News of the Valiant Legion's annihilation spread rapidly throughout Proxima Centauri.
Fear gripped all three civilizations.
They had assumed that even if the legion couldn't win, it could sustain a war for years, even decades.
How long had it actually lasted?
How much actual fighting time had there been?
Was the enemy truly that powerful?
Panic spread through the Federation.
The only thing that remained was Luna's fabrication—"Galactic Federation."
For years, besides the Multi-eyed and humans, the Kate hadn't seen any evidence of other member civilizations.
The extreme right-wing factions, previously operating in secrecy, emerged, spreading the "Non-existent Federation" narrative.
Panic ensued, mirroring the earlier response to the tower.
Escape!
Some Kate boarded ships and fled Proxima Centauri.
But they couldn't escape.
A massive containment field had enveloped Proxima Centauri.
Within this field, the three fundamental forces (excluding gravity) were completely neutralized. Any ship entering this region would disintegrate into subatomic particles. Even light couldn't pass through.
The entire civilization was trapped.
Even the Celestial Shield was rendered useless.
Panic!
The panic intensified.
Some began to pray, to surrender.
Luna ignored this. Panic would cause societal chaos, but in a war of this scale, the actions of ordinary citizens wouldn't affect the outcome.
The news had been deliberately released—part of the plan.
Demonstrate weakness!
Panic would lead the enemy to believe they were vulnerable.
Unfortunately, the enemy didn't follow the script and instead blockaded the entire star system.
"With such power, why not directly attack the star system?"
Luna remained in Ayla's research facility, not even entering hibernation. This wasn't her invading another civilization; it was the other way around. This hibernation might be her last.
Ayla wasn't present; she had left a copy of herself—a "Copy 01" subordinate.
This subordinate answered Luna's question. "Manipulating matter using fundamental forces requires massive amounts of energy."
"To blockade the entire Proxima Centauri system would be beyond the capabilities of a nascent Type 2 civilization."
"It's far more energy-efficient in the vacuum of space, where matter is scarce."
This subordinate had access to the same database as the original Ayla.
But for some reason, Luna felt that this copy lacked the original's dynamism.
Luna nodded.
"That makes sense, but it's still incredibly powerful."
"You can't contact the original Ayla, right?"
The original Ayla wasn't on Proxima Centauri but elsewhere.
Inside Alpha Centauri A.
Luna had instructed Ayla to search for strings, a process requiring immense energy. Ayla had planned to use the completed Dyson swarm for this.
But there wasn't time.
Ayla had to use Alpha Centauri A's energy.
Luna and Ayla had previously avoided these energy sources.
There was no way to know if the third civilization had installed sensors or other monitoring devices in Alpha Centauri A.
News of any intrusion might already have reached the third civilization.
This urgency didn't faze Luna.
She had lived for centuries, longer than anyone in human history. She had seen, learned, and experienced more than anyone. She was a seasoned veteran; unflappable in the face of adversity.
Ayla's subordinate replied, "Indeed. The electromagnetic field can't penetrate the blockade."
"Our communication is blocked."
Luna nodded.
She wasn't worried about Ayla.
During the construction of the Dyson swarm, Ayla had subtly adjusted the Alpha Centauri binary system's barycenter. It was now perfectly stable, making it unlikely the enemy would detect the anomaly within Alpha Centauri A.
"When do you think they'll attack?"
Ayla's subordinate performed calculations.
"The highest probability is within 20 years!"
Luna shook her head, somewhat disappointed. The subordinate clearly lacked the original's capabilities; she wondered if the original Ayla had limited the subordinate's functions.
"I think it will be 100 years."
"Their blockade of the Proxima Centauri system indicates hesitation; they are proceeding cautiously."
"The difference between us isn't as vast as we think. They won't rush; they'll wait for us to suffer resource depletion, weakening our civilization."
"They haven't destroy Alpha Centauri. I suspect they'll seize control of it, studying our biological structure, social systems, and technology via the Dyson swarm."
"I've already planted a piece of code there—a weak force field is just the first step. It contains additional information, including their initial exposure."
"The barrier is strong, but it still relies on the four fundamental forces. It allows stable matter to pass through."
"This is crucial. Theoretically, creating a temporarily stable high-energy particle could breach their barrier."
