From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 667 "The Human Empire will purify this starry sky with the purest flames."

In the manor where the smoke of battle has cleared, the warriors of the man-eating sharks and the fire lizards are conducting a thorough search.

The gray shark warrior meticulously scanned every inch of scorched earth using a handheld psionic detector obtained from the Investigation Department.

Their power armor was coated with pure water from the Inquisition, and whenever a detector sounded an alarm, they would immediately burn the suspicious area with a flamethrower.

A soldier discovered the remaining black slime in the crack in the ground and immediately summoned his comrade, who was holding an incinerator.

Boom!
The blue-white plasma flame scorched the area until it was vitrified, ensuring that any chaotic residue was completely purified.

Not far away, the Flame Lizards formed a tactical formation, using sophisticated instruments to analyze air samples.

Their technical sergeants piloted hovering drones, whose scanning beams intertwined to form a web that even the smallest subspace "spores" could not escape.

"East District cleanup." A steady voice came through the communication channel. "No contamination detected."

The Greek minor gods formed a sacred barrier.

The weapons in their hands emitted a pale golden glow; any chaotic energy attempting to escape that touched this light would emit a piercing shriek before being annihilated.

One of the demigods, wielding a double-edged battle axe, suddenly swung his weapon, the golden light emanating from the axe blade completely dispelling the last trace of corruption lurking in the shadows.

"."

Athena stood silently in the center of the battlefield, beside the obsidian box that had imprisoned the old nobleman.

Her gaze was so cold it seemed capable of extinguishing a star.

The surface of the box showed signs of struggle from time to time, and dull thuds came from inside, but they could not shake the goddess in the slightest.

Sui Meng's innocent and carefree smile floated into her mind; the child who would run into her arms and act coquettishly after training; the genetic prototype who displayed amazing talent on his first swing of the sword.

How dare you!

Her whisper made the surrounding air tremble.

In order to cooperate with the investigation department's operation, she deliberately showed excessive protection for Sui Meng and fabricated her own weaknesses, but she did not expect that Chaos would actually dare to extend its evil claws to her child.

This blasphemy can only be repaid with eternal torment.

Nova and Stone stood a short distance away, silently watching everything unfold.

Data streams rapidly scrolled across the visor of the nanotech combat suit—

The psionic residue readings, subspace contamination index, and probability of chaotic corrosion are all alarming indicators.

"Just because of the dark side of one's heart," Nova's voice was a little dry, "could it become the breakthrough point for chaos?"

As a former Ghost agent, she knew all too well how much darkness lurked within her.

Those assassination missions, those unavoidable betrayals, those nightmares that jolt me ​​awake in the dead of night
If even these emotions can be exploited by demons...
"Death is not a relief."

Stone added in a low voice, his eyes behind the tactical goggles bloodshot.

He recalled every "traitor" he had executed, and their dying curses seemed to echo in his ears.

Step, step.

A soft sound of footsteps approached.

Chirul Inveil's black robes fluttered in the breeze, his blind face bearing an all-knowing calm.

The Jedi Master's lightsaber was not yet activated, but it already caused subtle ripples in the surrounding air. "You are in the Fear Warp."

Nova looked up sharply, surprised by the Jedi Master's keen insight.

But before she could answer, Chiru continued, “This fear is reasonable. Before encountering the Emperor, humans in many universes regarded the supernatural phenomena projected by the warp into the physical universe as untouchable taboos.”

He slowly raised his hand, palm facing upward.

A wisp of pure golden spiritual energy leaped like a flame, originating from the same source as the light emanating from Athena.

“But the Emperor’s appearance changed all that.” Chiru’s voice was steady and powerful. “Pure psionic energy is not only a weapon, but also a sanctuary, and the Emperor has protected our souls from the prying eyes of Chaos.”

As he spoke, Chiru's "gaze" turned to the civilian area in the distance: "The humans of Korhal, or rather the humans of the entire 18th universe (StarCraft), are still very vulnerable. The Emperor's protection has not yet fully covered this universe, so we need to maintain this buffer zone."

As if to confirm his words, a golden light suddenly shone in the sky.

That was the effect of Athena's flagship Nerva deploying a psionic barrier in orbit, a pale golden curtain of light enveloping the entire Korhal like a dome.

Wherever the light curtain passed, the last trace of chill in the air vanished without a trace.

"But this is only temporary."

Chiru turned to Nova and Stone, his tone becoming serious, “True protection requires each human being to build a mental defense line.”

