Chapter 883: General Offensive (1/2)

Chapter 883: General Offensive

The ten fleets coasted forward, and spread out to either side of the bastions like wings. Their guns were primed, waiting for the order to fire. The four bastions also lit up as their weapon arrays were prepared.

Just then, the remains of the alien horde were revealed. They came swarming around either side of Europa and right for the armada. They lacked the vigor and numbers from before.

“Open fire!” At Kang Hui’s order the bastions and their support fleets let loose. Spears of light crashed into the encroaching enemy force.

The horde’s formation was diffuse, and they used their speed to evade the human long-ranged attacks as much as they could. However the hail of cannon fire was tightly packed and avoiding it completely was impossible. The aliens began suffering casualties right away. Compared to the last encounter the humans seemed much more confident.

Behind his control panel Kang Hui summoned his Discipline. Through his empowered eyes he read and analyzed the information that flooded his screens. Despite the punishment his enemy was facing in the opening moments of their conflict he did not relax. In fact his face grew darker as the moments stretched on.

The aliens came at them with no direction. He read that to mean the home worlds were almost finished with their evolution. If that were the case their elite would be sticking close to their masters. They didn’t need to command the troops, they were just cannon fodder.

Should they throw caution to the wind and attack Europa at full force?

His opponent still had a numbers advantage, although they were in disarray. Rushing ahead would expose his troops to a brutal counter offensive, and many would be lost. Besides, it could be a trap.

Kang Hui’s fighting style was always calm, and it’d served him well so far. Caution is what saved him from dying at the aliens’ hands long ago in the Shattered Starfields.

Instead of calling for the charge he ordered the ships to continue to pummel the aliens’ front lines. However, he commanded the bastions to hold back on firing their main weapons. He wanted to save their strongest attacks for the planets themselves.

Eventually the aliens gathered into some semblance of formation. More defensive aliens took the fore and their speedier brethren stuck close behind. The plan was to push ahead, and once they got within range the faster aliens would burst out and wreak havoc among the human ships.

Mankind’s armada was much weaker than it was when they first arrived in the system. After the last encounter the difference was especially marked, and especially now without Lan Qing’s tactical genius. However, Kang Hui was also a lauded commander and he had no problem leading the human forces. His strategic plans were simple, but nonetheless took advantage of their ranged superiority to great effect.

Kang Hui orders artillery fire focused on the stronger aliens. He wanted them to be pummeled as hard as possible as they pressed forward. Once the enemy was close enough for their fast attackers to emerge they would be met by the Paragon-led Star Division, the Bloodiron Khan’s, and Chu Cheng’s convert army.

Against mankind’s greatest Adept warriors and drones from their bastions, the aliens who dared attack were cut to ribbons. They were unable to cause any damage to the main fleet.

With their considerable advantage Kang Hui’s leadership was flawless. The alien forces met the humans and were cut down like they were flung into a meat grinder. Monsters were cut down by the dozens and their vital crystals captured.

Kang Hui was keenly aware of the Violet Prince’s absence, however. The three-headed, six-armed abomination was also nowhere to be found. They appeared to have disappeared after their failed sneak attack.

Already the armada was extending an advantage that seemed irrevocable. Already the horde was begin pushed back. The armada began moving toward Europa was slow but indomitable progress.