Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 145 | Blades Against the Crystal | Novela.app

Deep-diving alone into a dark space was never a pleasant experience, especially when that space appeared nearly "void-like" at first glance yet was teeming with all manner of monsters. For an ordinary person, such a journey would be far too harrowing. Tossing aside the corpse of a Divergent Demon that was dissolving into black mist, Lei Ting scanned his surroundings. This was the territory of the "Gach." Or rather, it was the region of the Ethereal Plane corresponding to the star system occupied by that race. Before performing a deep ethereal leap out of the Human Union’s corresponding territory, Lei Ting had returned to the material universe. At the outermost edge of the Union’s Star Net, he had received a message from the Federal Parliament: The Complex had finally sent its reply. Perhaps due to the presence of internal spies, the Complex’s previous attitude toward this conflict had been cold and indifferent, sluggishly suggesting that it would be best to avoid fighting if there were other options. However, once the Human Union informed those centrists—who excelled at picking the middle ground in every situation—that the crazed "crystal blocks" didn't just want to hit the Union but also wanted to dismantle the Complex itself, and submitted the corresponding evidence... the Complex Council quickly declared that everyone should feel free to proceed. Maintaining the peace of the Complex and protecting the lives of the people was, of course, a noble cause! Lei Ting had to admit, when he saw the humanoid envoy sent by the Complex deliver a recorded speech containing at least fifteen hundred words of flowery praise for the Human Union, the Union Parliament, and the "Sun Star," he felt a genuine sense of admiration for those fellows. This admiration wasn't for anything else, but primarily because... those guys were truly masters of lying through their teeth. Clearly, they had realized at the last moment that the situation was unavoidable and wanted the Human Union to take the lead, yet they maintained an air of having absolutely nothing to do with such motives. It was a talent most ordinary people could never hope to learn. After all, most people still cared about their dignity. Lei Ting deactivated the visual obstruction of his visor and gazed into the distant darkness, his eyes narrowing slightly. Within that pitch-black abyss, a chaotic and multifaceted light flickered silently. Though it was "silent," the moment Lei Ting perceived it, it perceived him in turn. Immediately, a chaotic and restless surge of intense mental interference charged toward him, following the path of his perception! ...And then, nothing happened. The immunity granted by "Immovable" to external interference didn't involve even a hint of "deflection" or "evasion." It simply faced the impact head-on and neutralized it. Thus, whether it was mental strength or superpowered energy, it vanished quietly, like a clay ox entering the sea. It was gone. The multicolored light: "...?" Lei Ting: "..." Lei Ting transformed into a streak of golden light, flying before the multicolored radiance in an instant. He saw it... a magnificent crystal mountain, more massive than a standard habitable planet, glowing with brilliant colors. Perhaps it should have been called a "giant, irregular crystalline planet." It was bottomless with ten thousand peaks, and its interior was packed with writhing cysts, tentacles, eyeballs, and masses of flesh. Deep inside, a massive core resembling a yellow pearl was faintly visible. There wasn't a single Abomination or Divergent Demon around it—presumably, they had all been devoured. Perhaps the strange, targeted pollution of the entire Gach race in the material world was the result of this crystal mountain consuming every Divergent Demon in its vicinity. Lei Ting’s brow furrowed. When he saw the yellow pearl occasionally revealed beneath the writhing flesh, a flash of realization struck him: This was "Jia." This caused his heart to sink. When he first saw the crystal mountain, he hadn't experienced the "True Name Perception" reaction unique to powerhouses within the Ethereal Plane. Instead, he only realized it upon seeing that yellow sphere... This situation was very wrong. According to previous deductions, "Jia" should have been a complete projection of a crystalline being. Even if a mutation had occurred... it shouldn't be like this, where the yellow sphere inside seemed to be the true "original body," while the outer crystal shell was merely a disguise! As hundreds of tentacles, thick as space elevators, lashed out at him, a certain hypothesis made Lei Ting’s mood turn complex. He didn't rashly intercept the attack, nor did he expand his perception too far. Instead, he flickered and turned, briefly vanishing from Jia’s attack range. But even so, when he reappeared in the distance, he was startled to find several small, black-mist-shrouded crystals growing on the edge of his wide cape. Though they shattered as soon as he surged his energy, a tiny tear appeared on the edge of the fabric. One had to understand that while he highly restrained his energy to avoid attracting too much enemy attention, every piece of his armor and decoration was saturated with his power. Ordinary thermal weapons might not even be able to pierce this seemingly thin cloak! This kind of matter-conversion ability... It was a powerhouse. And it absolutely could not be allowed to enter the material plane alive! Lei Ting made up his mind to crush this thing here today, but at the same time, he hid himself even deeper. Half an hour later, a golden-brown radiance streaked through