The lightning bolt Cass unleashed was explosive and overwhelming, giving the impression of the sky itself roaring in wrath, as if the heavens were collapsing down, yet it possessed extraordinary finesse in its subtlety—like a dragon threading through clouds, infinitely mutable and entirely at will.

"Agh!" The Commander-in-Chief of the Burke Fleet, having pushed his psychic cultivation to the absolute limit of the Third Level, possessed an extremely acute sense of danger. The instant Cass appeared, he vaulted up, spinning around to flee, simultaneously unleashing an explosive burst of energy from his left hand to blast open the bridge hatch, while his right hand flicked out a radiant golden lightsaber to shield his back. His sole focus was to impede the electrical discharge for a single instant, buying time to escape the bridge.

The Commander knew that just one-tenth of a second was all he needed for a chance at escape. However, the gulf in power between him and Cass vastly exceeded his imagination. The force contained within that single lightning bolt surpassed the combined total power of ten peak Third Level beings; it was utterly irresistible to him. Moreover, as the strongest psychic presence on the bridge, how could Cass fail to notice him?

As the lightning struck the bridge, several branching arcs immediately attacked the Commander. As they neared the lightsaber shielding his back, they strangely curved, bypassing the blade entirely, and struck him directly.

The electrical discharge was too fast; the Commander was hit before he could react. The current instantly vaporized his transcendent body, blasting him into ash.

As for the others on the bridge, their strength was inferior to the Commander's. They barely managed any attempt to flee before they, too, were instantly reduced to dust.

Witnessing a searing torrent of flame sweep through the bridge, obliterating everything, Cass shifted his gaze to the remaining warships. At that moment, a subtle, cold chill registered within his mind.

He let his thought drift, following this faint chill toward its origin. However, this trace of energy seemed almost alive, instantly dissipating without a trace, leaving him without a clue.

"Did you think I wouldn't know who you were just because I couldn't pinpoint you? Sidiren, the Luo Ya God of Slaughter—such an obscure sensation, who else but you, that adept of the dark, could possess it? If my psychic strength weren't so vastly superior to yours, I might not have even detected your surveillance of me. You failed once, and you still won't give up? Well then, it's better to fear a lingering presence than a present thief. I’ll teach you a lesson and shatter your ambition."

Cass’s will shifted, and two swirling vortex wormholes suddenly materialized beside him.

"Come, my two brothers!"

Before the words faded, two plumes of purple flame erupted from the wormholes. The profound purple hue was breathtakingly brilliant, interspersed with flickering, faintly glowing runes that materialized and vanished—identical to the purple spiritual flames burning on Cass himself.

Two more Fifth Level Executor-Lights appeared!

This transformation nearly stunned every Burke warrior on the battlefield. They had been reeling from the destruction of their flagship, but the sight of three Executor-Lights standing poised in the void was enough to suppress all chaos, leaving every witness dumbfounded and pushing the limits of their comprehension.

During his ascension to the Fourth Level, Yang Ying had assimilated the essences of the Insectoid, Human, and Protoss races, which consequently granted him the projected appearances of all three: Human, the Blade Empress, and the Executor-Light.

Now, both Yang Ying and his avatars could freely switch between these three forms without needing to change bodies.

One core essence, three external projections: one into three, and three into one. This phenomenon was not uncommon among Fourth Level entities; the Holy Trinity of the gods, the Tri-Kaya of the Buddha—though differing in specifics, the underlying principle was largely similar.

"Search!" The three Executor-Lights fully expanded their psychic power, each taking responsibility for one direction, scouring space and time inside out.

Under the gaze of the High Sensory Eye, even deeper dimensions buried within space did not escape their sight. Soon, one Executor-Light detected a trace of spatial distortion within a layered pocket of space, indicating that Sidiren had used spatial magic there moments before.

"Time flow reversal! Let me see what you were doing just now."

The Executor-Light used the High Sensory Eye to trace time backward. He saw the look of shock on Sidiren’s face the moment the other two Executor-Lights materialized.

This display of overwhelming power left Sidiren no room for second thoughts; he immediately abandoned his covetous intent and deployed spatial magic, fleeing the star system.

The three Executor-Lights followed the faint trace. Their High Sensory vision pierced through the spacetime conduits provided by higher dimensions, and Sidiren’s figure reappeared before them.

"Trying to run? Take this first."

The three Executor-Lights unleashed a mental shockwave simultaneously. Three powerful psychic ripples instantly caught up to him and slammed into his form.

Sidiren erupted with black energy, forming a shield to resist, but the combined attack of three peak Fourth Level beings, even attenuated across vast tracts of space and time, still shattered his shield and struck his psyche.

