But for the Empire, the greatest benefit brought by the Ladder Star Gates was that the vast numbers of Galaxy Defense Army forces that had been stationed throughout the galaxy were now mobilized and sent into battle as reinforcements.
Compared with the Main Fleet, these Galaxy Defense Army forces were inferior in both equipment and personnel quality. The difference was like that between the central government's regular forces and local militias. But their sheer numbers changed the battlefield outright. With these fresh troops joining the fight, the border defenses, which had been steadily retreating, stabilized once more, and fierce battles broke out in deep space against the continuously advancing Corrupted Fleet.
The battlefield seemed to have returned to its original state: the Dragon Soul and the Dark Empire were locked in fierce war across the vast reaches of deep space. The elite legions on both sides were treated like cheap expendables, clashing relentlessly.
"But in a war of attrition, the Empire is undoubtedly at a disadvantage," Link said bluntly. "The Corrupted Empire controls ten times as many galaxies as we do, and its productive capacity far exceeds ours."
The Imperial Army had managed to hold its ground and prevent the border defenses from retreating further because the Morning Star Cruisers were striking out to destroy exposed Ladder Star Gates used by the Corrupted forces without pause. This kept the enemy's legions from reinforcing the front lines with impunity.
At the same time, the Golden Barracudas used their exceptional mobility to periodically penetrate the Dark Empire's borders and destroy any exposed Dimension Fortresses with Two-dimensional foil.
"Another batch of Dimension Fortresses is about to join the defenses," Conilia reminded them. During wartime, the government departments she led had shifted their focus, voluntarily assisting the military by launching a massive production drive