“Leader, the last outlying stronghold of the capital star system’s defensive perimeter has also fallen. Only this one core of our defensive perimeter remains. The Divine Ark Civilization’s fleet is resting. It is expected to reach the edge of our capital star system within one year.” an aide reported to the expressionless leader of the civilization, seated in a city on the Pegasus Civilization’s capital planet.

“Outside the star system, we still have about three million wandering ships. These ships all escaped from the four aforementioned fallen positions. But now there is no one who can gather them. They have been completely scattered. Not only their organization, but their spirit has been scattered. They are now a loose pile of sand.” the aide continued to report.

“It is a pity that there is no leader within the military who possesses sufficiently exalted prestige, otherwise, by borrowing that leader’s prestige, we could gather them and launch a pincer attack behind the Divine Ark Civilization’s fleet as it assaults the capital star system. Our hope of victory would then increase by a great deal. A pity, a pity. Originally, I had that prestige, but since contact with the Divine Ark Civilization, a series of defeats has reduced my prestige to the lowest point.” the leader thought silently, wearily rubbing his forehead.

The situation was indeed so. Since contact with the Divine Ark Civilization, the losses suffered by the Pegasus Civilization had been far too tragic. In order to prevent the Divine Ark Civilization from launching raids against lightly defended heavy-industry planets and residential planets, the Pegasus Civilization had transferred large populations and resources into these five star systems. And of these five star systems, four fell in succession. One must know, it was not merely four star systems. In those four star systems, besides large-scale armies, there were also tens of billions, hundreds of billions of civilians, innumerable heavy industrial infrastructure, precious machinery, rare raw materials, and so on. After the star exploded, warships could rely on powerful mobility to escape, and even some advanced civilian ships could escape, but what about the industrial equipment that could not move quickly, and the even larger number of civilian ships?

They were all destroyed in the catastrophe of the star’s explosion. That is right, intelligent beings of the Pegasus Civilization numbering in the tens of billions, in the hundreds of billions, all failed to escape in time and perished in the stellar blast. During this period, the leader shouldered pressure so immense it was unimaginable. He had not rested for several days. Because once he entered a resting state, his mind involuntarily filled with those citizens who died tragically, face after twisted face, those cries of despair, endless tears. Deep, heavy suffering began to circle in his mind.

He could not help but see one scene over and over in his mind. In those four star systems, the terrified populace hid behind the powerful star system defensive line, trembling and praying, praying that the ferocious enemy would be driven back by their civilization’s army, praying that they would not charge into the interior of the star system. But their prayers seemed to have no effect. The carefully arranged defensive line, millions of powerful warships, and soldiers numbering in the hundreds of millions still failed to block the enemy’s invasion. Under the lead of those three warships as powerful as demons, the enemy’s warships rushed into the star system’s interior like the fiercest killing birds. The powerful weapon capable of destroying a star was unleashed, aimed at the center upon the very star that the star system’s defense system depended for existence.

The army was defeated in one blow, the star was destroyed, some soldiers whose spirits collapsed piloted their warships and fled madly. Many more warships resisted until the last moment, then were buried in the mighty energy of the star’s explosion. The civilians piloted their pitiful little ships and desperately fled toward the outside of the star system, but their ships had too little mobility and were ultimately overtaken by the vast energy of the star’s explosion, like a small skiff on the ocean in a storm, capsizing in an instant.

He could not even close his eyes. As soon as he closed them, those many faces began to circle in his mind. The capital star system was the last star system actually controlled by the Pegasus Civilization. In this star system, more than six million warships and more than thirty billion civilians still survived. After losing those four star systems, the leader’s rule was severely criticized. In this brief period, at least more than three hundred demonstrations broke out.

“I am not wrong,” the leader’s gaze became firm once more. “You only saw the fall of those four star systems, but you did not notice that the Divine Ark Civilization’s number of warships has already been reduced by half. Of the remaining half of the warships, most are damaged. The Divine Ark Civilization’s combat strength has declined by more than half. I am confident that, relying on the tight defenses of the capital star system, we can completely defeat the Divine Ark Civilization. And only one big victory is needed for our morale to rise and my prestige to rise. At that time, I will be able to use my prestige to influence the warships wandering outside the star systems and have them participate in the war to defend our home and star system. By then, under internal and external pincer attacks, the Divine Ark Civilization’s defeat will be unavoidable.”

