On some day in October of the year 832 of the Commonwealth, deep in the galaxy, in a star region known as the Spiral Cross Nebula, inside an obscure space city, someone let out a long, sorrowful sigh.
"How miserable! Are we really snakes? We've actually been pinned down and beaten right at our weak point!" The superluminal communication projection of the lady known as "Now"—or rather, the lady herself...—was rolling around in a secret conference room, shouting at the top of her lungs:
"Stop telling me we're playing some grand game, and stop telling me there are other plans! We failed. We got beaten. The New Continent plan was a complete disaster, and three of the Thirteen Faces are gone just like that! We can't even fill all the seats in the conference room. Have we suffered casualties this terrible since the organization was founded?"
"Yes. Back when it was first founded, we were reduced to just three."
The speaker could only be "Past," one of the leaders of the organization.
The Lord of Snakes sat ramrod straight in a chair to the right of the main seat in the conference room, like a sculpted statue. Light and shadow had appeared from who knew where, shrouding his entire form. His build, appearance, and even species were hidden in the darkness, making him impossible to see clearly. Had he not spoken, others might not even have sensed that his true self was present.
"There was also the era of change after the Alliance Monarchy ended, the Nefei Unification Wars, and the era of interstellar exploration. Through all those tumultuous periods, the organization survived by making every possible sacrifice. The worst was the Third Galactic War. Even the 'Past' of that generation was surrounded by the Starrealm Knights and killed. The