The Occupation Begins

"Rest assured!"

"With Yatke alone, it's not a problem."

Lister certainly had that much confidence.

Vidal reached the level of Hegemon much earlier, yet he was still defeated by him.

This Yatke Hegemon has only controlled one star system for so many years, and only now does he have the confidence to expand, so his strength must be average.

"In that case, when shall we begin making plans?"

"Tomorrow."

The torrent of steel surged silently beneath the dark red sky.

Tens of thousands of mechanical life forms were arranged at perfect equidistant intervals, covering the entire starry sea, and the hydraulic joints emitted pale blue mist in the low temperature.

Hundreds of mechanical giants stood in the square formation, their massive armored shells reflecting the cold, metallic light.

The commander's mechanical guards stood at the forefront of the army formation, their scarlet visual sensors flashing at a fixed frequency, each blink causing the surrounding air to tremble.

It raised its forearm, which was covered with composite armor, and emitted a high-frequency buzzing sound as its mechanical knuckles stretched out. The army behind it immediately lit up with dark blue energy patterns—a sign that the particle cannon had completed charging.

"Master! The army is ready!"

A mechanical bodyguard stood beside Kavin, reminding him of the army's readiness.

Lister's Killing Intent Wave silently swept over the group of mechanical beings.

The ranks are generally between 15 and 16, but a few mechanical giants are ranked as high as 18.

The ten mechanical guards are also quite powerful, with 18th-tier S-class combat strength, which makes up for the Church of Mechanical Truth's lack of Fourth Advancement strength.

"Perform a final check."

After Kavin finished speaking, the front-line Charge mechanical lifeforms began self-checks, and the electromagnetic muscle bundles emitted a tense buzzing sound.

The reactor core on his chest gradually turned dark red, like countless miniature volcanoes about to erupt.

In a single instant, the heads of all the humanoid mechanical lifeforms turned southeast simultaneously, and the optical lenses contracted and focused, producing a series of faint mechanical sounds, like thousands of military knives being drawn from their sheaths at the same time.

At the same time, Lister took a silver-gray box from his Inventory — Leviathan's Sealing Box.

"Jiji ~!"

Having been imprisoned for a long time Jiji immediately rushed out of the sealed box.

The small silver metal ball transformed into a sharp mechanical bird in the next instant.

Its wings spread wide, resembling steel blades.

When it opened its eyes, the eerie green pupils immediately gave Jiji a somewhat sinister aura.

It no longer feels like an ordinary mechanical creation, but rather a true mechanical life form.

After circling high in the sky, Jiji finally stood on Lister's shoulder.

But those eyes were fixed on Kavin with considerable curiosity.

The primal familiarity with the other person made Jiji continuously emit cries of affection and surprise.

"Jiji ~!"

"I almost forgot about Jiji."

Kavin raised his left arm, and a surge of energy flowed toward Jiji.

The next moment, Jiji detached itself from Lister's shoulder and stood affectionately on Kavin's arm.

Jiji Chirp's sharp beak, Kavin couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

After some thought, he clenched his right arm in mid-air.

In the distance, on the outermost twelfth ring of the planet, countless machines began to twist and deform.

A diamond-shaped space rose up, with pale blue sparks dancing among the stars.

Jiji immediately broke free from Kavin's arm and hovered in front of Lister.

After Lister nodded, it shot straight towards the rhomboid space like a silver ray.

"Warning: In accordance with the Church of Mechanical Truth Civilization Convention, an alien Zerg mother has been discovered..."

"Leader Kavin, the Nineteenth Amendment has been officially announced. The Zerg Matrix 'Jiji' enjoys the highest immunity of the Church of Mechanical Truth."

The giant breeding chamber rose from the ground in just fifteen minutes, thanks to the infusion of countless precious metals by Kavin.

Three in a row, and soon the first batch of Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird were born from them.

[Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird (Child)]

[Level: LV160 (Note: Can be increased during battle, maximum LV180)]

[Health Points: 930000/930000]

[Skill: Swift Shadow Wing Needles (S) LV160: Wings transform into flying needles, striking all enemies within a certain range, dealing 17430~18890 damage, with an additional 27.5% true damage effect, and inflicting bleeding and poison effects.]

Energy Transfer (S) LV180: Defeating an enemy allows you to absorb their energy to power yourself, and some of this energy will be transferred to the breeding pod.

[Overall Rating: B]

"Marching forward!"

A cold voice roared from Kavin's mouth.

The guards immediately waved their hands, and the entire mechanical army, a torrent of steel, instantly advanced forward with the Church of Mechanical Truth at its core!

The Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird hovered above the army, joining them on their conquest.

Then, the next wave of mechanical lifeforms began to assemble!

The Oz Civilization, which was closest to the Mechanical God Cult, soon received an alarm from within.

"Important Warning: A large Mechanical Civilization army has been detected! Please prepare for a response!"

Countdown: 118, 117,...

"Damn it, what kind of crazy things are these machine lunatics up to now?"

A blond man, 6.2 meters tall and wielding Big Hammer sledgehammer, stared intently at the dense black dots in the distance, muttering complaints under his breath.

"They wouldn't be thinking of starting a war with our Oz Civilization right now, would they?"

The Oz Civilization was one of the earliest stable civilizations in the Babylon Galaxy.

This man is Henry Oz, the current royal ruler of the Oz Civilization.

The fact that they were able to establish a presence in the core region of the Babylon Galaxy was itself a symbol of their civilization's strength.

For thousands of years, the Oz Civilization has relied on the innate talent of its warriors and their expertise in martial arts, particularly in hammer and lightning techniques, to build a great reputation throughout the entire galaxy.

However, the Babylon Galaxy has undergone significant changes in the last century.

Their civilized neighbors were suddenly wiped out and replaced by a Mechanical Civilization.

This force developed at an extremely rapid pace, often launching attacks at the slightest provocation without any room for negotiation, and quickly annexed several ancient forces in the vicinity.

But we didn't start a war with them. But judging from today's situation, it feels like war is on the way!

"All troops, assemble! Charge!"

The Oz Civilization's army, whose individual lives were like miniature giants, was immediately assembled.

They all wielded various kinds of iron hammers and charged towards the endless mechanical army.

Unfortunately, before they could even get close, endless mechanical blades rained down like a storm.

The people of the Oz Civilization initially didn't pay much attention.

Their civilization far surpassed other civilizations in terms of absolute power and defense.

They were completely unafraid of this large-area attack from the needle-like blade.

As he stepped forward, he skillfully swung his giant hammer, deflecting most of the attacks.

However, a very small number of them still managed to pierce the bodies of the people.

The next instant, everyone's expression changed.

Simply put, this mere needle blade is not a simple physical attack.

The stinging sensation penetrated deeper and deeper into the skin and flesh, until it reached the very depths of one's soul.

The momentum of the attack overhead immediately slowed down.

A thin layer of Magnetic Shield finally covered his body.

This is a skill that all individuals in the Oz Civilization learn from a young age.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this Magnetic Shield looks thin; it is actually very closely connected to the blood and muscles of the individuals involved.

It can increase the strength of its Magnetic Shield based on its own physical condition.

But soon, everyone suffered another heavy blow.

The Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird doesn't have many skills, but its attack attributes are extremely high.

It possesses the characteristic of true damage, which is completely unavoidable for ordinary life forms.

Under the attack of the Swift Shadow Wing Needles, a large number of Oz warriors fell from the sky.

The remaining warriors then faced the onslaught of the mechanical army.

The coordinated attack, with the energy cannons formed by hundreds of mechanical lifeforms, was not much weaker than the neutron cannons of a large warship.

Melee attacks and heavy firepower suppression from mechanical giants.

In just one encounter, the Oz warriors, who reacted fastest and rallied in the first wave, were almost entirely wiped out.

Henry Oz's heart was bleeding as he endured the situation.

With his combat strength at level 21, he no longer cared about the danger.

He charged ahead, taking the lead, and a leaping purple lightning gradually surged from the dark giant hammer in his hand.

As the lightning energy continued to gather, its color gradually deepened, and its light became dazzling.

Finally, the surface of the giant hammer turned incandescent white, and it crashed down in mid-air in a terrifying display.

The massive shockwave, carrying a tingling, electrifying energy, transmitted extremely rapidly.

Simply touching it will immediately cause it to be eroded by the energy of lightning.

Large numbers of mechanical life forms are highly resistant to even the energy of lightning.

However, under the influence of this unique interplay of Destruction energies, it was impossible to resist even the slightest bit.

After all, the difference in their social standing is too great, a qualitative gap between them.

Just as the hammer was about to be swung again, the lead mechanical guard immediately stepped forward.

An invisible silver metal shield unfolded before my eyes, and in the next second it stretched out in all directions, like an invisible barrier.

As the giant hammer slammed down, the shield trembled slightly, then began to shatter from its center, spreading like a spider web.

"Are you Church of Mechanical Truth insane?"

"At this time, are you going to wage war against our Oz Civilization?"

