Try what?
Mingna clearly understood the psychology of the defeated.
The enemy was caught in a brutal dilemma; continuing the fight was agonizing, but a retreat was equally unbearable. What could this shattered remnant hope to gain upon their return?
"Are you suggesting... defection?" The other Captains began to grasp Mingna's implication.
They hadn't initially considered this possibility, not out of foolishness, but because of a hard reality.
"That probably won't be an option."
"After all, they undoubtedly have anti-betrayal systems in place. Betrayal is a 100% death sentence."
Star Nations weren't incompetent.
Interstellar space was vast, and information transmission suffered from significant lag. If their own forces turned coat, the resulting damage would be catastrophic. Such anti-betrayal systems had been standard doctrine for eons.
Mingna was well aware of this. She replied, "Luck. You all know it—it always comes down to luck."
"Life is a contradictory organism. Our actions often defy logic. Generally, once we've been burned by a lesson, we learn to avoid the fire."
"But luck makes it so that if we slightly adjust the plan, those who still harbor hope in their hearts will fall into the trap again, and again, and again."
"This is the gambler's mentality."
She transmitted a message to the enemy.
The true objective of this transmission was far from simple. Mingna didn't even realistically expect the enemy to surrender.
...
Winunder Fleet.
N'daba was consumed by rage.
He was utterly powerless now. His subordinate's actions had been a disgrace. How could he possibly save face?
While personal pride was a secondary concern, his rank required the byproduct of prestige: the soldiers' absolute respect. At this moment, that respect had evaporated, meaning his command was effectively over.
Earlier, he had harbored a sliver of hope. For instance, following Officer Binom's previous failure, his own defeat might have seemed more excusable. Perhaps with enough political maneuvering, he could have salvaged a minor official post.
But now, he had been ground into the dirt. He was certain that upon his return, the Star Nation would discard him like waste. This level of humiliation was beyond redemption.
"Commander, the enemy has sent a message." A notification blinked. N'daba, in his agitated state, initially ignored it. But curiosity eventually won out—he wondered what the enemy would have to say at an hour like this.
He opened the message directly. His fury instantly reached a boiling point.
"This is an insult! An absolute insult!"
"They actually... dared!!!"
The message was blunt: a demand for surrender.
However, Mingna had added a stinging postscript: "With an army of this caliber and a leader of your standing, victory is an impossibility. You might as well surrender. Our Star Nation still has several miner vacancies; we can post you there. The wages are quite competitive."
In this era, miners were the dregs of society.
It wasn't that the pay was poor, but rather that it was a one-way trip. Short-range mining was fully automated, so what were human miners for?
Ultra-long-distance mining—usually spanning hundreds or thousands of light-years. In those desolate reaches, a single tour of duty could last for millennia. Upon returning, a miner would find their relatives long dead and their world unrecognizable. Without entertainment or social contact, it was a sentence of isolation—tens of thousands of years in a functional prison. To be released was to wake up in a different life entirely.
It was a calculated slur.
This message clearly wasn't intended for his eyes only. N'daba ordered the main server to scan the warship's internal comms. Sure enough, the message had already gone viral. Every ship and every deck had received it; the spread was total.
The soldiers' resentment toward him intensified. Some even began to entertain dangerous ideas.
In the message, the enemy claimed they possessed the means to disable the anti-betrayal system. They argued that if the warships were disabled and the main server rendered inoperative, the crew would have a window of opportunity.
The main server was their warden.
The technical details in the message sounded dangerously plausible. Even N'daba found himself wavering for a split second.
However, almost instantly:
[Please retract your dangerous thoughts, Commander N'daba. The glory of the Star Nation is eternal!]
The main server's warning flashed—a signal that his loyalty had reached a critical threshold.
N'daba forcibly suppressed his thoughts, but as he looked at the situation, he realized he was trapped. The issue wasn't the fleet's survival, but his own.
Longevity beings like him were profoundly selfish. Family? Over his vast lifespan, he had fathered hundreds of families, and he would father more in the future. Love and friendship were merely assets to be traded for leverage.
He didn't care about them. He only cared about his own existence.
The only thing binding them to the Star Nation was the brutality of its laws and the anti-betrayal system.
The reason N'daba truly hesitated was this: after their defeat, what would be the Star Nation's next move?
As a Commander, he held more intelligence than the rank-and-file. This war appeared to be their initiative, but in reality, it was driven by the encroaching influence of the Supernova Technology Corporation, which had already extended its reach into the Ynun Star Nation.
