I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality Chapter 696: Breaking the Star Alone

The sixth-level Black Giant, identified as Darryl, materialized from the teleportation array, his vision immediately capturing three distinct planets.

These celestial bodies hung in the void, bathed in the star's luminescence, each tracing its unique orbital path.

The closest planet presented a parched, reddish-brown facade, pockmarked with extensive mining operations for metallic ore. Its surface was crisscrossed by orbital transport routes, resembling an intricate network of scars.

The median planet served as the central hub for colonization efforts within this star system. Lush, verdant vegetation carpeted its continents, while urban centers, marked by structures of gray and white, sprawled across coastlines and plains. Immense orbital elevators, stretching thousands of kilometers, pierced the atmosphere, their apexes glinting with a cold, silver sheen under the star's intense light.

Orbiting at the furthest remove was a colossal gas giant, and its most substantial moon also bore signs of colonial occupation.

These three planets, likened to leaves upon an unseen stem, led the Tentacle Tree Civilization to bestow upon this star system the designation "Trifoliate.".

Darryl hovered in the vacuum of space, his chest orifice subtly expanding and contracting as his gaze drifted towards the farthest moon. Intelligence reports indicated a native sentient species resided there—an indigenous intelligent form classified as a 'protected species' following their subjugation by the Tentacle Tree Civilization. They were relegated to designated 'nature reserves,' with structured annual visitation quotas allotted to colonial nobility for observational purposes, akin to a living zoo.

Suddenly, a strident, piercing alarm blared across all three orbiting bodies.

The moment the quintet of Black Giants emerged, the three colonized worlds instantly escalated to maximum alert. Their spatial early-warning systems had detected the intrusion. Planetary orbital defense emplacements swiveled in unison, defense barrels deploying, and concentrated points of blue light began to coalesce.

In proximity to the star's orbit, several colossal energy collection facilities also recalibrated their positions. These installations were of staggering scale, casting stark shadows even upon the star's corona. They commenced the extraction of stellar energy, with streams of orange-red power flowing with frenetic intensity through transmission conduits toward central energy storage cores.

Concurrently, the garrison fleets stationed on each of the three colonial worlds disengaged from their berths. Hundreds of engine trails erupted from the atmospheres, etching precise white lines across the vacuum before rapidly coalescing into interception formations.

Within the command bridge of the flagship, the garrison commander's grip tightened on the console's edge, his tentacles blanching from sheer tension. The five target signatures on the tactical display were unmistakable.

A mere five.

He had rigorously verified the scan results multiple times, and the count remained steadfastly five.

However, his apprehension intensified with each passing second.

This was predominantly due to the energy signature of the lead target, which registered as: [Exceeds Measurement Range Limit].

The four entities trailing behind it displayed standard fifth-level energy fluctuations.

A disparity of five against thousands of warships.

On paper, their numerical advantage was overwhelming.

Yet, the combat report detailing the annihilation of the entire border fleet had already been disseminated to every colonial military command. He understood implicitly what 'Exceeds Measurement Range Limit' signified, but the current reality offered no time for contemplation.

The engagement commenced without preamble. The fully charged stellar orbital cannons unleashed their barrage first.

Boom!

Several beams of intense orange-red light erupted from the star's periphery—concentrated torrents forged by the direct siphoning of stellar energy. These beams, spanning tens of millions of kilometers, vaporized interstellar dust in their path, leaving ephemeral dark swaths in the void.

Theoretically, orbital cannons of such magnitude surpassed the offensive capabilities of sixth-level warships with a single discharge. And now, all of them were converging on Darryl at sublight velocity.

In response, Darryl merely adjusted his stance, positioning himself to fully shield the team members positioned behind him.

The orange-red beams impacted him directly. A blinding effulgence enveloped his upper body instantaneously. Coronal matter erupted in voluminous plumes of incandescent plasma, surging around him like a solar tempest. The sheer brilliance of the light even outshone the distant star.

From within the bridge, every Tentacle Tree observer remained transfixed on the monitor displays.

Then, as the intense light subsided, Darryl remained standing, utterly immobile. Not a single blemish marred his chest. The stellar energy, potent enough to obliterate warships, had simply flowed across the surface of his liquimetal form for a single cycle before being uniformly absorbed into his being.

Darryl's vertical chest orifice dilated slowly, then contracted gradually, as if he were assimilating the preceding energy surge.

In the subsequent moment, he raised his arm and extended a gentle pressure towards the source of the stellar orbital cannons.

Buzz!!!

A concentrated wave of darkness tore through the void, traversing millions of kilometers in an instant. The orbital energy collectors had no opportunity to activate even their secondary shields. The moment their protective barrier met the wave, it fractured like brittle glass.

Subsequently, the entire installation began to crumble from its core. Its metallic skeleton disintegrated piece by piece, ultimately fragmenting into innumerable bits that were gradually drawn by the star's gravity into the incandescent depths of its corona.

A profound silence descended upon the command deck.

Darryl had already turned his back.

"Ashel, Emerson. The innermost celestial body falls under your charge."

"Everett, Perry. You will handle the outer moon."

His spiritual power, transformed into communication signals via the Dao Soldier system, was transmitted to the four fifth-level Black Giants positioned nearby.

"I shall personally manage the primary planet."

"Understood!"

With the commands issued, the four Black Giants instantly separated, dividing into two pairs and accelerating away in distinct directions.

The defensive fleet attempted to intervene, but their artillery fire proved incapable of even slowing the giants. The Black Giants paid the warships no heed whatsoever, blasting directly through the fleet's formation. The collateral elemental disturbances generated by their rapid transit caused several closely positioned escort vessels to spin out of control and tumble haphazardly.

Disregarding the now chaotic enemy fleet, Darryl descended alone towards the main colonial world.

His velocity was not exceptionally high—at least, not when measured by the standards of a Black Giant.

However, for the indigenous Tentacle Trees on the planet's surface…

It was akin to a colossal, dark deity, comparable in scale to a mountain range, slowly descending from the heavens above.

The very instant Darryl breached the atmosphere, the surrounding air was violently compressed.

Boom!!!

An immense, visible cloud of white shockwaves erupted around him. Fierce gales whipped the surrounding cloud layers into a frenzy. Vast expanses of mist were dispersed, and the entirety of the sky appeared to brighten considerably.

The planet's orbital defense emplacements responded with immediate alacrity. Over a thousand such platforms, positioned at varying altitudes, simultaneously achieved targeting locks. Beams of concentrated energy, electromagnetic cannons, and missile batteries… An onslaught of attacks rained down from all angles, completely illuminating the upper atmosphere with a dazzling spectacle of explosive fire.

Darryl remained suspended in the air, permitting the full force of the barrage to envelop him.

Then, he let out a breath.

An immense torrent of elemental power surged violently outward from the orifice in his chest.

Rumble!!!

A spherical wave of elemental energy exploded outwards, with him at its epicenter.

The shockwave impacted the first orbital platform, contorting it instantaneously. Its central power core suffered an immediate overload and detonated. This was followed by the second platform, then the third…

Within mere moments, all of the planet's thousand-plus orbital defense platforms were annihilated. Incandescent fragments of metal plummeted towards the surface like a deadly meteor shower.

One single, decisive action.

The entire outer atmospheric orbital defense network of the planet was rendered completely inoperable.