Chapter 1762: Withdrawal
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After ending the divine communion, Rheia leaped down from the altar. As she twirled with a strand of her hanging before her chest, she mumbled to Hao Ren, “Say… you think it would be better if I had given them a holy portrait template that is much more solemn?”
Hao Ren recalled the “holy portrait template”, which Rheia had taken at least half a day to finalize, and said from the bottom of his heart, “To be honest, I don’t know what you were thinking when you did that. Did your SAN level averaged out with Raven 12345’s since your last meeting?”
A worried look loomed over Rheia. “Then should I… give them another version that is more classic? I still have a rather classic promotional picture back then, with a silly staff, on a shell alongside a few halos behind me. While I thought it to be silly it was rather popular back in the day.”
Then she mumbled again, “But this time around I thought that I should have a new, refreshed image after my deep slumber. Plus now the Plane of Dream is so dreary that everyone could use an energetic goddess to drum up morale or something…”
Hao Ren slapped his forehead. “And have you ever thought that a few fanatics of yours might actually get full on depression after seeing that rather lovely image of yours?”
“Then I should change it back.” Rheia’s pride was wounded.
However, Vivian spoke, “Actually I’d think it’s fine if you leave it that way, you can choose the path of an idol. Was there something like that before? To save the world, someone chose to become an idol—”
“Don’t bother, that’s a rather dated cliche now,” Lily interrupted Vivian. “But I think you don’t have to change. A friendly, approachable image is pretty good, and if you were to go back and exchange the picture you had given to that pope you’ll just make things worse…”
Hao Ren shrugged as he stopped the girls from dragging the topic further and further away. “That’s all a question of details. Let’s focus on the important stuff. So that’s the last broadcast of divine power?”
Rheia sighed. “There aren’t many survivors after all, and the ones I can broadcast to is just that few. The natives of some ecosystems can’t even walk yet. So yes, Holletta is the last of them.”
“Hmmm… The people of Tannagost-Zorm had just left the simulation ark for two years and is still a society based on rationing, their organization is strong and there will not be any problems with that; Holetta’s Disciples of Glory is very influential, and they could ensure order; the society down on Io is still a work in progress, but they only have a population of an evacuation ark, so their development was limited to a few cities, and with the combat satellite arrays that I have left on Io’s orbit, it seems like it’ll be fine there; lastly… the Executors… that’s something we don’t even have to worry about. As a totally militarized race, with a mind network, they are probably the most steadfast of the lot.” Hao Ren stroked his chin as he counted. “And the few other primordial planets we’ll just leave it to the combat satellite array for protection. With that, it seems all are accounted for.”
“Then let the mortals fight for their own world,” Rheia said. “Whether they make it through or not, it’s up to them.”
Heavy footsteps were heard from a distance as the great door of the basilica opened, and the Loken, the Lord of Lords’ massive sculpture-like figure appeared by the door. “Mother, the final communication has been sent from the Dark Abyss. The Mad Lord has fully broken through the central lock down line, and the Nightwatchers will abandon all stations and withdraw from the prison as planned.”
Rheia nodded and turned to Hao Ren. “Let’s head to Overwatch Bastion.”
Deep within the dark void, a massive space fortress floated quietly among the stars.
It had the style of the droid hives with the base of a floating celestial body, and the alloy barriers and connection frames slowly became all sorts of functional facilities and hives, while between the large hives were thick redoubts and walls, and on the walls, countless of automated cannons and enhanced fortress-grade shield generators were arrayed. Countless of droids and droid carriers were swarming all around the facilities as they worked around the clock in silence.
However, this fortress cluster was bigger than any standard droid hives. It was far beyond the normal base setup of a hive, and rather than the hives focused on pioneering and mass-production, this fortress was clearly designed to be defensive as the countless shield generators and fixed cannon platforms were more than awe-inspiring. It exuded the feeling of a very sturdy nail that was firmly affixed in the heart of the base, capable of weathering any storms.
That was the Overwatch Bastion, a military installation closest to the Dark Abyss. It was almost on the border of the Prison’s “visual border”, and one could see the darkness writhing before the fortress from the observation deck, emanating an aura of ravenous hunger and foreboding.
And that was how Overwatch Bastion was named.
Behind the Overwatch Bastion, there were countless of similar fortress clusters being anchored deep within space as mass-produced Annihilation Lances and countless automated cannon platforms all pointed towards a single direction, as they wait for the moment the ‘prisoner’ broke free.
