121: Balrena's thoughts

Deep in the Orion Arm, a silent, dark starry sky was torn open by a sudden, dark-red frenzy.

Space churned violently like boiling water, sending countless distorted gravitational ripples spreading in all directions.

Immediately after, a super-fleet, so massive it would suffocate a civilization just taking to the stars, emerged from the warp bubble with an unrivaled aura of destruction.

Three thousand heavy battleships, eight kilometers long and as ferocious as abyss beasts, formed the backbone of this steel torrent. Their hulls were covered in thick reactive armor and sharp angles, while tens of thousands of kinetic point-defense turrets and missile silos were densely packed on every inch of the ships, emitting a chilling cold light.

Surrounding these behemoths were over ten thousand cruisers and frigates, also painted dark red. The high-energy particle streams emitted by their engines converged into a burning river in space, surging forward.

The fleet was so large that the gravitational disturbances caused by its normal navigation were enough to knock passing asteroids off their orbits.

At the very center of this terrifying fleet was a super flagship over fifteen kilometers long: the Abyss Dominator.

It was more than just a battleship; it was a mobile palace and a war fortress.

Inside the massive command hall of the Abyss Dominator, the supreme ruler of the Iofer Federation, speaker Barlena, sat upon a seat cast from rare metals.

Her petite frame was sunken into the wide throne, her pale skin appearing almost transparent under the dark-red ambient light. The delicate ram horns on her forehead curved slightly upward. She did not wear the heavy power armor like the burly Red Demon Clan generals around her, but instead wore only a thin black silk robe, revealing a large expanse of delicate skin.

Yet, in this command hall, no three-meter-tall giant of the Red Demon Clan dared to look her in the eye.

Because those purple eyes burned with ambition hotter than a star, and a gaze deeper than a black hole.

"speaker, the fleet's Warp Engine overheating rate has reached 15%. Is it necessary to reduce speed?" an aide reported cautiously.

"No deceleration allowed." Barlena's voice was soft and lazy, yet laced with biting coldness. "Restart the engines, maintain full speed at fifty times the speed of light. Abandon any ships that fall behind. I want to see the stars of the Tianen Star System within the scheduled time."

"Yes!" The aide shivered and immediately retreated.

Barlena slowly closed her eyes and rubbed her throbbing temples.

Only she knew the helplessness hidden behind her seemingly insane order to advance.

Just a few months ago, the unknown civilization known as Faleim not only physically erased the Iofer Federation's capital system, the Gate of Hell, but also did something afterward that made Barlena extremely furious.

They sent a global broadcast across the entire universe using the most primitive form of electromagnetic waves.

The content of the broadcast was simple: footage of the entire destruction of the Gate of Hell system and a statement from their commander.

At first, Barlena didn't take this broadcast to heart. After all, electromagnetic waves in the universe only travel at the speed of light. On an interstellar scale of hundreds of light-years, the speed of light was as slow as a snail crawling. By the time this signal reached the Federation's border systems, it would likely be hundreds of years later.

But she underestimated the penetration capability of information in the universe, and she underestimated the means of the Faleim People.

That broadcast signal wasn't just sent from the original location of the Gate of Hell; it seemed to have been "delivered" to every corner of the Orion Arm by some means.

Furthermore, although the Iofer Federation possessed an instant communication network based on quantum entanglement, and Barlena had issued a highest-level information blockade order immediately, strictly forbidding any news about the capital's destruction from spreading within the internal network...

She could not block those civilian ships and smuggling vessels that happened to pass through the signal coverage area after the damn broadcast was sent out.

Those ships received the signal and carried the information to every space station and colony.

Rumors, like an invisible virus, began to spread through the lower society and edge systems of the Iofer Federation.

"Did you hear? Something seems to have happened at the capital..."

"My cousin works on a smuggling ship. He said he received a strange video. It looks like the Throne Star exploded..."

"Don't talk nonsense. That was a Federation military exercise! Watch out, or the security team will arrest you!"

Although these rumors were currently just sparks, tightly suppressed by the Federation's massive and violent stability-maintenance machine, Barlena knew clearly that paper could not wrap up fire.

As time passed, more and more ships would receive the signal, and the rumors would become increasingly real.

Even without confirmation from quantum communications, when ships traveling to or trading with the capital system found it turned into a void that devoured everything, the truth would no longer be concealable.

According to the think tank's projections, she had at most less than a year left.

One year.

In less than a year, the news of the destruction of the Gate of Hell would completely spread throughout the entire Federation.

Those slave races that had been conquered and oppressed by the Iof People for thousands of years would rise up; the border warlords who held heavy troops and had long been dissatisfied with the central government would stand on their own; and those greedy capital groups supporting her from behind, once they discovered she had lost her foundation, would undoubtedly kick her away like a stray dog on the side of the road.

By then, the massive Iofer Federation would likely fall into the quagmire of civil war and rebellion.

So she had to gamble. She had to gamble on using a glorious victory to cover up the pain of the home planet's destruction before the truth was revealed, to use the immense wealth and new territory plundered to satisfy the appetites of domestic factions, and to use the enemy's blood to recast her crumbling prestige.

