Ajax, do your best to look after the two of them; if they charge too far forward and encounter danger, becoming surrounded, you must retrieve them at all costs—understood?"

"Yes."

"Very well, then you may set out."

"Yes."

His words fell silent.

The three hundred warriors already gathered here each short-range teleported to their respective centurion's access area, and then, with the help of technicians, entered the centurions.

Immediately afterward, the monitors that had been dim and dark lit up with a dark red glow as each dedicated pilot entered.

The warriors controlled their centurions—some twisting their necks, moving joints, slightly swinging their arms, or taking down the heavy-caliber, high-powered weapons mounted on the weapons rack, such as bolt-thrower cannons and laser cannons.

The mechs were all functioning normally.

At the same time, the ground crew stationed at the front of the access area immediately used their earpieces to contact superiors; upon receiving what seemed like approval, they all raised their hands and gave a thumbs-up signal to the centurions.

Seeing this, some centurions responded with a nod to the ground crew, while others directly activated teleportation, accompanied by a flash of blue light, vanishing instantly within this hangar.

Watching the three hundred centurions complete their transfer, with the calculated charge time approaching, John gave his two brothers beside him a final reminder.

"You go as well; remember, you are OriginalBodies, representing the Empire's peak combat strength… uh, anyway, although the warrior squad will do their best to look after you, don't disgrace our father—I know you understand what I mean by that."

"Of course, brother." Wokan and An Na Jin said in unison.

And having said that, the two OriginalBodies were enveloped in two clusters of cyan-blue light and vanished before John's eyes.

No one was around.

John regained his composure, then turned his gaze back to the DivineBody; although he didn't speak aloud, his expression seemed to say, "It's been a long time since we fought side by side, old friend."

—

…

Five-dimensional space.

Tens of thousands of deathless warships, with the World Engine as their core, lined up in a single file, preparing to overwhelm the Sparta fleet through sheer numerical superiority—tenfold, even dozens of times—gradually crushing it.

Furthermore, the flanks of the deathless fleet kept drawing inward, attempting to encircle and utterly annihilate Sparta with the simplest blockade.

During this time, the World Engine continuously fired death rays fifty to even a hundred kilometers wide, attempting to blast apart the Leonidas, which was more than fifty times smaller.

But small though it may be, the Leonidas's agility and sensitivity are enough for it to dodge the vast majority of attacks; even if struck squarely by a death ray, the energy shield—inherited from administrator technology and further developed by the Human Empire—can easily withstand it.

Organized into groups of three warships, with three battalions gathering together while maintaining certain spacing, the Sparta fleet was about to be encircled by the deathless side when, at the Leonidas's equator, a massive gate unfolded.

The numerous matrix terminals that "drifted out" through the gate, still before it, formed a "star gate" with a diameter of about four hundred kilometers.

At the same time, the outside could also pass through the gate to directly observe the artificial star within the inner world, and the light of that artificial star rapidly intensified…

Intensified…

Until…

Whoosh——!!

An extremely blinding laser beam shot out instantly, and in the instant it passed through the "star gate"…

Whoosh——!!!!!

The beam's diameter, astonishingly, expanded to four hundred kilometers in an instant.

(End of chapter)