Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1907: Dawn

The transparent glass brimmed with a rich amber fluid. Delicate bubbles of vapor rose steadily from its depths, sending waves of a refined aroma drifting through the air without end.

Beneath her lay the stunning vista of End City. In the background raged the desperate clash on the Novice battlefield.

For Reina Star's Queen, Ningji Huamei, the fight down there barely stirred any excitement in her heart.

With centuries behind her, she had witnessed countless events. After fighting in the Battle of Despair long ago, such levels of carnage and loss of life failed to touch her in the least.

Instead, she chose to direct her eyes toward the captivating views inside the city.

"This Su Clan youth shows real promise."

At her side, the maid of Ningji Huamei poured more of that exquisite wine into the Queen's cup, her gaze fixed on the unfolding combat displayed on the light screen as she commented.

"The full Light Array boasts hundreds of array eyes, doesn't it? Assembling it isn't easy, yet its strength proves impressive as well."

Ningji Huamei turned her sight to the towering clock tower at End City's heart, a smile playing on her lips, though she remained silent.

The maid settled next to her too, yet her attention clearly lingered on the events playing out across the light screen.

"Your Majesty, why dwell on this same old landscape? These youngsters down there seem far more engaging to me."

Strictly speaking, for a maid to address one of the universe's mightiest figures in such a casual way amounted to bold insolence.

Yet anyone familiar with Reina Star understood this servant was far from ordinary. She had undergone rigorous preparation since her earliest days, excelling in every skill, and even getting instruction on par with the heir to the throne.

From her very beginning, she served as the Queen's shadow, her protector, her aide, and her closest companion.

This bond endured from cradle to grave, unbroken.

Within the whole Reina Star domain, the maid held a position of remarkable prestige. While not exactly second to none, she surely placed among the top ten.

"The contest was never meant to be even to begin with. Where's the thrill in that?"

"Is that why you held back our forces from joining in?"

"Not quite. I simply wished for our kind to grow accustomed to facing those parasites, rather than battling fellow beings."

Ningji Huamei drained her glass in a single swallow and kept staring off into the horizon. After what felt like ages, she murmured, "Ana, suppose I challenged the Great Elder of the Gurui Star Race right now—who do you think would come out on top?"

The maid Ana shot to her feet, her face twisting in clear annoyance toward Ningji Huamei. "Your Majesty, are you out of your mind? How could you even entertain such a thought?"

"The King of Huo’er Star, Zhen Ka; Gurui Star Race's Great Elder, Cheng Lan Gao; Su Clan's Leader, Lai Su; and myself. Aren't you curious about who truly stands as the strongest?" Ningji Huamei regarded her servant with steady eyes and posed the question, then went on, "Don't you itch to clash with that short-tempered dwarf from the Talos Red Dwarves, the rigid ancient from Sheke Star, the brooding type from Gold and Silver Island, and the rest of that bunch?"

"I do not!"

The maid's tone sharpened noticeably, her features hardening further.

"Why not? At our stage, maybe only a brush with death could push us to new heights. Don't you yearn to glimpse that uncharted realm the cosmic races have yet to explore?"

"I do not!"

Once more, the maid delivered a resolute denial.

Then, she paced back and forth across the vast, ornate balcony, facing one of the cosmos's supreme beings, before declaring, "Your Majesty, thoughts like these carry grave peril."

"You realize those rumors and theories floating around hold no weight for us. The gap between you and those others is really just a hair's breadth. A confrontation would probably lead to both sides perishing together. Your edges aren't sharp enough to claim a decisive victory. Such notions serve no purpose."

"And should you vanish, can you imagine the chaos awaiting the Reina Star alliance?"

The maid's fervor built with every word.

"Moreover, Your Majesty," the maid pressed on, "after all these years, this marks the first spark of real possibility we've encountered. You mustn't act so recklessly."

The Queen absorbed it all in silence. The gruesome chaos erupting on the light screen at her back drew zero focus from her. She merely contemplated this domain under her rule, lost in quiet reflection for what seemed an eternity.

"A spark of possibility?" Ningji Huamei whispered. "Or maybe the final flicker of madness as we tumble into the void."

"Ana, pass along my order. Effective immediately, Reina Star shifts to full alert for war."

Behind her, the maid froze in place, stunned.

………………………………………………

"The energy array's damage has hit fifteen percent!"

"Wait, make that twenty percent now!"

"Incubation layer penetrated! Deploy the cortex and switch to core protection protocol!"

"Damage at thirty percent!"

Su Clan members kept calling out updates on the Light Array's status, warning the guardians within that doom crept ever nearer.

Once the opening barrage of light blades had inflicted heavy losses on the foes, those outside grew far more wary. Since the Light Array stood as a renowned creation of the Su Clan, even if rivals couldn't replicate its formation, they grasped key details. Experts among them passed on insights to the group, covering assault tactics, formation traits, and potential destructiveness.

Though these insights amounted to little more than informed hunches, they at least banished total blindness regarding the energy array.

Thus, beyond the first volley of light blades, as various groups threw away lives to pierce the initial barrier, advancing to the second proved more measured.

That said, caution was relative at best. Casualties mounted as if lives held no value.

Beneath relentless assault, the Light Array sustained its second assault phase. Gone were the light blades; now pillars of light streaked across the heavens, pounding down on enemies nonstop. Meanwhile, fine threads of light peeled away from the array's foundational 'skeleton' pillars, weaving around each protector.

These threads appeared harmless at first glance, yet they would lash out unexpectedly at key instants to aid the defenders. On striking a foe, they triggered a momentary paralysis, creating the perfect window to strike fatally.

Within the first minute of combat, the outer layer fell, claiming dozens of Novices and three seasoned fighters in the process.

Yet after ten minutes, despite the second layer teetering like a fragile vessel amid tempests, it held firm. Around the full perimeter of the Light Array, attackers clustered in thick layers, leaving no openings.

By then, the assailants had piled up another thirty-plus bodies, including seven veteran warriors.

This stemmed straight from the guardians now throwing themselves into the fray directly.

Those same guardians had suffered losses too.

The Star-Eye Clan fighter and a single Novice lay reduced to pulp.

"Damage reaching forty percent!"

At the fifteen-minute point, the Light Array's second layer shattered at last.