Chapter 555: A Galactic Battleship

Zhang Lie summoned his pair of twin blades, then slashed the beam of light apart. His eyes widened. "How could this appear here? This level of technology can't be replicated in the second realm!"

This was the first time since entering the sea of mists that Zhang Lie had been so shocked. Something that he should never have been able to see in the second realm had somehow entered his vision.

On the other end of the beam was a gigantic battleship made of steel and titanium.

Zhang Lie's face crumpled. Zhu might not have been able to recognize what lay before them, but Zhang Lie certainly did. It was the key fighting force in interstellar warfare—a galactic battleship.

No high-tech equipment could appear within the second realm, let alone something like a galactic battleship.

And even if such technology were somehow able to work in the second realm, no teleportation apparatus was large or stable enough to transport it over. Even if it were dismantled and put back together piece by piece, it would have taken millions of hours of manpower, and news would certainly have spread to the human world.

As Zhang Lie thought about just what could be going on, the galactic battleship attacked. Another blinding laser shot toward Zhang Lie, so large it looked like a dragon of light.

"[The Boundless Blade: Yawning Wave]!" Zhang Lie waved his twin blades in the air, forming a web of sword energy that caused the beam to dissipate. Subsequently, hundreds of missiles shot toward him, tracing arcs of light and energy through the air.

Zhang Lie would have to take care of them all alone.

It was too difficult for him to protect the warship, and too passive an approach for him to take. Zhang Lie summoned Whitey and had it take Zhu away. Wings sprouted behind his back and sent him careening toward the battleship. By the battleship's hull, a gigantic cannon had appeared, and flecks of energy were gathering about its mouth.

This was a cannon powered by nuclear fission! This type of cannon was known by a common nickname—a starbreak annihilator. One shot from the cannon was able to pierce through a small-scale planet, and it would cause irreparable damage to a large one.

Zhang Lie activated his blood ant and dragonwolf soulshards simultaneously. Thick fur grew from his skin, followed by scales and a dragon's claws, as he transformed into a draconic wolfman.

As the starbreak annihilator activated, the mists around them and the surface of the sea turned to plasma. Even Zhang Lie didn't dare contend directly against the attack; he chose to flee. It was the smart move, and the only move he could have made. Strong though he was, he surely didn't have the strength to contend with the starbreak annihilator. Even the scorching heat that resulted in the aftermath of the attack was more than Zhang Lie could stand.

The beam pierced through the surface of the sea and vaporized a hole through it, forming a whirlpool as water sought to flow into the gap it had left.

Zhang Lie couldn't help but shudder as he glanced at the aftermath of the attack. Fortunately, he and Zhu had left before it could strike them; otherwise, they would surely have died.

The starbreak annihilator would take some time to recharge after each shot, and this was Zhang Lie's chance to counterattack. He couldn't let the cannon cast another time.

"[Shadow and Light]!" Zhang Lie morphed into a black shadow as he dashed forward. His swords slashed against the energy shield gleaming over the surface of the battleship to no avail.

"[Rune: Control]!" Zhang Lie raised both his arms into the sky, and the image of a dragonturtle appeared behind him. The two gravity-controlling tablets dropped toward the battleship. Black ripples emanated from the two gravity-altering tablets, forming a localized region of distorted gravity.

The abrupt change in gravity caused a pressure differential that destabilized the battleship's energy source. The lights flickered, as did its energy barrier.

"[The Boundless Blade: the River Lethe]!" An underworld river hurtled into existence. The haunted souls of the underworld could almost be seen in the darkness, piercing through the shield and tearing a hole in the battleship's exterior. Zhang Lie rushed within.

As expected, it was another ghost ship. Not a single figure stood within.

Red light began to blare, and an electronic voice droned, "Self-destruct sequence initiated."

Zhang Lie wouldn't give the spaceship the chance to self-destruct.

"[The Boundless Blade: Dragon's Wrath]!" A blood-red dragon tore apart the battleship from the inside out as Zhang Lie swung his blades all around him.

"[Blade of the Heavens: the Sea Swells]!" Energy poured out of him in waves, honing the edge of his blade. The pulses of energy struck the realm like a tsunami, devouring everything within. The battleship split in two, causing a gigantic explosion that resounded within the sea of mists.

The battleship exploded into a flurry of fragments, each of which vanished in a puff of mist just as they were about to hit the surface of the sea.

Whitey flew back, and Zhu asked worriedly, "What was that just now?!"

"Something called a galactic battleship."

"A galactic battleship?!"

Zhang Lie frowned. "It's not something that should have been able to appear in this realm."

Despite Zhu's curiosity, she knew not to press further. If Zhang Lie wanted to explain things to her, he would—and if she wanted his continued protection, she would follow his rules.

"What do we do now? Without the warship around, we won't know how to get out."

"Leaving won't be a problem." He was able to break through the spatial distortions above the sea with his sword techniques, so his escape route was certainly secured. That said, his curiosity had been piqued by the battleship that he had seen, and he had no intention of leaving the sea of mists just yet...