Destroy Amoeba!
There had been no direct communication, but the Successors could clearly sense the malice of the Correction Agency. Those invisible pillars let them feel it directly, body and soul alike!
Without faster-than-light travel, the Successors lost what they had relied on to evade spiritual-domain detection. They fell into the nebulae gathered together under the influence of the pillars' fields.
The nebulae scattered by supernova explosions had, under the effect of the invisible fields, developed cheese-like holes facing beyond the galaxy. Against the backdrop of interstellar matter, the pillars stretching from outside the galaxy to the galactic core stood out with extreme clarity.
The chords of destruction began to play once more, spreading throughout the galaxy. It was an irresistible command to the Collectors. Everything belonging to Amoeba, including the Collectors, would become targets for extermination by the Correction Agency.
"These repulsive pillars are extending at faster-than-light speed, while also stabilizing spacetime. This is terrible for us—the difficulty of entering faster-than-light travel has multiplied..."
"Spacetime itself is not limited by the speed of light; only matter with mass cannot exceed it. Negative mass must be what achieved this effect. And these pillars extend all the way to the galactic core, which means something must have changed over there. At the very least, it will not be affected by the negative mass used to form these pillars."
"Doesn't that mean our faster-than-light negative-matter missiles are useless now?"
"Hard to say. Without knowing what is happening at the galactic core, it is difficult to draw a conclusion."
Just as the Successors had predicted, faster-than-light negative-matter missiles no longer posed a threat to the galactic core. The Correction Agency's method of attack against the Successors had constructed a negative-matter barrier outside the galactic core, generating a repulsive field powerful enough to disrupt