The Ynun Star Nation feared a future strike from the Rusty Star Nation, so they had allied with the Flaorse Corporation to launch a preemptive strike.
In truth, the Rusty Star Nation was the real threat; they were fully prepared for an invasion, proving they believed they could crush the Ynun Star Nation. If this campaign failed, the Ynun Star Nation would likely be the next to fall.
N'daba was torn by conflict. And he wasn't alone.
Every soul in the fleet was paralyzed by the same indecision. The message was full of threats, but it also offered the only shadow of a way out.
Including the fact that the enemy had noticed their internal division.
There was still some distance to travel before returning to the M36 Star Cluster; who knew what might transpire?
They were now essentially fish on a cutting board.
If this were a victorious army, perhaps their hearts would still hold a sense of glory, a fantasy of defeating the enemy.
However, this fleet was composed of absolute losers, having failed all the way here.
How could they hold their heads high?
This was Mingna's overt strategy to demoralize the army, and this fleet couldn't help but fall into the trap. They were desperate for victory, yet it grew further and further away; their hearts had long been stamped with the mark of "enemy strong, we are weak."
The mockery in the message wouldn't wake them up; it would only make them constantly reflect, constantly searching for and magnifying their own flaws.
[Danger! Morale is weakening. Recommendation: Compulsory cryosleep for all units!]
The main server issued a warning.
N'daba regained his composure.
He couldn't let this continue. If it did, they would truly lose—losing everything completely.
"All soldiers enter cryosleep. Activate the ship abandonment plan. Abandon two-thirds of the warships and ships, and accelerate the remaining vessels."
Despite being tempted, N'daba still maintained his duty as Commander.
It was a kind of momentum.
He couldn't make a choice, so he would stick with his current judgment.
...
Fourth Fleet.
"Strategos, the enemy fleet has split again. A portion of their warships and ships are accelerating."
Mingna was currently lounging in her seat, feeling somewhat drowsy. Her mission had, in fact, been over-fulfilled.
No plan needs to be perfect.
Perhaps regarding personal goals, one should set reachable targets and use them to build self-confidence.
But war is different.
The initial goals Mingna set were inherently idealistic.
If this plan was even half-completed, she considered it enough. It would make their subsequent assault on the M36 Star Cluster much easier.
Therefore, this call for surrender was merely a test. Mingna hadn't pinned her hopes on it; her true purpose was probing.
"This is the result of pooling energy. They intend to abandon the resources gathered at Bmen. A wise move—losing things is always better than losing your life."
"I suppose I've pushed them into a corner."
While Mingna felt this was sufficient, the other Captains were still somewhat unwilling. They felt a "fat sheep" was escaping their grasp.
"But we can't catch them now."
"Annihilating them completely would deal a much greater blow to the enemy."
Mingna reminded them:
"Everything you have now comes from victory, not because you are inherently more intelligent than the enemy."
"Do not fall into the vortex of luck. Stop while you're ahead; this is a fundamental principle of war."
In defeat, soldiers lose trust in the decision-makers.
In victory, soldiers trust the decision-makers unconditionally.
This is the dual nature of war.
At this moment, Mingna's words were absolute; no one dared to argue. Those Captains also acted as if nothing had happened.
But was Mingna not a greedy person?
"Send a transmission to the City of Nothingness. Have that server proceed according to the original plan to the designated route and manifest once it encounters the enemy. We will follow behind."
Mingna directly commanded the warship's main server.
[Acknowledged.]
After saying this, Mingna instructed the fleet:
"Destroy the fleet that stayed behind, then take control of the abandoned vessels. Those warships are valuable assets."
...
On Leavall's side.
He led his fleet toward the Fourth Fleet's detached harassing force.
He wanted a hearty battle, but how could he have his way?
That fleet directly changed direction, leveraging its speed advantage to continue playing hide-and-seek with them.
Leavall was furious. He constantly sent messages to provoke the fleet.
"A bunch of cowards, thieves!"
"Is this all the skill you have?"
"Only knowing how to sneak attack, not daring to face us on a frontal battlefield—can you even call yourselves soldiers?"
"Pride, glory—you have none of it! You are just cold shells!"
"Disgusting! You make me feel disgusted! Haha, is this the Rusty Star Nation's military? You are destined to fail!"
"Don't run! Fight me!"
