Xyrin Empire

"Distant Star-18 Space Fortress, last communication, the defense line has been breached, the Revenge Army is launching a full-scale attack on the fortress armor, data has been uploaded, this base will self-destruct in ten minutes."

"Jiao Hang-15B Space Fortress, emergency communication, Mirror Fleet has been completely wiped out, main system within the base is safely evacuated, the Revenge Army just penetrated the fortress main armor, this is the production center! We need support!"

"Civilization Community 47th Fleet calling the Integration Department! We are on the way to Heavenly Guardian Corner-77, we encountered Revenge Army interception forces… the main force has safely escaped, but the Space Internal Bomb we were transporting is lost! Please resupply Heavenly Guardian Corner-77!"

"EKT-38 Bright Star Cluster, we discovered a large number of Revenge Army patrols, there is a signal emitter here! Requesting Super Space-Time Fire Strike… What? No more Super Space-Time Firepower quota? Alright, send Recoverers over quickly, maybe someone can resurrect… Long live the Empire!!"

"Zzz—"

Sandora raised her hand to turn off the audio access near the officer platform, switching the star map in front of her to global mode. She looked a bit tired, but a bright sky-blue light still shimmered deep in her eyes. She opened a time-event table, with a continually jumping number on it.

"The Celestial System Fleet arrives in two hours, half of Phantom Base has already been dismantled. I have to say, the situation is a bit better than initially expected, the Revenge Army's strength wasn't as overwhelming as imagined, and more importantly, their luck isn't great; most of their patrols are spotted as soon as they appear, and 80% of the space rifts they open are promptly eliminated."

"You need rest, you haven't closed your eyes for almost two days and nights."

I looked at Sandora with concern. For over forty hours, while waiting for the Celestial System Fleet to jump into this universe, Sandora didn't rest for even a minute. She was personally commanding the situation and had personally engaged in a surprise encounter near the Mobra Star System a few hours ago. Despite the notable resilience of the Xyrin Apostle, I couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for this girl.

"Who among you has rested?"

Sandora said, with a mischievous smile on her face, glancing around.

I looked around, Qianqian was coming from the passageway, having just returned from the outpost where she managed to expedite the Celestial System Fleet's transmission by nearly six hours, which, for a cross-world transmission spanning the size of an entire star system, is an astonishing feat. Thus, she was rubbing her forehead as she walked over. Big Sister was still nearby with that reassuring warm smile. Lilina was slumped beside her seat, yawning and almost drooling, though a few minutes ago she was busy giving us bad ideas — granting that this girl was also helping out all along.

Lilina is somewhat an exception among us; despite her Demigod body, some of her physiological metrics seem to have been created according to human habits.

If you look closely, it seems like none of us have really rested in the past forty-plus hours. Of course, personally, I'm not really sleepy anyway.

"Sleeping is just a habit; I firmly believe that even if you don't sleep for a month and go to take an exam, you'd still score ninety," Bingdisi said, trying to lighten the mood with her usual banter tone.

I chuckled at that: this guy clearly lacked understanding of us, because for Qianqian and me, whether we sleep or not, we wouldn't score ninety… Although this guy certainly is a lively character that lightens the atmosphere, having Bingdisi around made it hard for things to stay serious.

Nearly two days had passed since the Revenge Army surfaced en masse from Shadow Space. The prolonged standoff and the significant accumulation of forces between our factions had practically turned into a powder keg. As the opponent launched their full-scale attack, the situation quickly became uncontrollable. Sandora was right; our bases couldn't stay hidden for much longer under the nose of the Revenge Army wielding Old Empire technology. Following the all-frequency scan that swept the universe, virtually all space fortresses were exposed. The Revenge Army marked the locations of these bases on the Main Material Plane through an all-frequency broadcast, opening space rifts throughout the universe, through which their fleets poured out, like wolf packs smelling food, converging seamlessly on each base.

