The Army Commander Arrives in Person

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Lister remained calm and looked at Tolon again.

"Colonel Tolon, I will not refuse if it is required for the conscription mission."

"But I also hope that our fleet can devise a complete operational plan, instead of something like this..."

Although he secretly wished to stop attacking, Lister outwardly maintained a cooperative demeanor.

After this battle, both sides will likely be able to take a short break.

This gives Kavin ample time; once everyone has evacuated, the war can no longer continue.

"Of course not!"

"Lister, rest assured, the subsequent operations will be flawless, and it will only take the next two days."

Tolon's expression Steadfast, and he remained confident about the battle to come.

Moreover, he went so far as to say that in the past two days, this demeanor not only puzzled Lister, but also left everyone else present completely bewildered.

They whispered among themselves, guessing what each other was thinking.

Seeing that Tolon showed no intention of speaking, Roland seized the opportunity to ask again.

"Colonel Tolon, what other tricks does our fleet have up its sleeve?"

"Given the current difficult situation in the war, couldn't we at least give everyone a heads-up and keep them informed?"

"I don't know about others, but if I were to run into Kavin and Hoffman again, I really wouldn't have much courage to fight."

He looked like a bachelor and spoke frankly about his courage.

If this had happened at a pre-war meeting, Roland's words would likely have been taken very seriously, subjected to a great deal of criticism, and even reported to the Federation Military District headquarters for identity verification.

But today, no one felt anything abrupt.

On the contrary, I admire Roland for speaking his mind and fighting for their rights in the fight.

Indeed, given the current situation, there is little point in continuing the fight.

Hoffman and Kavin seemed like two towering mountains looming over everyone's minds.

"Yes! I agree with what Colonel Roland said."

"I don't think this is a matter of courage, but rather knowingly committing suicide. Our fleet simply cannot do that."

"Our ship is the same; the mortality rate in this operation alone was as high as 64%. No matter how high your military achievements are, you still need to be alive to enjoy them!"

"Colonel Tolon, no matter what, it's not too much to ask us to give you all some news, is it?"

After Roland spoke, the captains of the other warships echoed his sentiments.

In particular, the fleets of several Civilization Armies were there primarily to gain military merit and survive.

This battle alone, instigated by Senator Ailan, has resulted in heavy losses.

At the same time, they truly grasped the opponent's strength, realizing that this was not a task that someone of their level should be given.

No one wanted to die in vain, and the argument grew louder and louder as they talked back and forth.

"Alright!"

"Stop it, everyone!"

After being disturbed by everyone's commotion, Tolon finally lost his temper.

He felt that the current situation was indeed somewhat beyond his control.

The warships below had shown some hesitation in previous battles, including Lister Lister's warships.

As the person in charge of the conscription mission, he naturally knew what was going on.

In the past, he would have already used his status, position, and strength to subdue his subordinates.

This recruitment is different, though. A total of nine Quasi-Hegemon have been recruited. He alone cannot even suppress Councilor Ailan, let alone the others.

This is also why he half-laid the rules and ultimately chose to use the task deadline to pressure everyone.

Coupled with this defeat, the team was already in disarray, with undercurrents swirling within.

He immediately began to ponder and reflect.

After a long while, Tolon finally shook his head and spoke.

"The overall operational plan was flawed on my part."

"In fact, the conscription mission was from the very beginning just a siege, or rather, a siege."

"The primary mission of our warships is to restrict the operational space of the Church of Mechanical Truth civilization, while ensuring that Kavin remains within a certain range."

"Having reached the core area of the Civil Star Domain, the mission has essentially been accomplished."

"It's because Representative Ailan was too reckless that... I don't know how to explain this to the government!"

It's highly likely that Senator Ailan has become Hoffman's new puppet; everyone knows that.

Anyway, no one has a good attitude towards Councilor Ailan. He wasn't even from their own military region, so they don't care at all about his sacrifice.

But it's a different story for Tolon.

As a member of the Federation Government, he has now sacrificed himself for the military region's mission, and as a leader, he cannot shirk this responsibility.

This is why he ultimately led a full-scale operation instead of abandoning Ailan from the start and retreating directly.

Now, in front of everyone, Tolon is clearly trying to shirk responsibility for Senator Ailan's situation and is looking for excuses to absolve himself.

Unfortunately, these words were of no use to them.

