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Chapter 295: Sizing Up the Situation
"Y-You're here!?"
Light shone in Maxima's eyes, filled with emotion.
"We can catch up later."
Orin Vale projected his energy, a transparent barrier withstanding all sorts of bombardments, while speaking to her via telepathy.
"What's the situation on your end? Why am I seeing weapons from Apokolips?"
"What else could it be? The scum from Apokolips decided to stick their noses in," Maxima said resentfully. "Those bastards from Apokolips saw the perfect opportunity in our internal turmoil.
They're providing the Rebel Army with weapons and technical support, intending to use that traitor Zazo to turn Almerac into their puppet. More importantly, that might not even be their real objective.
Almerac is just a springboard."
"A springboard?"
"That's right. We aren't just one of the most powerful civilizations in the Galaxy; we also occupy the most important strategic position in the Galaxy. If someone wanted to move on the Solar System, Almerac would be a vital strategic position."
Orin Vale immediately understood.
Just as he thought. It seemed like Apokolips was meddling in another's internal affairs, but after all the twists and turns, their ultimate goal was still Earth.
Apokolips wasn't the type to suffer a loss and simply swallow it. Earth had dealt Darkseid a humiliating defeat, and there was no way they would let the matter rest. After the last battle, they likely realized Earth was a tough opponent defended by beings they didn't yet understand. As a result, their strategy became more cautious.
If Almerac fell, it would be like Apokolips moving in right next door. No one would like having a neighbor who's always peeking with a telescope, constantly thinking about coming over to get a piece of the action.
Orin Vale shot Maxima a sideways glance.
"Such a complex line of reasoning... you definitely didn't come up with it yourself, did you?"
Maxima froze for a moment, then scratched her head in embarrassment.
"You really get me... My subordinates explained it to me. Hehe."
Such strategic matters were too mentally taxing, a bit beyond her capacity.
"But don't worry, they won't succeed so easily," Maxima said, panting as she wiped blood from her face. Her face, smudged with soot and blood, looked grimy and had the distinct air of the battlefield.
"Almerac won't fall that easily. Zazo... he's right here, on this battlefield. He's waiting for me to fall. I have to take him down, I have to..."
Even as she said this, her legs betrayed her with a tremor, and she nearly lost her footing.
"Zazo... he's the leader of the Rebel Army?" Orin Vale asked.
"Yes."
"Alright. You stay here and don't move. I'll go grab the rebel leader and be right back."
Before she could respond, Orin Vale had already risen into the air. With a casual flick of his hand, he flung out a whip of pure light from his fingertips. A series of weapons were swept by the path of light, setting off a chain of booming explosions.
A massive warship locked onto his position, its multi-colored cannons relentlessly pouring firepower at him. Orin Vale spread his five fingers, projecting his light energy outward, where it materialized into a concave photon shield.
When the fierce, multi-colored firepower poured into the shield, it slid along the concave surface. Guided by countless light particles, the energy traced a smooth one-hundred-and-eighty-degree arc, reversing direction and hurtling back at the warship with even greater force than when it arrived.
The warship wailed as it plummeted, turning into towering fireworks on the battlefield. The Almeracians everywhere were stunned.
Was such a maneuver even possible?
Taking the bombardment of energy weapons head-on with force fields and barriers, canceling them out with a direct counter-beam, or evading them at high speed... honestly, they had seen all of these moves before. While any of these responses would demonstrate great strength, they weren't enough to shatter one's worldview.
But to reflect the entire barrage of a warship firing at full capacity?
That was truly unheard of.
At that moment, the rear command center where Zazo was located also erupted into chaos.
"A Giant? What Giant!?"
Zazo was furious when he received the frontline report.
"I don't care if it's a glowing giant or not! Where's your damn Apokoliptian mega-cannon? Bring it over and blast the hell out of him!"
Beside him, someone with sweat beading on his forehead reminded him in a low voice, "Uh... Sir, do you remember a while ago, when we observed the arrival of the God of Apokolips in our star system... and how he was dragged through the streets by a glowing Giant?"
Zazo said impatiently, "Of course, I remember. But what does that have to do with me..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke. In an instant, Zazo's pupils contracted. With his mouth agape and his expression frozen, his head turned slowly, like a wind-up toy.
"'Y-You mean...' Zazo stammered, 'the one fighting his way in... the Giant... glowing... God of Apokolips...'"
All of his subordinates, their faces looking like they were about to cry, nodded stiffly.
