Ch.179179. The Approaching End

After the discovery of a planetary system occupied by the Hive Cult after 13 years—the Talisman Zone’s 77th planetary system—by the “Eye of Mankind.”

Shortly after a report detailing this matter was submitted directly to the Federal Congress, the rarely unified Congress quickly began organizing an expeditionary force to be dispatched to the 77th planetary system in the Talisman Zone.

Five million Federal Army troops to directly descend onto the planet, along with 50 transport ships to carry them and their equipment.

Since these Federal Army forces alone were insufficient, they also drafted 200 million Planetary Defense Forces from nearby planetary systems or those along the route, according to contracts, along with 1,000 transport ships.

Additionally, the Federal Navy mobilized a fleet including 8 Independent-class battleships and 1 Enterprise-class battleship to provide support in space.

This suppression force, assembled with the determination to find and crush the threat before it could spread to other planetary systems, was hastily deployed without any formal ceremony—

[Open fire!]

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOM!!!!

From the moment they entered the Talisman Zone’s 77th planetary system, the fleet dispersed to begin “conditioning” the major facilities on each planet before the army’s arrival.

Since they planned to nationalize and incorporate the system as a federal territory once internal cleaning was completed, they refrained from using planet-killer weapons, but instead bombed important facilities without hesitation.

They began destroying nuclear power plants that supplied power, as well as factories producing firearms, parts, and battery magazines.

As planetary systems were scorched one after another under the logic that they would need to be demolished anyway due to severe deterioration—

“Father, Great Father! Please, please give me an answer!”

“Great Father! Please reveal the solution to the Minor Father!”

As always, they sat around their cult leader, the Minor Father, praying to the Hive Mind—the Great Father—to provide them with a solution.

[Figure it out yourselves.]

“F-Father?! Great Father?!! What, what do you mean by that?!!!?”

Shocked by the Great Father’s cold and unprecedented refusal to answer, the Minor Father—the cult leader—fell into panic and went into seclusion.

Of course, the disappearance of the Minor Father, the supreme commander and decision-maker, in such a critical situation was the worst possible scenario for the highly passive Hive Cult.

Just as the Hive Mind they worshipped as the Great Father, the Hive Cult found itself unable to do anything unless the Minor Father had previously given orders delegating command or discretionary authority.

Under normal circumstances, this inefficient system was actually quite effective because the super-intelligent Minor Father at the top controlled the entire organization like his own body, but…

With the supreme leader in seclusion, most of the Hive Cult was reduced to simply holding their positions and being slaughtered by the invading Federal Army, unable to do anything else.

Meanwhile, around the time the Federal Navy ships were nearly finished with their “conditioning” work.

Transport ships carrying the Federal Army and drafted Planetary Defense Forces arrived, and they began descending onto each planet of the Talisman Zone’s 77th planetary system as soon as the “conditioning” was complete, starting with the Planetary Defense Forces.

While the term “drafted” might give the impression that these Planetary Defense Forces were being used as cannon fodder in place of Federal troops, the reality was quite different.

The Federal Army was powerful but insufficient in numbers to deploy across the Federation’s territory, which covered one-third of our galaxy. Therefore, the Federation entered into contracts with certain planetary systems, offering economic support and development in exchange for the right to draft their Planetary Defense Forces.

These contracted Planetary Defense Forces were directly managed by instructors and military advisors dispatched from the Federal military and government, ensuring they maintained at least second-tier troop quality and combat effectiveness.

They were equipped with weapons like the IK-PDA (Iron Knight-Planet Defence Army) tanks—license-produced versions for Planetary Defense Forces—and organized in a command structure that integrated well with Federal forces.

Additionally, their salaries were calculated based on Federal capital standards, often exceeding those of high-ranking executives in major corporations on their planets, ensuring their combat effectiveness could not be underestimated due to their high compensation and treatment.

And even stronger than these drafted Planetary Defense Forces was the Federal Army itself.

High-quality, powerful psychic user officers mass-produced at various institutions including Titan, Saturn’s moon, and equipment they proudly claimed was of the highest caliber.

Add to this the excellent soldiers recruited from talented individuals across the galaxy, and doctrine that anyone would recognize as cutting-edge for the era.

With all the conditions that made a military force formidable, the Federal Army began sweeping up the Hive Cult as soon as they landed on the ground after the PDA (Planet Defence Army) established beachheads.

If the Planetary Defense Army (PDA) that landed first was the anvil, the Federal Army was the hammer.

Applying the classic anvil and hammer tactics, they moved almost as one body through the vast indoor spaces characteristic of Engineer Worlds, coordinating through real-time psychic communications.

The IK-PDA (Iron Knight-Planet Defence Army) was a defensive-specialized derivative, equipped with thick armor and high-powered main guns despite lower mobility, a common trait shared by most Planetary Defense Forces.

For Planetary Defense Forces, whose primary role was defensive, there was no better weapon.

Meanwhile, as the Planetary Defense Forces held the line with their formidable defensive capabilities, forming a solid front against the Hive Cult’s offensive.

The Federal Army’s elite troops, led by assault regiments—Stormtrooper regiments—launched surprise attacks on the Hive Cult’s flanks.

These Stormtroopers cleared out the cult and established beachheads, through which the main Federal Army forces poured in large numbers.

They pierced through the cult’s crude powered suits with just infantry medium assault rifles, while the latest IK tanks and armored vehicles shielded them from enemy fire.

Though the tactics were extremely basic and fundamental, they were effective precisely because they left no room for variables like clever tricks or brilliant ideas to counter them.

From the Hive Cult’s perspective, they had no advantages except for numbers, so they eventually deployed their secret weapons—armored war machines possessed by psychic entities—to the battlefield.

“Release them, release them!”

Naturally, the cult leadership expected these weapons to change the tide of battle as they had done against the Planetary Defense Forces of the Talisman Zone’s 77th planetary system in the past, but…

“Their monstrosities are coming!”

“Call Major Smith! Quickly!”

“Yes, sir!”

Reality was cruel. While soldiers bought time with shortened plasma rifles, combat officers who rushed to the battlefield where the psychic entities appeared sliced through them all with god-like movements.

The armored war machines possessed by psychic entities, which the Hive Cult cherished and valued so highly, were ultimately just common weapons that any decent Hive Cult would deploy.

As planets were conquered one by one, and with the cooperation of hidden militia forces who joined the effort—providing invaluable local knowledge if not combat power—the cult was reduced to small scattered groups of remnants being mopped up across most planets of Talisman 77.

And during all this.

“…Captain?”

“What.”

“Why aren’t we attacking Talisman 77-8 first? I thought that’s where their leadership and forces are concentrated?”

Strangely, Talisman 77-8, the planet considered the Hive Cult’s headquarters in Talisman 77, had not been attacked since the conditioning operations.

When the briefing team leader on the Enterprise-class battleship’s bridge—the fleet’s flagship—asked the captain about this:

“…That’s classified.”

He simply answered with an emotionless voice.

The captain, normally known for his humor and care for his crew, responded so coldly that the briefing team leader dropped the subject and returned to his duties.

At the same time.

[Prepare for insertion!]

Order 444 field agents aboard a small, stealthy speedboat were boarding teleport shuttles to be inserted into Talisman 77-8.