Saat aliran hiperdaya menari-nari seperti cahaya di kegelapan angkasa, jejak-jejak yang ditinggalkan oleh armada Gereja Arkane yang mundur itu pun mencium akhirnya, satu per satu, mengaktifkan buo-buo pengawas dinasti, tanpa menyembunyikan gerakannya sedikit pun.
Di dalam kapal induk Bintang Terpuji, lima Beyond Grade A yang termasuk Sagman dan Psyker pun berkumpul dan memandang komandan armadanya, Rogue, yang matanya tak pernah mengalihkan pandangkannya dari peta bintang.
"Planet Mercusuar terletak di pinggir Gugusan Bintang Dawn dan cukup dekat dengan sabuk alam semesta yang sunyi. Jika kita terus mundur dengan kecepatan penuh, kita akan segera keluar dari perimetron keamanan ini," kata Rogue dengan suara dalam.
Pengiriman energi dan cahaya butuh waktu; mengingat besarnya alam semesta, banyak sekali metode deteksi jarak jauh yang memiliki keterlambatan. Teknologi komunikasi kuantum yang dapat mengirimkan informasi secara langsung adalah salah satu metode yang paling umum dipakai. Namun, alam semesta terlalu besar. Tidak mungkin dinasti bisa menempatkan buo-buo pengawas di setiap sudut angkasa kosmik. Perimetron keamanan biasanya meregang dari planet benteng sebagai pusatnya, dengan kepadatan buo-buo pengawas yang semakin menggempang seiring jarak semakin jauh.
Pada saat itu, Gereja Arkane sudah meloloskan diri ke perimetron luar Planet Mercusuar dan sedang memasuki sabuk alam semesta yang sunyi. Karena tidak ada waktu sama sekali, membersihkan buo-buo itu sia-sia saja; pada akhirnya kita tetap akan terlacak. Oleh karena itu, Rogue tak mengapa-mengapaakan fakta bahwa jalur mereka terbuka bagi dinasti. Sebab yang dia inginkan memang bukanlah jalur langsung ke gerbang bintang rahasia.
Rencananya ialah: masuk ke mode senpi pada sebuah wilayah yang hampir tanpa buo-buo pengawas di sabuk alam semesta yang sunyi, sehingga bisa melepaskan diri dari pengawasan langsung dinasti. Kemudian, mereka akan terseok-teok menjadi ratusan kelompok dan melaju ke gerbang bintang rahasia.
Dengan cara ini, banyak kelompok akan dianggap sebagai ditinggalkan. Pada saat armada berangkat, lokasi gerbang bintang rahasia akan diganti. Lokasi gerbang bintang yang asli akan ditinggalkan, namun informasi ini tidak diperbarui pada peta bintang. Hanya orang-orang inti seperti Rogue dan Beyond Grade As yang mengetahuiny hal ini. Hal ini untuk mencegah kelompok lain bocorkan lokasi gerbang bintang jika tertangkap oleh dinasti.
Tentu saja, kelompok lain tidak benar-benar ditinggalkan; mereka adalah kabur kabaran asap. Hanya ketika Rogue, Beyond Grade As, dan kelompok inti lainnya berhasil meloloskan diri, baru ketika itu mereka memberi tahu lokasi sebenarnya. Dengan demikian, meskipun lokasi gerbang bintang terbongkar, dampaknya akan semakin kecil. Sebab pada akhirnya, kita bisa menghancurkan gerbang bintang itu kapan saja untuk mencegah kerusakan lebih lanjut, atau bahkan membuat kelompok lain itu kembali dari sabuk alam semesta yang sunyi — waktu mereka memang tak berharga.
" Cepat! Semakin besar risikonya semakin kita tersisa di Dunia Berkedip-Kedip," kata Sagman.
"Jika yang kamu katakan hanyalah hal-hal yang sia-sia dan tidak berguna yang semua orang sudah ketahui, lebih baik kamu diam saja. Terima kasih padamu, risiko yang kita ambil sekarang justru tidak ada artinya!" kata Rogue tanpa menahan diri. Nada suaranya mengandung amarah.
