Chapter 172: The Galaxy's First Flagship

Aolake's silhouette moved forward slowly.

The chitinous fleet beyond the massive fan-shaped flanks oddly retreated slowly as Aolake advanced.

The battlefield, shocked by Aolake's first full‑power barrage, still fell into prolonged deathly silence.

Even the Insect Tide Will was, for a short time, left stunned.

Thus, when facing Aolake, they could only try to create distance first, rather than the previous crowded surge.

The Empire Fleet then followed the channel Aolake carved and sailed toward Terra.

At the same time, every eye on the battlefield, even the ancient legion summoned by Xisi, stared stiffly toward the front, where the lone ship Aolake forced back the chitinous fleet.

Not only those seeing this for the first time, but even Fanluosi and the others who had followed Xisi on the Bridge were utterly silent under such power.

Now they could only stare dumbfounded at the massive ship beneath their feet, which had been with them for so long.

They had previously thought Aolake's combat power would be great, but never imagined it would be this great.

Now, watching the magnificent scene outside the porthole, and the State Church Priests below frantically painting, trying to record the lone ship repelling the boundless Insect Tide.

And again serving as irrefutable proof of humanity's supremacy.

Only Xisi was relatively idle; watching the State Church Priests below, he only hoped they wouldn't copy the painting to the Military Affairs Department, which would then issue propaganda claiming that the Tyran were helpless and the Imperial Navy could defeat the enemy with a single ship.

The Bridge's stiff atmosphere gradually eased as the artillery behind them roared.

But watching the regular Empire warships behind, a round of Macro Cannon only tore the enemy Tyran bio‑ships open, far from destroying them, let alone a volley that could clear an entire fan‑shaped sector.

Only then did everyone withdraw their gaze, sighing with regret.

Conversely, the Tyran opposite, upon recognizing that most Empire warships still looked familiar, the previously stunned swarm suddenly snapped its eyes shut in unison.

Even among many Solar System garrisons, a massive number of Tyran organisms suddenly erupted in unison.

Then the Tyran Will instantly altered strategy, no longer approaching Aolake, but amassing countless long‑range bio‑ships that filled the Void, beginning full‑scale ranged fire coverage.

A dense spray of acid liquid pelted Aolake's shield, while bio‑cannonballs gathered into a continuous black cloud, rolling over like wave after wave.

The Insect Tide Will had summoned so many bio‑ships that Aolake had to face enemies from all directions—front, rear, sides, and even above and below, with countless Tyran bio‑ships.

From the perspective of Xisi's fleet, racing from behind to assist, Aolake was enveloped by endless Tyran bio‑ships, forming an ever‑expanding massive sphere.

At this moment, on the Bridge.

Xisi could no longer see any Void; the entire universe seemed filled with bio‑ships.

Dense bio‑fighters roared past, accompanied by countless jumping‑spore pods circling the warship, seeking a chance to jump.

Then endless bio‑cannonballs, seemingly never ceasing, slammed into the massive ship.

Their sheer density even prevented Aolake's shield from fully covering, forcing the hull to endure periodic shock vibrations.

If it were an ordinary Empire warship—even an Emperor‑class battleship or the Radiant Queen—it would be unable to withstand such onslaught, only able to retreat with allied support.

But now Aolake neither evaded nor slowed; its engines were throttled to maximum, charging headlong into the Tyran swarm.

The hull's myriad close‑range weapons sprayed dense tracer barrages at the swarming Tyran bio‑units the size of carrier‑borne aircraft.

Each sweep of the barrage triggered chain explosions of nearby bio‑cannonballs, and caused countless spore pods and bio‑machines to disintegrate and fall.

Additionally, the massive Gauss Light Spear mounted on the ship's spine switched from Light Whip to firing mode, using a range the Tyran could never evade to shred distant Tyran bio‑carriers in the Void into cosmic dust.

Vibrations periodically rippled through the hull, while the Void Shield and intersecting barrage lights illuminated the entire Bridge.

Crew members bustled, and even many marines were mobilized to extinguish stray jumping Tyran forces, while Xisi, surrounded by Fanluosi and others, watched the magnificent scene.

"The force..."

"The Tyran have taken Aolake as their primary threat."

Fanluosi, as an Alien Form adjudicator, naturally knows the Tyran extremely well.

Looking at the scene now, he knows the Tyran have again employed their usual tactic, opting to decapitate the primary threat.

Previously the decapitation targeted an individual; this time it targets a warship—a specific vessel.

Yet, just like the Dead Spirits and Titanium Lord of that day, the Tyran, though not foolish enough to get up close, felt a helpless weakness before the 'hardness' of this Human Empire warship.

"Never mind, the priority now is heading to Terra."

Xisi calmly spoke while looking out the porthole; Fanluosi withdrew the topic, simply standing straight again, waiting for Aolake to lead the breach toward Terra.

At the same time, a sidelong glance at Xisi revealed a hint of doubt in his eyes.

He couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but it seemed that the nearer Xisi got to Terra, the more a faint golden glimmer rose in his eyes.

And that golden glimmer grew increasingly evident as the distance closed.

Only Fanluosi, standing close to Xisi, noticed this, and even he felt a bit skeptical.

He could only watch the increasingly near Terra, curious what would happen if Xisi truly reached Terra and stood before the Divine Emperor.

Meanwhile, as Aolake endured the Tyran siege, far away Terra...

Deep within the palace, in the Command Hall, the crowd stared at the void scene in the distance, mouths opening involuntarily.

Even after hastily installing a batch of observation devices, Laishande and the Mechanical Sage simultaneously gazed at the massive bio‑sphere, and at the Gauss Light Spear that periodically pierced the sphere, snatching away a dozen bio‑ships in a flash.

"This firepower could blast a planet into a satellite!"

Laishande stared at the distant scene, dry‑swallowing his saliva.

Meanwhile, confirming that the Dream Illusion Vessel within the sphere was indeed boldly confronting the Tyran, steadily advancing toward Terra.

The Mechanical Sage, who should have fled with Mars, suddenly snapped his gaze back and straightened his posture.

His previously vague hunch, caused by the battle, instantly straightened.

"I will return to Mars immediately."

Laishande, who had been stunned by Aolake's exaggerated power, was taken aback; he likewise withdrew his gaze, stood upright, and his face no longer showed the helplessness of losing his most crucial fire‑support ally.

Looking at the Mechanical Sage, his face even seemed casual:

"Returning to Mars via Leap?"

He wanted to flee, but facing an important ally, Laishande phrased it more gently.

But the mechanical sage opposite, upon hearing this, opened his single eye, then, in a sour mood, raised his mechanical staff and pointed at the projected Aolake:

"Leap?"

"Now that you've leapt, how can you still welcome Om Messiah?!"