“The problem…” Ora said coldly, “Don’t try to use Xutian’s language to confuse me. No matter what you say, it won’t change my resolve.”

The Blade Emperors brandished Void Energy Blades, hacking down the energy creatures that rushed near them in swaths. Any energy creature struck by the green blade light disintegrated silently, because the Void Energy controlled by the Blade Emperors had completely eroded the energy that sustained their existence.

Simultaneously, one Blade Emperor stated, “Even without us, the races of the Orion Arm could not eliminate Zerg. Furthermore, without our psychic control, Zerg would expand endlessly, eradicating everything in their path. Unfettered Zerg would become a greater terror to you. This control must be maintained; there must always be a master of the Swarm in this world.”

“So, you’ve been restraining those bugs all along, protecting us from them?” Ora’s voice carried a hint of mockery.

“Indeed,” the Blade Emperors confirmed.

“What a joke!” Ora’s voice abruptly rose eight octaves, revealing her intense fury. “You wretches are the height of shamelessness! You are the leaders of the Zerg, yet you ambushed my husband, killed him, and executed nearly ten other Level Four existences within the expeditionary force, all while putting on such a hypocritical facade!”

“It seems the death of Yingmuli has significantly diminished your cognitive capabilities.” The Blade Emperors swung their Void Energy Blades several times, unleashing a net of blades that swept away tens of thousands of energy creatures. “This is the border between the Perseus Arm and the Orion Arm. It would be child’s play for us to cross the Perseus Arm and attack your homeworld. If we hadn’t restrained Zerg, do you think your military strength alone could have confined the fighting to the Perseus Arm?”

At this moment, one Blade Emperor flashed next to the seven-colored light sphere and thrust a blade into its core. The sphere shuddered violently twice before dissipating.

Suddenly, a stream of seven-colored rays shot down from above him, instantly flooding the entire space and imposing an extremely powerful sense of pressure.

The Blade Emperors crossed their blades to meet the descending light, which pressed down like a massive mountain, forcing all eleven Blade Emperors downward.

Within the rays, a figure appeared, holding a seven-colored ribbon of light that drifted beside her like a silk scarf. Behind her shone seven concentric halos of light, each a distinct color, emitting dazzling radiance in all directions. It was Ora.

The Blade Emperors, suppressed by the rays, slashed out with their blades. Twenty-two crescent-shaped arcs of blade light erupted fiercely, surging in all directions and instantly tearing the light rays to shreds.

The shattered rays reformed into ten figures, all constructed entirely of colorful light, looking exactly like Ora.

The Blade Emperors understood these were avatars Ora had created by combining her power with the energy of the War Star. Their essence was similar to genuine phantoms, but under the War Star's inexhaustible energy supply, they could manifest formidable strength.

After a few exchanges, judging by the movements of these avatars, each one was no less capable than the real Ora. The light ribbons in their hands swept back and forth, their attacks fierce, striking everywhere without regard for energy depletion.

The intense battle raged for over thirty seconds. Discovering she could not overwhelm the Blade Emperors, Ora once again multiplied, changing from one to two, becoming twenty-two colored phantoms, attacking in a two-against-one ratio against the Blade Emperors.

“Having a War Star is certainly a great convenience; at least, energy is never a concern—it is absolutely abundant.” The Blade Emperors were fighting one against two, and Ora’s power was truly extraordinary, making even them feel somewhat constrained.

Originally, the Bedak Fleet had the ability to threaten them, but it was only a threat; dealing with them was still relatively effortless, as the Bedak psychic power was only seventy million, far short of the Blade Emperors.

But now, Ora’s psychic power was not far behind the Blade Emperors, and the War Star was far more advanced than the Bedak Fleet. Thus, for the Blade Emperors, she presented a threat worthy of serious attention.

Their prior persuasion was merely going through the motions. Ora could not set aside her deep sorrow and was determined to see them perish here. The Blade Emperors had no choice but to engage seriously.

Twenty-two 'Oras' against eleven Blade Emperors.

At this time, the entire space had been sealed by the light rays. Exits, entrances, and even the smooth walls were covered in a film of seven-colored light. One Blade Emperor tested it with a Void Energy Blade; although he could slice the film, Ora obstructed him, preventing him from breaking through. Moreover, the film repaired itself incredibly fast, completing its self-mending in an instant.

Furthermore, the Blade Emperors could not pass through the film even using invisibility techniques. This film possessed spatial confinement properties; neither bypassing it by hiding in spatial layers nor tearing open wormholes succeeded.

