Chapter 1400: The Yellow Sparrow

It was a sight that would be etched indelibly into the minds of anyone who witnessed it—a spectacle impossible to forget.

Beneath a dim, murky sky, a swarm of dragons dove from the clouds. Their colossal wings blotted out the sun, stirring the air and the ambient magic of the heavens. Their roars and bellows made the very clouds tremble. From their ranks erupted torrents of thunder, fire, and frost, unleashed like a storm upon the earth below. The molten lava and choking smoke of the blasted wasteland writhed beneath this onslaught, and the resulting explosions and tremors shook the entire Talash Plain.

The Aberration—the crawling calamity—was in the midst of siphoning energy from the planet’s core when this sudden assault interrupted its process. Though the dragons were dwarfed by the Aberration’s massive form, the creature was already battered and bruised from the relentless bombardment by the Dawn of the Mortal World. Its once-mighty energy shields and biological armor had been shattered. Dragonfire spewed directly onto its exposed organs and the conduits channeling energy within. The magic of the Deep Blue Nexus ignited in rapid succession inside those organs, erupting like massive lightning storms across the Aberration’s flesh—and in Jina Prince’s eyes, the monstrous bio-cannons embedded in its surface were dimming, fading little by little.

“How much longer for reload and cooldown?!” Jina demanded loudly. She saw the Aberration beginning to retaliate—small energy missiles and writhing tendrils erupted from the scorched flesh, stabbing into the sky. Dragons caught in the dense barrage plummeted helplessly to the tainted ground below. “We can’t waste this chance!”

“The Dawn of the Mortal World’s accelerator array is 92% reloaded. Ten seconds remaining,” the calm, mechanical voice of the central AI echoed through the control hall, becoming the focal point of everyone’s tense anticipation. “Gorgon squadron will be ready in thirty seconds.”

Jina’s gaze remained fixed on the distant scene. A second wave of dragons was descending from the clouds. These expeditionary forces from Tarlond were likely the only mortal troops in the entire alliance capable of engaging the Aberration at close range. Yet even this so-called resistance was merely buying time at the cost of heavy losses. Against a creature that had drained untold energy from the planet’s depths, even mighty dragons fell from the sky by the second.

“The Dawn of the Mortal World’s accelerator array is ready. Gorgon squadron can fire in twenty seconds.”

The AI’s voice rang out again. Jina Prince immediately opened the alliance’s internal comms channel. She didn’t know which expeditionary unit the dragons breaking through the clouds belonged to—or if all of Tarlond’s forces were converging on the Aberration—but as one of the alliance’s senior commanders, she had the authority to issue emergency calls across all channels.

“Dawn of the Mortal World to the dragon swarm: thank you for your assistance. We are ready for the next volley. Please withdraw from the bombardment zone in ten seconds.”

Static and crackling interference filled the magical network terminal, followed by a low, steady female voice: “This is Coretta. Message received. The dragon swarm is withdrawing.”

Moments later, Jina watched the battered dragons retreating above the Aberration, their massive forms scattering in all directions and disappearing into the clouds. Almost simultaneously, every supercritical accelerator was finally primed.

Without hesitation, Jina gave the firing order. Dozens of blinding white “lances” shot forth from the Dawn of the Mortal World’s spaceborne combat fleet, crossing the vast Talash Plain in the blink of an eye. They slammed into the scorched, hellish ground near the Deep Blue Well.

A mushroom cloud of smoke and dust rose, once again shrouding the battlefield. Silence fell over the control hall. Every pair of eyes locked onto the holographic projection, now rippling with interference. Hearts clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand. In that heavy silence, Jina Prince’s voice was low and steady: “All accelerators, reload immediately.”

An officer nearby heard the order and stared at his commander in surprise. But Jina’s expression remained taut and unyielding, and she said nothing further.

She didn’t know what would happen next. But unless this battle was over, she would insist that every supercritical accelerator remain on standby—even if it violated their strict safety protocols.

