Deep within the core of the Wulf Civilization's defensive line.
A spindle-shaped celestial body over a hundred kilometers tall floated silently in space.
Most of its bulk consisted of gray rock with a faint metallic sheen, covered in signs of artificial excavation. Some sections were so smooth they looked as though they had been sliced by a blade.
Countless dark caverns dotted its surface, and more than a dozen long, straight metal rails pointed in every direction like lightning rods. Taken as a whole, it resembled a bizarre hive bristling with spikes.
Inside the Hive's central command room.
"The first defensive line has suffered eighty percent losses and has been breached! The second defensive line is in danger..."
"Communications remain under interference. Unable to obtain accurate information on enemy movements. Switching to backup communications. Communications efficiency down thirty percent!"
"The enemy offensive is fierce. The Frontline Commander requests immediate reinforcements!"
"..."
The command room, filled with the distinctive style of an alien civilization, was in chaos. Not a single piece of news from the front was good.
"Patriarch! The enemy has committed an astonishing number of troops this time. I'm afraid the second defensive line won't hold for long either."
The Wulf Civilization's defenses resembled a series of chains, combining large numbers of semi-permanent fortifications with mobile defensive forces such as warships to block the enemy's advance.
A Ryan Race commander clad in golden armor sat at the head of the room, his face livid as he read the urgent reports coming in from across the defensive lines.
He had short gray hair that bristled like a hedgehog's spines. Though already quite elderly, he still radiated the fierce presence of a lion at the top of the food chain.
He was the patriarch of the Ryan Race, as well as