Harrah, located within the Large Magellanic Cloud, was the homeworld of the Kree Empire.
Despair hung over the planet like a storm cloud. Chaotic footsteps echoed constantly through the halls and corridors of the communications complex. This facility served as the central hub responsible for coordinating external communications and overseeing major interstellar military operations across the empire.
Over the past month, the workload of the communications officers had risen to unprecedented levels. Every day was spent under crushing pressure, forcing them to maintain relentless operational efficiency without rest. Worse still, every incoming quantum transmission carried nothing but disaster.
The reports were always the same. Another Kree fleet had been wiped out. Another Accuser had fallen in battle. Another escort force had vanished somewhere beyond the stars.
Boom!
Inside the Supreme Accuser Council Chamber, the atmosphere was equally grim.
One of the senior Accusers slammed his hand heavily onto the conference table. His face twisted with fury as he rose to his feet.
"This cannot continue," he roared. "The Kryptonian Empire has already crossed every line we were willing to tolerate!"
The other Accusers sat in silence. Their expressions were dark and bitter, as though they had suffered an unbearable humiliation.
Every quantum transmission included holographic battlefield recordings. The scenes were so detailed that they practically recreated the battle itself.
One Accuser opened a recent report.
A colossal warship emerged into view.
The moment it appeared, overwhelming firepower erupted across the battlefield. More than a dozen Kree warships were annihilated in seconds beneath the relentless barrage.
The council members immediately recognized it.
It was another Kryptonian World Engine-class battleship.
"This is the third one."
Someone released a weary sigh.
The room fell silent once more.
Everyone present understood the significance of what they were seeing. Three months ago, there was absolutely no possibility that the Kryptonian Empire possessed so many World Engine-class vessels.
The explanation was obvious.
Another quantum transmission was activated.
The projection shifted.
Against the backdrop of endless stars, hundreds of Kryptonian reconnaissance vessels swept through space. Their formation stretched across the void, so vast that it seemed to blot out the light of distant suns.
Click.
Several Accusers unconsciously clenched their fists.
Another transmission appeared.
This time, a massive fleet engagement unfolded before their eyes.
Hundreds of Kryptonian warships advanced through the darkness while a Kree fleet moved to intercept them. Both sides approached one another rapidly, and a major battle seemed inevitable.
"They're about to engage."
The council members leaned forward.
At last, they had reached footage that might explain why Kree fleets were being crushed so effortlessly. Everyone wanted answers.
The battle began.
Before either fleet exchanged fire, ten figures suddenly shot forward from the Kryptonian formation.
They moved through space like living missiles.
Scarlet beams erupted from their eyes.
The crimson energy lanced across the battlefield, slicing through defensive formations and tearing apart Kree warships as if they were made of paper.
The fleet's front line disintegrated instantly.
Hiss!
Every Accuser in the chamber inhaled sharply.
The room froze.
"What..."
"What exactly are we looking at?"
"How is this possible?"
"Ten of them?"
"Ten Kryptonian Supermen?"
"Can someone explain this to me?"
The last speaker practically screamed.
Months of continuous defeats had pushed everyone to their breaking point. The endless stream of bad news had stretched their nerves to the limit, and now the sight before them shattered whatever composure remained.
The expansion of the Kryptonian fleet could be explained.
The Kryptonians had looted countless Kree resource worlds and industrial facilities. With enough materials, fleet production naturally increased.
The growth of the Kryptonian population could also be explained.
Their advanced genetic engineering technology was already infamous throughout the galaxy.
But this?
This was completely different.
Why were there so many Kryptonian Supermen?
Why?
No one had an answer.
Not even the Supreme Intelligence could explain it.
As the embodiment of all Kree scientific knowledge, the Supreme Intelligence possessed archives stretching back countless generations. Yet nowhere within its records did it indicate that the ancient Kryptonian Empire had ever fielded large numbers of Supermen.
Not even the empire's most elite military commanders possessed such power.
And yet now, a declining civilization that should have been on the verge of extinction had suddenly produced ten of them.
It was absurd.
Impossible.
