Elegy from Another World

The chilling alarm blared sharply in Utopia's control center. On the holographic map, the three high-energy points representing the Brave Squad had broken through the outermost sensory barrier, only one kilometer away from the core entrance. The air seemed to freeze; the moment of decisive battle had arrived.

"Proceed as planned!" My voice was transmitted to every participating unit through the symbiotic network.

The first line of defense consisted of Yisen's caravan guards and Carlos's garrison squad. Instead of a direct confrontation, they cleverly disguised themselves as a passing caravan laden with "valuable goods." As the imposing squad of warriors approached, Yisen himself stepped forward, a slick smile typical of merchants plastered on his face.

"Honorable Warrior!" Yi Sen stepped forward personally, his manners respectful. "We are a caravan from afar, passing through this place. We have heard of your illustrious reputation, Warrior, and have prepared a small gift in the hope that you will grant us some assistance." He recited a string of fabricated "player IDs," betting that the Warrior would not immediately investigate in this situation.

The leader, still the same young man in golden armor, swept his gaze across the caravan with disdain, finally settling on the cube covered in heavy canvas in the center of the group. "Ancient relics?" A smile of interest played on his lips. "Open it and take a look."

"Yes, yes!" Yisen gestured for his men to lift the canvas. What was revealed was a one-cubic-meter metal cube, its outer layer made of thick steel plates, its middle layer reinforced with concrete, and its inner layer also made of steel plates. The surface was engraved with complex reinforcing magical runes, making it appear exceptionally sturdy and mysterious. This was the core of our plan—a mobile fortress and trap. Inside the cube, Edseysis held her breath, while the pink crystal in her chest (Xiao Pei's core) was ready to be activated. The effective range of the time-slowing field was only two meters; we had to get the hero to actively approach this deadly distance.

The hero, as expected, did not suspect anything. In his eyes, it was probably just a treasure chest containing rare quest items. He walked forward with interest, reaching out to touch the cold metal surface, completely unaware that he had stepped into a deadly territory.

It's now!

[Slow field, activate!] Xiao Bei's thoughts were like a trigger being pulled.

Without a sound, the space within a two-meter radius of the cube suddenly distorted! Light seemed to be trapped in viscous amber, and the falling dust became imperceptible to the naked eye. And the hero at the very center of the field, his movements, thoughts, and even the energy flowing within him, were all infinitely stretched and almost stopped in that instant! The contemptuous smile on his face hadn't even had time to change before it was frozen eternally in that moment.

"Target locked! Slow field activated!" came Xiao Pei's report.

"Fire! Suppress the other members! Tia, move out!" I gave the order immediately.

The long-range firing positions, already positioned on the flanks, roared simultaneously! Magical cannons unleashed dazzling beams of light, and sniper rifles spat out deadly bullets, raining down on the two teammates behind the hero like a storm. The two reacted extremely quickly, instantly raising magical shields, but the sudden saturation attack still threw them into disarray, temporarily pinning them to the spot.

Meanwhile, Tia, who was waiting in the middle, drove a heavily modified armed transport vehicle and shot off like an arrow! The vehicle executed a beautiful drift, stopping precisely next to the caravan. Yisen and Carlos's team members quickly and skillfully boarded the vehicle.

"Withdraw!" Tia gave the order, and the transport vehicle roared to life, trailing dust as it sped toward the security gate of Utopia.

The entire process of luring the enemy and withdrawing took less than half a minute. The once noisy front line was now only occupied by the brave warrior trapped in the time cage, and Edseysis and Xiaobai hiding in the cube.

"Attention all units!" I took a deep breath and issued the final order through the communication channel, "Target area cleared! Saturation attack! Open fire!!!!"

"boom!!!!!!!!!"

At this moment, the heavens and earth paled in comparison! The "Dragon Roar" tank formation deployed on the rear hills unleashed a deafening salvo, massive shells slicing through the sky! Missile launchers on the aerial platforms spewed dozens of trails of flame, like the shuttle of death itself! Zoimem soared through the skies, its scorching dragon breath cascading down like a waterfall of lava! And all our magical turrets unleashed their accumulated energy without reservation!

