Hello Everyone, I just want to rant about something that I just found out today. Someone got into my Patreon account, changed the banking info, and transferred the funds out, so now I am sad, disappointed, and broke as fu*k.đđ
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Facing a Level 3 Supernatural Lifeform, what kind of weapon could truly pose a lethal threat? After the competition came to an end, an intense debate erupted within the Astra Militarum. It was not merely an ordinary discussion about weapons; the conclusions reached in this debate would determine the direction of the Imperium's weapons development for the coming decades.
Ordinary firearms? There was now a one-hundred-percent certainty that they were completely useless. Even weapons such as missiles, which had once represented the pinnacle of conventional destructive power, could only wait on the edge of retirement. Their glorious age had effectively come to an end.
The reason was simple. No one had truly understood just how powerful a Level 3 Lifeform could be. Before today, there had been no reliable reference point. The Astra Militarum had fought powerful creatures before, but those enemies had never truly exceeded the boundaries of Level 2. Therefore, no one had dared to make a final judgment.
But today was different. After personally witnessing the confrontation with the Abyss Daemon, the Generals and Scientists of the Astra Militarum finally understood just how terrifying the gap between Level 2 and Level 3 truly was.
Ordinary bullets could be retired. They could completely withdraw from the battlefield and become nothing more than a chapter in military history.
As for Miniature Missiles? Even if their explosive power was increased several times over, they would still have no meaningful effect against a Level 3 Supernatural Lifeform.
Under such circumstances, there was little reason to continue investing resources into the remaining conventional weapons.
"The Supernatural Lifeforms beyond Level 3 are truly terrifying." A white-haired Scientist stared at the Daemon in the distance, his expression filled with solemnity. "Compared with Level 2, the difference is simply too enormous. It isn't merely an improvement in one or two areas. It is an all-round transformation. Strength, agility, speed, physical durability, reaction speed..."
"Every single attribute has undergone a qualitative leap." He slowly shook his head. "Our previous weapons simply cannot keep up."
This was an undeniable fact. Even during the Ancient Star Trial, the enemies they had encountered had only been Level 2 Supernatural Lifeforms. Take the final boss, the King Daemon Ape, for example. Although it had been an extremely terrifying existence to the participants at the time, it had never truly exceeded the limits of Level 2.
But the situation was completely different now. Any Low-Level Daemon standing before them could probably tear the King Daemon Ape apart and swallow it alive. The difference between the two sides was simply too great, and there was no comparison whatsoever.
"There is only one weapon left that we can test." The white-haired Scientist paused before turning his gaze toward Catherine. "And that is..."
He deliberately dragged out his words. "The Electromagnetic Gun."
"Then test the Electromagnetic Gun." Catherine immediately gave the order.
During the competition, the Electromagnetic Gun had only just been introduced. Although its destructive power was enormous, its size and weight had also been considerable, making it difficult to deploy on a large scale. However, after so many years of continuous development, experimentation, and technological improvement, the Electromagnetic Gun project had never been abandoned.
Among all conventional weapons, it was the only one that had managed to survive the successive rounds of elimination. And now, the Electromagnetic Gun had undergone another major transformation. It could be directly mounted onto the Astra Militarum's Battle Droids.
Among the 5,000 Battle Droids deployed on the battlefield, 1,000 had been equipped with Railguns. The right arm of each of these 1,000 Battle Droids had been completely modified. Instead of an ordinary mechanical arm, it had been transformed into a long, reinforced barrel.
From a distance, it looked somewhat strange. Strictly speaking, calling it an Electromagnetic Gun was no longer entirely accurate. Calling it a Railgun would be more appropriate.
Unlike traditional firearms, Railguns did not rely on chemical propellants or explosive ammunition. The Metal Bullets they fired contained no chemical munitions whatsoever. Instead, electromagnetic force accelerated the projectile to an astonishing velocity, turning an ordinary piece of metal into a terrifying kinetic weapon.
The power of the Railgun had already been demonstrated several times during the Competition. However, during the Ancient Star Trial, it had never received an opportunity to show its true capabilities. Now, that opportunity had finally arrived.
Following Catherine's command, Alpin immediately issued the firing order. "Fire!"
