Chapter 386: Formation of the Calamity Legion
Just as Ignaz anticipated, thanks to his advance preparations with numerous puppets, the deaths of those he purged caused no waves whatsoever.
No one even knew they were dead.
At this moment, everyone’s attention was focused on how to adapt to this new era.
After nearly thirty thousand years of competition, the Three Universal Civilizations were, for the first time, merged into one.
The entire order of the explored universe underwent an earth-shattering transformation.
This was an era of change.
It was also an era ripe for striving.
Many of the original vested interests had collapsed due to war, and the lucrative positions left behind by their fall had yet to be seized by newcomers.
Ambitious individuals were all eyeing these fat vacancies.
But none dared to act rashly.
Ignaz had crushed the Three Universal Civilizations with transcendent power—even Bai Fu had been beaten back by him. Who would dare start snatching benefits on a large scale without his consent at a time like this?
However, this situation changed when Ignaz officially announced his plan to launch an expedition against the remnants of the Apostolic Holy City.
People rubbed their hands in anticipation, their fighting spirits ablaze.
As long as one could earn merit in this grand expedition, wouldn't they be able to soar instantly and become a pillar of this new era?
While major factions stirred restlessly, the capital of the Rebirth Empire convened an emergency meeting.
The theme of the meeting was—
Strike the remnants of the Apostolic Holy City and hunt down Bai Fu!
The meeting was chaired by Odoacre.
Odoacre, during the meeting, called on everyone to show vigor and perform well in this operation—they absolutely must not disgrace Emperor Ignaz.
Although he spoke with passion, few truly responded with action.
Most of these people had never had direct contact with Bai Fu before, or even if they had, it was mostly conflict.
So, they didn’t mind turning Bai Fu into their stepping stone to climb higher.
Most people in the conference room didn’t care at all about what Odoacre was saying.
In truth, they didn’t just disregard Odoacre—they were equally indifferent to Bai Fu, the Empire, and even Ignaz himself.
At first, they had all been fired up, yearning to make a name for themselves in the new era led by Ignaz, the old emperor of the Empire.
But as time passed, they realized that reality was completely different from what they had imagined.
Ignaz, once the emperor of the Empire, upon his return, had shown no regard for the loyal ministers of the Empire.
All important matters were handed over to the members of the Original Pact.
Over time, the Empire’s decision-making body became firmly controlled by those members who had never contributed positively to the Empire, while those who had grown with the Empire were relegated to mere executors.
It was laughable, pitiful, lamentable.
But…
Sigh, what could they do?
Could they possibly criticize Ignaz? They’d have to be tired of living.
Helpless, they could only resign themselves.
Aside from these people, there was still a small group in the meeting room who were genuinely anxious.
Their representative was Bualois, who had a close relationship with both Bai Fu and Demetri.
The return of Ignaz had once made Bualois feel that springtime had arrived for the Empire.
But the more he interacted with Ignaz and the Original Pact, the more uneasy he felt.
Was this truly spring?
Was the order Emperor Ignaz aimed to establish really stable and perfect?
Bualois didn’t think so.
On the contrary, he felt this might mark the beginning of the Empire’s decline.
The Empire was being pushed to the forefront—once Emperor Ignaz’s established order collapsed, the first to be purged would be the Empire itself.
For Bualois, who saw the Empire’s construction as his life’s work, this was utterly unacceptable.
He began to miss Demetri—what would Demetri do if he were in his place?
He began to miss the Empire from before Ignaz’s return—back then, with Bai Fu’s help, the Empire had just defeated the Apostolic Holy City, a formidable enemy. Although foes like Titan Industries and the Supernova Warband still remained, the future had looked bright.
He began to miss Bai Fu—compared to Ignaz, Bai Fu, though an outsider, had seemed more like the Empire’s true emperor.
What now?
If Bai Fu truly died, the Empire would follow Ignaz down a path of no return into the abyss.
After much teeth-gnashing, Bualois finally made up his mind. He would make a decision that defied his ancestors—
He would secretly inform Bai Fu of Emperor Ignaz’s plan.
However, a serious problem now stood before him: how was he supposed to contact Bai Fu?
After much deliberation, Bualois decided that if he wanted to meet Bai Fu, he’d have to go to the Apostolic Holy City.
