Let the mercenary fleet perform beyond its usual capacity. Within four gangs, the military stronghold planet of the Bo’ke people was suppressed; the planetary defense system was paralyzed, and all military installations were saturated with bombardment, turning the very ground inside those military bases almost entirely into glass. Only a few concealed anti-air bunkers, located deep underground or nestled in remote mountains, survived the mercenary fleet's artillery barrage.
Immediately following this, the mercenary fleet dispatched almost all of its landing forces to initiate assaults and siege warfare against the few remaining military strongholds.
Although the remnant forces of the Bo’ke people resisted fiercely, they were vastly outnumbered and outgunned. After a full day, all resistance was quelled, and the entire planet fell into the hands of the mercenary fleet.
However, before this, the fleet of fifty thousand carriers had already set course for the second objective. The Protoss’s progress could not afford much delay; a single step behind in conquest could lead to severe consequences.
In the ensuing days, the mercenaries established several concentration camps on the planet, imprisoning the captured Bo’ke people within. Ali, who had advanced with the carrier fleet, immediately presented trade demands to the Slave Trade Alliance. The Alliance swiftly responded, dispatching specialized personnel to take custody of the captives and paying an astronomical sum for them.
This payment soon materialized within the Orion Arm Mercenary Guild. The Protoss had issued several major mission orders, hiring mercenaries to attack the Bo’kerek Star Sector with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the Bo’ke Empire.
Simultaneously, the mission orders specified the Protoss policy regarding mercenary status: those who demonstrated sufficient value during the mission would not only receive compensation but also be granted mid-level administrative positions in the colonies.
Consequently, the entire mercenary world of the Orion Arm erupted. Major mercenary groups flocked toward the Bo’kerek Star Sector, swelling the force to a scale of one hundred thousand warships within a fortnight, and this number continued to increase as time passed.
Even the established, deeply entrenched, massive, and ancient Level Seven mercenary groups could not resist getting involved. They possessed vast reserves of talent, complete training systems, comprehensive logistical support, and, most importantly, enormous fleets.
When these mercenary groups mobilized together, in terms of military might, they could easily rank within the top ten of the Orion Arm. For them, this represented a rare opportunity that might only appear once in several centuries—a chance to share in the spoils of dismantling the ninth-ranked power in the Orion Arm, the Bo’ke people. How much wealth would be generated? How magnificent it would be to absorb that fortune!
With increasing mercenary support, the overwhelming performance advantage of the carriers, and the repeated decapitation strikes by the Level Four Shadow Exarchs, the Protoss fleet advanced like a hot knife through butter.
Half a month later, they had already conquered half of the Bo’ke Empire, having engaged in over twenty major and minor battles. They crushed over two hundred thousand Bo’ke warships, captured more than three hundred thousand, and imprisoned over three hundred million Bo’ke soldiers, along with more than six hundred million soldiers from the Bo’ke tributary races.
All these individuals were sold to the Slave Trade Alliance. A portion of the proceeds funded the mercenary commissions, while the remainder was converted into various rare materials to construct more weaponry and support the offensive at the front lines.
Under these circumstances, the military force the Protoss could command grew like a snowball, expanding exponentially. The three great armies—Left, Center, and Right—all centered around the Protoss carriers, expanding their numbers several times over into six-digit fleet sizes.
Ultimately, the three armies converged before the capital star of the Bo’ke Empire, merging into a massive force of half a million warships that completely encircled the Bo’ke capital star cluster.
At this point, the Bo’ke Empire committed everything they had left, concentrating all available military power into the capital star’s defense perimeter. Regrettably, due to the massive losses incurred in the preceding period, they could only muster a total of three hundred thousand ships, most of which were nearly obsolete wrecks. In terms of both numbers and combat effectiveness, they were far inferior to the Protoss fleet.
“Speaker, several high-ranking Bo’ke generals, as well as mercenary commanders, sent me secret messages before the battle, hoping to reach an understanding with us. They asked that we not pursue retribution against them, and in return, they would defect during the fighting, atoning for their previous hostility toward us,” Jiabohe reported to Cass.
“Agree to their terms,” Cass replied.
“Yes, sir,” Jiabohe said with a slight bow. “All fleets are ready; we can launch the attack at any moment.”
“Then launch the attack!” Cass commanded.
“Yes, all forces attack!” Jiabohe shouted over the communications channel.
At the order, the four hundred thousand mercenary ships charged forward like horses breaking free of their reins. This was arguably the final battle; everyone knew that once the Bo’ke Empire’s capital star fell, the rest could likely be secured with a single proclamation of surrender.
Clearly, this battle offered the greatest chance to earn military merit, and once this day passed, such an opportunity might never come again. Military merit translated directly into post-war allocation and determined the rank of the positions they would receive; no one could afford to slack off today.
At this moment, the ten thousand Protoss carrier fleet held back, observing the battle from the periphery. Cass knew, he foresaw it—news of victory would arrive soon.
