Morthak and Aurelis gathered in the same World Type and walked together, a frown on Morthak’s face. "Did Solenne die?"

Aurelis answered calmly. "In the end, she managed to flee. However, she has lost around 70% of her fleet, perhaps more in terms of ships."

"Useless. Doesn’t she know how to retreat when she is cornered?"

Aurelis looked sideways at him, his light brown eyes calm. "You are still underestimating our enemy even after they have destroyed five World-Types and over 100 Moon-Types in just a few hours?"

"I am not underestimating them. It’s clear that our enemy is strong. However, Solenne went in too deep. She almost closed her only retreating path." Morthak clarified. "If it were me, I would’ve stopped advancing after 5 hours of travel."

"That’s why she was the one who was placed as the vanguard and not you." Aurelis scoffed. "Solenne acted her part perfectly. She attracted the attention, she bore the enemy’s attacks, and retreated as swiftly as she could, avoiding total annihilation. Thanks to her, our two fleets are still intact, and we can now regroup for this new strategic meeting."

"A soldier’s duty is to die in battle."

"But not to die a useless death."

Neither of them really got along with the other. One was incredibly old-fashioned in thinking, believing in the principle of never retreating and laying lives on the battlefield if necessary. With that attitude, he had conquered many battlefields.

Meanwhile, Aurelis was a much more tactical general, believing that each soldier was a building block he needed to utilize for victory. However, his usual attitude made him too cautious, making him one of the generals with both the highest survival and defeat rate in the Nexus.

For those at the top, Morthak’s way of doing things was more appealing. However, they couldn’t deny that it was people like Aurelis who kept the army alive and long-lasting.

So, both of them being commanders at the same level in an army would bring quite a perfect balance, something Rhazor already anticipated when he recruited these two.

Rhazor saw everyone gathered and shared his insights with the generals present. Looking to the side, most of them kept looking at Solenne from time to time. While the woman was unscathed, she had lost too many people, and her mentality was a tad unstable.

Though, as a general, she could recover quickly. Soon, she spoke up. "The enemy World Tree’s attacks were precise. She doesn’t seem to have a wide area of effect attack. However, those root spikes are strong enough to break a Moon-Type’s reinforced shield in two strikes, and the hull in one. She can summon spikes once every five minutes or so after a small burst."

Rhazor nodded. "What about those Arboreal Winged Serpents?"

Solenne showed a moment of hesitation before speaking. "Terrifyingly resilient. Their attacks are deadly, yes. However, what’s terrifying is that... they just don’t die." Solenne frowned. "Each and every single one, even the caster Arboreal Winged Serpents, is as tough as an average World-Type Mothership. There are 110 of them, with 10 being even sturdier than our World-Type shields."

Rhazor asked, pondering. "How would I fare against them?"

Solenne didn’t beat around the bush. "Lord Rhazor should be able to keep all of them at bay easily. If you focus on them, you will be able to kill them rather easily. However, while you have the essence reserve advantage, the stats of each serpent should be high enough to damage you to some extent."

"Ho?" Rhazor leaned back. "Do you know the average stats of a Star Emperor at my level?"

Solenne blinked and pondered. "A Star Emperor at your level, with armor and weapons sharing your level, should have around 8 million in their main <Stat>."

Rhazor smiled. "That’s true for those with Tier Stars between 15 and 17. My Physique Tier Stars are 18, Solenne."

Solenne paused, her eyes widening. "Then..."

Rhazor spoke nonchalantly. "My <Physique> is 9 million before buffs. My <Phoer Stars> are 200 before buffs. Now, I ask again, do those reptiles have anything on me?"

Solenne hesitated. For some reason, even when she heard those absurd numbers, Solenne still felt as if he was not completely outside of danger. "Lord... just be careful."

Rhazor had not expected that answer, and his heart instantly became a notch more cautious. At the side, Morthak spoke with a sneer. "Solenne, just because you’ve been scarred from the defeat, you should not compare or even bulk Lord Rhazor with the rest. It isn’t only numbers, remember? A Star Emperor’s ability to manipulate essence is incomparable to that of a <First Ascension> creature."

"Enough." Rhazor looked over coldly. "Over one million soldiers have died. And while they were not elites, killing this number in a frontal clash at the edge of her root system speaks volumes about how strong this World Tree truly is. If you lot don’t start taking this monster as a true threat, I will instantly demote and substitute you."

As his words fell, silencing everyone present, a communication device lit up at the side. Rhazor’s cold look softened into a smile. "High Bishop Nysera. It is good to hear from you."

The woman’s voice reached him from the other side. "We have not been discovered yet, and we’ve set up over 300 <Corruption Nodes>. If you can buy us three more days, we will have an initial arrangement. Any day after those three will make our spell much stronger."

