So that was it.
The Emperor had gained control of some of the Void Lord's core biological tissue and spirit, while his subordinates—or perhaps some unknown collaborators—had built that hideous iron golem to serve as its body.
The two had been joined in a way that reeked of evil blasphemy, creating the indescribable monster that was now half machine and half Void Lord.
Even with the resources of the Galactic Empire, creating such a monster would have cost an astronomical amount of time and resources. It certainly couldn't have been made specifically for Yu Lian.
Yu Lian could almost be certain that after the Emperor had defeated the monster during the Seventh Galactic War, he had started racking his brains over how to make this work.
So who, exactly, was your collaborator? Yu Lian was just about to ask when Little Gray warned him.
"It's starting."
On the screen floating nearby, the giant that looked like an iron demon god seemed to have finally locked onto its prey. Its twisted form, draped in colorless motes of light, instantly launched into a charge. The red light at the top of its body began to burn as surging energy gathered, ready to erupt.
"It'll attack your fleet first," the Emperor said.
"I'll be watching," Yu Lian replied proudly.
Within his perceptual field, the giant made of steel and Void tissue began to advance, its target clearly the Hand of Glory. The nearby Earth fleet had also noticed the upheaval in space, half an astronomical unit away. They halted their advance and began reorganizing in place for strategic maneuvers.
Little Gray promptly sent over the latest live footage. The Hand of Glory fortress beside the fleet came into view. Its main fortress cannon floated above a layer of liquid metal as it adjusted