Chapter 382: Crushing and Slaughter

Boom—!

A silent explosion and a dazzling fireball flickered in low Earth orbit of the planet, indicating that the warships the traitors had deployed were mercilessly destroyed.

Of course, the screen burst with a golden hue because the planet's surface was being completely enveloped by a Spiritual Shock, and the golden afterglow was still washing back and forth.

In a split second, the troops and fleet the traitors had hastily assembled on an unknown planet to oppose the human expeditionary force vanished without a trace.

And the mastermind behind all this was Sui Bian.

…

The central control room fell silent in an instant.

Rog and the Iron Fist and Guard units were already accustomed to such things, but the Terra‑born veterans of Shadow Moon Grey Wolf were utterly shocked.

Not only because Sui Bian's Spiritual Energy was suffocatingly powerful and terrifying, but also because the way he unleashed the Spiritual Shock was uncannily similar to the Emperor they revere.

It wasn't just the bewildered Terra giants; Ailinmir, the ancestor of the Mar and a "Elf Queen", was equally shocked, though she maintained a very composed exterior.

She hadn't had any contact with Sui Bian for at least seventy years; the last time was when an interdimensional storm ravaged the border fortresses of the Oslo Star Region, and the Mar received aid from Leon and the Dark Angel, repelling the invading demons. In gratitude, she led only a single guard unit to the Solar System to thank them.

Seventy years ago, Ailinmir already sensed the gap between her and Sui Bian… a gap that was far from negligible. Now?

Now she knows that if Sui Bian wished, he could wipe out the Mar people in the blink of an eye, and she also knows there are many reasons why Sui Bian is acting personally this time.

The first victory to boost morale, to announce the arrival of the Human Lord to the traitors, and so on, but also possibly to showcase his own power to her, with a faint warning undertone.

There's no denying it: they call themselves Mar, yet they cannot fully disassociate from their Weilin tribe origins, and among the many pirate races that have ravaged the borders of human territories, the fallen Weilin make up more than half.

Even though Mar, especially Mar women, often intermarry with brave warriors of the UNSC and auxiliary forces, the Human Lord always keeps a slight guard against them because of the Weilin pirate threat.

For example, the Sangheli (elite) clan has fully integrated into human society; their presence is common in the UNSC and auxiliary forces, while the Ironblood clan, skilled at hunting, tracking, and solo combat, are placed under the Regulatory Department, Intelligence Department, or serve as special instructors.

There is also a "kin" group, a Weilin tribe that calls itself the Otino people.

However, the Otino people, who value martial spirit and are straightforward and simple, saw their numbers plummet to around forty thousand due to an invasion by green‑skinned beastmen.

Moreover, the ancestor's daughter of the Otino people, Ifeileni, has a good relationship with the OriginalBody of the Extreme Corps, and the Otino have already been fully incorporated into the Extreme Corps' auxiliary forces, removing the threat. Thus…

It seems that among the races that have established diplomatic ties, alliances, and become vassals of humanity, only the Mar remain a "latent threat".

Because she anticipated this, Ailinmir led the Mar's sole fleet to actively respond to the human expedition, and it appears her decision was correct.

Ailinmir then showed an unmistakably genuine, naturally appearing smile, broke the silence first, walked up to Sui Bian's side, and praised, "Long time no see; the Human Lord's power has grown considerably, and I truly admire it."

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment," Sui Bian replied with an equally modest smile, then slightly turned, lowered his head toward Ailinmir and said, "Recently we finished remodeling Pluto in the Solar System and are preparing a colonization plan. How about we invite your people to settle in the Solar System?"

"No problem; after the expedition ends, I will begin preparations," Ailinmir agreed gladly.

Both understood each other's motives: Sui Bian aimed to further fragment the Mar, while Ailinmir consented for the long‑term welfare of her people. If possible, she wouldn't mind handing over her only fleet, but as she said, the details must wait until after the expedition.

"Respected Human Lord…" At this moment, Ailinmir shifted her gaze to the three Halos projected holographically and asked curiously, "May I ask what purpose these three identical ring‑shaped… ships serve?"

