The Real Confrontation, Perhaps, Was Only About to Begin

More than ten hours later, they arrived in the near-planetary orbit of Aegis VII.

The scene here was utterly different from the "calm" of not long ago, carrying the atmosphere of a heavily fortified military stronghold prepared for battle.

The garrison fleet belonging to the Imperial Warriors Legion—

It consisted of two Emperor-class Battleships reputed to be indestructible, dozens of cruisers, and even more nimble frigates. They patrolled in a rigorous defensive formation, the cold metallic sheen of their hulls glittering beneath the starlight as a murderous aura filled the void.

At the edges of the fleet's patrol routes, as well as beyond the planet's gravitational sphere, vast quantities of twisted, shattered, lifeless flesh-and-blood wreckage floated through space. Like the rotting corpses of gigantic cosmic whales, they seemed to recount the brief yet fierce clash that had taken place here not long ago.

Those were the final traces left behind by the Blood Moon entities that had attempted to assault the portal.

Their gazes turned toward the most conspicuous Space Gate.

This energy curtain, six kilometers on each side and resembling an enormous, perfectly smooth mercury mirror, remained steadily positioned on the surface, radiating a gentle, constant glow as it connected two different universes.

Ever since the Engineering Department had used large-scale environmental stabilizers to quell the geological disturbances caused by the Ishimura, countless newly laid maglev tracks, their blue guidance lights flashing, had spread outward from the Space Gate like steel veins, efficiently linking different regions to the Frontline Base on the planetary surface.

These rail networks had greatly accelerated the transfer of personnel, equipment, and supplies, turning Aegis VII into a bustling interstellar "logistics" hub.

At this moment, a large maglev train designed specifically to transport important personnel or objects was steadily passing through the mercury-mirror-like Space Gate