Athena suddenly appeared beside them; the obsidian box had already been taken away by the War Maidens.

The goddess's gaze swept over the two former Ghost agents, a rare hint of gentleness in her eyes: "Your concerns are valid. From today onward, you will receive new training—not just combat skills, but also how to protect your own hearts."

She raised her hand, and two rays of golden light entered Nova and Stone's foreheads.

In an instant, they saw a magnificent golden network—

That was the Emperor's psionic protective network, with countless fine threads connecting every corner of the human empire, and above Korhal, this network had only just begun to be woven.

“Remember this feeling.” Athena’s voice was like the distant tolling of a bell. “When darkness comes, you will be the Emperor’s anchor.”

Shortly after.

Inside the main council chamber of the Oxtegrad palace complex, a solemn atmosphere replaced the former extravagance.

The once jewel-encrusted gilded walls are now just plain alloy surfaces. The precious metal decorations used to flaunt wealth and power have long been removed and melted down to become building materials for rebuilding the city.

Beneath the towering dome, the original suspended crystal chandeliers have been replaced with a simple lighting array that emits a soft white glow.

The goddess of war sat in the main seat, her golden armor gleaming subtly under the lights.

Representatives from various departments of the empire were already in place on either side of the long table.

The four Astartes company commanders stood solemnly like statues:

Sigismund's black armor was covered with Chinese scriptures, and his eyepieces gleamed with a dark red light.
The highly praised Terminator retains some battle scars, and the flame emblem on the shoulder armor is particularly eye-catching;
On Malakin Forros's Weeping Armor, next to the teardrop emblem, are several new engravings from recent battles.

Tiberius's shark-like power armor was covered in jagged trophies and exuded a faint, bloody scent.

In the investigation department, Leon was talking quietly with Mike, dozens of suspicious locations marked on the tactical hologram in front of them, while Chris was adjusting a strange device, which seemed to be some kind of prototype capable of detecting subspace fluctuations.

The Jedi Knights stood at the boundary between shadow and light. Chirul Inveil's black robes remained motionless, while Baze Malbus adjusted the cooling valves on his power armor, and behind him, the Stormtrooper commanders stood silently like a steel jungle.

The shadows obscured Jim Reynolds' expression, but his taut jawline betrayed his inner turmoil.

Sarah Kerrigan's psionic energy fluctuations were more stable than usual, and the occasional golden sparks dancing at her fingertips indicated that she had returned from the main universe, received the Emperor's "blessing," and had begun to master this power.

Tychus casually propped his feet up on another chair, rhythmically tapping his knees with his fingers.

Nova and Stone stood in the intelligence group area, with the complete record of the noble meeting floating in front of them.

Nova's nanosuit visor reflected the blue light of the data stream, while Stone repeatedly reviewed the last frame of the image sent back by the young nobleman.

In a corner of the meeting hall, several rescued Dark Templar stood silently like ghosts.

Although their green psionic blades were not activated, void energy was still circulating around them.

Suddenly, the air rippled like water, and a familiar figure emerged from the shadows—

"Zeratul".

Jim stood up almost instantly.

The elder Dark Templar was more weathered than he remembered, with several new scars on his carapace-like skin, but his eyes, which emitted a ghostly light, remained as sharp as knives.

“Old friend,” Zeratul’s voice was like sandpaper scraping, “it seems we’ll be fighting side by side again.”

Athena tapped the table lightly, and the entire conference room immediately fell silent.

"Gentlemen," her voice commanded without anger, "Chaos has already extended its tentacles into this sector. Today's meeting will determine the fate of the entire Koprulu Sector, and even the entire Universe 18 (StarCraft).

Then, Athena's gaze fell upon Zeratul as if it were a physical object, his golden armor shimmering faintly under the lights.

Her voice was calm and authoritative: "Dark Templar, state your purpose."

Zeratul crossed his arms in front of his chest, and subtle ripples of void energy emanated from his body, their sound echoing like the sounds of an ancient cave:
"Honorable Lady Athena, I have spent my life following the guidance of prophecy, showing the way for Jim Reynolds and Archbishop Artanis to fight against the threat of Amon."

The light in the conference room seemed to dim slightly with the mention of the name Eamon.

Several Dark Templar warriors unconsciously tensed up, their energy rippled like disturbed water.

"But not long ago..."

