Starr, the genesis and heart of the Kusta Empire, housed over five billion souls across several planets, each with a diameter slightly larger than the others. Ninety-nine percent of these inhabitants were Kustans, but there were also fifty million aliens—diplomats from various races, and others traveling, staying, or residing on Starr for diverse reasons.

Just a few years ago, a mere utterance from this planet could send tremors through the Orion Arm. Yet, times have changed.

The planet’s glory has faded; the front lines are in constant retreat, armies annihilated wholesale. The Song Star Allied Fleet now presses against its borders.

To avoid being caught in the crossfire, aliens of all species began fleeing over a month ago, and the vast majority have now escaped to safety beyond the Kusta Empire. The Song Star Allied Fleet took only half an hour to crush the last of Starr’s defenses: the six armed satellites encircling the planet, and the accompanying one hundred and twenty thousand Royal Guard Fleet defending the line.

Although each armed satellite was equipped with robust, fully-powered shields and firepower comparable to a fleet of a hundred thousand ships, against the Song Star Allied Fleet’s numbers—tens of millions, like scattered starlight—they were like thin paper before a flood, shattering swiftly. After clearing all space defenses around the Kusta planet, a reconnaissance fleet was dispatched to destroy the planet-destroying facilities on Starr, preventing the desperate Kustans from enacting mutually assured destruction when ground forces eventually landed.

Throughout the Orion Arm, many highly advanced civilizations installed planetary destruction systems on capital worlds or key interstellar metropolises. This was the final recourse, held in reserve for the most dire circumstances, ensuring the planet would not fall into enemy hands.

The Burks had installed a core-detonation bomb on their capital, Yan. If the Luminary Regent hadn't acted swiftly, the entire planet would have dissolved into cosmic dust.

Not all Song Stars approved of the direct landing strategy. Before the operation commenced, numerous high-ranking Song Star military officers jointly submitted a far more aggressive proposal to the Allied Fleet Command.

They argued that preserving Kusta Planet was unnecessary; the entire world should simply be pulverized. In fact, a single volley from just one-tenth of the fleet would have sufficed to achieve this objective.

Their justification was that countless brothers and sisters had been slaughtered by the Kustans during the millennia-long war. Only by resorting to such a decisive measure—wiping Starr from existence—could they honor the fallen and see their blood vengeance fulfilled.

However, after detailed deliberation, the Allied Fleet Command ultimately rejected the proposal. To address this, Yafei summoned over a dozen representatives of the senior officers who had most strongly advocated for the radical plan, within the Joint Command Headquarters.

The Joint Command was established inside the Song Star flagship, the battle-fortress Terasusil—a small war-star with a diameter of nine kilometers. This size was considerably smaller than the defensive armed satellites of the Kustans, but there was no alternative.

The Song Stars were capable of building armed satellites, but satellites of that size could not perform spatial jumps; even if built, they could only serve as defensive weapons, unable to leave their home star system. The Kustans faced a similar limitation.

While their military technology surpassed that of the Song Stars, their largest offensive weapon was merely an armed fortress roughly seventeen kilometers in diameter. The Joint Command occupied a three-level structure within Terasusil's core, housing the Main Control Center and the Staff Headquarters, along with its subordinate departments: Dispatch, Logistics, Intelligence, Information, and various specialized sub-units.

The dozen or so senior officer representatives summoned by Yafei were mostly female. Song Star society was intensely matriarchal, with women vastly outnumbering men in the upper echelons of government and the military—a ratio roughly mirroring that of men to women in the high command of Earth militaries.

In the council chamber adjacent to the Main Control Center, Yafei addressed the senior officer representatives with an expression tinged with sorrow. “After such an immense passage of time, and after paying such a heavy cost, we have finally arrived here.

Your demand to shatter Kusta Planet and avenge the comrades and ancestors lost on the battlefield is entirely justified. But before that, I ask you to pause and reflect deeply, to recall the time before you stepped onto the battlefield.” If ordinary individuals had spoken these words, this group of officers might have immediately retorted.

But the speaker was their Guardian, the entity they revered above all else. Consequently, all the assembled Song Stars lowered their heads in contemplation.

“From the beginning, we Song Stars did not belong on the battlefield.” Yafei moved among them, gently stroking their faces. “What we cherish are vibrant music, joyful laughter, blooming flowers, and beautiful love—these are what a Song Star ought to pursue.

Yet, the prolonged war has twisted us too much, far too much.” “I can sense that your hearts are filled with sorrow, rage, and the intent to kill. These have coalesced into a roaring flame of vengeance.

And at the heart of that flame is a despair encased in ice. To keep from plunging into the abyss of despair, you sustain yourselves with the fire of retribution.

