Xyrin Empire

Under the joint command of the two Emperors, the Imperial Army's front lines shrank in their entirety. After launching an ineffective Emperor's Breath, the Celestial System Fleet voluntarily retreated to the vicinity of the Mobra Star System. Thereafter, we began to systematically abandon a series of remote heavy space fortresses in the Milky Way. Even though some of these fortresses housed genuinely significant space arsenals, these movements were completed within less than a day. Before the Revenge Army could react, the Imperial Army had already consolidated all its main forces, preparing a stance for a final decisive battle, which clearly took the enemy by surprise.

We are indeed preparing for a decisive battle, but not here.

The Mist God Star Base has been dismantled, and the Imperial Admiral Flagship, the core of this giant city, along with over a dozen large Mother Ships, has departed the turbulent Hell Planet. In space, they have reconfigured and combined into battleship formations, leaving behind only a few observation stations and a teleportation device for transferring the "Tomb" relics back to Shadow City beneath the heavy clouds of the Mist God Star. The space above was filled with majestic Imperial Ships, shrouding the high orbit of the Mist God Star with an oppressive atmosphere, while the dozen or so pitiful rowboats of the Mobra "Space Army," which came to bid farewell, were insignificant in the shadow cast by the horizontal arm of the Imperial Admiral, appearing like feeble plants about to topple over.

Still, this is commendable. At least the Pope managed to reorganize the "Space Army" under the long-defunct jurisdiction of the United Government within a few days, and taught them to fly warships to the edge of their homeland in such a short time, which is remarkable efficiency. Due to the existence of something like the Sin Punishment Gun, which could render conventional space forces into scrap metal, the Canglan Church long prohibited the United Government from deploying any armed flying devices in space.

The Imperial Fleet, which enshrouded the entire giant planet like a spherical shell and appeared as endless silver-gray interstellar giant ships, instilled great shock in the Mobra Government soldiers. The edited war scenes they saw on public bulletin boards above the city clearly couldn't compare to the stimulation of such a real spectacle. When Sandora and I met these farewell "troops," I noticed something new in the eyes of a few young men, who joined the army out of a spark of enthusiasm and the Pope's incitement. It was a curiosity and passion for the unknown world, something I had never seen in the eyes of any Mobra before. It seems the younger generation in any world is the most malleable. Whatever methods the Pope used to bring about this change in these young men, accustomed to the comfort of peaceful living, it is undoubtedly a good thing.

"Restless youths always exist. In the past three hundred years, all I've achieved is teaching these Fire Seeds how to hide themselves," said the Holy Pope on the bridge of the Imperial Admiral. It was his first time being allowed to ascend here, and he appeared a little excited yet somewhat constrained because the glances from several leaders of other vassal race forces around him were rather cool. Thus, his tone was a bit awkward as he spoke, "They were originally closely monitored unstable elements, young heretical thinkers with active minds, curious individuals prone to questioning the knowledge of the Holy Sages. Therefore, in the original Mobra society, they were marginalized wild children…"

"These are the sort of people who are most likely to conveniently save the world," I muttered quietly to my Big Sister beside me, "How many of those who pilot Gundams attended Party schools?"

Big Sister glared at me furtively and said to the Pope, "The Imperial Army will go to a parallel space to the real world to resolve the battle. Even the last garrison here will be withdrawn. Do you understand?"

Due to the imminent and extraordinary battle, Sandora wants to maximize our success rate; therefore, every troop is necessary. We estimate that once the Shadow Space is breached, the Revenge Army will immediately return to defend their nests. Consequently, after we completely leave the real space, this place could actually become safer than it is now. However, we understand this; the people of Mobra do not. How he reassures them is up to the Pope, and I hope he doesn't disappoint us.

"Rest assured, the Mobrans have indeed been at peace for too long, but mortals can quickly adapt to their environment. I think now they have gained the most basic awareness," the Holy Pope said, bowing unemotionally (no error) in acknowledgment. "The strength of the Holy Sage Fleet has already given them new support. Furthermore, I'm trying to awaken the next generation's fervor, such as religious zeal and the passion for Holy War, by modifying our ongoing religious propaganda slightly. Given one or two generations, the effect will manifest. I've chosen several 'Saints' as fronts…"

"That is your business. Do not report such trivial matters to me." Sandora waved her hand, prompting the Pope to swallow the latter half of his sentence. "In short, you are a bit more qualified now. Perhaps I might consider giving you a makeup exam. We'll have some Servant Army from the Civilization Community remain to protect this Celestial System. They are among the bravest and finest warriors of the Empire. However, the chances of the enemy launching an attack here after our departure are already negligible. Consider it a psychological consolation for you."

"Thank you for your grace." The Pope bowed slightly, seeing that we had no more instructions, and sensibly left the bridge. Moments later, from the holographic projection, we watched the dozen or so rowboats of Mobra swiftly depart from the Imperial Fleet.

"There is finally some progress." Sandora glanced at the holographic projection and then switched the screen on the officer platform to another scene.