The front lines outside were still waiting for their command, but the command center was already filled with an atmosphere of doom, its occupants having completely lost their will to fight.
Give a command? What command was there to give?
Even Darkseid had been paraded around like a helpless chicken, and their own arrogance was fueled by nothing more than Darkseid's little toys. How could they possibly fight against that?
It had pretty much reached the point where they could take their hands off the keyboard and surrender.
No, it wasn't over. There was still something they could do.
Zazo's expression sharpened. He narrowed his eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Things have come to this... there's only... 'that' left."
Everyone was shocked. Someone hurriedly said, "Sir, you must reconsider! We can't use 'that' lightly..."
"Do you have a better idea then?" Zazo said icily.
The man immediately fell silent.
"This is the final moment. Say no more, my mind is made up." Zazo's entire face turned cold as he said sinisterly, "When that guy walks through the door, he'll definitely find the surprise we've prepared for him."
Orin Vale had to admit, when he stormed the main base and blasted open the doors to the command center, he was indeed a little surprised.
He saw a Strong Man clad in armor and wearing a cape, along with a large group of subordinates from the command center, all of them prostrated on the ground, their foreheads touching the floor.
Anyone who didn't know the situation might have thought it was some kind of pilgrimage.
Orin Vale gave the Strong Man at his feet a strange look.
"You're... Zazo?"
"I am." The Strong Man didn't even lift his head.
"Why won't you look up when you speak?"
"I am ashamed!"
Zazo said loudly.
"I was held hostage by those False Gods of Apokolips! Forced by their tyranny to fight against my own people, my conscience has been in agony. But I cannot let this go on!
From this day forward, I will no longer be a puppet of those False Gods! Even if I'm threatened, even if I face sanctions and retaliation, I will never again do anything that goes against my conscience!
Please, hand me over to Her Highness, the Princess! I swear I will tell you everything I know about those False Gods!"
As soon as he said this, even the Henchmen kneeling behind him couldn't help but admire him in secret.
Truly worthy of being their boss. He could spout such nonsense without batting an eye, and his skin was as thick as a fortress wall. No wonder he was the boss and they were just Henchmen. There was definitely a reason for it...
Oh, right. And most importantly, he knew how to size up the situation.
(end of chapter)
"Y-You're here!?"
Light shone in Maxima's eyes, filled with emotion.
"We can catch up later."
Orin Vale projected his energy, a transparent barrier withstanding all sorts of bombardments, while speaking to her via telepathy.
"What's the situation on your end? Why am I seeing weapons from Apokolips?"
"What else could it be? The scum from Apokolips decided to stick their noses in," Maxima said resentfully. "Those bastards from Apokolips saw the perfect opportunity in our internal turmoil.
They're providing the Rebel Army with weapons and technical support, intending to use that traitor Zazo to turn Almerac into their puppet. More importantly, that might not even be their real objective.
Almerac is just a springboard."
"A springboard?"
"That's right. We aren't just one of the most powerful civilizations in the Galaxy; we also occupy the most important strategic position in the Galaxy. If someone wanted to move on the Solar System, Almerac would be a vital strategic position."
Orin Vale immediately understood.
Just as he thought. It seemed like Apokolips was meddling in another's internal affairs, but after all the twists and turns, their ultimate goal was still Earth.
Apokolips wasn't the type to suffer a loss and simply swallow it. Earth had dealt Darkseid a humiliating defeat, and there was no way they would let the matter rest. After the last battle, they likely realized Earth was a tough opponent defended by beings they didn't yet understand. As a result, their strategy became more cautious.
If Almerac fell, it would be like Apokolips moving in right next door. No one would like having a neighbor who's always peeking with a telescope, constantly thinking about coming over to get a piece of the action.
Orin Vale shot Maxima a sideways glance.
"Such a complex line of reasoning... you definitely didn't come up with it yourself, did you?"
Maxima froze for a moment, then scratched her head in embarrassment.
"You really get me... My subordinates explained it to me. Hehe."
Such strategic matters were too mentally taxing, a bit beyond her capacity.
"But don't worry, they won't succeed so easily," Maxima said, panting as she wiped blood from her face. Her face, smudged with soot and blood, looked grimy and had the distinct air of the battlefield.
"Almerac won't fall that easily. Zazo... he's right here, on this battlefield. He's waiting for me to fall. I have to take him down, I have to..."
Even as she said this, her legs betrayed her with a tremor, and she nearly lost her footing.
