Chapter 185

The academy’s warehouse.

“Miss Banetta, here it is. Can you place it on that table?”

[Confirmed.]

At my instruction, the marionettes set down the robot with a skull face onto the table.

The robot that the former president used to wear.

Miss Banetta, who had been staring at it intently, opened her mouth to speak.

“Hmm, it’s a Delta Corporation combat robot.”

“Delta?”

“Yeah. Oh, now that I think about it, Edu wouldn’t know, would they? Delta High-Tech Industries was a defense company that existed but then disappeared.”

“Aha.”

No wonder it was a name I’d never heard before.

“It had decent performance, but compared to other companies, the price was high and the production efficiency was lacking… And the design sense wasn’t great either, right?”

Miss Banetta shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s true.”

Indeed, as she said, attaching a skull motif to a combat robot to symbolize death seemed a bit excessive.

Even in the tough day-to-day grind of the battlefield, having such a robot around could likely trigger depression.

“Hmm? There’s no power source though?”

Miss Banetta’s question as she rummaged through the remains of the robotic president.

“Ah, that’s because it was used for the self-destruction mechanism.”

“Is that so? Hmm….”

“Can you show us the footage?”

At Simonia’s sudden question, Miss Banetta turned around.

“Do you have any footage?”

“Of course, records are important.”

Simonia snapped her fingers.

The red coat draped over her shoulders lifted, revealing a robotic arm within that projected a hologram between us.

“Indeed. There were many usable items from the old days.”

The president’s voice played from the video.

Inside the footage, the president held up a circular object emitting a thick blue light, covered in lines.

“Hold on, pause it, please.”

With another snap, the footage halted.

“Can you zoom in on just the hand part?”

“Yeah.”

The robotic hand of the president was enlarged as Miss Banetta stared intensely, then frowned.

“Miss Banetta? Is something wrong?”

“G5V4 power source — despite its small size, it has excellent performance and was used in high-output combat robots. It’s a high-end power source.”

“I see.”

“However, the important part isn’t that — it’s that this power source wasn’t made by Delta Corp.”

“So… it means another company manufactured the power source?”

“Exactly, meaning our enemy has two things.”

Miss Banetta raised her hand.

“Firstly, access to confidential information about Delta Corp’s decommissioned materials and facilities, or the support and resources needed to repair abandoned facilities and make them production-capable again.”

“Hmm, that does make sense.”

Indeed, there was no depiction in the AOE of the president being particularly skilled with robots or that field of expertise.

While the president might have obtained confidential information while they still held power, the fact that they combined equipment from different companies lent credibility to Miss Banetta’s hypothesis.

“So, it turns out Edu’s suspicion was correct?”

“Yes, it seems he was hiding something.”

Though I had hoped to wrap things up quickly, our battle with the president ended up lasting longer than expected.

I wanted to tighten internal discipline in preparation for future events, but the reality was frustrating.

As I was pondering what to do, a hand rested on my head.

“Simonia?”

“Don’t worry, we’ve thwarted his scheme, and we’ve identified the likely locations where he’s hiding. That alone is good progress.”

“But is that really enough?”

“That’s enough. Leave the rest to your big sister.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“We couldn’t respond properly before because we lacked enough information, but thanks to Edu, we’ve uncovered a lot. If we gather enough intel now, the rest will be easy.”

Simonia licked her lips.

A slightly unsettling smile appeared on her face.

“It’s time to catch the little rat hiding in the Ark.”

…

Vast stretches of space.

In the high orbit of Earth, now largely covered in brown, a brilliant flash of light accompanied the appearance of a massive object.

Its form was cylindrical, similar to an enlarged rocket, with large wings and engines exposed externally, resembling more a giant fighter than a battleship.

In the protruding command bridge at the front, countless aliens moved about busily.

“Successful hyperspace jump completed. No abnormalities inside the ship.”

“Deactivate shock safety systems. Returning the ship to normal operational status.”

The reports poured in.

The deputy commander, who had quietly listened to all the information, nodded and stepped back to the captain’s chair.

“Captain, we’ve arrived at the target planet.”

At the deputy commander’s words, the captain lifted their head.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, then let’s begin.”

