Surrender and Suppression

Although it was his second time meeting Lister, Ewaer observed very carefully.

I couldn't see it clearly last time in the Eternal Sea of Trees, but the killing intent emanating from it is just as strong as before.

This was the first time he had ever seen someone condense killing intent to this extent.

I know why you have come today.

The light tap of fingertips on the hilt produced a crisp metallic vibration that caused several Hegemon to unconsciously straighten their backs.

A holographic star map unfolded above everyone's heads, with the territories of the three existing star systems highlighted in scarlet outlines.

Lister is still in the process of preparing a new force based on the fusion of three major star systems.

The main issue is that the three galaxies are not completely adjacent; they are separated by the Maizhe Galaxy and another common galaxy.

They cannot fully exchange information, and as for galaxy-level teleporters, that is being researched by Kavin.

In terms of technological innovation, Lister cannot compare to a true genius.

Of course, these days plans can't keep up with changes.

He had originally anticipated that the attack on the Void Corridor might take several years or even decades.

Reveal your strength without pushing your opponent to the brink.

To everyone's surprise, the other party reacted extremely strongly, but fortunately, the matter ended abruptly as expected.

However, as their prestige grows, their power no longer needs to be limited to just three star systems.

A World-Ending Level force typically encompasses anywhere from a dozen to several dozen star systems.

Of course, there are only three or five core galaxies.

After all, it's unlikely that so many star systems with high-quality resources would happen to converge in one place.

A large galaxy does not necessarily mean abundant resources; on the contrary, it indicates that resources are dispersed, making defense quite difficult.

But for Lister, the plan for three star systems was cancelled, and preparations were made for expansion.

At that moment, Lister pointed with one hand and used the Crystallized Killing Intent to draw a circle around the outer perimeter of the three major star systems.

The scope encompasses several dozen galaxies.

"This is the territory I plan to establish a new force within. If any of you are within this area, I can offer you the opportunity to join."

"If it's outside this area, you can leave."

His gaze swept over the dozen or so Hegemon in front of him.

Most Hegemon are only at level 19 or 20, with only a few, especially those invited by the Lord of Qingteng from the Eternal Sea of Trees, being at level 22 or above, thus entering the ranks of veteran Hegemon.

No one stood up after he said that.

Clearly, those who came today were all "neighbors" of Lister's galaxy.

Moreover, they were all psychologically inclined to join in; otherwise, sending an envoy with a gift would have been sufficient.

"Lord Lister, if we join, what about the other star systems in this region...?"

A young Hegemon stood up, his eyes sharp, but unfortunately his aura was weak.

There's a hint of bravado masking underlying weakness.

"Of course, it was swept away."

Although Lister's voice was calm, it stirred up a storm in everyone's ears.

"All?"

"All."

Apart from the Milky Way Galaxy, the galaxies in this vicinity are generally resource-poor.

Like the Star Machine Civilization, they occupy the largest star system among the seven superpowers, but in reality, it is the weakest and has the fewest resources.

Even if Lister conquered dozens of star systems, he wouldn't actually see a significant improvement in resources, and he wouldn't even be able to compete with the Star Machine Civilization.

But at least one thing is certain... the hostile vassal forces in this area can be eliminated.

"Including Gebeier in the Bloodred Galaxy?"

The one speaking now is not this young Hegemon.

Instead, it was the Crimson Archbishop of the Blood Magic Church, the first elder at the Council of the Eternal Sea of Trees.

He was also one of the first figures Qingteng attempted to win over the Hegemon.

He held this huge, dark red book in his hand, but it was actually blank.

"Naturally, this includes, or rather... he was the first target to be eliminated."

Gebeier in the Bloodred Galaxy is adjacent to the Divine Rise Galaxy and originally had a decent relationship with the Yatke Hegemon.

Of course, it's only considered "okay".

After Lister killed Yatke and occupied the Divine Rise Galaxy, the other party didn't say a word, and even sent Lister a congratulatory gift.

He was one of the earliest Hegemon to respond to him, even earlier than the Eternal Sea of Trees.

Lister originally had no interest in their power.

But now he has already chosen sides among the various cosmic powers.

The Bloodred Galaxy joined the Void Corridor early on and has a considerable reputation within this galaxy cluster.

Since we've chosen different paths, a battle is inevitable.

