Chapter 623: Stone Statue, Three Months

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After listening to the plague doctor's words, Sui Bian slightly furrowed his brows.

How could this doctor be interested in Space Death Spirits?

In theory, the plague doctor likes to study intelligent beings to prevent them from being corrupted by chaos, yet Space Death Spirits are all "dead objects," metallic "zombies," completely unrelated to the plague doctor's specialty.

"Rest assured, Mr. Sui, I won't trouble the children fighting in the Zero‑Three Universe; I'll go myself…"

"Fine." Sui Bian lightly raised his left hand, signaling the plague doctor that further beeping was unnecessary, and said, "I understand; if you wish to go, you may. I will have Artemis handle your safety, then we will head together to the Zero‑Three Universe to rendezvous with Kelakesi. His Dark Crow Guard happens to be searching for a special death spirit tomb."

"Then thank you, Mr. Sui!" the plague doctor hurried to the foot of the throne, then turned and asked, "I wonder if I could…?"

"…" Sui Bian was too lazy to reply, waved his hand again, and directly used Spiritual Energy to send the plague doctor back to the Empire Palace in the primary universe.

With the plague doctor's chatter gone, Sui Bian finally enjoyed some peace.

But as Sui Bian reflected again in private, he thought that sending the plague doctor to investigate Space Death Spirits might actually uncover something.

After all, the plague doctor can be called a "fortunate general"; the Human Empire's confidence in striking demons in alternate dimensions is inseparable from this eccentric doctor.

Ssh~ Ssh~

From a corner of the palace hall came a faint rustle…

It turned out to be the mid‑rank demon that had been trembling all along; upon realizing that only it and the Human Emperor's Empress remained in the hall, its instinct of fear seized its whole body, causing the shaking to intensify.

"Don't forget your mission, get out."

!!!!

"Yes! Yes!"

A whisper that seemed etched into the soul instantly made the mid‑rank demon scramble and crawl out of the palace hall.

Without miscellaneous interruptions, Sui Bian finally could be at ease…

"A short rest" for a while.

When in the material universe, he must sit on the Golden Throne, constantly consuming Spiritual Energy to shield the Empire's territories spanning multiple universes.

Moreover, many residents in remote Imperial territories, and even other alien races, worship him as a deity.

Even though he has long adapted, he still sometimes gets headaches.

He allocates a "hundred‑million" portion of his Spiritual Energy to linger on the Golden Throne, temporarily substituting for him in protecting the Empire, and after bringing Magnus into the alternate dimension, he instead gains a brief respite.

But at times, what troubles him most are his sons…

Although before entering the alternate dimension he used Psychic Pressure to reprimand Leon, Leon's temperament isn't something that can be curbed by a simple scolding.

Favoritism, that's one of humanity's natures.

If one truly maintains absolute rationality, is humanity still humanity?

Moreover, even he, the emperor, cannot sit upon absolute "justice"; if he were to sacrifice billions of humans to save a son, Sui Bian would have no hesitation on this matter.

He is indeed in the alternate dimension now, and the OriginalBodies think he cannot monitor everything at all times; in fact, he fully "participated" in the war conference held by Leon.

Leon's petty scheming needs no guess from Sui Bian; he knows the three sons are indirectly asserting authority, thereby securing more benefits for the older generation of OriginalBodies.

He can manage it, but not publicly, and Sui Bian has no intention of later settling scores with Leon.

There's no way; family ties cannot be forced. Robert, John, Leon and the others grew up together, nearly two hundred years apart from Helusi, Fugrem and other newly born OriginalBodies…

Two hundred years doesn't sound like much, but it's a two‑century gap.

On the Empire's border territories, two hundred years ago, if not for combat sisters constantly telling the populace that the emperor is not a deity, nor are the OriginalBodies demigods, and for continuously instilling and emphasizing the correctness of the Human Truth, Sui Bian and Robert and the others would already have become figures of mythic legends.

Thus it's no surprise Leon is displeased with Helusi, Fugrem and other newly born OriginalBodies; after all, they have enjoyed their father's constant companionship from birth, or rather, have been blessed from birth, with the so‑called "trials" deliberately added.

One should know that Leon and the others' childhood, adolescence, and youth were all forced into battle; if they didn't withstand the pressure, humanity would suffer incalculable losses.

