Chapter 540: Ch

"That is indeed the case," the Red Empress agreed solemnly, acknowledging the grim reality before continuing. "The seven super-states have begun mobilizing around the Sol Region as well. Their presence has already been detected—and during the conquest of the Bright Moon Republic, our scouts confirmed they were lurking there too."

"Not only that," she added, "their pawns—those chambers of commerce and industrial titans—are making aggressive moves of their own. Somehow, word of our intent to establish a federation leaked out. Now, those factions are doing everything in their power to pitch deals at heavy discounts, trying desperately to lure the Tier 2 and roughly dozen Tier 3 states away from our orbit and into theirs."

Kallus frowned at the news, letting out a tired sigh. "I knew this would happen. Very few people have the stomach to keep a secret of this magnitude under wraps; it was bound to spill eventually. Still, I expected we would have more time. But this early? What happened?"

"It was leaked by a Tier 2 state—the Rayburn Kingdom," the Red Empress replied, a trace of anger sharpening her voice. "And the worst part is, they weren’t coerced or pressured. They did it entirely of their own volition, and proactively at that."

"They volunteered the information first?" Kallus was momentarily taken aback. He had assumed that even if a leak occurred, it would only happen after someone was made an offer too enticing to refuse.

As for direct coercion? The odds were minimal. If rival powers knew an alliance rivaling the scale of galactic federation was already laying its groundwork, they would think twice before muscling a prospective member.

After all, the old proverb held true: when a nascent superpower emerges, its very first act is always to establish its supreme authority with blood and iron. No state should have been reckless enough to invite that wrath.

"And yet, they did..." Kallus muttered aloud, genuinely perplexed. "Why would the Rayburn Kingdom do something so brazen? They should understand better than anyone what the consequences of their actions will be. And yet they still chose this path. Why?"

The more he turned it over, the deeper his brow furrowed. Then, an urgent question surfaced in his mind: Just who did the Rayburn Kingdom leak the intelligence to?

"Red Empress, just who did the Rayburn Kingdom willingly hand this intel over to?" Kallus wasn’t one to keep pressing questions to himself, asking her directly.

"It was to the Golden Sun Star Empire—one of the seven super-states. That is who they provided the intel to," the Red Empress replied after a brief pause.

"Oh... No wonder. No wonder they dared to pull this off." Stroking his chin, Kallus let out a low chuckle laced with amusement. "That explains why the Rayburn Kingdom threw all caution to the wind."

"They believe that no matter what, doing this will earn them the favor of a super-state," the Red Empress said, letting out a mirthless laugh. "They think establishing a connection with the Golden Sun Star Empire will keep them protected and untouchable under its aegis."

"Foolish," Kallus muttered, shaking his head. "Whoever rules that kingdom knows nothing about the true currents of power. But so be it. It’s their prerogative to choose their own path. Now that they’ve abandoned our side for theirs, they’d better not complain when I crush them underfoot."

He clenched his fist with enough force to make the air pop.

"Red Empress, inform the member states who haven’t yet betrayed the Cosmic Union Federation about Rayburn’s treachery," Kallus commanded, turning toward her with icy calm. "Warn them to prepare, and to expect trouble knocking at their gates if it hasn’t already arrived."

He paused, adding, "Tell them to hold out for one year at most. By then, the initial standing army of the Cosmic Union Federation will be assembled and deployed to reinforce them."

"Direct the Tier 3 powers—and Tier 2 as well, where possible—to support one another in the meantime," Kallus continued, laying out the contingency. "And make sure they understand this aid won’t go unrewarded. Every contribution will be fully compensated by the Federation once it is officially formed and operational."

Suddenly striking upon another detail, Kallus added, "Inform Yanshi of this. Let her handle the coordination with the member states instead. As the Federation President, Yanshi needs to consolidate her own authority, and we ought to lend her the leverage to do so."

Listening intently, the Empress gave a decisive nod. "Understood."

"Good," Kallus said. "Then that settles it. Let’s refocus on the matter at hand."

Just as the words left his mouth, the command bridge of the Obliterator was bathed in a blinding flash of brilliance flooding in from the vacuum outside.

Kallus narrowed his eyes, tracking the source of the glare—only to freeze in genuine disbelief.

