149: For the Dragonborn

The massive war machine of the Free United States began to operate at a speed far exceeding the norm.

The "Free Submergence" technology was activated; this was the trump card they had developed over a billion years of dormancy, specifically designed against the technology of the Dragonborn Empire.

It was not a traditional stealth submergence; its purpose was to bypass all the early warning and defense Systems the Dragonborn Empire had deployed along its borders, striking like a scalpel directly into the heart—the Yanhuang Ancestral Star!

In the central command hub of the "Heart of the United States," President Edgar and ten Peak Star Arm Level councilors had already vanished.

Their true forms merged into eleven ferociously designed flagships, their hulls flowing with dark red energy circuits... Each flagship was comparable to a small star, becoming the sharpest spearheads of this "Revenge Fleet," followed by a sky-blotting swarm of starships.

The massive fleet, like a giant beast blending into the shadows, silently tore through space and embarked on this journey a billion years in the making.

"Submergence depth stable. Coordinates locked: Yanhuang Ancestral Star, Dragonborn Empire Sanctuary."

"Estimated time of arrival: 1.3 standard hours."

"All 'Doomsday-class' weapons fully charged. Law interference field at full power."

A cold electronic voice echoed within the flagship, the "Liberty's Will."

Edgar stood on the bridge, staring at the distorted, shifting lights and shadows ahead, his eyes filled with ice that had accumulated over a billion years.

He could almost see the Ancestral Dragon Court turning into cosmic dust under that devastating volley.

"Dragonborn... your era is coming to an end."

...However, just as the Free United States fleet was confidently performing its "Free Submergence," believing they were undetected—

The Dragonborn Empire, the outer "Aegis" star System.

This was not a prosperous Star Domain, but merely an ordinary star System serving as the Empire's strategic buffer and early warning outpost.

Inside the control room of the military space station codenamed "Sentinel-III," Dragonborn technical officers were boredly monitoring the star charts.

It had been peaceful here for tens of millions of years; their work felt more like a routine formality.

"Alert! Detected ultra-high intensity, unauthorized spatial fluctuations! Source unknown! Speed is extremely fast! Rank... exceeds the maximum warning threshold!!"

The piercing alarm suddenly tore through the silence of space!

On the main control star chart, a massive red area representing extremely high energy reactions and spatial distortion was pointing directly at the heart of the Dragonborn Empire at an incredible speed!

The entire control room instantly fell into chaos!

"Impossible! Our border monitoring network hasn't reacted at all!"

"What kind of submergence technology is this? These fluctuation signatures have never been seen before!"

"Calculate the impact point! Quick!"

"Impact point... the impact point is blurred, but the general direction... is the Ancestral Dragon Court!!"

The young station commander's face turned pale, and he could barely hold the data pad in his hand.

He knew what this meant!

An unprecedented, beyond-standard surprise attack targeting the heart of the Empire was already at their doorstep!

And the border defense line they were so proud of was virtually non-existent in the face of the enemy's bizarre submergence technology!

"Immediately! Highest emergency communication! Direct link to the Ancestral Dragon Court!" the station commander roared at the top of his lungs.

Just a second before the communication was sent—

Inside the control room, another independent console that had been in a silent state, with a style completely different from the Dragonborn technology tree, suddenly activated on its own!

The console was streamlined and emitted a soft blue fluorescence.

This was precisely one of the legacies of the Level 2.8 civilization from the "founding emperors name" Hometown fellow Yan Xiao, which Chen Jun had returned—the "Eye of the Great Void" wide-area monitoring System technology!

Back then, Chen Jun had generously returned Yan Xiao's Legacy to its original owner. The Dragonborn Empire treated it like a priceless treasure, even though they couldn't fully master it in a short time.

But technology like the "Eye of the Great Void," which focused on defense and early warning, had been prioritized for research and deployed at key nodes throughout the Empire, including this outermost "Sentinel-III" space station.

At this moment, the "Eye of the Great Void" terminal was flashing with unprecedented frequency, and a synthetic voice, so calm it was almost indifferent, rang out, overriding the station's piercing alarm:

[Illegal intrusion detected. Intrusion source: Free United States "Free Submergence" fleet. Threat level: Extremely High.]

[Intrusion coordinates precisely locked. Trajectory prediction model established.]

["Zhulong-class" Regional Space Stabilization Anchor suggested activation coordinates have been sent to the Empire's defense network main control core.]

[Note: Immediate execution of countermeasures is recommended.]