"Of course, this wouldn't destroy them, but it would force them to reconsider their strategy."
"Wait or attack? They'll wonder if I possess other advanced technologies."
"This is a game of interstellar strategy."
A subtle influence.
Of course, Luna wasn't sure if this would work.
She never put all her eggs in one basket.
The Multi-eyed planet was preparing to attack the neutrino civilization; Luna was willing to sacrifice them to delay the enemy's advance.
From her perspective, the neutrino civilization would logically attack and eliminate the Proxima Centauri civilization first.
But the neutrino civilization was considering the big picture, not just individual gain. The Multi-eyed would become part of the Federation, shifting their focus. Luna was using the Multi-eyed as a diversion.
Cruel?
Perhaps, from the moment she enslaved them, their fate was sealed.
Now, it was a matter of whether the neutrino civilization would act decisively.
Ayla, meanwhile, was assisting the Multi-eyed in technological advancement, ensuring they wouldn't be easily overwhelmed.
"There's nothing more I can do."
"Time for hibernation."
Luna stood.
The intense urgency had passed; now, it was a delicate game of strategy.
Luna valued her life, so she had her hibernation pod built deep underground. Even if the neutrino civilization destroyed the Proxima Centauri system, she would survive, unless they targeted the entire planet.
Ultimately, even the entire galactic federation was inconsequential to her. Destruction would simply mean starting over.
This hibernation would last 100 years.
Not only because she predicted the neutrino civilization wouldn't act for 100 years, but also because Ayla had promised that, with sufficient energy accumulation, they would be able to observe strings within that time.
Luna's predictions were partially correct.
What she hadn't foreseen was the extent of the enemy's ambition.
Ten years into her hibernation.
The extreme right-wing faction on Proxima Centauri b experienced a surge in popularity, gaining widespread support within six months. They proclaimed that the galactic federation was a fabrication, the Kate civilization enslaved, and the true saviors were the "Purple Thorns."
This wasn't the name of an organization but of their enemy civilization.
The name, translated from their language, referred to a spiky, purple plant that doesn't harm living beings. This plant was ubiquitous on their home planet, serving as their symbol.
This right-wing movement was eerily familiar.
It mirrored Luna's earlier actions.
The difference being that Luna had used the "tower" as a ruse, while the Purple Thorns possessed the real power to subjugate the Kate.
They didn't seem intent on destroying the Kate civilization but on enslaving it.
Or perhaps, they merely aimed to pacify the Kate, secretly searching for the technology Luna had left behind, confirming its presence in the Proxima Centauri system.
Any intelligent being could sense the implications.
Even the most simple-minded creature, upon hearing the name "Purple Thorns," would realize the right wing had sided with the invading force.
Either scenario was, in fact, beneficial to Luna.
It was simply a matter of enjoying the spectacle!
A thousand years earlier, the extreme left had supported the galactic federation, while the extreme right advocated for the independence of civilizations.
Now, the extreme left controlled the federation, while the extreme right had sided with the extraterrestrial invaders.
The Kate leadership was once again facing the same dilemma as a thousand years before.
This time, however, their situation was far more dire. They weren't facing a subtle conspiracy but overwhelming force.
Many Kate still couldn't forget the plague.
The losses had been immense.
The trauma of the plague was still fresh, feeling as if it had happened yesterday.
Internal conflict dominated the first two decades.
But this civilization lacked Luna's patience; they acted quickly.
Within twenty years, they began to suppress Kate's technological advancements, attacking energy facilities, assassinating leading scientists, and manipulating the economy, weakening the Kate civilization.
Among the first targets were Ayla's research facility and the Humanity Academy.
Both facilities were physically obliterated by energy beams fired from space.
The Purple Thorns began clearing space debris and free-floating particles around Proxima Centauri, further tightening the blockade, restricting the civilization's activity.
Within thirty years.
The blockade encompassed the entire Proxima Centauri system.
Proxima Centauri b, c, and d were plunged into darkness; their surfaces froze solid, resembling a glacial apocalypse.
That year, the Kate population declined sharply.
Simultaneously, pleas for mercy began.
Daily, they begged the Purple Thorns for clemency, pledging allegiance and submission.
But...
There was no response.
The Kate weren't inherently cowardly, but Luna's subtle influence over the years had made them more compliant, more prone to submitting to authority.