Milia and Bubbles' images appeared on the screen; both were currently floating inside Crystal Prisms. The former continued her habit of curiously touching everything around, while the latter appeared to be feigning sleep with closed eyes. Behind them was a vast silver-white room where numerous Crystal Prisms were arranged in an orderly manner not far away: this was the entire Xyrin Host array.

"How does it feel?" I asked with a smile at the golden-haired girl peeking around on the screen.

"It's so magical," said Milia, tapping on the crystal barrier in front of her, "It feels like my thoughts are divided into two parts, one inside this pillar, and the other expanded into an unknown place full of crystal grids."

"The server support module of the host array. Milia's core consciousness has already extended there," Sandora explained quietly.

I nodded, looking at another screen in front of me: it displayed an unusually gigantic Xyrin Nest. Apart from its normal shape, its size had exceeded the necessary specifications for a Mother Nest. The building towered on a vast grey metal-like plane, surrounded by many attendant facilities with floating Ghost Energy patterns. The structure seemed submerged in some extremely dense liquid, giving off an underwater construction vibe.

Meanwhile, in the far end of the image, where the grey metallic plane extends to its limit, lay a gargantuan sphere revealing a third of its body. Its surface was smooth, enveloped by a beautiful blue Shield, radiating a bright blue light akin to a giant blue sun rising from the horizon: that was the Crystal Peak.

The previous giant Xyrin Nest was the place where Milia and Bubbles currently reside.

The method Taville found for opening Shadow Space relies on the interconnections between these containers. We've confirmed that the black metal box is, in fact, a high-speed information interface simulating a host slot. Through these boxes, Milia's transmission process is actually her uploading herself as a compressed package. Therefore, these containers maintain connectivity. After scanning the container codes, we speculated there's at least one additional container, and it's in the Revenge Army's hands. Evidence proved this speculation right: both containers had an extra data channel continuously sending intelligence to a mysterious information terminal, and the information returned from this terminal matches the data returned from the probe we previously deployed in Shadow Space.

The third container is located in Shadow Space.

The data stored in Milia's core can activate these channels. At that point, the container in Shadow Space will serve as an information-gathering device, sending us real-time spatial coordinates of the other end. By comparing these coordinates with the coordinate system stored in Milia, we'll obtain the Revenge Army's nest's landing markers and the Shadow Space entry password. As for the Revenge Army, it's likely that once we begin transmission, they will destroy the boxes in their possession immediately. However, it doesn't matter; we only need a forty-eight-hour Teleportation Gate. Even if the container in Shadow Space is destroyed, with Milia assisting in the calculations, deducing the virtual drift of Shadow Space in the next forty-eight hours will be quite effortless.

Clearly, Milia herself cannot go to Shadow Space; it's too dangerous. While she is "operating," she must remain connected to the nearest container. At the base of the specially designed host slot for her, we placed the two boxes in our possession. If she accompanied the Imperial Fleet into Shadow Space, there's a one-in-three chance she would be uploaded into the third container, which houses the Revenge Army's headquarters—a risk no one dares to take. Therefore, she and Bubbles will stay in real space, and that enormous structure becomes their workspace alongside a large group of Xyrin Hosts in a parallel array in real space.

The Mist God Star Core is a slightly smaller but incredibly dense metal core compared to Earth. It has been transformed by Empire Technicians into a Xyrin Host support facility with numerous built-in servo arrays, and the gigantic Mother Nest is established on the North Magnetic Pole of this star core. Less than ten thousand kilometers from the star core lies the Crystal Peak, which has now sunk to the 'seafloor'. This special service type Planet Battleship will serve as the secondary servo array and amplifying antenna after the Mist God Star Core, distributing the Shadow Space information output by Milia to all Imperial Army ships—it's worth noting we still have a Celestial System Fleet waiting to jump, and getting that thing into Shadow Space isn't easy.

Some might have already noticed that the weakest link in the entire plan is the security issue on Milia's side: she has to maintain a transmission portal in the real world. Any mishap here will completely close the portal, cutting off the final link between the Shadow Space and the real universe, and we would be trapped in another world, possibly even destroyed along with it.

Sending a large Imperial Fleet to protect the Mist God Star is a straightforward approach, but I quickly dismissed it. During an enemy's frantic counterattack, a batch of escort ships can't guarantee absolute safety, and we have limited fleet numbers to begin with. Diverting half of them means we won't even be able to fight in Shadow Space. Ultimately, Sandora and I agreed that as long as we could protect the Mother Nest at the final moment, it would be sufficient, so we shielded the Mist God Star Core with elite forces. That was Sicaro's group…

One must admit, though he's a stubborn eyesore in urban settings, he's incredibly professional as a bodyguard. He can withstand a Galaxy Main Gun with his biceps, and even after bursting strength can take a blast from Genesis—for how long he needs to lie in the repair center afterward is another matter, but he genuinely can endure it.

As insurance, we also left Yelsen behind. After helping out the city patrol for several days, 123 and Sicaro formed a "friendship of enemies," each wanting to bury the other's head into the ground. It's natural for stylish men to be enemies; although one takes the rugged uncle route and the other the handsome War God style, they still see each other as nemeses in every sense. Getting them to cooperate wasn't easy—Monina paid with punches and kicks, and I did so through a certain Red and White's blows.