"Tianen Star System..."

Barlena opened her eyes again, her gaze locked tightly onto the strategic node flickering with golden light on the holographic Star Map.

That was the Angel Empire's last fortress in the Orion Arm, and also the gateway to the rich hinterland of the Perseus Arm.

"Once I take that place, I can drive straight in and seize dozens of industrial star systems on the edge of the Perseus Arm before the Angel people can react."

"With those resources and slaves, I can temporarily feed those hungry capitalists and warlords, establish a temporary capital in a new star system without the influence of old forces, and... survive."

Although she was the most powerful psionic user in the Federation, if she lost power, even the most powerful psionic user couldn't withstand a gravitational wave oscillation cannon.

This was a race against time. For this, she had mobilized almost all mobile forces on the front line, even at the cost of leaving the rear defenses empty.

"speaker, all fleet commanders are online."

The holographic projection flickered, and the figures of a dozen iofer generals appeared around the conference table. They were all burly, fierce-looking, with eyes full of a desire for war and greed for spoils.

These people did not know that the Gate of Hell was gone. In Barlena's lies, the capital was blockaded to conduct an experiment for an "ultimate weapon," and this general offensive was to coordinate with the testing of that weapon.

"Gentlemen," Barlena stood up. Her petite frame appeared exceptionally majestic against the backdrop of the throne, and powerful mental energy spread with her words.

"We have reached the turning point of fate."

"Those winged bird-men of the Angel Empire are exhausted. Their main fleet has shrunk back to their lair in the Perseus Arm like frightened quails."

"Standing before us is only this one fragile stronghold, the Tianen Star System."

"That is the center of the wealth accumulated by the Angel people over thousands of years of plundering in the Orion Arm. There are mountains of psionic crystals, countless precision factories, and..." She paused, a cruel smile curling at the corner of her mouth, "billions of Angel people slaves."

Upon hearing the words "slaves" and "wealth," the generals' breathing became heavy, and the red light in their eyes intensified.

"Take the Tianen Star System, and everything there will be ours!"

"Take the Tianen Star System, and we open the door to the Perseus Arm. The star system named Apocalypse will become our new hunting ground!"

"For the Federation! For conquest!"

"For conquest! Kill the bird-men!" The generals let out a deafening roar, the sound filled with the most primitive bestiality.

"Move out." She waved her hand as if shooing away a pack of vicious dogs. "Tear that star system to pieces for me."

Meanwhile.

The majestic black hull of the redemption battlecruiser stood quietly in the radiance of the star, like a silent monument.

Around it, the broken fleet pieced together by Governor Raphael was conducting its final reorganization.

Although the numbers were few and the equipment backward, encouraged by the return of Amira Radiance and the appearance of "powerful allies," the morale of the Angel warriors had recovered from the bottom.

Inside the bridge of the redemption, Amira was watching the Star Map nervously.

"Your Highness, the vanguard of the Iof People has broken through the outer unmanned early warning network." The image of Governor Raphael appeared on the communication screen, his expression grim. "There are many of them, very many."

"Their main force has arrived."

Amira took a deep breath and turned to look at Major General Trier beside her.

This leader of the observation group from the Faleim Civilization remained as calm and indifferent as ever, as if the impending great war was just a boring game to him.

"General Trier," Amira asked, "according to your observations, what is the scale of the enemy?"

Trier glanced at the data terminal in his hand, a specialized device connected to the sentry surveillance array data interface.

The second phase of the sentry surveillance array project had been completed, and its detection range covered the entire Orion Arm, and even included several star systems in the Perseus Arm.

"The scale is acceptable," Trier said lightly. "Three thousand two hundred capital battleships, eighteen thousand various auxiliary warships. The total force is more than one hundred times yours."

Hearing this number, the Angel officers on the bridge couldn't help but gasp, even though they were mentally prepared.

"However," Trier changed the subject, "their formation is very scattered. Advancing too fast has caused their escort to detach. Clearly, their commander is in a hurry."

"And they seem completely unaware of this ship's existence."

Trier pointed to the redemption beneath his feet.

Although the Iof People's radar and detection methods were considered first-class in the Orion Arm, with the stealth level of an Avatar-class battlecruiser, the Iof People still thought the Tianen Star System only had Governor Raphael's remnants.

"Your Highness Amira, you should already be familiar with the performance of this ship." Trier looked at the winged princess. "Although it cannot annihilate this fleet alone, as long as it is used properly, it is no problem to give that impatient commander a lesson she will never forget."

Amira nodded, light flickering in her golden eyes.

She sat on the floating command throne, and the three pairs of wings behind her slowly spread out. Powerful psionic fluctuations began to resonate with the warship's main brain.

"Attention all units!"

Her voice spread through the fleet's command network via the psionic induction communication device.

"The enemy is about to arrive!"

"Do not fear, do not retreat! The True God is with us!"

"This time, we will let them know that the blood of the Angel people was not shed in vain!"

"The whole fleet enters combat status Level 1!"

"Prepare to engage!"