Published at 26th of April 2026 7:49 am

Chapter 7470 Enemy Consolidation

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If there was one aspect about the Apocalypse Wardens that impressed Andraste the most, it was their incredible tacit understanding of each other.

Sure, their qi cultivation was impressive and profound, and their superdimensional combat gear granted them the privilege of directly overpowering their alien opponents.

Yet even if these advantages got taken away, the Apocalypse Wardens still possessed the capacity to dominate most other infantry units under equal conditions!

This was because they had been trained to trust and understand each other on a very deep level.

Though they clearly came from different backgrounds, whatever training the RC had put them through had moulded them into a single united fist.

Andraste had already witnessed plenty of facets of this tacit understanding by spending multiple hours among them during routine periods.

Even without their battle network, each soldier was able to convey their meaning to each other with subtle expressions or the slight tilting of their hands or shoulders.

The Apocalypse Wardens behaved as if they were in sync 24 standard hours per standard day.

They woke up at the same time and ate their meals together.

They moved around in silent coordination and always positioned themselves to cover every dangerous angle in a room or compartment.

They wordlessly passed on their snacks or their weapons to each other whenever there was any need.

It was kind of eerie and uncanny for Andraste to notice these ingrained patterns. She felt like a complete outsider who had been dropped into their midst without warning, which was precisely what had happened.

Though the Apocalypse Wardens did not resent her intrusion into their routine days, she still felt as if she had taken the role of a ugly splotch in an otherwise beautiful and harmonious painting.

Due to her outsider status, she never really knew what they were thinking. The Apocalypse Wardens possessed amiable personalities when they were not on-duty, but Andraste always felt that they were deliberately holding back a lot of things.

She could never fully get along with them like she did with the Swordmaidens. The two groups may be consummate warriors, but their martial traditions were completely different.

Nonetheless, spending a few days with the Apocalypse Wardens had already opened her eyes to how a different professional outfit operated on and off the battlefield.

They showed her a side of soldiery that was more rigorous than that of the Swordmaidens and more realistic than that of the mech pilots of the Larkinson Clan.

The Apocalypse Wardens showed that they could still excel in combat without resorting to piloting mechs or mastering the art of wielding a weapon to the point where their willpower took over its shape!

Still, Andraste wondered if the Apocalypse Wardens would be open to piloting a Carmine mech in the future.

There was no reason why they could not do so. They could become strong enough to influence the course of battles that took place on a much larger scale.

Yet from what she had managed to pick up from them, the Apocalypse Wardens had not shown much interest in piloting Carmine mechs one day.

In a society that still worshiped and looked up to mech pilots, that seemed odd.

Whatever the case, the Apocalypse Wardens had no need to pilot Carmine mechs at the moment, nor would they be able to make use of them in this particular mission.

They continued to advance through a mix of relatively cramped corridors and large compartments with tall ceilings.

Nobody understood the reason why the arche built their ships this way. There had to be a fundamental reason why the interior design of their archeships had to be shaped in this fashion.

More oddities continued to attract attention as the Apocalypse Wardens proceeded deeper. They found more alien altars and totems that signified some sort of belief or superstition.

Whatever the arche believed in, the fact that they resorted to self-mutilation in order to earn respect told the Apocalypse Wardens that these soldiers and crew members were unlikely to give up resistance too easily.

"Interference… increasing… Signal strength… degrading… Too much archemetal… Unknown… active jamming…"

The communication channel grew fuzzier despite raising the power to their suit-moounted communication systems. Even the drone that accompanied the squad of elite cultivator soldiers defaulted to an automated following routine.

The Apocalypse Wardens did not ignore this issue. Maintaining an open communication link was crucial to preventing possible mistakes!

They took the time to detach a handful of modules from their modular combat armor and expertly began to slot them together. The human soldiers had practiced this sequence many times during their training sessions, so their armored hands remained steady as they completed their preparations.

Soon enough, they turned on the field-assembled signal tower.

The device immediately made a difference by strengthening and stabilizing incoming and outgoing data transmissions!

"We can hear you clearly now, ma'am."

