From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 824 Pioneers: Read
"What are your plans next?"

Amber asked.

"I don't know, I just want my people to survive."

The Phoenix King's voice was filled with exhaustion; he no longer had the strength to think about revenge against the rebels or rebuilding.

The most basic need—to ensure the survival of the remaining people scattered across various planets within the empire—has now become the monarch's only extravagant hope.

"It's not difficult, you just need to let go of your arrogance."

Amber's tone was flat, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible teasing.

The Phoenix King fell silent; he certainly understood what Amber meant.

Elves, born from the great Thousand Star Empire. That pride rooted in their bloodline and history is the cornerstone of their glory, but also the heavy shackles that now hang around their necks.

If they want to survive, they must change their attitude toward the human world. They can no longer act as a superior bystander, trying to infiltrate and control the human world through economic means.

Instead, they must engage in open and honest cooperation with these 'foreign races' they once looked down upon.

"The destruction of Eldalram dealt a far greater blow to the Empire than you and others realize, and I believe only a few people are aware of this now."

Amber ignored the Phoenix King's silence and began to analyze the situation on her own, her voice calm to the point of being cruel.

"It wasn't just hundreds of millions of civilians who died, but also the entire brain of the empire."

"Your political core, the high-ranking members of the Silver Leaf Family, the Morning Star Family, and other major families, are probably all now cold corpses on the tracks."

"Your technological hub, with its top psionic artisans and biological scientists, has been reduced to ashes on the capital planet."

"The same goes for the most elite royal guards, fleets, and other violent institutions."

"The entire superstructure of the empire was completely wiped out in an instant."

The Phoenix King closed his eyes, and every word Amber uttered was like a small hammer, shattering his last illusions.

Amber continued, "It's like a brainless giant that just twitches in place and gets crushed by its own massive body."

"Therefore, it is foreseeable that, without the constraints of the royal court, ambitious individuals and speculators scattered throughout the star systems will pounce on the empire like sharks smelling blood, tearing apart its corpse."

"The remaining rebels in other star systems will regroup and use the pretext of avenging Liana to incite unrest."

“Those vassal races that were once oppressed by you will also take the opportunity to rise up in a wave of resistance.”

"The Thousand Star Empire is, in fact, dead from this day forward."

The Phoenix King suddenly opened his eyes, and a last glimmer of royal light burst forth from his dim golden pupils.

"Not only as long as I live, as long as the monarchy exists, the empire will continue."

"Your Majesty now?" Amber interrupted him mercilessly, "A king whose psionic core is shattered, who needs help to even stand up?"

"Or is it still those few mentally broken survivors who are now too afraid to face reality?"

“Wake up, Lord Ainarion,” Amber leaned down and whispered in the Phoenix King’s ear, “Times have changed.”

"Your era ended the moment the homecoming beacon was lit."

Phoenix King's breathing became rapid, his chest heaving violently, and a faint alarm sounded from the life support pod.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. Your Majesty, please don't get agitated. Take some time to think things over."

Amber straightened up, stopped looking at him, and turned to walk to the door of the room.

"A catastrophe that will destroy this universe may be about to strike. If you want to lead your people down, you must accept reality, throw all your useless pride and empty glory into the trash can, and learn how to be a 'human' instead of a high and mighty 'elf'."

The door closed slowly behind him, cutting off the Phoenix King's painful and suppressed breathing.

Amber stood at the door, pondering whether her words had been a bit too harsh. After all, the other person was also seriously injured, and such cruel words might have been somewhat shocking.

It was at this moment that the door behind them slid open again.

Amber turned around and saw Ellenita, dressed in a hospital gown and looking haggard. The wealthy elven woman had somehow climbed out of the ward.

She still looked somewhat weak, but her mental state was much better than the other surviving elves.

“Amber,” she called to him, her emerald eyes filled with complex emotions, “thank you, and Princess Agnes.”

Amber nodded: "How are you feeling?"

“It doesn’t feel like my body has been hollowed out,” Elenita said with a wry smile. “I’ve heard about Eldram, and our family’s fleet in orbit.”

She didn't say anything more; her voice trembled with grief and fear.

