Chapter 643: Swift Win
(Planet Nemo, Leo’s POV)
Approximately forty hours after leaving Planet Tithia, the Cult fleet finally arrived at the periphery of Planet Nemo, where the first casualty of their advance came swiftly, as the extra-terrestrial observatory stationed in orbit to serve as the planet’s eyes and ears was reduced to flaming debris within moments of their arrival.
*BOOOOM*
The Cult Destroyers fired in unison, their black hulls shimmering under the light of distant suns as a rain of mana projectiles and concentrated beams tore through the observatory’s defenses.
*BLAST*
*SHATTER*
The shattered structure tumbled helplessly toward the planet’s gravity well, a burning monument to how unprepared Nemo was for the storm descending upon it.
Leo stood beside Veyr in the cockpit, their eyes trained on the several notifications on the battle screen in front, as they absorbed the data displayed in real time, alongside the Ship’s Captain.
"All units in place, we are awaiting your orders to commence attack, Sir" The Captain informed, as Veyr nodded and gave his permission.
"Go ahead Captain, Blast them to hell—" Veyr said evenly, his eyes cold as they fixed on the trembling blue-green sphere in the distance.
The captain nodded briskly, pressing down on his comms rune. "All units, by order of the Dragon, advance into the atmosphere. Primary targets are all remaining defense bases. Burn them down."
*THRUMMM*
Engines roared, thousands of ships breaking formation to descend into Nemo’s skies.
What followed was less a battle and more a massacre.
With the planetary shield already dismantled by the Su Clan, there was nothing to hold back the onslaught.
The Cult’s Destroyers, Frigates, Bombers, all punched through the thin net of orbital defenses with contemptuous ease, their bombardments raining across the land below.
*CRASH*
*BOOM*
*SHATTER*
Military bases across the planet lit up in fireballs, hangars were reduced to molten craters, and defensive cannons were torn apart before they could even fire a second volley.
Within thirty-five minutes, the bulk of Nemo’s organized resistance was nothing but ruin.
From the air, Leo and Veyr saw white flags fluttering across cities, villages and military bases, as civilians gathered in open squares, kneeling and waving cloths of surrender toward the descending ships.
Mining villages that once thrived around mana harvesters had abandoned their tools, choosing submission over futile resistance.
The collapse of the Su Clan and the betrayal of Commander Su Bal had bled the will to fight from the people.
Their loyalty had rotted, their courage withered, and all that remained was fear and the desperate hope for survival under new rulers.
"This is easier than I thought," Veyr remarked with a grin, his eyes glinting as he watched surrender after surrender rise from below.
Leo gave no response, his face unreadable as he studied the white banners waving in the wind.
It was not triumph he felt at this moment, but rather confirmation that the Su Clan had indeed lost its power to dominate the universe any longer.
The citizens of Planet Nemo had already fallen in spirit before the first strike landed, and that was supposed to be a source of major concern for all Su military leaders across the universe.
*Land*
*Thud*
The Cult ships landed soon after, the ground shaking under the weight of their massive frames touching down.
Soldiers poured out in disciplined formations, sweeping across the settlements as what little resistance remained was pitiful.
A handful of Su loyalists, officers who still clung to duty, raised their blades and sent out spells in defiance.
However, against the overwhelming number of Dragon Army soldiers, they were cut down in mere moments.
*CLANG*
*CRASH*
*SCREAMS*
The on ground assault lasted minutes at best, and was a one-sided slaughter that ended with broken military bases painted red as the last holdouts were silenced forever.
By the time the smoke cleared, the Cult banner had already been planted atop Nemo’s capital dome, its psychological impact stretching across a city that dared not raise its head in defiance.
In the end for the Dragon Army, capturing Planet Nemo had indeed been as simple as stealing candy from a child, and Veyr felt extremely satisfied with that result.
"Bloody Hell Cuz, I don’t think we lost more than 20,000 men and fifteen ships in this assault.
This might be the biggest and easiest victory we have ever achieved!" Veyr said, as he tapped on Leo’s arm with unrestricted excitement, as his enthusiasm finally caught on with Leo.
"Yeah.... This wasn’t too bad." Leo agreed, letting out a small smile of his own, as he finally allowed himself to revel in the joy of victory.
Of-course, the job was far from done, and they still had to quickly set up planetary defences and deploy a mana shield around the planet to make it more secure, as without it, they could just as easily be dispossessed of Planet Nemo, should an enemy arrive now.
And hence, with spirits high and cheers ringing, the Cult troops began to quickly set up planetary defences, as they unloaded the weapon crates they brought from back home and began clearing the debris and the ruins of the shattered Su bases to set up a new forward operating command.
The wreckage of anti-aircraft missile launchers and mana cannons was stripped for parts, their shells salvaged and re-purposed into the Cult’s own defensive arrays, while engineers barked orders and crews hauled power conduits across the smoking bases.
Soldiers who had been drenched in enemy blood an hour ago now stood guard at makeshift barricades, their eyes scanning the skies as new defensive turrets were assembled piece by piece, the black banners of the Dragon Army already fluttering above the landing pads.
In the civilian districts, patrol units moved door to door, ensuring that no hidden caches of Su loyalists remained, while also broadcasting promises of order and protection under their new rulers, though few believed the words.
The white flags still hung limp in windows and over plazas, reminders that the city had surrendered, but everyone knew it was out of sunken morale and not thorough suppression, which meant that the situation remained volatile at best.
By nightfall, the first walls of the new military base were already up, crude but functional, a symbol that Nemo now belonged to the Cult.
And as fires burned in the distance, the Dragon’s men raised their cups, boasting loudly that this conquest was going to be remembered in Cult history forever, and that their names would be part of a legend remembered for generations.