Baru saja melaporkan hasil pertarungan itu kepada para Uskup, ia mendapat celaan hebat. Dengan pikiran bahwa masa depannya tidak cerah, ia tidak bisa menahan amarah yang mendidih di dalamnya. Oleh karena itu, ia tak mau memedulikan perasaannya terhadap Beyond Grade As yang lain yang justru menyebabkan operasi ini gagal.
Mendengar kata-katanya yang sudah begitu lugas, kulit Sagman tegang. Ia berpikir sejenak tapi tak menerima kata apa pun. Iya, medan perang Beyond Grade As memang menentukan hasil dan justru menyebabkan kegagalan ini, jadi memang ia cukup untuk disalahkan.
Keempat orang lainnya juga tetap diam. Mereka sekarang berada dalam perahu yang sama, melarikan diri di wilayah dinasti yang berbahaya, jadi tak ada waktu untuk memikirkan sopan santun Rogue.
Wajah Psyker terlihat paling buruk. Mengingat fakta bahwa temannya, Dylan, kini berada di tangan dinasti, membuatnya sangat tidak nyaman. Ia tak ada kekuatannya untuk hal-hal lain.
Setelah melihat tidak ada yang berkata sesuatu, Rogue mencelotehkan dan bertanya, "Dinasti pasti mengirim pasukan untuk memblokir jalur pelarian kita. Namun, kalian tak perlu terlalu khawatir; ini hanyalah rute palsu. Selain itu, sebagian besar armada dinasti di dekat sini telah dikirim untuk mendukung Planet Mercusuar, dan armada dari benteng yang lebih jauh butuh waktu untuk berangkat. Jadi, jika kita kebetulan keberangkasan, kita tetap bisa dengan mudah menyinggung siapa pun di jalan. Satu-satunya hal yang harus kita khawatirkan adalah Beyond Grade As dinasti yang mengejar kita. Menurut situasi sekarang, Tarrokov akan menunggu penguatan sebelum bertindak. Sayangnya, aku hampir tertarik untuk berpancing ini dan mengatur jebakan..."
Saat Rogue menganalisis situasinya, Sagman dan orang lain berdiskusi secara pribadi melalui komunikasi psikis.
"Dengan ukuran armada ini, kita tetap akan terlalu mencolok walau kita terseok-tekok. Mungkin sebaiknya kita tinggalkan armada dan pilih kapal luar angkasa mini. Itu lebih senpi," kata Taylor.
"Kita bisa mempertimbangkannya, tapi mari bicara tentang ini setelah armada utama sudah terseok-tekok."
Saat melarikan diri, kemampuan bertahan dan senpi seorang Beyond Grade A yang bertindak sendirian jauh lebih baik dibanding bergerak bersama armada. Sebagai individu yang sangat kuat dan tidak terpengaruh oleh kondisi keras angkasa, jika mereka secara acak bersembunyi di sebuah planet pong, tak ada yang akan menemukan mereka.
Ini terutama benar untuk Ninjia dan Taylor, yang telah menguasai mantra terlarang. Tanpa gangguan musuh, mantra teleportasi mereka adalah salah satu kemampuan terbaik untuk melarikan diri.
Rogue khawatir mereka mungkin akan diganjar oleh Beyond Grade As dinasti, oleh sebab itu ia ingin menyimpan Sagman dan orang lain di dekatnya. Yang ia tidak ketahui, adalah Sagman dan orang lain juga sedang berpikir untuk menggunakan armada utama sebagai umpan untuk menarik perhatian dinasti.
...
Di tempat lain, armada Bahtera Jatuh juga bersiap untuk kabur dengan kecepatan penuh.
Akibat keputusan tiba-tiba, armada EsGod telah memutuskan kontak dengan Gereja Arkane. Tanpa kanal komunikasi, mereka tidak saling tahu keberadaan dan hanya fokus pada pelarian masing-masing.
Namun, EsGod memiliki keuntungan. Mereka telah memaksakan diri dari perimetron luar, sehingga sengaja menghancurkan banyak buo-buo pengawas di sepanjang jalannya. Akibatnya, ada beberapa area yang menjadi celah keamanan, yang membantu pelarian mereka.
