Three hours later.
Every subordinate civilization under the IPC, every trade partner, all vessels of the Xianzhou Alliance, and everyone aware of this war were gathered before holographic screens.
Holding their breath, they stared at the images above. Many wore tense expressions. They knew that today would witness an unprecedented event in the history of this universe.
Swish—
The live broadcast switched to Pier Point.
The once-bustling corporate headquarters now appeared desolate. Only Angeloids moved back and forth across the planet.
On the headquarters building, the enormous logo symbolizing the Interastral Peace Corporation was cut down by Angeloids and replaced with the emblem of the Starsea Empire.
In the plaza, the statue of Louis Fleming and those of other department heads were crushed and hauled away.
Together with the debris collected during the city's cleanup, they were sent into a smelting plant, reduced to a wisp of black smoke within a high-temperature ion furnace.
Atop the headquarters building, three flags were raised. The highest was the banner of the Starsea Empire. Beside it flew the naval flag of the Azure Fleet and the hammer-and-sickle flag of the Northern Union Fleet.
They signified the fleets now stationed here.
Inside the spacious main conference hall of headquarters, this had once been the place where the IPC's most powerful Seven-Member Board and department heads discussed critical matters.
When they went to war against the Starsea Empire, they had even formulated battle plans here.
But now, seated at the table was the nightmare of countless Interastral Peace Corporation employees—Gray Tempest.
She sat on one side of the conference table. At her side stood Sophon as her adjutant, along with Northern Union shipgirls dressed in uniform.
"Commander Grey is waiting for you."
An Angeloid guided another small group inside to take their seats.
They were the highest-ranking survivors within the Interastral Peace Corporation. After successive purges of senior leadership, it had nearly become impossible to even assemble enough people qualified to sit at the negotiation table.
Swish—
Little Grey transmitted an agreement to the opposite side.
"Sign it."
The survivors dared not speak excess words, nor did they dare raise even the slightest objection to the treaty's contents. This was their final opportunity.
After skimming through it once, they formally signed the treaty on behalf of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
At the same time, an announcement was sent to all civilizations.
"The Interastral Peace Corporation hereby declares unconditional surrender to the Starsea Empire. The war between both sides is concluded."
"Effective immediately, the Interastral Peace Corporation will merge into the Starsea Empire. All business operations and all star systems under its control will be taken over by the Starsea Empire."
"Interastral Peace Bank, Interastral Peace Network, Interastral Peace Trade... and all other institutions will be uniformly reorganized by the Starsea Empire. Whether corresponding business operations are retained will be decided by the Starsea Empire."
"All members ranked P16 and above must report to Pier Point within seven working days to undergo restructuring and disposition. Members ranked P15 and below are to suspend current operations and await further instructions."
"..."
The treaty had been drafted by Sophon. She had conducted a meticulous analysis of the Interastral Peace Corporation's situation, stipulating every matter in exhaustive detail.
Of course, to the outside world—and to every member of the Interastral Peace Corporation—the greatest message conveyed by this diplomatic negotiation was only one:
The Interastral Peace Corporation had surrendered.
The war was over, ending in an overwhelming victory for the Starsea Empire.
The war had concluded far more quickly than anyone anticipated. The outcome was even more absurd than expected.
There had been no so-called economic sanctions, no trade embargoes. The Interastral Peace Corporation's tried-and-true tactics and their divisive gold coins had been utterly useless.
Their twelve hundred sanction measures had been shattered into fragments by Photoids along with their planets.
The joint fleets numbering in the millions, assembled from various galaxies across the cosmos, had relied upon the Amber Lord's miracle and technological support from the Intelligentsia Guild, originally planning to engage the Starsea Empire in a decisive space battle.
Instead, they had become a colossal painting thousands of light-years in diameter, suspended in the starry sky—visible to anyone who looked up.
From beginning to end, the Interastral Peace Corporation achieved not a single victory. They did not destroy even one Starsea Empire ship, let alone set foot upon Imperial homeland territory.
