Xyrin Empire-Chapter 261 - Duel

Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Duel

Chapter 261 -261: Duel

Let’s turn back the clock a few dozen minutes.

Above, the fierce battle set ablaze the entire expanse of sky within visibility, the apocalyptic flames having already evaporated all the clouds, rendering the poisonous haze that had loomed over the East Plague Land for years a mere joke within this ferocious web of firepower. No virus could withstand the heat akin to the surface of a star. The immense power of the Mother Ship’s Main Cannon even dyed the entire dome an unnatural shade of dark red; if the warriors on the ground from Azeroth had any advanced scientific knowledge, they would have been horrified to realize that this was an omen of the atmosphere igniting.

Of course, both sides of the battle had taken precautions, after all, a planet burned to ashes held no value to anyone.

Such a sight deeply shocked the warriors of various races watching from the ground. Despite the distance making it so they could only see the clash between the massive Mother Ships, the smaller Assault Ships already beyond the limits of their unaided eyes, that not so clear battlefield still left the Azeroth soldiers, accustomed to melee combat with small-scale magic support, completely dumbfounded. Only now did they truly comprehend just how powerful those “Gods” were. Ironforge, Stormwind City, even the Thunder Cliff, thought to be the most impregnable fortress atop a thousand-foot cliff – how long could these fortresses deemed unbreakable by mortals withstand such an onslaught?

A single blast from that colossal Mother Ship could obliterate an entire city!

This was the battle of Gods… Mortals, even though claiming to be part of the Army of Gods, could play only a minor role in this war.

Just then, ground-shaking explosions suddenly erupted upon the earth.

An attack from an unknown source stupefied the alliance military of various races still in awe of Heavenly Divine Power, but this assault seemed not to be meant for destruction but merely a small warning. As the smoke cleared, a petite figure quietly hovered before everyone’s eyes.

A cloak…

Well, it was indeed a cloak, though they knew someone clad in a cloak was there; due to it being wrapped so tightly and the wearer’s stature being quite insignificant compared to the cloak, the warriors present from Azeroth all harbored the peculiar thought, “Why is there a cloak floating in mid-air?”

When the cloak… cough cough, the short figure appeared, Pandora suddenly widened her eyes. Pupils… alright, Pandora had no pupils… In short, the icy Little Loli for the first time displayed such a vivid expression during battle. It wasn’t surprise – Pandora had anticipated that she would eventually meet with the other, nor was it panic – an emotion Pandora could never fathom. It was purely… a strong emotional turmoil, an indescribable feeling for Pandora, too complex, intense, and chaotic. But Pandora knew that some things could never be avoided.

She must fight and, no matter what, she could not fail in this battle. Only… it seemed she might need to capture the other alive if possible… A difficult task indeed, but it was what big brother desired, so that must be the evident mission, right?

“Retreat.”

Pandora said in a deep voice, not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of every warrior.

“Lady Pandora…” A Beastman Shaman voiced his puzzled query, and though an old Beastman with a beard thick enough to weave into a blanket calling a child not more than 1.2 meters tall “Lady” seemed oddly mismatched, in the eyes of the power-revering Beastmen, this powerful member of the Divine Race before them undoubtedly deserved any honorable title.

“Retreat, the farther the better.”

Pandora repeated, while, at the same time, Xyrin Soldiers, already on absolute orders, started retreating en masse.

Seeing even the Divine Warriors withdrawing, everyone understood this was an irrefutable command. The impending battle was likely not something they could interfere with – not even the Divine Warriors.

This interpretation wasn’t exactly right; Pandora simply wanted to resolve everything alone. This battle, it had no room for outsiders’ intervention.

But no matter the case, the warriors of various races obediently retreated, and under the lead of a few Xyrin Officers, they hastily distanced themselves from the battlefield.

This was a duel bound to happen, and to use a clichéd expression, it was a battle of destiny, a duel that could only be won honorably, so Pandora wanted all the irrelevant people to clear the battlefield, while the cloaked girl did not opt to launch a surprise attack on her, but instead, offered a preemptive warning.

“After today, there will only be one Pandora,” announced Visca as the last soldier vanished from sight, enveloped in a voluminous cloak, descending slowly onto the ground, lifting the hood from her head to reveal a face identical to Pandora’s but with crimson cat-like eyes, “The error in the program… can finally end today!”

