The Empress of Limia witnessed the entire engagement aboard the flagship of the Imperial Stellar Legion, and she could not calm her heart for a long time.

From the moment Sandu opened the colossal wormhole to the final vanishing of the Regent King’s entire Praetorian Guard, less than half a minute had passed, yet the sheer volume of information contained within that extremely brief clash was vast beyond measure.

Yang Ying and his twelve entities utilized the Imperial Stellar Legion’s Divine Core system, gathering an astonishingly immense surge of energy that instantly annihilated Sandu’s wormhole. Following this, they unleashed a Wide-Area Psychic Storm, subjecting Sandu’s entire fleet to a saturation attack.

The energy Yang Ying and his twelve drew at that instant was so tremendous that even when the Empress tried to direct her own fleet’s main cannons to fire in concert, assisting Yang Ying against Sandu, she discovered she couldn't gather nearly enough power to charge the weapon systems!

As for the subsequent moment when Yang Ying and his twelve transformed into streaks of lightning and plunged into Sandu’s fleet—though it lasted only about two seconds and, visually, paled in comparison to the Wide-Area Psychic Storm—it surpassed the intensity and danger of all previous combat combined!

Within those two seconds, Yang Ying and Sandu exchanged hundreds of rounds. Each side deployed its full arsenal, the roles of attacker and defender rapidly shifting between them. Surging energy condensed furiously in their hands, hurled toward targets, detonating with roaring force, residual waves spilling outward.

Fortunately, this battle unfolded in the boundless expanse of cosmic space; otherwise, a conflict of this magnitude erupting upon any celestial body would have been enough to instantly shatter the entire planet into dust!

Under the barrage of the Wide-Area Psychic Storm, due to Sandu’s timely countermeasures, the losses for the half-million strong Regent King’s Praetorian Guard fleet amounted to less than ten thousand ships. However, under the close-range assault by Yang Ying and his twelve that followed, nearly one hundred thousand warships were destroyed, and approximately one hundred fifty thousand more sustained damage of varying severity!

More fatally, Yang Ying and his twelve focused their primary objective on the Fourth-Tier existences within the Regent King's echelon!

During the preceding engagements, Yasuvin and Femude had both fallen to Yang Ying’s hands. Nevertheless, over a dozen Fourth-Tier entities, led by Aunt Miller, had managed to hold on until Sandu’s arrival.

Yet, the moment Yang Ying and his twelve broke into the light corridor, Millerum was slain in less than one-tenth of a second!

The reason he had previously been able to withstand the assault of six Limit Experts was his reliance on fleet energy support, which Yang Ying’s group initially lacked.

But now, the Imperial Stellar Legion fleet had returned to normal operational status, and Yang Ying and the others could continuously siphon energy from it. Suddenly, the overwhelming might of Limit Experts was laid bare.

This killing blow against Millerum was delivered by Yang Ying leading five of his avatars. They merely threw a single Lightning Javelin each, which shattered the spatial displacement field that had been Millerum’s life-saving shield, before they rushed directly up to Millerum, each piercing him with a spear thrust.

Although Millerum employed every defensive maneuver he knew in the face of crisis, under the absolute disparity in power, he couldn't even manage to delay the moment of his demise by a single instant.

In quick succession, Sandu’s capable subordinates—Abili, Dokaris, Dunleavy, and others—fell one by one. The time they endured was even shorter than Millerum’s; Yang Ying only needed to employ a single avatar to dispatch them within a brief span, nearly leaving Sandu utterly isolated!

Though Sandu deployed various desperate measures to salvage his subordinates, Blade, leading the other five avatars, hammered him so relentlessly that Sandu was reduced to pure defense, utterly incapable of mounting a counterattack, struggling even to preserve himself, let alone aid his allies.

This was a genuine case of brute force overriding finesse, clearly illustrating the battlefield dominance exerted by the Divine Core Legion, spearheaded by Limit Experts.

Only in the end, relying on the unparalleled combat experience accumulated over tens of thousands of years, did Sandu manage to carve out an opportunity and successfully execute a retreat. It must be acknowledged that the brief window secured by the sacrifice of his subordinates played a vital role in this outcome.

He ultimately fled with fewer than four hundred thousand ships. Of the fifty thousand ships present at the start of the battle, over twenty percent were lost. Considering the circumstances, Sandu achieving this much was already quite remarkable.

Yang Ying felt that if he had been in Sandu’s shoes, he certainly would not have matched Sandu's skill level. Discounting the advantage brought by his multiple avatars, there was still a significant chasm between his own capabilities and knowledge and those of Sandu.

After all, Sandu had lived a thousand times longer than him. The fact that Yang Ying had reached his current state was already an extraordinary feat.

Naturally, the fleet Sandu took with him also included those one hundred fifty thousand damaged warships. These vessels would be out of action for some time, requiring significant repair and maintenance before they could be redeployed.

In essence, this force—likely the most elite unit in the Empire, perhaps even surpassing the Imperial Stellar Legion in prestige—was left with less than half its combat strength in the short term. This was exceptionally good news for the Royal Faction.

