At the South Pole, beneath the colossal tractor field roaring to life.
This was destined to be a battle stripped of all pretense.
The joint assault by the two great hopes of humanity's future, Major Qing and Pink Peg, had already begun. Less than five hundred meters behind them, ten thousand of Azure's elites stood poised, ready to strike.
For this battle, the offensive strategy Azure chose differed little from the tactics Stream Blades had used before. Only now, their spearhead was sharper, while the Great Spike defenses they faced were even denser.
The first problem caused by this density was the difficulty of driving an opening in the early stage, followed by greater pressure bearing down as they advanced.
The second problem was the increased number of Red Shoulders per unit area, carrying devastating destructive power.
Of course, neither of these was the most critical issue. The most critical issue lay in what everyone now knew through the explanations of Pegament and Han Qingyu: the sheer terror of that blue light barrier.
First, it was a super source energy gravity field generated by the joint efforts of over a thousand Great Spike craft. Back when Major Qing's injuries were lighter, he had unleashed the full force of Rusty Sister's Dimple Slash against it from around a hundred meters away, only to achieve nothing.
This meant that this time, either he or Pegament had to obtain an opportunity to attempt a direct attack for there to be any possibility of breaching the barrier—and it was only a possibility.
What Azure's ten thousand elites could do was hold the space behind them, preventing the pair from being submerged by the Great Spike horde—especially the pack of Red Shoulders—while carving out that possibility.
Yet that was profoundly difficult.
Because aside from being a super source energy gravity field, another property of the barrier had also revealed itself just moments ago: it was a fountain of life for the Great Spike species.
Compared to the beginning, the blue of the barrier now held a visually dense layer of white. It looked somewhat like the texture and luster of mutton-fat jade in the human world, yet far more solid.
Because the white light was so thick, it blocked vision, making it nearly impossible to see the actual situation in the lower half of the tractor field.
At a glance, one could only see shadowy, endless black silhouettes. This indicated that a vast number of Great Spikes were standing within the barrier's range, preparing to fight there.
"This... how are we supposed to attack this?" an officer asked worriedly.
"I don't know. Maybe Major Qing and Peg working together can shatter the barrier first," an Azure officer beside him answered.
"All right, but I was wondering, don't those Great Spikes feel the pressure of the gravity field themselves? Logically they should, unless the white light solves the gravity problem for them in addition to healing their wounds—or they have a special pathway," another officer said.
"Mm... no idea. Maybe we'll only find out once we fight our way over," yet another officer answered.
Before the words faded, a rattling crash echoed as a rain of iron struck the ground.
The momentum of Major Qing's dead iron arrow formation had finally run its course.
Even as the iron rain cascaded down, Pegament's figure charged out, plunging head-on into the Great Spike horde. Wherever his long blade swept, a Red Shoulder was cleaved in two at the waist; the severed upper half lifted and fell back into place with seamless precision.
Then, swaths of Great Spikes began to collapse like reaped wheat...
"The peak combat power of humanity has progressed to this extent."
"Yeah. So humanity still has hope, doesn't it? Hope shouldn't end here." The speaker wasn't impassioned, offering only a plain, solemn statement.
At the same time, they drew their blades.
*Clang-hum...* The chime of ten thousand blades.
...
"Rejectors Antarctic Battle Report." The voice of the Rejectors addressing the entire world echoed once more over the screen that had long been silent: "At this moment, Azure must confess to every one of you: win or lose, this is our final assault on the tractor field."
The broadcast sounded candid enough, yet the unspoken subtext remained unvoiced. It meant:
If Major Qing and Pegament failed, if Azure's ten thousand elites failed, organizing another assault would not only be too late—it would be impossible.
In that event, the Great Spikes' tractor operation would inevitably succeed, and a vast new invasion force would surely arrive. Of the million human troops in Antarctica, the vast majority would never return.
And after that, our world—all of humanity—would swiftly shift from facing the threat of doom to truly entering an era of apocalyptic catastrophe.
Against the global offensive launched by the Antarctic Great Spike forces, we would be forced to barely resist and struggle for survival from a position of absolute inferiority. In the despair of an inevitable future invasion by even more formidable Great Spikes, we would guard the dying embers, clinging to life in terror.
In that process, at least half of humanity would perish in the Great Spike forces' sweeps and slaughter before the final destruction arrived. And then, the entire human race would face extinction together.