This was a dangerous weakness.
In the fourth decade, the human population in the designated zone was closely monitored, and many leaders disappeared.
Forty years later, the fifth decade arrived.
This marked a turning point.
The Multi-eyed fleet had finally arrived.
The battle raged outside the system.
However, this conflict was far less intense than the earlier battles between the Valiant Legion and the Purple Thorns.
It felt like throwing a bucket of water onto a volcano.
As Luna had predicted, this attracted the enemy's attention.
The enemy shifted its focus to the Multi-eyed planet.
The Multi-eyed weren't powerful enough to truly concern the Purple Thorns; their attention remained on the Proxima Centauri system.
During this decade, the Kate had their first encounter with the Purple Thorns.
These beings were indeed purple, smaller than imagined—half-meter-tall, fluffy spheres, somewhat resembling goblins, but with a reddish-purple hue rather than blue.
They possessed a slit-like "eye," about twenty centimeters long.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't an eye but a sensory organ, creating images based on heat signatures rather than color.
They also had arms, but asymmetrical—one large, one small, with two pairs in total. Each armtip had one hundred small, agile tentacles.
They lacked legs, moving instead via a slug-like appendage. However, advanced technology allowed for more efficient locomotion. A white cable extended from their heads, connecting them to a basketball-sized sphere.
This sphere, utilizing anti-gravity technology, levitated, carrying the Purple Thorn beings through the air.
The sphere was a sophisticated device, seemingly combining data processing, offensive, and defensive capabilities.
The beings, under the sphere's influence, created a localized environment around themselves. They weren't adapted to Proxima Centauri's conditions; the sphere generated their native environment. They appeared to breathe methane.
The Kate noticed that the Purple Thorns were searching for something.
The planet's landscape was drastically altered by their activities.
By the fiftieth year, the Kate population had dwindled further, as food supplies were controlled by the Purple Thorns, who were deliberately limiting population growth.
The Kate population had decreased by 500 million.
The Kate civilization was at its nadir; no one possessed technology beyond Type 1.
This created two extremes.
One extreme was abject subservience and reverence towards the Purple Thorns.
The other was constant, futile attacks against the Purple Thorns.
The sixtieth year was a turning point.
The Purple Thorns began abducting Kate children, none of whom ever returned.
The adult Kate also began to experience physical changes, becoming increasingly animalistic. Their chips were malfunctioning.
In the 75th year.
The children returned.
They had been transformed into soldiers, or perhaps, hunters.
And the mutated Kate became their prey.
They could not communicate; some Kate watched helplessly as their children killed them—a scene of horrifying brutality.
The Purple Thorns were conducting an experiment.
Growing increasingly confident, more Purple Thorns accompanied these newly trained hunters to hunt.
In the 83rd year, an explosion engulfed Proxima Centauri b.
The explosion, equivalent to 500 trillion tons of TNT, knocked the planet out of its orbit.
Over 20,000 Purple Thorns and 1.5 billion Kate perished.
When the Purple Thorns investigated the source, they discovered a high-energy particle with a temperature of 2.431 x 10⁻⁴⁸ Kelvin.
Though it only remained stable for five days, it posed a significant threat to the Purple Thorns.
This catastrophe drove the Purple Thorns from the Proxima Centauri system, a retreat that lasted twelve years.
And those twelve years would be their last.
...
Within Alpha Centauri A.
A long, thread-like structure floated amidst numerous rotating rings.
Upon closer inspection, this thread, relative to the surrounding space, had a diameter of over 10 meters. This was a 100-kilometer-long particle accelerator.
But it accelerated bosons.
The accelerator's energy source was the central light core.
At the accelerator's center was a detection device equipped with a gravitational microscope developed by Ayla.
It observed spacetime distortions caused by gravity to detect even smaller structures.
If strings existed, they would be released when bosons collided; the gravitational microscope would detect the gravitational effects of their mass, thus allowing for the detection and even capture of strings.
However, Ayla discovered this wasn't feasible. The gravitational detector couldn't detect strings in stable spacetime.
She couldn't generate a force sufficient to cause a boson or fermion to decay.
She then used the collision experiment to create a microscopic black hole, using its power to break down fundamental particles. In the brief moment of intense gravitational distortion created by the miniature black hole, she attempted to observe two-dimensional strings (those with length but no height).