The Petrachelys appeared from the wormhole and landed beside the first control tower of Overwatch Bastion, and through the extended connection bridge, Rheia, Hao Ren and the rest went to the observation deck at the top of the tower.
The “vision screen” that cut off any information flow from the Dark Abyss roiled before them, and even they were millions of miles away, it still felt close by.
The metal airlock door above the deck opened as a blob of liquid metal flowed down and formed into the communication interface of the droid hivemind. The ever-changing face looked towards Hao Ren as the mechanical voice rang from deep within the liquid metal. “The last signal sent by the Nightwatchers was thirty minutes ago. There are no new signals until now.”
“The Nightwatchers will destroy every information node before they withdraw, and will shut all of their communication functions,” Rheia explained. “They need to place maximum control on their information exchange with the outside world to lessen the pressure of at the border.”
“Every information exchange, every emotion pulse will become the conduit of the Mad Lord.” Loken’s voice thundered from above. “So the Nightwatchers will remain silent throughout the withdrawal process.”
“Even then, then ‘the natural instincts’ of the Mad Lord will still be able to track them, and pursue them when they cross the outer defensive line.” Rheia looked at Hao Ren. “So we need to be ready…”
“So we need to fight its minions when the Nightwatchers withdraw…. right.” Hao Ren nodded. “No worries, the droids are always on standby, and every cannon in this bastion is ready to fire.”
Vivian then asked, “When will they be able to withdraw?”
Rheia shut her eyes and said softly, “Another fifteen… if they are not out by then, then they’ll never make it out.”
Hao Ren glanced at the hivemind and the latter immediately activated the corresponding protocol without needing any command. “The bastion’s cannons are ready. Annihilation Lances entering the charging phase.”
The massive war machine that was the Overwatch Bastion started operating as the shield generators went from standby to active combat mode, and a water-screen like energy barrier rose from the edge of the bastion and enveloped the entire area within. While on the massive alloy barriers and connection towers, one by one the cannon platforms rose from their slits and pointed their deadly payload towards the Dark Abyss.
As the power nodes lit up, cannons, big or small started radiating a menacing glow.
And deep within the bastion, four special ‘buildings’ were slowly rising with the aid of the thrusters and their rectangular outer flame slowly ‘collapsed’ like toy blocks, and quickly formed into a glowing energy nexus array. Roiling energies leap between the alloy and the crystals forming into kilometers long, spear-shaped structures.
This was the final form of the mass-produced Annihilation Lance. After the field testing on L’Haronne, these overwhelmingly powerful superweapons finally had a standard design, and following an enhanced energy conduit system and processing calibration, they were installed into every fortress around the Dark Abyss. And the Overwatch Bastion has four of them, while in the rear, thousands of Annihilation Lances were powering up and ready to fire.
The material border of the Dark Abyss (or the visual screen) roiled silently as the ink-like membrane locked every information behind into a black box, and after the Nightwatchers had destroyed all information nodes, the allied forces outside could no longer discover what was going on within the prison, and all was left was the goddess of creation’s judgment based on her faith in the various facilities she had left behind and her calculations.
A black guardian starship patrolled around the outer ring of the Overwatch Bastion. This starship, specially equipped to monitor the Dark Abyss was ceaselessly sending data and reports back to the control tower:
“Three minutes to the visual barrier lifting. No unusual signs detected, no information fluctuation detected.”
“Minor taint of madness incursions detected, have yet to reach alarm threshold.”
“Two minutes to the visual barrier lifting. Rate of the incursion is increasing… Have yet to receive any signals from the Nightwatchers.”
“This vessel will deploy the signal booster antenna soon. All monitoring crew please prepare to brace for mental taint.”
Hao Ren frowned as he looked at the dark screen afar while Lily started mumbling to herself, “Shutting off all senses and communication to get through the outer defensive line… Ugh… it’s like escaping slaughter blinded and deafened… even thinking about it is scary…”
“The Denizens will be able to pull it off,” Rheia said. “After holding fast in the Dark Abyss for so long, they are used to this sort of silence.”
Vivian then lamented. “And they traded in this silence for the world living on for thousands of years—”
The communication from the Sentinel interrupted her, “Fifteen seconds to the visual barrier lifting… Detecting information fluctuations! It’s the Nightwatchers’ signal! Alert, the taint of madness’ incursion is massive! Detecting minions of madness! They are visible now!”
In that dark “visual screen”, a radiant sea of light appeared from it.