Over the course of this engagement, the Imperial Stellar Legion’s total losses, from start to finish, reached close to one hundred thousand warships. However, relative to the fleet's total strength of three million, this was just over three percent—truly minuscule compared to the losses sustained by the Regent King’s Praetorian Guard.

Therefore, in the eyes of Empress Alimiya and the other officials present, this battle was undoubtedly a victory for the Royal Faction and a defeat for the Regent Faction.

When Yang Ying and his twelve returned to the Imperial Stellar Legion fleet, the Empress sent a telepathic message: "Lord Yang Ying, I did not expect you to command so many Limit Experts. You have crushed Sandu's main force in one fell swoop. After this battle, it will take Sandu a considerable time to regain his former stature."

Yang Ying knew the Empress would inevitably be puzzled and shocked by the sudden appearance of his ten avatars; anything less would have been abnormal. Limit Experts were astonishingly rare in the galaxy; Yang Ying had been in the Empire long enough to understand that the appearance of even one would cause a massive sensation, let alone ten appearing simultaneously!

"We can discuss these matters upon our return; I will certainly provide the Empress with a full explanation later," Yang Ying replied.

"Very well!" Although Empress Alimiya was eager to know the full story, facing over a dozen Limit Experts, she dared not press the issue. In any corner of the cosmos, true power commands respect, and moreover, suppressing the Regent Faction would depend heavily on these Limit Experts.

Following this, the voyage back to the Capital Sphere proceeded without incident, smooth as glass. The Empress guided the Imperial Stellar Legion fleet to a star system not far from the Capital Planet, where a colossal complex of space fortresses had been constructed, complemented by the most advanced and extensive military infrastructure.

This location was originally one of the largest operational bases for the Imperial Stellar Legion. As the formal military arm of the True Human Empire, the Legion comprised thirty fleets, each consisting of about one hundred thousand warships.

Originally, these fleets were stationed across various military bases throughout the Empire. However, during the invasion by the Perseus Arm Fifteen-Race Alliance, they were all consolidated and placed under Sandu’s command.

At that time, Sandu’s power and status were at their zenith, and the Royal Family was in a desperate predicament—the Empress herself was nearly forced into a marriage alliance—rendering them utterly unable to prevent Sandu from seizing control of the Imperial Stellar Legion.

Now, however, the Empire was on the verge of an unprecedented civil war. Sending the thirty fleets of the Imperial Stellar Legion back to their scattered garrisons would clearly be foolish, allowing regional noble powers to erode and absorb them piecemeal.

Consequently, the Empress and the Empress Dowager decided to station all thirty fleets at the military base near the Capital Planet, instructing engineering units to expand the existing military facilities in the shortest time possible to accommodate the entire force.

Such logistical matters naturally did not require the Empress’s personal attention. A host of high-ranking officers awaited them at the military base. As the massive fleet returned, the base erupted in jubilation. The officers and soldiers stationed there were staunch supporters of the Royal Family. To them, the Royal Faction reclaiming control of the Stellar Legion signaled a strong initial success in the coming civil conflict.

Those ten Fourth-Tier Limit avatars had already been sent back to the Floating Continent by Yang Ying during the journey; only he, Katerina, and Blade accompanied the Empress back to the Palace.

The Empress Dowager had been waiting for some time in the Palace. Upon seeing her, the Empress approached and stated, "Mother, the war has begun."

"This was also anticipated," the Empress Dowager nodded. Her gaze then fell upon Yang Ying and the others. "Lord Yang Ying, the companions you kept hidden have astonished me once again. This time, ten Fourth-Tier Limit Experts appeared. I wonder how many more might emerge next time?"

"How many next time?" Yang Ying smiled wryly. "That depends on the situation. Isn't this good news for the Royal Faction? It means the power of your side has advanced significantly."

"Progress that is unexpected is both a pleasant surprise and a source of worry," the Empress Dowager’s tone was mild, yet it carried a palpable gravity. Matters that escaped her control, or even her full understanding, clearly offered her no comfort.

"We do carry rather a few secrets," Yang Ying replied, understanding the concerns of both the Empress and the Empress Dowager. Moreover, he felt it was far better for them to voice these anxieties here than to let them fester as suspicion in private.

Doubt left to brew internally for too long risks fermenting into a deep fissure.

Yang Ying continued, "Please believe that we hold no ill will toward you. If we did, we would not have allowed them to manifest today; we would have kept them hidden in the shadows, would we not?"

The Empress Dowager and the Empress exchanged a look. While this answer failed to completely ease their minds, having reached this point, further questioning would surely begin to cast doubt upon Yang Ying's fundamental intentions.

Regardless, the assets Yang Ying commanded were significant enough to command their respect, and thus far, he had committed no actions detrimental to the Crown. To alienate them merely because their strength exceeded their control would undoubtedly send a chilling message to many others.

As rulers, openness and the capacity to embrace others were paramount, especially during such turbulent times. The two sovereigns understood that whatever their private thoughts, this was as far as they could press the matter now.

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