Three! Then, the civil war erupted within the Empire. The twenty-four domains, largely centered around the noble territories, successively declared secession from the Empire under the pretext of the Imperial House's tyrannical rule, quickly forming a new political entity: the Atlantean Confederate States. The entire Empire was thus split into two major blocs: the Empire and the Confederacy. Both sides immediately initiated military mobilization, gathering forces and sharpening their edge for the coming offensive.

The ensuing battle between Sandor, leading the Regent’s Royal Guard, and Empress Alimiya for command of the Imperial Space Force was widely considered the spark that ignited the war.

The Imperial Space Force took two days to regroup, replenishing their energy reserves, munitions, and supplies, before setting sail once more. Empress Alimiya stood upon the review platform beside the main channel of the military port, watching wave after wave of warships pass before her. They were heading straight for the battlefield.

The Empress Dowager stood slightly behind her. Yang Ying was also present. The fleet passing before his eyes was vast, stretching as far as the eye could see. The warships moved in perfectly organized formations, grouped in units of one hundred, gliding past with an imposing aura and a grave atmosphere.

After watching for a while, Yang Ying turned to the Empress Dowager and inquired, “Your Majesty, what is the situation like with the aristocratic rebels?”

“Lord Yang Ying,” the Empress Dowager replied, “the Empire controls two of the four major spiral arms of the galaxy. By your customs, I believe these are referred to as the Sagittarius Arm and the Cygnus Arm.”

“That is correct,” Yang Ying nodded. “The Cygnus Arm is also called the Perseus Arm in Earth astronomy. The names themselves are unimportant; what matters is that the capital circle of the True Human Empire lies within the Cygnus Arm.”

“By Imperial tradition, most noble fiefdoms were established in the Sagittarius Arm, far from the Imperial core. This was a measure to prevent the great nobles from mobilizing private armies to cause unrest. While this policy successfully restrained the great nobles from influencing the Imperial Throne for a significant period, it now makes it equally difficult for the Imperial House to influence those great noble territories,” the Empress Dowager stated. “In this rebellion, thirty-one star sectors in the Sagittarius Arm declared secession almost simultaneously. Furthermore, five sectors in the Cygnus Arm—those bordering the Sagittarius Arm—joined the revolt among the thirty-two sectors there. Out of sixty-three star sectors, thirty-six have rebelled. Four-sevenths of the Empire’s territory has fallen.”

“It looks like taking back the planets controlled by the nobility will require considerable effort and time,” Yang Ying remarked, gesturing toward the passing fleet. “Where is the objective of this force?”

“The Monagu Star Sector,” the Empress Dowager replied. “Our immediate goal is to purge the rebellious forces within the Cygnus Arm—those five rebellious sectors. Monagu is one of them. The fleet before us is composed of five of the thirty fleets of the Imperial Space Force, totaling five hundred thousand warships. Another four fleets of equal size will depart for the other four battlefronts; we will see them shortly.”

“If only…” The Empress’s telepathic voice suddenly interjected, “I truly wish this civil war had never broken out, and that these complex conflicts could have been resolved through negotiation in a more relaxed environment.”

“That is a commendable thought,” the Empress Dowager chuckled, but her tone shifted. “But it is impossible. If your father were still alive ten years ago, perhaps negotiations could have eased the tensions. Yet, even he could not resolve those contradictions. How much less you? The internal environment of the Empire has deteriorated to a point where it cannot be resolved without a war. Whether you wish it or not, this civil war is inevitable; it is only a matter of time.”

After the better part of the day, the inspection concluded. Yang Ying and the two Sovereigns did not return to the Imperial Palace but instead proceeded to the Imperial High Command Headquarters established on the capital planet.

It was a remarkably magnificent structure, pyramidal in shape, seven stories tall with five subterranean levels. Its surface was adorned with intricate, ornate patterns, and the surroundings were landscaped with various ornamental flora.

Like other buildings on the capital planet, it possessed considerable history; of course, only the structure itself was ancient; the equipment within was state-of-the-art.

With the outbreak of the civil war, intelligence reports flooded the headquarters like snowflakes. As the supreme ruler of the Empire, the Empress had no respite; after seeing off the fleet, she had to attend to official duties across the domains. Fortunately, as all principal figures were Level Four beings, working tirelessly without rest was not an issue.

Yang Ying would not participate in this campaign. The Empress and the Empress Dowager had capable subordinates; they did not need to rely on Yang Ying for every success. Before Yang Ying appeared in the Empire, they had relied on their own acumen to maneuver against Sandor. Over the years, Sandor had failed to swallow the Imperial House not out of mercy, but because he was incapable of doing so.

In the following days, battle reports from various fronts streamed into the High Command.