But this proved incredibly challenging. She couldn't overcome the limitations of the black hole's event horizon.
To observe a black hole, one needs another.
Ayla used a counter-rotating black hole, leveraging the matter exchange created by their collision to observe the strings traveling from the first black hole to the second.
After 28 such experiments, she finally observed—strings.
However, the strings observed weren't the building blocks of matter but free, closed gravitons.
Perhaps this was related to their ability to penetrate the fabric of spacetime.
At the macroscopic level, gravitational lensing could indirectly detect the strings theorized in string theory.
At the microscopic level, gravitons, as mediators, could reveal strings at the subatomic level.
This might be a coincidence, as they aren't the same thing, but perhaps it's also inevitable.
Detecting strings doesn't mean being able to manipulate them.
But it's not without value. The confirmation of string theory would allow Ayla to manipulate the four fundamental forces at a more fundamental level.
Once strings are discovered, other technologies would advance simultaneously, rapidly propelling the civilization to Type 2.
How quickly?
Ayla's plan was five years...
This was ambitious, but it didn't require precise manipulation; a crude approach would suffice.
She had access to vast energy reserves. Using these resources, she could create a rudimentary "string weapon."
"Luna, Ayla has fulfilled our promise!"
Ayla used a levitating camera to monitor Proxima Centauri.
She was concerned about Luna's safety but couldn't afford to rush.
The real battle had begun.
It was time to determine the victor.
...
"One hundred years passed."
Luna awoke deep beneath Proxima Centauri c.
She climbed out of the hibernation pod, finding herself in a ten-square-meter chamber with minimal gravity, making even the slightest movement difficult.
She went to a small computer terminal and activated the screen.
There was no keyboard, only a system interface with a single button and a video player.
If the plan went as expected, the Multi-eyed fleet had arrived at Proxima Centauri.
And she was about to take action.
She pressed the button, activating the video player.
Data scrolled across the screen.
Luna felt nothing, but the data confirmed the activation of her target.
A planet.
The Kate homeworld—Proxima Centauri b.
As she had planned before her hibernation, the galactic federation was inconsequential to her.
From the outset, she and Ayla had anticipated sacrificing some of the Kate.
She pressed the button, activating the hidden gravitational distortion device within Proxima Centauri b. The planet would be knocked off course, propelled outwards by Proxima Centauri's gravity at a precise angle.
Why not Proxima Centauri d?
Proxima Centauri d had too little mass, and its core would be easily scanned, making it unsuitable for concealing the device.
Proxima Centauri c was her base; Proxima Centauri b was the optimal choice.
Moreover, the Purple Thorns wouldn't expect Luna's weapon to be an entire planet, a planet teeming with life.
"In 100 years, the Multi-eyed will arrive at Proxima Centauri, providing a distraction while we observe the enemy."
"The Multi-eyed don't need to defeat the enemy; they just need to draw attention and buy time."
This was Luna's earlier instruction to Ayla.
Ruthless.
But sometimes, ruthlessness was necessary.
Although she spent most of her time hibernating, her experiences in Divine Revelation weren't inconsequential.
Her physical age was just over 100 years, but considering her experiences in the virtual world, her mental age was well over a thousand years.
She was no longer the person she was on Earth or in the immediate aftermath of its destruction.
In terms of strategy and power, she felt she could rival any famous strategist or politician in human history.
She now controlled far more lives and territory than the entire human civilization ever had.
Sometimes, sacrifice was necessary.
Indecisiveness led to annihilation.
She calmly observed the fluctuations on the screen, calculating Proxima Centauri b's current state.
The next move depended on the enemy.
Given the energy drain of maintaining the blockade around the massive planet, the Purple Thorns would likely cease it.
They wouldn't leave Proxima Centauri b adrift, unsure of what it might contain.
They would choose to destroy this unpredictable "bomb."
Perhaps, like Earth, fireworks would once again light up the cosmos—fireworks orchestrated by her.
...
Simultaneously.
A fleet was traversing space.
They were from the Multi-eyed planet; they had arrived, as Luna had predicted.
Forty-one years earlier.
Mandatory military service had been implemented on the Multi-eyed planet. All eligible Multi-eyed were conscripted, undergoing five years of training before being deployed.