The former overlord of this universe had been beaten into pieces by a small civilization from the Milky Way.
Other civilizations felt uneasy. The vast majority knew little about the Starsea Empire.
They were all observing what kind of impact this unfamiliar empire would have upon the world in the future.
"Sigh..."
After the treaty was signed, the remaining corporate executives let out long breaths, as if relieved of a heavy burden.
Though they had paid a tremendous price, they had ultimately avoided being subjected to dimensional reduction strikes or total cleansing.
Thinking back on the various battle plans they had once devised, everyone felt a trace of bitter amusement.
"If we had known they possessed such methods, why did we let things turn out like this? All that effort for nothing..."
"Wait, didn't we forget something?"
"The Board previously sent some people out, didn't they? ..."
...
Hum—
Meanwhile.
Within the empty reaches of the Orion Arm, far from the IPC's branches across the Milky Way.
A massive ecological battleship was traveling toward the Solar System.
"Mm... ah..."
Inside the bedroom on the top deck of the ship.
Topaz stretched lazily and climbed out of bed, glancing at the rising sun projected across the holographic dome. Another day had passed.
After washing up, she routinely connected to Interastral Peace Corporation headquarters.
Bzzz—
Bzzz—
For several days now, the internal channel had been unreachable. Only static noise remained.
Her colleagues were all out of contact as well.
"Eh..."
The girl rubbed her head and poured herself a cup of coffee.
It had been quite some time since departing from Pier Point. As early as when Sophon issued the final ultimatum, the corporate board had given them orders.
They were to head to the Solar System and the homeland of the Starsea Empire to investigate their background, assess their strength, and determine the identity of their supreme leader—the "Commander."
The distance from corporate territory to the Solar System was filled with Imaginary tides. Passing through along the way would also cause signal interference.
At first, the ship could still receive updates from home. For example, the Starsea Empire had invaded the IPC's home galaxy and possessed more than thirty Emanator-level combatants.
As the main fleet suffered dimensional reduction strikes and the IPC collapsed across all fronts, chaos erupted within the board. No one had the leisure to care about this small team dispatched long ago.
With their own survival uncertain, who had time to worry about an expeditionary unit?
"Once we pass through this region of the Orion Arm, we'll soon enter the Solar System's range."
On the bridge, Jade gazed into the distant starfield.
"According to the data, the Solar System is wrapped in Imaginary tides. We'll need to think of a method to enter."
"Be careful in everything."
"Mm."
Topaz nodded.
She felt both excited and faintly uneasy. She was finally about to face that unfamiliar empire directly.
"Still no news from headquarters?"
Jade asked.
"No. We lost contact before entering this region."
Topaz shook her head.
"From the last message we received, the situation didn't seem optimistic. The Starsea Empire had launched large-scale invasions into corporate star systems."
"Director Oswaldo was assembling fleets, relying on the Amber Lord's miracle to mount a defensive counterattack. The Technology Department was seeking assistance from the Amber Lord."
"Oh..."
Jade felt a twinge of unease.
"Forget it. Let's complete our mission first."
Topaz attempted to contact headquarters several more times.
Bzzz—
Bzzz—
Still nothing but busy static.
"Eh..."
Just as she was about to give up, suddenly—
Beep!—
A crisp notification tone rang out. The signal connected.
"Hm?!"
Topaz instantly perked up and leaned toward the holographic interface.
"Strategic Investment Department expeditionary team, calling headquarters."
"Repeat, Strategic Investment Department expeditionary team calling headquarters. This is Topaz. Do you copy? ..."
"We are about to arrive near the Solar System..."
A moment later.
A small purple-haired, blue-eyed girl appeared on the screen.
Tashkent looked at Topaz, somewhat confused.
"Hello. This is the Starsea Empire—Pier Point Star Sector. How may we assist you?"
"Huh?"
Topaz did not recognize the shipgirl at all and could not match her to any employee she knew.
She was completely stunned.
"What do you mean, Starsea Empire—Pier Point Star Sector??!!"
"Wait a moment, who are you?"
She steadied herself.
