Him and their stars.

Chapter 2229 An Epic Triumph

Meanwhile, inside the colossus of the "Emperor's Staff," which was already far from the fortress and being towed by a tractor ship towards the gravity well, no one was celebrating their victory.

When communication with the rearguard was cut off, the atmosphere became so heavy it was almost stagnant.

The small control room was packed with people, but no one spoke. Most of the assault team members were either sitting or standing, many of them covered in wounds, silently tending to their injuries. The air was thick with the smells of blood and sweat.

They watched silently as the cyborg pilot skillfully maneuvered the colossus—but in reality, by this point, the colossus and the workboat's engines were perfectly synchronized, and they no longer needed to operate it.

A somber atmosphere hung in the air until the communication channel was connected, revealing Colonel Chester Roseczes. His expression was remarkably calm, yet a hint of hoarseness lingered in his voice: "The fighting inside the fortress ceased completely three minutes ago… however, no response has been observed from the enemy fortress's main guns. The Imperial reinforcement fleet has also halted its advance. The Independence will disengage immediately and rendezvous with the Colossus."

Everyone understood what he meant.

From an extreme theoretical perspective, they haven't yet reached complete safety. However, considering purely tactical factors, they can already celebrate their victory.

This is a glorious victory, but it is always accompanied by the bitter pill of sacrifice.

Babalu silently filled a paper cup halfway with Earthfire Rock Wine. His voice was deep and trembling at the end: "He was a true hero. Ugh... I'm not good with words. Although he had many flaws, he lived a vibrant life. Everyone here had a reason to choose to die, but he was different. Yet, it was he who chose to stay."

“He said he was the ‘guardian,’ the most suitable one to stay behind and cover the retreat.” Ash exhaled a breath of murky air: “So, he stole the way I had planned to die.”

“He chose a glorious death so that we can move forward with glory.” Tai patted Ash on the shoulder: “Only by living gloriously and moving forward at all costs can we comfort his heroic soul.”

She was a newcomer and not very familiar with anyone, but it was clear that the rebel leader had self-destructive tendencies.

“I understand. After Taina, I did want a spectacular death, but I’ve changed my mind now.” Ash forced an awkward smile and took the paper cup from Babal. “As long as I think about how I’ll see that guy in hell if I die now, I really don’t want to die.”

Behind the communication screen, Rozes smiled knowingly: "Yes, if it were General Belmont, he would be in the pink hell by now. Succubi are dancing around him."

Ash nodded and added, "Yes, they also put a strange mask on him and stripped him naked."

“They also smeared him with pink jam and roasted him over the fire.” Babalu thought for a moment, then added, “They also stuffed moa eggs into the hook.”

"This enhances the flavor?" Ash exclaimed in surprise, thinking that the Luminar people with four arms must really have a taste for the unusual!

"What a haphazard scene!" Tai exclaimed in amazement. "But I don't find it jarring at all."

"But the scene is just too beautiful, I don't want to see it at all."

Silence fell again. This time, the silence lasted for more than three minutes.

Only after all the surviving commandos in the cabin had received a drink did Babalu raise his paper cup again: "His sacrifice will not be in vain."

“He is a true hero,” Ash said.

Everyone raised their glasses, looking to the future with high morale and glorious spirit, and to commemorate the departed souls of their comrades.

Just as this sorrow was flowing backward, and just as everyone seemed to have seen Claire Belmont's soul ascend to bliss, a burst of silver-blue light suddenly erupted in the empty space in the center of the cabin without warning.

The space rippled like torn silk.

The first thing to emerge was a strong, dried, and solidified smell of blood. Immediately afterward, a metallic body covered in dark red bloodstains shot out from the center of the ripples and landed squarely on Ash's head.

After a long and exhausting battle, the former guerrilla fighter was careless and failed to dodge, and was immediately slammed into his body by a heavy object that looked to weigh half a ton, along with the mecha.

"Pfft!" He twitched twice under the mecha, then stopped moving.

Of course, before that, the emblem machine pressing down on him had long since stopped moving.

A deathly silence fell over the cabin. But then, a tremendous commotion erupted.

Fortunately, thanks to the activation of the Brotherhood's sharing system, the entire fleet, including the Colossus and the workboats, had entered a semi-autonomous navigation state, and this incident did not affect their operations.