For the first fifty years, the Multi-eyed had mainly used their fleet to harass the Purple Thorns while maintaining a significant reserve fleet.
Their fleet now numbered 1287 ships.
These ships were far less advanced than the Valiant Legion's.
But sufficient.
They were about to travel across five light-years to join the battle at Proxima Centauri.
This had been part of Luna and Ayla's initial plan.
Forty-one years later, Proxima Centauri was within reach; war was imminent.
They couldn't see any planets within the Proxima Centauri system.
Kula, the Multi-eyed military commander, looked at his troops.
Fear was evident in their many eyes.
Each Multi-eyed knew their enemy and knew they couldn't win.
This was a civilization capable of blockading a star system and easily defeating a far stronger civilization.
Yet, they had no choice!
Ayla's orders were absolute. Disobedience meant death.
The robots on the Multi-eyed planet would slaughter them.
Objectively, it would have been better to remain on their planet than face this unknown enemy in the vast emptiness of space.
At least there, they had weapons, the ability to fight back, to attack!
But...
This was Kula's feeling.
He felt the deep sorrow of the Multi-eyed, though he'd never questioned being a Multi-eyed, nor desired to be human or Kate. This sorrow was real; he couldn't deny it.
He transmitted an optical message.
"Prepare for battle!"
"They are our enemies; our loved ones perished at the hands of their neutrino creations."
"To protect our people from such annihilation and death, we will fight to the death, leaving our mark on our enemies."
There was no boasting.
They had located the enemy warships.
Launch.
Engage.
They closed the distance.
Lasers fired at the U-shaped warship, but all were deflected.
Kula had received instructions; only by boarding the enemy ship could they win.
"Charge!"
With no path to retreat, they attacked.
Ships and fighters swarmed towards the Purple Thorn warship like locusts.
This was a repeat of the Valiant Legion's fate, destined for a similar outcome.
But then.
The warships detected a massive energy surge; the missing object reappeared.
Because the blockade had been significantly reduced, the fleet was now within the Proxima Centauri system, not far from Proxima Centauri c.
The Multi-eyed could even see a new planet emerging within the system.
A planet growing larger and larger.
"Is that Proxima Centauri b?"
Kula didn't understand. How could a planet move?
And why had the Purple Thorns ended the blockade?
In the distance, the Purple Thorn warship altered course. A massive, geometric energy structure at its center emitted a blinding white light.
This light struck Proxima Centauri b.
A moment later.
The Multi-eyed witnessed the destruction of Proxima Centauri b.
This was a true annihilation weapon.
A single shot... obliterating a planet!
Gazing at the shattered planet.
Kula was stunned. A nearby light flashed, transmitting a word message.
"Attack!"
He froze.
He knew who had sent the message.
A moment later, his hundreds of eyes focused on the target.
"Forget everything else. We attack!"
Hundreds of warships continued their advance towards an enemy they were almost certainly unable to defeat.
...
On the Purple Thorn warship, a deep purple creature emitted a series of "Looo" sounds.
It was laughter.
It was mocking the Multi-eyed's futile efforts.
Even witnessing such power, they still dared to attack.
A signal emanated from the sphere atop its head, reaching the warship.
The warship once again focused its energy.
A laser erupted from the ship's core, not a focused beam but a fan of destructive energy.
Countless Multi-eyed warships were instantly destroyed.
Even with some energy loss, this weapon possessed the power to obliterate a planet.
Destruction.
Explosions bloomed across space—no fire, no smoke, only the disintegration of warships and the dazzling light of released energy.
This wasn't a fair fight.
It was a suicide mission.
They had a way out—abandoning the Multi-eyed planet—but their master wouldn't allow it.
She seemed to believe they could win.
Kula could only pray that his master was right.
At the very least, he had to ensure the survival of the elderly and children on the Multi-eyed planet.
"Commander, our ships can't break through."
"Even if we could, what then?"
"You know our ships lack powerful weapons; all energy goes to propulsion."
"Don't we have secret weapons?"
"Where are those ships now?"
Anxiety filled the flagship's bridge.
The losses were staggering.
They were 12 AU from the enemy warship—a vast distance requiring considerable travel time.
During that time, the enemy could attack at will.
This single attack had already cost them nearly a hundred ships.
