Chapter 462: Siege and Conquest – Judgment Messenger Song and An Lin

Of course.

The cross‑phase pulse wave released by the massive device 007 not only attracted the attention of the purple‑skinned fellow, but also caught the notice of a "superhero" who can individually traverse between star systems and, according to his own subjective sense of "upholding justice."

But Leon, who knows the consequences of signing an extermination order, and the entire expeditionary force simply don't care; they even eagerly hope that the advanced civilizations of the Zero‑Five Universe, along with the so‑called deities and superheroes, will unite.

After all, only then is there a challenge, and thus enough battle merits.

Moreover, while massive device 007 completed its mission, 008 and 009 also reached their respective targets, annihilating two other empires that possessed interstellar travel capability and harbored considerable hostility toward other civilizations in the galaxy.

In an instant, the Zero‑Five Universe realized that a massive "human" expeditionary army was "sieging and seizing territories" within the galaxy.

At the same time.

When the expedition began, it entered the extragalactic Ark 001 via a faux wormhole, yet for the time being remained uninvolved in the galaxy's conflicts.

———————

…

In the pitch‑black, icy void strewn with rubble and ice shards, a colossal lotus‑shaped Ark looms, its artificial star six thousand kilometers in diameter, bringing light and warmth to this region of space.

Not long after.

A 1.7‑kilometer‑long Yan Du‑class super‑heavy escort ship, after exiting the Ark's atmosphere, immediately activated its fold‑jump engine and vanished in an instant as if "stretched into a straight line."

Soon.

This vessel, virtually indistinguishable from a destroyer and the largest, most powerful Yan Du‑class among all escorts, halted its fold‑jump and arrived at the edge of the gravitational sphere of a terrestrial‑like planet about eleven thousand kilometers in diameter.

Even to the naked eye, the planet's surface appears exceptionally picturesque, with vast turquoise‑green oceans, grasslands and jungles, virtually no yellow deserts, and its north and south poles cloaked in numerous glaciers.

Overall, it is a planet highly suitable for life.

However, a close inspection of the land, especially the side facing away from the sun, reveals almost no lights indicative of an advanced civilization, only occasional flickers along coasts and rivers.

At this moment.

The Yan Du‑class escort on the sun‑lit side of the planet used conventional propulsion to advance to an orbital berth roughly two thousand kilometers above the surface.

Meanwhile, on the bridge.

Beside the central console.

Helusi, clad in giant‑python scales, and a Dark Angel 2nd Battalion Commander Er Xide, whose Terminator‑type armor is the Indomitable model (elephant‑faced) painted white and gold, were browsing a holographic display together.

The left pauldrons of this 2nd Battalion commander bore the Dark Angel legion emblem, while the right displayed a golden scale and the inscription "Judgment Messenger."

As the 2nd Battalion of a legion, the Judgment Messenger naturally has its own exclusive livery, and its weaponry would make other battalions envious.

Yet the abundantly "prosperous" Judgment Messenger dispatched only a single Yan Du‑class escort because, constrained by the Lion King's decree, it is "not advisable" to employ an extermination order before confirming whether a civilization is willing to bow and become a human vassal.

For the Judgment Messenger, which has already razed nearly a hundred planets, exterminated the Titanium Empire, and slaughtered countless fallen Weilin tribes, this is undeniably a daunting task.

Fortunately, accustomed to orders no larger than the OriginalBody command, Er Xide boarded only a Yan Du‑class ship, bringing Helusi and the 2nd Company discreetly to the planet.

At this point.

The holographic device to the left of the central console displayed a "medieval nun" in a black robe and white veil, who slightly tilted her head, gazing at the holographic screen while reporting to Helusi and Er Xide:

"Scanning complete. The surface hosts a relatively backward civilization that has not entered the industrial age, with a population of roughly 3.2 billion. The largest and strongest 'tribe' is concentrated in the coastal region at the eastern end of the land."

During the report, the "nun" also generated a simplified schematic of a "male" and a "female" on the central console.

At first glance, the "male" and "female" appear strikingly human, from facial features to body proportions, even their clothing—coarse robes and long skirts.

But upon closer inspection, one can notice their pupils are the color of amber, revealing subtle differences from true humans.