In any case, the security of the gigantic Mother Nest was assured. Even if the Mist God Star was compromised, we had enough buffer time to withdraw from Shadow Space. Besides, the enemy isn't guaranteed to attack here: the chances of quickly finding the information leak point are low.

Additionally, a small group of "people" were left in the real space—those who squeezed in forcefully during the journey and refused to be driven away, a group of Fantasy Land Demons. Whether they were fearless or entirely ignorant of space warfare, they didn't want to leave even after the Azeroth intruders were driven back. Fearing for their safety in Shadow Space, I forcibly kept them at the Mist God Star Outpost and even left them a Teleportation Gate, so if this place were truly attacked, they could flee back to Avalon. Hopefully, these mischievous beings won't cause me too much trouble.

"Parallel processing of preset data is normal, ready to start at any time. The downlink host is ready to connect."

Bubbles' report interrupted my daydreaming—what I like to call thinking. I noticed that the room's screen had darkened at some point, leaving the Xyrin Host-formed servo arrays as the only light source in the hall: Transmission had begun.

The Shadow Space transmission coordinates and decryption codes were uploaded to all Imperial Battleships, and then, countless ships faded out like ghosts in the night, erased from their forms in the real space.

At the last moment of detachment from the Main Material Plane, I repeated to Milia: "Remember, you have only forty-eight hours. When the time is up, pull us back regardless of whether we send a return signal!"

Amid the suddenly intensified interference, Milia's blurred image nodded. With that, our last direct connection to the Main Material Plane was severed. From this point on, all bandwidth between the Imperial Fleet and the Outer World would be dedicated to the Shadow Channel. Milia and the Xyrin Hosts would ensure the Shadow Space doesn't drift for the next forty-eight hours, or else the Imperial Army would find itself trapped in this world along with the Revenge Army.

"It doesn't look that different from outside."

Looking at the Star Map's calm and deep outer space, Qianqian said softly.

"Because it's completely the shadow of the universe," Big Sister took a deep breath, "The scene here should be your territory during the Old Empire Era, right?"

Her last sentence was directed at Sandora, who nodded. She had a slightly somber expression before departure, but now it had completely faded to indifference. "According to the Star Map, this should be near Little Jin Base's Bright Dust Cluster, there should be a deep-space city in the N77E65 standard direction. It's a large-scale production facility…"

The probe sent to scout the situation discovered the deep-space city almost the moment Sandora finished speaking. However, the transmitted imagery showed it had already become ruins.

Sandora merely sighed, then ordered the Royal Fleet to begin merging with the Celestial System Fleet.

The Celestial System Fleet had also successfully entered the Shadow Space. The Constant Star Fortress that exists was powerful enough to distort the normal cosmic order, typically unable to enter "another world" so easily. But Shadow Space is a special domain, a construct based on information piled up from the Outer World. Ghost Energy Death Star's unique physical disturbances to the Outer World are ironically minimized here, which inadvertently helped us. The Celestial System Fleet corrected its coordinates while "sinking" into Shadow Space. It was tens of light years away from us before transmission, but only thirty astronomical units afterward—a feat within Taville's reach. Through fleet visuals, we could directly observe the Celestial System Fleet with the naked eye without magnifying the image: In the profound space, it looked like a bright blue orb.

Thirty Planet Battleships were floating out of the Ghost Energy Death Star's "Air Bubble" hangar, and so could not be seen yet.

The convergence of the two fleets proceeded very smoothly. The short distance could be covered in no time, and the Revenge Army missed the chance to intercept. Of course, they probably haven't even reacted yet.

After the two forces merged, the Royal Fleet's ships docked on the second layer of the Planet Defense Circle, advancing together overhead within the high orbit of the "Teldar Hill" Planet Battleship along with the entire Celestial System Fleet. Meanwhile, the Civilization Community's uniquely composed fleet and the United Fleet of the New Eden Federation advanced in a special circular orbit perpendicular to the Planet Battleship's equator. Joining the Royal Fleet, which served as the main escort for the Planet Battleship, they formed a three-dimensional defense network. Similar escort formations surrounded the skies of other dozens of Planet Battleships: The Imperial Ship orbited in high paths roughly parallel to the equator, while the Servant Army operated perpendicularly to this path. After testing various cooperation-with Planet Battleship combat plans, this one was widely accepted. Facts proved that utilizing the Planet Battleship's gravitational orbit conserved much energy.

Numerous ultra-high-speed probes swarmed out of the Excavator Special Service Ship's hangar (a reconnaissance ship rebuilt from an Expeditionary Skeleton) and swarmed to disappear into space. Instantly, the originally obscured Shadow Space map around the Imperial Fleet became clear, like a car windshield swept clean by a wiper.

Then, we discovered two things. The first was a massive structure nineteen light years ahead, where the torrents of information it generated sparked cheers: We found the Shadow Space control core first. As for the second thing…

It was overwhelming intercept fire. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you're welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)