The signal from The Refusers had originally been broadcast publicly to celebrate the final victory. Shortly after the super tractor field collapsed, the transmission had suffered interference... until now, when it finally recovered, abruptly thrusting such an immense alien figure before humanity across the world, who were still caught up in celebration.
In an instant, apart from the surprise and confusion of young children, the entire world felt as if struck by a sledgehammer, plunging into dead silence and bewilderment.
Terror and trembling hit in the very next second.
For everything concerning the Great Spikes had long been made public enough, and for long enough, that in this moment practically anyone could guess what that was.
A Great Spike.
A terrifying high-tier Great Spike, almost certainly stronger than a Daie, had descended. And this world had seemingly not yet had time to find a power capable of contending with it.
Just like the colossal shadow cast by that giant Great Spike over the South Pole, the entire world was once again slowly being enveloped in darkness.
...
"Human?" A raspy, low voice vibrating violently drifted down from high in the sky, resembling the giant Great Spike murmuring to itself and confirming its findings after traversing the cosmos.
Only, by now, a portion of humanity had already learned to understand the basic expressions of the Great Spikes.
Therefore, they knew what it had said.
Along with the voice, its body shifted in the air, slowly angling its head down to look. The horns jutting from the front of its head were like two massive silver scimitars, gleaming with an intimidating sheen as they curved forward.
At the movement of its twisting torso, the silver-gray full-body armor clattered and clanked.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Hearing the voice, He Tangtang finally glanced up. He was the last person across the entire South Pole to notice the giant Great Spike in the sky, because from beginning to end, his focus had remained solely pinned on Ne.
While Ne, like everyone else, had been staring at the sky since moments ago.
The Snow Lotus warship hadn't touched down; it had halted its descent roughly 150 meters above the ground, hovering in place.
"A Great Spike, probably," Wu Xu replied to He Tangtang, making a rare unprompted assessment.
"No shit, of course I know it's a Great Spike! The question is, what rank is it? It can't be a Miwang, can it?!"
As he said this, He Tangtang felt a spark of excitement at first, followed by a slight dejection... He figured this thing had to be delicious, but right now, he definitely couldn't stomach it.
Qingzi probably isn't capable of beating it half to death for me either.
Or maybe I can threaten Ne and that creature to go hack at it for me?
"A Puta'er."
Just as He Tangtang was mulling it over, a voice from the side supplied the answer. It was Ne. In a tone that was neither impassioned nor entirely unfazed, he spoke the three syllables.
In truth, Ne had never seen a Great Spike above the rank of Daie either. While Nikola had indeed been a Puta'er in life, back when it left the Great Spike civilization, its life state had already been in twilight, thoroughly decrepit and feeble.
It was Nikola who had told Ne within his consciousness that this giant Great Spike was a Puta'er. In the Great Spike civilization's strict hierarchy, it stood above Daie, second only to the War God Miwang. In their entire civilization, there were only a handful.
"Puta'er. It's a Puta'er." Han Qingyu passed the answer to Wen Jifei, who passed it to Marshal Hua. Three seconds later, the designation echoed through the communicators across Azure Headquarters, the headquarters of the coalition's front armies, and the senior officers.
It was merely an answer and a designation; for the moment, there were no directives on how to respond.
"What?!" On the warship's platform, Ne suddenly blurted out.
"What 'what'? You're the one who said it was a Puta'er! Don't tell me you were talking out of your ass?" Feeling played, He Tangtang instantly flared with annoyance.
Ne paid him no mind, looking grim and focused, seemingly deep in thought.
That "What?!" just now had actually been spoken to Nikola in his consciousness; Ne had only slipped up and vocalized it out loud because he was so completely shocked.
For Nikola was wildly, panickedly roaring at him in their consciousness: "Kill it! Quick, kill it!"
"Why?" Ne was somewhat baffled. Even though Nikola had long considered itself the creator of a new race, its plans still required the arrival of the Great Spike species.
"Kill it, or all of us will die," Nikola said.
"Including you and me?"
"Yes."
"But aren't you a sage whom the Great Spike civilization should sing praises of forever?" Ne remembered Nikola frequently boasting like that. "Why would it kill even a sage of its civilization?"
Having seemingly accepted the term "Great Spike" long ago, Nikola didn't object to the word, instead adopting the same phrasing:
"In the Great Spike civilization, the final contribution and glory of a sage is to become nourishment for the younger generation. Ever since source energy resources and Yanxiu remains began to dwindle, all Great Spikes have accepted this, treating it as a sacred historical legacy.
"Slaughtering an elder in all-out combat is an act of veneration, do you understand? What's more, right now I reside inside this body..."
"Understood," Ne cut it off. "So that was your real reason for piloting a spacecraft away from the Great Spike civilization to begin deep-space exploration. Your departure wasn't to take part in cosmic exploration at all—it was flight into exile."
