Lin Chen suddenly realized something.
This silly system was even more cautious than he was, and he was the king of playing it safe.
Tens of thousands of Strategic Interstellar Cruisers, just to blast apart Lilith's meme entity body.
That was sheer overkill, a complete waste of firepower.
"Those Star Destroyers are terrifying. I really want to buy them..."
Behind Lin Chen, Asta was still reeling from shock, her eyes filled with longing.
The Conqueror Legion's methods were very much to Asta's liking.
With the glory of human technology, they confronted higher beings that wielded mysterious powers.
This had once been something that happened only in Asta's dreams.
Yet now, it had become reality right before her eyes.
At that moment, Asta really wanted Lin Chen to sell her a few Star Destroyers.
"Miss... with so many super Star Destroyers, I don't think you can afford them..."
Arlan, who had remained silent all this time, spoke up in a daze.
He threw cold water on Asta's enthusiasm.
"Hmph... Arlan, you idiot."
"If I don't have enough Credits, I can ask my family for more..."
"But, miss, I don't think your family can come up with that much either..."
"You... shut up!"
After puffing out her cheeks and grumbling a little, Asta's voice grew weak.
It seemed Arlan was right. She really didn't have that kind of money.
The Star-Sea Combat Group before them was terrifying in scale.
Even the entire Interastral Peace Corporation probably couldn't muster that many ships.
For the first time in her life, Asta, a fabulously wealthy woman,
found herself distressed over her shallow pockets.
Something she desperately wanted was right before her eyes.
Yet she simply couldn't afford it!
"Asta... you could look at it another way."
"If you married Lin Chen, wouldn't half those super Star Destroyers be yours?"
"March 7th, you..."
"Ahem, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously, haha..."
March 7th scratched her head awkwardly, an embarrassed smile on her face.
The crisis on Azure Star seemed to have passed for the time being.
The sight of Star Destroyers filling the starry sky gave March 7th an overwhelming sense of security.
Now, she could chat with Asta without worrying.
Even if the sounds coming from that eerie vortex were rather grating.
Biting her rosy lip, Asta cast a coy glance at Lin Chen's back.
An inexplicable glimmer appeared in her beautiful eyes.
On Azure Star.
In city streets packed so tightly that no one could get through.
As they looked at the immense interstellar fleet stretching across the sky overhead, blotting out the sun,
the people who had been weeping and pleading erupted into a sea of cheers.
Azure Star was saved!
At the very brink of destruction, the Conqueror Legion's terrifying fleet had descended.
It had blasted that arrogant evil god into a cripple.
"I told you! Believe in the Conqueror Legion, and you'll live forever!"
"The Conqueror Legion is the greatest of all time! They're Azure Star's saviors!"
"Overthrow the Corporation's tyranny! The world belongs to the Conqueror Legion!"
People raced through the city streets, celebrating together.
Within minutes, the Conqueror Legion's name resounded across Azure Star.
"Mr. Lin Chen is so handsome! Saving the world with a wave of his hand-he's just amazing!"
"From today onward, Mr. Lin Chen is my one and only idol!"
"I really want Mr. Lin Chen's autograph. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance?"
"If Mr. Lin Chen would hug me, I wouldn't mind dying the very next moment!"
"Keep dreaming! Why would someone as important as Mr. Lin Chen ever be interested in you?"
"Exactly! My Lin Chen commands the Conqueror Legion. He's the ultimate heartthrob, ruling the stars!"
In certain places where young women gathered,
an increasingly feverish wave of idol worship began to spread.
Almost simultaneously, on Azure Star's major social media platforms,
topics about Lin Chen and the Conqueror Legion took over every headline and trending list.
In the classical courtyard of the Seat of Divine Foresight on the Xianzhou Luofu.
Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan looked at one another.
The atmosphere was distinctly awkward.
"Lady Fu, it seems even your discerning eye can fail at times."
"Look... isn't Azure Star perfectly fine?"
"Now that the Conqueror Legion is here, that evil god is no longer a threat!"
Leaning against the courtyard wall with his arms folded, Jing Yuan spoke first.
He broke a silence that had lasted a full minute.
"Well..."
"I didn't use the Matrix of Prescience, so naturally, I couldn't obtain the most accurate answer!"
"And, General, didn't you just say"
"that it was already far too late and Azure Star would explode in the next second?"
"It seems... your experience and wisdom are rather shallow too, General."
The girl frowned, putting on a composed expression.
She gave Jing Yuan a somewhat disdainful look after his opening jab.
"Ah... the world is like a game of chess, changing in an instant."
"Even the workings of fate can take countless twists and turns."
"Ahem... speaking of which, this Conqueror Legion truly is powerful, far beyond anything I imagined..."
"This is the first I've heard of an interstellar power with such terrifying resources."
"I'm afraid we'll have to bring the Conqueror Legion before the Xianzhou Alliance's council."
To avoid another awkward moment and more mockery from Fu Xuan,
Jing Yuan hastily changed the subject.
Still, after watching that live broadcast,
even Jing Yuan had been shaken by the Conqueror Legion's terrifying scale.
If tens of thousands of Star Destroyers concentrated their fire on the Xianzhou Luofu,
even the Xianzhou's wondrous technology wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Rather than the Conqueror Legion's unbelievable scale,"
"I'm more interested in that commander named Lin Chen."
"Just what sort of being could command such a terrifying force?"
"An Emanator? Or perhaps... that supreme being?"
"I have a feeling that even the Matrix of Prescience couldn't reveal his true identity."
A hazy shimmer seemed to dance in her beautiful pink eyes.
Fu Xuan, normally so calm and thoughtful, wore a puzzled expression on her cute little face.
In Belobog's central administrative hall on Jarilo-VI.
"Weapons created through human technology really can defeat an evil god?"
"That Conqueror Legion is stronger than I ever imagined."
"Mother! You were wrong this time. Azure Star held out in the end..."
"I think you should reconsider the issue of breaking down the barriers with the Underworld."
"If all the people of Belobog united, perhaps we really could turn things around."
Holding her phone, Bronya closely followed the live broadcast on its screen.
The corners of her lips lifted into a sweet smile of relief.
Though the blessing of preservation was weakening,
the blizzards and bitter cold were growing ever fiercer,
and the Fragmentum crisis was closing in, step by step.
Belobog's future seemed to lead only to a dead end.
But Bronya was willing to believe.
As long as they could buy more time, perhaps a miracle really would come one day.
Before you continue