What does everyone think a weapon should look like? Or rather, what is the definition of a weapon?
Perhaps its form could be ever-changing, the light and shadow effects during its attack could be colorful, and its name and usage could be different, but I think that basically all conventional weapons are built on at least one common point: to attack the target, to have the effect of killing or deterring, to cause damage to the target's structure, function, or any other intact aspect, and to use various means of killing to destroy the normal state of the target. I think that basically all weapons should be like that. But obviously, the Radiant Halo that Belavilla showed me used a completely different kind of equipment.
A large number of black-red Fallen Apostle spaceships appeared around the Radiant Halo. After a comparison, I found that the size of the Radiant Halo was less than half that of an Eternal Battleship, much smaller than I had expected. After demonstrating the basic size of the golden halo, the Radiant Halo began to charge and displayed its most basic attack method. Well, to be honest, although the effect was beautiful, the power seemed average. The Radiant Halo could generate a large number of giant magic circles around it, using a dense barrage to launch an attack. The barrage's power was probably similar to that of the main cannons of small and medium-sized warships. Using it against an Eternal Battleship was a bit too much. During the demonstration, it bombarded an enemy warship for more than ten minutes without any resistance before extinguishing the latter's shield. In a real battlefield, it was impossible to bombard an enemy warship so smoothly. To achieve the same firepower output, it would probably take five to six Radiant Halos to destroy an Eternal Battleship's shield in a short period of time.
But Belavilla told me that the Radiant Halo was a super warship of the same level as an Eternal Battleship in the Imperial Army's inventory.
Just as I was puzzled by this, the holographic projection suddenly changed. The moment the target's shield was extinguished, the originally empty area inside the Radiant Halo suddenly produced a mirror-like object, and the image of the enemy warship whose shield had been destroyed was clearly reflected in the mirror. Although I didn't understand what was going on, I instinctively felt that this was the moment when the halo started its attack. But as I continued to watch, I found something strange. Perhaps it was to demonstrate more clearly, Belavilla had arranged the black spaceships that represented the enemy in a dense array, but there was only one enemy spaceship in the mirror in the center of the Halo of Light. All the other spaceships were gone, and the reflection in the mirror did not conform to the law of perspective. It did not shrink because of the distance between the object and the mirror, which did not make sense from perspective. Then, I began to guess that it wasn't a mirror, but a gigantic monitor. It displayed the target it had locked onto on a 100% scale. Well, this guess was a little unreliable.
"The Radiant Halo's ordinary 'main cannon' is very weak, completely incomparable to the main cannons of the Galaxy, but its ultimate weapon is extremely powerful. It is called the Terrifying Mirror System," Belavilla explained the Radiant Halo's combat style to us, mainly to me. "This thing is very difficult to defend against, but there is a limit. The target it destroys at one time cannot exceed its annihilation radius. Well, the annihilation radius is the mirror-like area that you see. Targets beyond this area cannot be locked onto completely, only a part of it can be locked onto. This is a weapon that produces absolute destruction on a limited number of targets, and is not suitable for dealing with large and bloated objects. But this locking device can be used flexibly. I don't know if you have noticed, but it looks like a mirror? During the locking process, it works in the form of a mirror. As long as the target is completely reflected in the mirror, it can be locked onto. Therefore, as long as the target has a cross-section smaller than the annihilation radius of the Radiant Halo, it cannot escape. Now, the Radiant Halo's second weapon system begins its attack. "
The golden halo in the holographic projection reached its charging limit. Its internal 'mirror area' suddenly flickered, and then the image of the enemy warship reflected in the mirror began to shrink rapidly. In just a few seconds, the size of the image had shrunk from dozens of kilometers to … Anyway, in the holographic projection, it was now only a small dot the size of a grain of rice. If not for the arrow beside it, I would not have been able to see it with my naked eye. And as the image in the mirror shrank, the Eternal-class enemy warship that was locked onto by the Radiant Halo also shrank rapidly and disappeared in an instant. A moment later, a small, weak spark like a firefly burst out at the place where the black warship disappeared.
"The absolute power of the Terrifying Mirror System," Belavilla smiled slightly. "Of course, this system has a weakness. Its attack will be neutralized by a psionic shield or a shield of the same level. Because the two things, holy light and psionic energy, are equivalent in terms of information priority, neither can completely annihilate or interfere with the other in the Prime Material Plane. Therefore, the Terrifying Mirror System cannot lock onto a target that is completely enveloped by psionic energy or a shield of the same level. Therefore, the Radiant Halo's combat method is divided into two stages: the first stage is to use its own conventional weapons and friendly firepower to continuously weaken the target's shield, and the moment the enemy's shield disappears, the target will be reflected in the mirror area. From the second stage onwards, the Radiant Halo will reverse the boundary between the mirror and reality. We know that under normal circumstances, when you look into the mirror, you take the initiative to move, and then the image in the mirror changes accordingly. But once you are reflected by the Radiant Halo, the relationship will be reversed. The Terrifying Mirror System will turn your physical body in the real world into a phantom in the mirror, and then it will violently shrink its own 'mirror', and the reflected target will be unconditionally crushed. "
I: "…"
"Too much information and crashed?" Belavilla waved her hand in front of my eyes. "Come back to your senses, it's not that exaggerated, okay?"
