The coalition celebrated.For the first time since the return of the Great Cataclysm, a high-tier remnant had been destroyed completely.Across countless battlefield channels, exhausted soldiers cheered while military commanders from multiple civilizations transmitted congratulations through the coalition network.Hope had returned.Even if only briefly.Inside the central coalition command chamber, however, the atmosphere could not have been more different.Because while the rest of the universe celebrated Arthur Crowne was staring silently at the tactical projections before him.His expression had grown darker than ever.The planetary core destabilization warning remained displayed across the command systems.No remnant attack, battlefield damage, nor distortion breach.And yet the planetary core was dying.Lucas immediately noticed Arthur's expression.“You know what caused it.”It was not a question.Arthur slowly nodded.Several coalition commanders immediately turned toward him.

A strange silence settled across the battlefield.For weeks, every sector of the coalition front had been consumed by relentless warfare. Distortion storms ravaged entire star systems, remnant fleets advanced without pause, and countless civilizations fought desperately to prevent their worlds from sharing the fate of Serak’thel.Then, without warning, everything stopped.Reports began flooding into the coalition network almost simultaneously.Hunter-class remnants had halted their attacks.High-tier entities had ceased advancing.Entire remnant armadas that had been assaulting planetary defenses only moments earlier suddenly drifted motionless in space.At first, many commanders assumed it was some kind of trap.Others believed the coalition's recent victories had finally disrupted the enemy's momentum.Inside the central coalition command chamber above Arken, military officers scrambled to analyze incoming data while communication channels buzzed with confusion.No one understood wha

The days leading up to the defense of Arken were among the busiest in the history of the coalition.Millions of warships poured into the surrounding sectors. Supply convoys moved day and night. Military shipyards operated without rest while engineers reinforced planetary defenses that were already considered among the strongest in the known universe.Every civilization understood what was coming.The Source had awakened.The remnant armadas were converging on Arken.And if Arthur's assessment was correct, the coming battle would decide the fate of the entire universe.Amid those preparations, another conflict quietly spread through the coalition leadership.It centered around the relic weapon.The debate had become impossible to avoid.Nobody could deny the weapon's effectiveness. Entire remnant fleets had vanished beneath its attacks, and more than one civilization owed its survival to Lucien's intervention.At the same time, the connection between the weapon and the destabilization o

The siege began three days later.Long-range sensors detected the first remnant formations entering Arken's outer defensive sectors shortly before dawn.Within minutes, warning sirens echoed across military installations throughout the planet.Fleet commanders rushed to their assigned positions.Orbital defense stations activated one after another.Across millions of ships gathered around Arken, soldiers prepared for the battle everyone knew was coming.The final war had reached their doorstep.Inside the coalition command center, enormous tactical projections displayed the incoming enemy formations.Arthur stood at the center of the chamber.Despite the scale of the approaching threat, his voice remained steady."Their main force hasn't arrived yet."The statement immediately drew attention.Several commanders frowned.Arthur enlarged the battlefield projection.Thousands of hostile signatures filled the display.The number alone was enough to overwhelm most civilizations.Yet Arthur

The second wave arrived two days later.Unlike the advance force, this attack carried enough strength to force the coalition onto the defensive.Massive remnant formations emerged simultaneously across multiple sectors surrounding Arken.The battle intensified immediately.Orbital cannons fired without pause.Coalition fleets maneuvered constantly to prevent breaches in the defensive perimeter.Entire regions of space disappeared beneath explosions and distortion storms.Inside the central command center, tactical officers worked continuously as reports flooded in from every frontline.The pressure was growing.Even the most optimistic commanders could see it.The enemy was becoming more organized and coordinated. This is far more dangerous."They're adapting."Lucas studied the latest battlefield projections while speaking.Several sectors highlighted in red appeared before him.Arthur folded his arms."They've been adapting ever since the downfall of the five planets. I am sure the S