Chapter 338: Ch

[Rune Amplification Application]:

Running across the entire body of the Nova Magnus Arc Rifle are ancient arcane runes—artifacts acquired by Kallus and provided to his Imperial research group to master. These are etched into ultra-conductive hyper-alloy plates.

The First Rune (Stabilization): This rune stabilizes the immense mana pressure the weapon must bear, managing both its internal power source and the energy fed into it by its bearer.

-The Second Rune (Conversion): Working alongside a technological energy converter, this rune transforms raw or elemental mana into a highly destructive plasma.

-The Third Rune (Strength & Discharge): This rune reinforces the rifle’s structural integrity and assists in discharging energy efficiently and quickly to prevent a catastrophic overload.

-The Fourth Rune (Amplification & Ignition): This rune not only enhances the power of the plasma but exponentially increases its destructive capability by imbuing it with a high-intensity element of fire.

[Plasma Genesis Chamber]:

Before discharge, mana is gathered from three sources: the Superior Origin Mana Stone, the pilot’s own reserves, and Dark Blade’s ability to pull energy from the vacuum of space.

This mana is compressed inside the Genesis Chamber. Using a combination of technological principles and arcane runes, these two forces transform the raw energy into a super-dense plasmized state. Through multiple rounds of compression, the already superior primordial mana reaches a critical threshold, forming a “Blazing Arc Plasma.”

[Arc Plasma Properties]:

This is the hottest and most destructive form of plasma, reaching temperatures equivalent to the core of a superstar. It carries four distinct damage properties:

Thermal: Intense heat that melts physical matter.

Electronic: Short-circuits tech and mechanical systems.

Magical Disruption: Breaks down spells and enchantments.

Molecular Heat: Dissolves structures at a subatomic level. This allows the weapon to devastate shields, dense armor, and magical barriers simultaneously.

[Expansion Barrel]:

The Nova Magnus Arc Rifle features an enormous barrel that covers nearly half of the weapon’s total length. It is designed to accelerate and stabilize the Arc Plasma, whether it is fired as a concentrated projectile or a continuous beam.

Unlike standard weapons, the Expansion Barrel allows the projectile (specifically the continuous beam) to expand as it travels further from the source.

Tactical Trade-off: As the beam travels, it covers a significantly larger area of space (Though there’s a limit to expansion as well). However, this expansion naturally causes the destructive force to disperse, slightly lessening the concentrated impact power the further it travels from point of origin.

Weapon Systems: Tactical Attack Modes

-[Arc Plasma Beam / Lance]

Description: A continuous, wide-area discharge of Arc Plasma.

Tactical Strengths: Covers an extreme area of effect; perfect for clearing fleets or protecting planets.

Trade-offs: Lacks concentrated destructive force due to energy dispersion over a wide area.

-[Arc Plasma Bolts]

Description: Concentrated “blobs” of Arc Plasma held together by an intense magnetic field.

Tactical Strengths: Extreme explosive power; creates a massive blast radius upon impact.

Trade-offs: Limited range compared to the Beam; requires a stable magnetic lock.

-[Pulse Shots]

Description: A rapid-fire setting that releases bursts of energy at a high-velocity pace.

Tactical Strengths: High penetration effect; achieves massive damage output in a very short window.

Trade-offs: Individual shots have less power than a Bolt or Beam.

AND ETC….

……

“Now, that should be the last of the Minotaurs’ main strike force,” Kael muttered as he landed the final blow on a remaining battle cruiser. He had stripped its shields with a volley of plasma bolts and finished it off with a few precise pulse shots.

He had now dealt with almost all the Minotaur forces within the Fang Star System. Kael’s mind raced at an extremely fast pace, but he paused when he thought of the name. Fang Star System… what a name. That needs to be changed, but that’s a matter for another time.

Now, I need to focus on quickly dismantling the planetary defenses around the habitable worlds and neutralizing the forces stationed there. Along with that, I must secure the dead celestial bodies where the Minotaurs conduct their mining operations. Those need to be settled quickly.

And I can’t forget that I have to strengthen our own defenses here. Remembering those Tier One forces… who knows what they might be scheming? Just because I let them retreat doesn’t mean they aren’t harboring malice toward the Soul Region.

After all, that’s likely why they were here in the first place. Now that we are preventing them from taking what they want, I need to be on guard. There are other star systems I need to gain control of on top of all this …

” So its imperative that the defenses around this star system need to be more firm,” Kael mused. “At the very least, they must be able to withstand whatever is thrown at them before I leave with my fleet.”

There were so many other things that needed to be dealt with, and all of it was going to take far too much time. He sighed, thinking of the urgent tasks ahead—and the many more he likely hadn’t even accounted for yet.

Whatever. Let’s head back to the fleet and have my two admirals and their subordinates deal with the details.

With that thought, Kael pushed Dark Blade into motion, heading toward his flagship. The massive vessel had already begun bombarding planetary and off-world installations without batting an eyelid.

Meanwhile, hundreds of light-years away from the Fang System, back within the Soul Region’s solar system, a full month had passed since the deployment of the fleet and the first round of war waged against the Minotaur-ruled systems.

The solar system, and indeed the entire Soul Region, had undergone such immense developments and upgrades that they were completely unrecognizable from what they were just thirty days prior.

The changes were so profound that a visitor might doubt it was even the same place; the sheer scale of the evolution was simply that great.

For example, while the star system itself looks the same from the outside, only authorized personnel know that the entire system is now under the coverage of star-grade weapon systems. Multiple layers of defense surround and protect the solar system, which is now considered—or will be in the near future—the ancestral home of humanity.

Mars, the formerly dead planet, has already been terraformed under the constant work of the Void Fleet’s Terraforming Department. With artificial gravity in play, the restored atmosphere no longer disappears into space; instead, the thicker air successfully traps the planet’s heat.

The Martian sky has changed from its former butterscotch and pinkish hues to a familiar, Earth-like blue. Massive clouds have formed, and through artificial methods, weather patterns—including snow—were achieved in a mere month.

Since the northern hemisphere of Mars is significantly lower in elevation than the southern hemisphere, the vast amounts of water created during the terraforming process settled in the north.

This created a massive ocean covering roughly a third of the planet’s surface. From space, the top half of the planet looks deep blue, much like Earth’s own Pacific or Atlantic oceans.

It wasn’t just open oceans that were created. Because of the new water cycle, the Valles Marineris—the solar system’s largest canyon system—became a network of massive inland seas and a series of interconnected lakes.

Lush valleys were born from massive plantation drives during the month-long terraforming effort. Even the impact craters across the outer highlands were turned into isolated alpine lakes, surrounded by dense, newly grown forests.

Though the planet was terraformed from the ground up until it was almost entirely different from the dead celestial body it once was, certain things remained the same. Even as lush green vegetation covered the surface and water filled the northern hemisphere, Mars retained its distinct character.

The southern highlands remained high and rugged, filled with difficult terrain. While many areas turned green because of the growing plantations, much of the iron-rich soil in the highlands stayed the same in essence—visible through rust-colored deserts and high-altitude tundras that possessed the same ancient traits, though they, too, had undergone changes of their own.

The contrast between the deep green forests, the blue oceans, and the original rust-colored deserts and mountains gave the planet a striking appearance that was almost breathtaking.

All of this would have been impossible to achieve through technology alone in a month’s time. No matter how upscaled and advanced terraforming technology becomes, it is simply impossible to achieve such results in such a short timeframe… or at least, not by science alone.

Much of the heavy lifting was done by a new strain of microbes designed by the Imperial Research and Development Lab. These were based on Deinococcus radiodurans—often nicknamed “Conan the Bacterium”—which had undergone significant advancement through the implementation of mana into its biology.

It became a force that literally ate away the toxins and perchlorates within the Martian regolith.

This was paired with other technologies used to accelerate the process, including the introduction of “Mana Soil.” This was essentially soil infused with mana crystal properties, enhancing the ground with organic compounds and vital nutrients.

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