Leticia's command, transmitted through the ship's internal communication system like a silent electric current, instantly spread to every corner of the genesis.
On the cold metal deck, tens of thousands of Sanguine Valkyries who had just experienced a bloody battle almost instinctively gripped their weapons, which still held the lingering warmth of demons, even tighter.
Disarm?
Open the hatches?
In this dark sea of stars that had swallowed countless fleets, this was no different from voluntarily offering one's own throat to the enemy's blade.
However, there was not a hint of hesitation.
Not a single word of questioning.
The next second.
The entire genesis, this war beast capable of rivaling the Imperial Navy's strongest battleships, began its eerily strange "disarming" ritual.
Hum—a low hum, as if a giant beast were retracting its claws and fangs.
On both sides of the hull, the hundreds of macro-cannon muzzles slowly slid back into their heavy armored housings, one by one.
The menacing gun barrels vanished.
In their place was the mirror-smooth surface of the hull, shimmering with a soft light.
Immediately after, the missile silos scattered across the ship's body, those dense, honeycomb-like openings, were completely sealed off by a layer of flowing silver metal.
Finally, the pale pink energy shield enveloping the entire warship, capable of withstanding world-ending firepower, dissipated silently into the void like morning mist blown away by the wind.
The genesis thus laid itself bare, exposing its most vulnerable hull completely to the star-filled sky fraught with danger.
But this was not the end.
In the midsection of the hull, the largest main hangar bay, capable of accommodating a complete landing force, began to open.
Its incredibly heavy alloy blast doors slowly slid open to both sides amidst a dull sound of machinery.
The bright lights from within streamed out without obstruction, like an open, undefended, and warm embrace.
On the bridge.
Valeria stood before the tactical light screen, watching the runes representing "Weapon Systems" and "Energy Shields" turn one by one from the red of combat readiness to the gray of dormancy.
Her gray eyes, which always burned with iron will, now reflected the incredible changes on the screen, stirring up a stormy sea of shock.
Her fingers gripping the data pad turned white from excessive force.
As one of the best Commissars in the Empire, her tactical manual contained tens of thousands of plans for dealing with different enemies.
But none of these plans were called "suicide."
But... was this suicide?
Valeria's gaze subconsciously shifted to the throne not far away.
Leticia sat there calmly, gently stroking the soft blonde hair of Terrania in her arms, as if everything outside had nothing to do with her.
There was not a trace of tension on her face.
In fact, there was even a faint, playful smile, as if she were waiting for an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time.
Boom!
It was as if lightning had struck through Valeria's mind!
She understood in an instant!
This was not suicide!
This was not arrogance!
This was a kind of confidence born from absolute power, a confidence of a deity that transcended all human tactical understanding!
She was not waiting for judgment.
She was making a declaration!
A declaration to the approaching enemy—before me, the fleets you take pride in and the weapons you rely on are no different from children's toys!
Having realized this, Valeria's heart, which had been suspended in tension, instantly returned to its place.
In its place was a more fervent, more pure, and fanatical worship!
She straightened her back, and her heroic face rekindled with an iron will.
She felt deep shame for her momentary wavering just now.
Just then!
A piercing alarm sounded without warning throughout the entire bridge!
"High-intensity Subspace fluctuations detected!"
"Warning! A large-scale fleet is conducting a short-range Subspace jump!...Unable to estimate!"
Before the words had even faded.
The void in front of the genesis was torn apart.
It was not the filthy, chaotic, blood-red rift of Chaos demons.
It was a precise, holy, and majestic golden rift, as if sliced open by a god's blade!
The next second!
One ship!
Ten ships!
Dozens of massive Imperial warships, like steel beasts emerging from a mythological epic, swept into real space, carrying the fury of judgment and the glory of the Emperor!
The style of these warships was completely different from the rugged and practical style of the Imperial Navy.
Their bows featured massive statues of Battle Sisters holding double-headed eagle scepters.
On both sides of their hulls stood spires and flying buttresses reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals.
Huge stained-glass windows depicted murals of the Emperor and a Living Saint fighting side by side.
On the hull of every warship was painted the emblem of the Adepta Sororitas—the fleur-de-lis and the skull!
This was the most pious, most fanatical armed force of the Empire!
It was the divine punishment walking upon the earth!
The [Divine Punishment] Judgment Fleet!
In the instant they appeared, dozens of warships formed a perfect, seamless perimeter, locking the solitary, undefended genesis completely in the center.
The pitch-black gun muzzles all aimed at their target at the same time.
The Imperial fleet's fire control system had firmly locked onto every key part of the genesis.
With just one command, destructive firepower capable of blasting a small planet into rubble would instantly erase this heretical ship, which dared to profane the sacred, from the universe!
The air seemed to have solidified.
Inside the bridge of the genesis, apart from the piercing alarm, one could hear a pin drop.
Angronia had already stood up, her amber pupils rekindling with pure Battle Intent.
Fogremia and Sanguinia also walked to Leticia's side, their expressions grave.
However, Leticia still did not move.
She merely raised her hand and waved it gently.
The piercing alarm ceased abruptly.
The entire bridge returned to silence once more.
She did not even look at the torrent of steel outside the window that would make any force tremble; she simply kept her head down, gently twirling a lock of Terrania's blonde hair with her fingers.
Time passed, minute by minute.
One minute.
Five minutes.
The anticipated destructive artillery fire did not come.
The Judgment Fleet that had surrounded the genesis just hung silently in the void, motionless.
An eerie silence shrouded this star sector.
On the bridge of the Imperial fleet flagship, the [Saint's Wrath].
The atmosphere was also suppressed to the extreme.
All the fleet Commanders were staring intently at the mysterious black ship on the main screen, their faces filled with incomprehensible confusion and shock.
"Grand Abbot of Saints... the target... has not activated its shields."
A young Sister officer reported in a dry voice.
"Their weapon systems are all in a deactivated state."
Another officer added, her tone filled with a sense of absurdity.
"They... even opened the gates of the main hangar bay..."
The words of the last officer plunged the entire bridge into a deathly silence.
What kind of situation was this?
Surrender?
It didn't look like it.
A trap?
What kind of trap could a completely undefended ship have?
The opponent's attitude, calm to the extreme, as if "inviting" them over, made all their preset combat plans seem absurd and ridiculous.
They felt less like a Judgment Fleet that had come to execute divine punishment.
They felt more like a group of mortals who had rushed into a deity's home, armed and at a loss.
Just in this suffocating silence.
A majestic, calm, yet unmistakably weary female voice slowly sounded.
"All fleets, maintain formation."
"Cease fire."
"Wait for my command."
The Grand Abbot of Saints, Morwen Val, spoke.
She had already sensed it.
From that black ship came an aura that made her soul tremble, one that was both familiar and strange.
That aura had made her wait for ten thousand years.
It had also made her... confused for ten thousand years.
And on the bridge of the genesis.
Leticia finally raised her head.
Without spending a single soldier or a single blow, with just one gesture, she completely dissolved the enemy's Battle Intent and firmly grasped the initiative in her own hands.
This aura of a deity, born from absolute confidence, made all the Sisterhood members present feel supreme honor and peace of mind.
Just in this eerie standoff.
The hangar bay of the Imperial flagship slowly opened.
A small shuttle, decorated with a golden holy emblem, slowly sailed out.
It carried no escort.
It was alone.
It sailed slowly toward the hangar bay of the genesis, which was wide open like the mouth of a giant beast.
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