The next moment, 1,000 Battle Droids simultaneously raised their right arms and their mechanical limbs locked into position. The dark, elongated muzzles emerged from their arms and pointed directly toward the Daemons on the opposite side.
The sudden transformation immediately attracted the attention of countless spectators. Many people stared at the strange mechanical weapons with curiosity and confusion.
"What... is that?" Sergey and Jeffery looked at each other. Both of them could clearly see the bewilderment in the other's eyes.
They had always believed that they understood Sebastian quite well. After all, they had witnessed the development of the Imperium's weapons. But these strange Battle Droids had clearly exceeded their expectations.
"They look like puppets." Sergey frowned. "But what kind of puppets are these?"
Jeffery's expression became equally strange. "They can already fire missiles, and now what"
The two exchanged another glance. It was already strange enough, but now, these mechanical puppets had suddenly revealed another feature. They possessed the characteristics of Infantry as well. It was as though they were miniature soldiers capable of carrying multiple types of weapons at the same time.
"Hmph." On the opposite side, Eric had also noticed the sudden changes among the Battle Droids.
He merely glanced at them, and a trace of disdain flashed through his eyes. "Gimmicks."
In his opinion, these strange mechanical puppets were nothing worth worrying about; even Miniature Missiles were incapable of doing anything to the Daemons. So what could these even smaller and more inconspicuous weapons possibly accomplish?
"Charge!" Eric raised his arm and shouted loudly. "Rush forward! Slaughter these ridiculous puppets and don't leave a single one alive!"
The Daemons immediately surged forward like a monstrous tide across the battlefield. Their footsteps shook the ground, and their roars filled the air. Their overwhelming momentum seemed capable of crushing anything standing in their path.
At that very moment, the 1,000 Battle Droids opened fire simultaneously, and their target was naturally the approaching Daemon army. Since the Battle Droids possessed intelligent targeting and autonomous combat systems, there was no need for human soldiers to manually aim each weapon. Every calculation had already been completed by the machines.
Distance.
Trajectory.
Target movement.
Impact point.
All of it was processed in an instant.
VMMMMMMMMâKRAAAACK!
The railgun discharged with a violent electromagnetic pulse, the entire weapon vibrating as the projectile vanished from the barrel.
FSSSSSSSSHHHâWHOOOOOOM!
A split second later, the projectile tore through the atmosphere, producing a shrieking sonic crack as it crossed the sky.
BOOMâBOOMâBOOM!
The shockwaves chased after it, arriving moments behind the projectile itself.
A thousand Metal Bullets shot out from the muzzles, and they transformed into a thousand streaks of death and flew directly toward the charging Daemons.
The Electromagnetic Guns of the present day were completely different from the weapons of the past. After decades of development, the technology had reached an entirely new level, and the most significant improvement was the astonishing increase in projectile velocity.
The earliest Electromagnetic Guns had only been capable of accelerating their projectiles to slightly more than 6,000 meters per second. That speed had already been terrifying at the time.
But now? It was no longer enough. Today's Railgun projectiles had surpassed the astonishing threshold of ten kilometers per second! Ten kilometers every single second. And this was still achieved under the existing ammunition specifications. If the mass of the Metal Bullets were increased substantially, their destructive power could be pushed even further.
At such a terrifying velocity, the naked eye could barely perceive the projectile itself. It was practically impossible for an ordinary target to react in time.
Dodging? That was almost a fantasy. Even when compared with the terminal velocity of an Intercontinental Missile, the Railgun's projectile speed was astonishingly high. Among all the weapons and technological tools possessed by the Astra Militarum, it was undoubtedly one of the fastest.
Yet the charging Low-Level Daemons paid no attention to it. They roared furiously as they rushed forward, believing that they could easily tear the Battle Droids apart. To them, these metal puppets were nothing more than defenseless toys.
Even some of the spectators watching from the sidelines frowned slightly. They, too, believed that these strange machines were probably nothing more than cannon fodder. After all, the previous weapons had already proven to be ineffective. What could a small electromagnetic projectile possibly accomplish?
But when the Railguns fired, and the Metal Bullets crossed the battlefield. And in that instant... Every single face changed.