Chapter 947: Chapter 488: Mechanical Holy Spirit—Azure Dragon! (Part 2)
"Who?"
The Prophet and the Holy Mother looked suspiciously, glancing briefly and exclaimed, "Mechanical Army?"
"Look at that mechanical squid, it clearly has Reynolds’ style, and the Crystal Particle Tower should have been made by Mikhail..." Levinbeck explained, his identity long revealed, now speaking without restraint.
"And there’s the fleet of the Three Civilizations, those few people seem to be Costate..." Levinbeck wasn’t sure, the signal was too fuzzy and could only connect occasionally.
"They should be the ones exploring the Holy Spirit Civilization Ruins..." Levinbeck speculated, as he naturally knew of the Holy Spirit Civilization Ruins, having even been there.
All the things worth taking had long been taken by his mentor.
"Did it end so quickly?" The Holy Mother exclaimed in surprise, contemplating, "Perhaps they sensed the mutation of the Red River Star Stream, so they went there."
She couldn’t help but show a cold smile, "It seems these few have fallen into the trap, and with such a big event, the Empire and the Federation certainly won’t let them leave."
"I remember, Azure Dragon seems to be one of the participants too." The Prophet suddenly said.
Levinbeck squinted slightly, "That makes it interesting, with Tan Ding and Alves joining forces, it’s hard to imagine them getting away without paying a price."
"Even if they pay the price, they may not necessarily escape." The Holy Mother said lightly, becoming more composed since cutting off a piece of her arm.
"Perhaps, this major hidden danger will simply disappear."
As she spoke, she paused, remembering the Oathkeeper Stone.
But as long as there is a breakthrough with this arm, the Oathkeeper Stone will surely be retrieved sooner or later.
"Stop for now." Levinbeck frowned, saying solemnly, halting navigation, as it would help stabilize the signal.
The Prophet and the Holy Mother had no objections; they also wanted to know what the outcome would be.
...
"Sir Gonzalez is indeed wise..." Alves smiled, "Once the shackled genes of the Empire arrive, you shall serve in our jointly established research center."
Gonzalez reluctantly nodded, feeling as if a dog collar was put on him, losing freedom forevermore.
But at least he kept his life because he was considered high-ranking in the Star Alliance, knowing many secrets, of great value.
"Hmm, next it’s those few." Alves turned to look at the Mechanical Army, seemingly amused, "It appears they’re not planning to show up yet."
"The Mechanical Army is contracting, could they be preparing for a last stand?" Gonzalez whispered, now half one of their own after being subjugated.
"It shouldn’t be that foolish." Alves shook his head, "Even though they have backup consciousness, that doesn’t count as themselves anymore."
With a touch of mockery, he said, "Could it be that their backbone is tougher than Sir Gonzalez’s?"
González was inwardly angry but didn’t dare to speak up, only reminding, "Li Ming is full of crafty ideas and hot-headed; he probably won’t easily submit."
"Gonzalez, you should take care of yourself first; Li Ming’s value far exceeds yours." Costate warned with a slight edge.
Gonzalez kept his head down, looking gloomy.
Since Gonzalez chose to submit, everyone had already stopped viewing him as being on the same level.
One can’t argue with self-preservation, but at the same time, he better live up to the significant resources provided by the civilization.
"Let them surrender; once it gets physical, casualties are inevitable..." Tan Ding said lightly.
As they were conversing, suddenly a slight glow appeared in the center of the Mechanical Army and then spread rapidly.
"What is that?" Costate was first to notice.
That glow, in the blink of an eye, expanded into a golden sphere, encompassing a large number of mechanical bodies around it, with more retracting inward.
"Really preparing for a last stand?" A cold glint flashed in Tan Ding’s eyes.
Though he didn’t know what that thing was, he had no intention of letting it fully develop.
He transformed into a stream of flowing light, generating a torrent of energy, shooting straight forward.
He had evolved to an extraordinary degree, and in the instant he reached out, what seemed to be an ordinary arm transformed abruptly into a terrifyingly hideous giant hand covered in black flame-flecked hair in the blink of an eye.
The black flames raged fiercely on every strand of hair, wildly leaping and wreaking havoc, exuding a volatile aura.
The emitted high temperature had astonishing might even in this space, causing the black material below to seethe.
The giant hand pressed down, causing the void to warp wherever it passed.
"Still making such a violent move." Alves couldn’t help but frown.
Costate’s face shifted slightly, genuinely fearing Li Ming might be killed outright.
Tan Ding remained indifferent; a lion fighting a rabbit uses its full strength, and he has never known restraint in battle.
Since the opponent chose to resist, any further words could only be spoken if the opponent survived.
"That is...!"
However, in the next moment, everyone’s expression drastically changed.
The originally brilliant golden sphere began to tremble violently, its light flickering wildly as if under immense pressure.
Amidst this intense tremor, a dazzling golden object suddenly swung out, resembling an arm or a whip.
This golden arm seized the perfect moment, grasping the trajectory of the black giant hand’s attack and collided head-on with it.
Boom!
Time and space stood still, and everything around fell silent.
Immediately afterward, an extremely bright light exploded forth; golden and black rays interwove and collided, forming a massive energy vortex.
Powerful energy fluctuations spread wildly in all directions, tearing everything apart wherever they reached.
The overwhelming aura surged forth, sending numerous surrounding ships and warships flying.
"This is..." Alves pointed with his scepter, causing ripples at the end, which quickly became a celestial scroll that protected the ships around.
His expression turned serious, showing a trace of solemnity.
The people around him were fixated on the center of the scene, trying to discern what exactly was happening.
Tan Ding furrowed his brows tightly, watching as the light on the surface of the golden arm gradually faded.
Only then did they realize it wasn’t an arm, but rather the tail of some creature.
Thick and solid, its surface was a light cyan color, covered in golden veins, with vertical spikes on its back stretching into the light sphere.
And that golden light sphere, at the moment of the collision, had once again expanded, merging all the surrounding Mechanical Armies inside.
But just as Tan Ding moved to strike again, the golden sphere before him suddenly shattered, and amidst the shattering flowing light, he paused momentarily; then his pupils contracted into needles, "This is..."
"Roar!"
A loud roar, seemingly a spiritual fluctuation, resonated in everyone’s ears.
"This is..."
Amidst the shocked, horrified, or bewildered gazes, a colossal creature, neither beginning nor end in sight, emerged from the shattered golden sphere.
Enveloped entirely in golden light, but instantly the light faded, revealing metallic dragon scales meticulously crafted, showcasing breathtaking craftsmanship, precisely aligned with no gap in between.
Within were complex energy paths, with light stream akin to flowing electricity, forming tangible patterns.
The head held high with menacing majesty, bearing a pair of mechanical horns in a branching pose.
Its mechanical pupils were multi-ringed concentrically, layer upon layer, complex and mysterious.
Flexible metallic fibers floated beside the nostrils.
The body stretched and coiled in the void, thick metallic claws like towering pillars, and with a casual flick of its tail, it stirred layers of ripples in the surrounding void.
Everyone’s hearts seemed to be gripped tightly, their breath stalled.
This was undoubtedly an azure mechanical giant dragon—Azure Dragon.
The radars on all ships began to emit a shrill whirring sound, as if tightly clutched by an invisible hand.
The sinuous metallic dragon body nearly filled the void, radiating an overwhelming aura.