Hendeli slowed his movements as the mechanical bodyguards approached him.

His expression was serious, but he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Didn't you receive the news? The Yatke Hegemon are preparing to conquer the Babylon Galaxy!"

"What good is it for your Church of Mechanical Truth to seize our territory if we can't contend with him?"

Seeing that the mechanical guards ignored him, Hendeli immediately roared in anger.

In fact, he believed that the Oz Civilization he led, if truly put to the test, was no less powerful than the Church of Mechanical Truth.

Just as rumored, the Church of Mechanical Truth launched a decisive battle without any scruples or conscription, determined to fight to the bitter end—a truly insane civilization.

The Oz Civilization was not prepared to assemble at the moment, and was thus caught off guard by the decisive battle.

Hendeli couldn't help but call a halt, though he hadn't missed anything in his thinking.

During this period, the most pressing concern for all Babylon civilizations was the news of the Yatke Hegemon's planned conquest.

Whether to rebel, flee, or eke out a living in the Babylon Galaxy, everyone was making final considerations and preparations. Who would want to engage in a final battle at this time?

"Lord Kavin has decreed: Effective immediately, all forces in the Babylon Galaxy will be either wiped out or incorporated into the empire."

"Leader of the Oz Civilization, you have the choice to submit or die!"

The guard's calm voice rang out; although his rank was lower than his opponent's, his strength was S-rank.

His true fighting strength is no less than that of Hendeli.

This is why Hendeli didn't rush to take action, but instead continued to communicate at the moment.

"Have you Church of Mechanical Truth gone mad? You dare to conquer star systems before Hegemon has even emerged?"

While stalling for time with the conversation, Hendeli hurriedly notified the warriors inside the civilization.

Within its star field, warriors continued to gather.

Compared to the first wave of resistance, this wave of warriors has gathered more than ten times their number.

His small movement naturally did not escape the perception of the mechanical guards.

As Kavin's personal guard, he naturally possesses a stronger innate sensitivity to signal channels and the like.

However, they didn't pay attention to his little actions at the moment.

To the current Church of Mechanical Truth, the mere civilization of Oz Civilization, even if it resists, will only be crushed.

Just as Hendeli was preparing to rally his troops for resistance, he saw that they had assembled.

The mechanical guard suddenly turned around and looked into the distance, then leaned forward slightly and lowered his head.

Without launching another attack, all the mechanical troops headed towards the distant luggage.

This strange behavior prompted Hendeli to halt his planned attack.

Sensing the distance, they saw a strange-looking warship rapidly approaching.

The warship's hull was painted with menacing red claw marks, a pirate-like appearance that left Hendeli dumbfounded.

Despite this, the army of the Church of Mechanical Truth patiently waited for the warships to approach.

Soon, two men stepped out from the warship.

One of them he knew was Kavin Deer, the leader of the Church of Mechanical Truth, the Mad Bishop.

Although it is only at the 18th rank, it is in no way inferior to Fourth Advancement life form.

Even he wouldn't dare say he could rival Kavin.

More importantly, this mad bishop, Kavin, is able to mass-produce mechanical guards, all of whom are at the Quasi-Hegemon level in strength.

This is what made all the powers in the Babylon Galaxy feel awe in such a short time.

Faced with such a true mechanical genius, no one could doubt Kavin's future.

However, not many forces actually gravitated towards them; they merely maintained a respectful distance.

After all, the future is just the future. They have seen countless geniuses, and only by truly reaching the Overlord Tier will they gain the recognition of all forces.

As for the other one, Hendeli, it's a bit harder to judge.

With black hair and black eyes, he was rather "short," incomparable to the average height of 6-7 meters of the Oz Civilization.

However, he possessed an extraordinary demeanor, especially since his senses completely vanished during the investigation, as if shrouded in mist.

Faced with this situation, there is only one possibility!

The opponent's strength far exceeded his, far beyond the range he could detect.

However, before he could continue speculating...

Suddenly, the man's aura exploded.

An overwhelming aura of killing intent pressed down like an abyss, instantly freezing the entire surrounding star field.

The space around it was cracked like a spiderweb, like fragile glass, and then constantly restored itself.

Hendeli Oz's pupils contracted sharply, and the lightning on his giant hammer was abruptly extinguished before it could even leap up.

His proud 21st-level energy was forcibly forced back into his body, every muscle fiber groaned in agony from the unbearable strain, and his soul trembled with fear.

The pressure was so intense that even he found it difficult to withstand; the combat prowess of the man opposite him was beyond doubt.

"Hegemon..."