Di dalam ruang komando kapal induk, Fakisen menoleh dari peta bintang dan kemudian menghadap EsGod doppelganger yang berada di sampingnya.
Tubuh utama EsGod sudah menemukan sebuah ruangan tertutup untuk melakukan evolusi, dan tak ada yang tahu berapa lama ia akan berlangsui. Sebelum EsGod mulai evolusinya, ia menciptakan beberapa tiruan diri untuk melindunginya dan memantau gerak armada.
EsGod sangat waspada kepada semua orang. Bahkan asistennya yang telah mendampinginya selama ratusan tahun — Fakisen pun tidak dikecualikan. Pada masa-masa di mana tubuh utamanya lemah, hanya dirinya sendiri yang benar-benar bisa dipercaya.
"Dia masih tidak percaya padaku ..."
Lidah bersisik Fakisen menggosokkan pelan-pelan pada topeng logam berwarna merah yang menutupi setengah wajahnya, membuat suara gosokan yang menjengkelkan. Udara yang keluar dari hidungnya seolah-indu menyindak.
Di hadapan EsGod doppelganger, Fakisen mengangkat keempat lengan keringnya yang tampak seperti sarapan pagi. Kabun ungu terbang dari kulitungannya yang ungu tua, membentuk sebuah bola di udara.
Lalu, ia memanggil seorang bawahan dan memberikan bola itu. "Kosongkan sebuah kapal tempur biasa, cabut inti energinya dan sistem AI, biarkan ia menjadi kerangkong kosong. Letakkan bola ini di dalamnya, kemudian biarkan ia mengapung di jalur yang sudah kita tempuh. Pasukan dinasti yang mengejar kita pasti akan menemukan kapal ini."
EsGod doppelganger lalu berbalik ke Fakisen dan bertanya dingin, "Apa kamu sedang lakukan?"
"Wahh ..." senyum Fakisen ngeri. "Aku ingin menghubungi dinasti ..."
*Boom!*
Tiba-tiba, EsGod doppelganger merekahkan tangannya dan meraih leher Fakisen, mengangkatnya hingga menekannya ke dinding.
"Apakah kamu sedang mengkhianatiku?"
Meskipun lehernya digenggam erat oleh EsGod, Fakisen sama sekali tidak takut. Justru semakin keras ia tertawa. "Ha-ha, aku ingin bekerja sama dengan dinasti. Jika mereka bisa memberi kita informasi tentang Gereja Arkane, kita bisa mengirim sebagian orang kita untuk menyergap mereka. Mereka hanyalah boneka mainan. Kami adalah yang terdekat dengan Gereja Arkane. Dengan bantuann kami, dinasti akan dengan lebih efisien bisa menarik Gereja Arkane kembali."
"Tidak perlu melakukan itu," kata EsGod doppelganger dengan dingin.
"Tidak, memang perlu. Dinasti pasti ingin bertarung melawan Gereja Arkane lebih dari kita. Ada banyak Beyond Grade As di sana, sehingga mereka jauh lebih berharga. Jika dinasti bisa menangkap mereka, Gereja Arkane akan kehilangan hampir setengah dari Beyond Grade As milik mereka. Dinasti tak akan melewatkan kesempatan yang keren untuk menyebabkan kerusakan pada Gereja Arkane. Dan ketika dinasti memberi perhatian penuh pada Gereja Arkane, tekanan yang akan kamu hadapi akan semakin berkurang. Hek-hek ..."
Nada Fakisen penuh dengan penghinaan saat ia melanjutkan, "Setelah kabur saat momen krusial ini, Gereja Arkane pasti akan menyimpan dendsen padanya. Ketika kita kembali ke Galaksi Pusat, kita akan menghadapi geregang Gereja Arkane dan dinasti. Jika kita melakukan hal ini, dinasti tak akan lagi marah pada kita, dan Gereja Arkane akan semakin lemah. Artinya, Beyond Grade As yang akan kamu hadapi akan jauh lebih sedikit. Bahkan jika lokasi gerbang bintang itu terbongkar, dampaknya akan jauh lebih kecil. Sebab pada akhirnya, kita bisa menghancurkan gerbang bintang itu kapan saja untuk mencegah kerusakan lebih lanjut, atau bahkan membuat kelompok lain kembali dari sabuk alam semesta yang sunyi — waktu mereka memang tak berharga."