"I need to speak with the corporate board and the Director of the Strategic Investment Department. Um... possibly Director Oswaldo as well, if he's available."
"...What?"
Tashkent yawned and tilted her head back, glancing at Oswaldo and the corporate fleet, now imprinted as a vast painting across the starry sky.
"I'm guessing that in their current dimension, it might not be very convenient for them to talk to you?"
"???"
While Topaz and Tashkent were going back and forth in confusion—
The starship exited the sparse region. Signal interference gradually faded, and external transmissions began to reconnect.
Swish—
In just a few days' time, various news reports and messages on their devices flooded in like snowflakes.
The entire ship was drowned in a torrent of information.
Jade had been sitting elegantly on the bridge, sipping red wine.
She casually glanced at the news displayed on the holographic interface.
Crack!—
The wineglass shattered on the floor.
The usually composed lady forgot all about maintaining her poise and cried out:
"Get over here—now!!!"
Topaz and the rest of the expedition team rushed over immediately, holding their breath as they stared at the holographic screen.
A joint announcement from Sophon and the remaining executives of the Interastral Peace Corporation was being broadcast in a continuous loop across every Interastral Peace Media channel.
"The Interastral Peace Corporation declares unconditional surrender to the Starsea Empire..."
"All corporate departments will merge into the Starsea Empire effective immediately. Departmental assets will be received by Starsea Empire fleets..."
"All employees ranked P16 and above must report to Pier Point within seven working days to accept disposition by the Starsea Empire..."
Right out of the gate—utter devastation.
The Strategic Investment Department's expedition team could only stare in stunned disbelief.
When the war began, the board had dispatched them on an expedition mission. And before they had even reached their destination, their homeland was gone?
The war had ended just like that? The Interastral Peace Corporation—the entity whose influence spanned the cosmos—had signed a humiliating treaty and become part of the Starsea Empire?
Jade couldn't understand it. Topaz couldn't understand it. No one in the expedition team could understand it.
"Ms. Jade... is this some kind of prank?"
Topaz asked.
"No."
Jade switched between several channels. Every single one carried the exact same report.
Even during the broadcast, the Interastral Peace Corporation's logo had been replaced with the Starsea Empire's emblem. It was clear the takeover was already comprehensive.
"This... how could this be?!"
First came disbelief, then a wave of dizziness.
They frantically began scrolling through earlier reports, trying to piece together what had happened at corporate headquarters.
Who exactly were they up against—what kind of existence could utterly extinguish the IPC's will to resist?
From colleagues. From archived news reports over the past few days. More and more information appeared before their eyes.
At the very beginning of the war, the enemy had unleashed clustered Photoid strikes, obliterating vast numbers of star systems like a raging storm.
Every fleet the IPC assembled had been mercilessly crushed before the Dual-Vector Foil.
"Ah... that's?!"
Topaz and the others saw it together—the two-dimensional plane suspended in the starry sky.
The IPC's pride—its fleets, its technology, even the Amber Lord's miracle—had been casually imprinted upon that cosmic painting, hanging in space.
After merely two exchanges, the IPC had lost both its combat capability and the majority of its starfields, retreating on all fronts.
For a war against an opponent of the Interastral Peace Corporation's scale to end this quickly, there could be only one explanation:
The two sides were not even remotely on the same technological or military level.
"Dual-Vector Foil...?"
Jade, Topaz, and the others struggled to comprehend the concept.
Stripping a dimension from three-dimensional space to strike an enemy—such technology was too advanced, too far beyond their understanding.
"This... how is that possible?! We clearly had..."
Some still tried to argue instinctively, subconsciously refusing to accept that the IPC could simply collapse like this.
Topaz opened her device and logged into her Interastral Peace Bank account.
The long string of credit points and assets that had once filled the screen was now replaced by two simple words:
[Account Frozen]
After Interastral Peace Bank had been taken over, it was only natural that the assets of corporate executives had been sealed entirely.
The situation was similar for everyone else.
"Ah... I think I just became broke?"
Topaz blinked.