So, having remained mostly silent during the meeting, he suddenly stood up and took the initiative to apply to lead a legion—to teach the remnants of the Apostolic Holy City a lesson.
……
“Leader, the news has spread. The Three Universal Civilizations have all mobilized.”
Hick respectfully reported his results to Ignaz.
Ignaz gave a slight nod: “Good work. But announcing the plan is only the first step. From now until the expedition officially begins, I’ll need you to keep a close eye on those who had close ties with Bai Fu.”
Hick quickly assured him it was no trouble.
He was a pure energy lifeform, with a specialty in transforming into an informational state and merging into the vast ocean of data. Thanks to this extraordinary ability, he had become the head of the intelligence department of the Original Pact.
“Go on.”
Ignaz waved his hand.
As he watched Hick’s figure disappear into the distance, a smile formed on his face.
He was very much looking forward to seeing those who had good relations with Bai Fu surprise him in this operation—perhaps even secretly getting in touch with Bai Fu.
……
With overwhelming publicity and as time passed, even the common people of the explored universe came to know that Ignaz’s next move was to attack the remnants of the Apostolic Holy City.
“Did you hear? Emperor Ignaz plans to first annihilate the Apostolic Holy City, then eliminate Bai Fu, and completely unify the universe!”
“Damn, that’s insane. If he really pulls it off, won’t he become the Universal Emperor?”
“No doubt. That would mark the first time in history this starry sky is truly united.”
“Holy crap, does this mean we’re about to witness history?”
Within the largest forum of the explored universe, discussions about the event flooded every moment. The majority believed that Ignaz had a high chance of being crowned as the Universal Emperor.
They thought so partly because Ignaz’s recent battle record had been simply dazzling—and partly because the Three Universal Civilizations had each contributed, more or less, to the promotional hype.
“Che～”
Upon seeing the news, Bai Fu couldn’t help but curl her lips.
First crush the Apostolic Holy City, then wipe her out, and finally be crowned as the Universal Emperor?
Quite the bold claim, huh?
Keep bragging.
Once the new version goes live and the players return, let’s see if any of you can still laugh then.
Bai Fu soon cast the matter aside and resumed her duties step by step.
Time flew like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
On March 2, Year 30005 of the Imperial Calendar, it was an ordinary day for the Silent Alliance and most of the explored universe.
But for Bai Fu, this day was of utmost importance.
Because today marked the official launch of version 3.2 of Beyond the Stars!
When the clock struck 10 a.m., the long-waiting players instantly opened their game clients.
【Login!】
Shoo shoo shoo.
Countless consciousnesses crossed the barrier between virtual and real, returning once more to the world of Beyond the Stars.
“Haha, the Digging-Princess is back!”
Digging-Princess was so thrilled she danced with joy, and the other players reacted much the same.
For the vast majority, version 3.2 had been the most anticipated update since the game launched.
Why? Because with this version, they could finally step into the Calamity-level and become the backbone of the entire Star Sea.
What sort of dazzling brilliance would the Calamity-ranked Fourth Calamity unleash?
Just imagining the scene made the players hum with excitement.
At that moment, all players aligned with the Silent Alliance faction received a new quest prompt.
Ding!
【You’ve triggered the Main Quest [New Era]】
【Quest Description: A brand-new era is rushing in. This is an era of exploration. This is an era of change. This is our era. Try to embrace it!】
【Quest Objective: Open the Silent Alliance Undying Ones Contact Platform and watch Bai Fu’s speech】
【Reward: 500,000 XP】
【Note: Completing this quest is required to unlock the next phase of the main quest】
Holy crap, the main quest popped this fast?
Players of the Silent Alliance didn’t dare delay and quickly opened the Contact Platform.
In the livestream room on the homepage, Bai Fu sat upright and solemn—the kind of posture that clearly indicated a major announcement.
And indeed, she had two major announcements today.
The first: the formation of a Calamity Legion.
This legion would be composed entirely of players, with no NPCs included. It would take orders directly from her, and its main duty from now on would be to engage the Ignaz faction. It had been officially recognized within the Silent Alliance as their ace legion.
And since it was an ace legion, it naturally came with ace-level benefits.
