Free Web NovelInside and outside the Starfire Archives, time flowed quietly in two parallel streams.
The countdown for the shield construction ticked precisely under Leng Ningxue's Thousand Mirror Eye monitoring, while seven light-years away, the rising energy readings of the silver fleet heralded the approaching storm.
The dawn moved like a silent, dark blue arc, cruising along the edge of the frequency refraction zone of the new shield's outermost layer.
Zi Yuan stood at the bow, her mechanical prosthetic eye scanning every trace of disturbance in the void at maximum visual range.
Green Bird leaned nearby, the lightning at her fingertips condensed into a fine electric net that flowed along the ship's hull, ready to respond to an ambush at ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) any moment.
“Hyperspace ripples detected, bearing due east, distance 3.2 light-years.”
Leng Ningxue's communication transmitted directly into their consciousnesses. “It's the second Judgment Legion we were warned about. Its scale is comparable to the first, and the flagship's energy signature matches... an Adjudicator-class assault mothership.”
“They intend to use the strength of two legions to strike different sectors of the shield simultaneously,” Zi Yuan’s voice was cold. “A very standard crushing tactic.”
Green Bird grinned, though there was no mirth in her eyes. “Then let's see which is stronger: our shield or their spear.”
Inside the Archives's main control room, Bai Cheng stared at the two silver arrow-like enemy formation markers on the star chart.
The shield would take another twenty-seven minutes to fully form, while the enemy vanguard was expected to enter contact range in fifteen minutes.
“Adjust shield energy distribution,” she commanded. “Temporarily shift the power of the Resilience Verification Layer toward the predicted impact points, while keeping the frequency refraction structure of the outer layer unchanged.”
“Chi Yan, Huang Yu, have the fleet perform mobile support behind the refraction layer according to the pre-arranged plan. Do not expose yourselves to the enemy's main battery firing range.”
“Understood,” Chi Yan and Huang Yu replied concisely and powerfully.
Deep within the Faith Nebula, the resonance of Lu Duo and Yu Nian was like the softest gauze, enveloping the heart tree and the dreams of seventy-three civilizations.
They were not only transmitting the will to protect but also informing those nascent consciousnesses of the tense external situation through calm ripples.
“There is no need for fear,” Lu Duo's Emerald Network whispered. “Pressure is a part of growth.”
Yu Nian's pure heart vine shed a peaceful halo. “Remember the light in your hearts; remember why you have gathered here. This in itself is the strongest city wall.”
In the nebula, those dream-light points that had been swaying slightly due to external pressure gradually stabilized, and even began to actively channel more concentrated resonance power toward the heart tree's root system.
Because of this, the heart tree's light grew increasingly solid. As its branches and leaves unfurled, it autonomously wove fine threads of the civilizations' own aspiration power within the inner layer of the shield.
Bai Cheng sensed this change, a faint glimmer passing through her silver eyes.
Passive protection was shifting toward active symbiosis. These civilizations were understanding and seizing their own destinies at an incredible speed.
Ten-minute countdown.
The World Government's two Judgment Legions had completed their final hyperspace jumps, hovering like two silver-bright giant pincers to the left and right outside the halo of the Faith Nebula's shield.
At the bow of the massive Adjudicator-class assault mothership, the Infinite Emblem rotated and lit up with charging light.
No warning, no ultimatum.
An incredibly thick, pale beam of light—condensed with the property of dissolving rules—suddenly fired from the flagship of the left-wing legion, striking a node on the shield where the flow seemed slightly slower!
Almost simultaneously, the right-wing legion released thousands of small, high-speed assault craft. Like a silver swarm of bees, they attempted to bypass the front and penetrate through the gaps at the shield's edge.
“The attack has begun,” Leng Ningxue's voice was as steady as ice.
“Main battery hit the refraction layer. Refraction efficiency is at ninety-three percent; the rule-dissolving effect was deflected and dispersed. Overall shield integrity is undamaged, but the energy at the impacted node has dropped by seven percent.”
“Assault craft swarm approaching the edge,” Zi Yuan's report followed immediately. “The dawn is moving forward to intercept.”
Before her voice faded, the dark blue silhouette of the ship had already turned into a bolt of lightning. freewёbnoνel.com
Green Bird's lightning exploded first, turning into an intercepting electric net covering several kilometers, entangling the first few dozen assault craft.
As the electricity raged, the crafts' hulls instantly overloaded and failed, spinning away into the void.
Zi Yuan’s long blade did not leave its scabbard, but her chilling blade intent had already transformed into countless silver threads invisible to the naked eye, precisely cutting into the propulsion arrays of the subsequent swarm.
Wherever the threads passed, engine connections quietly severed. The assault craft lost power and fell toward the shield's refraction layer like kites with broken strings, only to be gently bounced away by the flexible light, unable to advance an inch.
The dawn itself wove through the swarm like a ghost, its ship-borne small mirror refractors constantly creating optical illusions and short-range spatial distortions, throwing the enemy's attack formation into chaos.
However, the Judgment Legion's offensive did not cease.
Before the aftershocks of the first round of main battery fire had dissipated, the beams for the second volley were already condensing.
Meanwhile, among the assault craft that appeared to have lost power, the outer shells of some suddenly peeled away, revealing smaller and more agile Adjudicator mechs inside.
Using micro-thrusters, they continued to attempt to penetrate the shield's microscopic weak points from extremely tricky angles.
“They are testing the shield's comprehensive response, looking for a true weakness,” Bai Cheng analyzed calmly. “Resilience Verification Layer, prepare to meet the rule resonance probe.”
Sure enough, the light of the Infinite Emblems on the two flagships changed, shifting from a brilliant pale white to a low-frequency, almost invisible deep purple wave.
This wave ignored the physical refraction of the outer layer and penetrated directly toward the deeper structures of the shield.
This was exactly the rule resonance attack mentioned in the old data, which attempted to dilute the bonds of faith and spirit.
The moment the deep purple wave touched the inner layer of the shield, the light of the oath of starlight flowed out from the book of commonality, perfectly resonating with the 'Resilience Verification' pre-embedded in the shield.
That imprint of the flame of faith, burning in absolute nothingness, was activated.
It did not counter with powerful force but rather with a constant posture—almost as if its existence was inherently justified—wrapping around and digesting the penetrating rule resonance.
The deep purple wave felt as if it had hit an invisible soft wall composed of countless warm echoes.
It tried to dissolve it but found no purchase; it tried to assimilate it but was instead inversely permeated by a more fundamental life resonance.
The wave quickly weakened and dissipated.
Inside the command room of the World Government flagship, observation data fluctuated violently. The high-ranking commander stared at the feedback showing rule interference was ineffective and the target's fundamental stability had not decreased. The red light of the electronic eyes beneath his metal mask flashed urgently.
“The shield structure... contains variables unknown to the Old Observers,” he muttered to himself, then gave a cold command.
“Stop the pointless probing. Judgment Legion sequences one and two, initiate the Purification Protocol preparation procedures.”
“Target: Destroy the outer physical structure and force its core to be exposed.”
