150: Level 2.4 Peak Showdown

The void of the Shattered Star Belt had transformed into a colossal furnace, burning with steel, energy, and life.

The fleet of the Free United States, like an enraged steel hedgehog, unleashed a billion years of accumulated fury and technology without reservation.

Their firepower was precise, efficient, and ruthless, possessing a mechanical, deadly beauty.

Though the border fleet of the Dragonborn Empire fought bravely, under the absolute disparity in quality, their resistance was like moths drawn to a flame; warships continuously turned into cosmic dust in brilliant yet fleeting explosions… Inside the flagship "Free Will," President Edgar's face was ashen.

The initial shock and humiliation had been replaced by a chilling killing intent.

The failure of the stealth plan had indeed disrupted their rhythm, but it hadn't shaken his confidence in their absolute power!

"A billion years of enduring hardship and biding our time—this is the foundation for crushing everything!"

He gazed at the star map, where the Dragonborn fleet, though valiant, was retreating steadily, a cruel arc forming on the corner of his mouth. "Dragonborn, your death throes will only make this revenge more exhilarating!"

"Report! Dragonborn border fleet Third and Seventh divisions have been completely annihilated! Our vanguard has breached the outer defensive perimeter of the Shattered Star Belt!"

"Excellent," Edgar said coldly. "Order the 'Arbiter' mech legions to advance and sweep up the remaining enemies. The main fleet is to maintain formation, target Ancestral Dragon Court, and push forward at full speed! Crush all resistance!"

Just as the United States fleet was advancing with overwhelming momentum, preparing to punch through the defenses in one go!

"Om—!!!"

A spatial fluctuation, far more massive, grander, and imbued with the majestic might of dragons and an ancient,vicissitudes aura than when the border fleet appeared, swept in like a tide from the direction of the Dragonborn Empire's interior!

Immediately after, in the starfield directly in front of the United States fleet, space was forcibly torn open like a curtain!

First to emerge were eighteen… no, eighteen suffocatingly colossal golden dragon heads!

They were ferocious and majestic, their dragon horns piercing the void, each comparable in size to a small star!

Vast energy flowed over their dragon-scale-like armor, emitting a heart-palpitating, mid-level star-arm-class pressure!

The main fleet of the Dragonborn Empire had arrived on the battlefield!

Leading them were all the existing star-arm-class flagships of the Empire, besides the Dragon Emperor and the Imperial Princess—a full eighteen "Ancestral Dragon-class" flagships, symbolizing mid-level star-arm-class power!

After incorporating some Level 2.8 civilization technology, their power had all advanced from low-level to mid-level star-arm-class!

Behind them, the spatial rift expanded like a breached dam, and countless warships of various designs, all bearing distinct Dragonborn characteristics, surged out like a golden torrent!

Battleships, cruisers, destroyers, assault ships… the number instantly exceeded hundreds of trillions!

Dense and overwhelming… their combined energy field caused countless asteroids in the Shattered Star Belt to deviate from their orbits!

The United States fleet, which had just been advancing like a hot knife through butter, seemed to have crashed into an indestructible Wall of Sighs in front of this sudden, unimaginably massive reinforcement!

The offensive instantly stalled!

"What?! Eighteen mid-level star-arm-class flagships?! That's impossible!" the strategist senator exclaimed, his virtual image fluctuating violently. "The Dragonborn Empire officially only has the Dragon Emperor's flagship as mid-level star-arm-class! There's no way they could have eighteen mid-level star-arm-class flagships!"

President Edgar's pupils also contracted sharply.

This number completely exceeded the upper limit of the United States' assessment of the Dragonborn Empire's strength over a billion years!

"Is it a virtual projection? Or some kind of technologically created illusion?" he demanded sharply.

"Energy signatures confirmed! Law fluctuations confirmed! It's genuine mid-level star-arm-class pressure! Eighteen of them, all real!" The technician's voice trembled with despair:

"And… and their warship structures… seem to incorporate some technology we can't understand. Their energy conduction efficiency and shield strength far exceed our database models!"

Just then, from the center of the Dragonborn Empire's main fleet, the communication from the largest flagship, the "Ancestral Dragon · Sky Pillar," which bore a nine-clawed dragon emblem on its dragon head, connected.

A virtual image of an elderly man appeared, clad in Imperial Marshal's uniform, with a resolute face and prominent dragon horns. He was Marshal Ao Zhan, a mid-level star-arm-class powerhouse.

"You rats of the Free United States!" Ao Zhan's voice thundered across the public channel of both fleets. "Those who defy the heavenly might of my Dragonborn—die!!!"

