292: Crab swarms and formidable defenses

Ten "Heavy Armored Crushers" advanced in formation, their massive pincers gathering a heart-stopping glow of energy, then violently unleashed ten incredibly thick, azure energy shockwaves, slamming them fiercely into the Myriad Peaks Shield.

"Rumble—!"

The entire Blue Star Island trembled slightly under this furious bombardment, the shield's light flickered violently, and the ethereal images of rocks and crystals flickered on and off as if they could shatter at any moment. Stone Startling Heaven and several Earth-elementalist professionals guarding the key nodes turned pale, clearly under immense pressure.

"Hold on!" Elania's clear, cold voice rang out. She hovered above the island, waving her crystal staff, injecting more crystal energy into the shield, barely stabilizing the situation.

"Now! Light Feather Volley! Target the joints of the Heavy Armored Crushers," Kyle calmly ordered.

The Light Feather Clan warriors, already prepared, simultaneously released their bowstrings. Countless arrows, imbued with pure Light Power, streaked through the darkness like a meteor shower, precisely striking the joints where the pincers and bodies of the "Heavy Armored Crushers," who were fully attacking the shield, connected.

"Puff puff puff puff—!"

The Light Power, upon contact with the crystal shells, did not cause a violent explosion but rather an odd, sizzling sound like corrosion. The sacred energy contained within the Light Feather arrows had a certain penetrating effect against the Crystal Shell Crab Clan's defense, which leaned towards energy refraction. More importantly, their attack points were incredibly cunning.

Several "Heavy Armored Crushers" let out painful, metal-grinding screeches. The movements of their indestructible pincers visibly slowed, and one Crystal Shell Crab even developed tiny cracks in the carapace at its joints, with blue energy fluid seeping out.

"It's working!" Yu Yue saw it clearly from behind the defensive line, excitedly pumping his fist.

"Iron Claw, it's time for your 'little gadgets' to shine," Chu Yixing ordered.

"Watch this," Iron Claw excitedly rubbed his mechanical hands behind cover, shouting through the communicator, "Armor-piercing Team One, Team Two, fire!"

The launchers deployed in concealed spots on the island's flanks suddenly jolted, and dozens of oddly shaped "Resonance Armor-Piercing Cones" with spiral-cone heads were launched at high speed. These armor-piercing cones did not fly straight but took strange arcs, cleverly bypassing the thick frontal carapaces and specifically targeting the relatively weaker side abdomens and limb joints of the Crystal Shell Giant Crabs.

"Clang clang clang—!"

The armor-piercing cones hit their targets but did not penetrate; instead, they firmly adhered to the carapace. Immediately after, the high-frequency vibrators inside the cones activated.

"Buzz—!"

A low-frequency vibration wave, grating to the teeth, instantly spread out. The hit Crystal Shell Giant Crabs stiffened abruptly, the smooth energy circuit glow on their carapaces flickered violently and became chaotic, their movements visibly clumsy, and even the energy sheen on their bodies dimmed by a few shades.

"Their defense is down! Focus fire on those armored targets!" Lin Feng, on the front line, keenly seized the opportunity, roaring as he led his attack squad to unleash countless sharp wind blades and sword qi, fiercely hacking at the Crystal Shell Crabs whose carapaces had lost their luster. They finally broke through the defense, leaving deep gashes.

The battle entered a white-hot phase. The Crystal Shell Crab Clan, relying on their powerful defense and strength, pressed forward relentlessly, continuously assaulting the Myriad Peaks Shield; meanwhile, humanity and its allies stubbornly resisted the tide-like offensive, relying on precise weak-point strikes, Iron Claw's specialized weapons, and the strong support of the Light Feather Clan and Crystal Sprites.

Xu Bai did not directly participate in the frontal battle. He stood in a relatively safe rear position, continuously summoning various abyssal demons. The strength of these demons was not top-tier, but they came in various forms: some spewed acid, which, though not as effective as specialized strong acid, could slightly corrode carapaces; some excelled at mental interference; and more importantly, many charged forward to self-destruct regardless of life or death, using chaotic abyssal energy to disrupt the crab swarm's orderly formation, greatly slowing their advance and alleviating pressure on the frontal defense line.

Han Ruoxue's Moonlight Power, like the toughest silk thread, wove through the battlefield, timely healing wounded warriors and using Moon Shadow Barriers to block the chaotic energy streams refracted by the "Crystal Energy Scattering Crabs."

However, the Crystal Shell Crab Clan, being a race ranked 298th in the first stage, had deep reserves. After the initial confusion, they quickly adjusted their tactics. The "Crystal Energy Scattering Crabs" at the back of the formation began to gather, the patterns on their carapaces lit up, collecting part of the attack energy endured by their comrades in front and transforming it into irregular scattered energy beams, covering the human defense line and causing considerable trouble for humanity. Simultaneously, several "Stealth Cutters," smaller in size but with darker carapaces, hidden deep within the crab swarm, suddenly accelerated, ghost-like, bypassing the front and attempting to assault the island's energy shield generator from weak points on the flanks.

"Not good, enemies are infiltrating from the flank!" Zhou Chen, responsible for monitoring the overall situation, immediately warned.

"Leave it to me!" Ji Linghan's eyes flashed with lightning, and his figure transformed into a bolt of electricity, shooting out. He arrived later but got there first, instantly intercepting the several "Stealth Cutters." His Divine Punishment Lightning struck down mercilessly; the thunderous power, both rigid and pure yang, was remarkably effective against these hard-shelled units. Amidst the bursting lightning, the several sneak-attacking giant crabs were scorched black and stiffened, then quickly dealt with by the assassin squad led by Piao Jinhao, who had arrived.

The battle descended into a brutal tug-of-war. Every minute, every second, both sides expended immense energy and manpower. Blue Star Island's defensive fortifications began to show damage under the continuous bombardment, and casualties also started to appear. But humanity and its allies refused to yield an inch, repelling the Crystal Shell Crab Clan's offensive again and again with their tenacious will and effective tactics.

As time passed, the Crystal Shell Crab Clan's commander seemed to realize that such a frontal assault was too costly and began to order the troops to retreat, apparently preparing to regroup and brew a more intense next wave of attack.

Taking advantage of this brief lull, Chu Yixing immediately ordered: "Assess battle damage, repair fortifications, rotate for rest. Iron Claw, resupply the vibration weapons. Zhou Chen, report the points situation."

Soon, Zhou Chen's unbelievably excited voice rang out: "Report! We successfully repelled the Crystal Shell Crab Clan's first large-scale offensive and wounded or destroyed multiple of their combat units. According to system judgment, we gained a large number of defensive points and destruction points. Our racial points have surged, and our current ranking is 287th!"

The command center was silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening cheers.

Leaping directly from 421st to 287th, a single successful defensive battle brought such immense point gains. This was not only because they repelled a higher-ranked race, but also because the tactical execution, teamwork, and targeted weapon development displayed by humanity in the battle were highly recognized by the "Supreme Rules."

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New author, new book, welcome everyone to catch bugs, offer suggestions, advice, inspiration, etc.!

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