Chapter 287: Ancestors at Home Once Followed the Lord

Crack!

The sound of armored boots crushing the glass beneath his feet.

The previously clear reflection instantly cracked, as if a layer of spiderweb had been laid over it.

The figure, divided by the spiderweb, continued forward.

"Lord."

"First Saint~"

"My lord."

Intermittent reverent words were forced open from those nearby.

Scattered soldiers, gripping their Rifles, struggled to straighten up, casting boundless respect toward Xisi as he passed.

Beyond the ten‑thousand‑year mythic propaganda, Xisi had already forged a grand, towering image in the soldiers' hearts.

It was also because of that battle that Xisi's combat power was staggering; he alone leapt onto a floating Obelisk, using his Black Spear to smash a Dead Spirits vehicle comparable to a small Titan.

He truly stayed at the front the whole time, accomplishing everything a commander should with his actions.

With a single kick he sent a piece of Dead Spirits wreckage blocking the path flying aside, and Xisi returned to the very center of the formation.

Accompanied by the recent wave of reverence, the few remaining soldiers gradually regrouped around Xisi.

At this moment a group surrounded Xisi, their gazes varied as they looked at the legendary First Saint who had led them to repel the Dead Spirits.

The few remaining Black Watch directly became Xisi's close escort.

Fortunately, Xisi returned and immediately took command of this Black Watch; the surviving Black Watch had already received the first round of Hundredfold battlefield amplification.

Facing the growing reverence around him, Xisi's gaze swept over the bleak ranks before him; although all their faces were unfamiliar, Xisi could still see once‑familiar things in many details of their uniforms.

After scanning, Xisi glanced at a member of the Star Realm Army.

"Where are you from?"

The Star Realm Army soldier singled out by Xisi didn't expect Xisi to ask him; he froze for a moment, then quickly became excited, standing upright with great pride:

"Oumia Group!"

"Lord, I am a descendant of the Oumia Group!"

Hearing this familiar name, Xisi's eyes lifted slightly; he then looked at another, addressing another soldier:

"And where are you from?"

The soldier being questioned also stood at attention, his face bearing pride no less than the former's:

"I come from Ustali!"

"My senior once followed you to pursue the traitors!"

Xisi heard this and did not pause, nor speak further; his gaze began to inquire one after another:

"I am a descendant of the slaves rescued by the First Saint from Alien Forms and Heretics."

"I am a descendant of the pilgrims who answered the First Saint's call to aid Terra."

"I am a descendant of the survivors of Sanctum Star rescued by the First Saint from the Tairen."

The remaining soldiers answered one by one; each time Xisi's gaze fell on a person, it sparked that individual's pride.

Alert Star, as Xisi's Conscription World, is also the First Fortress World and a holy site of the dual sects.

The humans still alive here have almost all had seniors who once followed Xisi.

Only such a unit could endure on Alert Star after a prolonged loss, with supplies and rear completely cut off, persisting until the Empire launched the fifth round of reconquest expedition.

It can be said that even if they previously fled, their fighting will far exceed that of ordinary Imperial Troops.

Xisi's gaze had not yet finished when the surrounding people, proud of their seniors' varied histories of following Xisi,...

Xisi's gaze finally rested on those beside him, the soldiers who could don Black Uniforms and proudly hang the Black Watch insignia on their chests.

These Black Watch did not expect Xisi to look at them; the few remaining Black Watch were stunned, then all turned their gazes toward the oldest sergeant.

But the sergeant's face showed no pride, only the usual cold indifference of the Black Watch, calmly responding to his legion's master.

"We are mostly natives of Alert Star, having followed you in the first Alert Star War."

The sergeant said no more, and the surrounding Black Watch, seeing this, seemed inclined to speak, but finally Danika beside them took the initiative to speak.

"This sergeant is a descendant of the former Regiment."

"His great‑grandfather, grandfather, and several subsequent generations all followed the First Saint in the galactic wars."

When Danika reached this point, her face also showed a rare gentleness toward other mortal units.

Xisi, upon hearing this, looked rather surprised at the sergeant.

This does not mean the man is a direct bloodline of the former Regiment; he is more likely a cousin or related kin.

But Xisi still paused for a moment, and, unusually in public, lightly patted the sergeant's shoulder.

"Thank you for your hard work."

The sergeant remained cold, continuing the Black Watch's efficient, indifferent demeanor.

Only when Xisi lightly patted him did a faint stir appear deep in his eyes.

Having done all this, Xisi looked at the few remaining soldiers, entirely composed of his 'offspring', and turned his head toward the silent Sakan beside him:

"Immediately have the troops retreat underground to rest."

"The Dead Spirits cannot be limited to this wave; the next attack will arrive soon."

Xisi spoke to Sakan; as the only Astat at this moment and the 'protagonist' of his own story, he treated Sakan directly as his adjutant.

Sakan did not seek any confirmation of hierarchy, simply acknowledging the superior‑subordinate relationship with Xisi.

Silently saluting Xisi, Sakan turned and began directing the remaining troops toward the underground fortress.

During this process, they were even too lazy to clean the battlefield.

Besides the fact that there was truly no material to scavenge from these Dead Spirits, their technology and system mean that even a lowest‑rank Dead Spirits infantry's Gauss Rifle is loyal to its master.

Humans simply cannot pick it up and use it.

If we speak of the only use of these Dead Spirits remains, it is to, after a brief rest, use them to reinforce the entrance position of the underground fortress.

After Xisi finished instructing Sakan, he turned his head to the other side, where Danika, leading the last few Battle Nuns, waited for Xisi with a devout expression.

"Sir, the radio communication station is ready."

"We also have hot food and hot water."

Danika looked at Xisi and began, with a hint of shame, speaking carefully:

"Although it's just simply heated starch porridge, it's the last food we can offer."

Hearing this, Xisi, who was about to head to the communication station, was momentarily stunned, then without wasting further effort on the matter, casually said:

"First go to the communication station and see if there are still any of our fleet in Orbit."

Saying that, Xisi walked toward the underground passage, and behind him, remnant soldiers descended from Oumia, Ustali, Terra, and even Alert Star locals, also kept him protected in the middle as they headed underground.

But as Xisi gradually went deeper underground, the imagined bright lights or noisy scenes never arrived; what came into view were the families of those remnant soldiers and other Xisi's people, bearing their emaciated bodies, struggling to rise and attempt to salute Xisi.

Amid the starving corpses, the little girl who had eaten Xisi's cherry presented Xisi with a steaming hot starch white porridge...