He abruptly waved his hand, and the main cannons of hundreds of trillions of warships behind him simultaneously lit up with brilliant golden light, the humming of converging energy making the entire starfield tremble!

"Fire!!!"

No superfluous words, no diplomatic rhetoric, only the most direct, most violent declaration of force!

"Roar—!!!"

As if hundreds of trillions of divine dragons roared simultaneously!

Hundreds of trillions of golden energy torrents, destructive light beams capable of annihilating stars and piercing suns, carrying the will to purify and judge all, fiercely blasted towards the core formation of the United States fleet!

This was no longer the desperate resistance of a border fleet; this was the thunderous wrath of the Empire's main force!

Facing this world-destroying volley, Edgar's face changed dramatically: "All fleets! Maximum power combined shields! 'Doomsday'-class weapon interception! Quick!"

The United States fleet reacted swiftly, countless warships redirected energy output, and layered, diamond-shaped energy shields instantly unfolded, attempting to construct an absolute defense.

At the same time, countless grey-black energy beams, emanating destructive aura, shot out from the fleet, meeting the golden light pillars—these were their "Doomsday"-class weapons, capable of easily tearing apart stars!

However, what happened next almost shattered the faith of all United States soldiers!

The golden light pillars of the Dragonborn Empire's main fleet, upon contact with the United States' "Doomsday"-class interceptor fire, did not produce the expected violent explosions and energy neutralization.

The surface of the golden energy torrents shimmered with countless intricate, profound silver runes—precisely the Level 2.8 civilization energy structure optimization technology from Yan Xiao's legacy!

Under the blessing of these runes, the golden light pillars seemed to possess some kind of "penetrating" and "disintegrating" properties… The United States' "Doomsday"-class attacks, capable of tearing apart stars, were easily, silently split apart, disintegrated, and annihilated!

They couldn't even slow them down!

"How is this possible?!" Edgar's eyes were bloodshot.

The next second, the golden torrent of judgment fiercely slammed into the hastily constructed combined shields of the United States fleet!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"

An indescribable roar transmitted through energy vibrations in the vacuum!

Those once indestructible combined shields, which had withstood countless suicidal charges from the Dragonborn border fleet… now!

In front of those golden light pillars, shining with countless runes, they shattered inch by inch like fragile glass!

The explosions of fire spread wildly from the collapsed shields, and trillions of United States warships were vaporized instantly, leaving no wreckage behind!

With just one strike!

The Dragonborn Empire's main fleet, leveraging the technological advantage brought by Yan Xiao's legacy, completely turned the tide of the battle with an overwhelming display!

They utterly routed the confident and well-equipped Free United States fleet, inflicting heavy losses!

"No!!!" A United States peak star-arm-class senator watched his flagship's shields flicker violently, almost breached by the aftershocks, and let out an angry and unwilling roar.

Their billion years of accumulation, a billion years of technology, seemed so vulnerable in the face of the opponent's sudden and utterly incomprehensible technological advantage?!

Frustration!

Immense frustration!

This feeling was ten thousand times stronger than the frustration of their stealth being broken just moments ago!

"Attack! All forces attack! Crush them!" Marshal Ao Zhan would not let such an excellent opportunity slip by, waving his "command flag" again.

"For the Empire!"

"Long live the Dragonborn!"

The Imperial fleet's morale soared, and like a golden tide, they launched a full-scale assault on the now-disordered United States fleet!

Thegunfire became denser, tactics more flexible, often achieving the destruction of United States warships at a smaller cost.

The tide of battle instantly reversed!

The United States fleet transformed from hunters to the hunted!

...Inside the "Free Will," there was a deathly silence.

Only the blaring alarms of damaged instruments and the incessant explosions outside reminded them… this was not a nightmare, but a cruel reality!

"Mr. President! Third and Seventh 'Doomsday' weapon arrays destroyed!"

"Left flank flagship 'Miller' shields overloaded, hull damaged 35%!"

"'Arbiter' Third Legion… completely annihilated!"

...Bad news arrived one after another.

Every senator's face was filled with shock, anger, and a hint of… bewilderment?

A billion years of dormancy, a billion years of accumulation… how could it have come to this?

Shouldn't the script have been them easily crushing the decadent Dragonborn Empire with overwhelming force, reclaiming their homeland, and washing away their shame?

Why were they the ones being passively beaten and on the verge of collapse now?!

"Their technology… something's wrong!" The strategist senator stared intently at the Dragonborn warships shimmering with runes on the star map. "This method of energy utilization, this shield structure… it's definitely not the Dragonborn's original tech tree! It's a variable!"

