Chapter 120: Embers and Glory

The black Star Devourers made their final struggle.

No longer could they sustain the mutual attraction of their myriad forms. The black marsh, once viscous and abyssal, now withered rapidly, its edges graying, whitening, piling into layers of sun-bleached lime.

After another assault from the Blackbird, the marsh boiled violently.

It began to retreat—a first since its emergence.

The Devourers coalesced into a restless, writhing mass, massive tentacles surging skyward, lashing at the silver mech, only to be severed effortlessly by the divine machine.

Bai Sha pulled her mech back, its six radiant wings pulsing softly, light energy shimmering at their edges—

In that moment, the mech seemed a living angel.

To many Imperials, "angels" were familiar. Legends painted them as invincible war gods, woven through the Empire's history, yet shrouded in mystery. To common folk, "angels" were veiled in mist—few imagined they were bioengineered beings. In this mech-dominated era, some even thought "angels" were codenames for elite machines.

Today, they witnessed an "angel" near their dreams' perfection.

The "angel" raised its spear, unblemished, its silver shaft aglow with faint light. Thunder arcs gathered at the tip, illuminating the arena like a noonday sun.

Inside her mech, Bai Sha's view diverged from the onlookers'.

She no longer saw the writhing black tide.

Through the Devourers' forms, she perceived countless red, translucent threads, tangled and knotted. Deep within, a red "knot" pulsed—a beating heart.

The Devourers' mental core.

Once, she'd needed external force to expose it. Now, a glance laid it bare.

She hurled her spear!

Thunder exploded, arcs scattering like blooming fireworks.

The spear, with world-piercing force, screamed through the air, roaring through the black tide.

A deafening boom.

As if the world's air was sucked dry by the strike.

Spectators forgot to breathe, numb to the mental wave's stinging lash.

The black tide was hurled back meters by the spear's gale, wailing in despair. Their writhing forms and oozing black matter burned in furious lightning.

Buzz—

A red-tinged crystal, fused to the ground, emerged.

"—"

With the Blackbird's piercing cry, web-like cracks spread across the crystal, silently shattering, crumbling to ash.

The black tide froze.

Then, like melting snow, it dissolved swiftly.

Bai Sha landed her mech, wrenching the spear from the cracked earth. Without wiping the Devourer ash from its tip, she raised it, pointing at the mechanical eye above.

"You dare make an enemy of the Empire?"

Her soft challenge, unamplified, echoed through the arena.

The eye's pupil swiveled, silent, sending more machines toward her.

Bai Sha faced the gleaming robots with calm resolve, her spear meeting their "warm welcome."

On the ground, Ya Ning and Yan Jingyi didn't idle—raising their weapons, they joined the fray.

The three mechs wove through the arena, their speeds erratic, shadows barely traceable, yet they dispatched machines with ruthless efficiency.

They drew the eye's firepower, diverting even the machines harassing the stands. By chance, the audience watched their "performance" in relative calm, struck by a strange illusion:

Were they… coordinating?

And flawlessly, with uncanny synergy!

The mechs moved swiftly, each strike instinctive, no time for thought. So close, they should've clashed—yet their spacing was perfect, striking together decisively, growing fiercer with each clash!

"Am I seeing this right?" a spectator muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Those two… they're Federal mechs!"

"This is the tightest teamwork I've seen since the match began," said a veteran journalist nearby. "In this lineup? It's like a dream."

"Rumor has it… that Imperial royal was once a Federal!"

"True or not…"

"What Federal?" an excited Imperial fan interrupted. "Nonsense! That's our Ares Empire's Highness, bearer of the Blackbird spirit! Do you know what the Blackbird means? Royal blood—perhaps our future Crown Prince! What's that got to do with the Federation? Can Federals birth an Imperial Blackbird?"

The Federal spectators fell silent.

Not from fear, but shock.

Wasn't she just a minor royal? How'd she leap to Crown Prince?!

A royal could be a mascot; a Crown Prince held real power. The gap was vast!

…

Meanwhile, Cen Yuehuai, stepping into the starship docking bay, paused, eyes widening, glancing back.

Xino and Ji Ya sensed it too.

Zhou Ying, seeing them halt, asked, "What's wrong?"

"I feel… something huge happened in the arena," Cen Yuehuai murmured, rubbing her forehead. "My spirit's itching to return."