...
Azure Headquarters, the Council.
"Now, the only thing we can still do is launch the space carriers in Antarctica as quickly as possible and at all costs, have all other source energy craft attempt midair ramming attacks, and simultaneously order the craft carrying Commander Chen of the Huaxia Front to enter Antarctic airspace immediately to rendezvous and clear a path for them! That way, perhaps two or three carriers can return here. And then, we immediately execute Project Fireseed."
The councilman who spoke was clearheaded, his plan thoroughly thought out, sounding nothing like something devised on the spur of the moment.
This bastard had even figured out using Chen Buer and his ship to draw the attention of the Great Spike fleet.
Led by Liu Yiwu, a chorus of curses erupted instantly.
Yet the councilman who had proposed the plan turned a deaf ear. Standing tall and facing forward, he continued to press the rostrum: "Please issue the order, Council President! For the continuation of human civilization and our last hope!"
"We ask President Kemore to issue the order immediately!"
"Mr. Kemore, President!... I move for an anonymous vote!"
One councilman after another rose behind him.
In the Council chamber of Azure Headquarters, fierce debate and shouting erupted once more. The councilmen backing Project Fireseed were aggressive, their barbs aimed straight at President Kemore.
Yet the true core figure of Project Fireseed, the navigator of the Voyage, Zhe Qiuhong, was in truth just like Commander Chen Buer—aboard a source energy craft, pacing anxiously outside Antarctic airspace.
Meanwhile, President Kemore kept his arms folded across his chest, his body turned as he stared fixedly at the large projection on the wall, not responding to a single proposal or accusation.
"President! Kemore! You piece of shit! You are the worst choice in Azure's history! You will go down as a criminal against humanity!" the councilman continued to roar. Perhaps back home, thanks to a prior secret pact with Voyage, his wife and children were already packed and ready. "I call upon the Council of Elders to attend and preside over the vote! If you're afraid of Chen Buer, let the Council of Elders pressure him..."
He raised his arm.
Then, with a resounding *thud*, he toppled straight over along with his raised arm.
General Liu Yiwu was from the battlefield, after all; with a single punch, he had knocked the councilman cold.
Yet among the councilmen supporting Project Fireseed, there were high-end combatants as well.
Soon, the chaos in the Council chamber devolved from arguments into a brawl.
Through it all, President Kemore remained deaf to the commotion, unmoving as he watched the projected screen with total concentration. It wasn't that he didn't know the logic and proposals of the Project Fireseed faction were likely right; he simply could not do it.
He could not do it while the soldiers on the screen were still charging, had not given up, and were still trying with everything they had, staking their lives... As the supreme commander of humanity's resistance, how could he make a decision that discarded every single chip humankind had for victory?
At the same time, it was the ultimate abandonment of six billion human beings—save for perhaps fewer than ten thousand.
"...Look!" Finally, President Kemore spoke. His gaze never turned away as he addressed them, eyes still glued to the projection.
The room quieted for a moment.
Everyone turned toward President Kemore.
Then, following his gaze, they looked at a tiny cluster of blue light on the screen.
That was at the South Pole, beneath the resplendent radiance of the Great Spike tractor field: the faint blue glow emitted by ten thousand Azure elites erupting with source energy in unison.
"For everything that breathes..." At Azure Headquarters, President Kemore recited softly as he looked at the screen.
"For everything that breathes! No retreat in battle; our bodies shall bar the skies!" At the South Pole, beneath the tractor field, ten thousand Azure warriors raised their blades and roared.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...* All of them charged into the Great Spike horde, surging toward the tractor field.
This time, the Council chamber remained silent for three minutes.
Throughout, only the voice of the Rejectors' broadcast continued to recount the battlefield situation.
"Rejectors Battle Report: At the South Pole, beneath the tractor field, humanity's final offensive has now fully commenced."
"Rejectors Battle Report, battlefield transmission: Second Lieutenant Pegament is pinned down within a formation of eleven Red Shoulders; Major Qing has been lost from view."
"Rejectors Battle Report: Major Qing has reappeared! Our vanguard combat forces have assaulted forward once more, fighting their way to within eight hundred meters of the tractor field!"
"Rejectors Battle Report, battlefield transmission: The supreme commander of the Antarctic front, Azure General Siglo, has fallen in battle beneath the tractor field..."
Chapter 840