He roared like a madman.
In the fleet, every single soldier was also incredibly angry.
They hadn't been dragged along; they truly agreed with Leavall's decision. They had come here for a war, not necessarily for a victory. Even if they died, they wanted to die in battle, not in such a humiliating way.
But now, they felt even more miserable.
They were in a frenzy.
They pursued relentlessly, but the Fourth Fleet's main force had already reached their vicinity and then encircled them.
Mingna saw those frenzied messages and ignored them.
"Fire!"
Energy weapons and the warships' special weapons were launched simultaneously.
Leavall led his fleet in resistance for three days, but they were ultimately all destroyed due to insufficient energy. Their wish was not fulfilled; one could say they died with their eyes wide open in regret.
But no one cared about their wishes.
The Fourth Fleet proceeded down the main channel without lingering, pursuing the remaining Winunder Fleet.
...
M36 Star Cluster.
The destination toward which the Winunder Fleet was retreating.
Simultaneously, the other four main fleets of the Rusty Star Nation launched an offensive here.
Each fleet controlled a separate sector, turning the operation into a competition to see who could recapture more star systems.
The advancement speed of each fleet was incredibly fast; it hardly resembled a conventional war.
At this time.
The core star system of the M36 Star Cluster.
Xhosaifu.
Nearly 20 billion people resided here; it wasn't overly prosperous, but it certainly wasn't desolate. Now, it was a territory of the Ynun Star Nation.
After occupying the area, the Ynun Star Nation appointed an official to govern it. Their goal was to capture the Rusty Star Nation and control everything within it—a standard expansionist move. But unexpectedly, the second phase of the plan stumbled right out of the gate.
The Star Nation's current directive was to hold the M36 Star Cluster and await further deliberation.
Penei had been brimming with confidence. He believed he could use this opportunity to guard a region and ascend to the rank of Star Warden. This was a prestigious position in the Ynun Star Nation; a Star Warden controlled a sector and was classified as a second-rank official.
While technically only second-rank, their authority was practically equal to the first-rank; likening them to a prince or marquess wouldn't be an exaggeration. This was the culmination of his years of servility and hard work.
He fantasized about the future. He even felt that later on, he might manage the entire Rusty Star Nation sector.
However, Binom's failure served as a harsh wake-up call. He originally thought the conquest was over, and that what they held now was sufficient.
But unexpectedly, before his seat was even warm—a mere few hundred years—the enemy launched a counterattack.
He received battle reports from all over the star cluster. Without exception, the lines were collapsing.
"Bastards! J-yan Star City had so many defenses, yet it was pierced from within by the enemy, captured after the loss of only 100 enemy ships."
"Are these people incompetent? The Tunye Star System had three interstellar fortresses; even a pig placed there could hold out for decades. You didn't even hold for two days for me?"
"Icblur is one of the top major Star Cities; it took us over ten years to capture it originally. Damn it, in one week—the enemy took it back in just one week."
"Useless! A bunch of useless fools!"
Penei was even more exasperated than N'daba. Who wouldn't have their blood pressure spike seeing this? This kind of war was usually measured in years, but for him, everything was crumbling in a matter of days.
The defense lines they had painstakingly constructed were as flimsy as paper; how could he not be enraged?
He couldn't fathom what kind of incompetence could lead to such a disastrous campaign.
And it wasn't isolated to one location.
It was across the entire line! Everyone!
In truth, whether it was Mingna or Luna, both had maintained a certain reservation regarding the absolute power of a Divine.
Mingna's self-confidence led her to believe she was the strongest and that her plans were flawless; Luna had even assigned her a step-by-step, methodical mission.
However, Mingna hadn't anticipated that her companions had already struck directly at the heart of the enemy.
Luna was the same.
This war was truly too easy for the five Divines; it could simply be described as effortless. She had underestimated the Divines.
Or perhaps her impression of Divines was stuck in the reality of tens of thousands of years ago, whereas many Divines now had survived through those tens of thousands of years themselves, becoming far more powerful.
...
Supernova Technology Headquarters.
Luna reviewed the news returning from the front lines; she was surprised, but not overly so.
Currently, the entire war was merely a skirmish. It hadn't yet reached a life-or-death struggle.
The true war—the "shattered net and dead fish" stage—would only truly begin after this.
...
Penei nearly collapsed upon seeing the countless battle reports.
He stood atop the highest point of his magnificent, gargantuan mansion, which spanned over 100,000 square meters.