Zeratul continued, a hint of confusion flashing in his eerie green eyes, "I sensed that Amon's existence had completely vanished. Not only him, but the entire Void seemed to have been 'erased' by some kind of force."

As he spoke, he lowered his arms. "Based on the intelligence I have recently obtained, I have reason to believe that it was the Imperial Empire that ended this nightmare that has plagued the Protoss for countless years."

A brief silence fell over the council chamber.

Zeratul's figure swayed slightly, as if he might disappear at any moment: "I thought that with the fall of Amon, the Protoss would usher in true peace."

But the truth is quite the opposite—”

His voice suddenly turned heavy: "The Tal'darim are becoming increasingly insane. They have attacked numerous Protoss planets and slaughtered countless of their own kind. Even more disturbing is that Archbishop Artanis's decisions have also begun to become abnormal."

"Ah."

The Dark Templar in the corner suddenly let out a cold laugh.

One of them pulled back his hood, revealing a face covered in battle scars: "The Taldarim are a bunch of lunatics! As for Artanis? That Kalai hypocrite has finally shown his true colors."

Zeratul turned to his brethren, a flicker of pain in his eerie green eyes: “I understand your anger, but think about it—before the Zerg invasion, before Amon awoke, we Protoss also lived in peace.”

"Peace?" another Dark Templar scoffed. "The kind of peace that banished us?"

Zeratul swayed slightly, but he did not refute.

Instead, he turned to Athena, his finger tracing a pale green line in the air: "Honorable Goddess of War, I believe that some being has taken advantage of the void's dissipation to invade our world. It has amplified the inherent paranoia of the Taldarim and has even begun to influence the Supreme Council."

Upon hearing this, Sigismund's black helmet turned slightly, and his dark red visor locked onto Zeratul:
"Do you have evidence?"

"only this."

Zeratul retrieved a broken crystal from the Void Fold.

A strange black-red energy is sealed inside the crystal. It twists and deforms constantly, as if it were alive and trying to break free from the crystal's constraints.

"This is not Void energy extracted from the body of a berserk Tal'darim warrior."

Athena suddenly stood up, her golden armor emitting a soft hum.

Her gaze fell on the crystal, and she frowned slightly: "This is..."

Sensing the gaze of the Goddess of War, the black and red energy suddenly struggled violently, as if it had encountered a natural enemy and was trying to escape.

Then, Athena slightly raised her left hand, and the broken crystal seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand, slowly floating into her palm.

Golden light flowed from between her five fingers, wrapping around the crystal surface as if it were alive.

The black and red energy twisted and struggled wildly, emitting a silent shriek, but it melted away like ice and snow under the holy light, disappearing completely in an instant.

Crystal turned to dust and slipped through her fingers, but Athena's expression grew increasingly solemn.

Her gaze was piercing as she looked directly at Zeratul: "You bring more than just intelligence, Dark Templar; you bring a warning."

The goddess of war turned to face the crowd, her golden armor shimmering with a chilling aura as she moved.

Her voice was deep and authoritative, echoing in the conference hall: "It seems that what was bound to happen has finally happened. Those scum who only dared to cower in the shadows of the warp have set their sights on the Eighteenth Universe."

With a light tap of her fingertip, dozens of flashing black and red markers appeared on the holographic star map. "They are corrupting the Protoss, the race most sensitive to psionic energy. This is a trick that Chaos excels at."

Upon hearing this, a low laugh came from beneath the man-eating shark's mask: "Heh, another heretic scum to kill."

The serrated power claws trembled slightly in his hand, as if they were already eager to drink the blood of their enemies.

The Terminator armor, with its high rating, emitted a heavy hum. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"It must be eradicated before the pollution spreads. If chaos is allowed to gain a foothold among the Protoss, the human colonies will be the next to suffer."

A series of planetary coordinates flashed rapidly across his tactical visor. "I recommend prioritizing the purification of the Taldarim-controlled area."

A hint of worry flashed in Zeratul's eerie green eyes: "But what about Artanis?"

“The corruption of Taldarim is the most severe,” Athena interrupted, her spear of victory already in her hand, its tip aimed at the brightest black and red mark on the star map. “This is not an internal conflict, but a war concerning the survival of the entire universe.”

The lighting in the conference room suddenly changed, as if even the air itself had frozen due to the somber atmosphere.

Athena's spear slammed heavily into the ground, the metal and composite materials striking together with a resounding echo: "The human empire will purify this starry sky with the purest flames."

(End of this chapter)