The balance of the interstellar battlefield was irreversibly tipping toward the Hilling Empire.
Yet relying on its immense scale and the Supreme Wisdom's cold efficiency, the Kree Empire continued drawing reinforcements from rearward star systems without pause.
They sought to build a dam from fleet wreckage and soldiers' lives, slowing the Blood Angels' advance and dragging the war into a brutal quagmire of attrition.
Countless factions watching this war through remote observation methods were reevaluating the threat level of the "Hilling Empire."
Within the Shi'ar Empire, one of the universe's foremost powers alongside the Kree Empire, undercurrents surged through the imperial court.
The Shi'ar Empress and the High Council had initially drafted a diplomatic delegation plan. They intended to make contact with this newly risen power and attempt to "moderate" its overly aggressive expansion through diplomatic channels.
However, before the delegation could depart, reports from the front made every Shi'ar leader draw a sharp breath—their ancient enemy, the Kree Empire, which had battled them for countless ages, had shown signs of collapse in such a short time! The combat strength displayed by the Blood Angels far exceeded even their most dire estimates.
"Your Majesty," a Shi'ar general clad in magnificent feathered attire said gravely, "we are pleased to see the Kree suffer setbacks, but all intelligence analyses indicate that this Hilling Empire possesses an extreme desire for expansion and appears to follow a standard of 'judgment' we cannot comprehend. Once the Kree Empire completely collapses, given the force and conduct they have displayed, it is difficult to believe they will stop. At that point, we may very well become their next target."
The Shi'ar Empress sat upon her jewel-studded throne, her fingertips tapping lightly against its armrest as calculation gleamed in her eyes.
After a moment, she made her decision: