A crimson planet slowly spun in the dark Star Sea.

But now, this planet had a new master.

At the edge of the Star Sea, on one side of the planet, the Thirteen Blood Ancestors had long since lost all their fighting spirit.

Were they angry?

Perhaps.

But now, facing a Giant Dragon as large as the planet itself, the Thirteen Blood Ancestors couldn’t muster a single thought of resistance.

After all, even one as mighty as the Blood God had been defeated by this powerful being. The Thirteen Blood Ancestors had lost all Spiritual connection with the Blood God; they figured that even if he wasn’t dead, it made little difference.

Faced with this situation, the Thirteen Blood Ancestors—even with five so-called Main Gods among them—dared not make a move.

After all, their Divine Kingdoms were located just outside the Star Realm, upon the network of rules beyond the Mana Will.

If Lince decided to act against them, they would have absolutely no chance of survival.

If their Divine Kingdoms were destroyed, they would be truly dead!

They wouldn’t be able to resurrect quickly. Even if they could maintain their followers’ faith on the world below, the time required for a revival would be an unknown variable.

Therefore, each of the Thirteen Blood Ancestors had already led the Demigods and Pseudo-Gods from their respective Divine Kingdoms into formation in the Star Sea.

Meanwhile, as the terrifying Giant Dragon feigned sleep just beyond the Star Realm, the Empire Gods of the Star Empire began to accept the surrender of the Blood Race!

The Blood Race, led by the Thirteen Blood Ancestors, was positioned on one side of the planet, while the Empire Gods of the Star Empire were positioned outside the Star Realm.

And behind this assembly of Deities was the massive Star Realm Gate.

At that moment, colossal objects were pouring out of the Star Realm Gate in a steady stream.

They were Starships, each nearly five to ten kilometers long.

These Starships cruised out one after another, as massive numbers of Aerospace Fighters streamed from their flanks.

Like a massive swarm of bees leaving a hive, the sheer number of densely packed Aerospace Fighters far surpassed that of the force that had previously snuck into the mortal realm of the Crimson World.

Though the fighters and Starships were terrifying, the most frightening sight was the Star Empire’s genetically and physically modified troops.

These genetically and physically modified troops only possessed Power equivalent to the Apprentice Level on their own.

But once equipped with the aerospace mechanical exoskeletons produced by the Intelligent Machinery Industry, they could move through sky and land with ease.

Of course, this type of aerospace mechanical exoskeleton was not yet fully mature.

Its maximum powered acceleration was insufficient to allow a person to break through a planet’s atmosphere from the surface.

However, these Star Sea Infantry were not intended for ground-based offensive and defensive warfare to begin with.

Therefore, their primary combat function was to coordinate with Starships for planetary incursions and even work with unmanned drones to blockade the Star Realm.

"These mortal machines... that their so-called industry could reach this level... It’s truly beyond our expectations."

Some of the Demigods and Saints under the command of the Thirteen Blood Ancestors looked at the Starships and the unmanned drones, their expressions complex.

To say nothing of the distant past, the nuclear explosions the Aerospace Fighters had set off in the Star Realm alone were enough to be a thorny problem for the Saints and Demigods.

And now, one could only imagine what kind of devastation these even larger units appearing in the Star Sea—the Starships—could create. It would surely be far more terrifying than the Aerospace Fighters.

If these Starships fired a single volley into a planet’s atmosphere, who knew how terrifying the scene would be. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"We have been confined to a single world for far, far too long."

"It seems the Star Sea World is far more vibrant and prosperous than we ever imagined."

one Demigod remarked, and another Blood Race Demigod beside him added:

"Heh, I have to say, in our current situation, our world’s reception of this Star Empire and its Dragon God might actually be a good thing."

"???"

The moment the Demigod finished speaking, a dozen or so Demigods beside him turned to stare at him with peculiar expressions.

Even the Saints arrayed behind them couldn’t help but put some distance between themselves and this particular Blood Race Demigod.

Their expressions seemed to say they were afraid of getting caught in the splash zone when the blood started flying.

Facing this reaction, the Demigod seemed to throw all caution to the wind and continued:

"Must you all react this way?"

"And you, Your Majesty, have you not seen the state of the mortals in their civilization?"

"Compared to them, what does our world even amount to?"

"Who among you can claim they weren’t originally born into the Human Race?"

"And we, this so-called Blood Race that broke away from the Human Race, now look like a complete joke!"

"We prey on our own kind, yet have the audacity to call it ’noble’ and style ourselves the ’Blood Race.’ To be frank, and Your Majesty knows this, I have opposed the practice of raising humans like livestock ever since I became one of the Blood Race."

"They are our kin, after all. Even though we are now so-called Deities, must we really abandon the very race that gave us life?"

"How utterly absurd."

"So, it’s a damned good thing the original Blood God is dead."

"Forget about us—haven’t the thirteen of Your Majesties also had a great mountain lifted from your shoulders? After all, under that Blood God, when were you ever anything more than high-class playthings?"

The Blood Race Demigod’s expression was serene, as if nothing mattered anymore.

These heretical words made the surrounding members of the Blood Race stare wide-eyed in disbelief.

However, the Fifth Blood Ancestor merely turned his head slightly to glance at this Blood God Guard of his, then said nonchalantly:

"There’s no need for such talk."

"The Blood God is gone, but now we have the Dragon God. Even if the mortals in the world he rules seem to live well, and even if the Deities under his command appear to be valued and protected..."

"...but until we have truly integrated into this civilization, it’s best not to be too optimistic."

"After all, we are prisoners now. And there is no guarantee that prisoners won’t become this Dragon God’s playthings as well."