Chapter 5864 In the Action
5864 In the Action
It was only a matter of time before the first lightning soldier army got exterminated.
They were too weak for their advantage in numbers to gain the upper hand. Their 'tech' was rather interesting, but ultimately not equipped to pose a credible threat against a reasonable number of Dread Marines.
That did not mean the lighting soldiers were weak in an absolute sense.
A regular first-class infantry troop would have suffered a lot more casualties if it tried to defeat a larger force of lightning soldiers!
The only reason why the lighting soldier army got steamrolled was because the Dominion of Man was the best troop carrier of red humanity.
Not only was the dreadnought capable of deploying hundreds of thousands more Dread Marines, each and every single combatant had access to the best possible infantry gear!
Ves and many other people who were paying attention to this battle already figured out that if the invaders from Messier 87 deployed their alien footsoldiers against practically any other human infantry force, the latter was bound to have a much harder time!
There was only one Dread Marine Corps. Part of the reason why these heavily armed troops were so strong was because their Dread Armors originally contained a tiny infusion of power from the Spark Reactor.
Recent events caused the Dread Armors to become even stronger extensions of the source of fire energy within the Dominion of Man.
At most, the other 7 or so dreadnoughts should be able to field their own contingent of Dread Marines, but that was the limit.
Any other infantry force could only repel what could arguably be considered the weakest alien troops by relying on superior numbers and fixed defenses whenever possible.
Of course, Ves could think of an even better solution.
Mechs.
Red humanity preferred to utilize mechs a lot more than infantry to fight its battles. Ves remained confident that a decent force of mechs should easily be able to wipe out these lightning soldiers with ease.
The problem was what came next. There were 8 more waves of infantry invasions to go, and each one that came next would doubtlessly present greater challenges.
Ves narrowed his eyes. As the Dread Marines earned their first victory, he could sense the pride and elation spreading from the crew.
Combined with all of the tribulation energies released by the defeated lightning soldiers, the entire Dominion of Man became buoyed by this victory.
Unlike the other challenges, the deployment of hostile infantry forces finally gave the dreadnought an opportunity to demonstrate her best strengths.
A huge number of Dread Marines on standby were ready and eager to be deployed on the surface of the hull. Each of them wanted to use their own arms to vanquish the exotic opposition and absorb the strange lightning energy that somehow made their Dread Armors tougher and more perfect than ever before!
Even Ves thought about participating.
Many of the victories so far hadn't been significant enough to channel significant quantities of tribulation lightning to the Brain Trust.
Ves figured that this was one of the disadvantages of trying to turn a huge dreadnought into a living warship. Until the tribulation storm ramped up the power of its attacks a lot more, it was unrealistic for the lightning strikes to strengthen the entire hull of the Dominion of Man.
All of this meant that only the elements that got into more direct contact with the tribulation manifestations reaped the rewards for the time being.
After a bit of hesitation, Ves made up his mind.
He reopened his communication link to the Dread Captain.
"Speak."
"I have a request, captain. I want you to teleport me to the surface. Let me fight alongside your Dread Marines."
"...There are many reasons why I cannot allow you to do that. You are a mech designer. Let our Dread Marines do what they do best without needing to be concerned about protecting a VIP from harm. You are not trained in combat. You do not understand our tactics and protocols. Even if you make use of your mysterious phase lord abilities, you are more likely to pose a hindrance to our troops."
"This is important!" Ves shouted back! "I need to gain access to the tribulation energies released from the defeat of all of those lightning soldiers. They are part of the reason why I have grown so quickly. I just need to be close enough to receive a lightning baptism. Rest assured that I have no intentions of charging forward. I can fight just as well by maintaining a healthy distance from the enemy lightning soldiers. I can stay in the rear and allow a troop of Dread Marines to serve as my bodyguard. Let me fight. These are the enemies of tomorrow. The experiences I gain from these encounters will allow me to develop much more effective counters against the most potent fighting methods of our future adversaries."
Volkert Argile still sounded resistant. "According to input from multiple sources including yourself, the alien sovereign who 'hijacked' this tribulation storm is using it to scout his future opposition. We are trying to gather intelligence on our upcoming enemies as well. Information has become the golden currency in this preliminary conflict. The 5th round is shaping up to become an opportunity for both sides to test the mettle of their infantry forces against each other. I would rather sacrifice entire divisions of Dread Marines than allow you to expose a rich array of fighting methods representative of Messier 87."
Ves wanted to gnash his teeth!
"I will do my best to limit my fighting capabilities. I will refrain from fighting like a phase lord. I can still fight like a cultivator. I won't be showing off any tricks that are particularly new or innovative to the natives of the nearby supermassive galaxy. Time is running out. The next wave is coming soon. I would like to set myself up before they arrive."