Nevertheless, within the Zero‑Five Universe, there indeed exist many races whose appearance, form, and physiology closely resemble those of humans.

(For example, the myriad races depicted in "Galaxy Guard 1, 2".)

As for this "nun," she is Delisa, the low‑intelligence artificial intelligence of the Judgment Messenger.

Delisa continued, "Based solely on the scan, the planet's humanoid species could be assimilated; the specifics require gathering actual biological tissue samples for analysis."

"Hmm…"

Hearing this, Helusi sighed, turned slightly, and proposed to Commander Er Xide: "Commander Xide, the 3.2 billion figure can be taken as large or small, but if developed appropriately, perhaps this planet could be turned into an agrarian world or a small logistical world."

"You're absolutely right," Xide nodded in agreement, turned and walked toward the bridge exit, "First see how they respond, then decide whether to develop or to exterminate."

Although Xide's words were such, Helusi, following behind, still felt that this commander…

…seemed more inclined to carry out extermination?

In contrast, Taibelos appeared more "merciful."

Of course, Helusi also knew this was a private emotional bias, since his relationship with Taibelos is close, whereas Xide has just been met.

Next, Helusi followed his brother, who is two heads taller, out of the bridge, traversed the corridors, and soon arrived at the hangar in the ship's hull.

Passing other large compartments, Helusi also spotted some pure Spiritual Energy creatures, such as ones sized like raccoons from a city zoo, but no plump griffins, nor winged black horses, nor scorpion‑tailed lions.

When he reached the hangar, he saw the entire 2nd Company, all clad in Terminator gear, ready for action, along with an accompanying combat sister squad.

No further words were needed.

A hundred Terminators and over three thousand combat sisters, upon Helusi and Xide's arrival, quickly boarded transport vessels such as the Thunder and the Silver‑Europa, as well as large transport ships.

Guided by the bridge and ground crew, the aerial formation exited the hangar in turn, rendezvoused with the carrier‑based squadrons waiting outside, and together flew toward the atmosphere.

———————

…

Surface.

Coastal region at the eastern end.

From a kilometer above sea level, looking down toward the land, one can see numerous wooden fishing boats conducting harvests in waters far from the coastline.

Near the coastline are returning fishing vessels, as well as large merchant ships and cargo ships about to enter the port, and even a cruise liner capable of carrying hundreds of tourists.

Further inland lie several large ports beside the sea, backed by a bustling metropolis.

Although the city's buildings are constructed from a series of "antique‑grade" materials—wood, stone, lime mortar, and tiles—each structure embodies the local race's accumulated wisdom and boasts impressive architecture.

Moreover, the streets are bustling, with vendors, restaurants, taverns, and even brothels everywhere, indicating a commendable economic condition.

Even if slaves and servants exist, and they are likewise in a feudal era, it is still somewhat better than the barbaric planets where young OriginalBodies like Helusi and Fugerim are taken by their fathers for trials.

At noon, the city is at its liveliest.

"People" can soon briefly set aside work, go to a restaurant or tavern to enjoy a delicious lunch, then find a cool shade to chat, or return home to rest, awaiting the afternoon to resume work.

Actually, this city is the capital Peaceful of the Song Empire.

And the Song Empire, as Delisha said, is the largest and most powerful "tribe" on the planet, so the people under its jurisdiction enjoy relatively good living conditions.

If one turns one's gaze to the western or southern lands, one will find slaughter and plunder, etc., with negative emotions tightly woven together, making it impossible to produce a civilization like that of "Song".

Thanks to the planet's peaceful natural environment, with basically no extreme weather like dry seasons or harsh winters, and abundant resources, even the western and southern regions need not worry about starvation, and the total population has reached thirty-two billion.

In the central district of Peaceful City stand a magnificent and solemn palace complex; the Imperial Guard, wearing golden armor and red cloaks, patrol inside and outside the city walls, which are similarly red-lacquered and yellow-tiled.

Moreover, at the northern gate of the palace, there is a very spacious and flat gathering square, also neatly arranged in four directions.

Because this is an important imperial area and ordinary people fear the imperial authority, the gathering square only sees a sea of people during extraordinarily significant festivals or grand banquets hosted by the imperial organization.

A luxurious tavern stands at the edge of the square.