People are more concerned about the recruitment mission itself.

"Colonel Tolon, are you saying our recruitment mission is now complete?"

Captain Boren was getting more and more confused, and asked a question.

"That's right, the recruitment mission is halfway complete at this point."

"The rest is just waiting!"

"Wait for what?"

"We're waiting for the real expert to eliminate Kavin to make his move."

"The 'adult' who can destroy Kavin?"

"Could it be...?"

Boren looked surprised. Even Tolon had to address him as "Sir," so everyone immediately guessed who this person was.

Inside the meeting room, neither of the two major generals standing next to Tolon received this title.

It's obvious that this "master" is probably the true Hegemon!

"Hiss~!"

"Phew! I see!"

The originally somber atmosphere of the meeting instantly lightened up after this "elder" was mentioned.

Most of the officers had smiles on their faces.

Only Roland's smile seemed somewhat stiff, while Lister maintained his calm expression.

However, he quickly grasped the whole picture in his mind.

"Colonel Tolon, is this 'sir' from our Federation Military District?"

"Since 'adults' will be taking care of things, why do we need to do all this?"

"Is it something I can't reveal about our military region?"

"As for why we need to conduct an initial encirclement and suppression... Lister, you've served in the Civilization Army for a long time, so you may not have encountered these kinds of 'adults' before."

"The adults' time is very precious, and many of them may not even be within the Galactic Federation."

"There aren't many times when we actually have the time to make a move. We usually need to complete the preliminary work, wait for the 'master' to free up time, and then seize the opportunity in one fell swoop!"

Really!

Everything went as he had planned; from the very beginning of the quest, it was clear that the true Hegemon would be the one to wipe them out.

After all, Kavin was able to single-handedly defeat the Ninth Central Army's fleet, as well as a Quasi-Hegemon.

The true strength was already known to the Hegemon behind it.

Their mission, as Tolon said, was from the very beginning to limit and compress Kavin's room for maneuver.

At the same time, it also serves to lower the guard of the Church of Mechanical Truth and Kavin.

After all, those who came were only Quasi-Hegemon; they wouldn't necessarily flee immediately.

No wonder that when the sudden battle broke out yesterday, Tolon's first reaction was to retreat.

Now Lister fully understood, but correspondingly, he also became anxious about Kavin's situation.

I had thought that this operation would greatly improve Kavin's situation.

In retrospect, it was all an illusion.

In fact, Kavin needs to speed things up!

"Everyone, stay calm. A temporary setback is nothing!"

"I've also received word that it should be within the next two or three days. Just hang in there... hmm?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Tolon's expression changed suddenly, and he quickly became delighted.

"Captains, return to your ships immediately for rest!"

"Meet in one hour! Let's go!"

"Colonel Tolon? Is... that sir?"

"Okay! Everyone, perk up!"

Tolon's face was filled with excitement. Now that the news of "the Lord's" arrival had arrived, he no longer tried to hide anything!

In an instant, all the officers became equally excited.

With the arrival of a true Hegemon, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly reached a climax.

Only when Lister and Roland exchanged glances did they understand each other's thoughts.

An hour later, A73, under the command of Vice Admiral Brody, set sail in close following of the main ship.

Lister, meanwhile, followed Captain Boren to the Large Ship SQ03.

Inside the main conference room, a young man was casually seated in the center.

His physique was not particularly robust, his height was average, and his appearance was not outstanding, which is quite rare in a level four civilization.

His all-black Federation combat uniform gave him a very imposing presence.

The three bright yellow insignia of the Galactic Federation Military District on the shoulder boards and collar tabs, which were never seen before, spoke volumes about his identity.

The one who arrived was the Hegemon of their Federation Military District, and he was a general.

"Reconnaissance of enemy and friendly forces is underway... Reconnaissance results have been obtained..."

[Target detected: Vidal Martin (General of the Federation Military District, Beta Civilization)]

[Level: Lv???]

[Occupation: Space-Time Telekinesis (Telekinesis-based)]

[Health Points:???]

[Physical strength:???]

[Attribute: Strength???...]

[Skill:???,???]

[Overall Rating: S (Overlord Tier)]

At that moment, Tolon stood respectfully to the side of the general.

Upon seeing Lister enter, they quickly began to introduce him.