Their combined firepower wasn't enough.
This suicide mission was poorly executed.
Kula thought of their "secret weapons."
Only 962 ships remained, including those damaged; the original fleet numbered 1287.
Theoretically, 325 ships were missing.
These ships carried minimal crew and had departed the Multi-eyed planet earlier.
Legend held that these ships carried weapons capable of countering the enemy, making the current fleet expendable.
But as the fleet commander, Kula, like everyone else, only knew the legend; the ships' whereabouts were unknown.
"No questions. No hesitation. Attack!"
His message was unwavering, chilling the Multi-eyed around him.
Was there no other way?
Over 100 ships had been destroyed. The enemy had abandoned its main cannon, instead using countless lasers.
Blazing beams of light, like countless scythes, reaped their lives.
A laser pierced through their ship's hull.
"We don't even have electromagnetic shields!"
Some Multi-eyed became translucent, their internal organs visible—a sign of extreme fear.
Another laser followed, striking the ship's bow, narrowly missing the bridge. Had it hit, the entire bridge would have been destroyed.
The enemy seemed focused on their flagship.
More attacks followed.
The warships could only evade by predicting the enemy's attacks, but the lasers were too dense and numerous. The enemy might miss many times, but the Multi-eyed couldn't afford a single miss.
Death loomed over them.
More warships in the distance suffered the same fate.
136...
148...
162...
They counted the losses.
Yet, they had only traveled one AU.
Suddenly, the laser fire ceased.
"Is a more powerful attack coming?"
The Multi-eyed feared the enemy wasn't ceasing fire but preparing to use its main cannon to wipe them out.
But this felt different.
"The enemy warship is moving!"
Kula stared at the screen.
Had the enemy decided that the distance was too great and intended to finish them off at close range?
Were they so confident, treating them like insects?
But something was wrong...
"The enemy warship isn't moving towards us but elsewhere. It's heading towards the Alpha Centauri binary system..."
The screen displayed data on Alpha Centauri.
While precise tracking was impossible, they detected flashing lights.
Each point of light represented an energy burst.
"The Alpha Centauri Dyson swarm is under attack."
"It's already been taken by the enemy. There might be enemy personnel there, and the warships are going to rescue them."
The Dyson swarm under attack.
Kula thought of the missing 300-plus warships.
Could it be...
That the missing ships were there?
"Should we pursue them, Commander?"
A Multi-eyed asked, already knowing the answer, yet hoping for a different order.
Kula had no choice; their mission was to attack, to pursue.
As he was about to give the order, a message arrived.
"Proceed to the Long Serpent Sector!"
The Long Serpent Sector?
Wasn't that the enemy's base?
Were they planning to exploit the enemy's absence and launch a surprise attack?
Kula didn't know.
He didn't need to know.
He was simply a 'machine', following orders.
"No!"
"We are going to the Long Serpent Sector!"
Upon receiving the first part of the message, the Multi-eyed rejoiced.
But the next part stunned them.
What was the purpose of going to the Long Serpent Sector? Could their ships destroy the enemy's base?
Wasn't this simply another suicide mission?
But they also sensed that this wasn't Kula's decision; no one blamed him.
So, they would go...
At least it couldn't be worse than before.
And it was clear that their master had a plan; this wasn't a suicide mission.
All available energy was dedicated to propulsion, for precisely this reason—reaching the Long Serpent Sector.
This was their last shred of hope.
...
Meanwhile.
The U-shaped warship accelerated to 12,478 km/s.
But reaching the Alpha Centauri binary system still took five years.
After all, Alpha Centauri was 0.2 light-years from Proxima Centauri.
Space was now filled with debris—the remnants of the Dyson swarm created by Ayla.
But the current focus wasn't Ayla but the Purple Thorns.
They controlled this region, stationing tens of thousands of soldiers there.
While there were some smaller spacecraft, none could withstand the enemy's warships and weaponry.
The Purple Thorns believed their opponents posed no threat.
This complacency would cost them dearly.
They broadcast a signal searching for survivors, but the universe remained silent, offering no response.
Suddenly.
They received a message: damage to the warship's hull.
The Purple Thorns prepared to dispatch engineers to investigate.
But as soon as the message was sent, similar reports flooded in.
Their ships were becoming riddled with holes.
