"Silence."

Hathaway spoke softly, and the hall immediately fell silent.

"Do not worry about it."

She issued her final decree.

"Dalton is not the enemy of the Empire!"

The ministers were stunned by her words.

It seemed as though Her Majesty was familiar with Dalton's existence?

Wait a minute!

They suddenly remembered that a while ago, Her Majesty had left for a period and returned with Princess Lilith.

Could it be that the princess came from there?

Several sharp-minded ministers quickly guessed the possibility.

...

After the council meeting.

Hathaway arrived at the highest terrace of the imperial capital and gazed at the boundless starry sky above.

"What must come, will come."

She murmured to herself, a relaxed smile slowly spreading across her face.

"But this time, I am no longer alone."

...

At the edge of an unknown starfield.

Beyond this point lay the region known as the Unknown Land.

As the name suggests, it is a completely unknown area!

There are no records, no information, and no living being has ever returned from it.

However, at this moment, an eerie whisper emanated from the darkness of the Unknown Land.

The surrounding energy seemed to be drained instantly, and the starborn dimmed.

If a strong being were present, they would be horrified.

The Unknown Land had awakened a mysterious presence!?

"Damned woman! This time, I'll see how you stop our army!"

A twisted roar came from deep within.

Boom!

The void shattered.

Countless twisted, terrifying auras surged like a tide, obliterating vast areas in an instant.

...

In the Inferno Starfield, within a palace burning with eternal Sanctuary Fire rank flames.

"Lord, should we... retreat? Preserve our strength for the future?"

An elder timidly suggested.

Ignis immediately erupted in fury.

"Retreat? How long can you run? Where will you escape to?!"

He roared.

"Zisen Empire's gaze falls upon us—what starfield can remain intact?!"

The speaker immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak further.

The hall fell silent, and a sense of despair spread through the air.

Even the Supreme Sanctuary rank swordsman who had suddenly appeared from Sigcon was defeated—what could Inferno Starfield do now?

Once the Zisen Empire settles Sigcon starfield, their next target will be them!

It's worth mentioning that when the Zisen Empire conquers a starfield, they primarily deal with the ruling elite and rarely interfere with the lower classes.

Thus, it is the vested interests—those in power—who will fight to the death.

Unless there are strong individuals with deep ties to their homeland, most beings wouldn't die fighting for a starfield that has already fallen.

After all, once a starfield is absorbed by the Zisen Holy Empire, the lower creatures will suffer little impact.

If there is any change, it is mostly for the better.

The Empire's higher-level development drives the growth of the lower beings across starfields.

It is precisely for this reason that the Zisen Holy Empire's territory has expanded greatly with little internal strife.

Thus, who remembers the old names of those conquered starfields now?

As such, most smaller and mid-tier factions within the starfields would choose to stay out of the conflict and simply defend their own territories.

For this, Ignis had no choice.

He couldn't force these factions to help him; doing so could cause internal turmoil. If the starfield fell into chaos before the Imperial army even arrived, what would be the point of fighting?

Even if he did force these factions onto the battlefield, how much strength would they truly contribute? Would they be willing to die for someone else?

Now, Sigcon had fallen, and the Zisen Empire's battle flag had been planted on the shattered land.

The Empire's iron hooves would soon march toward Inferno Starfield.

As despair spread throughout the hall, a powerful aura suddenly descended outside!

Everyone's spirits lifted.

The next moment, a familiar figure stepped into the hall, bathed in the firelight.

It was the black-robed elder from the Land of Rest!

"With our current strength, attempting to resist the iron hooves of the Zisen Empire is like sending lambs into a wolf's den."

"Destruction is only a matter of time."

The elder's voice was hoarse and direct.

Ignis furrowed his brow, flames of anger flickering in his eyes.

"You came just to announce this predestined fate to us?"

The elder let out a dry, mocking laugh.

"Doesn't the Zisen Empire want to devour us? Then we won't let their ambitions succeed so easily."

"Get to the point, what do you intend to do?"

Ignis, frustrated, was tired of the cryptic talk.

"Dalton."

The elder slowly spoke the name.

"Have you heard of it?"

Ignis paused, slightly taken aback.

One of the elders stepped forward.

"Lord, Dalton is a force in a distant starfield, and it is rumored their strength is unfathomable."

"Unfathomable?"

Ignis looked at the elder, "Can they compare to the Zisen Empire?"

The elder interrupted them directly.

"It's not about being powerful, it's about being unfathomable."

"My spies report that this force has several strong individuals at the Sanctuary Lord rank, and even... a Supreme Sanctuary rank Paladin!"

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

A Sanctuary rank existence in any domain is a top-tier individual, just like the ancient swordsman from Sigcon starfield earlier.

Had his sword intent become a swordmaster, he would never have been at a disadvantage against Fiona, who was fully powered in every attribute!

And this force called Dalton actually possesses a Supreme Sanctuary rank Paladin!

This revealed just how powerful they must be!

After a long moment, Ignis finally snapped out of his daze.

"Do you swear this on your soul?"

Why had such a giant force remained unknown until now?

The elder solemnly nodded, placing his withered finger on his chest.

"I swear on the ancient oath of the Land of Rest, what I've said is just the tip of the iceberg. The power they have hidden is far more terrifying!"

Ignis fell into deep silence.

He immediately understood the elder's plan—seek protection from Dalton!

But with that force's level, they would likely treat them no differently than the Zisen Empire and not see them as equals.

The only path would be to offer loyalty and become a vassal!

In essence, this wasn't much different from surrendering to the Zisen Empire.

The only consolation would be that they could perhaps use Dalton's power to slightly delay the Zisen Empire's ruthless expansion!

After a long silence, Ignis finally lifted his head, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

"…Do we really have no other choice?"

The elder slowly shook his head, the shadow of his hood concealing his expression.

"The Zisen Empire is a tidal force sweeping through the Starsea; we are but rocks that cannot stand in its way."

"This war, our fate is already sealed, but…"

The elder's tone shifted, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"If we join Dalton and become part of their strength..."

"When Dalton's forces meet the Zisen Empire's military, no matter which side ultimately wins, at least we will witness that grand epic!"

"Rather than, like Sigcon, becoming a grain of sand in the Starsea!"

After a long pause, Ignis nodded heavily, agreeing to this plan with the last shred of stubbornness.

This was the only solace in their despair.

Without further preparation, Ignis and the elder stepped into the starfield transmission array, their figures disappearing into the twisting light curtain.

They headed toward the unknown starfield to the north!

...

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