Ch.277From now on, the delightful counterattack begins.

# Chapter 277: From Now On, the Delightful Counterattack Begins

Naturally, the fleets stationed at the front line couldn’t fail to notice the confusion among the Kirsanid Scourge swarms.

“What the hell are those bastards doing?”

“Dunno. Maybe they got indigestion from devouring too many planets and our ships?”

Of course, at first, they maintained vigilance and merely observed, unable to determine what new mischief the Scourge was up to.

“Hey everyone, breaking news!”

“?”

“We just got word from the Holy Sebelli Empire’s capital. Minister Arto successfully destroyed the satellite that was guiding the Scourge swarms into our galaxy from outer space.”

“Wait, that means…?”

“It means no more reinforcements for those Scourge bastards.”

The moment they heard the news about Arto from the rear…

“Ha-ha!”

“The oppression and humiliation… it’s been such a long time.”

“All fleets, advance! Launch a full-scale offensive on all fronts!”

“KIIYOOOOOOH!!!”

The fleets that had been unable to move beyond their defensive lines due to the relentlessly advancing Kirsanid Scourge now began a truly comprehensive offensive.

Of course, the Scourge’s organic vessels attempted to counterattack in their own way, but…

“Tell the 90th Squadron Commander to flank via coordinates 51-6 and fire all torpedoes!”

“Launch all carrier fighters and attack the enemy vessels’ lower abdomens.”

“Circle around and target their organic engines!”

With the psionic wave guidance cut off and the queen responsible for the hive mind in a groggy state…

Compared to the strategic and tactical maneuvers of the admirals and commanders who had accumulated vast experience…

The Kirsanid Scourge fleet, unlike their previous fierce organic wave tactics…

-Swoosh!

“First wave of organic missiles confirmed ahead, approximately 200 projectiles!”

“Ridiculously small number. Launch interceptor missiles and then charge in!”

Now they were merely in a state of instinctive resistance from individual ships or small fleets.

In an instant, the Scourge fleet’s formation collapsed on all fronts, and the allied fleets broke through the gaps, crushing the Scourge swarms.

“Urrrgh, finally got things normalized!”

Of course, this situation didn’t last very long.

“They’ve regrouped!”

“All fleets, commence bombardment!”

“Enemy forces are converging!”

Once the Emperor stabilized the Queen’s condition, the Kirsanid Scourge fleets once again maintained their formation and began pouring out offensives.

But as Arto had seen in the event message on his status window…

“Kirsanid Scourge fleet advance route confirmed, current target appears to be the Metsar agricultural planet!”

“Their advance route seems a bit strange.”

“Yeah, until now they were only heading toward Sebelli’s capital, but now they seem more like they’re wandering in search of food.”

No longer guided by specific psionic mental waves, the Scourge fleet advanced under the Queen’s orders while simultaneously targeting primarily nutrient-rich planets to maintain their forces.

“Damn them, are they trying to scatter and pick us off one by one now?”

“They might be attempting to outflank us.”

“We can’t let that happen. We’ll outflank them too and strike!”

Of course, the allied fleets wouldn’t stand by and allow such behavior from the Scourge fleets.

In response to the galactic allied fleet, the Kirsanid Scourge hive mind was trying to push back the front lines by pouring out new ships through the planets they had already conquered, but…

-“The number of Kirsanid Scourge fleet vessels is decreasing as time passes.”

-“News of the recapture of several planetary systems continues to come in, spreading a light of hope throughout the Empire and the entire galaxy…”

With the endless reinforcements from outer space now gone…

In the western galaxy filled with hostage planets devoid of any useful resources, the ships extracted by infecting the few “intact” planets…

-BOOM! BOOM!

“Keep pushing! Their combat power has weakened!”

Unless it was the fleet that the Holy Sebelli Empire and Arto had gathered before the crisis declaration…

After the Galactic Federation’s crisis declaration…

It was simply too much to handle the fleets arriving from across the galaxy to the Holy Sebelli Empire.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Kirsanid Scourge swarms were likely to wither away from nutrient deficiency before the galactic allied fleet could even launch a full-scale offensive.