A deathly silence fell over the control room.

The Dragonborn technical officers stared dumbfounded at the "Eye of the Great Void" terminal, which clearly displayed a virtual model of every flagship in the Free United States fleet, their energy levels, and even their estimated weapon configurations!

Its information precision and reaction speed completely crushed the Dragonborn's own early warning System!

"This... this is..." The station commander looked at the coordinate data, which was accurate to a terrifying degree, and then at his own System's star chart, which was still calculating a blurred impact point, looking completely bewildered.

The "Free Submergence" that the United States had spent a billion years on and considered their absolute trump card was, in the face of the "Eye of the Great Void" technology left by the Hometown fellow... like an assassin running naked under a searchlight. Not only was their location fully exposed, but even the color of their underwear was seen clearly!

"What are you still standing there for!" the station commander suddenly snapped back to reality and roared, "Report the coordinates provided by the 'Eye of the Great Void' to the Empire's high command! There might still be a chance to activate the 'Zhulong' anchors! We cannot let the enemy invade the Ancestral Star directly! Quick! Send the message back!"

...Pillar of Leaders, Chen Jun Manor.

Yan Wuhuo was drinking tea with Chen Jun, while Princess Yan Ji sat quietly by their side.

Despite the outward calm, the ominous premonition in Yan Wuhuo's heart grew stronger.

Suddenly—

"Buzz—!"

An ancient, desolate dragon roar, seemingly from the primordial era, echoed through the skies!

That was the trigger of the Empire's highest emergency communication, directly causing a resonance with the "Yanhuang Dragon Seal," a national artifact Yan Wuhuo carried with him!

The jade cup in Yan Wuhuo's hand instantly turned to dust!

He stood up abruptly, golden light bursting from his eyes!

"Your Majesty!" A virtual communication popped up, and the figure of the Hidden Dragon Guard's Grand Commander, "Ying," appeared, his tone more urgent than ever:

"'Sentinel-III' emergency report! Confirmed that the Free United States is using an unknown submergence technology. Eleven powerhouses suspected to be at the Peak Star Arm Level, under the banner of 'avenging a billion-year-old debt,' have broken into Imperial territory! Their target is the Ancestral Dragon Court! Estimated arrival time... less than 0.3 hours!"

"Eleven Peak Star Arm Level powerhouses?!" Yan Ji cried out in shock, all color draining from her beautiful face.

This number exceeded the limit of what the Empire could handle!

Yan Wuhuo's heart instantly sank to the bottom!

The Free United States had hidden themselves so deeply?!

They had accumulated such terrifying power?!

However, Ying's next words made the heavy atmosphere become... somewhat strange.

"But Your Majesty... the enemy's submergence trajectory has been completely locked by the 'Eye of the Great Void' System!

The 'Zhulong' anchors have been successfully deployed in the 'Star Shattering Belt' area based on the coordinates provided!

The United States fleet... has been forced out of its submergence state!

The Imperial regular fleet and the Imperial main fleet are already resisting!"

Yan Wuhuo: "..."

Yan Ji: "..."

Even Chen Jun, who was watching the drama unfold from the side, raised an eyebrow and almost choked on his tea.

What on earth?

A billion years of planning, and they got tripped up just like that?

Chen Jun's mind was racing with sarcasm... Holy cow!

I mean, seriously!

Is this United States some kind of comedy troupe?

They spent a billion years just to come up with this?

This "security door" left by Hometown fellow Yan Xiao is pretty high quality!

Without this security door, they probably would have had their home base stolen!

Thinking about it that way, maybe it's not that funny after all?

...The Star Shattering Belt, located within the territory of the Dragonborn Empire's Yanhuang Ancestral Star, is a vast area dense with asteroids on the outskirts—a natural defense line for the Yanhuang Ancestral Star.

The environment here is complex and the gravity is chaotic. It was originally a dangerous area that merchant ships and explorers needed to navigate carefully, but now it has become the battlefield that will decide the fate of two civilizations.

The Revenge Fleet of the Free United States was forcibly "pinned" out of its "Free Submergence" state by the Zhulong-class Regional Space Stabilization Anchors!

Like a submerged giant whale caught in a net of countless steel cables and forcibly dragged out of the water!

Eleven ferocious flagships, along with the sky-blotting iron flood behind them, abruptly and pathetically appeared in the void of the Star Shattering Belt.

The originally perfect stealth formation was disrupted. Some small warships even suffered minor collisions due to the violent transition from the submergence state, triggering a mess of alarms and curses in the communication channels.