This mansion consisted of 291 floors.
It originally belonged to a wealthy merchant before Penei seized it. The entire building was a sanctuary of pleasure, each floor featuring unique designs. The estate was staffed by over 14,000 servants, and beyond the mansion lay a park covering 10,000 acres.
Penei greatly enjoyed his life here, especially since he didn't have to go to the front lines.
This was essentially heaven on earth, the treatment he felt he deserved as a Star Warden.
But now, Penei feared he might lose it all.
"What should I do? What should I do?"
He was at his wit's end. His once handsome face had developed wrinkles from his constant fretting; his clothes were unkempt, and his hair was a messy, disheveled tangle.
In reality, it wasn't that he enjoyed pacing around here.
The primary issue was that the military was not under his command, and he lacked any combat experience. Right now, he could only worry in vain.
Ding-ling!
The doorbell rang.
Penei frowned. "Didn't I say that no one is to disturb me?"
He bellowed toward the door. The room's soundproofing was excellent, so a purely physical voice would never carry outside, but fortunately, the mansion's central control system could determine whether the occupant wanted to be heard.
At that moment, the person outside heard him clearly.
From outside the room, a voice drifted in.
"Lord Star Warden, a message has arrived from the Star Nation. They request that we must withstand the pressure at all costs; the Star Nation has already dispatched a fleet here."
Upon hearing this, Penei's tightly furrowed brows smoothed out like wet paper.
He laughed loudly: "Good, good, good! It seems the Star Nation can still hold them back."
He had the room's robots tidy his appearance and ordered the control system to open the door. A creature resembling an octopus walked in, looking somewhat Cthulhu-esque.
This was a genetically modified human.
"Did the Star Nation's message provide details?" Penei asked, reclining on the sofa.
The octopus-like creature replied: "Yes."
"The message from the Star Nation says that the Star Nation is currently facing internal difficulties, so it is absolutely impossible to dispatch a large fleet here..."
Hearing this, Penei jumped straight up from the sofa.
"Damn it! Does that mean they're just coming here to take a look?"
"The enemy's firepower is intense. Did the information sent back not mention this point?"
In Penei's eyes, the arrival of a small sub-fleet was practically synonymous with suicide. The enemy was too strong, and their battle record was one of total destruction. Penei felt that even if the Star Nation sent 50,000 ships, it wouldn't help; it would be best to commit their entire military force.
He immediately began wailing again.
"It seems my life is destined to end here!"
The octopus creature stood dazed for a long time listening to Penei's words, waiting for a gap before interjecting: "Although the Star Nation has not dispatched many warships, they have persuaded the surrounding neighboring countries to join in partitioning the Rusty Star Nation."
"According to the message, the two neighboring countries will altogether dispatch over 200,000 ships and 1,500 warships here."
Penei slapped the other's octopus head.
The octopus head wobbled like Q-bounce jelly.
"Why didn't you say such important information all at once? Are you playing a joke on me?"
The octopus creature hurriedly denied it.
"I... I just have a stutter. I couldn't get it out all at once."
At a time like this, he certainly couldn't admit he just hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise; wouldn't that mean failing to shift the blame?
Penei, indeed, did not hold a grudge. The old Divine-like man regained his facade of indifference and reclined back onto the sofa.
"When will the reinforcements arrive?"
The octopus creature replied: "The message states it will take approximately 1,200 years!"
Pfft!
Penei truly wanted to braise this octopus's head and turn it into takoyaki.
"1,200 years? Are they coming to collect my corpse?"
"Given the current situation, I'm not even sure we can hold out for 200 years."
"No, the reinforcements surely don't have the latest intelligence from this sector. As Star Warden, I must personally go to receive them and relay the truth of the situation so they can be fully prepared."
At this point, Penei only wanted to flee far away.
He didn't even want this golden, opulent life anymore.
As long as the green mountains remain, one need not worry about a lack of firewood.
"Notify the staff to prepare a ship immediately!"
He shouted. Just as the central control system was about to relay his command, the octopus head spoke again.
"It seems I misread. The two star nations felt 1,200 years was too long, so they intend to activate the super-antimatter displacement devices to send the army through directly."
"In the message, the Star Nation instructs you, Lord Star Warden, to accelerate the construction of the super-antimatter displacement receiving array."
"The specifications are also in the message."
Penei, who was just about to leave, felt his face sink instantly upon hearing this.