Even though Sui Bian claims to care for each son, honestly, among all OriginalBodies, the ten he is closest to are always those ten.

Because during humanity's darkest era, when he needed them to swallow grievances, it was the companionship of Robert, John, and Leon that prevented Sui Bian from feeling so "lonely".

Later they became "prosperous" and "comfortable", naturally lacking the earlier ever‑looming oppression and fear of capsizing.

Watching his sons' open and covert struggles, Sui Bian once again feels what it means that both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh; as long as he doesn't hit the ill‑tempered gun barrel, he won't intervene with any son.

When Parras Athena first tried to corrupt John, Sui Bian had no worry at all; even without an "absolute loyalty" insurance, he would not think John would betray.

But for a period, Sui Bian would often dream that one day he suddenly vanished, leaving the leaderless OriginalBodies to slaughter each other due to their personalities and differing philosophies.

That is one of the futures Sui Bian fears most and wishes to avoid.

Indeed, OriginalBodies are absolutely loyal to him, yet there is no such bond between OriginalBodies themselves.

One should know that the so‑called "time" concept in the material universe makes most beings increasingly stubborn, OriginalBodies included.

Take the original ten OriginalBodies as an example.

Their bonds among the ten are indeed deep, having grown up together, they can entrust each other's backs to one another.

But as they each acquired their own legions, recruitment homeworlds, realms, star sectors, and even a universe, everything began to change quietly.

Discarding orders from the emperor, OriginalBodies prioritize their own legion's interests, for they are no longer a single entity; they command residents and even have direct blood‑related Astate ties.

Today's Human Empire, despite its highly advanced technology, is essentially no different from ancient feudal dynasties.

Sui Bian, the emperor, is the "Heavenly Son", while the OriginalBodies who are princes each hold their own fiefs.

However, this feudal dynasty of the Human Empire has no "crown prince" position.

Because the "Heavenly Son" is an entity that does not age or fall ill, the imperial authority's rule is as solid as steel, and the princes have no reason to rebel.

But once the "Heavenly Son" disappears, the imperial authority's rule would face fragmentation, as the majority of princes would covet the "crown prince" position.

One should know that ancient feudal dynasties changed due to many factors—clans, natural disasters, and also the gradual weakening of the "Heavenly Son's" control over the realm.

This "feudal formula" can likewise be applied to the Human Empire.

Sui Bian once entertained the thought of naturally bearing offspring, but abandoned it; not because he never tried, but because naturally born children could solve immediate problems yet also sow more serious hidden risks.

Although Sui Bian has absolute confidence he will not be threatened by "death", if, by chance, he is forced to ascend a dimension or suddenly run out of energy and turn into a stone statue, then, by principle, the eldest son Robert would become the regent.

At the same time, Robert is also the most suitable OriginalBody to be regent, without equal.

As for the "Protector of the Nation", John takes the role without hesitation, and although Rog is "sharp‑tongued", his temperament matches Robert's quite well.

As for the remaining brothers, in the early stage they will be quite obedient to Robert's orders and deployments for the stability of the Empire.

What if a thousand years, ten thousand years pass?

No one knows.

Otherwise the Zero Three Emperor would be indifferent and ruthless, treating all OriginalBody "equally", so perhaps, since the problem cannot be solved fundamentally, he chose to give up?

This…

…

This caused Sui Bian to once again scold his counterpart, namely the Zero Three Emperor who dumped the mess onto him while remaining carefree.

The more he thought, the angrier he became.

To be honest, if it weren't for his continued concern for his sons and for humanity, he would also want to quit, truly exhausted.

At the same time, this is why Sui Bian is eager to resolve the alternate dimension, to restore the Sea of Souls to tranquility, fully shield it from chaotic threats, and also let humanity become the true hegemon.

In fact, he admires the Zero Three Emperor, who can freely take a "vacation".

"Huh…"

After exhaling the frustration in his heart, Sui Bian no longer dwells on the troubles of being an emperor, but rises from the throne and walks slowly out of the hall.

Glancing at D-1999 and the Gray Knights waiting outside, he commands, "Continue searching for mid‑ and high‑level demons associated with the lecherous ones; I want that hermaphrodite to feel mocked."

"Yes, father (Your Majesty)."

