Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

Chapter 744 Intercepting the Ark Ship (Part 2)

　With all the ship's weapon systems shut down under the necromancer's orders, the artificial soul aggregator piloting the Charon-class light frigate no longer dared to recklessly charge straight at the Ark.

　The Ark-class corvette delivered to the Firemoth was a masterpiece by Vervier, based on the Charon-class light corvette, but expanded and carefully modified.

　Although the Ark underwent specific modifications to meet the needs of interstellar travel, resulting in its onboard firepower system being significantly inferior to its prototype—the Charon-class light frigate—its firepower still far exceeds the level required to deal with meteorites and those indigenous civilizations that have not yet escaped the gravitational pull of planets.

　Moreover, the Ark's massive size, while significantly affecting its maneuverability, also endows it with astonishing damage tolerance.

　With shipborne weapon systems unusable, the artificial soul aggregate naturally needs to adjust its tactical strategies.

　Abandoning the original plan for a direct confrontation, they cleverly closed the distance with the Ark ship by relying on their superior maneuverability, which far surpassed that of their opponents.

　Once the distance between the two ships is reduced to a certain critical value, the necromancer's spells can lock onto the Ark ship with pinpoint accuracy.

　At that time, everything will be settled.

　The Ark would have absolutely no chance against the spells of a necromancer who was only one step away from the limit of demigod.

　After formulating a new tactic in a mere few microseconds, the artificial soul aggregate piloting the Charon-class corvette immediately put the tactic into practice.

　Even with the restrictions imposed by the necromancer's orders, forcing the ship's weapon systems to remain silent, the Charon-class light corvettes were still able to continuously track enemy vessels thanks to their exceptional maneuverability.

　The artificial soul aggregate utilizes natural interstellar cover, such as floating asteroid belts and sparse nebulae, to perform covert and flexible maneuvers, striving to evade detection by the sophisticated radar systems equipped on the Ark ship as much as possible.

　This undead being, formed from the souls of thousands of humans, certainly understood that as the distance between them gradually shortened, these covert methods would eventually be exposed.

　However, for it, as long as it can get closer to the Ark ship before being discovered, it is worth it even if it is exposed.

　The situation unfolded exactly as the artificial soul aggregate had predicted.

　Initially, the Ark ship remained indifferent to the movements of the Charon-class corvettes.

　This is also reasonable.

　Having decided to rely on stealth to slip past the Charon-class corvettes, the Ark ship would naturally not take any rash actions that might attract their attention at this critical moment.

　But soon, when Gretchen, the commander of the Ark and the only crew member on the colony ship, keenly sensed that the Charon-class light frigate's trajectory was constantly closing in on her, she immediately realized that she had already exposed her whereabouts.

　Although I haven't figured myself out yet

　The exact circumstances surrounding the exposure did not prevent the blue-haired girl from making the right decision quickly.

　"Marvin, deactivate stealth mode and redirect all energy to the engine and Honkai energy shield. We must retreat."

　Gretchen knew that, given the Ark's speed, escape was virtually impossible.

　But it's absolutely impossible to get her to give up and surrender so easily.

　With the stealth mode deactivated, the Ark, which had been hidden among the stars, suddenly revealed itself.

　The next moment, the immense energy from the ship's onboard Honkai energy reactor was continuously injected into the shield generator and the engine area at the stern of the ship.

　With the roar of five large Honkai energy engines, a layer of blue Honkai energy shield firmly covered the massive hull of the Ark ship, which was over three thousand meters long.

　"Marvin, prepare to execute the jump avoidance plan."

　Greta's voice was calm and resolute.

　She knew very well that Dr. Mei's warp drive was not yet fully developed and the probability of it being successfully activated was not high.

　Even if it could be activated, the still immature warp engine might not be able to lead the Ark ship to escape danger.

　But she understood even more clearly that, faced with the relentless pursuit of the Charon-class corvettes, conventional escape methods would be tantamount to slow suicide.

　Only by using jump technology can we possibly gain a chance of survival under the enemy's close pursuit.

　Marvin responded quickly to Gretchen's order and began calculating the optimal jump path with great effort.

　However, as the ship's onboard AI, it has a responsibility to remind the captain of the enormous risks involved in this decision.

　"Calculating the jump point, but the jump risk is high, we suggest..."

　Marvin was interrupted by Greta before he could finish speaking.

　"Excuting an order!"

　"Yes, Captain."

　For the Ark ship, calculating the jump trajectory and activating the jump engine takes a lot of time.

　In the increasingly tense and urgent atmosphere of waiting for the warp drive to be fully ready, the chase between the Ark and the Charon-class corvette is also escalating.

　In the vast expanse of space, one spaceship struggles to break free from the shackles of pursuit, while the other relentlessly closes in.

　With her eyes glued to the data flashing across the bridge display screen, Gretchen's purple eyes gleamed with a resolute light.

　She knew that every second that passed meant an increase in danger.

　Marvin reported that the jump path calculation was nearing completion, but the unease weighed heavily on her mind—the instability of the jump engine was a huge hidden danger.

　However, the current crisis left her no room for further hesitation.

　"Marvin, how's the leap preparation going?"

　"The jump path has been locked, but the engine status shows that it is extremely unstable and the jump risk is extremely high."

　Upon hearing this, Gretchen took a deep breath, her gaze becoming even more resolute.

　"There is no turning back for us in carrying out this leap."

　With the order given, all systems on the Ark ship entered the countdown state before the jump.

　The Honkai energy engine roared, and the blue shield flickered with an unstable light, seemingly protesting the impending extreme challenge.

　Suddenly, the ship shook violently, and the warp drive was forcibly activated.

　At that moment, space seemed to be distorted by an invisible force, and the Ark began to leap towards the unknown interstellar space.

