From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 557 "All things decay, but all living things are immortal."

"."

Darth Vader stood beside Palpatine's body and fell into a brief silence, as if putting an end to this "long" duel.

But while his eyes were fixed on the corpse on the ground, a hint of confusion appeared on his face beneath the mask.

He slowly raised his hands, feeling the strange and powerful force surging in his body.

This power from another dimension far exceeded his previous limits and brought with it an indescribable chaos and destruction.

However, as his power grew, he also noticed that his emotions became more "angry" and "violent".

Every breath he took was like an invisible flame burning inside his body, devouring his sanity.

These subtle changes made Vida realize that the whispers in his ears were not false fantasies, but real existences.

Those voices had echoed in his mind, like the whispers of a demon—

"Kill him, that ugly teacher of yours."

"Let Coruscant burn."

Now, he has completed certain "tasks" contained in the whispers, and that scarlet light is the "blessing" given to him by some existence.

"Ah"

At this moment, a low laugh came from under the mask.

He finally figured out the whole story.

Those whispers, those powers, those temptations—they were not accidental. They were a carefully calculated transaction.

He fulfilled the other party's request, and the other party gave him power beyond the mundane.

Having successfully obtained the "blessing", he has already touched the threshold of another dimension.

This power made him feel stronger than ever before, as if the entire galaxy was under his control.

But the severe pain that had been coming all the time suddenly broke out, like countless sharp thorns stirring in his flesh and blood, curbing the smile that he had not made for a long time.

Vida's body trembled slightly. The pain was not just physical damage, but came more from the depths of his soul.

Every breath and every heartbeat is accompanied by unbearable torture.

This made him clench his fingers into fists, almost digging the metal fingers deep into his palms, but it could not relieve the severe pain that was eroding him all the time.

After this silence, Darth Vader felt an irrepressible hatred in his heart, and this hatred was directed at his former teacher and friend——

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

If it weren't for Obi-Wan, he wouldn't have lost his limbs on the lava river on Mustafar, nor would he have been disfigured and endured endless pain all day long.

The excruciating pain that penetrated deep into his bones seemed to be reminding him of his past failures and humiliations.

"Hehehe"

Recalling that unbearable past, Vida's laughter came through the mask, low and hoarse, with a kind of suppressed anger and madness.

"child."

"Into the arms of a loving father."

Just when Vader's anger reached its peak, the whisper from another dimension came to his ears again, with an irresistible temptation, distracting him from the pain.

A father's embrace?
Vida's thoughts were interrupted by this sudden whisper.

He recalled that before he led his troops to attack Coruscant, key words such as "kind father", "all things are corrupt", and "all beings are immortal" appeared many times in those whispers.

These words were like a key that unlocked the "shackles" deep in his heart.

At this moment, the other party whispered as he felt severe pain in his body, obviously hinting at something.

A flash of enlightenment came into Vida's mind.

Since the other party was able to whisper even when he was in severe pain, he must also be able to "heal" him without affecting his use of the Force.

And this kind of healing must not be a simple physical repair, but a deeper kind of relief, an opportunity that can free him from pain and even give him greater power.

However, he now has mixed emotions.

There is both a desire for power and a vigilance against the unknown.

He was well aware that making deals with those beings from another dimension would come with a constant cost.

But he couldn't resist the temptation of the scarlet light and whispers, and the main reason was very simple.
The other party "gave too much".

In the past, Sheev Palpatine was as powerful as Darth Vader.

He had rehearsed the duel between the two in his mind, but it was often a contest of equal strength.

If he had not listened to Palpatine's instigation, or if he had kept his heart pure, stuck to his bottom line, and continued to be a Jedi Knight, perhaps he would have surpassed Palpatine and become the true "Chosen One".

However, ever since he fell to the dark side, his fate has been closely intertwined with Palpatine, and he can never go back to the way it was before.

Those beings from another dimension granted him the power to break through his limits in an almost casual manner.

That kind of power made him feel stronger than ever before, but he just hadn't figured out what kind of backlash this power would bring.

Moreover, Palpatine's voice seemed to still echo in his ears, with an indescribable fear and warning, "Do you know what kind of existence you are dealing with?"

Palpatine's fear did not come from the fear of death, but from the awe of the unknown power.

Although Darth Vader never asked about Palpatine's plan for immortality, and Palpatine was on guard against him at all times, he more or less knew some plans of "cloning the body" and "soul transfer".

And the miserable cry uttered by Palpatine indicated that his soul had been devoured.

This made Darth Vader realize more clearly that those beings from another dimension seemed to be more terrifying than the dark side.

As for fear?

Not that.

Darth Vader did not feel any fear in his heart like Palpatine did, he was just a little hesitant.

Those whispers, the scarlet light, and the pain that gnawed at him all the time made him realize that this deal was far more complicated than he had imagined.

But he did not retreat, nor did he regret, he simply weighed every next step.

Then he turned and walked outside, his black cloak fluttering gently behind him like a burning shadow.

When he crossed the air corridor again, the elite subordinates who were waiting there immediately straightened up, their eyes under their helmets full of awe and loyalty.

Because the Lord Vader they serve has reappeared, it means that their "special military operation" has been successful, and they will gain more glory and power under the leadership of Lord Vader.

Seeing this, Vida didn't say much, just nodded slightly, motioning them to follow.

The group returned along the same route and prepared to head to the square of the Imperial Palace. However, the scene of the Imperial Palace was shocking.

The metal floor and walls were covered with traces of blasting energy beams, as if a storm of destruction had swept through.

Every trace tells of the cruelty of the battle, and every charred spot bears witness to the moment of death.

Gradually drying blood and debris were scattered in every corner, and there were countless broken corpses.

