Viteriel Star Field.
The outer rim of the Deimos Galaxy.
A ring encircled a sphere, a structure that was then repeated eight times, with mechanical arms extending from each to point directly at the center.
This was the frontline base of the Sky People, named after the galaxy it was in.
As a secondary command structure, the Deimos Base was responsible for all exploration and combat missions for the Sky People across the three nearby galaxies. It had the authority to directly contact the home world and maintained a permanent garrison fleet. For tasks like attacking other civilizations to harvest Honkai energy, smaller jobs only required a Scout Star to crash into them, while slightly larger ones were handled by dispatched fleets.
The purpose of the garrison fleet was to defend against attacks from hostile powers.
That was right.
While the Sky People appeared to be thriving under the protection of the Antimatter Legion, they were also a primary target for many other civilizations. After all, if a civilization that had surrendered to the Antimatter Legion was allowed to live too comfortably, the number of collaborators would only increase in the future.
Therefore.
Even while developing secretly in this backwater region of space, the Sky People remained extremely cautious. Due to its proximity to the Quantum Sea, the environment of this star field was terrible. Most civilizations wouldn't risk mutual destruction to explore here. After all, if the "Abyss" was activated, the disaster would not be limited to just one or two star fields... sometimes, it would even require an Astral God to intervene to quell it.
Inside the planetary-sized frontline base, the control room at the center of the sphere was filled with a cacophony of voices.
Red creatures with tentacles, smooth skin, and an average height of over 2.5 meters, possessing some humanoid features, were operating the equipment before them while wearing various mechanical devices.
These were the Sky People.
There was little individual variation among them, with their red coloration being the race's most defining feature.
From their attire and weapons to their warships, almost all of the Sky People's equipment was painted red.
"Gurgle gurgle (translation follows)."
"A riot has broken out on Colony Star No. 71. Two nearby patrol fleets have been dispatched to suppress it. Estimated loss rate is twenty-three percent."
At the very center of the command hub, the frontline base commander was completely submerged in a transparent tank over ten meters high. A pale red liquid obscured its form, and a dense network of pipes extended from the top of the tank, continuously transmitting information that needed to be processed.
The psychic power of the Sky People was not strong.
The technology for the tank was provided by the Antimatter Legion. Using this method enhanced their cognitive processing speed and multitasking abilities... in the form of a non-renewable consumable.
"What is the mineral collection rate?"
"Tiberium crystal ore reserves have dropped to twelve percent. The number of open-pit mineable clusters is below four percent."
The space within the command center was larger than a hundred football fields stacked together. The Sky People stood in a three-dimensional ring before their respective consoles, exhaling highly acidic bubbles (a byproduct of their accelerated metabolism) while transmitting the information they gathered to the commander through the beards (tentacles) inserted into the consoles.
"Ignore those rabble-rousers. Have the patrol fleet directly retrieve the ore warehouses, and then... these guys should fit the No. 15 biological model. Disperse the Type-III genetic agent upon departure. The quota has been met; we no longer need the slaves here."
"Understood."
Exchanges like this were happening by the hundreds and thousands at every moment.
---o---
"Scout Star No. 1739 has gone completely silent."
"The Scout Star did not transmit the designated secret order. The possibility of self-destruction is ruled out. It is uncertain if a high-level civilization was involved."
The Scout Star was the most common reconnaissance tool used by the Sky People, and the communication technology it relied on also came from the Antimatter Legion. Although it couldn't transmit information through a time vortex, it could at least report its own existence back to its assigned frontline base.
"Given that the Scout Star lost contact 147 standard hours ago, there is a greater than eighty-two percent probability that it was caught in a high-risk celestial phenomenon of Grade 3 or higher."
"Can we lock onto its spatial coordinates?"
"Negative. The transmitted coordinates are not within a detectable dimension. Tentatively concluded that the timeline was affected by an external force."
"Send two more Scout Stars over. It might be the work of hostile elements."
"Underst—"
"Warning!"
"Warning!"
A pale green light instantly replaced the crimson glow of the command center, which had looked as if it were bathed in sunset.
"Large-scale spatial fluctuation detected."
"Locking coordinates—11.23.91.90, direct distance 3 million kilometers."