"What are the chances of the other side discovering you?"

"Not high. If they couldn’t see us after the first day, they won’t see us later."

Rhazor was satisfied. He looked at the other communication device and activated it. "Shadowmaster Velmira, how is it going?"

"Difficult."

Not having expected this answer, Rhazor blinked and frowned. "What happened?"

Velmira, standing at the front of the ship, looked around and frowned. In front of her, a deep net of roots extended in complex and unending pathways. She had a special talent to see through dimensional layers for a bit, but this talent was something she could only use for one day each month, as it took a toll.

"Lord Rhazor. The root net of this World Tree is... incredibly complex. It is unlike anything I’ve seen before, as if every single section is perfectly woven to connect with the next."

Rhazor was a bit confused. He was not too knowledgeable about these matters, knowing just enough to understand how to fight them in the battlefield. If he was aksed about infiltration, only basic tactics were understandable to him.

This was normal, as learning to sneak through a True World Tree’s net was incredibly complex and required decades of education.

"What does this mean?"

Velmira didn’t beat around the bush. "It means that we can’t infiltrate without poking her roots a few times. This World Tree is alerted. So, unless she is distracted with a main battlefield, we are stuck in the sixth planet’s orbit." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Rhazor didn’t feel it was too bad. "How long would it take you to reach Ceperet?"

"Two..." Velmira looked back at the root net, her eyebrows twitching. "Four days, minimum."

Rhazor cut the contact and looked at the others. "I will now explain what we need to do next. First, we must re-enter battle before the High Bishop’s small fleet gets discovered. Second, once we do, we will maintain a unified front and push toward the Ceperet Star. If that’s not possible, our objective is the World Tree herself."

He stood up, opening the solar system map, and then he began laying out tactics, formations, army allocations, etc.

Meanwhile, Liu Shu was a bit annoyed. ’Where are they?’

She couldn’t detect them after they left her sphere of influence. Even if she spread her tendrils in certain directions, it was like trying to search for a needle in a haystack while poking around.

"The scouts have been sent out, and they are also sweeping the outer parts of the solar system. However, my methods are too crude."

Liu Shu deeply understood that, in terms of galactic tactics, her only methods were defense. She was still not developed enough for offensive measures, much less with a full-fledged Star Emperor on the other side.

’I asked Virelya to gather information on average stats for a Star Emperor, but the results vary a bit too much. From four million to twelve million main stats. It’s really inaccurate.’

Still, if she took the worst numbers, Liu Shu didn’t feel completely helpless. ’With my healing, domains, and such, Xakira should be able to fight, right?’

Xakira was a Level 200 powerhouse, and to Level 230, there were more than a few <Energy Sub-Cycles> in between.

Then, a day later, Liu Shu felt movement. It came from a corner she had not been checking, making her sigh a bit. ’A solar system is a little bit large, isn’t it?’

However, when she glanced, she was stunned. "...Is this the entire army?"

Looking around, there were hundreds of Moon-Types, looking like a swarm, with dozens of World-Types, looking like moving platforms.

At the lead, Liu Shu saw a World-Type with a human standing at the very top of the ship. This human was tall, his face stern, and a sword at his waist.

However, just looking once made Liu Shu feel a sense of oppression. ’Even with my buffed stats, I am not his match.’

In a direct confrontation, Liu Shu truly felt inferior. Still, since the other side was revealing himself so openly, she decided to use Wisdom. ’Check his stats.’

Rhazor, standing at the starship’s nose, suddenly felt a sensation of something piercing through his defenses. He was momentarily stunned, and he quickly checked himself and the system. However, nothing was activated, and no message was sent.

’An illusion?’

Meanwhile, Liu Shu’s lips were twitching madly. ’Over 9 million <Physique>, over 200 <Phoer Body Stars>... Is this man trying to be sturdier than a whole planet or something?’

"All soldiers, go to the following coordinates. The other side has decided on a frontal assault."

Starships moved out, her army moving to intercept them. Skyflower’s voice reached her. "Liu Shu, do not worry about the nearby area and focus. We will keep an eye out for anyone who wants to infiltrate during the war."

Liu Shu smiled. "Thank you, Big Sister Skyflower."

Azure Rose chuckled. "I am quite eager to see if my rose seeds can do some work in the battlefield."

Celestial Lotus sighed. "If I knew, I would’ve also selected a species able to separate myself."

Liu Shu consoled her. "Big Sister Lotus, you are an elemental hurricane; there is no need to look down on yourself. With you around, I feel comfortable and secure."

Celestial Lotus humphed. "You better! This big sister of yours won’t let anyone touch you, so just drive away those pests quickly."

Liu Shu laughed, her gaze focusing on the approaching army. ’A frontal clash... Sigh.’