"Don't you have precognition?" Sui Bian asked with a faint smile.

"Precognition isn't omnipotent," Ailinmir smiled, apparently surprised that the Human Lord would make such teasing remarks.

Sui Bian offered no explanation, simply replying, "Rest assured, if the chance arises you'll learn the purpose of those three rings. For now, just have your fleet accompany me."

"Understood," Ailinmir said respectfully.

After speaking with the Elf Queen, Sui Bian glanced sideways at Bai Hou.

Bai Hou immediately obeyed Sui Bian's wordless command, waving her hands lightly to first shrink the live screen and the holographic image of the expeditionary force near the Vortex Space Gate, then project a schematic map of the Milky Way above the central control room.

However, the star regions marked on this schematic differed significantly from those of the primary universe, though the Solar System still lies within the Orion Arm, and the star system containing the Vortex Space Gate matches the coordinates of the Deanka system.

At the same time, the control room emitted swarms of blue particles, coalescing into holographic images of senior expeditionary commanders, including John, Kelakesi, Angelong, and Shengjilesi.

This made the once‑empty control room considerably crowded.

Immediately after, Bai Hou glanced at the Terra‑born veterans who were gradually adapting, and reported to Sui Bian and everyone present:

"Thanks to the survivors of the 9th Regiment of Shadow Moon Grey Wolf, we have obtained extensive intelligence on the New Human Empire. Its overall territory is divided into nine star regions, with the most central being the natural Sacred Terra."

"Sacred? Ha, I think 'fallen' fits better," Rog sneered.

Bai Hou ignored Rog's snide remark, paused, and continued, "According to Chairman Li Sui's policy, we must fully control the New Human Empire's territories and its enslaved, manipulated populace, advancing steadily by first seizing the star region near the Vortex Space Gate.

Finally, for convenience and to save time, this parallel universe is provisionally designated 'Zero Three'. I will now upload the detailed operational objectives to each of your flagships. Any objections?"

… Everyone gave a slight shake of the head.

"Alright, everyone." Seeing this, Sui Bian took over from Bai Hou and continued, "A pre‑battle motivational speech… hmm… I think it's unnecessary, because we are here to let the traitors who have chosen decadence and willingly been corrupted by interdimensional forces know what fate awaits them if they provoke us."

Thus, whenever we encounter a stubbornly resistant planet or star system, you may immediately submit a request for an extermination order to me; you need not worry about how it might affect your future careers—society and the public will understand our actions.

Is that clear to everyone?

"Yes! Father (Chairman)!" the OriginalBodies and commanders answered in unison.

"Very well, OriginalBodies stay for now; everyone else, go attend to your tasks."

"Yes!"

As his words faded, the holographic projections in the control room vanished one by one, and Sui Bian ordered the four Guards previously present to escort the Shadow Moon Grey Wolf veterans to the ship Leonadi, initially assigning them to the Sparta Corps.

In fact, Sui Bian had considered how to handle the loyalist Astate faction in Universe Zero Three.

Reassigning them quickly was impossible, as there is no direct 'bloodline' connection, yet they cannot be continuously sidelined, lest it incite discontent among the loyalists.

However, he already has a preliminary plan in mind and intends to contemplate its feasibility during the expedition, to enact it once the expedition ends.

As for corruption?

This time Sui Bian not only allowed Artemis, who possesses purification abilities, to join the expedition, but also brought the greatest researcher of Umbrella—

the Plague Doctor.

The reason is that the vaccine developed by the Plague Doctor has completely insulated humanity—and the races integrated into human society—from interdimensional contamination.

Without the Plague Doctor or the vaccine, humans in the primary universe might have been domesticated as pets by evil gods and demons around the Arcadia incident.

Therefore, when Sui Bian informed the Plague Doctor that Universe Zero Three contains Chaotic OriginalBodies and Chaotic Astate, the Plague Doctor, without hesitation, eagerly followed them on the expedition, saying:

"Oh~! Mr. Sui! Please be sure to capture a diseased OriginalBody for my research… No, I can't wait any longer; otherwise I'll just go capture them together with the children!"

