"We have to abandon this area too!?"
A silver-gray starship was struck dead center by a meteor trailing a massive tail of fire. In an instant, it snapped in two within the deep void, both flaming halves falling into the planet's gravity well.
"Correct. Word just came from the Celestial Sphere. The eleven systems in the central region must also be evacuated quickly!"
Under the protection of an Apostle, the Quantum Legion's loss rate had been less than ten percent when fighting on the outer edge of the star system. But after rendezvousing with the other two legions in the central region, Raven finally understood just how exaggerated a loss rate of over sixty or even seventy percent could be.
Including heavy cruisers, the small and medium-sized starships of the various legions had been almost completely wiped out.
Before the most basic defense line could even be established, the Swarm had already marched majestically into the central region of the Vitriel Star System. While the quantum energy explosions had certainly affected them, the Swarm simply didn't care about these losses… every single one of them was a suicide squad.
Facing the adjutant who brought the latest intelligence—
"Koenigsegg, you enter stasis as well."
The various legions were piecing together their heavily damaged standard battleships. Relying on the surviving large-scale Machine Race individuals to provide FTL power, they were using them as transport ships to ferry a large number of Imaginary Cores back to the Imperial parent world. Ever since the eighth "Crusade Against the Sea" two thousand years ago, the Imperial legions had developed a highly efficient method for preserving their soldiers.
The "Semi-permanent Core Reinforcement" surgery, performed by Higher Primordial Species or even Apostles, could reduce the death rate of legion soldiers in battle to below thirty percent, even without "resurrection." A "shell" nested outside the Imaginary Core, capable of withstanding a blow from a [Higher Primordial Species], could effectively preserve their effective strength in large-scale warfare.
Of course, reforging the Imaginary energy shell was not a simple matter if one wanted to return to battle—that was the job of the Starforge Legion and its subordinate civilian organization, the "Mining Company."
"Stasis?"
"I'm a Higher Primordial Species!"
Repairing the body of a Higher Primordial Species required a massive amount of Imaginary energy. In a battle of this level, a non-commander-level Higher Primordial Species was in an awkward position. By the time they were awakened again, the war would likely be over.
"I've never heard of a legion-level general entering stasis early!"
Raven was unfazed by Koenigsegg's "anger."
"The Vice-Commander of the War Legion is already dead. The Vice-Commander of the Beast Extermination Swarm was hit so hard his core nearly shattered. Who knows how much his intelligence will be affected in the future… though he wasn't that smart to begin with."
"They were all hotheads who charged straight into the Swarm, just like you."
Raven slammed her fist on Koenigsegg's shoulder, knocking off a large piece of alloy plating.
"With your injuries, if you get involved in my fight, I'll have to spend extra energy protecting you."
"…"
"Koenigsegg, this is an order!"
Seeing her second-in-command still hesitating, Raven finally hardened her heart.
"Commander Raven, at least let me hold out until reinforcements arrive."
Koenigsegg knew Raven's style very well. When it came to being reckless, the two of them were cut from the same cloth.
"Less than half of the Imperial legions have even arrived. Even if we need to guard against a sneak attack on the parent world, the legions other than the [Throne Guard] can surely be mobilized. Up to now, there have only been—"
"Watch your tongue! Koenigsegg, your security clearance isn't high enough for some of that information. Obey the order. Take two heavily damaged standard battleships and leave. Head directly to the Starforge Legion's station."
"…"
"Vice-Commander Koenigsegg, carry out your commander's order."
Within the [Spear of Gothia], which had been battered into a Syrian-warzone aesthetic, an incoming communication suddenly broke the silence on the bridge.
A holographic "portrait" from a friendly unit was projected directly onto the bridge's main screen.
A head of beautiful silver hair indicated the newcomer's special status—it was a characteristic feature of the Empire's upper-class families, particularly the Kaslanas and the Schariacs.
"The Quantum Legion's losses are heavy… As meritorious border guards who have not basked in the Monarch's radiance for a long time, I can overlook your earlier conversation as a momentary slip of the tongue."
As the voice sounded—
"Inner warp fluctuations detected!"
"The Shield of Galactica! It's the [Imperial Guard]!"
They were the guardian legion of the Imperial parent world, and one of the three garrison forces responsible for defending low orbit.
