"What else is there to discuss? I came prepared for battle with the full understanding that I might die with you. Now that I have been defeated, do your worst," Aura stated with remarkable calm, seemingly detached from any longing for this world. Held fast by the deep crimson light of the Great Vortex Technique, she was utterly immobile.

Aura's true form shimmered within the crimson glow. Seven pairs of wings sprouted from her back, each a distinct color—crimson, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—casting a rainbow-like radiance outward.

Her eyes, normally brilliant as gemstones, were now shrouded in a gloom, as if coated in a fine layer of dust—the dust of sorrow, perhaps even despair.

"Since you are ready even to die, why not listen to my proposal? After all, you have nothing left to lose, do you?" the Blade Emperor inquired.

Aura glanced at the Blade Emperors, then turned her head away, silent.

The Blade Emperor took her silence as assent. "We have fought this hard; you must surely understand by now that we do not wish to kill you."

Aura remained motionless, like a statue carved from stone.

The Blade Emperors were unconcerned and continued, "While we were fighting just now, I was contemplating how to resolve this issue, and I believe I have some insight now. I have heard your reputation through certain channels and know a little of your character. Furthermore, combat is a universal language, and through that great battle just now, I witnessed the spirit contained within your martial arts and sorcery, which indeed matches your reputation."

"So what?" Aura retorted coldly. "Just moments ago, I wanted to wipe you all out. We are enemies. Are you commending your enemy? What a tiresome act."

"That is not something someone like you would say," the Blade Emperor countered. "To admire an enemy, to understand them, and then to turn foe into friend. These are words you spoke fourteen hundred and twenty-six years ago, when you intended to mediate the escalating conflict between the Songarians and the Kustarians. Many frowned upon your efforts; even Yingmuli advised you not to meddle, yet you persisted."

"But the result was nothing! The full-scale war between the Songarians and the Kustarians still erupted and lasted for over a thousand years. All my efforts dissolved to nothing!" Aura suddenly grew agitated. "What exactly are you trying to say? Why bring up things long past?"

"Nothing much. As I just said, the action was sudden, and the reasons came later. I intended to spare you, so I simply found some justifications for you," the Blade Emperor shrugged.

Aura remained unyielding, suspecting some conspiracy, and replied warily, "Why would you be so kind?"

"Perhaps in your eyes, we are the culprits responsible for killing your husband and destroying a large portion of the Orion Arm Expeditionary Force," the Blade Emperor admitted. "But in reality, we are not beings who simply slaughter other species indiscriminately."

Aura fell silent, observing the assembled Blade Emperors, her gaze scrutinizing, as if trying to read something from their faces.

"This war has reached this point, just as you said: the Zerg have inflicted considerable damage on the Expeditionary Force. They killed many people from various races, both military and civilian. Yes, I am fully aware of all this," the Blade Emperor stated with gravity. "But that is how war is, especially wars involving the Zerg. Bloodshed and slaughter are the norm. The Zerg do not need subjects; they only need resources."

"Your stance has changed rather quickly," Aura laughed with exasperation. "A moment ago, you claimed you weren't beings who only killed others, and now you're finding excuses for the slaughter you instigated?"

"Excuses? I am stating facts. The existence of the Zerg is for better survival, for seizing resources. In this universe of natural selection where only the fittest survive, they are the most perfect beings. However," the Blade Emperor paused, "the Zerg infestation has one imperfection."

Aura held her breath. She was deeply interested in this "imperfection" the Blade Emperor mentioned—it was almost another term for a critical flaw, a flaw the races of the Orion Arm were currently obsessively researching at any cost.

"That imperfection," the Blade Emperor pointed to himself, "is us."

Aura frowned. She felt the Blade Emperors were mocking her, but as a peak Fourth Level existence, she suppressed her emotion and continued to listen.

"The perfect Zerg Overmind is the culmination of the collective will of the Zerg—it should be absolutely cold, absolutely rational, highly intelligent, capable of leading the Zerg legions mercilessly across the galaxy, eradicating every race that stands in their way, consuming them as sustenance to fuel their continuous evolution, until they have eliminated every competitor on the evolutionary path and ascended the peaks of the universe."