the distant deep space, cutting through the darkness like a broad, sharp blade. It paused briefly upon approaching Jia. In that fleeting moment, Lei Ting saw the newcomer’s appearance. It was a humanoid esper, and not even a complete stranger to Lei Ting—he had seen that face as far back as his school days. It was the S-class esper from the "Tane" race, a people born from desperate survival. He was a legendary warrior who had been featured in *Galactic Superwar* while still alive, known as the "Emperor's Blade"—Saen Tane! He had thick, curly long hair, dazzling golden-brown eyes, and skin that was a golden-tan, almost bronze. The man looked like a majestic golden lion—healthy, formidable, tall, and powerful. He wasn't even wearing armor, but rather a form-fitting combat suit wrapped in a white robe that reminded Lei Ting of ancient Greek statues... Of course, the focus of Lei Ting’s brief scan wasn't any of the above, but the giant sword the man carried on his back. It was a colossal blade roughly the size of the "New Sun." It looked like a broad, heavy edge of mottled stone encasing a core of golden rock that flowed with lava-like light from its cracks. It was the weapon that had shared fame with the "Emperor's Blade." Like his title, its name was also "Emperor's Blade." For a moment, Lei Ting felt an urge to let "New Sun" clash with it. But more than that, he wanted to know why the racial leader of the Tane had come here. Thus, Lei Ting identified the newcomer completely at a glance. Conversely, the Emperor's Blade did not notice Lei Ting—at least, not in the moment he paused. And by the time he did notice... ...He was already fighting Jia!! Lei Ting: "..." Lei Ting: "?" The Tane’s own home was currently facing the threat of war... yet the "Emperor's Blade" had run all the way here to scrap with "Jia"? What kind of interstellar altruism was this? Lei Ting crossed his arms and didn't intervene immediately. Instead, he sent a direct transmission, bluntly asking this powerful leader, who was currently ranked third in the Milky Way's public combat power: "A personal vendetta?" If it was a personal grudge, out of respect for a warrior, he wouldn't interfere casually... regardless, if the other man couldn't win, Lei Ting could still back him up. "No!" The "Emperor's Blade," having sensed his presence, was surrounded by thick golden energy. He struck a heavy blow with his sword, carving a crack into the crystal sphere. Then, with a point of his finger, golden energy tinged with brown sank into the crack, forcibly converting a mass of flesh into soil: "I'm here to solve the root of the problem!" Watching the soil rapidly spread only to be swallowed by the crystalline substance, Lei Ting was somewhat surprised: "What if your side can't hold out?" The Tane were not like the Orion people; they didn't have a vast territory with deep strategic depth or a mature internal industrial system. The natural resources in the star sectors currently held by this warrior race were so scarce that even the Human Union Parliament felt pity looking at them. Naturally, they lacked the massive fleets and logistics systems required for a war of attrition. Based on the Human Union’s current productivity levels, the ratio of non-combatant soldiers to the producers supporting them was 1:4. In the 21st century, this number was usually 1:100 to 200. But the Tane’s productivity was nowhere near capable of reducing the logistical burden to the extreme like the Human Union! To this, the Emperor's Blade’s answer was... ..."At worst, we'll just move!" Lei Ting: "..." Lei Ting: "." —For a miraculous race like the Tane, who had been interstellar nomads across various death zones since the beginning of their current civilization, would they really be afraid of losing their home in a fight? The enemy wanted resources and fertile territory. If nothing else, the Tane had the confidence of having absolutely nothing to give! They had long ago used every resource they could carry to build spaceships. Since they couldn't solve the enemies at their doorstep, why not just switch tactics entirely, abandon the 'house,' and send their peak forces to stab the enemy's nest instead! In that case... Without another word, Lei Ting leaped into a heavy mecha that suddenly materialized—over the years, through countless tunings, he had designed the combat mecha best suited for himself. Then, he summoned "New Sun" with a backhand toss. It flipped through the air, merging with a mountain-like metal structure to form a transformable greatsword scaled for the heavy mecha’s hundred-meter height. The heavy mecha’s movements were fluid and swift. It took a stance, lunged forward, and spun into a dash, trailing a brilliant golden light like a celestial river through deep space. It brought the greatsword down in a massive, heavy strike! —When an enemy's enemy comes to beat the enemy, how could the Orion people, who had always been "nuclear-ly peaceful and uranium-ly friendly" toward outsiders, not help out?! Furthermore, if the situation in the material plane continued like this, Lei Ting had no doubt that he and the warriors of all other orderly civilizations would inevitably fall into a future of running themselves ragged... Although his endurance could certainly last until the end against these monsters, the victory of a war couldn't rely solely on him, could it? So... Fight. Whatever the big picture or the grand trend, they could talk about it after the fighting was done! In the deep space, an unfair two-on-one battle began. At this moment, a magnificent golden light, like a stellar eruption, tore through the silence and darkness of the Ethereal Plane. It was as grand and majestic as a blazing sun.