Looking at the familiar face on the screen, Raven slowly spoke her callsign:
"Hare."
"Long time no see, Raven. My respects, Commander Raven."
"Hello, Ai."
Beside Hare was the main control AI of the [Imperial Guard] flagship, the "Shield of Galactica," who also served as the legion's Vice-Commander:
Ai Hyperion.
Incidentally, "Hyperion" was the surname of an upper-class family among the Machine Race.
"Just you?"
"The 'Throne' and 'Starforge' guards have their own important duties. To be able to dispatch us, Director Horaiji has already taken on enormous risks and pressure… you should know this better than anyone."
Hare paused for a moment, then gave Raven a startling piece of intelligence.
"After all, more than half of the Apostles are not on the parent world."
"…"
"I don't doubt the strength of the [Imperial Guard], but you haven't seen battle in a long time. Your deployment will likely be a drop in the ocean."
Raven heard her but could pretend she hadn't.
"No. What I meant was, we are the only garrison force that has come—"
Before Hare could finish, another new communication cut in just as directly.
"Raven, your flagship's systems need an upgrade. Hare is as fond as ever of joking at times like this."
"Jackal!?"
The commander of the "Bio-Test Armament Unit," Clio (callsign Jackal), was one of the two major forces under the command of the Tenth Herrscher, Mobius (the team led by Gray Serpent was not yet large enough to be called a legion).
"What are you doing here?"
This legion, as its name suggested, was primarily responsible for experiments related to "biological weapons." Although famous, they were not a main battle legion like the Quantum Legion.
"What kind of talk is that?" Jackal retorted in a casual tone. "Lady Mobius is here, so is it any surprise that we are too?"
"Besides… compared to you brutes, my troops are far more useful when it comes to dealing with this 'Swarm' business."
---o---
Daemos Galaxy, within the Mechanical Celestial Sphere.
Beluga and Golem were lying in a dark green pool, the rich Imaginary energy slowly repairing their bodies.
"How did you two get yourselves into this state?"
Mobius's voice came from directly above the pool. In her half-human, half-snake Overweight State, she was manipulating the surrounding "medical equipment" to perform the restorative surgery.
"There haven't been any Emissaries among the retainers of Propagation for a long time. With the strength of your two bodies, even if you took a Super-Star-busting level hit, you shouldn't have been beaten this badly. During your surgery, never mind the energy I spent, the Monarch himself contributed several of his scales."
Mobius's teasing voice was also laced with confusion.
Excluding the [Three Pillars], among all the Apostles, Beluga and Golem had the largest and toughest physical bodies.
"The intelligence was wrong."
When the two of them had first returned, they only had time to report the key piece of information that "there are three Hive Mothers" before passing out.
"No, the intelligence on the Hive Mother itself was not wrong," Golem interrupted Beluga. "But the Hive Mothers I observed were significantly different from the original 'Swarm Propagators'… they have been modified."
"The Antimatter Legion?"
"That is the most likely possibility. Tayzzyronth was among the most powerful of the Astral Gods. To modify Its retainers, it would likely take an existence of the same level, like Nanook."
"…"
"Is that all the intel you have?"
"How is that possible? If we only found out that little, we wouldn't have been beaten so badly."
As his body repaired, a rainbow-colored, translucent halo began to flow around Beluga's horn.
"This is…"
"I entered the consciousness of the [Hive Mother]."
Beluga transmitted the information he had obtained into Mobius's mind.
The [Hive Mother] possessed a comprehensive combat power of the Super-Star-busting level. Although Beluga was skilled in the [Authority of Erudition], his own physical combat power didn't even reach the Star-busting level. For the [Hive Mother] to be able to control such a massive Swarm, its mental power was definitely its strong suit. Needless to say, the act of entering its consciousness was incredibly risky.
"Vajra and Scrin…" Mobius slowly recited the names Beluga had retrieved from the Hive Mother's consciousness.
"That's right. Among the three Hive Mothers, only one is a Propagation Swarm in its original state—the one currently attacking the Vitriel Star System."
Beluga was gradually beginning to recover his strength.
"The other two modified Zerg should be called the 'Vajra' and the 'Scrin'. Although they are far smaller in scale than the Propagation Swarm, their individual combat power has been greatly enhanced. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them elite Zerg."