As Aura listened, a chill crept up her spine. If the Zerg Overmind truly operated by such principles, how could the various races possibly cope? Could their homeworlds withstand such an onslaught? Based on all the intelligence she possessed, the small Zerg infestation exhibited unprecedented competitive strength; traversing the entire galaxy and eradicating all other races was not an impossible scenario.

Even if the races managed to survive the Zerg calamity and destroy them utterly, the cost would be immense, possibly leading to the extinction of half the races in the Orion Arm. Only the immensely powerful True Human Empire might truly withstand the Zerg offensive.

As a seasoned Fourth Level existence of tens of thousands of years, Aura was well acquainted with the True Human Empire. She was already a Fourth Level entity before the Empire suffered its great catastrophe, and she had even contributed during that crisis. The very reason the Jallan were allowed to master Divine Core technology while the Empire turned a blind eye was due to this history; Yang Ying had read relevant records in the Imperial Archives.

"A perfect Zerg Overmind would be just like that," the Blade Emperor stated, again pointing to himself. "But we are not perfect Zerg Overminds. We lead the Zerg to fight for survival space, but we lack the resolve to eliminate every enemy on the evolutionary path. Thus, the Zerg led by us are, in a sense, imperfect."

Another Blade Emperor stepped forward to take up the conversation. "This is the second reason we've found to spare your life. We need you to do one thing for us in exchange for your life."

Aura immediately lapsed into silence, clearly deep in thought. Of course, contemplation for a Fourth Level existence didn't take long, and she soon reached a decision: she would first inquire about the specifics. "What is it?"

"We have no intention of annihilating the entire Orion Arm Expeditionary Force. Among the hundreds of races participating in the force, their customs, habits, and civilizations vary widely. There must be races among them that favor peace and do not wish to oppose the Zerg, and this war erupted too quickly for them to withdraw," the Blade Emperor explained. "This war has entangled people who shouldn't be involved, and now we want to give them a chance to withdraw from this conflict."

"The command structure of the coalition has been destroyed, and the high-ranking figures have suffered heavy casualties. Furthermore, we have eliminated many Fourth Level entities. The power maintaining this coalition is now practically nonexistent. It is time for the various races to choose their own future, and they have the freedom to do so," the Blade Emperor indicated Aura. "As for you, what we require is for you to lead them and withdraw from this war."

"You would let your enemies go? You must realize they might choose retreat, or they might choose continued war," Aura sighed. "Though the Zerg are formidable, it is too difficult for races already embroiled in conflict to simply withdraw."

"War is an extremely complex behavior. The thousand-year war between the Songarians and the Kustarians is an example. Even knowing the enemy is overwhelmingly strong, or perhaps your equal or superior, and knowing that war could bring about your absolute doom, war still erupts and continues due to factors like dignity, rage, hatred, principle, and gain, persisting until one side is utterly exhausted, loses all hope, and is left only with despair, can that chain be broken."

Aura stared intently at the Blade Emperor. "If those races refuse to withdraw, what will you do?"

The Blade Emperor merely laughed. "Vengeance repaid with vengeance, an endless cycle—that is the rule of the greater universe across countless ages. Once the chain reaction started by war is set, it is difficult to sever, even involving Fourth Level entities. You said something similar the moment we entered this space." He paused. "Do you believe we too are bound to submit to this rule of the greater universe?"

"Aren't you?" Aura countered.

The Blade Emperor shook his head. "This rule does not bind us. We act according to our will. In truth, when power reaches our level, our words and actions become the rules, and any rules that oppose us change according to our will. Since our emergence, the rules you speak of have become obsolete."

Aura turned her face away. "Arrogance! This galaxy will not revolve around you."

"Perhaps not," the Blade Emperor conceded. "As for those races that refuse to withdraw—that is unavoidable. Most races in the Expeditionary Force will remain to fight us; we foresaw this, but we have given them the opportunity."

Aura lowered her head. Inner conflict surged within her. She believed most of what the Blade Emperor said, yet the murder of her husband remained a vast chasm between them. In any other circumstance, even without incentive, she would volunteer, but now, cooperating with her husband's killer was impossible.

The Blade Emperor, sensing her turmoil, spoke another sentence, and Aura was instantly stunned.

Good heavens, I really want to bang my head against a wall; my body feels listless, I have no motivation, and although the plot is perfectly clear in my mind, I just can't write it out. Today's chapter B.