161: Zero-returner

Several months passed, and within the Eye of Terror, there was a relatively stable region known as the Silent Rift (where Warp storms were strangely calm, and although the structure of reality was fragile, it had not yet completely collapsed).

This became the first experimental site for the foundation of the Firmament. Dozens of giant engineering ships busied themselves like worker bees, piecing together and assembling massive components from the Extragalactic regions that radiated dark gold and deep blue light in the void. A prototype of the Nullifier, resembling thorny metal, revealed its formidable silhouette. The runes flowing across its surface formed a sharp contrast with the surrounding purple-red, blasphemous whisper-filled chaos void.

"Nullifier-Alpha, main structure completion at 87%. Core abyss of order interface and gods bottle secondary unit are in place. Phase Stabilization Anchor array is being calibrated," the engineering commander-in-chief reported the progress.

However, conducting a project of such scale and nature inside the Eye of Terror was like throwing ice into a boiling oil pan; it was impossible not to cause a violent reaction.

"High-intensity Warp disturbance detected! Multiple directions! Energy signatures are demons! A large number of demons! Also Chaos Fleet signals!" The alarm blared shrilly.

In the chaos void surrounding the Silent Rift, it was as if countless doors to nightmares had opened. Densely packed demonic entities swarmed out—from low-tier Horrors and Bloodletters to mid-tier Plaguebearers, and even massive Bloodthirsters and Great Unclean Ones! They screamed and roared, lunging toward the under-construction Nullifier and the escort fleet. Following closely behind was a staggering number of Chaos ships, among which several giant Demon Engine Warships belonging to different Dark Gods could be seen!

The Chaos counterattack had arrived! And its scale far exceeded expectations! Clearly, the Human Federation's move to build a Nullifier inside the Eye of Terror had completely enraged the Dark God forces entrenched there; they would destroy this device, which threatened the very foundation of their existence, at any cost!

"All combat units, enter maximum battle status! Protect the Nullifier construction platform!" Alpha-01 commanded sternly. "the arbiter, activate Desecration Protocol at maximum power to interfere with demonic entity manifestation and Chaos sorcery! Fleet, form a spherical defensive formation and prioritize clearing enemies near the Nullifier!"

A fierce battle erupted instantly! Dark gold fleet firepower and purple-red, foul green, and eerie blue Chaos energy collided crazily in the void. The wave of demons crashed against the Human Federation's steel line of defense, exploding into countless sparks of energy annihilation. The new Living Alloy Armor showed amazing resilience under the biting of demons and the erosion of Chaos energy; although scorch and corrosion marks appeared on the surface, it could rapidly self-repair, greatly improving the survival capability of the ships.

the arbiter became the battlefield's information hub and interference source. The powerful Desecration Protocol field constantly distorted the forms of the demons, interfered with the spellcasting of Chaos sorcerers, and even caused some low-tier demons to self-destruct due to logic conflicts. However, it also attracted the most firepower, as several powerful Greater Daemons led the demon fleet in a frenzied assault against it.

"Nullifier-Alpha is under attack! Peripheral defense platforms have sustained 30% losses! Some energy conduits are damaged!" the engineering officer reported urgently.

"Detach two rapid response fleets to provide mobile support around the Nullifier! All dominator-class ships, release all drone swarms to intercept small demonic units!" Alpha-01 remained calm in the face of danger, commanding with precision.

The battle was brutal to the extreme. Every second, ships were torn apart by demons or hit by Chaos fire, while countless demons were turned to ash under the Human Federation's precise firepower. The number of Chaos forces seemed infinite; they poured in from every corner of the Warp, seemingly determined not to stop until the Nullifier was destroyed.

Just as the pressure on the defensive line reached its peak and some areas began to buckle, Han Zhe, far away on Keystone-1, issued another command to the arbiter via ultra-long-range connection.

"the arbiter, initiate the emergency activation procedure for Nullifier-Alpha! No need to wait for full completion; with the current progress, attempt to activate a minimum power Reality Stabilization Field! Even if it can only be maintained for a few minutes, we must disrupt the Warp structure in this area and cut off the demons' continuous reinforcements!"

Warning: Forcibly activating an incomplete Nullifier carries a risk of core overload explosion, and the effects of the stabilization field are unpredictable.

"Execute the order!"

Understood. Emergency activation procedure initiated. Injecting primary energy from the abyss of order, starting gods bottle secondary unit conceptual filtering, Phase Stabilization Anchors attempting resonance.

The Nullifier-Alpha under construction vibrated violently! On its unfinished surface, those dark gold runes suddenly brightened to a blinding level! An unstable but incredibly solid ripple, like a stone thrown into water, spread out fiercely with it as the center!

The effect was immediate!

The surrounding surging Warp energy flows were seemingly smoothed and solidified by an invisible giant hand! Those demons swarming out of Warp rifts were instantly bounced back or directly annihilated as if they had hit an invisible wall! The bodies of demons already existing in real space also began to become unstable, their power rapidly fading and their forms blurring!

The Warp engines of the Chaos ships were also severely interfered with, causing their maneuverability to drop significantly.

"The stabilization field is in effect! Demonic reinforcements have been cut off! Existing demonic entity activity is declining!" the monitoring officer shouted in joy.

"All fleets! Counterattack! Destroy them while we have the chance!" Alpha-01 seized the tactical opportunity and issued the order for a general offensive.

Deprived of subsequent reinforcements and weakened, the demons and the Chaos Fleet quickly collapsed under the full counterattack of the Human Federation fleet. Although Nullifier-Alpha suffered a partial explosion and was completely paralyzed due to overload after running forcibly for about ten minutes, its brief activation had already turned the tide of the battle.

When the last Chaos capital ship turned into fireworks under the main gun of the arbiter and the last Greater Daemon was wiped out by the Purifier units, the Chaos counterattack in this area was successfully repelled.

"Defensive battle won. Nullifier-Alpha is severely damaged, but core data has been recovered, proving its theoretical feasibility," Alpha-01 reported while looking at the battlefield, which was a mess but successfully held. After this setback, Chaos should be unable to organize an attack of the same scale in the short term.

I suggest immediately summarizing the experience, fixing the design flaws of the Nullifier, and simultaneously starting construction on multiple Nullifier units at other selected locations to be activated in parallel, enhancing the stabilization field effect and strike resistance."

"Approved," Han Zhe responded. "Upgrade the Nullifier design to the Nullifier Network plan. Alpha, your fleet must continue to hold its ground and provide protection for subsequent construction. Technical teams, go all out to overcome key problems; you must complete the construction and parallel testing of at least three Nullifier units before the next Chaos counterattack."

The Final Dawn Project had passed its most dangerous first test. Although it paid the price of the destruction of Nullifier-Alpha, it proved that this path was feasible and also intimidated Chaos. The engineers and scientists of the Human Federation gathered data from the ruins and began a new round of construction with faster speeds and more perfect designs.

Deep within the Eye of Terror, the whispers of the Dark Gods seemed to become even angrier and more wary.

This godless, cold civilization of order from the galactic southeast not only dared to break into their domain but was also attempting to fundamentally close their doors to reality.