The aliens didn't have any formation to speak of. As soon as they appeared in the midst of the human army they attacked.
One of them, a thousand-meter-long crocodile-like creature, swung its tail and spat out a blinding purplish-red orb of light. It launched an attack on the two warships closest to the fleet.
But just as it was about to explode, a beam of orange light slammed into it and sent it tumbling back a few thousand meters.
Although the alien's defenses weren't enough to shatter it, the explosive power of the orange light was enough to send it reeling.
Naturally, the two attacks it had launched earlier had landed in the air.
At this time, the neat formation played a great role.
A thousand aliens wasn't a small number, but the humans had more ships than they could handle.
In the blink of an eye, the aliens were torn to shreds.
The Life Crystals of different sizes hovered in space one after another.
Off in the distance, the spherical alien that had appeared on the surface of Angel was already sending out a second wave of aliens.
This time, it was even more prepared, and its numbers were twice as many as before.
More and more of the aliens began to converge on the city's defensive line.
By this time, the sphere had fully unfurled. It was ten times larger than it had been in the past.
It was now more than a hundred thousand meters in diameter. Even on the surface of the planet it was a sight to behold.
It only needed to twitch and a large number of aliens would be sucked in and spat out again.
The humans had figured out a way to deal with the aliens. With the Ring Cannons, the aliens had figured out a way to deal with their lack of range.
The spherical alien didn't hope to defeat the humans. Instead, it wanted to send more of its own into the midst of the human army in the shortest time possible.
That way the humans couldn't make use of their long-range advantage.
More and more aliens emerged from Angel. Their numbers were like a swarm of locusts, heading straight for the human army.
This was the main force of the alien army.
A great battle broke out in a short period of time.
The Marauders were far more prepared than they had imagined.
The humans were prepared. Middle Heaven was like a hornet's nest that had been poked. Beams of orange light shot out from the bastion and wiped out the first two batches of aliens that had been thrown at them by the giant alien.
Some of the larger ones weren't killed, but they were still pushed further away by the shockwaves.
The human battleships retreated, spewing beams of light at the aliens as they retreated.
It wasn't just individual humans who were retreating, but the entire human army, including the three bastions, retreated in unison.
12 space fleets, that was tens of thousands of battleships. It would be very difficult for the entire human world to form such a fleet.
Bastions were powerful, but when the number of fleets reached a certain level, they were no less powerful than bastions. In fact, they were even more powerful.
The sky was blanketed by the barrage of laser beams. The vanguard of the aliens was stopped in its tracks.
The defensively focused aliens weren't as fast, so they weren't able to get to the front. The offensively focused aliens were fast, but their defenses were weak.
The humans weren't retreating too quickly, but with the cover fire, the aliens found it hard to close the distance between them and the humans.
The biggest threat to them was Middle Heaven. Its beams of orange light seemed to have eyes of their own, always appearing in the most suitable position to repel the most dangerous aliens. Just as the aliens relied on Angel for defense, the humans relied on Middle Heaven as their vanguard.
It was a combination of attack and defense, and it was a great help.
The aliens' defenses and survivability were impressive, but under such a barrage of cannon fire they were bound to suffer losses.
Through this strategy of fighting and retreating at the same time, the humans made full use of their advantage in range.
However, the aliens were quick to respond. The orb on the planet's surface swept out once more. This time it flung out turtle-shelled aliens, the best of the best in defense.
A large number of turtle-shelled aliens appeared at the front of the human army, forming a defensive line. Only then did the humans stabilize the situation and minimize their losses.
However, the aliens behind them could only push them forward. It was impossible for them to pick up the pace.
Of course, the aliens were moving faster than the humans. The two sides were closing in on each other.
The humans were skilled in long-range combat, while the aliens were skilled in close-quarters combat. The aliens' goal was clear. Close in, then attack.
They would recoup their losses.
At the beginning of the battle the humans had the upper hand thanks to Middle Heaven's presence.
But the aliens were strong, and in a short time they were able to hold their ground.
More and more aliens swarmed in from all directions, sweeping toward the human army.
There were too many of them, at least five times the size of the human fleet.
Perhaps they weren't as large as a Chancellor class mothership, but there were many of them, and their combined strength was a dime a dozen.
Whether or not the humans could withstand this onslaught would determine the outcome of the battle.
At least in terms of strategy the humans weren't at a disadvantage.
As for whether or not they could hold out, that would depend on the outcome of the battle.
It was at this moment that Zeus-1 finally made its move. Stealthily, it flew towards Angel from the side.
With so many aliens attacking, the planet's rear was left vulnerable. The defenses weren't as tight as before.
Under Mika's control, Zeus -1 was like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Lin Guo-guo activated her psionic simulation and the Blinding Stone.
Zeus -1 was like a winged specter. It slipped through the gaps between the aliens and sped toward Angel.
Lan Jue's team was surprised, but they were ready.
Lan Jue held Zhou Qianlin's hand, waiting for the right moment to come.
Their mission was the most difficult. Humanity's main focus was on this planet, which meant most of the strongest aliens were concentrated there.
Killing the progenitor was going to be difficult.
It was also dangerous.
Even if they succeeded, they'd have to deal with the aliens themselves.
Compared to the battle with the Northern Alliance, the aliens were much stronger. Although they were causing more trouble for the humans, it also confirmed Lan Jue and Lan Qing's suspicions.
The alien home worlds were evolving.
If they weren't, then no matter how clever Lan Qing's tactics were, they'd still be defeated.
They wouldn't be a match for the aliens.
At best, they'd be lucky to put up a fight.
Lan Jue's eyes sharpened as she passed through the thinning mist.
"Take care!" The Terminator's deep voice broke the silence.
He strode over and clapped Lan Jue on the shoulder.
Lan Jue nodded firmly.
Then she strode out.
The rest of the group followed suit, heading toward Zeus -1's launch pad.
Zeus -1 couldn't land. They had to leave the ship and head for Angel to attack the progenitor.
"Boss!
Keep it up! "Zeus's four Amazons shouted in unison.
Lan Jue's face split into a small smile, and he gave them a thumbs-up.
As they entered the atmosphere, Zeus-1's cloaking abilities were reduced. Their silhouettes became visible, drawing the attention of two nearby aliens.
Instinctively, they spun around to intercept Zeus-1.
But before they could do so, two beams of white light flashed. The two large aliens froze in midair, then split in two and dropped to the ground.
One figure after another emerged from Zeus-1 and began to descend toward the ground below.
Zeus-1 arced through the air in a beautiful arc. It shot through the atmosphere, accelerated, and disappeared into the depths of space.
Lan Jue held on to Qianlin's hand, controlling his flight. Once he'd found his bearings, he took the lead.
He didn't use Thor today. Thor was too obvious a target, and he wasn't as nimble as they were.
The Pharmacist, the Pauper, the Driver, and the Gourmet were right behind them.
Roxanne, however, was nowhere to be seen.
The six of them sped toward the back of the planet.
They didn't have time to hide. Blitzkrieg, decapitation.
This was their plan for this trip.
They were discovered almost immediately. An alien screeched shrilly like a goshawk, then swooped in their direction.
The Pharmacist's expression was cold. In a flash, she was at the front of the group. Her hand formed a hand seal, and specks of starlight sprang to life around her. In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of giant swords appeared out of thin air, shielding everyone within.
The giant sword soared through the air and shot forward.