I am the Emperor of Humanity across the Multiverse

Inside a medium-sized drop pod:

"All combat personnel, attention. This ship will soon adjust its angle and initiate the drop as soon as the signal light turns on. Please be prepared for the assault.

Once the drop pods detach from the ship, they will be assisted by bridge personnel to ensure you land as per the plan. However, in case of an emergency, manual adjustment of the drop pod's trajectory will be required.

Lastly, let those alien scum realize what happens when they provoke humans. Good luck to all."

Hearing the announcement from the bridge communications officer over the all-channels, Second Lieutenant Jains Thompson and the elite special forces inside the drop pods felt their already high tension reach its peak.

The elevated heart rates displayed on their helmet screens confirmed their current state.

These elites were from Zero-Four Earth (also known as Hades), having faced ghost-like living condensed matter and battled so-called cultists of evil gods. Though seasoned warriors, this was their first time executing a "boarding" mission in space, akin to traditional naval warfare. Fear and anxiety about the unknown were inevitable.

Boom! Boom!

The violent rotations of the Dawn, coupled with the intense tremors from enemy artillery, made their breathing grow rapid.

"Stay calm!" Jains tried to encourage his squad over the internal comms. "Guys! Don't forget our mission is to create as much chaos as possible inside the enemy's mothership to cover the engineers from the research division, who will then take control of the ship.

But before that, we'll face countless enemies, and the difficulty of this mission exceeds expectations.

However, we all know the benefits the boss has given us! Without him, our lives would be endless darkness. So, if for nothing else, let's fight for the boss! Hoorah?"

"Hoorah!!"

"Hahaha! That's the spirit of AECS!"

As Jains spoke, he saw on his helmet's radar display that the Dawn had completed its rotation and was about to reach the designated launch area. He took a deep breath and continued, "Get ready!"

Soon after, clang! The drop pod detached from the launch bay.

An obvious jolt followed, signaling that their pod was now speeding down the Dawn's internal drop rail.

Screeching metal sounds like "zzz!" and "scrap!" filled their ears briefly before fading away. This was replaced by a strong "push-back" sensation, indicating the boosters atop the drop pods had fired up.

Through the shared vision on his helmet screen, Jains could see their pod hurtling toward the massive breach created by electromagnetic and plasma cannons.

It wasn't just them; the entire Atlas Fleet had deployed all their single, medium, and large drop pods, along with 40 Shrike assault boats, racing toward the Reaper mothership.

The shared visual display showed that the Atlas Fleet, along with the small falcon drones and unmanned squadrons, were drawing the enemy's full attention, taking the brunt of the green energy bolts and swarm-like attacks.

The defensive firepower barrage from the enemy's point-defense guns, the explosions of armor on the outer hulls, and the continuous losses of their carrier-based fighters illuminated the dark void of space.

The fleet was taking heavy losses.

Jains and the others understood that if the fleet hadn't risked closing the distance with the Reaper mothership, they wouldn't have had the chance to carry out this boarding operation.

At this moment, all fear and anxiety vanished. Now, all Jains and his comrades could think about was how to slaughter as many aliens as possible—anything less would be a disservice to the fleet's sacrifices.

Meanwhile, inside the Reaper mothership:

The interior was extraordinarily spacious, vast even.

A towering structure over ten kilometers tall stood like a massive support pillar for this section.

The deck was filled with soil, lakes, and plants suitable for the Reapers' survival, with a complete ecosystem. It was practically a mobile home.

However, the ship's damage and pressure differentials accelerated the airflow.

Near the edge of the swampy area, a group of "soldier ants" in bio-protective suits gathered hastily, holding what appeared to be bone-like energy weapons.

They hadn't anticipated that the human fleet could break through their shields or send assault teams to board the ship. The Queen, in charge of all operations on the mothership, hadn't initially planned to deploy the soldier ants.

According to the plan, the soldier ants were supposed to clean up, occupy, and enslave humans after their airborne forces were destroyed by the City Destroyers.

But the situation had exceeded the Queen's expectations, leaving the soldier ants acting in confusion.

At that moment…

Whoosh—whoosh!

Numerous drop pods descended into the area from above.

The soldier ants barely had time to raise their weapons before the drop pods adjusted their angle and plummeted to the ground.

Boom—boom!

In an instant, the sound of heavy metal smashing into the ground echoed.

Splat! Squish!

The sound of bodies being crushed and torn apart followed.

The drop pods' brutal landing wiped out a large number of soldier ants gathered on the spot.

Bang—bang!

Next, the pod doors shot open, releasing…

"Die! Die, you disgusting creatures!"

"Is that even a real gun you're holding? Gunners, lay down suppressing fire!"

"First squad, advance! Second and third squads, cover the flanks!"

A group of Atlas elite soldiers, venting their anger by pulling the triggers of their weapons, emerged from the pods.

Breaking free from their restraints, the ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) and AECS troops participating in the boarding used the vision and shooting assistance provided by their equipment to unleash a barrage of gauss, plasma, and various caliber weapons.

Faced with the relentless assault, the soldier ants were forced to retreat, allowing the strike force to secure the area around the drop pods and establish a solid foothold.

Jains' AECS special combat squad, after eliminating nearby threats, immediately charged toward the towering structure on the right.

Their helmets displayed detailed terrain information and dynamic alerts, helping Jains avoid potential traps or ambushes as they advanced.

Upon reaching the base of the tower, Jains took cover, crouched down, and stayed vigilant while asking, "Status report."

"First squad, all clear."

"Second squad, all clear."

"Third squad: 2 and 4 are injured but have patched their suits with emergency foam. It won't affect the mission or combat."