"Rest well first, don't think about these things. No matter what, I will be by your side and give you all my support."

Amber patted her on the shoulder and then pulled her into her arms.

Ellenita nodded vigorously and stopped speaking, but tears still silently slid down her beautiful cheeks.
-
In a dimension that cannot be described by three-dimensional spatial coordinates, the boundaries between time and space are blurred.

There is no matter here, only pure consciousness and energy flowing according to a mysterious law.

A colossal palace constructed of flowing light floats in the void, its geometric structure constantly shifting, as if it were some kind of living being.

In the center of the hall, a transparent, cocoon-shaped container is filled with a transparent liquid that emits a faint fluorescent glow.

A slender, humanoid creature floated silently within it.

He has a human-like torso and limbs, but his skin has a smooth, jade-like texture with fine golden lines flowing across it.

His head was hairless, replaced by a dozen or so translucent tentacles that resembled soft feet, swaying gently with the flow of fluorescent liquid.

Just like Salih, who was undergoing self-inspection of an exploration fleet in a certain star system, this was also a Jeram.

A being revered as a 'true god' by the traitors of the Thousand Star Empire and referred to as a 'pioneer' by countless civilizations throughout the universe.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he slowly opened his tightly closed eyes.

Those were eyes without pupils, composed purely of golden light.

As he awoke, the tentacles behind his head unfurled and shimmered with a blue light symbolizing psychic power, like some kind of eerie and magnificent crown.

"Speaker, you're awake."

A calm and undisturbed thought resonated directly in his mind.

“Karacs,” the Speaker responded, his mind equally calm, “the research on the psionic ascending matrix… any results?”

"Something unexpected happened, Speaker."

The voice of the Jeram named Carax rang out again in the consciousness of this 'Speaker'.

"An uncontrollable psionic collapse occurred during the seventh phase of energy dimensional ascension testing."

"Laboratory 72 was completely engulfed. The Grand Craftsman 'Fira' and thirty-seven high-ranking craftsmen were annihilated in the accident."

Even while discussing such a significant loss, Carax maintained extreme restraint.

"But in their last moments before their annihilation, the master craftsman Fira managed to successfully upload the complete experimental data to the 'Root Network'."

The speaker was silent for a moment, then sighed almost imperceptibly.

"Their sacrifice will illuminate the path for civilization." "Yes, Speaker," Carax replied. "Also, regarding the report on the 'Space-Time Expedition,' the Third Expeditionary Legion has completed the root-cause eradication of the threatening civilization 'Star-Eating Swarm' of 19551 and is heading to the assembly area for its 'return.'"

"Very good, next."

Their communication was efficient and concise, exchanging information in just a few seconds that could influence the fate of several galaxies.

For the Jerams, traveling through different times and spaces means correcting those 'historical branches' that might threaten their existence and erasing those civilizations that pose a high threat.
Just like a human gardener trimming weeds in a garden, it is part of the daily work of the entire group.

And right now.

A piercing alarm, sharp enough to tear the soul apart, suddenly pierced through the entire psionic network of the Jeram civilization.

That wasn't a sound, but a primal, early warning of fear from the very foundations of existence.

The consciousness of the 'Speaker' and Carax froze in an instant.

This level of alarm had never sounded in their long lives, long enough to witness the birth and death of the universe.

Because it only represents one possibility—that a theoretically impossible ultimate threat has returned.

In the next instant, a massive flow of information poured into their consciousness in a way that transcended logic.

[WARNING: In Universe 772, the 'Homecoming Beacon' has been activated.]

[WARNING: In Universe 772, observatories 'Cronus,' 'Rhea,' and 'Uranus' simultaneously report a catastrophic deviation in the timeline!]

[WARNING: The current universe has entered historical branch 954883!]

[Database comparison in progress.]

This branch of history overlaps with the 'end-times prophecy' by 99.97%!

Dead silence.

A brief, deathly stillness, freezing thought, spread through the consciousness of the two Jerams.

Immediately afterwards, several equally ancient and powerful consciousnesses, alerted by the alarm, instantly connected to the communication.

They did not speak immediately, but their minds were filled with undisguised shock and horror.

