This was probably the strangest marching formation since the founding of the New Empire:
The Empire Fleet formed the center and vanguard. Vast formations of starships swept across the stars under the drive of Quasi-Coordinate Engines. The Godrace forces occupied the rear, their magnificent combat temples and towers of unknown purpose forming a moving divine kingdom, following behind the Empire Army like a brilliant sea of light. Yet the ones serving as guards and guides throughout the surrounding space... were Abyssalized fleets emanating an oppressive aura—the "Polluters," once known as the Fallen Apostles, who had fought the Empire for years.
This was a coalition force, but also a bizarre one. A few months ago, even the bravest person would not have dared claim that the Empire Army and the Fallen Apostles would fight side by side. Yet that was the fact before everyone's eyes.
This enormous coalition had little experience in joint operations. The Godrace and Shilin used entirely different combat units, making coordination especially difficult, so this formation was only temporary and would be reassigned once they reached the battlefield. But even a temporary formation had its logic. The Empire Army was placed in the center and toward the front, the Godrace at the rear, and the Abyss Fleet served as an outer escort to guard against ambushes by the new army. The Abyss Shilin forces knew the local environment and the new army especially well, so they could react first when attacked and naturally took responsibility for the outer perimeter. The Empire Army excelled at breaking fortified positions; warships possessed immense instantaneous firepower and the protection of Combined Shields, making them suited for the vanguard. The Godrace was weaker in initial bursts, but they grew stronger the longer they fought. Given time to deploy their formations, activate their