As they communicated, 35 Shrike assault boats finally arrived, lowering altitude to the landing zone cleared by the ODST and AECS forces.

However, five boats were missing, likely using optical camouflage during the raid, making them invisible to the naked eye.

Jains zoomed in on the map, getting a better understanding of the friendly forces' positions.

Currently, over 3,000 Atlas elites, along with more than 100 heavily armored Tyrants and combat mechs, were deployed near the landing zone.

Primarchs Fulgrim, Leman, Angron, and 40 Thunder Warriors had also arrived with the Shrikes.

Their mission, as Jains had mentioned earlier, was to create as much chaos as possible, covering the engineers headed to the control room, who would hack into the system to seize control of the massive ship, which was over 100 kilometers long and wide.

Moreover, intelligence suggested that only by showing the Reapers the overwhelming firepower of the engineers could they force the Queen to abandon the fortress and flee on the City Destroyer ship.

If the Queen survived, even if they took the mothership, the billions of soldier ants would fight them to the bitter end.

That was not what the company wanted.

Though Jains wasn't sure how the intel department got such precise information, past experience told him their intel had never been wrong.

So, Jains dismissed all his concerns.

After reviewing the allied forces' positions, he returned the map to its original size, looked ahead, and commanded, "Demolition teams, find the best positions and prepare for the first round of firepower strikes. Let those scum see the company's new single-soldier tactical weapon."

"Yes, sir."

With the order, three demolition experts carrying grenades and explosives moved to the front, supported by their comrades.

Each pulled out rocket launchers, aiming at the mass of soldier ants regrouping several kilometers away.

After locking on and waiting patiently, they saw the order "First round of firepower strikes" flash on their helmet screens and fired without hesitation.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Nearly 100 micro-missiles streaked across the sky, spreading out and reaching the soldier ants' position.

Riiiip—whoosh!!!

"Nuclear blast!"

Boom!!!

The deafening explosion and the shockwave that followed even reached Jains and his team in the safe zone.

But the effect on them was minimal, while the soldier ants at the epicenter of the "nuclear blast" were either vaporized by the intense heat or shattered by the explosion.

In the blink of an eye, the boarding elites had wiped out the Reapers' first wave of reinforcements.

The "new tactical weapons" Jains referred to were soldier-launched missiles packed with metallic hydrogen and deuterium. Upon detonation, they triggered a mini-nuclear fusion reaction, each with an explosive yield of 200-300 tons of TNT.

These worked on the same principles as the air-to-air missiles used by the Falcon drones, but Atlas personnel casually referred to them as metallic hydrogen missiles or bombs.

The Reapers' aerial forces had already been suppressed by the Atlas fleet, and their ground forces lacked armored units due to their overconfidence and tight timelines.

At this rate, unless the boarding elites ran out of soldier-class metallic hydrogen missiles, the Reaper soldier ants would struggle to capitalize on their numerical

 advantage.

…

While the main assault force was wreaking havoc and drawing the Reapers' attention, five Shrike assault boats, still in stealth mode, were weaving through the towering structures, heading straight for the control room in the mothership's core.

Inside one of these Shrikes:

"..."

Saint Giles silently watched the real-time battle reports displayed on the holographic screen in front of him. He saw that the main force, with the aid of metallic hydrogen missiles, had gained the upper hand, with no significant casualties reported yet.

However, the Primarch, too large to fit comfortably in the cabin and forced to kneel, remained deeply concerned.

As his father's son and confidant, Saint Giles knew the intelligence department's ability to provide such detailed and accurate information was directly related to his father's [Reset].

However, the only way to force out the cowardly and self-preserving Queen was through brute force.

Damn alien scum.

Saint Giles cursed inwardly.

At that moment, a report came through from the Shrike pilot, "Sir, we've located the mothership's control room."

Upon hearing this, Saint Giles accessed the pilot's shared vision and saw the beehive-like exterior of the control room.

Seeing this, Saint Giles gave the order, "Shrikes 2 through 5, proceed as planned. Deploy ground troops and the engineers for the breach."

"Understood."

With the pilots' synchronized responses, the holographic screen showed four Shrike assault boats descending rapidly toward the control room's landing platform.

Meanwhile, the Shrike carrying Saint Giles maintained its altitude, not participating in the upcoming breach.

His mission was different—he was going to deal with the cowardly Queen personally.

His father had warned him that despite the names, Queens and Mother Queens were not weak figureheads in need of protection. On the contrary, their individual capabilities far surpassed those of the ordinary soldier ants and worker ants.

To draw a comparison, it was like the difference between the company's heavily armored Tyrants and Hellhounds.

Moreover, the Queen's biological protective suit was equipped with a ship-grade energy shield generator, capable of withstanding tactical nuclear strikes at close range.

So, as a precaution, Saint Giles had dispatched Vulkan along with the ARS (Advanced Response Squad) elites to protect the engineers responsible for hacking the system.

His role was to deliver the final blow to the Queen once she left her fortress.

…

At the landing platform outside the control room:

Dozens of worker ants were diligently inspecting the parked transport ships.

Setting aside any preconceived notions, these Reaper worker ants, with their unified thoughts and commands, were no less efficient than the Atlas Engineering Division's Hex robots, making them ideal "tools" for construction.

Suddenly.

The worker ants sensed an unusual shift in the air currents, causing them to stop their work and turn toward the empty landing pads.

Thud, thud.

As they completed their turn, they heard the sound of landing gear touching the metal deck and saw something—or rather, someone—they hadn't expected.

A giant wielding a massive hammer had arrived.

___________________

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