1192 1192 Fist Fight
The ships of the Expeditionary Fleet hurried to get into position for the blitz, arrayed to hit vessels that might be hiding out of the direct line of sight if the portal appeared in the predicted position, and then suddenly, the disruption stabilized.
There was still something there, and it appeared that they were about to break through to this layer, but there were no more signs of movement or disruption.
It was like they were at a stalemate, but neither side could see the other.
Maybe they had paused to reconsider their chances with the sudden appearance of new vessels on this side of the portal, but there weren't actually many ships in the human fleet.
Yes, a World Ship and a few Colony Ships would make a disturbance, but it was the number of living beings that were usually the deciding factor, and the enemy barely seemed to notice the Androids until it was too late, and the portal had already opened.
So, Max thought that it couldn't be them. There would have been other signs in the reports before an attack actually stopped because the Androids had shown up.
Then he thought back to recent events.
He had been altered by the System and had absorbed a massive amount of energy from the Greater Energy Beings. It might not have been an efficient conversion, but with the amount of power that he now radiated, there was a good chance that the Great Enemy thought that there was a mortal friendly Greater Energy Being on this side of the portal.
They would definitely change their plans when they realized that. Even moving further away might not be enough, as the Energy Beings could move very rapidly through space to join the battle if they were nearby.
Assuming that they had detected him, their plans would surely change, but there was no precedent to tell whether they would call for more help or whether they would run away in terror of fighting a fair fight.
The reaction of the last one was firmly in the realm of the second option, but he might just have been a coward. The one here might just call for a helper and push forward with a much larger attack that they hoped would be enough to deal with the defenders.
Surely, they had some plans or intentions of dealing with any of their kind that sided with the Mortals. They had certainly attacked the one guarding the Golden Legion with vigor once they realized that she was hiding there.
For over an hour, nothing seemed to change about the disturbance, and then it was suddenly much more intense, but spread out in a way that made Max think that they had called for reinforcements.
[Prepare for multiple Greater Energy Beings. Nico, you're with the Androids. Do your best to get one of them out of commission as soon as the fight starts. AI vessels, coordinate to take out another. I will charge a third and attempt to pilfer their stored energy to prevent them from reforming into lesser beings.] Max ordered.
The Portal burst open in an instant, and power flooded the area as the Greater Energy Beings led the charge into battle.
While the other had hidden back and fired, these ones were going for the opposite, they wanted to get into combat and destroy the most powerful enemies instantly, before the deadliest of weapons could adjust.
They were a step behind on the planning, as Max had just ordered the fleet to do the same, and the Orbital Lances were already firing as he rushed toward the leading figure with his Mecha.
The creature seemed shocked that someone was challenging them, and then horrified as a hint of recognition passed through its mind. This wasn't a God Class Mecha, but it was too similar for it to ignore.
Its claws met Max's blade as it went corporeal to defend itself from being dispersed by the Disintegrator, and Max noticed a strange phenomenon. The two energies created a psychic resonance, like the sound of nails on a chalkboard, in the minds of everything nearby.
Not even the Great Enemy was spared from the effect, as the two colossal opponents clashed in the void.
Then an influx of energy poured toward them from the other two Greater Energy Beings, which were suffering the attentions of the fleet, as well as Nico and the Mecha.
Their alien allies had bypassed this part of the fight, and had joined the drones in attacking the Cathedral Ships, while Max did his best to get the advantage in absorbed energy against his opponent.
[You think that you can defeat me? I have existed longer than your species.] The creature roared in Max's mind.
Thrusters flared as Max deflected a massive arm over his head and spun behind his opponent, cutting deep into its flank before being forced back in a flare of damaged Void Shields as a surge of directed energy slammed into him. The exchange was a draw, with both of them injured, but they weren't slowing, and the ten claws against one blade was going to put Max on the defence permanently if the creature could take out his primary weapons. The extra ranged firepower was all that was giving him an edge at the moment.
[But it appears that you have learned many things from us. For an immortal being, you die so very well.] Max taunted his opponent as another Disintegrator blast tore into its torso, and Max got a momentary upper hand on the battle of absorbed energies from the other two wounded beings.
Max was so focused on fighting that he wasn't even paying attention to the battle around him, other than the intentions to target his Mecha, so he didn't notice that the dislodged energies as the Greater Energy Being raked its claws against his shielding, and the leaking energy from the wound in its side were creating two opposing sets of lesser energy beings.
One was the somewhat familiar red Demons. All the human fleets had fought them many times in the past, and they seemed to be the default, unless there was some influence on the formation of the Demonic beings. But the others were very different. They looked like Mobile Suits made of bone white chitin.
They unleashed savage energy beams at their opponents, a trick that the other lesser energy beings had never learned, but they were also willing and able to create swords and join a melee scrum with a level of combat ability that even Nico was a little envious of.
Max infused a set of Mass Driver rounds with his newfound power and unleashed them into the chest of his opponent, nearly destabilizing it and causing a flood of power to leak out and be absorbed by Max's body.
His opponent was weakening quickly, and it knew that this battle would not end in anything better than a stalemate for it. It was going to flee, Max knew it, but he wouldn't interfere and follow it. There was no telling where it was running to, and as he had told the Myceloid God, they needed to spread the word and let the enemy know that there was a real fight to be had wherever he showed up.
The weakened being fled, and the remainder of the Cathedral Ships retreated through the portal, allowing it to close behind them.
[Nico, tell me you got that on film.] Max requested.
[Every bit of it.]