Darth Vader's subordinates showed no mercy to either the surrendered guards or the soldiers who resisted stubbornly, and carried out an inhumane massacre.

The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, and even breathing became extremely heavy. If an ordinary person were here, he would probably have been crushed by this horrifying scene.

However, there was no fluctuation on Vader's face beneath the mask; his eyes just swept over everything coldly, as if he was examining an outcome that had already been predetermined.

He did not show much emotion, nor did he consider whether to stop his men's atrocities.

To him, all this is just the inevitable price to pay in the transition of power, or in other words, it is a necessary means for him to deliberately please another dimension.

Those whispers of "kind father", "killing" and "mutiny" seem to imply some deeper rules.

And Vida is just a chess piece in this game.
A chess piece trying to control its own destiny.

Of course, the whispers also contained words like "enjoyment" and "indulgence", but Darth Vader instinctively chose to ignore them.

soon.

Darth Vader and others returned to the already devastated square and walked straight into the cabin of the Landam-class shuttle.

With the low hum of the engine, the shuttle slowly rose into the air, carrying them above the Imperial Palace.

Looking out through the open cabin door, all I could see was a sea of ​​fire.

The metal surface of Coruscant was twisted and deformed under the ravages of orbital bombardment. The blazing flames devoured everything like a giant beast, dyeing the entire city blood red.

The fleet continued to carry out intermittent orbital bombardment of the surface. Each beam carried destructive power, reducing metal buildings to ashes.

The local forces of Coruscant, especially the various fighter planes that tried to drive away and intercept the transport boats, were powerless to fight back under the fleet's precise attacks.

The wreckage of the fighter plane fell to the ground, and the flames of the explosion bloomed in the sky, like a cruel fireworks display.

At the same time, the stormtroopers who arrived at the metal surface were methodically slaughtering and confining the local people, while the screams of innocent people were intertwined with the roar of flames.

With the death of Sheev Palpatine, the forces loyal to the Galactic Emperor collapsed.

If the soldiers flee at the first sign of danger, how can they care for and protect those "useless" people?

They had only one thought in their minds, which was to escape from this destructive storm.

However, those troops that once symbolized the majesty of the empire are now in disarray and have no combat effectiveness at all.

Unfortunately, Darth Vader's fleet has completely taken control of Coruscant's low-Earth orbit. Where can they escape to?
But if you hide, there is nowhere to hide.

The fleet's attack tendency is clearly intended to turn the entire surface of Coruscant into hell, cooperating with Darth Vader to complete some kind of "blood sacrifice" ritual.

Now, the only ones who can pose a slight threat to Vader's troops are the spontaneously organized resistance forces of the people and the Coruscant security forces (police) who do not have a large number of heavy weapons.

Similarly, these resistance forces seemed so small in front of Vader's elite troops. Their weapons were simple and their tactics were crude. They were simply unable to compete with Vader's troops.

"Huhu."

Heavy breathing echoed in the shuttle cabin. Vader stood at the edge of the cabin door, his dark body like a silent statue.

He looked down at the war-torn metal land below, his eyes piercing through the smoke and gazing at the "masterpiece" he and his men had created together -

Broken cities, burning ruins, and countless fallen lives.

There was no ripple in his heart, because this was just a move on the chessboard.

"Take us to the nearest makeshift concentration camp."

Vader's low and cold voice reached the pilot's ears through the communicator.

"Yes, Lord Vader."

The pilot responded respectfully, then turned the shuttle around and sped off to the north of the Imperial Palace.

The shuttle's tail flames streaked across the trail, and the roar of its engines echoed through the clouds.

Soon after, a magnificent building complex gradually appeared in the pilot's visual field.

It was an aerial garden originally used for festivals, celebrations and major gatherings, but now it has become the site of a temporary concentration camp.

The garden is surrounded by a towering protective wall. The energy barrier on the wall flickers with a faint blue light, but now it looks like an invisible cage.

In its core area, the original flourishing scene has long gone, replaced by densely packed crowds of people.

Tens of thousands of innocent people were driven here, their faces filled with fear and despair.

More than a thousand stormtroopers were scattered around, occupying high ground, and coldly monitoring every corner.

Although their orders were merely to "arrest" and "imprison", their actions were full of brutality and ruthlessness.

Whenever there was a hint of unrest in the crowd, the stormtroopers opened fire without hesitation.

The blasting energy beam cut through the air, instantly engulfing the source of the commotion along with the innocent people around them.

Blood and screams resounded, burnt and bloody things seeped into the nose, and this cruel treatment, although not deliberately cruel, was more frightening than the rule of the Galactic Empire.

The appearance and landing of the Landam-class shuttle instantly attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands of people.

When Darth Vader, surrounded by his elite troops, walked onto the high platform in the garden, the place seemed to fall into deathly silence in an instant.

Except for the more than a thousand stormtroopers who were on guard, almost everyone's eyes were focused on Darth Vader.

"Say"

At this time, Darth Vader suddenly raised his right hand, and then released a force field that enveloped the entire sky garden, as if forcing hundreds of thousands of people, and continued:

"All things decay, but all living things perish."

! !
The people who were oppressed by the Force could no longer hold on and fell to their knees. They were also unable to control their own consciousness and said in unison:

"All things decay, but all living things perish"

When the words fell——

boom--! ! !
A force field emitting emerald green light took over from Darth Vader's Force and enveloped the entire sky garden.

At the same time, this force field also emits an extremely pungent fishy and corrupt smell.

"what!!"

"Help. Uh."

The hundreds of thousands of people in this force field began to distort at a speed visible to the naked eye, and they let out miserable roars and cries one after another.
(End of this chapter)