Mech: Shattering of the Galaxy Chapter 1497: 13: Mu Fan's Probe

In the periphery of his vision, a pale meteor streaked directly towards him.

One hundred thousand meters, on a planetary surface, might represent an immense distance, but in the vacuum of space.

Without atmospheric drag, and without planetary gravitational pull, be it a mech or a starship, acceleration increases exponentially.

For an SSS-class Emperor Body mech, a hundred thousand meters is traversed in mere seconds.

“A probing attack, is it? They didn’t manage to tear off the mask in the end. More skillful than I anticipated, heh.”

With a chuckle that held a hint of mockery or perhaps admiration, Archibald issued a calm command: “Entire fleet, commence annihilation.”

The order propagated instantaneously throughout the armada. At this juncture, positioned behind the SSS-class Emperor Body mech designated [Catastrophe], the High Tier fleet, comprising Space Battle Fortresses and Ninth Tier warships, unleashed their barrage.

This was Mu Fan’s inaugural experience witnessing the full volley of a Space Battle Fortress.

Even Shura, in its own right, represented the zenith of individual combat prowess.

Yet, Mu Fan found himself unable to suppress a surge of genuine admiration as he looked upon these war machines, the culmination of advanced cosmic engineering.

The spectacle of electromagnetic cannons, each with a bore diameter exceeding 300cm, firing in unison, ten thousand guns roaring at once, was so magnificent that it dwartfed the observer, evoking a profound appreciation for technological might.

The trajectories of the electromagnetic giant cannons transformed into the most brilliant streaks of light in this universe.

Surrounding these thick luminous trails, a multitude of smaller projectiles converged, creating the illusion of countless meteors merging into a singular, blazing entity.

Within the span of a single second, this fleet unleashed an assault as dazzling and overwhelming as a solar storm.

As the incoming barrage neared penetration of the yellow force field projected by the [Catastrophe] mech, even White Hair and his companions held their breath, a flicker of concern that the mech might be obliterated by their own fleet’s weaponry.

Could such a colossal energy field truly absorb such a concentrated onslaught?

But in that very moment, Archibald seemed to perceive the silent anxieties of Fatty and the others.

A sequence of shimmering bubbles rippled horizontally across the yellow, spherical field.

Archibald’s form became a blur of motion, seemingly teleporting to the very edge of the immense yellow sphere of energy.

The combined assault from this formidable fleet reached the boundary of the sphere simultaneously, and then…

…it flowed into the colossal sphere without the slightest impediment or delay.

At this sight, Mu Fan and White Hair’s pupils contracted once more.

“A controllable binding force field!”

“To be precise… it’s a controllable field capable of manipulating light itself!”

It was at this instant that Mu Fan finally grasped the profound significance of the term “strategic level” that Black had mentioned earlier.

This was unequivocally a weapon of annihilation, capable of instantly reversing the fortunes of a massive, fleet-scale engagement!

It possessed the ability to halt all incoming fire directed at their own fleet, thereby enabling an orderly counteroffensive.

As the opposing streams of attacks converged, the [Catastrophe] mech subtly clenched its right hand, and the massive spherical force field abruptly vanished.

The solidified green light, which had been suspended for several crucial seconds, surged forward once more. However, it was no longer directed at Archibald, nor at the fleet. Instead, the two streams of energy collided instantaneously.

In the void of space, it resembled the cataclysmic explosion of a star.

The shockwave generated by this transversal impact painted the deep black cosmos with a vibrant, kaleidoscopic array of colors.

This fleeting moment of brilliance captivated countless observers, leaving them utterly transfixed.

“It’s truly… overwhelmingly powerful…”

Within the two patrol vessels of the Revolutionary Army, and aboard passing merchant ships.

Individuals, momentarily forgetting the perilous nature of their current location, were all spellbound by the scene unfolding before them.

However, amidst this awe, two individuals remained entirely unfazed.

One was Mu Fan, whose calm gaze remained fixed solely on the [Catastrophe] mech. The maneuvering it had just displayed defied any observable pattern.