"If we hadn't come today, Lord Lister... would you have done the same?"

A cold voice came from the left side of the conference room.

A man clad in mechanical armor was also a member of the original Eternal Sea of Trees Council.

Archbishop Tunan of the Mechanical Holy See followed a similar developmental path to Boren Leviathan.

Of course, for now, this person is developing much better Boren.

"I admit you have the strength to conquer these star systems, but you alone, with the power of only three star systems, cannot possibly defend all the star systems on your map, can you?"

"I told you, this is the blueprint for the new forces."

"I admit that if any of you wish to join the new force I have formed, the first requirement is regarding the cleanup of these star systems."

"But even without everyone here, I'd just be a little slower on my own."

The ending won't change.

Those present are all Overlord Tier powerhouses and leaders of their respective factions.

From the Tunan spoke, he was fully aware of Lister's intentions.

It's a pipe dream for warriors from just three star systems in the Milky Way to conquer these dozens of star systems.

To develop to this level, a thousand years is the shortest possible time.

Their current desire to join each other is naturally driven by this motivation.

"I'm willing to join!"

Ewaer is currently the first of all the Hegemon powers to make a statement.

Even without Archbishop Tunan's reminder, he had already guessed what Lister was doing the moment the star map lit up.

Unlike the hesitation and indecision of other forces, he had already thought things through completely the moment he set off.

If Lister hadn't only recently entered the World Annihilation, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to come together.

To fully commit themselves to the enemy's cause is also for the rapid formation of the entire major power.

Only by making such sacrifices can one gain the other party's protection and obtain higher-level resources in the future.

He has always been very clear about this.

He was also the first to refuse during that meeting in the Eternal Sea of Trees.

"I'll join too."

The Crimson Archbishop grinned wickedly.

This strange situation put considerable pressure on many of the young Hegemon around them.

But Lister was not worried.

Absolute dominance in strength is the best form of confidence.

With two leaders expressing their support, the remaining Hegemon, however hesitant, quickly followed suit, knowing that time and opportunity were running out.

Furthermore, if they do not express their opinion now, they will become Lister's rival.

Given their strength, they had no choice at all.

Qingteng took his seat at the front of the conference hall.

His gaze swept back and forth among the various Hegemon.

The sight of those who had rejected her at the Alliance meeting now raising their hands in support filled her with a sense of satisfaction, but also a touch of melancholy.

I made a good move; Lord Lister is now truly showing signs of building a superpower.

With over four hundred years to go before the birth of the Seed of Eternity, she was full of confidence in its survival.

Bloodred Galaxy - Temple.

Gebeier held the battle report, now shattered into fragments, and a crimson power unconsciously gathered within his clenched fist.

"How long has it been?"

"It's one thing for a level 20 character to defeat a level 23 character... but now even Lord Curtis..."

The servants knelt by the pool of blood in the temple, their bio-armor scorched by the heat of the pool.

In the holographic projection not far away, battle footage from the N7 Galaxy was playing on a loop.

The moment the crimson blade pierced through the triple dimensional prison, Gebeier's pupils shattered along with the Phantom floating city on Curtis's chest.

Have you found any information from the Milky Way Galaxy?

"My lord... this is the latest intelligence."

The waiter handed over an unusual crystal sphere, and soon the projected image changed again.

The video began playing, showing over ten Overlord Tier powerhouses bowing to Lister under the dome of the Merrick Civilization's conference.

Immediately after the playback ended, the crystal sphere shattered on its own and disappeared without a trace.

"Crimson..., Ewaer..."

"Good! One by one... they've finally caught up with us this time!"

His fists clenched even tighter, while at the same time, the latest intelligence came to Gebeier's ears.

It was an emergency message sent via a virtual communicator used by his fleet's adjutant.

"My lord, Ewaer and the Crimson Archbishop are assembling their armies in their galaxy..."

"According to inside information, the enemy is preparing to attack us."

Gebeier's already grim expression became even more intense.

"Lister is using me as a sacrifice to establish his authority!"

"No...! It's also revenge against the Void Corridor."

"Activate the reserved emergency frequency band of the Void Corridor!"

After kicking away the waiter in front of him, Gebeier had no desire to undergo the baptism.

The armor beside him automatically converged onto him, and his dark red cloak fluttered in the surging energy storm.