"Someone, bring some chili powder! I've heard seafood tastes fresher when eaten raw!"
...
Ynun Star Nation.
This was a Star Nation possessing 2,413 star systems, which was actually slightly fewer than what the Rusty Star Nation currently held.
However, the Ynun Star Nation had developed and utilized as many as 810 star systems, making it a relatively developed middle-tier Star Nation.
The capital star system of the Ynun Star Nation was called Yiaun Continent.
The name sounded quite fantastical, and in reality, it truly was, as it was a massive landmass suspended in the cosmos.
Star Continents were structures that Ayla had already experimented with during the era of the old Federation; though they weren't popularized later, quite a few existed.
The Yiaun Continent was 7.19 million kilometers long, 2.08 million kilometers wide, and 10 kilometers thick—a classic "paper-sheet" Star Continent.
This scale was much larger than a typical Star City, but compared to the Star Cities of the Eternal Cycle Star Nation, it paled in comparison.
After all, a single astronomical unit is nearly 150 million kilometers, and an Eternal Cycle Star City was often hundreds of astronomical units in length.
This Star Continent, with a surface area equal to 29,323 Earths, had only one-millionth of the surface area of an Eternal Cycle Star City—or perhaps a hundred-millionth, depending on the specific dimensions.
Looking at Yiaun Continent from outer space, one saw no skyscrapers or massive mountain ranges. Most of it was comprised of vast, boundless plains; the highest peak was only a little over 6,000 meters, primarily to control the costs of the Star Continent's construction.
The cities consisted of quaint, low-rise buildings of two or three stories; the tallest structures were merely a few six or seven-story pagodas.
At the center of Yiaun Continent lay an enormous ancient city, appearing as if it had been transported from an era before technology existed. The entire ancient city spanned over 1.6 billion square kilometers—roughly three times the surface area of Earth. Inside was a palace, also low-slung, but magnificent and gilded.
The King of the Ynun Star Nation, Ynun, resided within.
Standing nearly 3 meters tall and dressed in a long black robe, he sat upon his throne, ruling over all under heaven.
Below him, the princes and generals of the royal city were gathered. They all sat cross-legged on prayer mats, exuding an ethereal, sage-like aura.
In this posture, they had been waiting here for over a hundred years.
As long as the situation at the front lines did not improve, they could not leave for a single day.
Ynun's voice was deafening, resonating through the Great Hall like a divine chant.
"My dear ministers, do you believe the Saintees Star Nation and the Kingdom of Sky can hold back the Rusty Star Nation's offensive?"
No one below spoke.
Ynun turned his gaze toward Binom, who sat to his right.
Binom had long since returned and confessed his guilt. Ynun had not punished him, hoping he could redeem himself through service.
Sensing the gaze upon him, and burdened by his standing as a transgressor, Binom had no choice but to speak truthfully: "This subject believes they cannot."
"The Rusty offensive is unstoppable. If it were only Luna, this subject believes it would be manageable; the virus within the Rusty Star Nation would be enough to distract her."
"But according to information from the front lines, even with Luna not personally in the fleet, they can still advance like a knife through butter, crushing our fleet as easily as slaughtering chickens or dogs. This proves that Rusty has endured for too long, preparing for this day."
"Although the Flaorse Corporation controls the Rusty King and obtained some information, it is clear that most of it was inaccurate. The Rusty King is merely a pathetic puppet, knowing nothing of the Rusty Star Nation's core secrets."
"I developed a lead through the Grand Steward and obtained some information from him. However, out of three communication attempts, that Grand Steward has only replied to one. I suspect he now regrets betraying the Rusty Star Nation. Based on this, I believe the information he possesses is also insufficient."
"Luna's capability is ten or a hundred times higher than previously imagined. I believe her ambition extends far beyond just us."
Ynun was somewhat incensed after hearing this. He wanted a solution, yet Binom was persistently praising the enemy.
Binom sensed this and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have suffered enough bitterness from underestimating the enemy. I do not wish to repeat past mistakes."
"The current state of the war is the best answer; our military is being completely overwhelmed in every aspect."
As Binom finished speaking, the State Minister Anyin, situated to Ynun's left, sneered: "I think you've simply been scared out of your wits."
"By your logic, when the enemy arrives, would our only option be to bow down and submit?"
Clearly, that was impossible. The two of them were rivals even during peacetime. The State Minister only maintained internal stability and had never stepped onto a battlefield. Binom's anger flared at this.