Then, as the dust rising from the distant battlefield finally began to thin in the restless winds of the Talash Plain, the AI’s voice sounded again—its mechanical calm plunging everyone’s spirits into the abyss.

“…Target remains.”

“How is that possible…” an officer gasped. Before he could finish, the hall’s occupants saw the scene on the distant horizon—the Aberration still crawling near the Deep Blue Well, battered but no worse for wear. A strange blue glow shimmered over the ground around it. Above, pale blue crystalline lights flickered and shattered—the remnants of a recently breached shield. Undoubtedly, it was this barrier that had absorbed the deadly bombardment moments before.

“A shield?” an officer nearby widened his eyes. “Wasn’t the Aberration’s shield-generating organ destroyed earlier—?”

“It’s the power of the Deep Blue Nexus,” Jina said quietly. “It’s learned to convert that power into a protective barrier…”

The pale blue currents flowed across the distant ground. The vast energy drawn from the planet’s core was being funneled back into the Aberration’s already strained body, repairing and reinforcing the monster that was one strike away from death. The Dawn of the Mortal World’s accelerator array was nearly reloaded again—but at this moment, it all seemed meaningless.

Unless someone could disrupt the Aberration’s shield formation at close range, even humanity’s most powerful weapons would struggle to penetrate a defense born of the planet’s own power.

Then, a buzzing sound suddenly reached Jina’s ears. The magical network terminal in front of her activated. Coretta’s voice came through: “This is the Tarlond expeditionary force. We can charge again—we’ve locked onto the Aberration’s biological tissues controlling the Deep Blue magic. If we keep suppressing those organs, it won’t be able to maintain its shield. Please continue preparing the next attack. Fire as soon as you’re ready.”

Jina instantly understood the dragons’ plan. Her heart skipped a beat, then she rushed to the comms console.

“Stop! That plan—”

“This is the best plan,” Coretta interrupted. “We have to stop this monster from growing any further. It’s constantly draining energy from the planet and has rooted itself deep in the Deep Blue Nexus. If it gains full control, we’ll never get another chance…”

Coretta’s voice suddenly cut off, as if interrupted by an emergency. Jina was about to respond when someone nearby shouted, “Commander! Look over there!”

Jina instinctively looked up at the holographic projection—and was stunned.

Waves were rippling through the very air around the Aberration.

It was an eerie, surreal sight. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Jina would never have imagined such a phenomenon. The scorching, dry air shimmered with ripples. The distant plain’s surface seemed to swell with rolling waves. Water was appearing out of nowhere, as if a magnificent illusion had torn through reality itself and descended upon the land. Then, the clouds above the Aberration began to churn and swirl. In the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour unleashed.

The entire Aberration was drenched beneath this vast curtain of rain.

Coretta circled in the clouds, prepared to fight to the death, but now she could only watch in disbelief as the battlefield transformed before her eyes. Countless raindrops fell around her, as if the entire wasteland’s moisture had been drawn to this tiny battlefield. Amid the surging waves, she caught the scent of the sea.

The Aberration seemed to sense the danger at last. Its dark flesh, stretching for kilometers, writhed violently in the rain. All its wounds cracked open anew. But the water—permeating every crevice—flowed like a living thing over its charred skin, swollen nerve clusters, and those exposed, glowing blue structures siphoning magic from the earth.

“Sorry for the wait—it’s not easy gathering this much water in such a dry place,” a voice suddenly whispered in Coretta’s ear, seeming to come from the rain itself. “You can withdraw now. We’ll take it from here.”

At the same time, Jina Prince aboard the Dawn of the Mortal World heard a voice crackling through the magical network terminal, distorted but clear: “This is the Antavien expeditionary force. We’ve temporarily suppressed the Aberration’s activity… Ready to fire on your command… We will not withdraw…”

In the pouring rain, the water rapidly enveloped the Aberration’s entire body. Though the sea witches’ currents could only cover a thin layer over the hundred-kilometer-long behemoth, that fragile film was enough to disrupt its perception and control of the Deep Blue Nexus. The Aberration struggled, trying to raise its shield again, but only fleeting blue ripples appeared in the air. Its efforts were futile.

