Ten thousand meters above Dubbo City.
The Emperor Guard Quillspike-class, accompanying the legion on its expedition, slowly rotated its transparent body. If one were to ignore its somewhat ferocious appearance, its dance could almost be considered graceful.
The Quillspike-class was not with the main legion.
Having received the Ice Emperor's directive, it was responsible for maintaining high-altitude vigilance and intercepting any potential ultra-long-range strikes.
That was correct.
Although the Columbia-class nuclear submarine had been sunk, the Ice Emperor had not let down its guard. If humanity possessed more such weapons… considering this, the Ice Emperor had dispatched the Quillspike-class to maintain watch from high above.
The Quillspike-class was exceptionally reliable.
Among all Honkai Beasts, the Quillspike-class possessed what could be called the strongest perception abilities. Thanks to this, its "funnels," serving as its tentacles, could easily shoot down high-speed flying targets even when kilometers away from the main body.
The Ice Emperor's caution had not been in vain.
Thus far.
The Quillspike-class had already eliminated two batches, a total of sixteen intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The big jellyfish was merely faithfully executing orders; it had no idea what these things it had shot down signified.
In fact.
The enemy the legion now faced was no longer the Australian local forces.
Intelligence that the 1st Fleet had used nuclear weapons to "attack the city" was impossible to conceal.
For them to react so drastically, and then, immediately after their reaction, to suffer a highly targeted tactical ambush by Honkai Beasts…
The problem was severe.
Australia was the continent most severely eroded by Honkai in the world.
But it was not the only affected area—across the entire planet, several Great Honkai Eruptions had already occurred. And before each one, there were precursor signs, like "Honkai energy becoming extremely active."
And this time.
The level of the "precursor" alone.
Was already comparable to the intensity of any previous Great Honkai Eruption itself.
"Deploy forces to Australia with the utmost speed."
The above consensus.
Was reached at the United Nations with unprecedented speed.
Naturally, the Fire Moth's assessment of the situation's severity played no small part in this.
In fact, three Fire Moth squads had already arrived on the Australian continent, transported by air and naval transport planes and landing ships.
In pursuit of efficiency.
The number of troops dispatched to Australia this time was not large—the total forces from all countries combined were only about twice the size of Australia's local military.
But they were entirely "mechanized" units.
After all… the anticipated battlefield was a city half-leveled by nuclear weapons; the radiation environment here did not permit humans to enter combat unprotected.
Moreover, against Honkai Beasts, throwing human lives away was pointless.
Therefore.
The forces assembled and dispatched by the United Nations this time were all elites among elites.
The proportion of anti-Honkai weaponry wasn't 100%, but it was at least 50% or more—the remaining half, seemingly conventional, consisted of entirely new types embodying cutting-edge technology.
These were the enemies the legion was about to face.
However, for the humans, they encountered a small problem: the Ice Emperor had acted too quickly!
The troops that had reached the designated operational area numbered less than a third of the total.
The vast majority of support troops were still stationed west of Sydney—the various political factors, monetary transactions, and risk control involved need not be elaborated upon.
In short.
The real battle.
Had already begun the moment the legion approached the city!
————
A preemptive strike!
"Shiro..."
Cheche's steps did not falter.
The moment it sensed danger, Cheche's voice had already resounded in Lu Xing's mind.
"Hold tight!"
After calling his name.
Only the briefest warning remained—
Dong!!
With a forceful slam of its forelimbs on the ground.
The Chariot-class beasts, led by Cheche, leaped into the air in a manner that completely defied logic—for bodies like theirs, jumping was as difficult as ascending to heaven!
[Pounce]
A common skill for the Chariot-class.
It was an advanced branch of the [Dash] skill that Lu Xing possessed.
However, when this seemingly ordinary skill was executed by Cheche, who stood tens of meters tall, the sheer shock of it was beyond verbal description—Lu Xing, standing atop Cheche's head, even subconsciously used [Power Strike] to grip its horn tightly, ensuring he wouldn't be thrown off!
Boom—
A single Chariot-class beast using [Pounce] already created a suffocating pressure at the landing point, as if dark clouds were pressing down, threatening to crush the city.
And when dozens, even hundreds, of Chariot-class beasts used [Pounce] simultaneously…
—RUMBLE!!!
The second hand on a clock didn't even have time to tick three times.
Within half the city, no building taller than two meters remained standing.
As for the troops hidden within… whether conventional tanks, armored vehicles, or the less commonly seen mechs and tactical machines, all were caught in this wave of pounces.
Nearly half were destroyed!
A simple [Pounce] could not achieve such an exaggerated result. The issue was that the skill just now was not simple—as their massive bodies plummeted towards the ground, all Chariot-class beasts, following instructions, re-condensed Honkai energy.
[Heavy Strike]
The instant the Chariot-class beasts impacted the ground, this high-power area-of-effect killing technique, one that even Lu Xing had not mastered, slammed viciously into the earth beneath them—
Terrifying shockwaves swept outwards!
And when the shockwaves from different Chariot-class beasts collided… the power of [Heavy Strike] amplified in the superposition, exposing and destroying everything it swept over.
This was merely the extent of the Chariot-class beasts under Cheche's command.
Cheche itself…
The moment [Heavy Strike] was unleashed, Lu Xing's body lurched backward noticeably—he had long since prepared for that impact; what nearly made him lose his balance was Cheche suddenly opening its abyssal maw!
Surging Honkai energy gathered before it.
Highly concentrated energy particles swirled into its mouth like a vortex.
As a halo of light gradually intensified—
Sssshhh!!!
A tornado erupted forth!
The energy storm tore apart everything in its path. A two-kilometer-long street was instantly obliterated by the technique Cheche unleashed!
"Roar...?"
That's right, the skill Cheche used was indeed [Roar].
Skills are fixed, but Honkai is adaptable.
Originally a roar that relied on sonic vibrations to cause damage and stun, in Cheche's hands, it was wielded with power almost rivaling a Cruiser-class "main cannon."
Thanks to this blow.
The human forces, just preparing to launch a counterattack, had their momentum suppressed once again.
Taking advantage of this opening.
"Frost Lightning," whose marching speed was equally swift.
Had already led its subordinate Honkai Beast legion to press in from both sides of the city.
While the Chariot-class beasts launched their charge to draw attention, the Temple-class beasts, leading a large number of smaller Honkai Beasts, rapidly constructed a pincer formation that, while not perfectly tight, was sufficient to envelop most of the city.
The encounter battle.
Had turned into… an annihilation battle.