Chapter 43: Chaos – Section 1

The emperor’s smile was strange, tinged with a hint of mischief and mockery, which immediately puzzled Hei Fa. But soon, he understood the meaning behind it.

The battlefield below underwent another change. The second line of defense, composed ofescort ships fleets, was in disarray yet still able to hold its ground thanks to their superior defensive capabilities compared to ordinary warships. It seemed unlikely they would be breached in a short time. But once the emperor spoke, everything changed.

In the vast starry sky, hundreds ofescort ships suddenly carried out a stunning maneuver. As if receiving some command, they abandoned their targets and quickly spread out to both sides, creating a wide passage. The attacking rebels gained an unimaginable advantage and broke through the defenses with overwhelming force. The emperor’s flagship was now exposed before them.

It happened so suddenly that Hei Fa didn’t even have time to react. He saw the enemy break through numerous obstacles and directly threaten him. The drastic changes were nothing short of dramatic.

It was only then that Hei Fa understood what the emperor had meant earlier.

“Si Chen is a quite capable man. He has followed me for so many years, always loyal. If I hadn’t never relaxed my vigilance toward him, I never would have thought he would betray me,” the emperor said softly, taking a sip of red wine.

“He’s very skilled. Throughout the time he’s been with me, he has always kept my surroundings in perfect order. That’s why I’ve become increasingly dependent on him. Whenever he intervenes, I hardly ever worry about my safety. Anyone who tries to threaten me is eliminated by him right away.”

“And now?” Hei Fa frowned slightly and asked in a seemingly casual tone.

The emperor didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned to look at him before saying with a smile, “You might not know this, but Duke Si Chen isn’t a Moor.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Of course. It’s just a secret. Within the empire, fewer than three people know about it.”

“Death Dust comes from a very special race. This race has a very strange relationship with the Moors, almost like twins. Wherever there are Moors, there must be this race as well. But compared to the Moors’ dominance, this race is sparsely populated and not very famous. Moreover, their appearance and habits are almost identical to those of the Moors, so they are hardly ever noticed. Living within the empire, they are like a group of shadows.”
“…” Black Hair remained silent. He knew the emperor would continue. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the emperor’s voice sounded again.
“We’ll call this race the False Moors for now. Normally, they wouldn’t require much attention. After all, the empire is vast, and it’s impractical to pay close attention to every race. But I never expected that they have even greater ambitions than us.”
At this point, the emperor let out a bitter smile.
“They lack the courage of the Moors, their fighting spirit, and their strength. Yet they possess even greater ambitions than the Moors. They are like parasites, living within the empire, enjoying the benefits and social status of the Moors, while constantly hoping to overthrow the empire and become its rulers.”
“I think you understand what I mean now.”
“Is Duke Death Dust one of the False Moors?” Black Hair asked in a deep voice.
“Mm. He is. Not only him—Zi Yan is the same. They are all elites of the False Moors. They have been working to overthrow the empire for countless years. It can be said that since the existence of the Moors, they have been striving for this goal.” The emperor nodded, a hint of worry appearing on his handsome face.
“Compared to them, you outsiders are actually more trustworthy. Now, do you understand why I asked you to come with me to watch this rebellion? Because this isn’t just a matter of the Moors alone—it’s about an empire, an empire that embraces countless races and allows them to live and thrive under its protection. You Polians are also part of this empire. If this empire collapses…”
“We won’t exist either,” Black Hair replied coldly.
“That’s exactly right.” The emperor smiled and raised his glass. “It seems they’re about to succeed. Let’s congratulate them. Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Clink!” The glasses collided, and both of them drank them in one gulp. They smiled at each other. It was only then that the emperor casually said,
“It seems you’re not very worried?”
“Worried about what?”