"Of course, it cannot be interpreted that way. The enemy's strength is an objective fact. Only by recognizing their power can we proceed to the next step."
Anyin snorted coldly.
"Then by all means, tell us your solution!"
The primary reason Anyin had always looked down on Binom was that Binom was a Xenian, a low-tier race. Their Ynun Star Nation was predominantly human. As is widely known, human civilization originated from the human race, and humans possessed their own unique pride.
At the inception of the New Federation, perhaps this atmosphere did not yet exist. But now, over 100,000 years after the New Federation's founding, ancient memories had long been forgotten, and new racial discrimination had resurfaced. Original races might experience less prejudice, but newly joined, weaker races occupied the very bottom of the discrimination hierarchy. To be called a fellow minister alongside someone from such a low-tier race only filled Anyin's heart with disgust.
Binom bowed toward Ynun and said, "Your Majesty, this subject believes the way to break this deadlock is to ally with the other two Star Nations and launch a joint offensive. With the combined strength of three nations, we must rapidly take down Rusty."
"This is our only chance. We must deploy our entire military force; there can be no further reservations."
Upon hearing this, every official in the Great Hall was shocked. This was a direct "all-in." If they lost, it would mean the total annihilation of the Star Nation.
Anyin flew into a rage: "Binom, you intend to plunge our Star Nation into eternal damnation!"
"Could it be that on the battlefield, you were actually taken prisoner by the enemy long ago?"
Facing this accusation, Binom barked back, "Anyin, do not make such baseless slanders. This is the most correct method."
"The Rusty Star Nation is aggressive. After the failure of the first phase of the war, our advantage turned into a weakness. Now, what we can do is strive for survival, not seek expansion."
Binom was the person who understood the battlefield best. If he were a switch, his return signified that the gate for an offensive had closed. At this stage of the war, the enemy had already kicked down the door and burst into the outer courtyard, while they could only hunker down in the inner sanctum.
This was a predicament—a massive predicament.
Everyone looked toward Ynun, but his expression remained unchanged. His eyes gazed outside the hall, and it was impossible to tell what he was contemplating.
The Great Hall fell into a sudden, heavy silence.
Until someone outside shouted: "Luce, Director of the Flaorse Corporation, has arrived!"
Everyone finally realized that this was what Ynun had been waiting for.
"Admit him!"
As Ynun spoke the command, a figure immediately hurried into the hall and knelt on the floor.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"This humble servant brings the decision of the Flaorse Board of Directors. We are aware of the Star Nation's predicament. Flaorse will support the Star Nation with all its strength henceforth, coexisting and perishing with the Star Nation."
"The Board wishes Your Majesty to know that we still have many hidden assets within the Rusty Star Nation that can fundamentally cripple it."
"Once the armies of the two nations arrive, the plan will commence. Internal chaos within the Rusty Star Nation will surely cause their front lines to collapse. That will be our golden opportunity."
Ynun showed a look of joy.
"Excellent!"
"I intend to dispatch a grand army to the front lines, at least to ensure we can hold onto the sectors we've occupied. Inviting these two major Star Nations has cost too much; we must recoup our losses."
"Go back and ask the Board: since you also intend to commit everything, how many ships can you dispatch?"
Facing Ynun's query, Luce remained still and spoke directly.
"Before my arrival, the Board had already decided. We can dispatch 50,000 ships and 1,000 warships."
Everyone present was visibly moved.
This was over 90% of Flaorse's total military strength. The fact that Flaorse chose to go all-in proved they were determined to win this war.
Everyone felt a surge of excitement.
Only Binom's expression was grim.
He had indeed suggested an all-in gamble just now, but even for a desperate final battle, he was uncertain of victory.
Coincidentally, Ynun turned and asked Binom: "What does the Officer think? Can you head to the front line once more?"
Binom also knew this was the only chance. Success or failure lay in the hands of fate.
He replied: "If Your Majesty wishes this failed man to go, then I shall go and fight one more time!"
Large-scale wars might be imagined to involve much entanglement and delay, dragging out for a very long time.
But reality was quite the opposite.
In direct wars like this, they typically conclude in three or four thousand years. True engagements might only happen a few times, with each causing massive losses to one side, thereby influencing the entire course of the war.
Up to this point, the Ynun Star Nation and the Rusty Star Nation had only experienced two major battles. This third battle would be the true final showdown.