A few minutes later, the colossus trembled slightly, and with the help of the tractor, it finally disappeared completely into the shimmering light of the gravity well, leaving the dilapidated Elither Fortress and the hesitant Imperial fleet far behind in the starry sky.

At the same moment, in the Elisel Fortress, Amida Berencaster in her communication projection form and Yu Lian in his spirit form walked with an air of indifference through the fortress's passageways.

Princess Rainbow Rose of the Alliance told Yu Lian, "They will cross the Landinil system, following the route taken by the Alliance's raiding fleet during the Three World Wars, and enter the ruins left by the ancient Ero people. As long as they cross the Cerberus D system within 72 hours, the Imperial army will be unable to continue their pursuit."

The stench of blood, burnt smells, and ozone from leaking energy, mixed with feelings of fear, despair, and numbness, permeated every corner of the fortress.

Some soldiers stood frozen in place, staring blankly at their comrades' corpses and the mess on the ground, as if they were still in a surreal state.

Others were pacing back and forth unconsciously, muttering to themselves, like zombies.

The communicator in the tunnel kept repeating meaningless messages: "...Repeated, the Colossus has been captured! Repeated, the Colossus has been captured! We need reinforcements, we need reinforcements."

They also caught the whispers of the senior officers: "...The Colossus! That's the Emperor's Scepter! Stolen right under our noses! The Regency Council and the Privy Council will have us executed."

“Execution by cannon blast? You wish! It’s clearly going to be skinned alive, then stuffed with fodder.”

"Take it, take it to feed the dragon?"

"Dream on! At most, we'd be used to feed pigs. Pigs would be even more beautiful after eating our flesh, so we'd only send it to feed dragons!"

"So, they've fallen below pigs in the food chain!"

"Furthermore, the whole family will be exiled to a border planet to mine! They might even be prosecuted for dereliction of duty and treason!"

"Viscount Arronte is dead too... How are we going to explain this to the Knights?"

"It's all over, everything... my career, my family... everything I have..."

"Could it be that His Majesty has just returned to the Spirit of the Universe? Has the Heavenly Fortune ceased to favor the Empire?" "No, don't talk nonsense!"

"Yes, is it even acceptable to say that? We can die, but our families still need to consider their happy lives!"

This is a portrait of humanity where order and courage have completely collapsed. Such scenes do happen all the time, but it is indeed rare to see them involving the Imperial Army.

Ultimately, no matter how militaristic and warmongering they may be, they are still just human beings, and they will eventually reach the limit of fear.

“I can see the decline in the Empire’s power and influence from small signs. At least in the next historical cycle, it will be a period in which they begin to withdraw their power,” Yani said.

"Oh, is this the future you foresee?" Yu Lian said, "Or was this your prediction all along?"

“In the 2000 futures I’ve observed, I’ve seen 1214 actions, 300 of which were successful. However, if I can do something behind the scenes to attract the Empire’s attention, the success rate immediately increases. This can’t be considered prediction; it should be understood as deduction. I’ve only done a few minor things in it,” Yani corrected.

Well, it really did have a negligible positive effect.

“Now you can start thanking me,” she added.

"Thank you? Okay, thank you then." Yu Lian said helplessly, "So, how exactly should I thank you?"

"Think about it yourself. Even though you've become known for being clueless about romance, there should still be limits. People are also looking forward to seeing your passionate side." Yani waved her hand.

"Enthusiasm? Tsk tsk tsk..."

Yu Lian heard Xiao Hui's laughter, but he only stared at Yani's phantom, which was clearly a projection of a spirit. Yet he still felt that something was amiss, and couldn't help but reach out and poke the shadow's cheek.

He was currently in a spirit state, and Yani was a projection. Although everyone was in a state of intangible phantom, Yu Lian clearly felt a real and soft touch.

Yes, just like back in the Virtual Realm Tempering Formation, it felt too real.

"Are we controlling the quantum state, or is it some more efficient entanglement setting?" Yu Lian pondered.

Yani rolled her eyes at Yu Lian, annoyed, and slapped his finger away. Her figure began to solidify, and she stepped out of the projection on the communication interface.

It is indeed Princess Rainbow Rose herself.

However, the Imperial soldiers around her still couldn't see her, or rather, they completely ignored her existence in terms of their perception.

"...Are the Empire's fortresses like public toilets? You can come and go as you please."