—————————–

That’s why, after receiving real-time updates on the war situation…

I was feeling catharsis watching our magnificent fleet obliterate the exhausted Scourge forces.

“Now the Emperor has no other options left.”

“I reckon so. His trusted Scourge fleet has failed to break through the front lines.”

It was truly a perfect victory, no exaggeration.

Of course, given how powerful the Emperor’s “inherent stats” are, those fleets alone wouldn’t be enough.

Confirm when he appears?

At that moment, our dragons, Levia, and Ash would warp in for a surprise attack, buying time for the fleets to converge.

Then, by deploying all our forces—fleets, dragons, and our own power—to focus fire on a single point…

‘Victory! End of Part 1!’

And I would happily taste the victory of the game, and that would be that.

‘Is this what they call a happy future retirement plan or whatever?’

I was dreaming of such a happy future, waiting for the Emperor and the Scourge Mother Swarm—

No, the Queen—to show up.

But after several days, all I heard were reports of fierce battles between the Scourge fleet and our fleets.

Besides that, I only heard occasional news about planets being recaptured, or infected planets or bases being newly created, recaptured, or purified.

“Still no sign of that damned Emperor and the Queen’s hive ship?”

“I apologize, Minister, but such important entities wouldn’t recklessly appear on the front lines, would they?”

“Hmm.”

I was just earnestly praying that our fleets would quickly push the front lines and that the Emperor would reveal himself soon.

But before long, I realized that the Emperor was crazier than I had thought.

—————————————

And for good reason, because the approach he chose was…

-“Message to all fleets! The hive ship of the Queen controlling the Kirsanid Scourge is charging in!”

-“Stop the hive ship! Kill the Queen and this war ends!”

-“Impossible! There’s a massive unknown monster next to the hive ship—AAAAGH!!!”

“Oh shit.”

The Queen of the Kirsanid Scourge under his control and her hive ship.

And he himself, along with a small number of Scourge vessels, was diving straight through the front lines toward the capital.

-“He’s heading for the warp gate!!”

-“Block the gate! Hurry!”

-“Emergency lockdown procedures have been initiated, but they’ll likely enter the gate before it’s complete!!”

-“We must stop them somehow. Concentrate all battery fire!”

Naturally, to block the Emperor’s dive, defensive lines, fortresses, and even the defense facilities of the planetary system with the warp gate fired countless shells, missiles, and beams, but…

-BRRRRRRM! BOOM!

-“Enemy monster still intact! Its shield is too strong!”

-“Damn it all.”

That accursed Emperor had even equipped shields on the Kirsanid Scourge, which originally had nothing but solid armor and flesh.

Simultaneously, he used the Scourge fleet he brought along as meat shields, conducting a reckless charge that disregarded casualties.

-“It’s approaching!!!”

-“Everyone evacuate! Evacuate!”

-CRUNCH! CRACK!

Various space structures blocking the way were crushed.

-“Remember us!”

-“I will!!!”

A battleship that tried to block the Emperor’s advance with a ramming attack…

-CRACK!

-“The battleship… compressed like a tin can…”

Was compressed by the Emperor’s overwhelming psionic ability and thrown into the fortress zone as crushed garbage, causing a massive explosion.

Performing such unstoppable feats, the Emperor successfully broke through to the warp gate along with the hive ship…

And immediately after that.

-WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Air raid sirens began blaring throughout the capital city of Ka’Zan where I was located, and simultaneously…

-BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

[EMERGENCY ALERT]

[Kirsanid Scourge hive ship, ultra-massive space monster, and Scourge fleet appearing in the outskirts of the capital planetary system]

[Capital defense fleet initiating response.]

Seeing the emergency alert that only came to ministerial-level terminals and above…

I realized that now, at last, the final boss battle with the Emperor had begun.