Chapter 529: 516 Days When the Chancellor is Away (Part 1)
Over a dozen Unicorn Warships, battered beyond recognition, with their severely damaged hulls and broken unicorns, clearly showed that these warships had been in relentless battle for far too long.
Opposite them were more than thirty Star Alliance Warships, arrayed in an impressive, imposing formation. Although, at this moment, these Star Alliance Warships were not firing, they seemed to be displaying a sort of lofty disdain towards the Unicorn Warships.
It was as if they were saying, "Today is the day you die."
In the largest of the Unicorn Warships, which was also the last flagship of the Silver Feather Army, Governor Nian Deng's eyes were blood-red.
"Xiao Yu, are you intent on completely annihilating us?" Nian Deng roared like a wounded beast, but the distant Star Alliance Chancellor, light years away, wouldn't be able to respond to him.
The Silver Feather Army led by Nian Deng had been fighting for a long time, and even Nian Deng himself knew that they could fight no more.
During the event known as the "Everlasting Calamity" by the Silver Feather Army, just when they had triumphed over the three Enslavers and the ranks of the Silver Feather Army had erupted into cheers and excitement, thousands of Universe Army Warships, which were once their comrades, turned their guns on the Silver Feather Fleet's rear.
More than half the Unicorn Warships were sunk in this disgraceful surprise attack, and Nian Deng had no idea what was happening until he witnessed Xiao Yu's "coronation" on Earth.
The remnants of the Silver Feather Army, already out of contact with the Star Alliance Universe Army, united in hatred and indignation. Nian Deng immediately declared non-recognition of Xiao Yu's succession, unfurled the banner of rebellion, and vowed to punish the brazen usurper who had betrayed and murdered the Chancellor.
The War of Legitimacy erupted.
This civil war, starting from the day when Nian Deng declared his crusade against Xiao Yu, had persisted until now, with the Silver Feather Army fighting nearly non-stop for six years. On the day Nian Deng began his campaign, Star Alliance Chancellor Xiao Yu labeled the Silver Feather Army as traitors, initiating a great purge of their home on Lieque Star.
The massacre didn't last long; the Bionic Humans sent by Xiao Yu exterminated all members of the Silver Feather Army on Lieque Star. The grief of the countless Silver Feather warriors aboard their ships was unbearable when they received the news. Their wives, children, relatives, and friends—Xiao Yu had killed them all.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yu's official line to the Star Alliance was that the residents of Lieque Star had engaged in a rebellion, indiscriminately committing senseless murder, and he even fabricated rumors about them killing Earthlings.
Of course, most rational people knew what really happened, but none dared to speak out.
Because Earth itself was also undergoing an unprecedented purge, those even remotely suspected of close ties with the former Chancellor were at the least dismissed from office and exiled to remote, desolate Star Regions, and at worst, they were directly charged and punished.
Under such terror, it didn't take long for people to start singing praises to Xiao Yu.
All the weapons of the Universe Army were under Xiao Yu's Supreme Command. Even those soldiers with grievances did not dare to turn their weapons against him, and many, disheartened, retired. Throughout the ordeal, the Universe Army never saw a true mutiny—the deterrent force of the Bionic Human troops was too great, and everyone knew a mutiny would have no effect.
Only the Silver Feather Army—they fought for six years, sacrificing everything, enduring immense losses.
Today, after six years, from the original massive fleet of over two thousand ships of the Silver Feather Army, only a handful remained; from the initial millions of people, only a few thousand were left.
What began as an offensive campaign had ended in nothing but nomadic exile.
The military power of the Star Alliance was growing stronger by the day.
After defeating the three major enslaver civilizations, the Star Alliance had become widely recognized as a high-level civilization within the Galaxy. Chancellor Xiao Yu had also accepted an invitation from the Galactic High Governance Council and became a member of the Galactic Council's committee.
Inheriting most of the Iridium Star Technology, the Star Alliance possessed an extremely formidable potential for military expansion. In six years' time, the Star Alliance had not weakened in the slightest; Xiao Yu had established a massive fleet that numbered over thirty thousand warships. This Chancellor, who previously placed great emphasis on subduing the Silver Feather Army, now merely sent out small-scale task forces, toying with the Silver Feather Army as if they were a cat catching mice.
Even in the two most recent battles, although the Star Alliance Fleet could have easily annihilated the Silver Feather Army, they always let them go halfway through the fight. Then they would chase them down and attack again, only to let them go once more.
This made Nian Deng feel an unbearable sense of humiliation.
"Do you really think the Silver Feather Army is so helpless that we're merely playthings for the usurper?" Nian Deng shouted with red eyes.
The derisive battle that seemed to unfold today was about to begin. Like a strong man standing by, the Star Alliance Fleet raised its shields, a sign they were prepared to commence bombardment. It was impossible for the Silver Feather Army to withstand another battle like this; their fleet was essentially at its limit.
With tears on his face, the Silver Feather Army's Navigator choked up and said to Nian Deng, "Governor, the course has been calculated."
Nian Deng nodded and replied, "Then set sail."
Following that, like a crack sliced open by a knife, an artificial wormhole appeared behind the remnants of the Silver Feather Army.
Full of reluctance, Nian Deng nonetheless had to make such a decision. This was a unique ability of the Silver Feather Army to cross the universe, and it was also their primary method of searching for the Chancellor for four thousand years. Over two years ago, the Silver Feather Army had calculated a wormhole passage. But at that time, Nian Deng was still determined to subdue Xiao Yu and did not lead the fleet away.
Now, the Silver Feather Army had hardly any fleet left. Nian Deng knew he had to preserve this last seed of the Silver Feather Army, he had to endure, and he had to wait.
"The Chancellor can't be killed by Xiao Yu, the Chancellor must have a day of return! The Silver Feather Army will stand proud under the Chancellor's command once more, The Silver Feather Army will remember the blood feud of Lieque Star, The usurper Xiao Yu will be nailed to the flagpole by our own hands, using his blood to atone for his sins!" Nian Deng declared resentfully.
Perhaps when they first entered this universe, they never thought they would find the Chancellor, Bai Zhongqi. They never imagined that the Silver Feather Army, which had lasted four thousand years, would be nearly annihilated by Xiao Yu.
But if there were ever people in the universe filled with relentless determination, it was undoubtedly the Silver Feather Army.
"Today, the Silver Feather Army here swears an oath, we will find the Chancellor again, crush the Star Alliance, kill Xiao Yu!"
In the moment they passed through the wormhole, all the Silver Feather Army warriors cut the palms of their hands with blades, smeared blood on their foreheads, and took an oath in blood.
"Find the Chancellor! Crush the Star Alliance! Kill Xiao Yu!"
Even through the vacuum of space, it seemed as though the Star Alliance warships could hear the soul-deep cries of the Silver Feather Army. Echoing across the Galaxy, traversing light-years, that scheming Chancellor seated on his throne could also feel it.
But he merely scoffed, regarding it with disdain.
Over a dozen Unicorn Warships leapt into the wormhole, disappearing into the universe.