Chapter 691: The Dark Gate Opens (2)
The manifestation of law, the binding power that shackled every dark beast of their strength and intelligence.
Whether they were dark beasts on the dark plane or roaming in a wild void area, as long as they existed within the universe, they remained bound by those shackles.
However, the opening of the dark gates seemed to be loosening this restraint.
Although they were still dark beasts that knew only destruction, their strength and battle prowess had reached an entirely different level.
Unable to withstand the relentless onslaught, the allied teams, who had been confident in their strength, slowly began to fall back.
It was only after retreating into the range of the Neon Defense System that the pressure bearing down on them was finally relieved.
With endless fire support, they steadily held the defensive line without critical issues.
By this point, after replenishing their material supply, the number of defensive modules had already reached 750.
Although fewer than those deployed in the Sun Star Void Area, the coverage still extended far enough to protect every allied team’s territory.
---
On the other side, within the Sun Star Void Area:
Situated at the edge of the forbidden zone, their situation was among the worst.
Not only were the dark beasts more numerous and more powerful, but the dark energy that invisibly permeated the surroundings had grown dense.
Flooding the area with its corrosive miasma, all populations of planetary systems without a dark energy purification device were driven back into the refuge.
Fortunately, aside from the dark miasma, they had no serious difficulty handling the dark beasts themselves.
Although it was exhausting, with everyone’s cooperation, their energy levels should hold out long enough for things to stabilize.
...
A few days later, the dark beast swarm continued to rage with growing intensity.
Although fewer and fewer dark beasts were breaching the Neon Star Public Trading Zone, thanks to the area having been cleared in advance, things were far from easy.
Rather than swarming mindlessly like flies, the dark beasts had learned to consolidate and strike in concentrated formations, keeping everyone on edge.
Fortunately, they could still manage to keep things from spiraling out of control.
Suddenly, while they were locked in battle, the teleportation station suddenly lit up.
This was not the signal of a domain-level array transferring another high-level team, but the teleportation station at the center of the platform.
Seeing that the arriving party numbered only in the thousands, the guards at the station relaxed slightly.
"My lords, may we ask your identities and the purpose of your visit?"
"We are professionals from the Chronos Alliance, here to fulfill the agreement with the Neon Star Alliance."
"Ah, so you’re here for Lord Nash. Please wait a moment, I’ll relay your arrival immediately."
Without wasting any time, the guards on duty at the teleportation station notified the command center of the arrival of the guests from the Chronos Alliance.
Receiving the message, Nash quickly set down what he was working on and went to meet them.
---
"Hello, I’m Nash Navre, the leader of the Neon Star Alliance. Are you the professionals sent by Hanna to repair the mother core ship?" Nash asked to confirm.
Although Hanna had said they would arrive within half a month, given the intensity of the dark beast swarms, he had expected them to be delayed.
"That’s correct. Could you take us to the mother core ship? We’re rather pressed for time and would like to get started as soon as possible."
"Of course. Please follow me."
Leading the way, Nash brought them to an open clearing on the Neon Star Platform.
"Where is the mother core ship?"
Looking at the empty space before them, they turned toward Nash with a questioning look.
"Please wait here. I’ll need to retrieve the mother core ship."
Rather than inviting them into the Sun Star Void Area and risking the exposure of their territory, Nash preferred to bring the mother core ship out to them.
"Understood. We’ll wait."
Though they were pressed for time, they showed no sign of impatience.
Based on the importance Hanna had placed on the Neon Star Alliance, they understood this was no ordinary team.
---
A few hours later, Nash returned with the Tier 8 mother core ship and the corresponding materials in tow.
The moment the mother core ship arrived, the professionals got straight to work, investigating the cause of its malfunction.
"This appears to be the botched work of a novice. Where did you commission this, Lord Nash? If you have the materials on hand, you’d be far better off coming to us directly for a proper mother core ship." The lead scientist, Oryn, remarked.
Using such rare and costly materials only to produce a flawed result was a painful waste.
"No, no, I only acquired it by chance." Nash shook his head.
He hadn’t even had the funds or the connections to commission a tier 8 mother core ship before, let alone seek one out deliberately.
"I see."
As though something clicked into place, Oryn said no more and simply got to work.
As they began, Nash grew curious and asked how long the repairs would take.
"It shouldn’t take long, Lord Nash. It should be completed in roughly a month."
"That fast?"
"The mother core ship isn’t truly damaged, there are simply some faulty circuits and runic engraving that prevented it from reaching its potential. It’s more a matter of correction than reconstruction."
"Good to hear. Then I’ll leave it in your hands. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call for me."
Satisfied that the repair of the mother core ship was in capable hands, Nash made his way back to the central command post of the public trading zone.
---
Soon, as another week passed, the intensity of the dark beast swarm began to subside.
Without the support of their overwhelming numbers, it became easier for the allied teams to clear the surrounding area.
"It’s finally time to start on the dark energy purification devices." Nash smiled.
During these past few weeks, they had been either fighting dark beasts or on their way to fight them.
Not only had it been a drain on their energy reserves, it had also consumed the bulk of their available manpower.
As a result, production of the purification devices had seen no progress whatsoever.
Fortunately, the time had not been entirely wasted, as most of the elites and professionals from the allied teams had already grown accustomed to the Runic Assistance Module.
With its help, they had managed to bring the purity of their power to at least 90%.
Now, they only needed to be walked through the runic engraving blueprint for the dark energy purification device to get started.
With the immediate danger receding, Nash called in additional manpower from the Sun Star Void Area to assist the allied teams, teaching them how to produce the dark energy purification devices.
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