"This thing … What level of weapon is this? Rule level? Concept level? "I pointed at the holographic projection of the Radiant Halo." Isn't this kind of destructive power too incomprehensible? "
"Actually, it's not as exaggerated as you think." Belavilla shrugged. "It's just that most of the operating principles of the Mystery Branch don't conform to the common worldview, so they seem inconceivable. Strictly speaking, the Terrifying Mirror System is only a mathematical rate modification device. Its attack effect is limited to the radius of annihilation, so it isn't a rule weapon. Its lock-on and activation process will be interfered with by external factors, so it isn't a concept weapon. In terms of pure power, the Terrifying Mirror System is actually on the same level as the Galaxy Cannon. The latter uses a high concentration of psionic energy to create effects in all dimensions, and unshielded units will be unconditionally destroyed if they receive a psionic attack. Thus, the Galaxy Cannon isn't as simple as an energy cannon — all of the medium to large scale weapons in the Empire aren't purely for physical damage. After thinking it through, it's as simple as that. However, when facing an Empire level warship, the Terrifying Mirror System has an advantage over the Galaxy Cannon. That is, after the enemy's shield is destroyed, it can rely on the charging armor and the internal psionic energy environment to continue fighting against the Galaxy Cannon. On the other hand, when facing the Terrifying Mirror System, as long as the enemy's external psionic shield is no longer complete, the entire structure of the ship will be destroyed, and the abundant psionic energy inside will not be able to block the attack. "
Belavilla explained in detail how the Terrifying Mirror System works. Whether it can hit the target or not depends on two factors. First, the target must be smaller than its annihilation radius — the Terrifying Mirror System's lock-on system uses the principle of "information mapping" to operate, so it must reproduce the target 100% of the time. Second, the target's outer shield must have a flaw. The duration of this flaw can be very short. Even if the target flashes for a few femtoseconds, it would be enough for the Terrifying Mirror System to establish a mapping. After that, even if the enemy ship recharges the shield, it would be useless because in the current world, the information mapping relationship has already been established. The bullet has already flown into the brain, and it would be too late to put on the helmet.
As for the process of how this thing uses a mirror to destroy the real world, Sandora saw that it was difficult for me to understand, so she made a very vivid analogy, "You should be familiar with the shortcut, right?"
"The one on the computer? Of course I know. "I nodded.
"Through the shortcut, the program can be controlled," Sandora continued, "The Terrifying Mirror System establishes a shortcut for the target. As we know, the essence of the world is the collection of information. Everything that enters the world barrier has to find a place for their information to be stored in the 'world'. We can see it as a folder, and the complete Psionic Shroud can use high-level authority, which is the priority position of the Psionic Shroud in the Stairway of All Things, to hide the path to the folder. The Terrifying Mirror System needs to find the location of the target's file, and then … create a shortcut to uninstall it."
I finally understood completely this time.
"Very powerful thing … I still think it is more high-tech than the galaxy … Mm, high magic," I clicked my tongue in wonder as I looked at the golden halo on the holographic projection. "But this thing's independent combat ability is probably very bad, right?"
"It can't be helped. Except for real rule weapons and concept weapons, it is very difficult to use opportunistic methods to bypass the various corrections of the world. In the case that the target has a complete Psionic Shroud, no matter how weak the shield is, the Terrifying Mirror System can't be activated." Belavilla spread her hands helplessly. "And it is limited by its own energy capacity, and its conventional firepower is not strong. So, when faced with a group of Eternal rank, the Glowing Circle needs a large number of supporting battleships to not die miserably. Its defense is only about half of an Eternal rank. But as long as we have a certain number of Glowing Circles in our fleet, it will be an unprecedented deterrent to the enemy. You can probably see at a glance that such a sniper battery that can kill in one shot can make the enemy's large battleships tremble with fear. They will even sacrifice firepower and mobility to prevent being killed by the mirror image in order to increase the strength of the single battleship's shield. The Combined Shield is useless against the Glowing Circle because the Combined Shield is not a complete shield. When a large number of shields from different battleships are stacked together, it will create a large number of discontinuous surfaces. This discontinuous surface does not affect the protection against conventional artillery fire, but it will leave an opportunity for the Terrifying Mirror System to take advantage of. Ah, you have a question? "
I pointed at the holographic projection. "There is only one question. How long will it take for us to build this thing? Can it be in service before the next war with the Fallen Apostles? "
Belavilla looked at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. After a moment, she looked at me. "You can't treat me like a festival just because we had a grudge in the past … How long did it take for you to build your first Eternal battleship? Speaking of the Eternal, I still have a grudge. Back in Azeroth, the last Eternal battleship I had … Visca didn't hesitate to set off fireworks … "
