Chapter 87: The Second War of Dreams

“This is a real dilemma!”
After listening to wave after wave of urgent reports for help, Sun Licheng found himself deeply conflicted. The last battle in his dream had been limited to his own mind, with only a small number of troops from each side, but this time, the enemy was invading from the outside, and according to the reports from his underlings, their numbers were simply beyond counting.

“Everyone, speak up—what should we do? If we lose this time, we’re all finished together.”

Unable to come up with a solution himself, Sun Licheng decided to have everyone in the hall brainstorm for ideas.

Mister Dongguo of the Dark White Bird Constellation stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, “My lord, based on my observations, these dream battles test not only the relative strength of both sides but also their imagination. Everything has its counterbalance, and I believe imagination is no exception. As for strength, I can’t say for certain, but when it comes to imagination, my lord far outshines that adversary. All you need is to come up with the right troops and methods to counter them.”

After hearing Mister Dongguo’s words, Sun Licheng realized there was truth in them.

General Wright’s army would surely be organized according to the Goblin Empire’s military structure. The Goblin Empire had an air force, army, and navy, but since there was no sea in his mind, he only needed to consider the first two. In the air, the Goblin Empire possessed flying battleships and ornithopters. On the ground, they fielded mechanical puppet legions and beast legions, possibly with small numbers of goblin special forces and combat mechs.

“Faced with so many enemy types, how should I deal with them? The Saints alone won’t suffice. Those guys have forced even deities to take action—my ragtag group of subordinates isn’t a match for them.”

At this thought, Sun Licheng scratched his head in frustration.

“If only the goddess Athena were here. But in my own mind, where would I find such a goddess? Should I transform into a goddess myself? Good grief, wouldn’t that make me a cross-dresser?”

With no solution in sight, Sun Licheng’s thoughts drifted wildly, until suddenly, inspiration struck—“Gods, against gods!” Sun Licheng slapped his thigh and shouted with excitement.

He recalled a game he had once played: “Starcraft,” which featured three races—Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg.

“The Goblin Empire’s force structure is much like the Terrans. With my Saints, I can just about count as the Protoss. All I need to do now is create the Zerg!”

With inspiration came a strategy for countering the enemy.

But then, thinking of how the “Saint Seiya” characters often appeared bare-chested, Sun Licheng had to admit his so-called Protoss were hardly impressive. The Goblin Empire’s legions included not only mechanical warriors but also magical beasts—stronger than the Terrans in “Starcraft.” Moreover, as a game, “Starcraft” emphasized balance, but what he needed was not balance, but overwhelming force!

Since his Protoss lacked heavy weaponry, his Zerg would have to be armed with formidable firepower.

After racking his brains for a long time, Sun Licheng finally recalled a certain movie.

“Heh, General Wright, soon you’ll taste what it’s like to be ravaged by the combined might of the Protoss and Zerg!” With an idea in mind, Sun Licheng’s lips curled into a sly grin. Outside the stone fortress, the sound of countless insects swarming filled the air.

Inside the command cabin of a Goblin Empire first-class battleship, General Wright sat brooding in the commander’s seat. The cabin was empty, save for several light screens rapidly displaying streams of information and images.

Wright found this real battle vastly different from previous tests. In those experiments he remembered, he could easily annihilate his opponent’s consciousness with overwhelming energy. Yet this time, not only had he failed to destroy the other’s consciousness, he was now forced to engage in virtual warfare against this adversary—a truly baffling turn of events.

Still, as it was the first real battle, Wright reasoned that some surprises were to be expected. Confident in his vast reserves of power, he was sure he could easily crush Sun Licheng’s resistance and claim his body.

Since this was a battle of consciousness within the mind, Wright dispensed with subordinates altogether, issuing commands through the goblin computer control center, greatly improving command efficiency.

Now, the sky was filled with goblin flying battleships, advancing in tight formations under computer control, covering the ground forces steadily pushing forward.

On the ground, the mechanical puppet and beast legions rolled forward like an endless tide.

Watching the mighty army on the light screens, Wright found his eyes growing moist.

“Ten thousand years—the glory of the Goblin Empire has finally returned before my eyes. Prepare yourselves, foolish humans! Before the empire’s iron hooves, you shall all become its eternal slaves!”

In the command cabin, Wright’s voice choked with emotion as he shouted, his eyes wild with madness.

Before the might of the Goblin Empire’s army, countless small demons clad in dark holy armor darted through the sky on their sacred wings, doing their utmost to strike deadly blows against the enemy.

Wright was puzzled—these “angels” on the screens were not only tiny and extremely ugly, but also unarmed, yet they were powerful. They could cast many spells and fight in close combat. Under their fierce resistance, goblin ornithopters fell from the sky like rain. Even more alarming, these creatures could gather to attack the flying battleships themselves!

“Have the flying battleships concentrate their fire and take out those annoying flies!”

With some exasperation, Wright gave the order.

“Yes, Commander!” came the synthesized electronic voice in the cabin. At once, the bow magic crystal cannons of all battleships began to charge. Countless points of light appeared on the hulls, transforming into beams that lashed out ahead.

The barrage was so dense that, despite their best efforts to dodge, many dark Saints were struck and exploded into pieces mid-air.

Those who survived wore fear on their faces as they beat their wings to retreat—only to be caught by a second volley.

Thus, the sky-filling beams shattered the dark Saints’ resistance in the air.

Though the aerial battle was lost, the ground fighting remained brutal. Countless dark-armored Saints unleashed their ultimate skills—wind, water, and lightning techniques burst forth in chaos, stalling the goblin army’s advance.

“Deploy the Death Dance Legion!”

At Wright’s command, countless Death Dancers, each with eight arms grasping weapons, charged forward from the rear. These formidable beings drilled countless breaches through the small demons’ defenses like giant augers.

“Ha ha! Advance, my warriors! For the glory of the empire, advance!”

Watching the scales of war tip ever more in his favor, Wright threw back his head and laughed with unrestrained delight.