But with the cover of these bases, our truly crucial military focal points remain secure. One is the outpost tens of light-years away, which is guiding the Celestial System Fleet into this universe and must not be detected by the enemy. Bubbles sent over a hundred recoverers to ensure the transfer runs more than six hours faster, an almost staggering feat considering it's a cross-world transfer of a size equivalent to the entire star system. Meanwhile, Qianqian just returned from the outpost, having pushed herself to expedite the fleet's transfer, and was rubbing her forehead as she approached. Big Sister stood next to me with a reassuring smile. Lilina lay slumped by her seat, yawning continuously, her drool nearly escaping her lips, though just a few minutes ago, she had been busy giving us bad advice — let's just say this girl has been helping out the whole time anyway.

Lilina is the only odd one out among us, even though she possesses a Demigod Body, some of her physical metrics seem to have been built according to human habits.

As I took a closer look, it appeared that it was indeed true; it felt like this jolly bunch couldn't really maintain a serious atmosphere.

It's been some time since the Revenge Army surfaced en masse from Shadow Space, and it's already getting uncontrollable with the full-scale attack initiated by them. Sandora was right; our base is faring better than initially expected—the Revenge Army's forces weren't as formidable as we imagined and, more importantly, their luck is not great. Most of their patrols were discovered as soon as they showed up, and 80% of the space rifts they opened have been promptly eliminated.

"You need rest. You've been up for almost two days and two nights without sleep."

I looked at Sandora with concern. For over forty hours, while waiting for the Celestial System Fleet to jump into this universe, she didn't rest for even a minute. She's been personally overseeing the overall situation and even helped in an unexpected skirmish near the Mobra Star System a few hours ago. Despite Xyrin Apostle's prominent physical resilience, I couldn't help feeling a bit sorrowful for this girl.

"Who among you has rested?"

Sandora included, with a mischievous smile on her face, as she glanced around.

I looked around, Qianqian was walking over from the corridor, having just returned from the outpost where she managed to hasten the Celestial System Fleet's transfer by nearly six hours — an almost incredible power considering it's for a cross-dimensional transfer the size of an entire star system. As she walked over, she kept massaging her forehead. Big Sister still carried that reassuring, warm smile as she stood beside her. Lilina lay by her seat yawning, almost drooling, but just a few minutes ago she was busy giving us some terrible advice — let's assume that this girl was helping all along as well.

Lilina is pretty much the only exception among us; despite having the body of a Demigod, certain of her physical indices seem to have been made in accordance with human habits.

From the time when the Revenge Army surfaced en masse from Shadow Space until now, it has been a while, and the situation has quickly become unmanageable after their full-scale attack commenced. Sandora was right, the situation is a bit better than initially expected, the Revenge Army's strength was not as much as imagined, and more importantly, their luck wasn't great; most of the Revenge Army patrols were spotted as soon as they surfaced, and 80% of the space rifts they opened were quickly extinguished.

"Sleep is just a habit, I'm convinced even if you don't sleep for a month and go take an exam, you all would still score around ninety." Bingdisi tried to inject humor, "Because you're just that good!"

I let out a chuckle: "This guy sure doesn't know us well. For Qianqian and me, regardless of sleep, there's no way we'd make a ninety… But I must admit, with this character around, it's never too serious."

From the time the Revenge Army surfaced en masse from Shadow Space, a span of time has passed and, as they initiated a full-scale attack, the battle became immediately unmanageable. Sandora wasn't wrong; the situation is a bit better than initially expected. The strength of the Revenge Army wasn't as overwhelming as initially thought, and importantly, their luck is lacking; most of their patrol teams were detected upon appearing, with 80% of the space rifts they opened being quickly eliminated."

By examining more closely, it seemed like none of us had actually rested in the past. The overwhelming number of enemy patrols had to be immediately taken out once discovered. With a heap of space internal explosion bombs, each enemy patrol had to be obliterated on sight to prevent them from surfacing from Shadow Space. They attempted to approach Mist God Star, but failed using conventional Super Space-Time Jump or superluminal travel, as Bubble had sent hundreds of Recoverers to rapidly strike any enemy patrol teams discovered, to ensure they were eliminated at once, and using heaps of internal explosion bombs to blast the local space, preventing them from surfacing from Shadow Space to approach Mist God Star. Pandora Sisters, whose defensive line had become an inspirational model for surviving defense forces, had warship wreckage in endless orbit nearby, with Pandora's systems severely overheating. I tried to fry an egg on Visca's face and ended up locking those two little guys in the rest chamber using twenty head locks two hours ago.