Leaving aside the Plague Doctor's actual combat ability—though they have hand‑caught dozens of low‑ and mid‑level demons—Sui Bian would never approve a request to partake in the capture of Chaotic OriginalBodies.

After all, plague doctors are Umbrella, and even a vital 'asset' for all of humanity.

Soon, the previously crowded control room became spacious again, and Sui Bian glanced at his five descendants, saying in a low voice: "Children, the task of liberating the star domains and star sectors oppressed by chaos can be left to other commanders; your primary objective is to have me hunt down and capture that group that chose betrayal, chose to fall, those chaos OriginalBodies."

"Yes, father." The five descendants likewise assented in a low voice.

"Bai Hou will upload more detailed intelligence, and..." At this moment, although Sui Bian's expression remained cold, his eyes inadvertently revealed a hint of worry, his tone softened, and he instructed:

"You surpass those traitorous chaos OriginalBodies in every way; I believe you can easily defeat them, but do not be careless—even if they are not equal, they are still OriginalBodies, understand?"

"Don't worry, father!" Angelong, the kindest and most steady in character, instead eagerly said: "I will personally slay the bastard who shares my name!"

"I'm actually interested in Peturabo; that guy seems to despise Rog who shares my name." Rog, standing beside Sui Bian, also echoed.

Kelakesi frowned, muttering softly: "Conrad Koz...?"

"All right." Sui Bian waved his hand, stopping the OriginalBodies' free discussion, no longer giving further instructions, saying: "Go now; report any abnormalities to me immediately."

"Yes!"

Along with another unanimous response, the holographic display quickly faded; in the end, beside Sui Bian at the control console remained only Rog wearing armor with an 'Imperial' style, the silent guards, and Bai Hou and Ailin Mi'er.

"Father, what is our objective?" Rog asked.

"…" Upon hearing that, Ailin Mi'er also turned her gaze toward Sui Bian, seeming just as curious as Rog.

"We?" Sui Bian glanced at the central area on the reduced map, smiling faintly: "Of course it's a straight crush toward the so-called Shensheng Tala; steady progress is what commanders and you brothers need to worry about, but to me it's merely insignificant scum—so, children, have your legions get ready."

"Hahaha, I can't wait any longer, father!" Rog, reacting strongly, burst out laughing and immediately began dispatching.

——————

…

Above the Vortex Space Gate.

About 120 light-years away lies a colonial star system of the new Human Empire, and on its four Earth-like planets reside people of different strata.

Furthermore, only the planet in the Third Orbit has a somewhat suitable surface environment, with oceans, lakes, and an atmosphere of adequate thickness; the other three have extremely harsh surface environments, only slightly better than recently terraformed Mars.

Moreover, the new Human Empire has gathered heavy forces in the star system named 'Nuxia', with each planetary orbit possessing a thousand warships, and the warships' paint and symbols all indicate they are the Devourer Legion led by Angelong.

Unlike the Umbrella's clearance agents, those who choose to worship evil gods among the Devourers will, within the limits of legion discipline, conduct bloody massacres, enjoying the dying screams and despair of alien races, as well as the fear the Imperial citizens have of them.

Therefore, Angelong, who still wishes to obey Helus's orders, led his troops and mortal auxiliaries to Nuxia first, awaiting the arrival of his brother Motarian and his Death Guard Legion, before jointly marching to the Vortex Space Gate, he approved that his descendants levy a 'fear tax' on the Nuxian populace.

At this moment, on the southern hemisphere of the planet in the Fourth Orbit, the sun-facing side…

"Pfft!"

"Sizzle!"

"Ah! Ah!"

"Hahaha!"

In the old, dilapidated city that nevertheless towered with massive buildings reaching the clouds and housed hundreds of millions of residents, the sounds of bodies being smashed and torn apart echoed, accompanied by people's anguished cries and terrified wails, plus the metallic laughter of the Astartes.

Only seen, the Devourers clad in white and gray-blue paint, their ceramet armor festooned with various bloody ornaments, ruthlessly slaughtered Imperial citizens…

They were also among its citizens.

(End of chapter)