EsGod doppelganger bertanya, "Bagaimana aku tahu kamu tidak akan menjual lokasiku?"
"Mhee, jika Tuhan Penguasa tidak yakin, tolong biarkan seorang tiruan EsGod di kapal kosong itu untuk memantau komunikasi antara aku dan dinasti. Jika kamu pikir aku menjual lokasimu ... Hek, aku di sini. Kamu bisa membunuhku kapan saja."
EsGod doppelganger cemas sejenak sebelum akhirnya berkata, "Aku akan menyisakan seorang tiruan untuk bernegosiasi dengan dinasti. Kamu tak perlu terlibat dalam hal ini."
Meski ide Fakisen terlihat aneh dan mendadak baginya, ia sepertinya memang masuk akal. Setidaknya, meskipun negosiasi berjalan buruk, itu hanya akan menghilangkan seorang tiruan.
"Wahh, cara lain juga bisa," kata Fakisen sambil bertepuk tangan. "Itu juga bisa."
Saat EsGod doppelganger melepaskan Fakisen, ia mendarat di lantai, menggosok lehernya, lalu memanggil seorang bawahan. Ia merusak bola kabunya yang baru saja terbuat dan menyerap kabun kembali ke dalam tubuhnya. Kemudian, seolah tidak terjadi apa-apa, ia kembali mengamati peta bintang.
Tidak ada yang bisa melihat mata-mata Fakisen di balik topeng logam merah di atas wajahnya, dan tak ada yang tahu apa yang sedang ia pikirkan ... Atau lebih tepatnya, tidak ada yang benar-benar tahu bagaimana ia bisa melihat dengan mata yang tertutup.
...
Pertempuran sengit di Planet Mercusuar telah usai, tetapi seluruhnya belum berakhir di sini. Di bawah komando Tarrokov, armada din
As hyperdrive streams of light dashed across the dark cosmic space, the traces left by the Arcane Church fleet in retreat awoke the dynasty’s surveillance buoys one after another, not hiding their movements even a little bit.
Inside the Glorious Sun Grade main ship, the five Beyond Grade As including Sagman and Psyker gathered and looked at the fleet commander, Rogue, whose eyes never shifted away from the star map.
“Planet Lighthouse is at the edge of the Dawn Star Cluster and very close to the desolate universe belt. If we continue to retreat at full speed, we will get out of this security perimeter very soon,” Rogue said with a deep voice.
The transmission of energy and light took time; given the sheer size of the universe, plenty of remote detection methods had delays. Transmitting real-time information through quantum communication technology was one of the more common methods used. However, the universe was way too large. There was no way the dynasty would be able to deploy surveillance buoys in every corner of the cosmic space. The security perimeter usually spread out from the stronghold planet as its center with diminishing density of surveillance buoys as the distance increased.
At this time, the Arcane Church had already escaped to the exterior security perimeter of Planet Lighthouse and was entering deep into the desolate universe belt. With absolutely no time to spare, clearing out the buoys was meaningless; they would be located in the end anyway. Therefore, Rogue did not mind the fact that their route was exposed to the dynasty. After all, he was not going to go straight to the secret stargate.
The plan was to enter stealth mode in an area with little to no buoys in the desolate universe belt so that they could get rid of the dynasty’s direct surveillance. They would then split into hundreds of groups to make detours before heading to the secret stargate.
This way, a large number of the groups would be considered as abandoned. The moment their fleet departed, the location of the secret stargate had shifted. The original secret stargate location was abandoned, but this information was not updated on the star map. The only people who knew about this were the core members such as Rogue and the Beyond Grade As. This was to prevent the other groups from leaking the location of the secret stargate if they were captured by the dynasty.
Of course, these other groups were not completely abandoned; they were smoke screens. When Rogue, the Beyond Grade As, and the core groups successfully escaped, only then would these other groups be told the real location. That way, even if the location of the secret stargate was exposed, the impact would be much smaller. After all, they could destroy the stargate anytime to prevent further damage or even make those groups return from the desolate universe belt—their time was not precious at all.