Suddenly, the mercenary warships within the Bo’ke Empire’s fleet abruptly turned their cannons, unleashing beams of blinding light toward their supposed allies in the Bo’ke formation. As a line of fire erupted from within the Bo’ke fleet, catching everyone by surprise, this initial volley destroyed over ten thousand Bo’ke warships.
“What is the meaning of this? Damn them, those mercenaries actually dared to betray us!” The commander of this engagement was the Bo’ke Emperor himself, an exceedingly corpulent Bo’ke, whose weight likely exceeded a ton. He stood on a lavish high platform, with civil and military officials lined up in two rows down the steps on either side.
This was the Bo’ke fleet’s supreme command center, featuring a simple setup with two notable exceptions: the extreme opulence of the Emperor’s platform and the numerous mysterious runes scattered about, which felt entirely out of place for a military department.
Seeing the mercenary units defect in the front lines, the Emperor exploded in fury, roaring at his subordinate generals, “Quickly turn your guns around! Clear out those threats lurking near our fleet first!”
Below the high platform was a control hall filled with hundreds of staff officers responsible for communication between the front lines and headquarters.
Upon receiving the Emperor’s order, fifty to sixty thousand Bo’ke warships turned their weapons; however, they failed to notice that some ships turned their barrels too far or too slowly, causing them to aim not at the mercenary vessels but at other Bo’ke warships.
Those ships fired, sending a dense barrage of attacks into their own allies, shattering another ten thousand vessels!
“Your Majesty, the 35th, 37th, and 38th Fleets have fired upon friendly forces,” the staff officer reported, his voice laced with utter terror, as if the sky itself were collapsing.
“What!” The Bo’ke Emperor trembled at the news, collapsing onto his ornate throne. He violently shook his head, trying to dispel the dreadful thoughts. “How many intact ships remain?”
“There are one hundred sixty-five thousand, four hundred-plus vessels remaining,” a staff officer replied.
“Order them to continue firing! Tell them that for the greater good of the nation, they must fight until the very last moment!” The Bo’ke Emperor’s face twisted with ferocity.
“Yes!” The staff officers relayed the order.
“How is the charge on the Level Ten Fortress Cannon?” the Emperor demanded.
“One minute remaining.”
On the other side, Cass suddenly felt a premonition. He spoke to Jiabohe, “Order all fleets to immediately disperse. If necessary, even falling back is acceptable—including ours and the mercenaries’.”
“Understood,” Jiabohe replied, recognizing that Cass must have sensed something. He immediately ordered the dispersal.
The carrier fleet began to retreat backward, their formations spreading out like scattered sand, yet maintaining an uncanny, almost spiritual cohesion, as if they could instantaneously re-condense into a single entity. However, some mercenary fleets refused to abandon the military merit they were about to earn, sending back defiant replies that they would not retreat a single step or break their attacking formations.
They would soon regret that decision.
One minute later.
“Your Majesty, the Level Ten Fortress Cannon is ready.”
“Fire! Target the densest area of the enemy fleet! Blast them to hell!” the Emperor roared.
“But, sir, there are our own forces in the path,” the high-ranking officer in charge of the Level Ten Fortress Cannon expressed hesitation.
“Silence! It is their honor to sacrifice themselves for the nation; they should welcome their demise gladly. Their families will be proud of them! Are you in league with the enemy? Guards, seize him!” The Emperor waved his hand coldly, and several military police rushed forward, dragging the general away.
The Bo’ke Emperor then pointed at the staff officer responsible for firing. “Stop wasting time! Fire immediately!”
“Yes, yes!” Seeing the fate of his superior, the staff officer dared not disobey further and immediately pressed the firing button.
From the northern pole of the Bo’ke capital star, a brilliant flash erupted, as if condensing a thousand suns, forming a pillar of light that swept toward the mercenary fleet.
Calling it a light pillar was imprecise; it formed a narrow cone. Upon firing, its diameter was only a few hundred meters, but as it traveled, it widened, reaching the mercenary fleet area as a dazzling beam dozens of kilometers in diameter.
Incredibly powerful energy saturated the light column, turning every warship swept by it into a fireball. Any vessel lingering even slightly too long in the beam had its armor melted into molten slag.
The light pillar swept across the densest part of the fleet, instantly carving out a massive gap. Tens of thousands of warships were annihilated in that single beam of light!
“As expected,” Jiabohe shook his head. “Even those mercenary fleets were an undisciplined rabble; they didn't heed the Speaker’s advice. They deserve this outcome.”
Cass stated, “Do not underestimate them. I sent a clone into the enemy command center earlier. As the ninth power in the Orion Arm, the Bo’ke possess some skill. The Emperor and officials there are all holographic projections. Their real bodies are obscured by spells cast by Level Four entities. I need time to unravel it, but one thing is certain: those individuals are not on this planet.”