Free Web NovelThe formation of the two silver fleets changed abruptly; instead of scattered attacks, they began to converge toward the center, all ship cannons turning to aim at the same area of the shield.
A far more violent and purer energy than before was gathering—a destructive force aimed at completely annihilating material structures.
"They have lost their patience." Leng Ningxue calculated rapidly,
"The energy level of the combined attack is likely beyond what the current shield refraction layer can fully deflect. The resilience verification layer may have to withstand a direct impact."
Bai Cheng's gaze swept across the star chart, then over the increasingly robust heart tree within the Faith Nebula inside the Mirror Corridor.
The countdown for the shield to fully form had three minutes remaining.
And the enemy's destructive energy accumulation would reach its peak in two minutes and fifty seconds.
A ten-second gap.
"Chi Yan, Huang Yu." Bai Cheng's voice came through clearly on the fleet channel, "Three point five seconds before the enemy main cannons fire, the shield resilience layer will open a 0.3-second-wide induced rift at the predetermined coordinates."
Chi Yan's fiery image flared up: "You intend to let them in?"
"It is guidance." Deep within Bai Cheng's silver eyes, galaxies swirled, "We are guiding their strongest spear toward the strongest shield—not our shield, but ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) an existence their own order and logic cannot comprehend."
She simultaneously transmitted a thought to Lu Duo and Yu Nian: frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Guide the heart tree and all the civilization dreams; within that 0.3 seconds, release a collective resonance impact—the purest one concerning the meaning of existence—toward the coordinates behind the rift. Do not attack, only display."
Lu Duo and Yu Nian understood instantly. The radiance of the Emerald Network and the pure heart vine flared, gently yet firmly connecting every dream light point.
The countdown chimed in everyone's heart.
The enemy energy peak was about to arrive...
Three seconds.
At the predetermined coordinates of the shield, the resilient layer, flowing with gold and silver patterns, suddenly rippled like water, opening a subtle gap.
Two seconds.
The destructive pale torrent surged forward, pouring precisely into that rift!
One second.
However, the torrent did not destroy the fragile internal structure as expected. Waiting for it behind the rift was not the material core of the nebula, but...
The light radiating collectively at that moment from seventy-three civilizations, along with that heart tree.
That was not the light of energy, but the radiance of will; it was the most simple yet firm collective interpretation by countless individuals of concepts like "life," "faith," "unity," and "hope."
It was the "anomaly" that could not be quantified in the Old Observers' data, the vivid manifestation of the "constant resilience" recognized by the Validation Field Constructs. freewebnovёl.ƈom
The pale torrent rushed into this sea of pure spiritual radiance.
Like flames attempting to burn the ocean, it only stirred up monstrous, silent waves the moment it made contact.
The destructive energy rapidly decayed and dissolved within this resonance field composed of the meaning of existence, as if silently embraced and neutralized by some more fundamental, more vast rule.
The 0.3-second rift closed quietly.
Outside the shield, on the observation screens of the World Government fleet, the indicators representing the hit and destruction of the destructive energy were blank. Only a cold line of analytical conclusion appeared:
"Target area... no structural damage detected at the rule level. Attack energy... destination unknown."
In the flagship's command room, a deathly silence fell.
The high-ranking commander stared deep into the nebula at the tree of light, which seemed even brighter after the recent impact, with small, crystalline fruits beginning to form among its branches—the highly condensed crystals of civilization's power of will.
He slowly raised his hand, then lowered it.
"Cease attack." His voice was low, carrying a hint of imperceptible, complex emotion belonging to an intelligent lifeform,
"Target... has achieved primary stability in an inseparable state.
Continued assault would result in an imbalance between consumption and gain. Record: Faith Nebula incident, provisionally rated as Observation Level, included in the long-term monitoring sequence."
The firelight of the silver fleet gradually extinguished, and the massive hulls began to slowly retreat, regrouping in a more distant orbit like a receding metallic tide.
Inside the Starfire Archives, the tense atmosphere eased.
The soft light of the fully formed shield now truly and stably enveloped the entire Faith Nebula, like a warm, translucent eggshell of light.
The dawn returned quietly, sliding into the Archives spaceport.
Bai Cheng stood before the main console, watching the budding starlight on the branches of the heart tree in the mirror—the symbol of crystallized civilization will—and then looked toward the distant, temporarily retreated but still present silver shadows.
The book of commonality automatically turned to a new page.
She took up the pen of the oath of starlight, the ink flowing:
"The starlight has just begun to bloom; though its radiance is faint, its roots are already deep.
The powerful know when to retreat, not because they are forced by strength, but because they see the clarity of reason.
Yet the long road of watching continues, and undercurrents still lurk in the depths of the Star Abyss. Now that the heart tree is established and the starlight has bloomed, all future storms will only become the dew upon its crown."
She closed the book, turned to look at her returning companions, her gaze sweeping over every face that bore exhaustion yet held stars in their eyes.
"We have won time and proven our path."
Her voice was calm and powerful, "But the curtain has not fallen. The World Government has classified the Faith Nebula as Observation Level, meaning future conflicts will be more covert and complex. The Archives must be prepared for this."
"For now," she looked out at the vast Star Abyss outside the window, "rest, celebrate this defense, and then... continue our watch."
Outside the window, the Faith Nebula, illuminated by the light of the heart tree, flowed with unprecedented tranquility and vitality.
And those budding civilization starlights, like lighthouses just lit in the deep dark sea, though isolated and distant, firmly declared a certain indelible existence.
The starlight shines long, and the river of light remains. A new chapter has quietly unfolded in the radiance of the budding starlight.
The shield of the Faith Nebula stabilized completely, as if draping this newly born star region in a flexible and warm veil of light.
The radiance of the budding starlight flowed quietly among the branches and leaves of the heart tree, along with those small, crystalline fruits.
The crystals of civilization's power of will flickered slightly with the pulsation of the nebula itself, like breathing.
Inside the Starfire Archives, the brief celebration did not last long.
Everyone knew that the temporary retreat of the World Government was merely a moment of calm in the eye of the storm.
Their classification of the Faith Nebula as Observation Level meant that surveillance and probing would become the norm, and future confrontations would shift to more covert rule-based levels and information dimensions.
Bai Cheng did not relax.
She stood in the center of the Mirror Corridor, dozens of ice mirrors before her reflecting scenes from all over the Star Abyss.