“Worried about your own safety? Don’t forget, you’re also on my flagship. If these rebels succeed, we’ll both be reduced to ashes by the artillery fire. Don’t you realize you’re about to die?”
“Oh, that.” The black-haired man scratched his head. “My life has always been precious. It’s not that easy to die. Besides, with Your Majesty here, I don’t think they can threaten me. After all, you are the emperor of the empire and know about these fake Moors’ schemes. You must have a plan. Maybe this warship will enter hyperspace in just a moment. What good is their fierce attack then?”
“You’re wrong about that.” The emperor shook his head solemnly. “I won’t enter hyperspace. In fact, though this warship is good, it still takes time to prepare for hyperspace. Otherwise, why do you think the Death Dust’s frigates are fighting so hard to defend this place?”
“They’re trying to buy you time to make the transition?”
“No. They’re observing!” the emperor replied with a smile.
“If I were to make the transition, they would continue to defend and maintain their disguise to prevent me from tracking them later. But once I don’t make any preparations for transition, they’ll let those rebels in and completely erase our existence. So, the first line of defense collapses normally, while the second line is abandoned by them themselves.”
“Because from the second line of defense to here, even if I immediately prepare for transition, there won’t be enough time. If I’m not mistaken, Death Dust’s fleet has already started a new mission: to block my escape routes and leave me with no way out.” The emperor poured himself another glass of wine and replied calmly.
“But you don’t seem worried.” The black-haired man replied with a smile, though a glint appeared in his eyes.
He had indeed doubted the emperor’s words before. But the current situation showed him that the emperor wasn’t lying. And seeing the emperor’s calm and unhurried demeanor, a realization slowly dawned in the black-haired man’s mind.
A tyrant will always remain a tyrant. Since the Moor emperor could bring a small race from nothing to greatness, even dominating half of the universe, his mind was far beyond what ordinary people could fathom. Perhaps the Duke of Purple Rock and the Duke of Death Dust were also tyrants, capable of harboring ambitions within the empire for a thousand years. But compared to the Moor emperor, they were far inferior.
The Moor emperor must have his own backup plan!!
Sure enough, as soon as the black-haired man finished speaking, the Moor emperor smiled. He slowly shook his head, gazing into the distance at the rebel fleet approaching rapidly, his expression completely calm.

“What’s there to worry about? I indeed have no intention of teleporting. But that doesn’t mean others won’t. My flagship is a coordinate—wherever I am, my people are there. Even if this is a deadly trap prepared by Zi Yan long ago, he can’t stop an almost absolute force!”
His hands clenched slightly, and the face of the Imperial Emperor suddenly turned icy cold.
“An absolute force—is the foundation upon which my Moor Empire stands unshaken for ten thousand years.”
Hm? The black-haired man narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the terrifying confidence in the Emperor’s words.
An absolute force? Duke Zi Yan already had nearly a thousand private troops, not to mention the fleets he could mobilize. How many imperial warships were attacking the Emperor right now? If remaining indifferent even in the face of such a fleet, then what kind of formidable force was the Emperor referring to?
The black-haired man didn’t know, but he would soon find out.
Suddenly, a burst of white light erupted in the silent universe. At first, it appeared only in front of the Emperor’s flagship, but quickly spread outward. Then, more and more white lights appeared one after another—not large in size, but in increasing numbers. It seemed they could replicate themselves, spreading at an astonishing speed. In less than thirty seconds, the black-haired man was horrified to find himself surrounded by these white light clusters in all directions. Gazing at the starry sky, there were already countless such light clusters.
Those were… teleportation gates!!
His heart trembled violently. Looking at those frenzied rebels, they too had clearly noticed this terrifying phenomenon and were rushing forward even harder. Dozens of engine nozzles on the imperial warships were almost all activated, their accelerating exhausts forming a long stream of energy.
But it was too late.
The white light appeared suddenly and spread even faster. By the time the rebels realized something was wrong, the barriers had already been set up. Dense as countless ants, they formed a barrier with no discernible boundaries, lying right between the Emperor’s flagship and the rebels—like an insurmountable chasm that inspired awe. Then, these soft white light clusters gradually dimmed, revealing the dark ships hidden within.

It was a very strange type of spaceship. It was only one-twentieth the size of ordinary giant ships, yet their numbers were astonishing. Moreover, their shape was extremely peculiar—unlike the whale-like form favored by the Moors, they resembled arrows. Their bows were unnaturally sharp; even with Blackhair’s vision, he could see the icy glow reflected from them. These pitch-black ships hovered motionless, their serene appearance as if they had existed since ancient times.

But for some reason, the moment he saw them, Blackhair felt a chill deep in his heart. The chill was so intense that he suddenly shuddered silently.

Was this… the absolute power the emperor spoke of?