Inside a two-story private room with dancers for entertainment, where the view is good and one can directly overlook the square, two scholars dressed in white robes, bearing an ethereal Daoist aura, sit at the window-side wine table, drinking together and improvising poetry and lyrics in their language.

Moreover, looking at their gaze and demeanor while chatting, it's not hard to guess that it concerns recent gossip.

However…

"Boom…boom…" A sudden vibration interrupted the revelry of everyone inside the private room.

"Glug…glug…" the wine kept sloshing out of the cups.

Earth dragon rolling (earthquake)?!

「kapu（quick run）！！」

Sensing this possibility, the two scholars reacted first, shouting loudly as they ran out of the private room.

"Yah!!" The dancers followed closely behind.

Before long, everyone, including the scholars and dancers, had smoothly run out of the luxurious tavern and arrived at the street that was gradually becoming crowded.

At that moment, the people finally realized the source of the building's tremor was not what they thought—earth dragon rolling—but that a flock of "giant dragons" was truly flying in the sky!!

Following the people's gaze upward, however, the so-called flock of giant dragons turned out not to be mythical creatures of legend; in fact, it was a flight formation consisting of one Thunder Transport Plane and four Silver Europa units, now swooping low over the northern district of Peaceful City.

But as residents living in a feudal era, how would they know these are aircraft convenient for entering and exiting the atmosphere and for transporting troops and materiel?

「shia！sishia！（God! Is God! ）」

Thus, immediately a shop owner dropped to his knees, raised both hands, and performed a kowtow toward the flight formation.

「shia！」

Someone took the lead, and due to crowd psychology, more and more residents could not suppress their own fear, kneeling on the ground and pleading with the gods not to visit divine punishment upon them.

The two scholars, inspired by the drink, knelt on the ground and shouted out verses, instantly creating poetry worthy of being passed down for a hundred generations.

Subsequently, the flight formation flew straight to the vast square.

Decelerating, hovering, landing—all in one smooth motion.

Seeing this,

Likewise shocked, the Imperial Guard, whose inner fear had been infinitely magnified, desperately suppressed the instinct to kneel, immediately charging out of the palace, deploying formations to encircle the halted flight formation from afar.

Meanwhile, the common folk of Peaceful City had long cast aside their fear of imperial authority, and, driven by strong curiosity, hurriedly gathered around the square, standing on tiptoe behind the Imperial Guard to watch.

Even the emperor, residing deep within the palace, came upon hearing the news, escorted by several stout, brave generals and several units of Tiger Guard elite troops, passing through the Imperial Guard's line to take the foremost position.

In an instant, the atmosphere fell silent; no one dared to breathe loudly.

Suddenly, the people noticed that the hatches on the noses, tails, and both sides of the transport craft's fuselage swung outward, making everyone, though fearful and stepping back, widen their eyes in anticipation of the gods' manifestation.

"Thud, thud!"

Soon, the sound of magnetic boots striking the stone slabs began to reverberate across the entire square.

Only then did Helusi, El·Sid, twenty Terminators, and over two hundred battle sisters appear within the people's view.

!!!

「shiaa（Oh God！）！」

Seeing the giants and the silver-haired, sprightly "fairies", the common folk again dropped to their knees in kowtow, and many Imperial Guard, affected, cast aside their weapons and knelt.

As Helusi and company began to stride toward the emperor, the Spiritual Energy wave unintentionally released by the OriginalBody utterly shattered the mental defenses of these "ancients"; all commanders, Tiger Guard, Imperial Guard, and even the emperor himself instinctively bowed in submission.

Approaching.

Halting.

Helusi, whose stature blocked the sunlight, lowered his gaze to look down at the emperor clad in yellow robes and jade ornaments, and involuntarily said: "Captain Sid, given this situation, perhaps there's no need to carry out an extermination order, right?"

"Hmm…" Sid nodded lightly in response.

Although his helmet obscured his facial expression, from the tone of his reply to Helusi one could tell that this captain felt a bit downcast.

He eased up.

Sid continued: "Indeed, there's no need to burn this planet, but they obviously regard us as despicable gods."

Saying this, Sid turned his gaze to a battle sister holding the rank of lieutenant and ordered: "This planet is now yours to take charge of."

"Yes, Captain."

(End of Chapter)