Nikola, who had already acquired a measure of humanity along with its weaknesses, hesitated for a brief moment—just once—before admitting frankly:
"Yes. But what of it? The life of a powerful Yanxiu was never meant to have an end! I never agreed with what they deemed the twilight glory. That foolish tradition was doing nothing less than strangling the species' potential to create miracles of life and cross into a new era."
"So that was it..." Even at a time like this, Ne could not help smiling faintly, for an epic historical scroll spanning two civilizations was unfurling before his eyes:
[Within the rigorously ordered Great Spike civilization, a rebel emerged. It was perhaps the most selfish Great Spike in history. To escape its final obligation to its civilization, in its twilight years, it chose to flee...
Then, through a twist of fate, a war of life and death between two civilizations that originally had zero connection was set into motion, dragging on for a century.
Up until this very moment, perhaps it would continue onward.
Or perhaps, it would end right here.]
...
"Bolasgon... it came too early. If it had arrived after I successfully merged with that body and completed my metamorphosis, it would have received supreme glory by becoming my first meal of nourishment."
Nikola still seemed immersed in its own thoughts, and it even knew the name of that Puta'er. Perhaps Bolasgon was the very junior who had once tried to kill it.
"Clatter..." A sound came again from high above, snapping Nikola out of its thoughts.
High in the sky, that Great Spike named Bolasgon, the Puta'er, drew its sword.
It was a long, silver-gray sword matching the color of its armor. Unlike the Great Spike column swords seen before, this blade had no umbrella-like structure, no fluted ridges, and no serrations. Aside from having a handguard, it resembled nothing so much as a smooth, uniform, and heavy slab of dead iron.
It was tremendously long—at least ninety meters.
It was about to strike.
"Kill it, quick, kill it! If you hesitate any longer, it'll be too late!" Nikola roared frantically once more. "I promise, I'll go all out!"
"Can we?" Ne finally asked.
"Yes! It's heavily wounded! Its crossing through the tractor conduit was abruptly interrupted. It barely managed to make it here by luck, covered in wounds, and currently has less than half its power," Nikola said anxiously. "Don't give it time to recover! Otherwise, everything will come to an end right here—whether me or you, or your human civilization and race."
"...Are you sure? Can we truly kill it? You know my condition isn't great," Ne asked again.
"I'm sure! Look at its armor—it's cracked all over. Look, that's its blood!" Nikola replied resolutely. Then it hesitated abruptly and added, "Bring them along."
With those words, Alice's body turned sideways, slowly sweeping its gaze over Han Qingyu, He Tangtang, Wu Xu, and the suit of iron armor that had just awakened from unconsciousness and stood up... and then turned toward the Azure commanders down on the ground.
She (Ne) walked forward a few steps, stopping at the edge of the airborne platform, and looked down. "Do you need to come aboard?"
It was merely a simple question. There was no explanation of the lethal threat a Puta'er posed to humanity, no justification for why he chose to strike, no mention that the Puta'er was gravely wounded, and no proclamation that he would lead this assault...
Just as he had only observed the expressions and reactions of Han Qingyu and the others without asking for their answers.
Because none of it was needed. Just as they had no need to bid farewell to humanity or give heroic speeches before marching to their deaths.
Having asked simply, Ne waited.
Two seconds later, Marshal Hua nodded.
Because it was the best choice. Because moments ago, while Ne and Nikola were conferring, across Azure's channels, the coalition's final order—or perhaps plea—was also transmitting through every communicator linked into the global network:
[Kill it. One last stand.]
[Please attempt to kill it. Please make one final stand for this world.]
...
The Snow Lotus airship lowered close to the ground, to roughly forty meters.
Marshal Hua was the first to leap aboard.
Afterward, every Azure officer who was capable of leaping up—regardless of whether they were missing a leg or an arm—jumped aboard.
Though the coalition's order and plea had been sent to every communicator across the globe, the only ones who could actually make it in time for this final stand were the soldiers right here on the scene, who had already been fighting a bloody, life-and-death battle for days on end.
At the same time, most of Ne's white-robed followers disembarked from the vessel. They did not include Liu Shiheng, who had already hidden himself away at some unknown point.
In this moment, no one had time to look for him.
"Marshal Hua, me," Wen Jifei said, looking up.
"Us. I can take charge of piloting the ship," Yang Qingbai said.
The two of them couldn't jump that high.
"No need for you two to go." Marshal Hua turned away, not looking at them.
Ne walked back into the cabin.
The Azure commanders walked in.
Han Qingyu, Wu Xu, He Tangtang, and Rusty Sister walked in.
The bulkheads slowly drew shut.
The heavy warship, fitted with a massive ram prow, raised its head and surged forward.
Chapter 860