　However, the jump engine suddenly went out of control at this moment.

　The rampaging Honkai energy surged wildly, and the Arkship's hull was almost torn apart by this force.

　Gretchen, gripping the armrests of the command chair tightly, turned deathly pale, a chilling despair rising in her heart.

　Dad, Mom...Grandma Möbius, Mom Aponia, Kosmo...Gresch...I miss you all...

　At this critical moment, a dark light suddenly appeared.

　That's a necromancer's spell.

　It enveloped the Ark, forcefully stabilizing the runaway warp energy and gradually guiding the Ark to complete the warp.

　However, this time the endpoint of the jump is no longer the edge of the solar system, but the universe where the Charon-class light frigate is located.

Chapter 745 Goodbye Gretchen

　The moment the blue-haired girl heard that the Ark ship's onboard AI, Marvin, had malfunctioned, she understood immediately: Project Ark...

　It has been declared a failure.

　As the executor of Project Ark, she will also perish in the vast and boundless sea of ​​stars along with the Ark ship that carries humanity's last hope.

　"Everyone, I'm so sorry, Gretchen failed..."

　Picking up the photo frame on the control panel, which held memories of the past, the blue-haired girl's gaze gently swept over each familiar and dear face on it.

　A relieved smile appeared on her lips, as if she were saying a final goodbye to her past memories.

　Incessant, urgent alarms blared in the air. The Ark's hull groaned and groaned under immense pressure, and the sounds of short circuits breaking out of equipment filled the air...

　She hugged the photo frame tightly to her chest, slowly closed her eyes, and gently lowered her body to sit on the cold chair.

　Dear friends, how are you all doing on this faraway Earth?

　Silently murmuring to herself, the girl's thoughts gradually quieted down.

　"..."

　"..."

　Ok? !

　She didn't die?!

　Realizing this, Gretchen abruptly opened her eyes.

　As a fusion warrior, her extraordinary perception allowed her to ignore the lights in the bridge that had been turned off at some point, and she clearly saw the outline of the futuristic warship outside the porthole.

　Charon-class light frigate! Necromancer!

　As these two words flashed through her mind, a hint of despair, difficult to conceal, flickered in the blue-haired girl's purple eyes.

　Gretchen was very intelligent; she fully understood the current situation.

　Dr. Mei's warp drive had indeed gone out of control, but for some unknown reason, the necromancer chose to save her and the Ark.

　Even so, Gretchen would never give up the fight easily and allow herself to be manipulated by the necromancer.

　She resolutely stood up and took out tools one by one from the equipment bag she carried with her.

　Paintbrushes, lightsaber generators, a terminal that can remotely control Marvin...

　"Necromancer, I swear in the name of [Stars], I will never let you destroy humanity's last hope!"

　Having made up her mind, Gretchen resolutely prepared to face the most crucial, and perhaps final, battle of her life.

　At that moment, a dark blue portal, slowly rotating like a vortex, suddenly appeared in front of her.

　A young man wearing a brown cloak emerged from the portal.

　As the executor of the Ark Project, Gretchen immediately recognized the uninvited guest's true identity.

　Necromancer!

　He gasped inwardly, and the blue-haired girl immediately launched an attack on him without hesitation.

　Gretchen was keenly aware of the difference in strength between herself and the necromancer.

　But this realization did not deter her.

　[Satellite: Rendering]!

　With the [Anchor of the Wanderer] deployed at top speed, the blue-haired girl lit her lightsaber and launched a swift and decisive attack on the necromancer.

　Unfortunately, the gap in strength cannot be bridged by a single surprise attack.

　Faced with Gretchen's sudden attack, Moros didn't even raise his hand.

　With just a slight thought, the legendary spell [Time Warp Field] enveloped the entire Ark.

　Just like Rin, who had once tried to ambush him, Gretchen was also frozen in time before him by the power of time.

　Although Moros did not stop thinking, the executor of the Ark Project was unable to take any action and could only watch helplessly as she was easily captured by the necromancer.

　how come……

　Even though she already knew that she was no match for the necromancer, the scene before her, where she was so easily captured without even having to raise her hand, was still far beyond her expectations.

　At this moment, Gretchen's heart was filled with frustration and despair. An indescribable pain was slowly gnawing at her soul like termites, making her feel extremely tormented.

　Only then did Moros slowly speak.

　"Gresh, it's been a long time."

　He certainly recognized the girl in front of him with her flowing blue hair and determined eyes.

　However, even as a necromancer, he had not expected that Dr. May and the Fire Moth's brainwashing techniques would be so powerful that Gretsch launched an attack on him without hesitation upon their first meeting.

　Realizing that he might have been perceived as a great demon in Gretchen's mind, Moros shook his head and lost interest in saying anything more.

　With a thought, a magical communication containing an explanation of the current situation was transmitted through the portal to Mebius's location.

　The words of the Great Demon King are not to be trusted, but the words of Grandma Mebius, who has saved her from trouble many times, must surely be credible.

　With this in mind, Moros decisively entrusted the important task of appeasing Gretchen to Mebius.

　He believed that with Möbius's wisdom and deep love for Gretchen, he could soothe the girl's inner turmoil, help her let go of her hostility towards him, and rediscover her innocence and trust.

　Upon receiving Moros's magical communication, Mebius's expression instantly turned extremely gloomy.

　"Damn it, has Mei gone mad? How dare she do such a thing!"

　She whispered angrily, her voice filled with disbelief and heartbreak.

　Although she didn't know exactly what Dr. May and the Moth of Fire had said to Gretsch, judging from the current situation, Möbius was able to roughly guess what had happened.

　All of this filled Möbius with unprecedented indignation and deep disappointment.