Flash—

The monster legion was swept away by the fleet’s barrage.
The power of the main guns equipped with fire meshes halted the advance of the monster army.

Thud— Thud— Thud—

Missiles fired from the battleships soared in arcs, and flight squadrons launched from each vessel, filling the battlefield.

[Reserve silos charged. Second bombardment preparation complete.]
[Reactor shows no abnormalities.]
[One minute until effective firing range.]
[Initiating evasive maneuvers, free firing permitted upon entering effective range.]
[4th-level Ether condensation detected at the marked coordinates.]
[Brace for impact.]
[Ether shield activation at 40%.]

The reports continued to flood in.

The monsters couldn’t put up much resistance. They were wiped away, turning into cosmic dust as they were swept by the overwhelming power. They couldn’t even maintain control over their bodies, frozen in place.

And why?

Goooo—

At the forefront stood the Imperial flagship.

The golden wave of energy emanating from the flagship overwhelmed the monsters.

This was a ship that could only be operated by the Galactic Empire’s Emperor, Karlstein Babylon.

From the flagship’s bridge, Karlstein infused Ether into the Ether amplifiers in real-time, projecting faint golden waves across the entire battlefield.

Even the soldiers, allies in this battle, could feel the heavy pressure emanating from the waves.

Someone might scoff at the idea that the monsters were intimidated by mere aura.

But it was different for him.

After experiencing the Single-Number raid, he was no longer the same.

It wasn’t just psychological pressure. It was a genuine, overwhelming aura that could make one’s legs tremble.

Anyone without exceptional courage wouldn’t even be able to face him. Especially now, as he was amplifying the Ether waves and pouring all his strength into the aura.

To the monsters, it must have been a disaster.

Was that all?

Countless space battleships filled the vast expanse of space.

The endless tide of ships swallowed the monsters, advancing relentlessly. The monsters couldn’t even retreat, only getting pummeled.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen His Majesty so furious."
"Given the rumors about Camilla’s injuries, it’s understandable that he’d be this angry."

"Hah... Am I getting old? I’m having trouble just keeping up with His Majesty."
"His Majesty’s Ether is extraordinary."
"Just a little more, hang in there. It's tough for us, but for the monsters, this must feel like hell."
"Heh, let’s see if they can survive this."

The golden waves affected even their own troops, but it was bearable. All the ships that had been called into action had Ether wave neutralizers installed, so they could withstand it.

"By the way, I don’t see many Named entities around."
"If Camilla really was injured, they must be around here somewhere."
"Maybe they’ve been dealt with already."
"Really?"

Like the others, Karlstein also couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

What was he missing?

It felt like something was missing—like the core of it had slipped away.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

They had successfully breached the barrier but hadn’t yet entered the interior. Could it be that the Galactic Empire’s defenses were the reason?

No.

The monster attack was clearly driven by a specific purpose. What that purpose was didn’t matter for now, but after taking back the area near the barrier, why had they not taken follow-up actions and simply waited?

He hadn’t seen many plant-type monsters, which could contaminate entire planets.

Nor did it seem like they had launched rear-guard actions to stop the Empire’s second wave of advances.

If that were the case, then the external frontlines beyond the barrier should have been shaken as soon as Prohiden launched its attack, but everything was proceeding smoothly without issue.

"Right. Something’s..."

A special forces team?

"Hmm..."

The monsters had always acted as a collective, but this time it felt like Prohiden had its own special forces.

[B-8129 sector reclaimed.]
[C-5644, no signs of monsters detected.]
[B-6672 sector reclamation commencing.]

As more reports came in, Karlstein began to piece something together.

It seemed that Aria had also sensed it.

[They’re stalling.]
"Using a single legion as bait?"
[It’s hard to say. We’ve never seen monsters act like this before.]
"..."

Prohiden was nowhere to be seen, but the others were being systematically eliminated. The Galactic Empire was quickly reclaiming the area near the barrier.

"I’m not seeing many Named entities as expected."
In that case...

"It won’t work."

"Aria, prepare the fastest assault craft."
[Are you planning to infiltrate alone?]
"If we’re stalling, we can reverse the situation."

Infiltrating enemy lines alone was almost crazy, but...

[We’ll load the necessary equipment.]

Karlstein wasn’t the type to take the role of a tank just for fun.

"Prepare Weapon No. 0 and No. 6 as well."
[Understood.]

No. 6 was a balanced weapon combo, a spear and shield, that Karlstein used when directly engaging on the front lines.