It appeared akin to the vector thrust of its engines, yet also bore resemblance to the peculiar attraction exerted by that spherical force field.

The mech exhibited no discernible preemptive action, moving as if an external force had enacted an instantaneous translation.

“Truly worthy of the moniker ‘Great Demon God,’ possessing near-undetectable maneuverability… but how does it fare in direct combat?”

As Mu Fan’s thoughts raced, the Bone-faced Insect Beast had already closed the distance and charged forward.

One couldn’t help but marvel at the astonishing regenerative capabilities of these insectoid creatures.

Within the brief moments of its flight, the shattered exoskeleton was already showing signs of mending, new, thin layers of armor beginning to sprout.

Possessing a power level equivalent to an SS-class mech, this Bone-faced Insect Beast executed a forceful change in trajectory during its short flight, completing a precise adjustment of its posture.

It registered the stagnating light beams several thousand meters away, and it also took note of the [Catastrophe] mech flickering ahead!

A brutal glint flared within its crimson, vertical pupils.

The Bone-faced Beast’s right arm was covered in layered, oblique shell armor, resembling a row of sharp teeth.

Its spinal bone sword appeared to be drenched in blood, with thin crimson lines starting to emerge on its ghastly white joints.

The bone sword instantly grew by half a meter, growing alarmingly menacing!

Beneath the white bone mask, a massive, gaping maw revealed sharp fangs coated in viscous fluid.

The bone sword was hoisted high before being brought down with tremendous force!

In essence, to them, everything encountered in this universe was perceived as an adversary.

Archibald's pupils vividly mirrored the ferocious posture of the Bone-faced Insect Beast.

He, too, clearly observed the bone sword being raised and then swung downwards.

At this precise moment, he gently brought his ten fingertips together, though his palms remained un-touched.

As the muscles in his fingers quivered minutely, he abruptly pulled them apart!

In that instant, a purple thunderball was forcefully extracted from [Catastrophe]’s grasp, expanding a thousandfold from its initial fist-sized form.

Now, it appeared as though [Catastrophe] was cradling a thundercloud of doomsday proportions with both hands.

Those yellow eyes, set against the backdrop of mottled paint, gazed forward, projecting the distinct, chilling aura of machinery.

Releasing its left hand, the right hand grasped the doomsday thundercloud, holding it steady before the mecha, palm facing outward.

Were one able to stand beside the mecha at this juncture, they would undeniably witness a minuscule purple prismatic crystal residing within its palm.

This crystal resonated with the five immense prismatic crystals adorning its chassis.

All of them were now emitting an identical, pulsating purple luminescence.

The instant the mecha's arm ascended, that thunderball…

Transformed into a radiant cascade of light, instantly lancing forward.

[Force Field—Chaotic Flow]!

Whether propelled by the thunderball dragging the light beam or the light beam pushing the thunderball, the sphere of purple light rapidly covered a span of 5000 meters.

By this time, the Bone-faced Insect Beast had already advanced to within 10,000 meters.

However, the purple thunderball halted its advance, not engaging the insect beast as Mu Fan had foreseen, but instead—

Detonating unexpectedly!

An explosion occurring 5000 meters prematurely?

While others wore expressions of bewilderment, every soldier within the Federation Fleet remained impassive, holding their breaths with flushed faces, their eyes alight with profound reverence.

As if anticipating the advent of a sacred event?

The very instant the thunderball detonated, thick tendrils of lightning visibly radiated from the dissipating mist, engulfing a contiguous thousand-meter radius in a moment, exuding a menacing presence.

That thunderball served as the epicenter, with innumerable lightning bolts sprawling outwards in every direction.

As the lightning momentarily illuminated the vacuum of space, the thunderstorm's diameter had already reached two thousand meters…

And then, it began to swirl!

An immense thunder vortex materialized instantaneously.

Coincidentally, the insect beast arrived at the periphery of this colossal vortex at that precise moment!