Like an Abandoned Corpse

The first to enter the Space Gate were, as before, great numbers of Cerberus bio-organic weapons.

After multiple rounds of upgrades, they wore exoskeletal armor that made them look like steel beasts, with thick limbs and various wired devices mounted on their backs.

A neat column of Recon Terminators followed close behind.

The machines stood roughly two meters tall, their angular frames covered in composite armor of titanium alloy and carbon fiber.

Crimson light flickered in their eyes. Every unit marched in perfect step, its rhythm cold and precise.

They showed no emotion or hesitation. Carrying heavy Railgun Rifles and Plasma Cutters, they moved with exacting care.

These mechanical soldiers also carried wired equipment on their backs, ensuring they could maintain real-time contact with the Empire after crossing into unknown space.

As the biological and mechanical weapons passed through, ripples spread across the Space Gate's surface, as though a boulder had struck a lake.

The technicians monitored the data while watching the communications channels for any sign of instability.

"Energy flow is clear. Signal connection is stable."

A technician's voice rang out.

The Emperor still did not move. He merely watched the Space Gate. Without a word from him, every division understood the weight of its task.

What awaited them beyond that curtain of light might be a barren wasteland or a Xenomorph world hiding deadly dangers.

But the iron order of the Empire had now taken its first step.

Before long, as the monitoring signals remained stable, images from the other side of the Space Gate began appearing on the Reconnaissance Forces' holographic screens.

An unknown land slowly unfolded on the screens, a scene straight out of Purgatory.

Countless fissures split the earth, as though the planet's very veins had shattered. What surged from the cracks was not water,