Inside the "Liberty's Will" flagship, the coldness and resolve on President Edgar's face froze, replaced by a moment of bewilderment and disbelief.

"What's happening?! Why was 'Free Submergence' forcibly interrupted?!" His voice carried a hint of shock and fury he didn't even notice. "How could the Dragonborn Empire have this kind of technology?!"

"Reporting to the President! Detected a high-intensity regional space stabilization field! The source... the source is those asteroids that were just activated!" The technical officer's voice was tearful. "Our submergence technology is completely countered! Our coordinates... our coordinates are also completely exposed!"

Edgar looked at the main screen and saw that in the previously dead Star Shattering Belt, countless seemingly ordinary asteroids had split open, revealing complex mechanical structures and energy cores within, emitting powerful spatial anchoring ripples.

Meanwhile, the Dragonborn Empire's border defense fleet was swarming in from all directions like a pack of sharks smelling blood.

Although their individual strength was far inferior to the United States fleet, they instantly formed a siege using the terrain and their numbers!

The submergence technology they spent a billion years of effort on, which was considered their absolute trump card, had actually become a joke in the eyes of others?!

They hadn't even reached their destination before someone kicked their engine and stalled it?!

It felt like an assassin who had meticulously prepared for ten years, sharpened his dagger, and practiced his stealth, finally creeping to his enemy's bedside on a dark and windy night... only to find the enemy not only awake but with every thousand-watt searchlight in the house turned on, surrounded by a room full of bodyguards, eating sunflower seeds and waiting for him: "Oh, you're here? We've been waiting for ages!"

Frustrating!

Beyond frustrating!

"Mr. President! The Dragonborn fleet is closing in! We're exposed!" the Strategist's virtual image reported urgently, his tone no longer able to maintain absolute calm.

Edgar's face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink, but he was, after all, a formidable leader who had led a civilization through dormancy. He instantly suppressed all shock and humiliation and issued a sharp command:

"Submergence failed? Then we attack! Execute according to the 'Cleansing Hour' backup plan! All fleets, open fire! Crush them! The target remains the same: the Ancestral Dragon Court!"

"For the United States!!"

"For a billion years of blood debts!!"

Fanatical roars from the United States soldiers erupted in the communication channels, the shame of being discovered turning into an even more frenzied fighting will.

In an instant, the Star Shattering Belt was lit up!

The Free United States fleet, like a thoroughly enraged iron porcupine, unleashed a billion years of accumulated rage and cutting-edge technology without reservation.

Their gunfire was precise, efficient, and cold, carrying a mechanical beauty of death. Every volley was like a rain of destruction being splashed across the starry sky.

These regular warships, which had not yet been upgraded with Level 2.8 civilization technology, simply couldn't block it!

The Dragonborn Empire's regular fleet, codenamed "Dragon Fang Seventh Squadron," was currently at the center of this rainstorm.

Commander Long Xiao, a Peak Stellar Level powerhouse with cracked horns on his forehead and covered in blood, gripped the armrests of his command chair so tightly his knuckles turned white.

His flagship, the "Indomitable," once shining with golden dragon patterns on its armor, was now riddled with holes; massive cracks ran through the hull, and muffled explosions along with the dying screams of his subordinates echoed from within.

Through the violently flickering holographic star map, he saw his formation being rapidly dismantled and divided.

Every second, familiar battleship identification signals vanished forever from the star map, turning into brief and brilliant bursts of fireworks.

"Report! The 'Monolith' battleship formation on the left wing has overloaded energy shields. The formation is being covered by 'Doomsday-class' weapons... Confirmed... Confirmed total annihilation of all personnel!"

"Report! The 'Gale' cruiser formation on the right wing attempted to cut through but was intercepted by the enemy's 'Adjudicator' mecha legion... All personnel... lost contact!"

"Report! The 'Firefly' supply ship group in the rear was ambushed by enemy stealth units... Contact has been lost!"

...Bad news pierced Long Xiao's heart like icicles, time and time again.

This once-imposing elite force of the Empire's conventional battleships under his command was as fragile as a paper-thin defense line in the face of the Free United States' technological gap.

"Ants dare to block the path?! Crush them!"

Over the public channel came the cold and contemptuous snort of the Free United States' Peak Star Arm Level councilor—the Strategist.

Immediately after, the opponent's hideous flagship, comparable to a small star, didn't even move; it merely performed a seemingly casual volley.