All their usual wealth had come from the IPC and been stored within it. Being wiped out in one sweep was therefore extremely convenient.
It wasn't that the Starsea Empire cared about these scraps. It was simply easier for future management.
Interastral Peace Department Stores, Interastral Peace Trade, and other services had likewise hung out "Service Suspended" notices.
Every detail, every piece of information reminded them that this was real.
"Mm..."
A full half hour passed.
Pearl slumped into a sofa, staring blankly at the ship's ceiling as she slowly accepted reality.
"It's over."
"The IPC doesn't exist anymore."
"..."
An overwhelming sense of unreality enveloped everyone.
Just days ago, they had been proud to be part of the IPC, determined to investigate the Solar System thoroughly.
They had even planned to give the supposedly backward civilization in that remote region a taste of advanced corporate might.
And now, the IPC had surrendered.
From now on, the Interastral Peace Corporation would become a subordinate institution under the Starsea Empire. As for whether individual departments would even continue to exist—that depended entirely on the Empire's whims.
"Ah..."
The Strategic Investment Department expedition team looked at one another.
After another long silence, Topaz spoke first, her voice soft.
"So what do we do now? We're... almost at the Solar System, aren't we? ..."
Through the porthole, a faint point of starlight could already be seen in the distance—the sun of the Solar System.
Once they passed through the Imaginary tides, they would enter the star system.
"..."
They glanced at the star charts, then at each other, immediately understanding the awkwardness of their situation.
Continue the mission?
What a joke. The IPC had already declared unconditional surrender. And they were supposed to keep snooping around Starsea Empire territory?
That wasn't bravery—that was suicide.
Return home?
That didn't seem right either.
"The treaty requires all employees ranked P16 and above to report to Pier Point and accept their disposition."
Jade sighed.
Most of the people aboard were department middle and senior management ranked P45 or above. They were very much on that list.
What awaited them at Pier Point—and how they would be treated—no one knew.
"Uh..."
They hesitated.
When the board had been pummeled, they had completely forgotten about the expedition team. Now there was no one left to issue orders.
They looked at one another, none willing to make the call.
"Uh... what if we find some planet and hide?"
One team member suggested.
"We're practically at the Solar System. Where exactly do you plan to hide around here? And for how long?"
Topaz almost laughed in exasperation.
"No matter how many supplies we have on board, it won't last forever, right?!"
"..."
Everyone furrowed their brows and gathered together to brainstorm.
This was a decision that would determine their future fate. They could not afford carelessness.
Hum—
Suddenly.
A dazzling white light flared in the distant starry sky.
"That's... the direction of the Solar System?!"
Startled, Topaz rushed to the viewport.
BOOM!!—
A majestic fleet of starships passed through a transmission anchor and arrived in this world.
At the forefront was a massive battleship of stern design, black and crimson in color, with a black Ironblood cross etched along its hull.
Behind it, hundreds of starships lined up in formation, grouped by faction as they slowly emerged from the void.
[Starsea Empire First Fleet—Ironblood Fleet has arrived in this world.]
[Sakura Empire Fleet in position.]
[Target world reached. Preparing for long-range jump.]
[...]
Before long, a vast space fleet had assembled directly ahead of the expedition team.
They arranged themselves in formation, fully prepared.
"Ah..."
Jade and Topaz both stared in a daze.
As the Starsea fleet swept through the void, the expedition team sat trembling within their ship.
They were just about to steer away from the fleet—
Swish—
A holographic interface opened inside the ship.
Bismarck's portrait was projected upon it.
"Follow me."
The Ironblood shipgirl spoke concisely.
"Huh? ..."
The team wavered uncertainly.
"How did you even detect—?"
"From the moment you departed, Sophon was already monitoring you. We just happened to be assigned the interception task."
Bismarck replied.
"Or would you prefer to fight first?"
"..."
Staring at the hundreds of colossal starships before them, no one doubted that they could be vaporized with ease. There was not the slightest will to resist.
"Alright... where are we going?"
"To report to the Commander."