351: Chapter 352 The Zerg's Objective

"Blood Feast Bloom!" Alice shouted as her figure transformed into a streak of bloody light, crashing directly into the densest part of the swarm. In the next instant, with her as the center, the space within a radius of several hundred meters suddenly froze. Then, all the insects touched by the bloody light, regardless of size, seemed to have bombs planted inside them as they all exploded from within!

Thick dark green insect blood and carapace fragments were like death flowers in full bloom, silently blossoming and spreading in the vacuum. The Vampire maiden shuttled through the swarm, leaving behind only patches of bloody, empty space wherever she passed.

"Nine Tails: Myriad Phenomena!" Daji floated in mid-air, the nine pinkish-white fox tails behind her spreading like a peacock's fan, with each tail tip glowing with a brilliant light of a different attribute.

Cutting vortices formed by wind blades, icebergs condensing out of thin air and then shattering into countless ice crystal arrows, fiery meteor showers, violent chain lightning... Various large-scale elemental attacks poured out as if they cost nothing, instantly submerging and purifying another incoming swarm.

She even utilized her newly mastered Origin Skill, with countless icy blades capable of cutting space crisscrossing and shredding tens of thousands of insects into the finest ice dust.

"Skree—!"

A clear phoenix cry echoed through the hall; Feng Ling had already revealed her true phoenix form! A magnificent giant bird with a wingspan of over fifty meters, its entire body burning with gold-red Nirvana Divine Fire, illuminated the dim hall like a sun.

With a flap of her wings, infinite flames surged forward like a tsunami! The undying Nirvana Fire, the World Purifying Flame that purifies all things, and the Flame of Destruction that annihilates everything intertwined into a sea of death. Wherever the flames reached, the insects—from their carapaces to their internal tissues—were instantly vaporized, leaving not even a trace of residue.

With just a single flap and breath, over a million insects were evaporated, leaving a brief, scorching void in the silence of space.

On one side of the battlefield, Xu Ruohan looked solemn, her staff held high. "In the name of Light, descend, my warriors!" In the void, holy glowing portals opened one after another, and over twenty battle angels with two or four wings, clad in light armor and wielding light spears or holy swords, stepped forth!

Their levels were generally between 220 and 250, and under the terrifying enhancement of Lin Muyang's various Auras, each one exploded with combat power far exceeding their norm.

Holy Light Slash, Spear of Judgment, Divine Storm, Fist of the Heavens... various light-attribute skills smashed into the swarm like a violent storm. Holy power seemed to have an extra restraining effect on these void creatures; often, a single ray of holy light could purify a large area of insects. The twenty-plus super-enhanced angels formed a battle line like a moving wall of light, shoving back another wave of the swarm's impact and even counter-advancing several hundred meters!

The battle scene was incredibly intense, with the young ladies each displaying their divine powers. Under the multiple advantages of doubled attributes, top-tier equipment, and powerful skills, they actually managed to block this first wave of the seemingly infinite swarm, even gaining the upper hand. Those level 200 mythic swarms, capable of easily destroying a planet, actually seemed like they weren't much of a challenge before them.

However, there was no joy on Lin Muyang's face. He hovered at the rear of the battlefield, his gaze piercing through the chaotic battle toward the dark, deep space outside the dome breach, where endless insect shadows seemed to writhe. This wave of attack might only be the vanguard of the swarm, a probe, a form of attrition.

The Swarm's true command core and more powerful units might still be behind. Moreover, why was this angel starship silent? Where were the other angels? Why was the Swarm attacking here? Is Her Highness the Princess mentioned by Elena safe? There were too many questions.

Just then, Gui Wanwan's voice transmission rang in his mind, carrying a hint of relief and urgency:

"Master! Elena, Xiao Xue, Little Charm, and I found working equipment at a backup communication node on the lower deck of the starship! We've made contact! We've contacted Elena's people!

It's an angel patrol squad stationed at an outpost on the edge of this star sector! They received our distress and identification signals! But the situation is dire; the Swarm's main force is besieging the holy radiance's main control area and energy core! Her Highness the Princess and most of the garrison are trapped! The patrol squad is fighting desperately to reach the main ship, but there are too many insects; they need support! Elena has already transmitted our coordinates and general situation!"

Lin Muyang's eyes flashed with sharp light!

As expected! The Angel Civilization was not extinct, but in a bitter struggle!

Lin Muyang stood silently beneath the shattered starship dome. Above his head were the frantically squirming black insect shadows trying to pour through the massive breach, their hideous mandibles opening and closing, their eerie green compound eyes reflecting the cold light of the stars in the vacuum, emitting silent yet soul-tearing bloodthirsty screeches. Beneath his feet was the metal floor covered in insect remains and energy scorch marks, silently narrating the brief and intense encounter that had just occurred.

He did not continue to issue attack orders but simply raised his right hand slowly, palm up, in a simple closing gesture. An invisible mental wave spread out with this movement, clear and peaceful, yet carrying an unquestionable will.

Without needing words, the young ladies fighting nearby instantly understood his intent. With a wave of her hand, Daji froze the last of the rushing swarm, the ice crystals exploding silently in the vacuum; Feng Ling retracted the Nirvana Fire that burned the starry sky, her massive phoenix form transforming back into human shape; Seraphina withdrew from the feast of blood explosions, bringing with her a string of dark green blood droplets.

The Angel Legion summoned by Xu Ruohan also retreated quickly, the holy light barriers shrinking to form a defensive circle. In just a few seconds, the intense battlefield was cleared, leaving only the distant swarm still constantly crashing and trying to pour in, along with the unsettling hum of energy echoing within the starship.

"Ceasefire for now, hold your positions and stand by," Lin Muyang's voice came through the mental link, calm and steady, yet making everyone's hearts tighten.