Out in the deep void, one of the planetary bodies within the system had just detonated into cosmic dust.

"Um, Red Empress..." Kallus began, completely speechless. "Why did that planet just explode? Was that us?"

"Ah..." The Red Empress was equally stunned, taken entirely aback. It took her several seconds to regain her composure before she stammered, "It wasn’t us who did tha—"

Before she could even finish her sentence—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The remaining three habitable worlds detonated one after another in rapid succession, tearing themselves apart from within.

"It was the Star People themselves who did that," the Red Empress continued, only managing to steady her voice once the combined shockwaves of three celestial bodies disintegrating crashed against the Obliterator’s void shields, sending faint ripples across the energy barrier.

"What the hell?! Are they completely nuts, or what?!" Kallus blurted out in utter disbelief. "Why would they even do that? We weren’t going to slaughter them all anyway!"

"Well, how would I know?" The Red Empress rolled her eyes, tossing the question right back at him and leaving him at a temporary loss for words.

Turning back toward the viewport, she watched the blinding cataclysm unfolding not far from their position. "As for whether they’re insane? You can tell at a single glance that they are definitely one hundred percent out of their minds to pull something like this.

But if I had to guess, it’s likely because of what our forces did across the Bright Moon Republic and the Hegemony states. Knowing our track record, they probably assumed we would subject them to the exact same fate... and chose to do this instead."

What the Red Empress didn’t realize was that her offhand guess was dead on the mark.

A couple of minutes earlier...

Planet Tooth. Planet Lord’s Manor.

The Planet Lord of Tooth—who also served as the Star Lord of the Shark Tooth star system—Magnum Tooth, paced anxiously back and forth without stopping.

Suddenly, the heavy doors burst open.

"L-Lord! Both our system-wide fleet and the planetary defense perimeter have been utterly obliterated by the enemy! Their two warships are already heading toward Planet Tooth and Planet Shark as we speak!" the guard reported between ragged, breathless gasps.

Star Lord Magnum froze, rooted where he stood. His pupils dilated in sheer terror as a frantic murmur escaped his lips. "It’s all over... It’s all over. Everything is finished. Now they’re going to blast us with those horrific weapons of theirs—the ones that don’t leave behind a single scrap of flesh or bone..."

A violent shiver racked his entire frame.

"You," Magnum croaked out, his voice hoarse as he jabbed a trembling finger at the panting soldier. "Go! Form a final defensive line in the enemy’s path! Buy us enough time to bring the planetary shields to maximum output!"

"L-Lord..." The guard shuddered as the unspoken truth sank in. The Lord wasn’t asking for a tactical delay; he was commanding them to buy him time with their very lives.

"Think of the bigger picture, soldier!" Magnum urged, leaning in desperately as he began manipulating the man’s mind. "There are billions of innocent souls living across this world! If the planetary shields don’t activate in time, not a single one will survive! You and your comrades have the power to safeguard those lives... Will you truly hesitate when so much hangs in the balance?!"

"S-Say no more, Star Lord!" the guard captain barked, a sudden surge of fiery patriotism and tragic heroism welling up from the depths of his chest. "Safeguarding and protecting the people is our sworn duty! If throwing our lives away saves billions, then that is what I shall do!"

The Star Lord’s eyes turned red upon hearing this. "Y-You... You truly possess a noble heart full of passion and patriotism, Guard Captain!"

Saying this, he bent low in a deep bow, continuing to speak with trembling reverence: "Please, accept my bow as a token of my absolute respect for you and the brave comrades of your squad."

The other guards present were stunned by the gesture. A wave of reverence washed over them; seeing their lord bow so humbly, they became convinced he wasn’t simply looking for a cowardly way to escape.

And indeed, the guards weren’t wrong.

The word escape wasn’t even in the Star Lord’s thoughts. What lurked in his mind was infinitely more monstrous—a terrifying reality they would soon witness with their own eyes in the final, horrifying moments of their lives.

Note: I’m sorry for the irregular updates this month. I’ll make up for the missed Chapters starting tomorrow by posting two Chapters daily until I’ve caught up with all the Chapters I’ve missed.

I’m truly sorry for the inconsistency, and thank you all so much for your continued support and understanding. I really appreciate every one of you!