"The other party has not presented identification."
"Warning!!"
"Warning!!"
"Base has been targeted. Battleship Tienderli has been targeted. Battleship Kanxiuli has been targeted. Battleship Bego—"
"High-concentration Imaginary energy fluctuation detected!!!"
"High-concentration Imaginary energy fluctuation detected!!!"
In an instant, the entire command center erupted into a chaotic frenzy.
What did 3 million kilometers even mean?
With the Deimos Frontline Base as its center, a super-large spatial interdiction device gave the Sky People the ability to lock down FTL travel within a radius of over 8 million kilometers.
This was also technology from the Antimatter Legion. Apart from a very small number of organizations, civilizations, or powerful individuals, the vast majority of interstellar civilizations could not possibly "jump" to such a close distance.
And any civilization capable of doing that...
...would go straight to the Antimatter Legion if they had a problem. Why would they come to this forgotten corner of the cosmic sea to pick a fight with them?
Before the base commander could even shout the "raise shields" command—the large energy shield protecting the frontline base only maintained fifteen percent power during non-alert states, but could be emergency-charged to thirty percent in a very short time.
That number might seem low.
But given the energy reserves of the frontline base, it was enough to withstand the main cannons of ten standard battleships for twenty-four hours straight.
However...
VMMMM!!!
Ripples spread across the dark, deep space. The void seemed to bloom layer by layer, like ink spreading in a pool of water, and then—
BOOOOOM!!!!!
---o---
"This turtle shell is pretty tough."
Welt, in his starship form, was the first to emerge from the space gate.
"We can't underestimate them, Professor Welt."
Himeko, the Shoggoths, Welt Yang, and the others were inside Welt's "belly," observing the external battle situation from the bridge's main viewscreen.
"If nothing else."
"Just look at this spatial interdiction technology. That alone is worth the price of admission for this trip. The Empire has no related research in this area whatsoever."
Spatial interdiction.
It was a common tactic used to prevent enemy fleets from escaping or to stop them from jumping right on top of you in a sudden encounter.
The Empire indeed lacked such a universal technology. Their enemies either lived directly in the Sea or were confined to the fixed spatial structure of a Bubble Universe. There was simply no need for similar technology.
Even if there was a need.
The expeditionary legions, with Lord Behemoth standing guard, and the Imperial home world, shrouded in the Emperor's power, could both eliminate such risks with personal strength that far surpassed mere "technology."
On a side note.
The FTL method used by the five Starship-class vessels on this mission, including Welt, was completely different from any known in the cosmic sea. Like the Stellar Whales, instead of jumping directly through space, members of the Empire preferred to "dive" and "surface."
Other civilizations regarded the "Abyss" with fear and loathing, but the Empire was different.
While the constant battle with the Quantum Sea tied up most of the Empire's forces, it also provided them with far more experience in fighting the Abyss than any other civilization.
What's more.
Under the shroud of the Emperor's power, Quantum energy was more of an "imprecise" energy source than a "dangerous" one for the Empire. Whether they had entered the Quantum Sea or not, due to thousands of years of genetic accumulation and refinement, members of the Empire were more or less tainted with Quantum energy.
In any other civilization in the cosmos, this would definitely be considered a symptom of abyssal erosion. Within the Empire, it was commonplace.
Returning to the topic of FTL.
Even for those "branches" far from the Sea's surface, for the legions, it was merely a matter of expending a bit more energy to "leap up" from the seabed.
This was the reason the legions were able to appear right on their doorstep in an instant.
As for why it was 3 million kilometers and not closer—the legions had somewhat underestimated the defensive capabilities of the Sky People (or more accurately, the Antimatter Legion). This safe distance was originally meant to avoid being caught in the blast.
But now it seemed...
The opening salvo from the five starships had wiped out ninety percent of the garrison fleet's defensive forces.
Aside from one standard battleship that hadn't been sunk because its shields were raised fast enough (minor damage), and which managed to protect several smaller vessels around it (moderate damage), the only remaining resistance at the Sky People's frontline base was the base itself, encased in its thick turtle shell.
---o---
"How's it looking?"
