The deployment clamps released.
Altopereh drifted free of the Sovereign Spear in total silence, its massive frame suspended against the dead-black backdrop of space. No thrusters flared. No sound accompanied its movement. It simply was—a dark god unchained.
Inside the cockpit, Youri did not blink.
Flow State held him completely.
There was no fear. No anticipation. No thought beyond function.
Data streamed directly into his neural interface.
Enemy Designation: Volar Rebel Fleet Confirmed Assets:– 14 Volar Orbitons– 26 Assault Cruisers– 41 Frigates– Planetary Defense Grid (active)
Rules of Engagement:– Antimatter Core: Locked– Civilian Collateral Threshold: Zero– Suppression via Conventional God-Unit Armament
Youri acknowledged automatically.
The rebel fleet reacted the instant Altopereh appeared.
Towering Orbitons clad in tan and dark gray armor. Red and white markings streaked across they're plating like war paint. Hydraulic tubing coiled through they're joints, pulsing with mechanical life, while reinforced panels locked into place over the limbs,
they're heads were sleek and angular, crowned with antenna-like protrusions. A single red sensor glowed at the center. They're arms were massive, armored gauntlets ending in articulated fingers capable of both precision and destruction. The legs carried the weight of the frame with ease, wide feet braced by crimson stabilizers.
Volar Orbitons broke formation, their angular frames igniting with blue-white thruster flares as they accelerated outward. Rebel cruisers pivoted, weapon arrays unfolding like metallic wings.
"Target acquired!" a rebel commander shouted across open channels."All units—engage the God Unit!"
The first volley hit space like a storm.
Plasma lances streaked forward. Missile clusters detonated mid-flight, splitting into swarms of smart-guided warheads. Rail slugs tore through vacuum at relativistic speed.
Altopereh did not evade.
Youri raised Altopereh's left arm.
Space shimmered.
A forward-facing kinetic barrier deployed— a compressed gravitic plane. Plasma rounds flattened against it, dispersing into harmless light. Rail slugs deformed, their trajectories bending just enough to miss vital systems.
Missiles detonated prematurely as Altopereh's ECM suite ignited, flooding the battlespace with false signatures.
Youri registered outcomes.
Adjusted.
The Altopereh's right arm shifted configuration.
Panels slid back.
Plasma conduits flared.
A blade ignited.
Not a beam—but a contained plasma sword, its edge stabilized by magnetic fields so dense they distorted nearby light. The weapon hummed softly, resonating with lethal precision.
Youri closed the distance in less than a second.
The first Volar Orbiton didn't even finish turning.
Altopereh cleaved through it in a single horizontal arc.
The rebel unit split cleanly in two, armor vaporizing instantly, internal systems flash-boiling into incandescent debris. The halves drifted apart, lifeless.
Enemy Down.
Youri pivoted mid-motion.
Missiles locked onto him from three directions.
Altopereh's shoulder mounts opened.
A storm of counter-missiles erupted outward, intercepting the incoming warheads in precise bursts. Explosions blossomed across space, lighting the battlefield in violent flashes.
Youri advanced again.
Two more Orbitons rushed him, blades drawn—short-range plasma weapons crackling.
Altopereh met them head-on.
The first struck. Its blade glanced off Altopereh's armor, carving a glowing scar but failing to penetrate. Before it could recover, Altopereh drove its plasma sword straight through the unit's chest.
The second attempted to flank.
Youri rotated Altopereh's torso, caught the Orbiton mid-lunge, and slammed it bodily into a nearby frigate.
The frigate folded.
Hull plating buckled inward, reactors destabilizing as the ship tore itself apart in a silent explosion.
Youri released the wreckage and moved on.
No pause.
No confirmation.
The rebel fleet began to panic.
"Orbitons are falling back!""Cruiser line—fire everything!""Where are our reserves?!"
A coordinated barrage surged toward Altopereh—dozens of cruisers firing in unison, saturating space with plasma and kinetic fire.
Youri evaluated.
Then acted.
Altopereh's back-mounted launchers opened.
High-yield plasma warheads with precision guidance. They weaved through the chaos, ignoring decoys, slamming directly into cruiser weapon arrays.
One by one, rebel ships went dark.
Some lost propulsion.Others lost command decks.A few detonated outright.
Still, the rebels pressed on.
Four Orbitons charged together, attempting a coordinated strike.
Youri allowed them close.
Too close.
Altopereh deactivated its plasma sword.
Both hands opened.
Gravitic emitters surged.
A localized gravity well snapped into existence between the four rebels.
They were yanked inward violently, frames twisting, armor collapsing as their own mass betrayed them. Altopereh closed its fists.
The gravity well collapsed.
Nothing remained.
On the escort ship's bridge, officers stared in silence.
"He's not fighting like a pilot," one whispered. "He's fighting like a monster."
Aurelion said nothing.
He watched the battle with a clenched jaw.
Below, the Volar fleet broke.
Surviving ships attempted to flee, engines flaring desperately as they scattered.
Youri did not pursue indiscriminately.
Flow State refined his objective.
Threat Neutralization: In ProgressEscape Vectors: Identified
Altopereh launched another wave of missiles—selective, surgical. Engines were disabled. Command ships crippled. Escape corridors collapsed under precise fire.
Within minutes, the battlefield fell silent.
Wreckage drifted slowly through space.
Burning. Broken.
Defeated.
Altopereh hovered at the center of it all, untouched.
Inside the cockpit, Youri remained still.
Heartbeat steady.Mind empty.
No triumph.
No regret.
Mission parameters satisfied.
Combat Phase: Complete.
The escort ship moved in cautiously.
"Pilot D7," Aurelion said over the comm. "Anti matter canon authorization is granted"