Xino guessed the cause, saying knowingly, "It's 'resonance.' Her Highness must've triggered it with the Blackbird." He glanced at Cen Yuehuai. "Control your spirit—don't let it run wild here."

Spirits reacting to "resonance," yearning to join the Blackbird, or stirring their hosts' excitement, was normal. But Cen Yuehuai's spirit nearly breaking free was rare.

"Wait, resonance?" Ji Ya said, surprised. "Her Highness's spirit isn't—"

"You thought it was just a little bird?" Xino cut in. "That was a disguise. It showed hints during the four-school trials… Oh, you weren't with us then, so you didn't see." He turned, walking on. "Her Highness using resonance means the arena's dire. We need to hurry."

They crossed the empty bay, quietly neutralizing a few machines, seeing no living soul.

Logically, guards should've patrolled. The docking bay seemed deserted.

Leaving the arena's perimeter, they spotted their target—a glowing, circular jump point in the sky, spewing machines, a vortex swirling beneath.

"That's hard to miss," Cen Yuehuai said.

Then, two armed machines leaped from a building behind, blue eyes locking on, firing a volley.

Cen Yuehuai spun, launching two ice arrows.

She excelled at ranged combat.

The arrows hit, dimming the machines' eyes. But more emerged, and Cen Yuehuai climbed a lamppost, ready to hold them off.

"Go—I'll cover," she said.

Xino and the others ignited thrusters, speeding to the bay.

The underground bay was vast, housing thousands of ships. Finding a few Imperial military starships was daunting.

But they had Janice.

Zhou Ying and Janice dismounted, and Janice linked her chip to the bay's system.

"Searching Imperial military starship registries…"

Janice's face was blank, silver data streams flashing in her eyes, exuding inhumanity.

Xino and Ji Ya marveled.

Zhou Ying frowned. "What's with those looks?"

"We've just never seen this," Xino said, waving a hand before Janice. "Pretty novel."

Zhou Ying batted his hand away. "No bioengineered people in the Empire?"

"There are," Xino paused. "Her Highness's personal guard is one, but his thoughts and actions are fully human. He even danced with her at a ball, fending off suitors."

"Our Empire bans superhuman AI research to prevent Silver Age chaos," Ji Ya said earnestly. "Her Highness's bioengineered guard is a Silver Age relic, not Imperial tech. Your Federal bioengineered person's well-made, though—very lifelike."

Zhou Ying: "…"

He shut his eyes.

He couldn't be bothered to clarify Janice was human.

Strictly speaking, she wasn't "bioengineered" but "augmented"…

"Search complete," Janice said, listing coordinates, exhaling. "These ships have no departure records—should be in place."

"Thanks," Xino said, eyes bright. "Need energy? What's your fuel—grade five?"

Janice: "…?" She looked at Zhou Ying, confused.

"Let's move," Zhou Ying ended the topic, leading them to the bay's entrance.

Xino, trained in starship command, quickly chose the most heavily armed ship. They broke the lock, entering the hangar.

Snap. Lights blazed, gray-blue walls reflecting the glow. The starship rested on a black platform, like a still lake.

Xino dismounted, approaching the starter, carefully pulling the blue-gemmed pendant from his neck.

A faint glow flashed.

"Authentication successful," a low, warm voice said. "Welcome, Your Majesty. Juque DX-03 at your service."

The "Your Majesty" made Xino's ears burn.

He pursed his lips, calling the others aboard.

The ship's rear hatch opened—a mech passage, allowing them to board with their machines.

Ji Ya helped Xino secure his mech, while he dashed to the control room.

Beep—

A holographic star map lit up.

Xino worked the controls, trying to link with other Imperial fleets. He knew reinforcements were coming, but with sabotaged signal towers, he preferred the ship's direct comms.

Starships, built for cosmic travel, had the strongest, most secure signals, unaffected by towers.

But he underestimated the "Emperor's privilege":

As the map activated, countless fleet hails flooded in.

"Juque Fleet offers safety greetings…"

"Nightglow Fleet offers safety greetings…"

Fleets from across the Empire, even deep-space exploration teams, sent salutes.

Their core question: Your Majesty, why are you suddenly in the fleet system?

Overwhelmed, Xino didn't know which to answer.