Welt's processing power (mental strength) was entirely focused on the starship itself. Along with the other four legion starships, he was laying down suppressive fire on the Sky People's frontline base and their last remaining battleship. As a subordinate of the Antimatter Legion, the Sky People were a battle-hardened race and had launched a counterattack the moment they detected the enemy.
It needed to be restated.
As troop carriers, the 10K-class starships prioritized speed and protection. Although equipped with large-caliber main cannons, their own firepower was not particularly strong.
The battleships that served as the main damage dealers in interstellar warfare were completely absent here. In the Empire, where every citizen could be a soldier when needed, there weren't many standard battleships. All the legions combined only had eight.
On a side note.
Of the class above battleships, the Titans, the Empire had only ever built one... and that was the Throne, where His Majesty the Emperor resided.
"It's no good, Professor Welt."
Himeko was linked to all the control systems on the bridge.
"If we're counting on the firepower of these starships to break through their defenses, it would take at least forty-eight hours to deplete their energy reserves."
"Unless you can focus all of your Imaginary energy on firepower, Professor."
"But if you do that, you'll have to retract the Authority of Erosion that's blocking their communications. Even if we could destroy their frontline base, our next objective would be completely exposed."
That was right.
In Welt's view, the frontline base was just a slightly larger Scout Star. The most important things here were the coordinates of the Sky People's home world and related intelligence.
Although Welt was a Chamber Head.
His martial prowess was outstanding even among the Legion Commanders—there was a gap between him and an Apostle, but it was definitely not as large as one might imagine.
Right now.
He was simultaneously using the Authority of Reason to construct the starship, the Authority of Erosion to block communications, and the Authority of Flame to launch attacks.
"Phew."
"Okay, done~"
But Welt wasn't worried. The fact that Himeko still had the leisure to joke around meant she already had a solution.
He knew this student, his most mischievous and also his most brilliant, all too well.
After a long exhale, Himeko spoke.
"The shield model has been analyzed."
A huge, spherical structural diagram was projected above the bridge.
"This thing's 'standard resistance' is only against energy weapons. Its pass-through rate for slow-moving objects is maintained over eighty percent of the time—this is clearly to prevent boarding actions."
"Hmm..."
Himeko gently rubbed her chin.
"'Diving' at this distance is a bit risky, and it would reveal a lot."
"Professor."
"Launch a saturation strike with high-speed kinetic projectiles. Force them to lower the shield's pass-through rate for high-speed objects. Then, have the 'Helljumpers' hide inside the shells and use the enemy's forced deceleration to pass through the shield."
Helljumpers, commonly known as the Orbital Assault Team.
For a race with fragile bodies, serving in this role would at least require the protection of an orbital drop pod. But for the members of the legion... they only needed to collapse themselves into a ball to minimize the damage from friction and impact. That's right, this ability came from the Quantum Beasts' Collapse skill. All members of the Empire's "Helljumper" units were required to master it.
"Understood."
"...You're going too?" Welt asked, slightly surprised, as he watched Himeko's actions.
"Of course."
Himeko stretched vigorously, then rapidly operated the ruby-like bracelet on her wrist.
"The newly developed 212th Generation Valkyrie Armor."
Swoosh—
A stream of red light poured out of the bracelet, starting from Himeko's left arm and rapidly spreading across her entire body.
Her clothes dissolved into particles of light, and armor that perfectly hugged her stunning curves began to form along her body.
"..."
"It certainly fits your aesthetic," Welt's voice sounded in Himeko's mind as he sensed the form and power of the new armor.
Clang.
Primarily crimson, with gold accents.
The bright and fiery color scheme, paired with the large floating greatsword suspended behind her back, made Himeko look valiant and heroic.
"That's a given."
Himeko clenched her fists.
"As a prototype, if I get good results on the battlefield, the Ninety-Nine Chambers' adoption approval rate should go up by at least five points, right?"
"..."
"If some of the more... unrestrained parts were slightly modified, the Eighth Chamber would be willing to support it."
"Huh?"
"Professor Welt."
"The latest model of Imperial armor... no, forget the latest, you probably haven't even seen the last twenty version updates, have you?"
"..."
"Professor, your taste is way too old-fashioned."
Himeko slapped her forehead, then muttered under her breath—
"I really need to get Sis Einstein to save you."