Chapter 971: Space-Time Shearing Technology

Chapter 971: Spacetime Shearing Technology

Identical theories often branch into divergent applications; a universe-class civilization is hardly omniscient, and just as the three great powers lack mastery over each other's signature arts, the diversity of civilizations likewise guarantees the branching richness of their technological trees.

Han Xiao was intimately familiar with the peculiar art displayed by the Kunde race, a discipline known as spacetime shearing, born from a specific offshoot of temporal-spatial theory.

Spacetime arts were advanced yet hardly rare; the three great civilizations and even most cluster-level powers possessed some grasp of them, and even within the supernatural systems of mages, temporal-spatial spells existed, such as Laki's "Za Warudo."

Yet, spacetime shearing possessed its own distinct peculiarities.

The three great powers of his past life had never disclosed its precise mechanics, leaving Han Xiao with only a rough understanding; this shearing appeared to be a form of temporal traversal, yet it diverged sharply from the norm.

To Han Xiao's eyes, the Kunde fleet's repeated restoration was the work of this shearing, locking their vessels in the state mere moments before destruction, allowing them to revert no matter how often they were shattered, much like the legendary, invincible save-and-load trick.

Their stuttering, frame-skipping movement served as another function of the shear: first, a behavioral trajectory was set as a parameter and simulated in reality to construct a complete spacetime model from inception to conclusion, then the continuity of spacetime was breached, slicing the coherent model into discrete temporal points... to put it simply, the act of "I will do something" was rendered into a film, with each temporal point serving as a single frame.

Next, the temporal chain of this preset action was extracted, locking their own spacetime within it, severing past and future to exist solely in the "now" of that single chain; their forms would leap across widely spaced temporal points within the behavioral model, omitting the intervening transit entirely, creating the illusion of skipped frames, and because there was no process to intercept, the Imperial fleet's conventional fire proved utterly useless against the Kunde advance.

In essence, they became high-latency warriors, advancing in stuttering leaps, so that even if you struck true, you were merely hitting the ghost of a previous frame.

This technique held unique utility across countless domains, yet it was not without its toll; the spacetime axis of the primary universe was an incalculably vast, interlocking system where any anomalous shift at a single point would ultimately be self-corrected, much like a taut, unyielding chain.

For instance, with spells of temporal deceleration or stasis, once the magical effect lapsed, the distorted spacetime over the affected zone would swiftly snap back to alignment, restoring normal temporal coefficients, leaving only the altered material states behind while leaving the spacetime axis itself untouched.

The aftermath of temporal shearing, however, was the axis beginning its self-correction the moment continuity was shattered.

These frame-skipped entities, their spacetime attributes forcibly wrenched askew, had already undergone a fundamental shift in their state of being, rendering them akin to half-formed projections destined to undergo an ever-accelerating collapse across both temporal and material planes.

Once the corrective force of the timeline caught up to them, every temporal point within the behavioral model would collapse in a domino effect, the entire preset temporal chain would vanish, and their very existence would be erased like a burst bubble, as though they had never graced this world at all.

By anchoring themselves to a single temporal chain, they were likewise doomed to automatic extinction upon completing their preset objective; originally, the timeline was an infinitely extending straight line, but they had carved out a mere segment from it and leaped from the axis onto that segment, meaning their lives were reduced to nothing more than the journey from that segment's start to its end.

It meant that the moment this technique was activated, the fleet had already been declared "dead in action," transformed into phantoms awaiting their inevitable dissolution.

"I recall that when the three great powers employed this art in my past life, they deployed massive quantities of spacetime stabilization anchors and numerous auxiliary devices to significantly delay the onset of collapse; if the Empire acquired this technology from the Kunde race, then given Imperial scientific prowess, they would undoubtedly refine it over several iterations, so based on these two factors, the spacetime shearing currently in Kunde hands must be a crude, version 1.0 prototype, burdened with harsher side effects and far easier to counter."

Han Xiao's expression shifted faintly as he pondered in silence.

An indigenous ambush during an exploration mission was supposed to be nothing but a nuisance for the Empire, yet now, ironically, it had handed them a splendid trophy.

It remained unclear whether the smugglers who had clandestinely supplied technology to the natives were even aware the Kunde possessed this art... chances were slim; though the smugglers had surely assessed Kunde strength before making their deliveries, spacetime shearing was undoubtedly a closely guarded state secret, not easily uncovered.

Smuggling into the Shining World was tantamount to a suicide mission; those super-cluster or cluster-level civilizations would never dispatch Calamity-grade operatives for such tasks, meaning the infiltrators operated with severely limited manpower.

"If they truly didn't know, then they've suffered a devastating loss, intending to hamstring the Empire only to hand-deliver a treasure instead."

Han Xiao chuckled inwardly.

Meanwhile, Tarrokov had not been idle, swiftly orchestrating his countermeasures.

As a seasoned senior commander who had witnessed every manner of battlefield chaos, Tarrokov may not have grasped the mechanics of spacetime shearing, but the alarms had flagged a temporal-spatial anomaly, prompting him to deploy corresponding countermeasures; the Empire's deep reserves were more than sufficient to handle any sudden crisis.

Soon, an Imperial fleet on standby at Beacon Star set sail, heavily outfitted with devices designed to counteract spacetime distortion and carrying a vast contingent of mages versed in temporal-spatial arts, dispatched to intercept the frantically frame-skipping Kunde armada.

Conventional firepower had proven futile, but temporal-spatial abilities could exert a tangible influence on the Kunde vessels.

With the arrival of the second Imperial fleet, the tide swiftly turned; a barrage of temporal-spatial spells and distortion-dampening devices forced the Kunde fleet's frame-skips to grow shorter and slower with each leap, while the white noise flickering across their hulls intensified, signaling that their rate of collapse was rapidly accelerating.