A voice sounded beside Jina: “Commander, we—”

“All supercritical accelerators, lock onto the target,” Jina said, drawing a steady breath. This battle had spiraled far beyond her expectations, beyond any military “common sense” or understanding. But that wouldn’t stop her from making the right call. “Fire immediately after reloading—don’t waste the chance these warriors have bought with their lives.”

Life is precious. It must be spent where it matters most.

The sea witches always know where to spend it.

Far off in the sky, a powerful energy reaction was gathering—a force so immense that even by the standards of the sea witch civilization, it was formidable. Not even the Deep Sea Warlords could stand against it.

Amidst the torrential downpour, Vanessa’s blurred face appeared faintly through the mist-laden sky. Around her, countless sea witches drifted like shadows, their forms weaving through the air as if swimming through the deep ocean.

Vanessa gazed silently down at the writhing mass of corrupted flesh below.

“You owe the deep sea a debt. It’s time to pay.”

Spears of light rained down like a storm. In an instant, Vanessa’s face and the countless sea witches’ figures were torn to shreds by this overwhelming energy. The downpour abruptly ceased, and the entire mist-filled battlefield was shredded by the shockwave that followed. Amid the vast clouds of dust rising from the earth, the shattered limbs of the creeping plague erupted like volcanic fire.

The water summoned by the sea witches evaporated instantly. The massive vapor, along with their very beings, transformed into a colossal cloud drifting between heaven and earth. As the wind carried it upward, the enormous steam gradually took shape—a clenched fist, and a single, towering middle finger raised defiantly.

The entire Talash Plain trembled under this earth-shattering blow. Then, the battlefield fell into a brief, heavy silence.

Inside the control hall of the Dawn of the Mortal World, the atmosphere was equally still. Jina stared out at the mist-shrouded wasteland in the distance, her fists clenched tightly without her realizing it. The moments of waiting stretched endlessly, as if these few minutes were the longest of her life. The accelerator array had already begun reloading, and the space fortress’s sensor systems scanned the target area’s energy signatures at full power, over and over. Until the dust settled, she and her soldiers held their breath with extreme caution.

Finally, the mechanical, calm voice of the central AI echoed through the hall:

“The creeping plague has ceased all activity.”

Two seconds of deathly silence followed, then cheers erupted.

A nightmare was over.

Even Jina’s expression relaxed. She exhaled deeply, feeling the blood flow anew through her veins. A faint smile touched her lips as she watched her comrades embrace in celebration. From the command console, reports from ground forces poured in—the hordes of mutants before the Talash Plain’s defensive lines were descending into chaos. The frenzied bio-synthetic beasts had even begun turning on each other. Though these rampaging monsters still surged toward the purification devices, they had clearly lost all unified command. Their disorganized assault drastically eased the pressure on the beleaguered defenders.

Jina’s smile blossomed fully. She wiped the sweat mixed with blood from her brow, only now noticing her clothes soaked through, her golden hair plastered damp against her skin.

But just then, the command console beside her suddenly activated.

Gawain Cecil’s deep, serious voice cut through the hall, silencing everyone instantly: “All units, remain on high alert. The battle is not over.”

Jina blinked, momentarily stunned. Then, a sudden shout rang out nearby: “Commander! Up in the sky… something’s happening!”

Jina turned sharply toward the voice. An officer stood wide-eyed, pointing toward a massive window on the side of the control hall.

That was the direction where the creeping plague had once held sway.

High above that area, a massive “tear” was slowly opening in the sky. Even without any special equipment, even from this great distance, the rift was unmistakably clear.

(End of chapter)