A flash of golden light passed by, and the fully armed and incredibly cool-looking Yelsen, donned in armor, appeared on the officer platform, causing Lilina to be startled from her sleep by the clamor, "The Revenge Army discovered there was a production base there, just the two of us couldn't hold them back," Yelsen reported. Next to her, Monina appeared, radiating an aura of battle from recent combat.

"The ENN-5 Dark Star Cluster has been lost, the Revenge Army found there was a production base there, our strength of two couldn't hold them back." Yelsen reported with a hint of rage, causing Lilina to wake up from her sleep with a start.

"Regardless, thank you so much," Big Sister suddenly said to Monina.

From the very beginning, the four members of the Dingdang Team had joined the battle in their personal capacity. Since this is the territory of the Old Empire, and our enemy is Sandora's old Empire, due to political factors that, to me, seem meaningless but are crucial from the perspective of an actual Imperial Leader like Sandora, the military forces of the Divine Race cannot participate officially. Instead, they have been assisting in the battle on a private level, and it's not just some half-hearted help like they usually do on the battlefield. In reality, they have already participated in several battlefields, even taking on support roles at the most critical frontlines, which is quite a challenging job.

Bingdisi, on the other hand, has remained stationed at the Mist God Star Line for a long time. In fact, with her ability to destroy an entire Eternal Level armed with superluminal capabilities, she has become the most reliable mobile force there. Two hours ago, I even had to forcibly lock the two little guys away with twenty flicks on the forehead to push them to the rest chamber to sleep.

Bingdisi has always been on the alert at the Mist God Star Line, becoming our most reliable mobile force on the front lines; her ability to single-handedly destroy an enemy flagship is unparalleled."

"I suggest Qianqian and Chen Qian go back and rest first."

Bingdisi suddenly turned to the two girls and said, Qianqian immediately waved her hands and shouted, "I'm not tired! I'm feeling great!"

Big Sister maintained a slight smile, looking at Bingdisi with a probing gaze.

"The power of you two is best suited for turning the tide in an emergency. The Super Fleet hasn't arrived yet, so you should keep a few trump cards."

Qianqian laughed immediately, obviously pleased to be called a trump card, and then went back to rest with Big Sister.

My gaze returned to the starmap. The gigantic holographic projection in the command hall was divided into two main image areas, one of which was a starmap of the Milky Way, while the other extended across the entire universe. Since the Revenge Army "surfaced" from Shadow Space, this war, plunging directly into white-hot intensity, spread simultaneously from countless space rifts, like a piece of white paper placed on flames, covered with scorches that instantly swept across the entire Sky Zone. Everything progressed so rapidly; three days ago, we were still in a state of readiness, and three days later, the flames of war have already engulfed the entire universe.

The Milky Way where Mobra is located is the main battlefield because it is the center of the Old Empire's rule (according to Sandora's memory, this was once the capital star system of the Mobra colonies). Therefore, there are enough Old Empire relics here to provide vague coordinates for the Revenge Army. According to the starmap, seventy percent of the enemy's forces are concentrating on the Warfire Galaxy. In some Sky Zones, they have gathered over a thousand Eternal-class Motherships alone—this is the profound heritage of the Old Empire. No matter how much we have ramped up production and worked overtime to build fleets in the past two years, we can't match the inventory fleet of a ruling area of the Old Empire. I can't imagine how militaristic Sandora was back then.

The flames from the Galaxy Main Gun have already scorched dozens of constant star systems and more space fortresses and are now spreading to every corner of the galaxy. Outside of this galaxy, though the scale isn't as concentrated, there are also sporadic battles. These are the outposts established in deep space by our initial exploration of this universe, the farthest outpost being over ten billion light-years away from this galaxy. These places only started getting attacked a few hours ago, evidently, the Revenge Army only recently discovered these scattered targets.