Panic gripped the Purple Thorns; they frantically investigated.
They discovered microscopic entities similar to their own neutrino-scale organisms.
The difference was that these entities were quark-sized, not biological, but mechanical, far more sophisticated than their neutrino-scale creations, capable of storing immense energy.
They seemed to have mastered the manipulation of strings, densely packing them into a tiny space.
At this density, a slight disruption in the strings could trigger an immediate release of energy, creating a microscopic black hole.
This black hole would exist for only 0.248 seconds, enough to destroy matter within a few meters.
But this wouldn't significantly affect a ship or a living being.
The problem was...
There were countless of them.
According to their observations, the density of these quark-sized devices was 17.5 billion per cubic meter.
The total number was incalculable!
Their enemy couldn't possibly possess such advanced technology.
Yet, it was real.
"Gravitational waves!"
"Release gravitational waves!"
Only gravitational waves could influence the black holes, causing the microscopic black holes to move through space. This involved using gravitational waves to create a gradient, propelling the black holes like surfers.
The gravitational effect would also alter the distance between objects, pushing the quark-sized devices further apart.
But even so.
A single wave of black hole attacks had severely damaged their warships.
Many internal systems had malfunctioned.
This was their second major attack, even more devastating than the first.
They were furious.
From their perspective, the galactic federation was an ant they could crush whenever they wished, an ant that only survived because it was useful. They had tolerated it for a hundred years.
But now, this ant had become a rat, taking a bite out of them.
This was unacceptable!
Suddenly, a large fleet emerged from behind the star.
These ships charged towards them.
Was this all they had?
The Purple Thorns felt their enemy was resorting to desperate measures.
Their rage needed an outlet; they would unleash one final attack.
Another surge of energy; lasers capable of destroying planets swept across the fleet, annihilating everything in their path.
Destruction everywhere.
Their enemy was nothing more than a swarm of Type 1 insects.
This was the inevitable consequence of daring to oppose them.
A hundred years of waiting, and this was all the enemy could muster. They had overestimated their opponent.
They had initially intended to enslave this star system.
Now that it was destroyed, it held little value; they would simply obliterate the entire system.
This was the Purple Thorn's plan.
But then, from the wreckage of the destroyed ships, a long, black needle accelerated towards them at over 22,000 km/s.
What was that?
"???"
The Purple Thorns were utterly confused.
The object appeared to be a 1000-meter-long metallic drill.
Deep within Alpha Centauri A, Ayla monitored the battlefield.
For years, since discovering the microscopic machines, she had been unable to replicate them but could exploit their properties.
And now, the critical moment had arrived.
"Launching 187 God's Rods!"
"Calculating..."
"Enemy interception probability: 2.37%!"
Zap's report included battle data and analysis of the enemy's energy type.
The barrier primarily utilized electromagnetism.
Therefore, they needed to use a high-energy, electrically neutral particle to penetrate the barrier and attack the enemy.
But there was a problem.
All particles are subject to the four fundamental forces. The enemy had a superior understanding of these forces. How could they bypass the enemy's defenses?
The only opportunity was during the enemy's energy recharge phase.
This was the only chance.
Luna and Ayla discussed this strategy.
God's Rods!
These seemingly ordinary metallic drills contained advanced technology.
Ayla observed.
The drills rapidly approached the enemy warship.
As expected, the enemy deployed the barrier, fearing the drills' hidden weaponry.
But the barrier was ineffective.
The Purple Thorns relaxed their guard, believing the barrier's invulnerability meant the drills were low-energy and only needed to be shielded against kinetic energy.
Weak civilization!
Weak resistance!
Lasers vaporized the drills, extinguishing any remaining resistance.
This wasn't arrogance; it was a terrifying technological disparity, like 21st-century soldiers facing Stone Age tribesmen.
Lasers from the warship struck the drills, melting their surfaces.
But then, a smaller drill emerged from the wreckage, resembling an inverted nail, only 20 meters long, accelerating to 41,000 km/s.
The Purple Thorns sensed something was wrong.
They continued firing lasers, but the beams passed straight through the drill without effect.
What was happening?
This was unexpected.
They prepared to use gravitational waves, assuming that any matter would be affected by gravity.
But they were too late.
The object was extremely close—less than 7 million kilometers away—too close for their gravity manipulators to react.