You have been suffering for a long time, haven't you?” Listening to Yafei's words, the complexions of the officer representatives shifted. One by one, they recalled the life they led before enlisting, the life of a "true Song Star," untainted by the brutal atmosphere of war.

“Now is the time for us to reclaim everything we lost. Otherwise, when the war ends and the flame of vengeance dies down, all that will remain for you is the cold grip of despair.” Yafei spoke softly, “I am not commanding you in my capacity as Guardian.

Rather, I hope you can truly consider this: destroying the Kusta Planet before us is simple. But eradicating the influence of the Kustans within your own hearts is difficult.

Our war against the Kustans is, in fact, already won. From the moment Karagoonis perished, the Kustans can never again pose the threat they once did.

How we deal with them now is inconsequential.” “Grandmother is right,” one Song Star said, her face etched with sadness. “If, merely to vent our fury, we shatter a planet into fragments, then the influence of the Kustans will persist—it will live on within each and every one of us.” Another female staff officer, mixing doubt with a flicker of hope, inquired, “Grandmother, must letting the Kusta Planet survive be the symbol of releasing the battlefield within our hearts?” Yafei approached her and said, “What if I said it must be so?” “I… I will obey.

We will spare the Kusta Planet,” the female staff officer stated with difficulty. “Obey?” Yafei felt the struggle within her.

She sighed. “Perhaps I spoke too soon.

It is difficult to expect you all to emerge from the fire of vengeance all at once.” “I apologize, Grandmother,” the female staff officer said, instantly becoming anxious, feeling she had disappointed Yafei. “Don’t frighten yourself,” Yafei soothed, gently stroking her cheek.

“In truth, you are not wrong. The Kustans are the ones at fault; blame them for starting the war.” Hearing Yafei’s comfort, the female staff officer immediately relaxed.

Yafei, having lived for tens of thousands of years as a Tier Four existence, was truly remarkable. Her presence was akin to the mother of all Song Stars; a few perfectly chosen words and slightly intimate gestures quickly brought the officer representatives under her sway, their eyes now shining with filial affection.

Having settled the matter, Yafei dismissed the officers. The spacious council chamber was left with only her and her few disciples.

“This is but a small interlude in this war,” Yafei chuckled softly. “This planet is fated not to escape its doom anyway.

Whether we strike Kusta Planet or not is truly insignificant. The important thing is using this opportunity to prompt these children to reflect.” “Fated not to escape its doom?” one disciple exclaimed in surprise, and the others immediately paid close attention.

“Do not forget that the Allied Fleet is comprised of individuals deeply hostile toward the Kustans. Especially them.” Yafei lightly gestured toward the starscape visible through the observation window.

“While their hatred for the Kustans is not as profound as that of some other races in the fleet—at least, not nearly as deep—their resolve to eradicate the Kustans is incredibly strong. This stems from the will of their leader.” The disciples looked out toward the window.

One of them whispered, “In that direction… is that the Human fleet?” “I sense Yafei is watching us.” On the bridge of the Minotaur, Blade said to Howard, “The Song Stars have brought this campaign to its near conclusion, yet they have not destroyed a single planet. It seems Yafei intends to delegate the task of annihilating Kusta Planet to us.

Indeed, Yafei coddles her children too much; the Song Stars are simply not suited for the battlefield; their hearts are too soft.” “More than half the ships in the other fleets are support vessels. Even a million warships would have firepower equivalent to only two hundred thousand of our Minotaur-class battlecruisers.

If we unleash a full Yamato cannon barrage, it would be enough to turn Kusta Planet into dust. Commander, shall we proceed?” Howard inquired.

“No need. I can sense the turmoil and malice within the Kusta Emperor’s heart,” Blade stated.

“Yafei’s foresight into the future is not clear enough. Kusta Planet will not perish at our hands; they will bring about their own destruction.

We only need to watch.” Inevitably, after careful investigation, the advance reconnaissance fleet discovered core-detonation bombs beneath Kusta Planet’s core, comparable in scale to those found on the Burk capital world, along with more than ten energy refinement factories carrying inherent explosive risks. Any one of these, if detonated, would have been powerful enough to instantly atomize the entire planet.

Just as the fleet was preparing to dispatch a robotics team to defuse these threats, a blinding radiance erupted from Kusta Planet, shining like ten million suns! A spectacle rarely seen in a millennium unfolded.

Kusta Planet disintegrated under the intense light, the massive celestial body violently breaking apart, transforming into fine dust particles that were violently ejected into deep space. After a long time, the fierce light subsided, leaving behind only a vast expanse of rubble mixed with smoke, showing no sign of life.

The Kusta Empire, which had stood strong for ten thousand years, finally met its end.