The leader went over his plan once more and let out a long breath.

“At that time, we will obtain the Divine Ark Civilization’s entire technology. With the help of this technology, we will be able to enter the scope of a Level 6 Civilization. This calamity is the last nirvana before the rebirth of our Pegasus Civilization. I believe that once the Divine Ark Civilization is defeated and eliminated by us, our Pegasus Civilization will certainly have a higher space for development. For this goal, all sacrifices are worth it.”

“What I need now is only one victory, one big victory is enough. As long as there is one big victory, our civilization will come together once again. If we still cannot hold the capital star system, I have arranged the final retreat as well. The Galloping Pegasus spaceship will take the most elite five billion citizens of the civilization and set out on a long voyage to rendezvous in the Death Flower Star System with an alliance composed of twenty Level 5 Civilizations. And because of the Galloping Pegasus spaceship’s formidable combat strength and the great threat of the Divine Ark Civilization, the Level 5 Civilization Alliance will be led by our side. I will comprehensively integrate the technology of these Level 5 Civilizations and comb it into a system. In this way, we can also enter into a Level 6 Civilization. These five billion citizens will become the seeds of the Pegasus Civilization’s revival once again.”

This was the plan of the Pegasus Civilization’s leader. If the Divine Ark Civilization could be defeated, then they would rely on the Divine Ark Civilization’s complete technological system to enter the range of a Level 6 Civilization. If the Divine Ark Civilization could not be defeated, then they would flee immediately, use the immense pressure of the Divine Ark Civilization to integrate the Level 5 Civilization Alliance, and rely on the integrated technology to enter the scope of a Level 6 Civilization. No matter which result, the Pegasus Civilization could advance to a Level 6 Civilization.

Advancing to a Level 6 Civilization was the only matter the Pegasus Civilization’s leader needed to consider. For this goal, sacrificing tens of millions of warships was nothing, sacrificing hundreds of billions of civilians was nothing, and as for four stars within his own domain being destroyed, that was all the more a trifling matter.

“To advance to a Level 6 Civilization, any price can be paid!” The Pegasus Civilization’s leader once again made this resolve. His features hardened anew. “Send the notification. I will conduct an inspection of the army to check our civilization’s state of war readiness.”

Meanwhile, 2.3 light-years away from the Pegasus Civilization, Xiao Yu’s vast fleet was halted in the cosmic starry sky, undergoing the final rest before the last great battle, preparing for the final war.

“How should we fight this last battle? In the Pegasus Civilization’s capital star system, at least six million warships are garrisoned. Among the five star systems, the capital star system has the strongest defensive forces, while our strength at this moment is the weakest. We have only fewer than five million five hundred thousand ships left. Of these ships, we must detach at least one million five hundred thousand to stand guard in the void, to intercept and encircle those scattered wandering ships and prevent them from coalescing again. That is to say, the forces we can use to attack the capital star system number only around four million five hundred thousand ships. A war like this is basically impossible to win.” said an operations staff officer under the Military Committee’s staff department.

“Yes, it will be very hard for us to win next. Most crucially, we cannot afford to fail. If there is one major failure, only one is enough, just one is enough for the other side to massively raise its morale. The more than three million warships wandering in the cosmic starry sky could very likely coalesce because of that one failure, forming a pincer from front and back against us. By then, our outcome will inevitably be a disastrous defeat. I suggest we immediately retreat and find a star system for a fifty-year rest. A fifty-year rest can restore eighty percent of our strength, and it is certain that the Pegasus Civilization will not recover as quickly as we do. At that time, we will come again to capture their capital star system.”

Xiao Yu smiled, shook his head, and rejected this staff officer’s proposal.

“If we had fifty years, at the very beginning of attacking the Pegasus Civilization’s capital defensive perimeter, I would not have chosen a frontal assault. I have a faint sense of crisis in my heart, and this sense tells me that we cannot remain here for so long. We must end the war quickly and leave quickly. Do not worry. Besides the Sphere of Death, we still have the final trump card. We still have the Blood Blade Squad. With the Blood Blade Squad’s capabilities, penetrating into the interior of the star system is an easy matter. A small squad like this is enough to do many things.”