After the battle ended, we should have "towed" the worlds we had captured back to the Empire Zone, but Sandora made an even bolder decision: she wanted to establish a new defensive line right where we stood, turning the four captured worlds and the several connected universes they could project control over into a new frontier. This would permanently alter the territorial layout of the New Empire and the Abyss Zone.
"The Planetary Fortresses we brought can be stationed here and establish colonies and defensive strongholds in these worlds," Sandora said, outlining her plan. "We'll anchor these universes and let them remain where they are. From now on, the Abyss Zone will directly border the New Empire—there will no longer be a void separating us."
Other than Qian Qian, who said she hadn't understood a thing and therefore wasn't surprised, all of us were dumbfounded. Viska, ever blunt, immediately spoke up: "Hey, Sandora, have you really thought this through? This'll add more than a dozen Fire Lines between the Empire and the Abyss Zone. Worlds from both sides will be reachable in a single jump. From now on, whoever wants to hit the other can just grab a brick and charge in."
"I know, and I'm not making this decision on a whim," Sandora said calmly with a nod. "After such a long period of accumulation, the New Empire is now capable of maintaining multiple Fire Lines like this, while the Fallen Apostles happen to lack the spare energy to cause trouble. That makes this the best time to establish a contact zone. The New Empire will indeed border the Abyss Zone from now on, but there are benefits as well: we can monitor the Fallen Apostles' movements more conveniently, and we can also see whether that Abyss Shilin keeps