"That's true. If she didn't set off fireworks, it was our turn to be set off … Don't change the topic." I was about to continue speaking when I suddenly came to a realization. "That isn't your glorious history. Furthermore, back then, we didn't have complete information on the Eternal battleships. Our basic industries weren't complete either, which was why our progress was slow. But now, you already have the information on the Glowing Circle. "
"But I don't have any basic industries," Belavilla said without any room for negotiation. "I searched everywhere in Xinxiang, but I couldn't find any surviving Star Sculpting Pool … In other words, it is the spaceport that the Mystery Branch uses to build space weapons. Now, even if I had the information on hand, I would have to build an industrial system from scratch. You did the same thing back then, so you know how difficult it is. As for the Fallen Apostle … They might go crazy at any moment, so I can't give you any guarantees. Also, let me give you a suggestion. Don't be too eager to immediately put a large number of powerful battleships at the level of the Glowing Circle into service. No matter when, it is difficult to turn the tide with a single, unsystematic thing, even if it is a superweapon. If you have the time, why don't you wait for us to first build various small and medium-sized space weapons of the Mystery Branch? Furthermore, most of the time, a well-coordinated and diverse fleet is far more effective than a mothership formation that lacks support. As for when to put the Glowing Circle into service … I can only say that I will do my best. "
I also knew that this matter couldn't be forced. It was just that I felt a little depressed that such an awesome thing couldn't appear in front of me immediately. However, I believed that Belavilla wouldn't be careless about this matter. Thus, I could only rest assured and hand this task over to her — her burden would probably be very heavy.
"No matter what, it's been hard on you." I felt that I still had to express my gratitude to Belavilla, because she originally didn't have to take the initiative to shoulder these responsibilities. Look at her current state, a broken soul, relying on her own clone to have limited mobility. If she had continued to hide in the depths of Sylvia's soul, no one would have said anything. However, she still took the initiative to step forward and overcome the most complicated and important turning point that the New Empire was currently facing. I wasn't someone who didn't feel anything about this, but I just couldn't find a suitable way to express my gratitude — other than this one sentence.
Belavilla smiled and winked. "The weight of this gratitude isn't light. I will properly accept it."
"Speaking of which, you originally decided to retire and peacefully become a small shop manager. Now that you are carrying these burdens, don't you regret it?" Sandora said softly as she looked at the Raven Hatchery in the distance.
The corners of Belavilla's lips curled up slightly, revealing an expression that seemed like a smile that wasn't a smile. "At first, I did want to retire and not care about these messy matters — because I am really a little tired. But seeing how busy you are, I just feel that I can't peacefully continue to live in the city of shadows that you built … Perhaps I have to find something to do to feel at ease. Fortunately, I have only been dispirited for a short period of time. I haven't forgotten my own capabilities, so I can still deal with this. Back then in Azeroth, I caused quite a bit of trouble for you, so this can be considered a kind of compensation. "
With that, Belavilla put away the holographic projection in the air and waved her hand as she walked towards her ravens. The second half of her sentence floated lightly along with the wind. "… As for retirement — let's talk about it after we get rid of the rebels. I'm not at the age to retire yet."
Because of the conversation with Belavilla, Sandora and I suddenly had the idea of going to Celestial City to take a look. It had been a few days since we left, and we didn't know if Alleria had already sorted out the mess. Because she was very familiar with everything in Celestial City, Alleria's work progress there was very fast. There were many new developments reported almost every day. But no matter how many reports there were, I felt that it was better to go and see for myself.
Now that Celestial City had become one with the Shadow Space, there was no need to go through the troublesome World Gate to get there. The process was as simple as setting off from the City of Shadows to Avalon. Therefore, it only took a moment for us to arrive at the City of Angels located in the heart of Celestial City.
Everything in front of us had not changed since we left a few days ago. This was not surprising. When we left, the basic buildings of Celestial City were already in place according to the plan. In the near future, we had no plans to expand or renovate these huge buildings. The only change in front of us was that most of the buildings were now in a state of operation. The beautiful runes on the surface of the buildings shone with a mysterious brilliance under the activation of arcane spells. The blue crystals embedded in the outer walls of the buildings sparkled. An extremely soft, melodious sound came with the wind from time to time. The entire Celestial City was enveloped in this sound.
Although there were still not many people in sight, the normal operation of the buildings was enough to be regarded as good news. At least the still somewhat empty Celestial City had a little more vitality.
"Look, there are already guards." Sandora looked around and suddenly pointed to a floating bridge in front of the left. Following the direction of her finger, I saw two blurry blue figures standing at the end of the floating bridge. They were two elemental creatures.
It was foreseeable that before enough Mystic-type Apostles were born, the most "residents" of Celestial City would definitely be elemental creatures that could be mass-produced. I didn't know if their activity could bring more liveliness here.
"Your Majesty?" Alleria's voice came from the side, interrupting my thoughts. "Why are you here?"
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