Hearing Beluga's news, Mobius gently rubbed her chin. "And they haven't shown themselves yet."
"Correct. Small—no, for us, it would be a medium-sized elite force. What such a force could be used for, I don't think I need to explain."
"…"
"It seems your 'sacrifice' was quite valuable after all," Mobius lowered her arm as Klein draped a white lab coat over her from behind. "Otherwise, as a fellow Imperial Apostle, I would have felt embarrassed by your earlier 'disgrace'."
"Hmph. Mobius, your surprises aren't over yet."
Golem, who was recovering faster than Beluga, also reverted to his human form.
"Although my power is at the bottom, even if I can't win, it wouldn't have been much of a problem to protect a mentally drained Beluga and escape from a Super-Star-busting level foe."
Pontos was not only proficient in the [Authority of Preservation] and skilled in using various gravity and spatial abilities, but his stealth and mobility in the Sea of Quanta were also only slightly weaker than Beluga's.
"Are you saying…"
Mobius quickly picked up on the problem in Pontos's words.
"Just as you guessed. The retainers of Propagation have lost their Emissaries and Grand Monarchs, but that doesn't mean the Antimatter Legion wouldn't send an [Emissary] to act with them. And the aura of the guy I sensed, who I suspect is an Emissary, was very similar to that of the Swarm."
Pontos had already made his meaning perfectly clear.
"The ability to control the Hive Mothers and the Swarm likely comes from this Emissary who has 'defected' to the Antimatter Legion… Wasn't there a similar fellow near the planet right below us who was casually eliminated by the Monarch?"
"…"
"How much longer can the legions hold out?" Beluga asked.
"288 hours," the holographic figure projected above the three of them answered. Vill-V, who was responsible for central coordination, had joined the conversation.
"Better than expected."
"Besides your mutt, the Imperial Guard has also come from the parent world to provide support," Mobius said with some surprise. "To think they could even command the Schariac family… Our Director of the First Chamber probably doesn't know this much."
"That's why she's in that position, isn't it?"
"True enough."
"This isn't the time for idle chat." Beluga, now in his human form, stood up from the depleted pool of water. "The legions can indeed hold on, but the price we have paid is already great."
When it came to cherishing and protecting his kin, Beluga clearly had more of a say than the others.
"We must… find a way to make that unseen [Emissary] believe there is an opportunity to be seized."
"I have already sent all effective forces to the central region of the star system," Vill-V picked up where Beluga left off. "The warzone cannot be expanded any further."
"No, not only can we not expand it, but we must also continue to shrink it… and shrink it as fast as possible."
"What do you mean?"
The reason Vill-V was in charge of coordination was that when it came to tactical command and strategic deployment, she was not even on par with the brute legion commanders fighting on the front lines.
"It's simple," Beluga explained his idea. "We make the enemy believe that we have already lost the ability to fight."
"There has never been any intelligence in the cosmic sea about this Swarm [Emissary]. This means that this is very likely its first truly large-scale campaign after pledging allegiance to the Antimatter Legion."
Beluga looked around, his finger tracing two clear words in the void: Credit.
"The greatest prize must be taken by the Emissary itself. Isn't that a matter of course?"
"The key is," Pontos took over the topic, "that even if you tie all of us here together, we would not be a match for an [Emissary] in a single clash. Even if the Temple of War and Lord Kalpas joined forces, they could at best hold out for one move… Even if Lady Haxxor Bunny chose to act, without being able to protect the galaxy and the fleet, she could at most buy a little more time."
"Correct. And that's the most optimistic scenario. Although I can sense its [Emissary]-level aura, I can't precisely determine if it's 'Stellar-class' or 'Super-Stellar-class'."
"If it turns out to be the latter…"
"The Antimatter Legion does not have a second 'Super-Stellar-class' Emissary, you can rest assured of that."
A sudden voice interrupted the worst-case speculation.
"Although I haven't seen that bug, if you all put in some effort, it's not impossible that you could kill it… Not every traitor [Emissary] can maintain their original combat power like Hetet. It's already impressive if they don't fall from their realm."
From the room's entrance, a red-haired dog-girl wearing "Paw Patrol" gloves strode in with an arrogant swagger—
The newcomer was none other than the three-headed dog "subdued" by the Monarch:
Cerberus.