“Quickly, the risks we’re taking increase every minute we spend in the Flickering World,” Sagman said.
“If all you can say are useless and meaningless things that everyone knows, you’d better stop speaking. Thanks to you, the risks we’re taking now are completely meaningless!” Rogue did not hold back at all. His tone had traces of rage.
He had just reported the battle results to the Bishops, which had earned him a massive scolding. With the thought of his future not being the brightest in mind, he could not help but feel a rage boiling inside him. Hence, he was not in the mood to hold his emotions back toward these Beyond Grade As who had caused this operation to fail.
Getting so bluntly yelled at, Sagman’s skin tightened. He thought about it for a second but did not say anything. It was true that the Beyond Grade A battlefield was what had decided the outcome and led to this failure, so he was indeed somewhat to blame.
The other four did not say anything either. They were now all on the same boat fleeing in the dynasty’s territory, so no one had time to mind Rogue’s disrespect.
Psyker’s face looked the worst. Thinking of the fact that his friend, Dylan, was now in the dynasty’s hands made his mood extremely horrible. He could not be bothered with anything else.
Seeing that no one spoke, Rogue snorted and said, “The dynasty is definitely dispatching troops to block our escape route. However, you need not worry too much; this is just a fake route. Also, most of the dynasty’s fleet nearby went to support Planet Lighthouse, and it will take some time for the more distant strongholds to send out fleets. Therefore, even if we happen to be blocked, we can easily eliminate whoever’s on the way. The only thing we need to worry about is the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As chasing after us. According to the current situation, Tarrokov will wait for the reinforcements to arrive before making moves. Pity, I almost thought we could lure them in and set up a trap...”
While Rogue analyzed the situation, Sagman and the others were discussing the situation privately through psychic communication.
“Given the size of the fleet, we’ll still be just as conspicuous even if we split up. Maybe we should leave the fleet and take mini spaceships. That’s stealthier,” Taylor said.
“We can consider that, but let’s talk about this after the main fleet splits up.”
When fleeing, the survivability and stealth of a Beyond Grade A acting alone far exceeded moving together with the fleet. As individuals with great powers who were not affected by the harsh environment of space, if they randomly hid on a desolate planet, no one would be able to find them.
This was especially true for Ninjia and Taylor, who had mastered forbidden spells. Without the enemies’ interference, their teleportation spells were among the best abilities for escaping.
Rogue was worried that they might be chased by the dynasty’s Beyond Grade As, so he wanted to keep Sagman and the others around. What he did not know was, Sagman and the others were also thinking about using the main fleet as bait to draw the dynasty’s attention.
...
In another direction, the Fallen Ark’s fleet was also retreating at full speed.
Due to the sudden rupture, EsGod’s fleet had cut off contact with the Arcane Church. Without any communication channel, the two of them did not know each other’s whereabouts at all and only focused on escaping on their own.
However, EsGod had one advantage. They had forced their way in from the exterior security perimeter, so they had deliberately destroyed quite a number of surveillance buoys on the way. This had caused some areas to be blind spots, which assisted in their escape.
Inside the main ship’s command room, Fakisen looked away from the star map and turned to the EsGod doppelganger beside him.
EsGod’s main body had already found an enclosed room to undergo evolution, and no one knew how long that would take. Before EsGod started his evolution, he had created some doppelgangers to protect himself and monitor the movement of the fleet.
EsGod was wary of everyone. Even his helpful assistant who had accompanied him for a hundred years, Fakisen was no exception. In times when his main body was the weakest, the only person he really trusted was himself.
“He still doesn’t trust me...”
Fakisen’s spike-filled tongue licked the blood-red metal mask that covered the upper half of his face, making an annoying scratching noise. Air pumped out from his nose like he was sneering.
Right in front of EsGod’s doppelganger, Fakisen lifted his dry brunch-looking four arms. Purple fog flew out from his dark purple skin, forming a sphere in midair.
Then, he summoned a subordinate and gave the orb to him. “Empty an ordinary battleship, remove its energy core and AI system, and leave it as an empty shell. Put this orb inside that spaceship, then abandon it and let it drift around on the path we passed by. The dynasty troops chasing us will discover this spaceship.”