“Understood, captain!”

The deputy commander saluted before turning back.

“Opening the gate for the main fleet! Seal all sections! Extend the wings!”

“Transitioning the ship to gateway mode. All sections will be sealed! All crew, prepare for shock!”

“Haumnenn’s Wings deploying power – all primary and reserve power allocated to the gate!”

A deep resonance followed as the colossal ship’s wings stretched out.

The length of the wings alone was several times that of the ship, and they curved around in a circle before meeting at their ends.

With a heavy thud, the wings clasped together.

“Power charging – fifty percent… seventy-four percent… one hundred percent!”

“Haumnenn’s Wings, ready!”

“Engage them!”

“Activating Haumnenn’s Wings!”

The alien soldier pulled a switch with all their might.

As the switch was pulled, a deep thud echoed through the command bridge, and a blue light illuminated the circular structure formed by the wings.

Snap, sizzle-crackle…

The blue sparks that appeared inside the wing began to increase, becoming larger and soon transformed into lightning that clashed against one another.

Rumble, rumble…

The thunderous sound reverberated through the empty void of space.

The moment the incessant sparks coalesced into a massive white light, the soldier observing the situation turned to the deputy commander.

“Haumnenn’s Wings reaching critical levels. Commencing hyperspace gate activation!”

The blue light emitted from the wings turned crimson.

The rapidly transforming lights spiraled and entwined before stabilizing inside the wings.

“Gate secured. Hyperspace gate opened.”

“Good, transmit the message to the main fleet.”

“Understood.”

The communication soldier moved swiftly.

Moments later, the communication soldier turned to the captain.

“Transmission received from main fleet. The fleet is arriving!”

From beyond the hyperspace gate, ominous shadows began to descend.

Through the enormous vortex of light, the alien fleet entered Earth’s orbit.

Wooo…

The deep rumble of engines filled the desolate void of space.

Countless ships emerged in succession, dyeing the black void a golden hue.

“The arrival of the 5th Main Fleet confirmed. The 8th and 12th Main Fleets follow.”

The alien fleet lined up around the hyperspace gate.

“Main fleets arrival complete. Now the Escort Fleet enters.”

The flagship passed through the gate.

Its hull was painted in gold and purple, the colors representing the empire, adorned with elaborate external structures and decorations.

While the angular and rugged exterior hinted that this ship was constructed long ago, its true worth wasn’t measured by appearances alone.

“Hyperspace gate passed. Commander of the Escort Fleet, acknowledged.”

The commander of the escort fleet, wearing armor etched with intricate decorations, nodded to the report.

The sound of the armor’s segments clinking together filled the air.

“Inspect the condition of all ships and troops. We are the Emperor’s sword, and no mistakes will be tolerated.”

“Understood.”

The Ustansha Empire’s Escort Fleet.

Though not as historically prominent as the main fleet, the escort fleet had persisted longer, composed solely of those loyal to the royal family—elites among the Empire’s forces.

“A transmission from the 7th and 9th Interstellar Fleets. Allied fleets initiating hyperspace jumps.”

Above the ranks of the imperial main fleet and the escort fleet, the night sky sparkled several times as more ships materialized, forming a massive armada.

With each arrival, a deep thud resonated through space.

An armada rivaling large-scale migration fleets, boasting hundreds of ships, had gathered in Earth’s high orbit.

“Fifth Main Fleet – ‘Yuren’s Sorrow.’ All ships clear of abnormality.”

“Eighth Main Fleet – ‘Tinea’s Punishment.’ No problems in all ships.”

“Twelfth Main Fleet – ‘Blizheit’s Tranquility.’ Ready to engage anytime!”

“–Seventh Interstellar Fleet, ‘Kraval’s Hatred.’ Awaiting command.”

“Ninth Interstellar Fleet, ‘Mouwaya’s Hope.’ Requesting orders.”

Reports from each fleet flooded into the flagship of the escort fleet.

Having heard all the information, the commander of the escort fleet slowly rose from their seat.

“To all ships from the flagship of the Second Escort Fleet – ‘Himeltan’s Valor.’ From this moment, the conquest operation is recommencing.”

The hand stretched out toward Earth.

“Glory to the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor.”