Chapter 87: Prohiden (6)

Chapter 87: Prohiden (6)[Open the way.]

Emperor Karlstein's single command sent the countless crew members aboard the battleship into a frenzy.

"Get a move on!"

"No mistakes!"

"Stay sharp! This is the Emperor's order!"

"Status of the auxiliary engine!"

"No issues."

"Report from the ships that are ready!"

The crew members moved frantically. Whose order would they dare disobey? They were practically on the front lines for this very moment.

The 186th Regiment, part of the Imperial Guard, was a unit organized solely to clear the way for the Emperor. A fleet specialized in unleashing all its power at once.

Ether began charging in countless silos across 88 ships.

WOOOOM-

[All silos 100% charged.]

[Power unit all green.]

[Auxiliary engine on standby.]

[Shield loss rate 7.8%, good.]

[Main cannon output 120%.]

[All missiles ready for launch.]

[Vanguard, spread out in V formation!]

This fleet existed to remove anything in the Emperor's path with an output close to overdrive.

[Ether Wave Generator operational rate 42.5%.]

[U-77 Gravity Field installed.]

[Astral Wave Inductor attached.]

[Silver Road operational.]

[Ether Anti-Friction Coolant applied.]

Preparations were fully in place just to make his path clear.

BOOOM- FLASH-

The fleet opened fire in unison.

Zzzt- Zzt-

All Kaiju in the main cannon's path burst into flames and were pushed back, clearing the way. Higher Order Entity or not, all were repelled by an intangible force.

Grinning, Karlstein stepped onto the shimmering, intangible passage before him.

"Nice."

WIZZ-

And he instantly shot forward, making a beeline for Prohiden, who turned its head.

ᄂHis Majesty's teleporting!

ᄂwooooah!

ᄂi'm swooning!!

ᄂHe’s casually using something that must cost a fortune like it’s disposable?

ᄂbro he's the Space Emperor, he ain't gonna be short on $$$!

ᄂHe's on his way now.

Thanks to Karlstein's courtesy, the Community's users were watching a slowed-down video at a tenth of the speed instead of a live stream. Even so, they could clearly feel it: Karlstein's insane speed, rivaling that of light.

PHEENG-

Even in the vacuum of space, Karlstein could feel immense resistance.

ᄂI guess he'd been skinned alive if he was bare-bodied?

ᄂskinned? nah he would've just burned to a crisp lol

ᄂIf he rammed into something at that speed, wouldn't it be like a meteor?

WIZZ-

One of the hallmarks of a tank, who would handle Higher Order Entities amidst a crazy torrent of Kaiju, was a tough physique able to withstand explosive speeds. Karlstein had already caught up to Prohiden.

Karlstein's spear veered toward Prohiden like a ray of light.

SSSK-

A crescent moon of red light headed towards it.

KABOOM-

The spear was deflected by Prohiden's Starlight Mane. However, there was no time to dwell on it.

As Karlstein's onslaught resumed, Prohiden started facing Karlstein properly.

Prohiden's purple eyes gleamed along with the shine of Karlstein's golden armor as they engaged in combat.

KABOOM- BOOOM-

Ether Waves erupted in a deafening cascade.

BOOOM-

Prohiden’s immense strength, contained within its 15-meter frame, advanced toward Karlstein.

TAANG- BOOOM-

Purple flames cascaded from its body like a waterfall, amplifying its purple aura. Massive Ether Waves formed what resembled a butterfly's wings behind the Kaiju.

Karlstein exhaled and released red Ether in response.

When they finally collided.

ᄂuh, uh? wtf am I even seeing?

ᄂbro... we can't tell even with this slow-down?

ᄂmad lad

ᄂThe stream's disconnecting.

ᄂhow intense do you gotta fight to lose the Community connection?

ᄂhawawa...

TAANG-

The atmosphere distorted as both were thrown back.

"Wow, you're no joke either."

ᄂjoke? is he kidding?

ᄂIs that really what you'd say?

ᄂhe sed 'either' tho.

ᄂWeak.

ᄂit does look like Oradge's having it a lil easier

ᄂbro... humans are supposed to gank by default

ᄂMaybe Oradge's holding back?

Meanwhile, Karlstein inwardly grumbled about the Kaiju.

I should've come better equipped.

It was hardly easy for a human(?) to battle in space bare-handed. This was why humans relied on an arsenal of weapons.

If only I had some allies with me.

Karlstein furrowed his brow. The fight wouldn't end at this rate. He preferred to end it quickly to minimize casualties on his side.

Naturally, Prohiden felt the same. There was no benefit in prolonging the fight.

Both began to summon forth Ether, seemingly in unspoken agreement. Ether Waves endlessly intensified. At the same time, Karlstein grabbed a rough-looking metal rod shot from one of his ships.

It was Weapon No. 0, a spear code-named Mistilteinn, which took at least a year to charge.

As the spear began to surge with golden Ether, Prohiden conjured a huge silver wooden sword from thin air.

Silence fell between them.

Karlstein narrowed his eyes at the silver sword, sensing something familiar about it. But there was no time to ponder.

Both charged at each other simultaneously.

Then.

A massive light burst forth, engulfing the entire region.

[Ugh!]

[Engage shields!]

[Cluster together!!]

[Shields operating at 120%!]

[This is the limit!!]

[Hold on!!]

The fleet's communication system was filled with panic. The ships, with their shields at full capacity, were battered as if caught in a storm. Nearby Kaiju vanished without a trace.

And the outcome...

Karlstein scowled.

The Kaiju's silver sword was falling apart to ashes, while Prohiden had vanished through a spatial rift.

"...It ran?"

Karlstein scoffed incredulously. An overlapping memory resurfaced—a Kaiju he had stabbed in the heart yet ultimately escaped.

Though well... there was a difference this time: a platinum egg slowly descended in space. It had failed to fully cross the rift with its former carrier.

"Hm."

Given that Prohiden had carefully stored this egg in its Starlight Mane, it had to be something precious.

When their eyes met as the Kaiju escaped, Prohiden had hesitated, glancing at the platinum egg. This had Karlstein believing it would give up its escape attempt.

But in the end, it chose to escape with half of the remaining Kaiju.

Karlstein doubted the bastard was in a right state either. Mistilteinn's power wasn't something that could simply be avoided.

Prohiden had given him an odd look before vanishing through the rift.

Karlstein sighed with pity as he looked around at the abandoned half of the Kaiju army. Prohiden couldn't take them all.

"Well... I suppose this is enough to satisfy Camilla. Aria, you can track its coordinates yes?"

Thought I'd let you go that easily? Where are you going? If it's a good place, I'm coming too!

Karlstein picked up the 1-meter long oval egg.

"Hmm?"

The platinum egg began greedily absorbing his Ether.