That prophecy
They paid countless prices to launch the "Time-Space Expedition" and carry out the "Great Purge" that swept across countless universes, all to avoid that dark ending.
Finally came.

"Summon the Thirteen-Member Council immediately!"

The Speaker's consciousness broke the silence; his voice was no longer flat, but carried an unprecedented solemnity.

After saying that, he sank his consciousness into the deepest part of the psionic network.

That place was the power center of the Yejram civilization.
This is a realm constructed purely of spirit, without up or down, without the four directions, without the sun, moon, or stars.

Only thirteen high chairs formed from psychic energy, like thirteen stars, float in an endless sea of ​​psychic networks, interconnected by countless psychic threads.

This is the council, the highest decision-making place of the Jeram civilization.

The Speaker's consciousness transformed into a stream of light, arriving first and solidifying on his personal high chair.

Immediately afterwards, one powerful consciousness after another arrived, and the other twelve high chairs lit up one after another.

The arrival of each consciousness caused the depths of this psionic network to tremble.

They are the thirteen current rulers of this vast civilization, true 'gods' who overlook the river of time.

However, at this moment, what shrouded this sacred realm was not the usual majesty and tranquility, but an unprecedented, extremely oppressive tension.

"Everyone."

The speaker's voice resonated directly in the minds of all the council members.

Without any pleasantries or preamble, he went straight to the point: "The dark end we fought for for countless epochs to avoid has still arrived."

The cold data and images were transformed into a torrent of information, shared among the members of the council.

The pillar of light that shot into the sky in Universe 772.

A terrifying warning of a timeline deviation.

And that 99.97% probability of coinciding with the prophecy of the civilization's demise.

The entire spiritual realm fell into a silence that lasted for several moments.

"Impossible! Branch 954883 was completely eradicated by us long before we left Universe 772!" a burning consciousness roared.

“But this branch has still emerged now,” the 'Speaker' calmly replied.

"All relevant causal chains have been locked, all variables have been controlled, what caused the deviation?!" Another cold consciousness spoke while rapidly calculating.

“Re-calibrate the oracle model! Trace back to the source of all historical branches! We must know exactly which branch went wrong!”

In the eyes of the Jeram people, they are the chess players of the universe and the managers of time.
The word 'accident' has long since disappeared from their vocabulary.

The current situation is undoubtedly the most thorough negation of the long-term efforts of their entire civilization.

"Quiet!"

The Speaker's voice, like an irresistible force, smoothed out the chaotic stream of consciousness.

"The fact has already happened, and there is no point in arguing or trying to find the source of the anomaly."

He calmly stated: "The activation of the homecoming beacon means that our former creations, those abandoned vassal armies due to the negligence of our predecessors, have come into contact with something they should not have come into contact with. The deflection of the historical branch means that there is a 'singularity' that we cannot predict, which has appeared in Universe 772, and all of this points to the same ending."

The speaker's gaze swept over every colleague present.

"The enemy that was prophesied to be the only one capable of erasing us from the timeline has returned."

The entire council chamber fell into an unprecedented silence.

Even the most violent consciousness became heavy at this moment.

They have conquered countless universes and destroyed countless civilizations, considering themselves the pinnacle of evolution and the ultimate end of the universe.

But only these thirteen supreme leaders knew that in the oldest traditions of civilization, there had always been a prophecy about the 'end'.

The prophecy foretold that a race they themselves had pushed into the abyss would rise from the ashes of destruction, transforming into the most terrifying avengers and tolling the death knell for the Jeram civilization.

To this end, the entire race spared no effort in launching a 'time-space expedition' to completely eradicate races that might pose a threat in the future, across different timelines and universes.
The Speaker's words struck like a heavy hammer, instantly quelling all the arguments.

Immediately afterwards, his consciousness slowly 'stood' up from the high chair, looking down over the entire council.

"Observation and waiting cannot change the outcome."

“Escape is not a choice for us Jeram people.”

"Now that the prophecy has come true, now that the enemy is standing at the door..."

His mind was filled with a resolute determination to sever all ties.

"Then we'll crush it ourselves."

"I propose that we activate the Supreme War Act and adjust the state of civilization to 'Final War'."

(End of this chapter)