"Zazo... he's the leader of the Rebel Army?" Orin Vale asked.
"Yes."
"Alright. You stay here and don't move. I'll go grab the rebel leader and be right back."
Before she could respond, Orin Vale had already risen into the air. With a casual flick of his hand, he flung out a whip of pure light from his fingertips. A series of weapons were swept by the path of light, setting off a chain of booming explosions.
A massive warship locked onto his position, its multi-colored cannons relentlessly pouring firepower at him. Orin Vale spread his five fingers, projecting his light energy outward, where it materialized into a concave photon shield.
When the fierce, multi-colored firepower poured into the shield, it slid along the concave surface. Guided by countless light particles, the energy traced a smooth one-hundred-and-eighty-degree arc, reversing direction and hurtling back at the warship with even greater force than when it arrived.
The warship wailed as it plummeted, turning into towering fireworks on the battlefield. The Almeracians everywhere were stunned.
Was such a maneuver even possible?
Taking the bombardment of energy weapons head-on with force fields and barriers, canceling them out with a direct counter-beam, or evading them at high speed... honestly, they had seen all of these moves before. While any of these responses would demonstrate great strength, they weren't enough to shatter one's worldview.
But to reflect the entire barrage of a warship firing at full capacity?
That was truly unheard of.
At that moment, the rear command center where Zazo was located also erupted into chaos.
"A Giant? What Giant!?"
Zazo was furious when he received the frontline report.
"I don't care if it's a glowing giant or not! Where's your damn Apokoliptian mega-cannon? Bring it over and blast the hell out of him!"
Beside him, someone with sweat beading on his forehead reminded him in a low voice, "Uh... Sir, do you remember a while ago, when we observed the arrival of the God of Apokolips in our star system... and how he was dragged through the streets by a glowing Giant?"
Zazo said impatiently, "Of course, I remember. But what does that have to do with me..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke. In an instant, Zazo's pupils contracted. With his mouth agape and his expression frozen, his head turned slowly, like a wind-up toy.
"'Y-You mean...' Zazo stammered, 'the one fighting his way in... the Giant... glowing... God of Apokolips...'"
All of his subordinates, their faces looking like they were about to cry, nodded stiffly.
The front lines outside were still waiting for their command, but the command center was already filled with an atmosphere of doom, its occupants having completely lost their will to fight.
Give a command? What command was there to give?
Even Darkseid had been paraded around like a helpless chicken, and their own arrogance was fueled by nothing more than Darkseid's little toys. How could they possibly fight against that?
It had pretty much reached the point where they could take their hands off the keyboard and surrender.
No, it wasn't over. There was still something they could do.
Zazo's expression sharpened. He narrowed his eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Things have come to this... there's only... 'that' left."
Everyone was shocked. Someone hurriedly said, "Sir, you must reconsider! We can't use 'that' lightly..."
"Do you have a better idea then?" Zazo said icily.
The man immediately fell silent.
"This is the final moment. Say no more, my mind is made up." Zazo's entire face turned cold as he said sinisterly, "When that guy walks through the door, he'll definitely find the surprise we've prepared for him."
Orin Vale had to admit, when he stormed the main base and blasted open the doors to the command center, he was indeed a little surprised.
He saw a Strong Man clad in armor and wearing a cape, along with a large group of subordinates from the command center, all of them prostrated on the ground, their foreheads touching the floor.
Anyone who didn't know the situation might have thought it was some kind of pilgrimage.
Orin Vale gave the Strong Man at his feet a strange look.
"You're... Zazo?"
"I am." The Strong Man didn't even lift his head.
"Why won't you look up when you speak?"
"I am ashamed!"
Zazo said loudly.
"I was held hostage by those False Gods of Apokolips! Forced by their tyranny to fight against my own people, my conscience has been in agony. But I cannot let this go on!
From this day forward, I will no longer be a puppet of those False Gods! Even if I'm threatened, even if I face sanctions and retaliation, I will never again do anything that goes against my conscience!
Please, hand me over to Her Highness, the Princess! I swear I will tell you everything I know about those False Gods!"
As soon as he said this, even the Henchmen kneeling behind him couldn't help but admire him in secret.
Truly worthy of being their boss. He could spout such nonsense without batting an eye, and his skin was as thick as a fortress wall. No wonder he was the boss and they were just Henchmen. There was definitely a reason for it...
Oh, right. And most importantly, he knew how to size up the situation.
(end of chapter)
