Chapter 2533

2533 - The Opening

The entire universe had turned into a scramble for colonization, a rush toward new planets and vast expanses that no foot had touched in 70 million years. But the great powers soon realized they were chasing a mirage—hunting a juicy piece of meat while a herd of wolves pursued them from behind.

Lord Robin's expansion was well known, and people had grown accustomed to it... He attacks the major powers, destroys armies without harming defenseless citizens, then one of his subordinates takes over governance and enacts new, just laws for the people, who quickly adapt to the situation.

All the planets destroyed in their wars were themselves military barracks or had been rigged with traps. Beyond that, no city was touched, nor were its people mistreated... The goal was always the administration, then the new laws would come and make people think of the years wasted from their lives under the previous rule.

Loyalty to rulers? No one truly pledges allegiance to a ruler and adores him unless they benefit from him directly. And when a greater benefit appears in another ruler, they begin to sing his praises and forget the previous one... That previous one was killed or fled—it doesn't matter.

As for the movements of the four great powers, they were different.

Imposing arbitrary control through overwhelming force — none of them stopped to think about civilians, enacting Laws, or ensuring a humane standard of living after the fall of the ruler. They were in a race against time to secure their rear and expand simultaneously, to carve out the largest possible borders, and thus the largest resource farm and advantage in the inevitable coming war.

But even at this moment, the speed of the four in conquest did not match the speed and efficiency of Lord Robin's armies, for one reason.

Arbitrary killing and suppression by force produce quick surrender but prolonged anger and hatred — it produces a populace ready to mobilize at any moment when they find the means. Moreover, breaking the Buffer Zones made escape easier, meaning killing enemies became less efficient and their flight far more common.

That is, there currently exist around the four powers sectors that hate them, and many fugitives waiting to return to fight the moment the four powers' forces leave, or fugitives migrating toward the next sector to strengthen the ranks of the next obstacle against the four powers.

In both cases, this cannot be resolved except by leaving defensive forces everywhere that is controlled — at least a competent army in every Star Field to secure it in case the fugitives return or revolutions break out.

The problem with this is that it reduces the size of the army with every galaxy and every Star Field that is controlled. Each of the major powers finds that its armies have been halved by the time they reach the fifth sector, so the pace of conquest slows and they focus on assassinations only.

This problem faces the Council of Thrones, faces the Dreamer Galaxy, and faces the Syndicate.

But it does not face the Alliance of Tyranny. After five Behemoths and dozens of Millennial Empires and hundreds of Centennial Empires joined them, Interas now has enough armies for rapid conquest and tight control over everything he wants, and this is already happening currently. Their spread is terrifying, especially in the direction of the Grave Empire.

The problem also does not face Lord Robin's territories. First, because the advance is done prudently and then the apparatus of the Tomorrow Empire enters and begins making the lives of the inhabitants better, so they themselves resist the fugitive if he returns.

The second is the presence of Holak and the Imperial Guard.

Currently, every sector from 88 to 118 has two rapid support vehicles permanently stationed, each carrying 300 Imperial Guards who can reach any place in the sector easily and quickly through the gate invention mounted on the front of the vehicle.

With a single piece of information from the Shadow Swords who choke those sectors, one of the Fast Support Vehicles heads off to solve the problem before it begins. As today, Holak receives Middle Sector 118 to acquaint his followers with the borders of their authority and appoint commanders over them before he departs to join the true Imperial Guard force stationed in Middle Sector 99 beside Lord Robin, and where they can also easily return to the youthful Sector 99 if need arises.

So it can be said that there are two clear winners in the expansion race. The first is the Alliance of Tyranny, who crush flesh and bone with non-negotiable hammers.

And the second is The Breaker and his forces, who build a network of security first and hidden oppression second during their slow but inevitable advance.

As for the rest...

Holak raised his head slightly, "Let the Dreamer Galaxy do whatever they see fit as long as they do not declare hostility against us. Other than that, let them play and taste war and what war entails... Even I, hot-headed as I am, learned that war has its rules after those centuries of endless wars... It is time for those merchants to learn that merely killing the big head is not enough."

"Extremely... sensible words, Lord Holak!!" the officer praised sincerely; he hadn't believed such wise words could come from Holak.

"Hmmm..." Holak stopped at that moment and began to hum seriously while looking at the horizon.

"What is it... Lord Holak?!" The officer was about to cry; at moments like this, he usually said something strange.

"Where are Renara and Hedrick?" Holak asked, head raised.

"Oh, Lord Hedrick and Lady Renara are currently in training seclusion against each other, and they conveyed that they are only to be summoned when the major heads appear." The officer answered quickly.

"They train together in the back courtyards and wait for Helmor, Marlik, and other names," Holak showed a small smile, "while I, the personal guard of His Majesty, am here waiting to receive a border region from a few soldiers—even the army commanders didn't wait for me so the handover could take place, and they sent me a second-rank officer..."

Then he turned to the officer, "Is this fair?"

"...!!" The officer began shaking his head vigorously; he had sensed a terrifying line beneath the unusually serious tone.

"Hmmm, no, it is fair... I am weak at present." Holak looked ahead and resumed walking, "I must stay and take over the border like a weak, obedient boy..."

Only after he had put about a hundred steps between them did the officer move, swallowing, then let out a cold exhale. "What's wrong with him today?!"