Next.

Sui Bian waved his hand, releasing Spiritual Energy that shone with golden light, enveloping himself, all the Gray Knights, D-1999 and the accompanying regulatory personnel, instantly teleporting them away, vanishing from this demon realm.

It seems the human emperor intends to personally brandish sword and claw, venting his anger and resentment onto those hermaphroditic scum.

"Huh!"

Without the oppressive aura, the demon maids and succubi also loosen their taut strings; if they need air to breathe, they too want to gulp a heavy breath to relieve themselves.

But before they could celebrate the "Godslayer's" departure, they heard…

"Hermaphrodites, meet your death—!!"

"How dare you invade the realm of my benevolent father!"

"Wahaha~ Death! Death! No— dying isn't good; you should join our happy family~ Hehahaha~!"

Then a multitude of echoing war cries, some nasal, and the extremely irritating giggles of "fart sprites" were heard.

Countless demons either broke through the barrier or teleported via Spiritual Energy into this realm, and turned their weapons against fellow demon maids and succubi in a "fratricidal" clash.

However, the demons that entered this realm were neither stark white‑purple‑skinned nor hermaphroditic; instead each was bloated and corpulent, surrounded by green dense fog and flies, and the most striking feature was…

They reeked terribly!

The mere "odor impact" already caused heavy casualties among the weak demons on the outskirts, not to mention the little beings whose appearance and voice belong to fart sprites, the grubs, rolling their round bodies into the enemy crowd, then detonating themselves.

"Boom~! Boom~!!"

The suicide explosions caused the area where the maids and succubi gathered to fill with thick green fog, even spewing out a large amount of thick soup that glowed green.

In an instant, nearly 30% of this demon realm had already fallen.

Moreover, the fallen areas gradually turned into foul‑smelling swamps, rapidly sprouting fungal‑like living plants with countless holes of varying sizes.

The most hair‑raising thing is that countless flies and insects crawl out of those holes to harass the still‑fighting and surviving maids and succubi; if killed, they become spores that alter the realm's environment.

Just the "overwhelming stench" indicates that the invading demons belong to the Naguo faction, not to mention the war cries also contain the words "benevolent father."

All that is happening shows that the mid‑rank demon, who was "trained" by the Plague Doctor and Magnus, has completed its mission, both dragging Naguo into the water and framing the lecherous ones.

And because time flow in the alternate dimension is chaotic, that mid‑rank demon appears to have just left, yet in the material universe it may have been years, or perhaps only half a second.

Moreover, the uncounted terror and cruelty, unprecedentedly channeling hatred onto the lecherous ones, allowed Naguo, originally a "bystander", to successfully enter the fray.

The situation grows increasingly chaotic.

Yet the more chaotic, the better; to break the deadlock, only a reshuffle offers a chance of victory.

Moreover, the supreme Chaos God has already reached an agreement with the supreme human entity, making the scales of victory no longer as unstable as before.

If no accidents or errors occur, the plan to restore the Sea of Souls to tranquility is already on track.

——

…

Empire Calendar year 2227, July 14th.

At this moment, three Earth months have passed since the Elite Warrior Legion first contacted the 109th Universe, and the Human–Necromancer War has been ongoing for two and a half months.

Currently, the Empire's massive logistics machine is operating at full capacity, and with Robert in charge of command and control, countless munitions, weapons, and warships are being sent to the border‑fortress star sector of the primary universe, then transferred through the Space Gate to the expedition forces, involving ten legion main forces caught in the war vortex.

Meanwhile, the Trapped Formation star sector at the vortex core suffers the greatest casualties.

To facilitate the plan, the expedition army evacuated nearly 90 billion civilians from the outskirts of the Trapped Formation star sector, relocating them to Ark 002 and 003 for settlement.

During this period, the populace's grievances were high, but to avoid hindering the expedition's operations, and since it was a compulsory Imperial order, they had to be moved to Ark 002 and 003.

However, as a super artificial celestial body far larger than ten Earths combined, the Ark can accommodate tens of trillions of people.

Most importantly, the Ark can autonomously generate and construct massive habitable apartments, requiring no intervention from the Engineering Department.

Yet in just two months, the human side also saw over a hundred colonies completely fall, with population losses also measured in the hundreds of millions.