"...Very well. You shall have your wish." The dread captain eventually relented. "Our Rubicon Spatial Transfer System can teleport you to the headquarters company of the 34th Assault Regiment in a moment. You can coordinate your actions with Colonel Desiree Franklin. Please keep in mind that the Rubicon will continue to maintain a teleportation lock on you at all times. We will teleport you back to the Brain Trust if we deem it necessary to keep you alive and unharmed."
"Fine. I can accept that. I understand the need for caution."
"It is good that you do. Above all else, do not get in the way of our Dread Marines."
Ves only had enough time to say goodbye to Sigrund before he 'crossed the Rubicon', as the crew of the Dominion of Man called the teleportation process.
There were huge differences between conventional teleporation systems and the Rubicon Spatial Transfer System.
The use of cutting-edge high technologies and super-class materials such as EE-343F-00334R made the teleportation interval virtually instant.
The stability and safety factor were also higher, which helped a lot in reducing the sense of sickness and disorientation that people experienced after getting displaced.
Ves instantly appeared at an open space amidst a large group of Dread Marines in the rear.
Heavy Dread Marines stood guard on multiple sides. Each of them possessed a wealth of defensive solutions that allowed them to block any incoming attacks.
Other Dread Marines provided support by coordinating different units, arranging field repairs and communicating with the staff situated deep inside the Dominion of Man.
"Professor Larkinson. I have received word of your insistence of participating in the fighting." A female officer wearing a subtle version of Officer Dread Armor walked up to the new arrival with magnetic boots clamping onto the hull. "How do you intend to fight? I hope you do not grow into a giant. It will require much greater effort to shield you from damage if that happens."
Ves considered numerous options, but he decided to make use of his two high-level artifacts.
He retrieved the Oceancaller that was clinging on the back of his Unending Regalia.
"I will stay far enough in the rear while playing my flute. I can manipulate a lot of water energy with this gadget."
"How do you intend to play a flute when you are wearing a helmet? Sound does not even transmit in space."
"It's complicated."
To her credit, Colonel Franklin did not ask any further. She just assumed that the clever mech designer and cultivator knew what he was doing.
"Do not try to be the hero today. The lightning soldiers are not completely mindless. They have demonstrated rudimentary signs of initiative and adaptation. You will turn into a priority target if your contributions are great enough. I have assigned additional protective units to guard you, but we cannot guard you against all attacks, especially if the subsequent waves introduce more abnormal enemy types."
"I will make sure to retreat if that is the case."
The second wave of the current round had arrived.
This time, two lightning bolts shot out from the tribulation storm and deposited two different groups of lightning soldiers!
"Their species are entirely different!"
"One of the two lightning soldier divisions has taken flight! They appear to be made up of winged insects with horns designed for impalement!"
"Our tertiary gun batteries are swatting them down like flies!"
"The winged insects have descended down to the surface again. They have become considerably more resistant towards damage now that they are coordinating their defenses, but enough of our tertiary gun batteries are still able to whittle down their numbers."
"Don't let our point defenses have all of the fun. Tell our command to save them for our troops."
"What of the other enemy division?"
"The second lightning soldier division is made up of worms. Their movements are relatively slow, but they look large enough to swallow a Medium Dread Marine whole. They are not too resistant towards damage, but regenerate abnormally quickly. If we cannot eliminate them at once, they will return to health in a matter of seconds!"
While the 34th Assault Regiment was capable of eliminating one of the enemy divisions with relative ease, it was a lot harder to defeat both of them at once.
This was especially the case when the two enemy troops pincered the human soldiers!
The Dominion of Man teleported another regiment over.
"The 88th Bombardment Regiment stands ready to shell the invaders."
Different from the 34th Assault Regiment, the new arrivals primarily consisted of Medium and Heavy Dread Marines equipped with explosive ordnance.
They opened fire at the worms as soon as possible.
Though the bombardment did not do a good job at eliminating the lightning worms outright, the frequent explosions still managed to delay and stall the injured creatures. Their formation turned increasingly more ragged due to all of this harassment!
Plenty of support units, bodyguard units and ammunition containers accompanied the bombardment units. They made sure the 88th Bombardment Regiment could keep their adversaries under siege.
While the Dread Marines appeared to have the situation under control for the time being, Ves already noticed that it would be a lot harder to fend off these enemies once they came close enough.
He did not know which group of enemies he should attack first.
"The worms have a good chance of breaking our lines." Colonel Franklin said when she had an opportunity to address Ves. "Do what you can to bring them into further disarray. The more disorganized the worms, the easier it is to pick them off on an individual basis."
Ves nodded. "Understood."
His helmet retracted into the collar of his Unending Regalia.
Despite the sudden exposure to vacuum, Ves did not suffer from exposure to vacuum. This was one of the perks of becoming a phase lord.
He lifted his Oceancaller to his lips and got ready to blow into his flute with wind-attributed E energy.
Currents began to form in the distance.
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