Sidiren felt as if three bombs had detonated deep within his core, violently tearing his mind to shreds, and his entire being instantly withered.

Cass retracted his gaze. He could gauge the severity of that psychic blow; even for a peak Fourth Level entity, such an attack would require at least half a year of careful recuperation to fully recover.

He judged that this strike had been sufficient to intimidate the Luo Ya people, ensuring they would remain neutral in the war between the Protoss and the Burke.

After today's battle, the Protoss had emerged as a dominant force. Facing three Executor-Lights, the three Luo Ya gods could no longer claim absolute victory. The heavily wounded Sidiren, upon returning, would undoubtedly convey this information to the other two Fourth Level entities.

The most likely immediate outcome was that the Luo Ya people would withdraw from observation. After all, the conflict in the Orion Arm was nearing its conclusion, and the opportune moment to seize territory was fast approaching. At this juncture, the Luo Ya would be unwilling to provoke the Protoss, who now commanded three Executor-Lights.

The only remaining issue was the remnants of the Burke fleet.

The appearance of the three Executor-Lights sent the Protoss morale soaring, while the Burke fleet’s morale plummeted. Their flagship was instantly destroyed, and three Fourth Level entities materialized before them, sowing thoughts of retreat.

However, they were still largely caught within the minefield perimeter, and the few escape routes they had opened were now blocked by interceptors. They were trapped: powerful enemies ahead, no path backward. All hope seemed to be draining away.

Consequently, some individuals in the Burke fleet began to surrender. This feeling spread like a contagion, quickly infecting the entire fleet, and surrender messages began flooding toward the Protoss fleet like snowflakes. Among the first to transmit such messages was the second-in-command following the Commander-in-Chief’s death.

Gabora relayed this situation to Cass via mental link.

"Is that so? I also think it’s time for the Burke people to surrender. Very well, accept their surrender. Order them all to abandon ship and surrender via escape pods. They are strictly forbidden from carrying weapons. Otherwise, they will face the consequences," Cass commanded.

"Yes, Speaker."

Next came the reception of surrender: processing the prisoners, inspecting them, and transporting them to the deserts of Ael for confinement. The detention centers were heavily fortified, with carriers circling overhead constantly, watched by towering Protoss Colossi on the perimeter, and the camps themselves patrolled by autonomous robotic forces. The Protoss's mechanical engineering technology was also highly advanced; probes, Colossi, Scarabs, Observers, transports—all were automated, supplemented by various other measures to ensure no possibility of organized resistance.

The prisoners were provided only with basic necessities for survival, and these supplies were confiscated from the Burke fleet’s own military stores. To attack Ael, the Burke had brought substantial landing supplies—compressed military tents, rations tailored to Burke tastes, and other goods the Protoss had no use for. Although some high-ranking Burke officers objected, believing they deserved better treatment, Cass viewed these fat men as utterly useless except for eating. Allowing them to live was, in his opinion, the greatest act of mercy.

After three days dedicated to reorganizing the prisoners and tallying the spoils, the preliminary results of the battle were finalized.

The engagement resulted in the capture of 465,141,906 Burke soldiers; 237,865,247 soldiers from colonized alien races; 61,647 mostly intact Burke warships; 286,615 lightly damaged ships requiring inspection; and 252,755 heavily damaged ships requiring major overhaul. All others were utterly destroyed, scattered into parts beyond counting. The captured material resources of every other kind were innumerable—it was a massive windfall.

As the tally concluded, Tylarot, the zealous High Councilor in charge of the prisoner camp, approached Cass. "Speaker, the number of these prisoners is immense, and they will never be truly loyal to us. Keeping them is a perpetual liability. The camps we established in Deserts One, Two, and Three can barely hold them. The daily consumption of four hundred million people is an astronomical figure. I believe we should cease supporting them."

"Your points are well-taken, but do not worry. We will be able to dispose of them soon enough," Cass replied, having already anticipated this. "Such situations often arise in the wars of the Hunter’s Arm. There are established protocols for dealing with alien prisoners of war. I have seen in the future that the solution will arrive at our doorstep today. I entrust the entire matter of prisoner disposal to you. Just remember this: soon, we will launch the war to conquer the Burke Reke Sector. Before that war concludes, these prisoners cannot be allowed to return to the Burke Empire."

"Understood." Tylarot, seeing Cass was prepared, withdrew.

Just a few hours later, medium-sized spacecraft began entering the star system containing Ael. These ships arrived from various directions and possessed widely differing designs, clearly originating from different civilizations.

Soon, a report landed on Tylarot’s desk.

"The Hunter’s Arm Slave Trade Alliance," Tylarot murmured, recalling Cass’s words. "It seems this is the solution the Speaker spoke of."