After considering the strategic value, Sandora decided to abandon these outposts. Without reinforcements, the automatic turrets of these outposts would probably all go dark after shining for only a few minutes.

Due to the significant numerical disparity, the Imperial Army does not possess the capital to engage in direct attrition warfare with the enemy, so it's more like guerrilla warfare now. Our main fleet keeps jumping between those hundred-plus space fortresses, only attacking places where the enemy forces are thin. Apart from a few fortresses that are fully producing military supplies, other bases can be abandoned. Therefore, for those fortresses under intense attack but lack strategic value, we uniformly adopted the explosive artistry of the Pandora Sisters. Perhaps the Revenge Army will be very frustrated. They simply cannot distinguish which fortress is useful and which is just a bomb. In the early stages of the war, they suffered a lot from this kind of super self-destruct.

This is all part of Sandora's plan from the beginning, and everything is proceeding according to her plan. Although we lack military power, the Revenge Army is still advancing step by step according to the script given to them by Battle Song Princess. No matter who their "Great Governor" is, tactically, they still can't play against the former first military strategist of the Empire.

However, it seems the enemy has learned now; they no longer try to occupy any space fortress, even if it truly contains a massive military city. The Revenge Army has begun using long-range fire strikes to bombard those suspicious targets, not even engaging our fleet before destroying the target. The threat caused by fortress self-destruct has thus been reduced by more than half.

But it's okay; the purpose of delaying time has basically been achieved. The Celestial System Fleet is a trump card, one that is hard to win against using conventional fleets. We have one Ghost Energy Death Star and dozens of planetary fortresses. These are enough to give the Imperial Army overwhelming local superiority, and with Sandora present, local superiority is equivalent to half the victory.

"There's really a bit of a feeling of annihilation, isn't there."

Even at this time, Bingdisi can still joke, although usually no one pays attention to her, it doesn't prevent this female hooligan from spouting off, "Speaking of which, what really happened back then, for the Revenge Army to have such a big hatred against their kind?"

Thus, we continued to ignore her.

"Your Majesty, outpost communication."

Sivis suddenly reported.

After connecting to this communication that arrived earlier than expected, the holographic projection on the officer platform switched from the constantly flashing red starmap of the Warfire Galaxy to a vast outer space. Against the dark, deep universe background, a magnificent silver-gray gigantic rhombus structure appeared before everyone's eyes, and in the distance, a gigantic ring structure could be seen faintly rotating slowly around the rhombus structure.

In the communication window below, it was not the commander of the outpost but Gaia.

"Your Majesty, the Celestial System Fleet will arrive in three minutes."

"Gaia? So fast?"

I looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to appear here.

"Yes, my Majesty, this is a long-distance communication from the Mother Star," Gaia's faint blue translucent image trembled slightly as if there was some interference, "I just successfully repaired an ancient information body effect accelerator on the Mother Star, now the 'amount of information' for the Celestial System Fleet has been compressed to the extent it can be transmitted immediately, the Mother Star will serve as a relay."

"Old Empire technology, corrects a limited set of data for a target, such as mass and volume relative to the world system, so that certain things that originally couldn't happen can occur, belongs to one of the mathematical regulation devices, wasn't originally a very sophisticated device, just didn't expect your Mother Star to have such high power."

Facing my probing gaze, Sandora explained thus.

"Notify all Imperial Army!" I suddenly stood up, "Except for the Third Legion, all return to base and prepare to be incorporated into the Celestial System Fleet! They're here!"

The Warfire Galaxy is still burning, and the Imperial Army is starting to disengage from the battle because a truly significant war machine has come to this world, now, it's time to let it onto the stage.

See, even I occasionally can say something artistically profound!

"There's one more thing," Sandora thought for a moment and added, "Our propaganda machine on the Mobra Three Main Stars should be activated. Let those cowards see the real legion."