"In terms of the outcome, that's certainly true. Even the emperor has passed away." She calmly straightened her clothes: a beige sweater, a light blue shirt, and a dark blue pleated skirt. Long stockings encased her perfectly proportioned legs, and she wore casual leather shoes with no particular design.

The outfit was very youthful and pretty, but rather plain and unremarkable. The only thing that could be considered a luxury item was the gemstone brooch on the neckline.

In short, she was no different from any other young woman going on a date in the city center; she simply lacked any sense of suspense.

Of course, taking into account the scientist's identity, a white lab coat that went past the knees was worn over this simple casual outfit. Thus, it looked more like cosplay.

She waved casually, speaking in a relaxed and natural tone as if on a date: "As for why I was able to come here, well, I passed through the spatial anchor points left by the Knights of the Stars."

"Are the Knights like public toilets? Can they come and go as they please?"

“Those they wanted to protect have all perished, and in retrospect, that’s certainly the case.” She smiled smugly. “Of course, in essence, it was all part of their pre-planning. The Empire needs to build fortresses to control this star system, and there’s a greater than 60% chance they chose this system as their core of rule. The probability of them building a fortress in the orbit of planet number 4 in this system is even higher. So, I could naturally arrange the spatial anchor point before the Knights even arrived, resonating with the Knights’ passage.”

Yu Lian thought this explanation was quite reasonable and also consistent with Ya Ni's usual style.

"If the Colossus is indeed to be moved to Femor, it is most likely to dock here?"

Yani nodded: "So, I offered some help as much as I could without leaving a trace. But who would have thought that the person who truly played the decisive role in this operation was actually the most unremarkable Mr. Babaru? His decisiveness and action were astonishing. If he hadn't been there, Ash Stern would have only thought about hiding and surviving. As for Krell, he wouldn't have been able to make such a big decision."

"Don't criticize Brother Krell now; he's left behind to cover our retreat."

"Yes, that's just how conflicted he is. Once someone makes a big decision for him, he'll be the perfect executor. What's more, it's a cause he deeply believes in, so he'd be more willing to die for it."

"Did he approve? I always see his progress and his decline in the same way."

"That's why I say he's a conflicted person. He's pursuing what he believes is a meaningful life, but he doesn't necessarily have the courage to betray his class. In fact, after Tina died, he had already decided to die."

Yu Lian was slightly taken aback.

In fact, after returning to my country, I never saw Krell Belmont again, and I had no idea that his mental state had been shrouded in such a shadow.

"He believed it was his fault, and also the fault of the system he couldn't fight against. Perhaps from that moment on, he thought he would give his life for Taina and Ash. If he could die in an epic mission because of this, his life would be tinged with some glory."

"And what about you, Yani? What are your thoughts?" Yu Lian stared directly at Princess Rainbow Rose.

“Tina? She got what she wanted. Generational change doesn’t come by waiting, and people always have to pay the price for their ideals.” Her attitude was perfectly natural.

Very well, that's definitely her usual style.

"As for Krell, everyone dies eventually, but he shouldn't die now. Although that guy's lifestyle is too decadent and he's very twisted at heart, I sincerely hope so. His life should end when he's old and can't walk anymore, surrounded by a dozen mistresses whose average age is less than a third of his, and hundreds of illegitimate children waiting to inherit his estate, ending in comfort and regret." At this point, Yani's voice became genuinely gentle: "...Thank you, Yu Lian."

Okay, so you're saying I should thank you to everyone?
Besides, if it weren't for me, you would have just stood by and watched Krell die, wouldn't you?

Yu Lian didn't ask such a pointed question, but instead heard Yani ponder, "Colonel Chester Rozes's battle plan is bold and efficient, and he is also your loyal follower. However, his loyalty is not the same as the kind of loyalty you understand."

"Can we discuss the difference between loyalty?" Yu Lian said irritably.

"You know perfectly well what's going on, but you're just pretending not to. That's not surprising, my dear. A touch of feigned ignorance is a necessary quality for a good politician. I just hope you can reflect on your own behavior in light of Krell's indecisiveness. After such a life-or-death ordeal, Krell's character might be different. He'll either solidify his beliefs or become an even more cynical fellow. But either way, he'll eventually become more pure." Yani patted Yu Lian's spirit's shoulder:

"Darling, don't let yourself fall to the point where you're even worse off than Claire."