The fighting was proceeding relatively smoothly. The great star sectors of the Sagittarius Arm seemed preoccupied with organizing their new Confederate government, eager to seize power, and mobilizing their forces. A crucial internal debate arose: should the armies, which were formerly the private forces of various nobles, now be commanded by the Confederate government? If so, who should lead them? And how would the interests of the nobles who relinquished their private armies be guaranteed?

These questions slowed the pace of the rebels. They appeared to pay no immediate attention to the five rebellious star sectors in the Cygnus Arm, dispatching only a few fleets, totaling no more than two hundred thousand vessels, under the guise of 'aid in defense,' stationing them near key planets within those five sectors.

“It seems the Confederates want to use those five sectors to stall us while they consolidate their power and manage their internal disagreements,” the Empress observed. “From the Confederacy’s methods, it’s clear those dispatched fleets serve as more than just defensive support; they are also monitoring the nobles in those five sectors, forcing them to fight to the death—acting as enforcement detachments. If the Confederacy grows dissatisfied with those nobles, they can easily attack their strongholds. What a coldly calculating strategy.”

“Sandor must know this,” the Empress Dowager commented. “With the power we currently command, sweeping aside the rebellion in the Cygnus Arm is not difficult. Those five sectors are destined to be lost in his eyes, so he wouldn't care about the nobles’ sentiments. He is merely ensuring those five sectors yield the greatest possible value. His initial objective was likely to cleave the entire Sagittarius Arm away from the Empire, effectively bisecting us. Once we reclaim those five sectors, the war will have only just begun.”

The subsequent events unfolded exactly as the Empress Dowager predicted. The five rebellious star sectors in the Cygnus Arm were quickly recovered by the Empire. From the start of the operation to its conclusion, it took about twenty days.

Though the Confederate forces rarely won any engagement, they succeeded in slowing the advance of the Imperial military. During their withdrawal, they systematically carried out sabotage across the major planets in the five sectors.

Various production facilities were destroyed or dismantled; valuables were taken with them during their retreat. Supplies were either looted or incinerated if they couldn't be carried off, plunging the ordinary populations of those planets into severe shortages, forcing the Imperial military, upon taking control, to distribute massive amounts of relief supplies.

This significantly burdened the logistical demands on the Imperial military, turning those five sectors into a liability for the Empire.

During this period, Sandor had managed to settle the internal disputes in the Sagittarius Arm. The framework for the new Confederate government was largely established, and the Confederate Regular Army had been formed. This force incorporated the private armies of over a thousand great nobles (only great nobles—at least Earl rank—had the capability and qualification to establish private fleets; lesser nobles did not). These private armies ranged from tens of thousands of ships to only a few hundred.

Generally, those with private forces numbering over ten thousand ships were veteran nobles, all existing at Level Four. And top-tier veterans like Sandor, at the absolute limit of Level Four, commanded private forces exceeding one hundred thousand warships!

There were few of these top-tier veterans; counting Sandor, their total number was only eighteen, yet the combined size of their personal fleets reached over four million warships—nearly equal to the total combined private armies of all other nobles!

This meant the strength of the Confederate Regular Army had reached eight million warships, more than double the size of the Imperial Space Force!

Subsequently, Sandor was elected Grand Chancellor of the Confederate Government—the position of Confederate Head of State. His first decree upon taking office was to order the Confederate Army to counter-attack the Empire!

He selected the Darsen Star Sector as his target. This sector was situated in the central region of the Empire, one of the thirty-two sectors of the Cygnus Arm, but it bordered the Confederate Sagittarius Arm; it was Imperial territory.

To inflict a severe blow upon the Empire and, leveraging this victory, suppress any lingering dissent within their own bloc, Sandor decided to take personal command of the expedition, leading a fleet of six million vessels straight toward the Darsen Star Sector!

The reason two million vessels remained in the Sagittarius Arm was that the Empire had endured for hundreds of thousands of years, and its legitimacy was deeply ingrained. Since the Confederacy was established, military forces resisting the Confederacy had emerged throughout the Sagittarius Arm.

Some of the original Imperial Space Force units stationed there were driven out, some were crushed, and others went into hiding under pressure, gathering those dissatisfied with the Confederacy, organizing resistance groups that continuously harassed the Confederacy’s rear production lines. Therefore, Sandor had to retain a substantial fleet to maintain order.

Before the Confederate fleet targeting Darsen could even depart, the Imperial House received the news. Although the Confederacy left two million vessels behind, the deployed fleet was already twice the size of the Imperial Space Force. Moreover, Sandor himself was leading the expedition.

There were even reports that several top-tier veterans had joined this fleet. As apex powerhouses, their presence would undoubtedly provide a massive enhancement to this Confederate force.

Facing the Confederate offensive, Yang Ying proactively sought out the two Sovereigns, requesting to join the fight. This was because within the Darsen Star Sector lay a place where he had spent two years: Glacial River Star!

It was there, at the Glacial River Central Academy, that he mastered apothecarial arts and subsequently ascended to Level Four.