President Edgar gripped the armrest of the command chair tightly, the metal armrest silently turning to powder in his hand.

His face was terrifyingly grim, his eyes swirling with a billion years of accumulated hatred and the raging fury of a plan collapsing at this very moment.

Miscalculated!

Completely miscalculated!

They not only underestimated the Dragonborne Empire's early warning capabilities, but also its combat prowess!

...But, it was too late to think about that now.

The battle was rapidly deteriorating.

The United States fleet was being slowly segmented, surrounded, and devoured!

Every second, warships built with immense resources were turning into dust!

Loyal United States soldiers were perishing in the sea of stars!

These were the accumulated assets of a billion years!

They were the foundation of their revenge!

They could no longer wait!

"Everyone!" Edgar suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with a desperate resolve, "Execute the final contingency plan! We... will act personally!"

"But, Mr. President! The Dragon Emperor has not yet appeared!" A senator worriedly said.

"We can't worry about that anymore!" Edgar roared, "If we don't act now, our fleet will be wiped out! Even if we kill the Dragon Emperor then, the United States will exist in name only! Move!"

"For the United States!!"

Eleven terrifying auras, like exploding stars, suddenly rose from deep within the United States fleet!

In an instant, the energy flow across the entire battlefield stagnated!

Whether it was the golden energy torrent of the Dragonborne Empire or the coldgunfire of the United States, both paled in comparison to the boundless, peak Star-Arm-level pressure of these eleven figures!

Eleven peak Star-Arm-level experts, appearing simultaneously!

President Edgar floated above the "Free Will" battleship, surrounded by streams of solidified laws, like a god ruling over this star system.

His gaze, cold as ice, swept towards the eighteen "Ancestral Dragon-class" flagships in the distance, as if looking at a pile of toys to be dismantled.

"Dragonborne ants," his voice was not loud, yet it clearly echoed in the mind of every living being, "In the face of absolute power, all flashy techniques are futile!"

He slowly raised his hand, and with an empty grasp, aimed at the densest area of the Dragonborne fleet.

"Law of Annihilation!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling brilliance.

But centered on his palm, a void with a diameter of trillions of kilometers, as if all energy and laws had been instantly extracted, became an absolute "dead zone"!

Within this range, Dragonborne warships, whether the mighty "Ancestral Dragon-class" flagships or the nimble assault ships... their engines instantly died, their shields dissipated like foam, the energy gathered in their muzzles silently vanished... turning into piles of scrap metal floating in space!!!

Immediately after, this "dead zone" began to rapidly collapse and compress inwards!

Trillions of Dragonborne warships within the range, along with the soldiers inside, couldn't even struggle before being crushed into elementary particles by that invisible law of "annihilation"!

One strike!

With just one strike, trillions of Dragonborne warships, including one "Ancestral Dragon-class" flagship, were obliterated!

This was the power of a peak Star-Arm-level expert!

One could transcend a Level 2.4 civilization! Achieving a Level 2.5 civilization!

This was the ultimate manifestation of individual might!!!

At the same time, the other ten peak Star-Arm-level senators also made their move!

Some transformed into colossal lightning giants, conjuring stellar thunderstorms with every move, turning vast swathes of the Dragonborne fleet into plasma... others unfurled black hole force fields that devoured everything, like cosmic locusts, consuming warships, asteroids, and even light in their path... some unleashed absolute zero cold waves that froze souls, instantly turning massive warship fleets into ice sculptures, then shattering them into cosmic dust... The full power unleashed by the eleven peak Star-Arm-level experts was like eleven cataclysms sweeping across the sea of stars!!!

The momentary advantage the Dragonborne Empire gained through technological superiority was completely wiped out by this absolute power disparity!

The tide of battle instantly turned again!!!

The Imperial fleet vanished in swathes, like harvested wheat... Marshal Ao Zhan's eyes were bloodshot, as he commanded the remaining fleet to resist desperately!

But in the face of peak Star-Arm-level power, their resistance seemed so pale and feeble... "Your Majesty!!!" Ao Zhan let out a sorrowful roar towards the direction of the Ancestral Dragon Court, "Your servant... has done his best!!!"

...Pillar of Leaders, Chen Jun's Estate.

The tea cup crushed by Yan Wuhao had not yet been cleaned up.

The lingering echo of the Dragon's Roar from the highest emergency communication still seemed to reverberate.

Yan Wuhao and Yan Ji's faces were already ashen... Although countless light-years away, through the resonance of the "Yanhuang Dragon Seal" and the real-time battle reports filled with static and explosions from the front lines... they could clearly feel the desperate power gap at the front and the tragic casualties their Imperial soldiers were enduring!