“I will not let you leave this battlefield; this will be your tomb!” Ora shouted, waving her colored ribbons as she attacked the Blade Emperors. After fighting for about sixty more seconds, Ora still could not gain the upper hand, so she divided again.

It was evident that controlling forty-four figures placed a considerable burden on Ora. Although the number of outputting attacks had doubled, doubling her offensive power, the movements of each figure had become noticeably sluggish, with numerous gaps in their coordination.

One Blade Emperor faced rainbow-like ribbons shooting from four directions. He flickered twice, slipping through a minute opening between the ribbons, and casually struck one of the colored avatars, shattering its protective light aura and slicing across its neck.

The slain colored avatar deflated like a popped balloon, shrinking and contracting until it became minuscule, almost atomic in size, and vanished in a blink.

The other ten Blade Emperors moved simultaneously. Green blade lights flashed in rapid succession. In one exchange, seven colored avatars were extinguished by the blade light. Ora’s main body had yet to appear; all the colored figures sent out were merely duplicates.

Seeing the Blade Emperors slay seven colored avatars in their first move, Ora coldly snorted and reformed seven more, restoring the count to forty-four: “It’s useless. No matter how many you kill, it won’t matter. My power here is boundless. Even if you destroy all forty-four avatars, you won’t harm a single hair on me.”

The battle settled into a stalemate. Ora could not eliminate the Blade Emperors in the short term, and even if the Blade Emperors killed the colored phantoms, it was meaningless.

Although Ora entertained the idea of "better to sever one finger than to injure ten," aiming to concentrate her power to take down one Blade Emperor first, the eleven Blade Emperors communicated with perfect synergy. Trouble for one meant aid from all ten, constantly thwarting Ora’s attempts.

This continued for half an hour. During this time, Ora unleashed numerous powerful techniques, causing her light rays to cover nearly every corner of the space, but the Blade Emperors always managed to counter them, either by evading or by facing them head-on and breaking through.

Suddenly, Ora spoke again: “You once claimed that without you, the Zerg would bring greater terror to the galaxy.”

“Yes.”

“You also said there must always be a master of the Swarm in this world.”

“Yes.”

“That is quite a heavy burden, and I intend to destroy you.” Ora’s voice sounded exceedingly grave. “If that is the case, then I must take up that responsibility.”

“Oh?” The Blade Emperors’ eyes flickered. “It seems you have recovered considerably from the shadow of Yingmuli’s demise.”

Ora stated, “I will transform myself into the cage for the Zerg.”

“Becoming the master of the Swarm is not something achievable merely by wishing for it.”

“I will research a way, even if the cost is my life. If I can seal the Zerg away forever, I will offer that sacrifice.”

“Is that so?”

Yang Ying had never directly interacted with Ora, but he had learned much about her character from her close friend, Yafei. For eons, Ora had been a Level Four existence of exceptionally noble character: benevolent, compassionate, wise, and self-sacrificing. Selfish motives were almost nonexistent in her.

This was proven by tens of thousands of years of history; her various deeds could fill a hundred epic, magnificent tomes. She would never attempt to seize control of the Swarm for her own benefit.

While the death of her husband, Yingmuli, had caused her to temporarily lose her reason, driving her madly from Galan Star to seek revenge on the Blade Emperors, as the battle continued, she had clearly regained her composure, considering the consequences of this fight through their recent dialogue.

The Blade Emperors burst into laughter. Suddenly, a torrent of immense psychic power, carrying a unique fluctuation, surged from within their bodies, radiating outwards in all directions.

“Huh? What is happening?” Ora suddenly felt a pang of dread, realizing that the War Star core connected to her had suddenly begun to reject her control—and this was clearly the work of the Blade Emperors.

In truth, the Divine Core technology originated from the True Human Empire. When the Empire suffered a great catastrophe ten thousand years ago, various technologies were scattered. The Galan people had only obtained a superficial understanding.

Yang Ying, having studied at the Empire’s Higher Academies and later delving into many other profound fields after advancing to Level Four, naturally made computer technology a primary focus.

High-level computer technology held an overwhelming advantage over the superficial knowledge held by the Galan people. The method the Blade Emperors used to make the War Star reject Ora’s connection was simply a single Level Four computer—a type of machine that Yang Ying had acquired many of while serving as a Royal Attendant.

Having lost the energy supply of the War Star, Ora’s position was quickly discovered by the Blade Emperors. After a few rapid movements, the Blade Emperors captured Ora and immobilized her using the Great Vortex Technique.

One Blade Emperor said, “Making you the Master is certainly out of the question, but since you have regained your sanity, perhaps we can discuss some matters.” (To be continued)H