Chapter 1062: The Tragic Futility of These Alien Witches

Six Luna Wolves warriors rushed in, and their bolters opened fire immediately.

"Psionic Shield!"

An old Priest screamed as he erected a small shield, blocking the first round of fire, but the impact of the bolter shells caused blood to spill from his mouth and nose.

Tuoweike and two apprentices quickly formed a formation, and as three Crystal Cores resonated, ice walls rose from the ground one after another.

But two Luna Wolves Space Marines used meltaguns to melt directly through the ice walls, while the other four advanced from the flanks.

"For... Shuangyuxing!"

An apprentice roared, pouring all his psionic energy into his Crystal Core; the core overheated and exploded, releasing a ring-shaped ice blast that temporarily forced back the nearest Luna Wolves Space Marine, but he himself collapsed and convulsed due to the psionic backlash.

Tuoweike looked toward the Altar, then toward the approaching Steel giants, and shouted.

"Priests! Divert all Ley Line Energy into the shield! Abandon the defense of the Temple!"

"But if we do that, the Spirit Veins will overload, and there may be permanent damage..."

The old Priest said in terror.

"If we die now, what kind of 'permanent' is there!"

The two Priests looked at each other and began to change the flow of energy.

Instantly, the light of the main hall's shield flared brilliantly, becoming thicker and more solid, but the defense of the Leyline Temple itself vanished completely.

"The Aliens are making their final struggle."

A Luna Wolves Space Marine said coldly.

"Clear them out quickly."

The bolters rang out again.

The two old Priests fell first, their bodies torn apart by multiple bolter shells.

Another of Tuoweike's companions tried to fight back with an Ice Spear, but was cut in half by a chainsword.

Tuoweike himself retreated to the edge of the Altar, his back against the glowing cluster of Crystal Cores.

He watched the approaching Luna Wolves warriors and suddenly smiled.

"You will never understand..."

Tuoweike said softly, then pressed the overheated Crystal Core in his hand into the core slot of the Altar.

"Stop him!"

The Luna Wolves Space Marine sensed the energy anomaly, but it was too late.

All the Crystal Cores within the Leyline Temple overloaded simultaneously, and white light swallowed everything.

The massive psionic explosion not only destroyed the Temple itself but also triggered a chain reaction through the Ley Line network. The main hall's shield, after receiving the final surge of energy, reached a critical point and then shattered with a boom.

The moment the shield shattered, Aiersa spat out a mouthful of blue blood and stumbled backward.

The apprentices behind her were swaying, most of them already unconscious or severely injured due to psionic backlash.

The Frost Crystal Dome of the main hall was mostly blown away by the shockwave of the explosion.

Luna Wolves Space Marines poured in from every entrance, their bolter muzzles aimed at every Psionic who could still move.

Company Commander Weierke strode in front of Aiersa, his power fist dripping with a mixture of ice and water.

"Surrender, Alien witch."

His voice came through his loudspeaker.

Aiersa wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and struggled to stand straight.

The shattered hall, the fallen apprentices, and those ordinary scholars and servants driven out from other areas of the research institute...

"Are you... are you going to kill everyone?"

Weierke did not answer directly, but turned to the shivering low-level Psionics.

"Listen, all Psionics of Shuangyuxing! Your former nobles and psionic rulers have been purged for betraying the Star Alliance and using forbidden Witchcraft!"

"The Luna Wolves Legion has taken over this world by order of Warmaster Horus. Now, listen clearly to your fate—"

All the Psionics held their breath.

"Psionic research is permanently prohibited, effective immediately. All Lianneng Dianji, crystal artifacts, and research records are to be confiscated and destroyed."

Aiersa closed her eyes.

The heritage of three thousand frost seasons was to be severed in her generation.

"However..."

Weierke's tone shifted.

"We do not engage in indiscriminate slaughter."

The low-level Psionics raised their heads, a glimmer of disbelief flashing in their eyes.

"Most of you did not directly participate in the nobles' conspiracy, nor do you have psionic talent. You may choose to live."

A bold young scribe named Suolin tremblingly raised his hand.

"M... My lord... what must we do to live?"

Weierke looked at him.

"The infrastructure of Shuangyuxing needs maintenance. The Ice Field Farm needs hands, heating pipes need repairs, and while the library buildings will no longer be used for psionic research, they need to be cleaned and maintained as warehouses and shelters."

"From today on, all of you will be reassigned work. The original class system is abolished; whether you were once the chief scholar's assistant or the lowest cleaning servant, you all start from zero now."

"Work quotas will be high, because you must make up for the 'deficit' caused by the nobles and Psionics not engaging in production before. But if you complete your quotas, you will receive food, shelter, and the most basic guarantees of survival."

Suolin and the other low-level Psionics looked at each other. High-intensity labor? They had been mentally prepared for that. Under the rule of the nobles, they hadn't had it easy either. But...

"Do you mean... as long as we work, we can live? We won't be... cleared?"

Weierke confirmed.

"As long as you follow the rules, do not touch psionics, and do not attempt to resist. The Luna Wolves value efficiency and order. Labor itself is a resource."

Aiersa listened to all of this and smiled bitterly.

She looked at those low-level compatriots, seeing the desire for survival gradually lighting up in their eyes.

She suddenly understood the strategy of the Luna Wolves: they did not destroy the physical body, but the culture; they did not slaughter the civilians, but reshaped their identity from successors of the Saikeshan psionic civilization into labor resources under their rule.

"Clever and cruel..."

She murmured.

Tuoweike and the other apprentices were roughly dragged up by Luna Wolves warriors and fitted with Psionic Suppression Collars.

Together with Aiersa, they would be escorted to the warships in orbit, awaiting further "processing," most likely as psionic research samples, or simply being purged.

"Mentor..."

"Remember who we are, child. Even if they burn all the books and smash all the Crystal Cores, as long as one Saikeshan remembers... the heritage has not truly been severed."

Company Commander Weierke heard these words, but he did not respond.

In his view, the tragic heroism of these Alien sorcerers was meaningless.

History is written by the victors, and today, the victors are Human.

He turned to those low-level Saikeshan who were being reorganized and issued an ultimatum:

"You have one day to clear away the 'Witchcraft residue' here. By sunrise tomorrow, I want to see all psionic items piled up in the plaza, waiting to be burned. Then, you will head to your assigned work locations."

"Now, dismissed."

The low-level Saikeshan hesitated for a moment, then began to move slowly.

Some went to support injured companions, while others began to pick up the scattered Crystal Core fragments on the ground, not to preserve them, but to hand them over.