The EsGod doppelganger turned to him and said coldly, “What are you trying to do?”
“Hehe...” Fakisen’s laughter was eerie. “I’m planning to contact the dynasty...”
Bang!
The moment he said that, the EsGod doppelganger immediately grabbed him by his neck and lifted him up, pressing him against the wall.
“Are you selling me out?”
Although his throat was grabbed by EsGod, Fakisen was not afraid at all. Instead, he laughed even louder. “Hahaha, I’m planning to work together with the dynasty. If they can give us information about the Arcane Church, we can send some of our people to intercept them. They’re pawns anyway. We’re the closest to the Arcane Church. With our help, the dynasty will be able to drag the Arcane Church back more efficiently.”
“There’s no need for that,” the EsGod doppelganger said coldly.
“No, there definitely is a need. The dynasty surely wants to fight the Arcane Church more than us. There are many Beyond Grade As over there, which makes them much more valuable. If the dynasty can capture them, the Arcane Church will lose close to half of their Beyond Grade As. The dynasty will not give up such an amazing opportunity to cause damage to the Arcane Church. And when the dynasty puts their focus on the Arcane Church, Your Excellency EsGod, the pressure you face will be much smaller. Hehehe.”
Fakisen’s tone was filled with mockery as he continued, “After fleeing at such a crucial moment, the Arcane Church is definitely going to hold a grudge against us for it. When we return to the Central Galaxy, we’re going to face both the Crimson dynasty and the Arcane Church. If we do this, not only will the dynasty be less furious at us, the Arcane Church will be weakened too. This means that the Beyond Grade As you’ll have to face will be much fewer. Furthermore, if the Arcane Church do suffer such an enormous loss, they probably won’t have chance to come make trouble for us any time soon.”
The EsGod doppelganger asked, “How do I know you’re not going to sell out my location?”
“Hee, if Your Excellency is not assured, please leave an EsGod doppelganger in that empty spaceship all you like, to monitor the communication between me and the dynasty. If you think I sold out your location... Hehe, I’m right here. You can kill me anytime.”
The EsGod doppelganger stayed silent for a while before suddenly saying, “I’ll leave a doppelganger behind to negotiate with the dynasty. You don’t have to participate in it.”
Although this idea Fakisen had was strange and sudden to him, he thought it did indeed make sense. After all, even if the negotiation went south, it would just be a doppelganger getting eliminated.
“Hehe, that’ll do too.”
As the EsGod doppelganger let Fakisen go, he landed on the ground, rubbed his neck, and called a subordinate over. He broke the fog orb that he had just made apart and absorbed the fog back into his body. Then, he acted as if nothing had happened and continued to observe the star map.
No one could see Fakisen’s eyes under the blood-red mask that covered the upper half of his face, and no one knew what he was thinking... Speaking of which, no one actually knew how he saw with his eyes covered.
...
The intense battle at Planet Lighthouse had ended, but this whole thing was far from over. Under Tarrokov’s command, the dynasty’s fleets started their pursuit of the Arcane Church and the Fallen Ark’s fleets.
Before the shock, confusion, and curiosity of the army players who flocked to Bun-Hit-Dog’s posts broadcasting about the battlefield’s turn of events dissipated, a new mission popped up on everyone’s interface.
Before this, the Black Star Army players only knew that Planet Lighthouse was attacked, there were around ten Beyond Grade As fighting, and their army commander Black Star was one of them. As for the identity of the attackers, the cause of this incident, or anything else, they had no idea at all.
This mission, however, explained all this and brought even more shock to the players.
_____________________
The Crimson dynasty Order: All Out Pursuit
Mission Introduction: In order to obtain the Evolution Cube and cause conflicts, the Arcane Church worked together with the Fallen Ark and attacked the dynasty’s outpost in the Flickering World. There were seven enemy Beyond Grade As. However, with the help of the dynasty’s ally Black Star, Milizaus, Beyoni, and the friend invited by Black Star, Austin, we successfully defeated the enemies! Currently, these two fleets are now fleeing in the Flickering World. All forces are hereby dispatched to pursue the enemies and uphold the dynasty’s dignity—Crimson Dynasty Exploration Army Chief Commander, Tarrokov.
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