They changed tactics.
If gravity was ineffective, they would use the strong and weak forces.
But the strong force also passed straight through.
A terrifying possibility occurred to them.
Could it be—a fundamental particle?
The drill was composed of a fundamental particle unaffected by the strong force. The most readily available, detectable, and manipulable particles in the universe were neutrinos.
Neutrinos are only affected by the weak force. To create a macroscopic object from them required using near-string technology to bind them together.
Because their combined mass increased, their speed decreased, preventing them from reaching near light speed.
Therefore, only the weak force could be used.
Within half a minute, the Purple Thorns reacted, activating their weak force emitters. This required less energy than generating gravitational waves; activation took only 23 seconds.
Deployment!
Spherical weak force fields expanded from the warship's surface, enveloping the neutrino constructs within five seconds.
The constructs, previously resembling nails, began to link together. Microscopic black holes formed around the neutrino constructs, disrupting the weak force.
It was the quark-sized devices!
The explosions lasted ten seconds.
The neutrino constructs pierced the weak force fields.
And finally... reached the ship's hull.
Penetrating it instantly, the neutrinos were compressed, rather than releasing their energy.
Neutrinos, being so small, can pass through almost anything without causing damage. Every living being and object is constantly bombarded by trillions upon trillions of neutrinos.
But by manipulating strings, more strings could be added to the neutrinos, much like adding or removing electrons from an atom, causing a change.
This was Ayla's first application of string manipulation.
Ayla's manipulation of strings was crude; she could only induce a limited degree of string fusion in the neutrinos, converting them into other fundamental particles and then combining them to form larger structures.
These structures, being unstable, would undergo rapid fission, fusion, and decay, releasing tremendous energy.
And the result...
The neutrinos within the warship underwent these transformations, causing the Purple Thorn warship to explode from the inside out.
The tens of thousands of Purple Thorns aboard were incredulous.
Given their technological level, they easily understood the underlying principles.
But they had never encountered such a bizarre weapon.
Moreover, when had their enemy mastered string manipulation?
This question plagued them, even as the immense energy consumed them.
Five years—the time it took the enemy fleet to reach the Alpha Centauri binary system.
"Barbarians" had defeated a "civilization."
...
Over two months later, Luna received a message from Ayla.
"Plan successful!"
But she wasn't relieved; the war wasn't over, perhaps it had only just begun.
The barrier in the Long Serpent Sector remained. It was vast; it was unlikely that only one 10,000-meter U-shaped ship was present.
But with the success of the plan, she could finally leave her underground base.
She moved to a side wall and opened a door, revealing a bridge.
Her hibernation chamber wasn't a simple compartment but a spacecraft hidden deep underground.
The light-based alloy's melting point was 87,000°C; even the interior of Proxima Centauri c, a large rocky planet, only reached 13,000°C. The spacecraft could easily survive here.
Luna sat in the pilot's seat and started the engines.
It would take her five months to ascend via the elevator shaft.
Then, she would leave the Proxima Centauri system.
Because the enemy was on its way.
...
The Multi-eyed fleet was en route to the Long Serpent Sector.
Their speed was far lower than the enemy's; after eight years, they had only traveled 0.19 light-years. Reaching the Long Serpent Sector would take much longer.
But.
As they traveled, a series of black dots appeared in front of them.
These dots, observed through telescopes, steadily grew larger.
The Multi-eyed felt a chill run down their spines.
The dots were warships.
Each identical to the ones they'd encountered before. One was enough to destroy them, to destroy the Kate fleet. Now, there were hundreds... no, a thousand.
They had no chance.
Before they could succumb to fear and despair.
Lasers struck them.
Ships disintegrated.
Tens of thousands of Multi-eyed were instantly frozen in the vacuum of space.
The colossal fleet passed them at a distance of 9 million kilometers, without slowing.
The Multi-eyed fleet was shattered, the warships destroyed, leaving only scattered fighters and smaller vessels.
Kula, aboard a fighter, watched the fleet disappear, then looked around.
Oppression!
A crushing weight settled over him.
They couldn't win!
Should they flee?
He was torn.
Then, a detached message arrived.
"Proceed to the Long Serpent Sector!"
Perhaps... there was a chance.
He began gathering the survivors, setting course for the Long Serpent Sector.