Seven hours before the assault on Hive Zero began, the Crimson Dawn had already started moving toward its location.
The starship was large enough to carry every player and Bloodmad Vampire aboard. Best of all, when the vampires had built it on their homeworld, they had designed it to serve as a colony ship. That meant it was well stocked with places to have fun.
Within the ecological zone, which had been expanded with spatial magic, there was even an exact one-to-one replica of an "entertainment town."
It had to be the wildest, most entertaining place on the vampires' homeworld, or they wouldn't have recreated it aboard the starship before the apocalypse. No one knew which genius had found it, but before long, it had become the Gray Expeditionary Army players' "home away from home."
Some of the people who had finished preparing for war were even playing pool there.
The players' outrageous nonchalance before such a major battle left the Bloodmad Vampires speechless. But while the Crimson Dawn sailed steadily through the stratosphere, some very bad news arrived for Murphy.
"Put the call through."
The starship's first mate, Solma, spoke gravely. The incoming call was then transferred to Murphy, and the information stamp showed it had come from Transia. The sender was Mirian, the Crimson Governor.
Murphy raised an eyebrow. When he accepted the call and Mirian's holographic projection appeared before him, he saw that she had donned military uniform—a rare sight since the Black Calamity. The vampire governor immediately guessed the truth.
He asked, "Let me guess. The edge hives' dormant period is over, and the swarm has erupted behind us?"
"That's right. The skies over Scarlet Keep are full of bugs. All activity inside and outside the city has stopped, and I just declared martial law."
Mirian