The phenomenon defied every known scientific model.
It was as though the Kryptonians had somehow unlocked dormant evolutionary potential buried within their species.
Even if these were merely young Supermen whose abilities had only recently awakened, it still meant they had uncovered secrets hidden within their own biology.
For a long time, the Supreme Intelligence remained silent.
When it finally spoke, its voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Accelerate the conclusion of the war with the Skrull Empire."
The room immediately quieted.
"We can no longer afford to divide our attention."
Another pause followed.
Then the Supreme Intelligence issued a second order.
"Raise the threat classification of the Kryptonian Empire to the highest possible level."
No one objected.
No one dared.
The final statement arrived moments later.
"The Super Skrulls are no longer our greatest threat."
The holographic image shifted.
"Kryptonian Supermen are."
Far away, within the Centaurus Galaxy, history was being rewritten.
For tens of thousands of years, every civilization within the region had existed under Kree rule. The Kree banner had flown proudly across countless worlds, representing unquestioned authority and dominance.
Now that banner was being torn down.
A new flag was rising in its place.
The Centaurus Galaxy had become territory of the Kryptonian Empire.
For the Kree people, this reality was almost impossible to accept.
Only three months earlier, the Kryptonians had been viewed as little more than opportunistic thieves. They raided resource outposts and stole supplies whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Many Kree officials had mocked them openly.
Small-time raiders could never build a true empire.
At least, that was what they had believed.
Then everything changed.
The sudden rise of the Kryptonian fleet swept across the region like an unstoppable storm.
Every Kree force that stood in their path was crushed.
Every battlefield ended the same way.
Defeat.
Total defeat.
The speed of their expansion bordered on fantasy.
Standing aboard a command platform, Ethan Drake looked out across the star-filled void.
In the distance, another Kree fleet was desperately attempting to reclaim lost territory.
One after another, their ships exploded into brilliant fireballs.
Opposing them was the unstoppable Kryptonian fleet.
At the forefront of the assault were the ten Kryptonian Supermen.
Within less than ten minutes, the entire battle had already been decided.
From beginning to end, Ethan never once entered the battlefield himself.
Why would he?
As Emperor, there was no need for him to personally intervene in every conflict.
If every problem required his direct involvement, then what purpose did his subordinates serve?
The future revival of the Kryptonian Empire demanded more than conquest alone. They needed capable leaders who could expand territory, defend worlds, and maintain order throughout the growing empire.
If Ethan personally handled every task, he would eventually work himself to death.
That was why every great interstellar empire relied upon powerful military forces to govern the endless universe.
"Not bad."
A faint smile appeared on Ethan's face.
"These generals are performing beyond expectations."
The battlefield had become the perfect testing ground.
The ten elite Kryptonians selected from the Central Collection had demonstrated astonishing combat effectiveness. Their abilities continued to improve with each engagement, revealing more and more of the incredible potential hidden within Kryptonian genetics.
Meanwhile, on Neptune Star, activity continued inside the Life Sciences Research Base.
Another batch of twenty advanced genetic samples was currently undergoing cultivation.
These candidates represented the next generation of Kryptonian generals.
Initially, Ethan had wanted to create hundreds of them at once.
Even if only a small percentage succeeded, the resulting gains would have been enormous.
Unfortunately, Lilith rejected the proposal immediately.
The process required staggering amounts of resources.
Producing a single elite genetic sample consumed immense energy and occupied a significant portion of the Central Collection's operational capacity.
Mass production simply wasn't possible.
The ancient Kryptonian Empire had not accumulated its population overnight.
According to Lilith's calculations, the empire's former glory was the result of tens of thousands of years of development and gradual expansion.
Trying to achieve the same results instantly was unrealistic.
Ethan understood that.
Even so, recent discoveries continued to prove one undeniable truth.
Yellow suns remained the greatest treasure available to Kryptonians.
Their radiation stimulated Kryptonian cells, awakened dormant potential, and accelerated biological evolution.
Even ordinary Kryptonians who failed to become true Supermen still benefited after adapting to the energy.
The transformation was gradual, but the advantages were undeniable.