Explosions, flashes, and shockwaves raged and compounded within a small area of ​​two hundred meters! The earth trembled, and the air seemed to burn! To ensure the safety of Edseysis and Xiaobei, the cube itself activated its strongest defensive runes, and Zoimem deliberately controlled the landing point of the dragon's breath. Even so, the terrifying shockwave still sent the heavy cube flying like a toy, crashing heavily hundreds of meters away, its exterior riddled with damage.

The fierce bombardment lasted for a full two minutes! The deafening roar finally subsided temporarily as the last shell landed, the gun barrels needed cooling, and the missiles needed reloading. The battlefield was filled with thick smoke and the acrid smell of burning magic.

As the smoke slowly dissipated, the spot where the hero had stood had become a charred crater tens of meters in diameter. At the bottom of the crater, only some barely recognizable metal fragments and charred material, shimmering with a few specks of gold, remained—the remains of the hero's armor and body.

"Keep attacking! Don't stop! Cover the entire area! Noreljon, clean up the rest with me!" I dared not be careless in the slightest, ordering the ranged firepower to extend the attack on the pit and the surrounding area. At the same time, I flashed, carrying that deadly "steel bar," and together with Noreljon, who was controlling the magical puppet, rushed towards the two brave team members who were trying to regroup.

Noreljon was clearly more interested in desecrating corpses. His magical puppet's arms transformed into rapidly spinning cutting blades, and it plunged into the explosion crater, frantically slicing and destroying the remains of the heroes, producing ear-piercing noises and sending sparks flying. "Hahaha! Arrogant ants! This is what happens when you oppose me!"

I worked with Tia to wipe out the remaining two team members. They were quite strong, but having lost their leader and been subjected to heavy firepower, they were exhausted. My green laser beams were precise and deadly, while Tia's magic was cunning and ruthless, and we quickly defeated them one by one.

At the same time, Zoimem swooped down and carefully grabbed the severely deformed cube with his dragon claws, returning to the interior of Utopia as quickly as possible for emergency repairs to ensure the safety of Edseysis and Little Paradox.

Another five minutes of follow-up fire and clearing. Only after confirming that there were no signs of life on the battlefield except for scorched earth and wreckage did we finally cease fire. The suspended "aerial platform" conducted a high-precision scan of the battlefield.

"Reporting to Lady Lysia," Edseys's voice was filled with incredulous excitement, "Scan complete...no life signals detected...the hero and his party members...confirmed...completely annihilated! Except for..."

"Besides what?"

"At the epicenter of the explosion, a sword-shaped object was detected, exhibiting abnormal energy behavior, and appears to have survived."

Noreljun and I rushed to the center of the crater. In the scorching lava, a magnificently crafted longsword, shimmering with a faint holy light, lay impaled. It had miraculously survived the devastating bombardment!

Norrieljun manipulated the puppet and drew the sword. The blade hummed, emitting a wave of resistance.

"Hmph, as expected, it is the 'Sword of the Hero'," Noreljon sneered. "Sacred artifacts of this caliber usually harbor ancient consciousness."

As soon as he finished speaking, a voice filled with anger and resentment rang out from the sword: "You damned evil bastards! How dare you launch a sneak attack using such despicable means! Do you know what you've done?! You've crushed the hope of the world!"

I sighed and said to the sword, "We are merely trying to survive. Your master treats this world as a game, and the people who live here as NPCs to be killed at will. We have no grudge against him, yet he wants to kill us. We have no choice."

"That's just sophistry! Evil is always evil! The hero will surely..."

"He's dead!" Noreljon impatiently interrupted the sword spirit's roar, his crimson electronic eyes fixed on the blade. "As for you, I'm quite interested in giving you a good 'care' now. You've been enveloped in holy light for so long, it's time to taste the darkness."

As Noreljon began to "torture" the constantly cursing Hero's Sword in various ways, I did not stop him. It might be a little cruel, but when I thought of Tia's near death, the suffering Edseys endured, and the threat posed by this "hero," the pity in my heart vanished.

I looked up at the sky, which remained a clear blue despite the smoke of battle. My nerves, which had been taut for days, finally relaxed slightly. No matter what challenges lay ahead, at least for now, we had defeated a seemingly invincible foe.

We survived.