"Commander, this is the first mate of the Ship A73 of the Arcane Civilization Army, Lister Merrick."

"It was Kavin 'Lister resistance against Calvin that allowed our fleet to retreat successfully in the previous battle."

"Lister, I don't think I need to introduce the corps commander, do I?"

Tolon's smile never stopped.

As for the army commander mentioned, Lister naturally knew him.

The Federation Military District has a total of nine generals, each directly commanding one army.

This corps commander was Tolon's direct superior, the commander of the Seventh Central Army Group.

As Lister sized up the other man, the army commander was also sizing him up.

"Just the vice-captain?"

"So many talented soldiers in the Civilization Army now? They're almost as good as our Central Army?"

He glanced sideways at Lister, but his words made Captain Boren, who was about to greet him, feel somewhat ashamed.

He stood there awkwardly for a moment, and seeing that Tolon had no intention of introducing himself, he wisely left.

"Colonel Lister, have you considered joining our Seventh Central Army?"

"If you're willing, I can promise you the rank of major general in advance."

Upon hearing this, Tolon, standing to the side, looked surprised and his smile became somewhat stiff.

He hadn't expected his commander to value Lister so much and to extend an invitation right away.

The rank of Major General is generally only applicable to life forms that have undergone the fourth evolution.

In other words, some key figures in the Civilization Armies, such as Roland of the Glimmer Civilization, may apply to the Federation Military District and be exceptionally granted the rank of Major General ahead of schedule.

As for the Central Army Group, there had never been such an exception.

After all, the Central Army itself was already understaffed, and even those who met the hard standards had to wait for assignments, let alone someone like Lister who didn't even meet the hard standards.

For a moment, as the successor of the Seventh Army, he felt a sense of crisis.

"No, thank you for your consideration, Commander."

"Are you planning to form your own Civilization Army? Shouldn't you reconsider?"

"The Civilization Army ultimately belongs to civilization; people like us should think more about ourselves."

"The Civilization Army' might not be a good thing; it might be more of a burden for you."

"Commander Vidal, thank you! But I still want to form Civilization Army."

Despite the allure of the rank of major general, Lister was not particularly moved.

It wasn't just his own obsession with the Civilization Army; more importantly, through his Killing Intent Perception, he sensed the inexplicable, faint hostility emanating from Commander Vidal.

It was very well concealed, but he still managed to detect it.

Colonel Tolon breathed a sigh of relief; the threat was over.

"Hehe~! Think it over again, and let me know anytime you have an idea."

"Tolon, order the entire army to set off at full speed."

The entire fleet was closing in on Planet RT433, Kavin's main base, from all directions.

Lister, following Commander Vidal off the warship, hovered at the far end of Planet RT433, not in a hurry to attack.

Just as Tolon was about to make his introduction, an unparalleled aura of Destruction emanated from Commander Vidal.

It rapidly penetrated into the distance, causing the mechanical life on several planets along the way to momentarily freeze in their movements.

As Lister sensed this, he couldn't help but feel worried.

As expected of a general, the strength of his aura far exceeded his expectations.

I wonder if Kavin evacuated beforehand, or if he really fought to the last moment because of these mechanical lifeforms who hadn't had time to leave?

"Um...?"

A questioning voice came from Commander Vidal.

His brows furrowed slightly, as if he could hardly believe it.

"A teleportation array that's banned!? A special model used by the Leviathan Civilization...?"

"That's really a bad rule! How did Kavin manage to get something like that?"

As he spoke, he extended one hand forward in a loose grasping motion.

Suddenly, a pair of dark black boxing gloves appeared on his hands.

The ultimate energy erupted from his single fist, its energy waves affecting the entire core region of the star field.

Lister felt as if the space around him had lost its vitality, and that inexplicable spatial perception was gone.

"Notification: You have been subjected to Spacetime Confinement (SS-level). Spatial teleportation is prohibited within the current space, and the Time Crystal Armguard is unusable..."

Meanwhile, on Planet RT433, the Forbidden Magic Teleportation Array temporarily ceased to function.

"How come Kavin is left?"

As Commander Vidal raised his question, Lister's senses finally spread throughout the Planet RT433 system.

Unlike Commander Vidal's perception, he clearly knew the only massive aura on this planet through the Killing Intent Wave and the system's judgment.

It's not Kavin, but a modified Hoffman's master puppet!