Within the command center, the assembled officers watched the unfolding battle with cold composure.

After a period of such stalemate, at a distance roughly an hour's journey from Beacon Star, the Kunde fleet vanished for the final time and never reappeared; instead, a violent torrent of energy detonated from the void, rippling outward across the cosmos.

There was no dramatic spectacle of destruction; the Kunde armada simply annihilated into nothingness, as though wiped away by an eraser, leaving behind only the colossal energy released by their collapse and absolutely nothing else.

In the cosmos, even extinction arrives with a whisper, yet one could imagine the solemn tragedy in their hearts when they made their resolve, knowing death was certain yet choosing to strike the Empire one last time... the thought flickered through Han Xiao's mind, and he shook his head.

"Is it over?" Tarrokov asked, his hands braced against the table, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Report, Commander-in-Chief: temporal-spatial coefficients have normalized, detection radar shows no anomalies, and no enemy signatures are being tracked."

"Hmm... likely a backlash from the enemy's technique; it must still be imperfect. Until we confirm their total eradication, maintain vigilance, continue scanning the surrounding sectors, and raise Beacon Star's planetary shields; simultaneously, keep all emergency evacuation corridors open so we can withdraw swiftly should the enemy materialize near the planet."

Tarrokov issued the orders with swift precision; lacking intelligence on the foe, he dared not lower his guard, maintaining a posture of grave readiness.

Han Xiao, however, knew the enemy was already dead and gone; his eyes narrowed slightly as he mused inwardly, "In my past life, the Empire also acquired this technology from the Kunde, yet I never heard a whisper of it, proving they enforced strict secrecy and likely forbade allies from trading for it... well, if I want the spacetime shearing art, I'll have to secure it myself."

Rarely did he encounter such a formidable signature technique, and Han Xiao's interest was thoroughly piqued.

Fortunately, the Empire still lacked a clear understanding of how spacetime shearing actually functioned, allowing him to slip in and snatch the prize while their attention was elsewhere.

He might have little personal use for it, but under certain circumstances, members of the Black Star Army could find it invaluable; moreover, such a tool could be wielded not only by his own forces but potentially turned against the enemy as well.

He wondered whether the Spacetime Amber and spacetime shearing could be synchronized, and what manner of phenomena might arise... Han Xiao felt a spark of curiosity.

...

Deep within the Glittering Dust Cluster, a massive Kunde armada drifted slowly through the void.

Within the conference chamber of the flagship sat the Kunde leadership, their supreme commander among them.

Upon confirming the Crimson Empire's direct advance toward their territory, the high command had decisively abandoned their homeworld, mobilizing alongside the fleet.

With the majority of their kin already evacuated, the temporary abandonment of colonies built over decades had become a strategic choice requiring no hesitation.

"Contact with Yelu's fleet has been lost; the surprise assault has failed."

"Have they all fallen?"

"Uncertain, but they likely activated the spacetime shears."

"So even spacetime shearing proves insufficient against the Crimson Empire..."

As a senior military officer delivered the report, a heavy solemnity settled over everyone present.

The Kunde leader remained silent for a long moment before speaking slowly, "Initiate the Scorched Earth Protocol."

At these words, the complexions of the assembly... or rather, the hues of their carapaces, shifted faintly.

They had drafted numerous battle plans, with Scorched Earth reserved as an absolute last resort, intended only for when defeat was inevitable; none had expected their leader to be so radical, unleashing their ultimate gambit from the outset.

Upon reflection, however, the high command harbored little confidence in this war anyway; their decision to stay and fight stemmed primarily from bitter reluctance, an unwillingness to surrender their homeland to invaders without resistance, and a refusal to let the Crimson Empire seize their territory without paying a bloody price.

The Scorched Earth Protocol entailed harnessing the infinitely expanding nature of primordial psionic energy, continuously catalyzing it to obliterate multiple star systems including their ancestral home, ensuring the Empire inherited nothing but ashes before they retreated to rejoin their evacuated kin.

Yet, the psychological burden of personally dismantling their own ancestral home remained profoundly difficult to bear.

Scanning the room and met with silence, the Kunde leader spoke in a grave tone:

"Since there are no objections, begin the preparations immediately; as for the Crimson Empire's approaching main force... dispatch fleets to engage them, harass the enemy, delay them at all costs, and gradually draw them deeper into our territory, right into the containment zone of the Scorched Earth Protocol..."

A heavy dread weighed upon them all; once the homeland was destroyed, there would be no turning back.

The protocol required time to deploy and catalyze, and sending fleets to directly entangle the Empire meant countless fellow soldiers would perish on the front lines.

...

Several days had passed since the surprise strike on Beacon Star when the front lines finally erupted in open combat; more Kunde fleets emerged, at last clashing with the multiple Imperial corps pushing deep into the Glittering Dust Cluster.

The organized corps under Tenny's command likewise encountered a growing tide of adversaries.

Opportunities for battle were hardly scarce, yet to Han Xiao's exasperation, Tenny was ruthlessly efficient in combat; under his meticulous coordination, the fleet's tactical synergy flowed seamlessly, effortlessly dismantling every foe they met and concluding engagements from long range, leaving scarcely any openings for boarding actions.

Worse still, Tenny deliberately shielded the Black Star Army personnel from harm, which only deepened the frustration; after trailing the military for nearly a month, Nilo had not even brushed against the claws of a Kunde mantis-shrimp.

If this continued, Han Xiao would barely be able to resist virtually infiltrating the next enemy wave and remotely piloting the Kunde forces to attack Tenny himself.

Fortunately, Tenny did not allow Han Xiao's meddling claws to extend so soon; during yet another skirmish, the Black Star Army was finally assigned boarding duty.

And at last, Nilo experienced his first taste of battle.