Pandora seemed to have not heard the words of the other, silently drawing a sniper… cannon…

“Boom!” A thunderous explosion. Visca narrowly dodged the scorching Blast Bullet, then leaped high into the air. A Floating Cannon appeared in the air and grouped into a meticulously arranged gun array. The petite figure swiftly retreated, and from the cloak she wore emerged a circular gun barrel as big as a tank’s Main Cannon.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Intense explosions erupted as the twin warriors, with firepower comparable to a heavy equipment army, finally clashed for the first time. Their combat styles were identical, down to their physical builds, and even certain small habits displayed an almost telepathic understanding. The only differences were the combat experience and personal styles they had accumulated through their different experiences. Such a battle was destined not to end quickly from the very start. Pandora and Visca were like a person and her shadow, with each move almost perfectly countering the other’s attacks, as if following a script that had been rehearsed beforehand. Had an observer not known the truth, they might have suspected that the two girls were merely putting on a performance.

Hand cannons, semi-fixed gun turrets, floating gun arrays, missile swarms, laser prisms – the weapons they employed continuously escalated in variety and number to an alarming degree. The two petite figures moved through the air at astonishing speeds, their movements through the atmosphere so fast they created dense sonic booms. Seemingly unavoidable laser beams and ballistic weapons were dodged with precision, then triggered a series of explosions on the distant horizon. Both knew that their defenses were considerably weaker than their offenses, so they strove to avoid directly taking the terrifying firepower head-on.

Once again, Pandora narrowly dodged a lethal, instant Helium Flash. Although its power had been decreased by almost half without charging, it was still not an attack her miniaturized body could withstand.

Calmly observing her opponent, the cloaked girl suspended in mid-air, Pandora did not rashly launch another round of attacks.

This couldn’t continue; the overall abilities of the two were too closely matched, and that telepathy was a double-edged sword. While it might allow her to predict her opponent’s next move with greater probability, the adversary benefited equally… Relying on such an exchange of firepower alone would never determine a victor.

Inside her, safety systems were sounding alarms – not due to severe damage or insufficient energy, but because her entire body was in overload. Her miniaturized body, although greatly enhancing agility and burst capacity, wasn’t adapted to sustained combat. The main energy conduits had already entered the third round of emergency cooling since the battle began, while the auxiliary energy circuits were nearing their cooling limits. If this continued, she feared she might break down…

The only consolation was that her opponent was likely in the same predicament.

Contrary to the standard practice of ranged attackers widening the distance and bombarding each other, Pandora and Visca carefully maintained a distance within ten kilometers. Although both were Xyrin Apostles skilled in long-range combat, they dared not widen the distance to increase their advantage. “Pandora” implied absolute long-range suppression, but they were not guaranteed to remain unscathed under similar suppression; just as a main battle tank might not withstand its own artillery, neither Pandora nor Visca could resist their own ranged firepower.

Their defensive abilities were far inferior to their offensive capabilities.

This wasn’t a design flaw. After all, offense is often much easier than defense, and Pandora-type Xyrin Apostles were pure aggressors. Who could have anticipated two Pandoras turning on each other like this?

Beyond a kilometer, conventional firearms and hand cannons could be used; beyond ten kilometers, there was time to prepare for directed energy weapons that required pre-placement; at distances greater than a hundred kilometers, both Pandora and Visca were confident they could activate a Charging Helium Flash. But, correspondingly, that would ensure mutual destruction, for their combat abilities were too closely matched. Should an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow arise, survival was impossible.

To prevent each other from preparing such long-range attacks, the warring pair engaged in a grapple-style mid-range shootout, out of necessity.

Perhaps tired of the monotonous firepower bombardment or maybe because the overloaded energy system could no longer sustain large-scale gun arrays, Visca suddenly clenched her teeth and a two-meter Alloy Ship-Slicing Blade appeared in her hands!

Almost simultaneously, her lookalike sister on the opposite side made the same move.

Their subtle telepathy once again took effect.

Damn it… Damn it… DAMN IT!!!

Why are we the same! Why must we be the same!

Visca’s anger flared up, and naturally, her reasons went beyond mimicry.

Why am I merely a clone!? Why do you get to have such happiness!?

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Visca gripped her Ship-Slicing Blade tightly, and then vanished from her position in the blink of an eye.

Since we’re so much alike, then…

“Go die!!!!”