novelraw Chapter 436 436: A Ray of Hope?
Chapter 436 436: A Ray of Hope?
The next moment, the bombardment of these projectiles not only did not slow down but intensified.
As the distance between these Star Beasts and their side shortened, more types of weapons also began to join the battlefield. At the same time, these Star Beasts finally launched an attack on Tom's side.
Tom saw an almost infinite number of space mines disappear silently, saw numerous manned and unmanned warships inexplicably develop wounds instantly, even splitting into two halves like small fish bitten by a large fish, and saw his variable energy shields easily breached with a huge hole, as energy cannon projectiles and lasers surged in, instantly pulverizing various bases into dust.
Offensive and defensive measures based on antiprotons displayed immense power around this star, proving almost unstoppable. And the offensive and defensive measures possessed by these Star Beasts were far more than just antiproton-related; they also included many methods Tom was extremely familiar with.
For instance, lasers, energy cannons, missiles, mines, artillery, and so on.
The difference was… the performance of these "conventional" offensive methods all far exceeded his own, reaching an incredible, almost miraculous level!
A mere energy cannon projectile could achieve a muzzle velocity of over 100,000 kilometers per second, each truly equivalent to a small nuclear bomb;
A single laser beam possessed such high energy that it could instantly pierce through several unmanned warships;
Missiles could achieve accelerations of several thousand meters per second squared, making interception impossible, and even radar detection and search futile;
The stealth performance of space mines was so high that even high-precision radar repeatedly scanning couldn't detect a single one, only for a large number of mines to suddenly appear as if out of thin air when a spaceship unknowingly entered seemingly empty space…
The combat power and methods displayed by this group of Star Beasts even led Tom to make a clear judgment: "Even if they didn't have antiproton-related technology, merely relying on the improved performance of 'conventional' combat weapons would be enough to completely overwhelm us!"
Not to mention adding antiproton-related technology now!
The war entered a one-sided phase from the very beginning, with the situation so severe that Tom couldn't even see any hope of stopping them.
If it weren't for the sheer scale of the full-star defense line, which would keep these Star Beasts busy for a while even if they were allowed to destroy it, it would have been breached by now.
Tom made a decisive adjustment: "Electric Disaster, deploy!"
Originally, he had planned to first rely on the full-star defense line to hold back these Star Beasts, and then deploy the Electromagnetic Life for precise, pinpoint strikes. But now, there was no time to hesitate.
If they didn't deploy now, they might not get another chance!
"Yes!"
The next moment, with the cooperation of Tom's Electric Herding Fleet, Electromagnetic Life, ranging from hundreds to thousands, combined and, following the directional data provided by Tom, collectively gathered the regional stellar energy and fiercely fired outwards.
Beam after beam of laser instantly shone upon the bodies of the Star Beasts.
At this moment, Tom finally witnessed casualties among the Star Beast group for the first time.
Some smaller Star Beasts were instantly hit by dozens of laser beams. Before they could react, their bodies rapidly expanded and exploded like balloons that had been overinflated.
However, these Star Beasts quickly reacted, seemingly making certain adjustments, which drastically reduced the hit rate and lethality of these stellar lasers.
Although Star Beasts continued to be killed in a steady stream, their numbers decreased by over 90\\%, making almost no impact on the overall force.
Tom knew that if these Star Beasts wanted to escape the influence of the Electromagnetic Life, they would only need one charge to break through their defenses and then slaughter the Electromagnetic Life.
But like the previous wave of gravity-peak Star Beasts, they did not do so. Instead, they allowed these stellar lasers to weaken their combat power, continuously inflicting casualties, as if this was necessary to unleash their full combat potential.
The trump card of Electric Disaster had been played, but the effect was negligible.
The situation remained one-sided, and the full-star defense line was on the verge of collapse.
Tom gritted his teeth, forced to bring out his second, and final, trump card.
Universal Force Field!
Hundreds of billions of clones were once again in position, and the force field components were again deployed in space.
Deploying these components was a very cumbersome and large-scale task. In the past, Tom had always deployed them under the strict protection of his fleet, precisely to avoid harassment from opponents.
But now, their own protection seemed to be ineffective against these Star Beasts.
Their combat power was too strong. It seemed—no, not seemed, but certain—that if they wished, they could break through their defenses at any time and destroy these components, preventing him from even activating them.
But… these Star Beasts continued to ignore it, making no move to harass or destroy, allowing Tom to complete the final deployment.
Activate!
The next moment, hundreds of thousands of massive Star Beasts simultaneously erupted in flashes of light, large and small. As the light dissipated, Tom clearly saw that over nine thousand Dark Energy level Star Beasts were directly shattered by the Universal Force Field, turning into interstellar dust.
Killing nearly ten thousand Star Beasts in one fell swoop was the greatest achievement Tom had made since the war began. At the same time, for a species with a population of only ten million, a single loss of nearly ten thousand could not be called anything but immense.
But…
Tom and the Moraise civilization high-ranking officials felt no exhilaration, only a profound sense of heaviness.
Their last and most important trump card could only inflict less than ten thousand casualties on the Dark Energy level Star Beasts?
Their overall combat power was almost unaffected, and they could not use the Universal Force Field again in a short period!
So, what next?
Tom clearly saw that the Star Beasts' attack showed no signs of slowing down due to the loss of nearly ten thousand comrades.
They were still wantonly destroying their defenses, wantonly killing countless warships and countless bases.
They were very patient, adhering to somewhat rigid tactics, slowly eroding this defense line, never resorting to tactics like collective charges, deep penetrations, or decapitation strikes to destroy key targets.
Tom knew what they were doing.
They were forcing him to bring out more and greater trump cards!
Whatever trump cards, whatever tactics you have, bring them all out now. If you don't bring them out now, it will be too late once they have eroded your core!
But…
Tom saw that all his hundred billion consciousness link quotas had been used up, with a hundred billion clones working in shifts, not daring to stop for a second. He saw Primal operating at full capacity, pushing industrial output to its limit. He saw every intelligent life scientist and engineer, both his own and those from the Moraise civilization, working with all their might.
His industrial capacity had truly reached its limit.
Even the Electromagnetic Life were fighting with all their might, not daring to show any slack.
He had truly given his all, with no more trump cards left…
Originally, he had planned to block the first few waves of attacks from the Dark Energy Star Beasts, forcing them to target the star. But now, it seemed that even with his full effort, facing the Dark Energy level Star Beasts who were intentionally holding back, he couldn't even block their first wave of attacks…
The situation was already so desperate, but Tom still showed no slack, still maintaining the war with all his might.
Tom would never give up until the very last moment!
Just then, Tom suddenly noticed that within this Star Beast Nation, which contained only a little over a hundred stars, a new star had suddenly appeared where there had been none before.