"Eleven... peak Star-Arm-level...?!" Yan Wuhao's voice carried a hint of imperceptible tremor, his dragon eyes bloodshot, "Free United States... Good! Very good indeed!!!"

He abruptly looked at Chen Jun, no longer caring about imperial decorum, and bowed deeply: "Ancestor Chen! The situation is critical! Every second, loyal and brave soldiers of my empire are dying in battle! I implore Ancestor Chen and Princess Qinglan to act on behalf of our brotherly alliance, and take me and Yan Ji to the battlefield immediately!"

His tone was urgent and earnest, with an undeniable resolve.

He knew that at this moment, perhaps only the unfathomable Ancestor Chen and his equally mysterious and powerful daughter could turn the tide of battle.

Chen Jun looked at Yan Wuhao's eyes, which were practically spitting fire, and then at Yan Ji, who was biting her lower lip, her fingernails almost digging into her palms, and put down the small biscuit in his hand.

He rubbed his nose and looked at Yun Qinglan, who had been quietly standing beside him, seemingly indifferent to everything.

"Qinglan," Chen Jun's tone carried a rare seriousness, "Eleven peak Star-Arm-level experts on the other side, do you have confidence? Don't push yourself, safety first."

Although the Dragonborne Empire were descendants of his old friend Yan Xiao, and in a sense, also descendants of Yanhuang... But! He cared more about his daughter's safety.

Yun Qinglan's beautiful face showed no ripple, like an ancient, unmelting ice crystal.

She didn't even lift her eyelids, but merely uttered four words in her cool, ethereal voice, as if devoid of any emotion:

"Mere chickens and dogs."

Chen Jun: "..."

Yan Wuhao: "..."

Yan Ji: "..."

The entire side hall fell into an eerie silence... Only Yun Qinglan's four words, "mere chickens and dogs," still gently echoed in the air.

Using "mere chickens and dogs"... to describe eleven peak Star-Arm-level powerhouses who had expended a billion years of accumulated resources and arrived with a raging fire of revenge...?

Chen Jun's mouth twitched, but his heart was filled with joy... Daughter, I know you're formidable, but... aren't you a bit too formidable?!

However... I, your old man, like it! Hahaha!

Chen Jun cleared his throat and spread his hands to the still-stunned father and daughter, Yan Wuhao: "See, my daughter says it's no problem. So, shall we... get going? With my daughter taking action... there will definitely be no problem! I'll wait for your good news at home!"

Yan Wuhao suddenly snapped back to reality, immense surprise and an indescribable sense of absurdity impacting his mind, and he bowed deeply again: "Thank you, Ancestor Chen! Thank you, Princess Qinglan!"

Yun Qinglan did not speak, but merely gently raised her fair, slender hand.

The next moment, a soft yet profound silver light enveloped Yun Qinglan, Yan Wuhao, and Yan Ji.

Space rippled like water.

The figures of the three instantly vanished from the side hall of the Pillar of Leaders, leaving no trace.

As if they had never appeared.

Chen Jun remained slumped in his armchair... as if a conversation that would decide the fate of two Level 2.4 civilizations had not just taken place here... In the Shattered Star Belt battlefield, the void had been dyed a desperate molten gold and dark red... The remaining Dragonborne Imperial fleet huddled within their final defensive perimeter, like flickering candles in a raging storm... Marshal Ao Zhan's eyes were bloodshot, watching the fleet, built with countless efforts of the Empire, turn into dust under the absolute power of the enemy... His heart bled, yet he still stood tall, ready to face the final outcome... President Edgar floated at the center of the storm of destruction, streams of laws roaring around him, like a god wielding life and death!

He looked down at the stubbornly resisting Dragonborne remnants, his billion years of hatred intertwined with the imminent joy of victory, making him unable to resist issuing a declaration of triumph:

"Dragonborne! Your struggles are meaningless! Yan Wuhao! You coward! You turtle! Are you going to watch your people die out?!!!"

His voice was like cold thunder, rolling across the battlefield, carrying endless mockery.

However, just as his voice fell—

"Buzz—!"

The void not far in front of him, as if gently plucked by an invisible hand, rippled with soft yet strange silver waves.

These ripples were so abrupt, so out of place with the surrounding violent energy turbulence and destructive beams, as if they belonged to two entirely different dimensions.

Immediately after, a silver light flashed!

Three figures appeared, silently and casually, as if on an after-dinner stroll, in the very core of this storm of destruction!