Then, "Tianxuan Fleet" appeared. Ji Ya's eyes lit up—her cousin Ji Lun's fleet. Unlike the florid greetings, they sent a direct comm request.

Xino hit accept.

Ji Lun's face appeared, his crew bustling behind.

"Cousin," Ji Ya greeted.

Ji Lun nodded, cutting to the chase. "Tianxuan Fleet is en route to the arena for rescue."

One sentence calmed them immensely.

"General Ji, how long's your journey?" Xino asked.

"We'll be there soon."

Xino opened his mouth but was cut off.

"I know what you're thinking," Ji Lun said, amber eyes steady. "Don't act. Tianxuan will handle the jump point. We're not just eliminating the machines—we're tracing their source."

The machines required resources, energy. Opening a jump point was costly. Such a move, even if tied to a reawakened Silver Core, would leave traces.

They also needed to know if this was purely "Silver Core" or involved "humans."

Xino inhaled. "Why strike during the team match? Last barren star exercise had more cadets. This time, fewer competitors, more spectators—a deliberate attack to maximize casualties?"

Ji Lun shared the concern.

"This flamboyant style doesn't fit the Silver Core," he said.

The Silver Core favored subtle strikes.

Its goal was overthrowing human rule. Slaughtering civilians at an arena didn't serve that—it'd only heighten human hostility.

They fell silent.

Xino glanced down, stunned—Ji Lun's "soon" was literal. Tianxuan's icon appeared on the detector.

Here, they couldn't sit idle.

"Juque DX-03 requests combat," Xino said.

"No," Ji Lun refused. "The jump point's energy is dangerous up close."

"Then I'll take the ship to the arena," Xino countered. "At least seal the dome's breach."

Ji Lun: "…Not impossible."

Minutes later, Bai Sha's team, mid-battle, saw the dome's hole blocked by a massive shadow.

Bai Sha: "?"

"Did Zhou Ying patch it? How?" Ya Ning marveled.

No breach meant no more machine reinforcements or escapes.

"Get ready—full assault!"

The mechanical eye was battered, its forces depleted chasing Bai Sha's team.

Yan Jingyi stood atop a machine corpse pile, smirking as she charged her laser cannon.

Boom—

An explosion later, the fearsome eye ceased, its remnants falling, reeking of scorched metal.

Yan Jingyi flipped the sky a thumbs-down.

After the eye's collapse, they stood guard, seeing no more machines.

The arena doors opened, rescue teams flooding in. Bai Sha exhaled.

The crisis, for now, was over.

…

"The military exercise broadcast was attacked, with casualty counts ongoing. Thanks to the teamwork of both nations' competitors and timely rescue teams, severe injuries are few—a true blessing."

"But worryingly, is this attack just the beginning? Is this the Silver Core's war cry against humanity?"

As chaos settled, the wounded were evacuated, and media swarmed, arriving nearly with the rescuers.

They sought interviews: competitors, spectators, security staff…

Topping their list were the team match competitors.

Starnet viewers raved: "Their lifesaving efforts outshone their sparring! In crisis, they unleashed greater strength!"

Both Imperial and Federal competitors earned praise for saving lives, with few dwelling on how badly the Federals might've lost a normal match.

Attention fixated on the Silver Core's resurgence and Bai Sha's "identity reveal."

Yes, her "resonance" was dubbed an "identity reveal" by Imperial netizens.

She'd been a mere royal, but post-broadcast, even fools sensed something amiss. Bai Sha had concealed her true identity or lineage.

The Emperor joined her in the storm of public opinion.

"…They think I'm your illegitimate daughter?" Bai Sha said, exasperated, to her uncle. "Can't you do something?"

"I am," Cecil Roning said calmly. "I've notified the cabinet to authenticate your lineage. Soon, you won't be my illegitimate daughter—you'll be Xipes Roning's daughter."

Bai Sha: "…"

"A Blackbird spirit, with 'resonance'?" Cecil Roning chuckled. "You hid it well, dear niece."

Resonance? What's that?

Bai Sha was baffled.

"By the way, where are you now?" Cecil asked suddenly.

Bai Sha muttered, "Trapped in the lounge."

Cecil Roning: "…"

"Reporters everywhere!" Bai Sha griped. "And I'm exhausted."

Perhaps the arena's mental strain left her too drained to stand.

"Wait there," the Emperor sighed. "I'll rescue you."