"Sir... it seems the other party... failed to connect..."

The adjutant's voice rang in his ears again, which filled Gebeier with hatred, and he spoke without any restraint.

"Tell those information brokers that if they keep playing dead..."

After that, the other party finally responded, and the dedicated communicator suddenly unfolded a diamond-shaped projection automatically.

Before Damon's Phantom of the Speaker on Duty could solidify, Gebeier smashed the star chart device beside him.

"Damon...! I trusted you guys so much!"

"What did Lord Curtis promise? Now people are coming to my house, what happened to our joint defense?!"

Compared to his nonchalance and resentment, Damon on the other end of the projection was quite calm.

"According to Article 3 of the Pan-Cosmic Armistice Agreement, World Annihilation powerhouses are prohibited from intervening in disputes Overlord Tier forces."

"Furthermore, according to the exclusive agreement between the Void Corridor and Lister, a battle at the Overlord Tier meets the standards."

"Don't worry, we'll follow the rules. They'll only send Overlord Tier to attack us."

Damon's voice carried the ethereal echo characteristic of the Void Clan, but to Gebeier it was jarring!

"The Bloodred Galaxy's seven thousand years of tribute of blood cores... and all it gets in return is a simple 'follow the rules'?"

Gebeier's knuckles were white as he gripped the edge of his Void Race's insignia, his voice filled with gritted teeth.

Damon remained completely unmoved by his appearance.

The war between the Void Corridor and Lister has been put aside; the current localized battles are insignificant.

They were even more aware of the battle between the Emerald Royal Court and Lister.

All major actions are planned to begin four hundred years from now, so naturally, they don't want to provoke any disputes during this period.

As for the Bloodred Galaxy, it's so close to the Milky Way Galaxy, so giving it up is no big deal. To the Void Clan, it's just a pawn to them anyway.

However, being a major power, Damon's projection suddenly split into hundreds of rhomboid crystals.

Each crystal facet reflects a different battlefield scene: the blazing white flames of the Order of the End are burning a void outpost, and its followers have occupied three resource stars.

Countless voices of Damon resonated throughout the hall.

"Don't think we didn't help you; Lister has already reached an agreement with the Church of the End."

"In the ten minutes you were spacing out, the Church of the End has already attacked and seized excess resources from our N9 Star Domain."

Gebeier could no longer listen and suddenly punched the projection.

"Then you should..."

The projector shattered, along with the dedicated communicator.

Amidst the buzzing sound of communications being cut off, the adjutant's expression changed drastically within the fleet.

Within the ruins of the Holy Court, Gebeier kept recalling those days.

Within this nearby star cluster, relying on his personal strength, he became the first to connect with a giant of a major power like the Void Corridor.

For a time, the Bloodred Galaxy became one of the top galaxies in this galaxy cluster, displaying its remarkable vigor and ambition.

If other star systems hadn't later allied with other major powers, the Bloodred Galaxy's status would have been even higher.

During this period, the Bloodred Galaxy gradually broke away from Hegemon group in this galaxy cluster.

Plundering resources from other star systems is also a way to further contribute to the Void Corridor.

He even set his sights on his old friend Yatke.

Recalling himself seven hundred years ago, when he punched Yatke away, Atek scoffed at him, "You think... you can live a long life like a dog?"

He has indeed outlived Yatke... but at the same time... he may not be able to escape his fate.

Three months later, alarms sounded throughout the sky indicating that the galactic defense matrix of the Bloodred Galaxy was overloaded.

The new Hegemon army under Lister's control has arrived.

The atmosphere in the main ship's circular hall remained tense.

In the projection, Lister's crystallized killing intent is outlining its path on the star map, with the final convergence point being the Bloodred Galaxy.

"War will begin in three days."

"Lord Lister, the Void Corridor stands behind Gebeier... are we really going to start a war like this?"

The one who spoke was Archbishop Tunan of the Mechanical Holy See.

He was the most composed and risk-averse member of the group.

Although he had joined Lister's ranks, he still hesitated about attacking the Bloodred Galaxy as his first battle.

"Void Corridor?"

Lister chuckled softly, and the Shadowless Blade tapped lightly on the ground.

In an instant, the crystallized killing intent condensed into a projection in front of him, revealing Kaos bound in chains, his incomparably maniacal smiling face.

Hello everyone!