In an instant, millions of dark-red beams containing the Law of Destruction, like the Grim Reaper's scythes, crossed the Void Realm and precisely swept through the most densely packed area of the Dragonborn fleet!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a tooth-grating sizzle of energy tearing through matter.

Long Xiao watched helplessly as, in that sector of space, hundreds of millions of Dragonborn warships he took pride in... whether massive battleships or nimble destroyers, their energy shields shattered like soap bubbles in the sun, and their hard alloy armor was easily melted and torn through like butter under a hot knife!

The keels inside the warships let out overburdened groans, then in a series of implosions, turned into countless burning fragments, mixed with the flesh and blood of the soldiers, and were splattered across the cold starry sky!

Just one volley!

Hundreds of millions of warships, hundreds of billions of fine Dragonborn sons, turned to ash!

"Bastard!!!" Long Xiao slammed a fist onto the control console, the hard alloy surface instantly denting inward. His eyes were bloodshot, looking as if they were about to drip blood!

Those weren't just cold numbers!

Those were brothers who had served with him for thousands, even tens of thousands of years!

They were comrades-in-arms who had eaten from the same pot, trained under the same starry sky, and promised to visit their hometowns together after the war ended!

"Commander! The structural integrity of the 'Indomitable' is below 30%! The main engine has stalled! We... we can't hold on much longer!" The adjutant's voice carried a sob and desperation.

Long Xiao whipped his head around, looking at the faces in the command room—some young, some old, but all filled with determination and grief at this moment.

Some were wounded, some consoles were sparking, but no one left their post; everyone's gaze was focused on him.

He knew that even if they couldn't hold on, they had to!

Behind them was the heartland of the Empire, trillions upon trillions of compatriots, and the Ancestral Dragon Court that had carried the Legacy for a billion years!

It was the root of the Dragonborn civilization!

Every microsecond they spent blocking the enemy here was another microsecond of preparation time for the Ancestral Dragon Court!

The Empire could mobilize one more bit of strength!

Perhaps, there would be one more chance of winning!

Even if this delay could only be calculated in microseconds!

Even if their sacrifice seemed like a joke to the enemy!

"Communications officer!" Long Xiao's voice was hoarse but carried a decisive power that spread throughout the remaining formation. "Relay the order to the entire army!"

He took a deep breath, as if to suppress all the anger and sorrow in his chest, leaving only the purest, innate Dragonborn pride and will to protect:

"The Empire has reached its most dangerous moment! The Star Shattering Belt is our final line of defense! Behind us is the Ancestral Dragon Court; we have no way back!"

"I know we are all afraid of death! We all want to go home alive to see our parents, wives, and children! But today! At this moment! If we retreat, our parents, our wives, our children, and the Dragonborn civilization we have protected for generations will all face total destruction!"

His voice passed through the communication channel into the ears of every soldier on every remaining warship, like a heavy war drum beating in the depths of everyone's Soul:

"We are soldiers of the Dragonborn! In our Bloodline flows the unyielding Dragon Soul of our ancestors! Our duty is to use our flesh and lives to forge the strongest shield for the Empire! To win the hope of survival for our loved ones!"

"Perhaps our sacrifice is insignificant before a powerful enemy! Perhaps the time we delay is only 0.01 seconds! But it is these 0.01 seconds, gathered together, that are the reaction time the Empire needs! The hope to reverse the tide of battle!"

Long Xiao's gaze swept over the Free United States warships on the star map that were still frantically pouring fire, and a near-maniacal flame burned in his eyes:

"Everyone! Are you willing to follow me—to fulfill your loyalty to the Empire?!!"

After a brief silence, there was a response like a mountain tsunami, passing through the public channel like the final roar of billions of divine Dragons, shaking this bleeding starry sky:

"For the Dragonborn!!!"

"What is there to fear in death?!!!"

"May the Dragonborn live for trillions of years!!!"

...No hesitation, no retreat!

The remaining Dragonborn warships, like an enraged swarm of bees, made their final and most resolute choice!

"Initiate the 'Dragon Scale' self-destruct protocol! Overload the engines of all remaining warships! Target—the densest area of the enemy fleet! Ram them!!!"

Long Xiao issued the final command, his voice terrifyingly calm.

He personally pressed the bright red button on the "Indomitable's" master control console that had never been activated.

"Old friend, I'm sorry it finally came to this." Long Xiao gently stroked the Indomitable's console, as if comforting an old friend about to face death.

