The entire process was broadcast live.
Across the universe, people watching the broadcast debated Kaito's audacity and blind confidence.
Some admired Kaito's boldness. After seeing his newfound strength, he even gained some followers.
Such an emperor, such an Overlord of the Universe, was what they wanted. If he won this war, and as long as he lived, the universe would know peace!
Naturally, while some admired him, others were skeptical.
They still thought he was too arrogant.
Even Gid would bring a massive fleet when entering the depths of an enemy star system.
But what about Kaito?
A mere five fleets!!
Ignoring the nobles and generals who might not support Kaito, just the forces directly under the royal family, the generals absolutely loyal to Sephie, combined with the royal military power, could easily mobilize hundreds of thousands of ships!
Because the universe was vast, they needed a large number of ships for patrols to maintain peace.
If not that many, at least half of them!
But no!
Five fleets!
Daring to start a war with the rebels with just five fleets, daring to advance deep into the rebels' star system with just five fleets! Wasn't that just throwing them away?
Even though Kaito had shown his strength, many still doubted.
First, Kaito wasn't a god. He would eventually tire.
Second, Kaito couldn't possibly fight hundreds or thousands of ships simultaneously.
Forget about ground combat; he would be taken out in space!
The prerequisite for ground combat was to annihilate the enemy's fleet, then land on the rebel's star system and capture their leaders!
For a time, some in the universe were happy, some were worried, and some were calculating their positions and related matters.
Their decisions would be made based on the final outcome.
If Kaito died, then without a doubt, the only great power in the universe would collapse.
Then, more lords would rebel, stop paying tribute, and join the rebels in carving out territory, declaring themselves kings and emperors.
It would be similar to the war scenarios Gid had participated in before...
But Gid had fought his way up slowly!
"Hehe, smoking in space is quite interesting?"
Watching the smoke from his cigarette float and linger in the carrier's command room, Kaito used his ability to gather the smoke and form a word.
This word was in the universal language of this universe.
"I'm sure you rebels are watching this broadcast, right?"
"So, do you recognize this word?"
It wasn't a particularly difficult word. It was just the word for 'death'.
But this single word also told the rebels their fate, and warned those with ulterior motives.
Whether they were rulers of other planets, great nobles, or great generals, it was the same!
"Your Majesty! Only 20 million kilometers to the destination!!"
They were not using space jumps, just normal travel.
After a while, the deputy commander reported, while radar scanned for enemies in the area.
Although their technology was advanced, the rebels sometimes had unexpected tricks.
For example, stealth capabilities. Like stealth fighters, they used coating, signal, and electronic countermeasures to achieve invisibility.
"Your Majesty! They have indeed set a trap for us, trying to stop us... outside the Star Ring Arena!"
The deputy commander hesitated, then said this.
He really didn't want to follow in the chief commander's footsteps. Look at him now: he could only listen and watch, frozen in place, unable to do anything else.
This seemed worse than death!
He didn't know how long it would last. Would their Majesty never unfreeze him?
Even though he was on Sephie's side, since he dared to question and contradict the emperor's orders, not being killed was probably out of consideration for Sephie!
"How many are there?"
"Your Majesty... we've detected 102 ships so far. We're still scanning farther out. We can't rule out that they have invisible ships nearby, so the number will only increase!"
Each star system had slightly different technology. Many planets also kept their technology hidden, so better stealth capabilities appeared from time to time.
There were just too many technologically advanced civilizations. To crack their stealth, a lot of preparation was needed in advance.
If they didn't attack, they might not be detected for hours or even days.
"I see... by the way, how many inhabited planets are there in the Arena Galaxy?"
"Your Majesty, there are 391 star systems with complete small ecologies!"
They're like star systems with an Earth and a sun.
Kaito nodded, then asked if the residents of these star system were all allied with the rebels.
This question stumped the deputy commander; his clearance wasn't high enough.
"Sephie, help me investigate."
"Kaito... is this really okay?"
Sephie guessed Kaito's intention. While asking, she didn't stop working. Using her clearance to help Kaito investigate, she quickly presented all the star systems, including planets, within the Arena Galaxy.
Naturally, only the star systems with inhabited planets.
"Well, that's it. But don't worry. I know what you want to say: many of them are innocent, just implicated by those in power."
"I'm just curious about the distances between them. How many innocent people will be affected? I can't do anything about that."
"Blame... the rebels."
The Royal carrier's scan hadn't detected much, but Kaito's scan was far more extensive.
Goodness, over forty thousand ships!
And they were gradually surrounding them. They would reach combat range in about an hour. Once they attacked, even the strongest Royal carrier wouldn't last long.
Forget escaping; there was no chance!
"Alright, prepare to withstand the attack."
"War inevitably brings sacrifice, inevitably implicates innocent people. But I won't be soft."
"The longer this drags on, the more will die."
"So... I plan to annihilate them in one go."