Inside Lower Zone Adaptris World
A man travelled through the shadows and entered a massive, ancient hall. He bowed before the person seated on the high throne.
"Ancestor, they have already taken nine hundred of our planets."
The person sitting on the throne nodded nonchalantly.
"Are they moving deeper into our territory?"
"No, my lord. They seem to fear our retaliation."
The person on the throne shook his head.
"What a bunch of cowards. These six empires collaborated to attack my empire, and now they fear our retaliation."
The shadow trembled upon seeing the confidence of his Ancestor. The Ancestor continued asking questions.
"Which planets collaborated? Was Mutagen also involved?"
"No. Only Aqualen, Memoris, Solvar, Terravon, and Thundrak collaborated under the banner of Imperius."
The Ancestor chuckled.
"So, it is Imperius who fears us. It seems he doesn’t want to give up his control over the Lower Zone. What a fool! After ruling for so many years, their empire has apparently given birth to a foolish Ancestor."
Seeing his Ancestor fall silent, the shadow spoke again.
"Should we attack them, Ancestor?"
The Ancestor leaned back and shook his head.
"No. Just leave them alone. But if they touch even one more planet, make them understand what pain truly means."
The shadow nodded and retreated. He didn’t ask his Ancestor why he refused to fight the six empires. It was clear that if Invictus left his planet and fought all six Ancestors alone, even he would be injured. There was also no way the other Paths would miss such an opportunity to attack if something like that happened.
The shadow had served the Adaptris for a short time, but he understood that Invictus never made decisions without a reason. Invictus could be arrogant, but his arrogance was backed by strength. Although he has not seen him in action himself, rumors told that few in the Lower Zone could challenge him. The six Empires had already taken nine hundred planets, yet Invictus had shown no intention of retaliating immediately. This patience frightened the shadow more than an angry response would have. He knew that when Invictus finally decided to act, the consequences would be severe.
Somewhere far away from the Adaptris World, six Path Ancestors sat around a large, ancient table.
A man radiating an aura of royalty and sovereignty frowned.
"We have plundered nine hundred of his worlds. How can he still refuse to come after us?"
A blue-skinned man spoke next.
"I think this time, we have lost. Although we plundered his planets, we have now made ourselves a dangerous enemy. I think we should push deeper into his territory."
The man with cracked, dark skin shouted.
"Are you a fool? Who would enter his home ground? I’m not even sure we could kill him if he attacked us here, and you’re suggesting that we go deeper into his territory?"
The man with spiky hair supported him.
"He is right. There is no way I’m entering his empire any deeper. We have already put in enough effort. It would be best to compensate him for his losses and end this conflict."
The man with golden eyes nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it’s clear that we need to compensate him. Let’s return to our empires first."
All the Path Ancestors agreed with the decision, but the man radiating an aura of sovereignty remained silent. Finally, he spoke in a low voice.
"We should at least leave our armies here. That way, we can keep an eye on Invictus Adaptris."
"What do we need to keep an eye on him for? You clearly want to lure Adaptris out with this move, but you should know that we have already lost. Do you really think Invictus cares about your army?"
Many of the Path Ancestors shook their heads. This time, they had chosen the wrong side.
Darius Imperius sighed as he saw the others’ reactions.
"Even so, I’m leaving my army here. Even a one percent chance is enough for me to take this risk."
The other Path Ancestors shook their heads and left the camp. They didn’t want to discuss the matter any further. As for the soldiers they were leaving behind, they had never cared much about them. There were plenty of people in their empires who would gladly fill the empty ranks.
After the others left, Darius also stepped outside and looked toward the Adaptris Empire.
This time, I’ve hit an iron wall.
Darius had not expected the expedition to end this way. He had believed that taking the fight to Invictus would force the Adaptris Ancestor to defend his territory. Instead, Invictus had remained where he was, leaving the six Empires to question their own decision. Darius could not tell whether his opponent was being cautious or simply considered their forces insignificant. Either possibility was troubling. Still, he refused to abandon every opportunity without trying.
He sighed before leaving finally. After Darius departed, a shadow quickly made its way toward the center of the Adaptris Empire.
It entered the throne room quietly.
Seeing the Ancestor seated on his throne, the shadow bowed.
"Ancestor, they have all left their armies behind. Their forces are patrolling near our new borders."
Invictus nodded upon hearing the report.
"So, they left their armies here to lure me out."
Invictus smiled at first, then burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Leave them be. Those jokers will soon see how I use their soldiers to train my younger generation."
The shadow remained silent. After thinking for a moment, the Ancestor continued.
"Go and tell our army to use the soldiers stationed near our borders as recruits for our younger generation."
The shadow nodded and left the hall.
It took only an hour for the new recruits to reach the border. The shadow remained hidden in the darkness, watching over his lord’s army.
The Adaptris soldiers advanced without hesitation. They had grown up hearing stories of their Ancestor’s strength, and none of them believed that the foreign armies could threaten their homeland. To them, the soldiers left behind by the six Empires were not a danger but an opportunity to prove themselves. Their commanders ordered them to surround the enemy positions and prevent anyone from escaping.
But just as the battle between the two forces began.
A planet suddenly appeared nearby, forcing them to pause their battle.