Bai Fu immediately pasted the legion benefits on-screen. These included, but weren’t limited to: fixed salaries, additional bonuses based on mission performance, extra stipends based on legion positions, and special privileges based on accumulated combat points.
These few dozen lines of text stunned the Silent Alliance players—and even more so the players who hadn’t yet joined the Silent Alliance and were watching via rebroadcasts.
Holy hell, forming an all-player ace legion and giving out benefits? That’s classic Fu-fu!
Compared to Fu-fu, Ignaz wasn’t even worth a pile of dog crap!
Fu-fu is badass!
Players cheered wildly—especially those who had just defected from Ignaz’s side. One after another, they began regretting why they hadn’t noticed Bai Fu’s brilliance earlier.
Seeing how happy the players were, Bai Fu immediately moved on to her second announcement.
“Today, we hereby establish the Calamity Legion. This is a truly commemorative day. To mark the occasion, let’s hold a Scripture-sq—no, a celebration!”
“During the event period, everything in the official shop will be at least 10% off. The more you buy, the bigger the discount.”
“No money needed—just offer a tiny bit of XP, and you can take home some amazing loot. So what are you waiting for? Don’t hesitate—act now and place your orders!”
The event instantly ignited the players’ enthusiasm.
As Bai Fu watched her XP pool skyrocket, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
Perfect. At this rate, she would soon shatter the Life Chasm and officially step into an entirely new realm.
Several days later, after most players had purchased their advancement knowledge, Bai Fu formally issued the order for the player-led Calamity Legion to station themselves in the Apostolic Holy City.
Go forth, and show the world what true calamity looks like!
One by one, massive starships departed from the Silent Alliance’s forward exploration base, tearing through spatial barriers and descending upon the Apostolic Holy City.
These ships arrived in utter silence, drawing no attention whatsoever.
The players were waiting for the right moment.
And that moment soon arrived.
Once they were ready, the newly organized Joint Fleet—made up of the Original Pact and the former Three Universal Civilizations—launched a grand assault on the Apostolic Holy City.
Though called a joint fleet, it had in fact been split into multiple forces. The members of the Three Universal Civilizations did not report to one another, and their attack targets were entirely different.
At that moment, within the fleet led by Titan Industries—
Drano’s granddaughter, the formidable illusionist Xiaoquan, tapped lightly on the conference table.
“Everyone, this is an opportunity!”
“This time, we absolutely must not fall behind. Not only must we avenge the Apostolic Holy City’s prior attack, but we also must seize this chance to be the first to locate Bai Fu’s hiding place!”
“If we succeed in dragging Bai Fu out before anyone else, our standing in the Alliance will skyrocket. At that point, even standing shoulder-to-shoulder with people like Odoacre won’t be out of the question!”
Xiaoquan’s face radiated with confident brilliance.
Watching this from a corner, Leimingdao and the others frowned deeply.
Damn it, this was seriously outrageous!
Titan Industries and the Rebirth Empire were once on equal footing, yet after all this, Titan Industries had ended up becoming the Empire’s lapdog.
It would’ve been one thing if they had no choice—but this? Their lead dog was wagging its tail happily, full of ambition and dreams.
Disgraceful. Just utterly disgraceful!
Right now, Leimingdao and the others were filled with regret.
If they had known this would happen, they would’ve left Titan Industries decisively back then.
Even if they didn’t join Bai Fu, striking out independently would’ve been way better than this.
But now, there was no point in complaining. First, they had to capture the cathedral of the Apostolic Holy City before them and complete this mission’s top objective.
“Depl—”
Just as Xiaoquan raised her right hand to issue the attack order, a sudden shout rang through the communications channel.
“President! The probes we launched have detected an unidentified fleet approaching us rapidly!”
“Unidentified fleet? Reinforcements from another Apostolic Holy City cathedral?” Xiaoquan was briefly stunned, then sneered, “Let them come. If they want to die, we’ll grant them that wish!”
“Yes!”
Under Xiaoquan’s command, Titan Industries' fleet launched a fierce assault on the Sixth Cathedral of the Apostolic Holy City.
They had no idea that the fleet rapidly approaching them was not from the Apostolic Holy City—
But the player-formed Calamity Legion!