Then, he slammed the engine thrust lever into the red zone beyond the limit!

The "Indomitable" let out a violent tremor on the verge of disintegration, dragging its broken hull and blazing tail flames, like a heavily wounded giant Dragon pouncing on its prey, charging toward the nearest Free United States capital ship without looking back!

"For the Empire!!!" Long Xiao let out the final roar of his life.

This roar seemed like a signal.

In the starry sky, those remaining Dragonborn warships, emitting thick smoke and dragging ruins, all performed the same action!

Some warships that lost power used their last energy to adjust their posture, crashing into the enemy like meteors... Some warships were broken in two, and the soldiers in the rear half controlled the wreckage, still executing the ramming order... Some small assault ships even actively met the massive energy beams fired by the Free United States, using their own annihilation just to win that imperceptible moment for the larger warships behind them to ram?!"

What a tragic and heroic, what a brutal scene!!!

In the cold starry sky, countless miserable and beautiful flowers bloomed at the cost of lives, dyed with loyalty and hot blood!

A Dragonborn destroyer, a moment before being hit by three rounds of Free United States fire and about to disintegrate, its captain roared with his last bit of strength:

"Father, Mother, your son has been unfilial! In the next life, I'll still be a Dragonborn soldier!"

Immediately, the warship turned into an expanding fireball, the shockwave of the explosion slightly hindering the turret rotation speed of a nearby Free United States cruiser.

A heavily damaged Dragonborn medical ship abandoned all escape pods, injected all energy into the engines, and rammed into a Free United States "Doomsday-class" weapon platform that was charging energy.

Although the violent explosion failed to destroy that massive platform, it successfully interrupted its energy-charging process, winning a precious 0.01 seconds for those behind.

"madman！这些龙裔都是madman！"A United States captain watched as if his life was in his hands.、The Dragonborn warships surged in like a tidal wave, crashing into each other in a suicidal manner.，I couldn't help but gasp in surprise.。

His indestructible conviction for revenge wavered for the first time.

The death-defying will of these "ants" made him feel a trace of chill.

Long Xiao's "Indomitable," facing a sky full of artillery fire, its hull constantly peeling and exploding, did not change its ramming trajectory in the slightest!

The targeted Free United States capital ship clearly hadn't expected the opponent to be so insane; it hastily mobilized secondary batteries to intercept, and countless beams hit the "Indomitable's" broken hull, triggering more explosions, but they couldn't stop its final charge carrying the death-defying will of the entire crew!

"BOOM!!!!!!!"

The "Indomitable's" energy core finally exceeded the critical point, and along with its remaining hull, it slammed hard into the side shield of that Free United States capital ship!

A terrifying ball of light, comparable to a supernova explosion, suddenly lit up!

A violent energy storm swept out, tearing at the Free United States ship's shield until it flickered violently, and the hull was knocked askew by the shockwave of the explosion, with countless turrets and sensors on the surface destroyed!

Long Xiao, along with all the loyal soldiers on his flagship, fulfilled the oath of a Dragonborn soldier in their most brilliant and cruel way!

They might have only delayed that main enemy ship by zero point zero-something seconds... but in those zero point zero-something seconds, more Dragonborn warships, stepping on the path opened by their comrades with their lives, launched another wave of death-defying charges!

One, a hundred, ten thousand, a hundred million... one after another, defying death!

There were no grand words, only the suppressed roars, the farewells to loved ones, and the Soul-resounding "For the Dragonborn" that came from the communication channel at the last moment!

Their sacrifice was not meaningless.

The Free United States fleet's unstoppable offensive was stubbornly halted by this dam composed of lives!

Although it was only for a brief moment, it was this moment, exchanged for the blood and lives of countless Dragonborn soldiers, that won the incredibly precious, life-and-death-deciding—time—for the Ancestral Dragon Court's early warning, for the assembly of the Empire's main fleet, and for the final counterattack!

The starry sky of the Star Shattering Belt was dyed a tragic golden-red.

Every flame that bloomed and then extinguished was the unyielding heroic Soul of a Dragonborn warrior.

They used the most primitive and tragic method to announce to the invaders:

The Dragonborn's spine would rather break than bend!

Not an inch of the Dragonborn's Star Domain would be surrendered!

This Great Wall forged in blood, this elegy of life, will surely be forever engraved in the annals of the Dragonborn Empire and echo in the heart of every Dragonborn descendant!

Trillions of years! — Dragonborn!

A tragic and heroic atmosphere permeated the starry sky...