"Just prepare the fleet to clear the path, and we’ll leave immediately."
[Understood.]

Of course, Aria wasn’t pleased that Karlstein was going alone into enemy territory.

It was inevitable that she would show a hint of displeasure.

[Master, your stubbornness never changes.]
"It’s been a while since I’ve had a good fight."

***

Somewhere near the barrier,

A monster with a mane of starlight sat atop the back of an ultra-massive beast, watching something intently.

Zzz— Zzz—

A platinum-colored egg, emitting strange waves.

Thud— Thud—

The platinum egg pulsated as if alive, contracting and expanding rhythmically.

Prohiden carefully observed the egg, which was gently cradled in the nest, for a long while.

Just then.

Step— Step.

A cautious presence approached, and someone arrived.

A high-ranking monster, its body covered in red armor, kneeled and bowed before Prohiden.

Sss—

The violet glow of Prohiden’s eyes listened silently to the report from the red monster.

Nod.

At Prohiden’s slow response, the red monster stood up.

For a brief moment, the red monster’s gaze fell on the platinum egg.

It paused.

The red monster’s eyes briefly trembled before regaining composure.

It then stepped back.

But at that moment—

Whooosh—

The starlight mane pierced through the heart of the red monster.

With a creak, the red monster turned its head. The violet glow of Prohiden’s eyes flickered one last time.

Thud—

The red monster fell, never to open its eyes again.

Prohiden looked down at the fallen creature.

Such arrogance. To dare be so greedy.

With a wave of Prohiden’s hand, the red monster’s corpse turned to dust and scattered.

Prohiden then returned to the egg and began staring at it again.

There was no time.
It was dangerous.
He was coming.

The bait was only bait.
It could buy a little time, but it wouldn’t stop him.

The violet glow flickered faintly as Prohiden gazed at the egg.

It must be protected.
Even other monsters couldn’t be trusted.
There could be no more hiding it.

To do so, the current blocked passage must be used to escape.

With a slight twitch of Prohiden’s finger, dark red flesh began to rise from the ground, carefully enveloping the platinum egg.

Just a little longer.

***

"Hmm."

[Dragon! Isn’t it about time to stop messing around?]
[The pride of a dragon? I’ll believe it when you say that even in front of Joodak.]
[Today was another tough day. I really thought I was going to die.]
[Hey, if we interview that person passing by, would we get a million-point donation?]
[Hold on.]

Static—

[Did you call for me?]

The screen showed a figure in non-combat attire, with various mechanical devices attached.

[Can I ask for an interview?]
[An interview? What’s that?]
[Well, you see...]

Yongyong in the video slyly glanced sideways, checking someone’s reaction. The woman, dressed in red armor and sitting cross-legged in meditation, was the one he was eyeing.

[About... the... uh, I mean, do you know anything about your leader...?]

Karlstein chuckled softly and ended the broadcast.

There were numerous speculative posts about Joodak and the world Yongyong was in circulating in the community.

It seems they’re doing well.

Karlstein closed the dimensional integration community.

The soul shard had been unstable when he first regained consciousness, but now, the connection had stabilized again.

‘Hmm.’

He had only checked for a brief moment.

Now was a time for focus, a time of war.

"Current location?"
[Two hours to the target point.]
"Hmm..."

The target was believed to be the center of where the monster legion had gathered.

Karlstein tilted his head slightly while examining the red-marked 3D map.

"This place..."
[Do you have any idea where it might be?]

At the edge of the map, there was a spot not marked in red that caught his eye.

"Isn’t this the place the Sephiroth bastards visited before? There’s some distance, but..."
[It’s not exact, but it’s nearby.]
"Hmm..."

Karlstein went silent for a moment, then his eyes brightened.

"Right. It’s not just monsters and the Galactic Empire to consider."
[What do you mean?]
"Let’s adjust our route. We should stop by that location first."
[Understood. Adjusting the route. Estimated arrival time is 7 hours, 48 minutes, and 12 seconds.]
"We’ll have to take a detour, but it can’t be helped."

Karlstein nodded and leaned back in a relaxed position.

"Aria."
[What is it?]
"Yongyong seems to be making surprisingly good earnings, maybe I should start streaming too?"
[....]
"I might as well top off my Ether reserves while I’m at it."

Karlstein scratched his chin.

"With some donation reactions, maybe I can make a big haul, haha."
[Do as you wish.]
"Hahaha."

Incredible as it was, they were still at peace, even as they prepared for a solo infiltration into enemy territory.