"Muyang, these insects clearly have us as their target, why not take this chance to clear them out?" Shen Muyao frowned slightly, looking at the seemingly infinite black tide outside the dome breach, a hint of confusion flashing in her ice-blue eyes. With their current strength combined with Lin Muyang's Auras, clearing these insects would take time, but it wasn't impossible.

"It's not time yet." Lin Muyang shook his head, his gaze deep as if piercing through the dense swarm into the deeper reaches of space. "Look closely at their movement patterns. It seems chaotic, but the direction of each impact, the connection between waves, and even the coordination between different types of insects all subtly follow a set pattern. This isn't animal instinct; it's more like a militarized offensive under unified command."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity. "If we engage in a large-scale clearing now regardless of the cost, we might beat back this wave or even clear this area. But it's very likely to alert the commander behind the scenes, or cause them to judge us as a major threat, thereby drawing in more powerful and bizarre units, or even a direct decapitation strike against us. Before we've grasped the enemy's details and established clear strategic goals, rashly exposing our full strength and provoking an unknown opponent is foolish."

Hearing this, the women felt a chill in their hearts and began to observe intently. Indeed, with Lin Muyang's reminder, they gradually saw the signs. The insects' attack wasn't a mindless rush; there were vanguards probing, flanks being bypassed, long-range harassment, and even after a group was killed, the following insects would briefly adjust their formation to avoid the gaps with the heaviest fire. This level of discipline was definitely not something low-level insect beasts could possess.

"You mean there's a higher-level brain commanding these insects from behind?" Su Qingyue asked thoughtfully.

"Very likely. The Cosmic Swarm, in the records of many civilizations, possesses a high degree of collective consciousness and some form of Overmind or Hive Mind will," Lin Muyang nodded. "Our primary goal is to understand the situation and find allies, not to fight a war of attrition with an infinite sea of insects here."

"Master, an angel patrol squad stationed at the Seventh Outpost on the periphery of this star sector received the emergency distress and identification signal sent by Elena, which carried the Royal Guard insignia. The situation... is dire."

"Get to the point," Lin Muyang's gaze narrowed.

"The holy radiance's main control area and the adjacent energy core area have been completely surrounded and blockaded by the Swarm's main force. Her Highness the Princess, the main force of the Royal Guard Legion, senior starship commanders, and most non-combat personnel are all trapped inside. The outer defenses are being gradually eroded, and the internal life support and energy supply systems are severely damaged; they won't last long. The patrol squad is also in a bitter struggle, trying to reach the main ship, but the swarm is too numerous, and their progress is extremely slow. They sent an encrypted star map coordinate and distress code, repeatedly emphasizing one term—the source of radiance."

"source of radiance?" Lin Muyang repeated the unfamiliar term, numerous speculations flashing through his mind. Energy? A weapon? Some key substance that counters the Swarm? Or a holy relic of the Angel race?

"They didn't explain in detail, only emphasizing that the source of radiance is the key to resisting the Swarm's erosion, maintaining the starship's core barrier, and potentially even reversing the battle. However, its location seems to be near the main control area or the energy core, and it is currently in danger as well," Gui Wanwan added, while sharing a brief starship structural diagram through the mental link, marking key areas and the Swarm's general troop distribution with Lin Muyang.

Lin Muyang quickly browsed the images in his mind. They were currently at the upper observation platform of the starship's left wing, while the main control area was located in the starship's central spine area, and the energy core was closer to the stern. There were several main corridors connecting the two, but according to the information from the patrol squad, these corridors were currently filled with the Swarm, especially near several key energy transmission conduits where Swarm activity was exceptionally high, seemingly for purposeful destruction.

"It seems the insects' goal is very clear—to trap the Angel race's command center and seize or destroy that source of radiance." A cold light flashed in Lin Muyang's eyes as he instantly cleared his thoughts. Regardless of what the source of radiance specifically was, it was vital and was the core reliance the Angel race still had to hold on. The Swarm's siege here at all costs definitely meant they had a scheme.

"Plan change," Lin Muyang's voice rang out in everyone's minds again, decisive and firm. "Original exploration mission canceled. We will first break through the Swarm's blockade, enter the holy radiance's main control area, rendezvous with the trapped angels, and ensure the safety of the source of radiance. Xiao Wan has already obtained the general route and enemy distribution."

He quickly assigned tasks: "Mu Yao, Teacher Su, the two of you lead Chiba Ruri, Tashalin, Gu Shuanglin, Gu Xiaoyu, and Ao Qingyan. You are responsible for consolidating our currently occupied area, establishing a temporary forward base, clearing out the scattered insects that continue to pour in, ensuring our retreat path is clear, and attempting to repair or establish simple communication nodes to maintain contact with the outer angel patrol squad."

"Feng Ling, Lilia, Jialiya, Seraphina, Elabess, Elena, along with Sister Ruohan and your Angel Legion, follow me to form the Central Assault Team. We will follow the optimal route marked by Wanwan and force our way into the starship's core area!"

"Remember, our purpose is to rendezvous and rescue, not to fight a decisive battle with the sea of insects. Focus on breakthrough and speed, and try to avoid getting bogged down in a prolonged struggle. Feng Ling, Lilia, you are responsible for leading the way and clearing obstacles in an area; Jialiya, use your undead creatures to scout and delay the swarms on the flanks; Seraphina, Elabess, be responsible for clearing approaching elite individuals and responding to sudden threats."

"Sister Ruohan's Angel Legion will be responsible for flanking cover and rear guard; Wanwan, you will roam and support, and be ready to establish short-range spatial jump points at any time to deal with extreme situations. Elena, stay close to me; I need you to identify the paths and possible angelic markers."

Each command was clear and precise, and everyone solemnly obeyed.