"Excellent." The Saint Commander sounded a bi relieved. "Time is short, so I will be brief. Resistance across the hull of the ship has largely ceased. The other boarding parties have all told us that the arche soldiers and arche officers have all left their posts and withdrew in good order. Our scouts have attempted to track their passage but failed due to the continued operation of internal defenses and sensor systems."

That alarmed the Apocalypse Wardens. The enemies they encountered so far hadn't been strong enough to inflict casualties on them, but that was because they dispersed their troops across the entire hull.

Now that they had withdrawn, more than a few human soldiers believed that their alien adversaries had finally decided to group them all together.

They all became vigilant for possible traps or ambushes. They would definitely face increasing risks if they got attacked by nearly all of the alien crew at once!

"What are the chances that the aliens have given up and chose to blow up their ship even as we speak?"

"My Command Field has been able to penetrate deeper thanks to your efforts and that of the other boarding troops. Archetech is not entirely unfamiliar to me, but I have never observed such a large and complex structure as this archecruiser. From what I can read and guess based on the energy transmissions coursing through the hull, her systems are not being overloaded, but that can change any minute. What I did sense is an increase in… anomalous activity. This is very relevant to your unit because it is taking place in the exact center of the ship."

"...Elaborate."

"I cannot divulge more details to you because the center compartment, which is quite large I might add, is most definitely the most shielded area of this alien ship. We do not know why the arche has invested so much open space in their most defensible location, but we doubt it is anything simple. The enemy most definitely knows that you are coming. We believe… that the arche is preparing a final stand."

Several Apocalypse Wardens grew concerned.

Not afraid.

These hardened warriors did not easily give into their fears.

They just knew that fighting against a prepared opponent that had already seen what the Apocalypse Wardens were capable of might cause them to suffer actual casualties for once.

"What are your instructions, commander? Should we proceed forward at our current pace or should we slow down and wait until reinforcements arrive?"

That was a difficult matter to decide upon. The Saint Commander uncharacteristically threw the ball back into their court.

"That is up to you, Apocalypse Wardens. Your combat effectiveness is much greater than that of any other infantry unit we have on hand. Additional reinforcements might be able to help you relieve pressure, but that may not be necessary considering how many attacks you can endure. We are still concerned about giving the enemy too much time to set up whatever they are working on. My suggestion is this. If you are confident enough, you can continue your advance and take a look inside the central compartment. If the odds are not too great, then you have the freedom to choose to proceed alone."

"That sounds… acceptable, Saint Commander. We will utilize our own judgment."

This worked out well for the Apocalypse Wardens, as they had been trained to operate autonomously and rely on their own problem-solving skills.

The armed and armored cultivator soldiers continued to make their way through a number of empty junctions and corridors.

Though the arche that used to man these positions had disappeared, the automated defenses still remained active.

It took quite a bit of time, effort and firepower to neutralize all of them without suffering any excess damage in return.

Still, the Apocalypse Wardens steadily dismantled one turret or trap after another at a brisk pace.

They had grown more familiar with many different manifestations of archetech at this time. Though they still felt disturbed by the inhuman aspects, they at least knew how to solve most of them with the least amount of effort.

As they neared the entrance to the central hall, they noticed that the entryway had grown larger and more expansive.

The atmosphere had changed. A sense of solemnity had descended over the area. Strange smoke drifted across the moist area.

The bulkheads had grown much more decorative and elaborate. Combinations of splintered archeshells and artful metalworking formed into magnificent alien wall frescos that told highly meaningful stories.

It was too bad that the Apocalypse Wardens lacked the expertise or context to interpret them properly. They just took a few glances at the pretty artworks before dismissing them as irrelevant.

They had a mission to complete.

As they stood before the thick and massive entrance, they could feel that they were about to encounter something… formidable.

The Apocalypse Wardens did not immediately attempt to enter the next space, but took a brief pause in order to check their gear and supplies.

Once they took stock of their fighting readiness, they finally shoved open the massive gate and carefully stepped inside a brightly-lit hall.

Each of them froze as soon as they entered what appeared to be a large and crowded religious space.

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