News that the Kree Empire, along with its homeworld Hala, had been reduced to cosmic dust by a single glimmer from the Hilling Supreme Fortress spread through every civilization capable of interstellar communication in an extremely short time.
Panic spread wildly among the upper echelons of countless races and empires.
Among them, the Shi'ar Empire—longtime rivals of the Kree Empire and the very power that had just dispatched a delegation to "mediate"—reacted the most fiercely and suffered the greatest internal upheaval.
Inside the resplendent imperial council hall on the Shi'ar capital world, all former dignity and order had completely vanished.
"Surrender! We must surrender immediately!" an official cried himself hoarse, waving the footage sent back by the delegation showing that scene of destruction. "You all saw it! That was power beyond our comprehension! The Kree Empire... it was simply gone! Not even a trace of debris remained! What can we use to resist? Throw our fleets at them? That will only make us die faster!"
"Coward!" A high-ranking military officer slammed his palm against the table and roared. "Since the founding of the Shi'ar Empire, when have we ever bowed our heads to an enemy? Surrendering before battle is the greatest humiliation! We possess vast fleets and galaxy-destroying weapons! Even if they are powerful, we may not be without a chance! Gather all our strength and unite every force we still can. I refuse to believe this Hilling Empire is truly invincible!"
"A chance? With what will we fight? Did you see that fortress? That is not something the known universe can deal with! Unite with whom? Who would dare stand with us against that monster?"
"Are we really going to hand over the empire's foundation, built over hundreds of millions of years, along with our sovereignty and dignity? I