Chapter 79: The Siege of Wisdom and a Hopeless Race
When the Odyssey arrived at the star system where the Infinite Library was located, they saw that the nightmare vision in Kael's mind had been met with a harsh reality. That vast, crystalline structure that once held all the knowledge of the universe, that glowed with the light of countless stars—the Infinite Library—was now surrounded by a fleet of dark ships of the Void, its energy shields weakening with each explosion, smoke rising from sections of the unique structure. The wise and calm guardians of the Library, the humanoid beings known as the Guardians of the Library or the Sages, now resisted desperately, their numbers diminishing but using their wisdom and light as a shield against the darkness of the Void.
And at the center of this siege was the presence of the Void Lord, that fathomless, mocking, and powerful presence that Kael had sensed through the Chitauri core. Perhaps from the bridge of a massive flagship, perhaps already infiltrated by the Library itself, he was orchestrating this destruction. This was not just a military operation, but a personal message to Kael, a "game."
"Captain Rostova," Kael said, his voice filled with both anger and desperation. "We have to break through that fleet. We have to get inside the Library."
Captain Rostova looked at the horrific sight on the ship's main screen. The Odyssey was badly damaged, and engaging in direct combat with that vast Void fleet would be suicide. "That's impossible, Kael," she said. "They would destroy us in an instant."
"There must be a way," Kael insisted. The Chitauri core could sense the faint but persistent cries for help coming from within the Library, the last whispers of hope from the Wise Ones. "Dr. Thorne, can you detect an anomaly, a weak point in the energy signature of those Void ships? Perhaps a frequency gap in their shields?"
With Kael's words, Dr. Aris Thorne began to rapidly analyze the sensor data. The Shadow Squad soldiers stood at their weapons, ready for an attack at any moment. Aslan was at Kael's side, his eyes on that dark fleet.
"Kael may be right, Captain," Dr. Thorne said after a while. "Some of the cruisers in the main fleet are firing energy beams directly at the Library. They may be creating momentary and very short-term weakenings in their shields to focus the beams. If we can seize that moment and boost the ship's weapons with Kael's Echo energy, maybe... maybe we can open a breach."
It was an extremely risky plan, but it seemed they had no other choice. Captain Rostova took a deep breath. "Very well," she said. "We'll try. Divert all energy to the weapons and forward shields. Kael, you'll tell us when."
The Odyssey launched a final charge into the deadly fire line of the Void fleet. Kael closed his eyes, listening to the echoes of the Chitauri core and the Library and the Void ships. He was waiting for that moment, that moment of short-term weakening. The mocking laughter of the Void Lord echoed in his mind: "There you are, little Echo. Did you like my game?"
"Your game is almost over, monster!" Kael whispered. And at that moment, the Chitauri core felt the momentary weakening. "Now, Captain! Those three cruisers right on the port side!"
The Odyssey's enhanced lasers, combined with Kael's Echo energy, locked on to the three Void cruisers simultaneously. The attack, striking with unexpected force, ripped through the cruisers' shields, causing massive explosions inside them. The fleet was momentarily in chaos.
"This is our chance!" Rostova shouted. "Full speed through that breach to the Library!"
The Odyssey managed to slip through the Library's weakened energy shields at the last moment, but the Void hunters and smaller frigates were following them. This flight into the Library was the beginning of a new struggle.
When they reached the Library's vast entrance hall—or at least a section of the Void that had not yet been fully captured—Kael mentally tried to reach out to the Guardians of the Library. "We are friends! We come to help! I am Kael, an Echo Bearer!"
After a short silence, a familiar, wise voice echoed in Kael's mind. It was the voice of the old Sage who had guided him on his previous visit. "Echo Bearer… Your coming is like a drop of hope falling upon a dying star… But… but I fear we are too late. He… He has reached the heart of the Library, the 'Source of Echoes.' If he defiles the Source, not only the Library but all the wisdom and echoes of the universe will be destroyed."
Kael listened to these words in horror. So the Void Lord's true target was the Library's most sacred, most important place. And he had already reached it.
Just then, they were startled by the Odyssey's tremors. The Void ships that had been following them had followed them into the Library. And in those vast corridors of the Library, the shadows of not only the Wise Ones but also countless Void creatures were now roaming.
"It looks like," Kael said, clenching the Chitauri core, "the party is just getting started."