Duanmu Huai did not immediately head for the Yautja homeworld. The reason was simple—for Duanmu Huai, wiping out the Yautja themselves would not be difficult.
The real issue was...…he wanted to test a new weapon.
That's right!
After Maria joined, the flagship refit of the Inquisition fleet had finally neared completion!
And it was precisely after receiving this news that Duanmu Huai tossed the Yautja aside and hurried back to the mothership.
"So, it's basically finished now?"
"Yes, my lord."
Standing before Duanmu Huai, Maria could barely conceal her excitement. After all, personally modifying such a massive steel warship was an extremely rare experience for her as well.
The reason the refit could be completed so quickly was entirely thanks to Duanmu Huai's earlier gains—on the Terminator planet, Duanmu Huai had seized the spark of an alien Abominable Intelligence. After analyzing it, he obtained the structural framework and system foundation for nanomaterial modification. Simply put, as long as a blueprint was designed, the nanomaterials themselves would automatically reshape into that form, without the need for dismantling or reassembly.
Kukul was an expert in firearms but lacked deep knowledge of large-scale machinery, and Maria perfectly filled that gap. Thus, this final design blueprint came into being.
"Mm...…"
Staring at the blueprint displayed on the screen before him, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction. The new main warship was divided into two parts: one was Duanmu Huai's original flagship, the Queen of Glory–class, while the other was the Mantle Manifestation–class he had obtained from the Forerunners. In Maria's design, the two complemented each other, forming a combined structure. That is to say, under normal circumstances, the Queen of Glory–class sat atop the Mantle Manifestation–class, serving as the command bridge.
If danger arose, the Queen of Glory–class could detach directly from the Mantle Manifestation–class, much like a rocket shedding its second-stage engine during launch, discarding it entirely.
As for the exterior structure, Maria had strictly followed Duanmu Huai's requirements, constructing countless, densely packed cathedrals atop the ship. Beneath these resplendent cathedrals, lining both sides of the hull, were tens of thousands of macrocannons and lance batteries.
As for the space originally used by the Mantle Manifestation–class to house recomposition engines, it had been remodeled according to Duanmu Huai's request into a gigantic BFG launcher. This BFG was ten times larger than the original model, with power sufficient to punch straight through an entire planet—of course, if there happened to be nine planets aligned in a row, there was a good chance all nine would be skewered like candied hawthorns.
All of this stemmed from the Old One anti-matter reactor. If Duanmu Huai hadn't acquired this thing back then, this colossal mothership would likely have remained nothing more than a dream.
If manpower were used to control such an enormous mothership, even just the crew alone would probably be counted in the hundreds of millions. Fortunately, Duanmu Huai still had a pile of soul cards at his disposal—incidentally, the room he used to store puppet cards was already larger than a bank vault.
There were simply too many puppet cards required...…
From both its external appearance and internal structure, the entire warship had no issues whatsoever.
The only thing worth mentioning was...…
"This prow doesn't look very good."
"Really??"
Hearing Duanmu Huai's comment, Maria looked at the blueprint in confusion.
"I referenced the prow designs of Imperial flagships throughout history...…I think this looks quite good?"
"It is good, it's just a bit too fierce...…Mm, let's tweak it a bit, for example...…"
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai reached out and made a small, subtle adjustment to the prow section.
"What do you think of this?"
"Uh...…"
Looking at the blueprint before her, Maria's expression turned somewhat speechless.
"My lord, are you really planning to do it like this?"
"Of course. Isn't this great?"
"Well...…that is...…."
With a strange expression, Maria looked thoroughly at a loss for words.
"Does it really have to be changed this way? I feel like it doesn't match your temperament, my lord...…"
"Of course it does. What, can't I have a girlish heart?"
"All right...…"
You're the boss. Your word goes.
What else could she do?
"Excellent."
Seeing his suggestion approved, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction and then waved his hand sharply.
"Then let those xenos see the true power of our Inquisition!"
"...…"
Maria hesitated, lowering her head to look at the blueprint in her hands, utterly speechless.
This is the true power of the Inquisition?
At this moment, on the Yautja homeworld, the elders had also received the commander's report.
"This is the true trial of our race."
Looking at the commander before them, the elders' expressions were calm—there was even a trace of excitement. Ever since they left their homeworld and ventured into the cosmos, they had yearned to find an opponent with whom they could fight to their heart's content. This was the Yautja way. To them, battle and war were inseparable from their race; no war could destroy them—only make them stronger!
Unfortunately, from the moment they entered space until now, the Yautja had never found the opponent they desired. But this time, they finally had a target. The enemy might be powerful, perhaps even unbeatable—but that was precisely what the elders wanted. War—victory—conquest. Only hard-won victories could showcase the indomitable spirit and glory of the Yautja warriors!
"Beep...…beep...!!!"
However, at that very moment, piercing alarms suddenly sounded. Immediately after, a curved display emerged from the ceiling. In the next instant, light flashed—and in the depths of space, an enormous warship appeared before the Yautja elders!
"What is that?!"
Upon seeing this warship, the elders' previously calm faces finally changed color. And no wonder...…this warship was simply too large!
Ordinarily, it was difficult to judge the size of a warship in space. But the reason the Yautja elders could tell was simple—because not far from that ship was one of the moons of the Yautja star system. This moon was naturally far smaller than the Yautja homeworld, but...…it was still smaller than that warship!
That alone was enough to demonstrate just how massive the vessel was!
Not to mention the dazzling, densely packed cathedrals standing atop the ship under the light of the star, and the countless macrocannons and lance batteries along both sides, like fortress guns jutting outward. Even without knowing what they were, the Yautja elders felt a chill run through them.
But...…
"What is that??"
Although the entire warship gave the Yautja elders an incomprehensible sense of awe, what they found most difficult to understand was the sculpture on the ship's prow—above it was a symbol of a skull fused with a warhammer. And beneath it was a strange decoration.
It was a bizarre animal with red eyes, a pink exterior, and long ears. Moreover, on either side of it were two metallic claws. The first impression it gave was that of an animal lying prone on the ground.
Yet strangely enough, this animal looked neither ferocious nor terrifying—instead, it even seemed somewhat cute?
Could this animal be the sacred beast of that civilization?
While the Yautja elders were still stunned by this sight, inside the warship, Duanmu Huai wore a smug grin.
"Hahahaha, well? This is the power of our Inquisition!"
"Haah...…"
Hearing Duanmu Huai speak, Anne, Guleya, and Lorena silently sighed—they weren't experiencing Duanmu Huai's bizarre taste for the first time.
But in the eyes of later arrivals like Maria and Shirley, this was simply ridiculous.
"Uh...…Big Uncle, why did it have to be painted like a bunny...…"
Shirley couldn't help but ask. After Duanmu Huai's modification, the ship's prow looked far too off. Above was a vicious, terrifying skull emblem, yet below it lay a pink-and-white, round-eyed, prone little bunny. To Shirley, it was basically like mounting a rainbow pony on the prow of a pirate ship...…utterly baffling.
"What's the problem? Isn't it nice...…?"
Beside her, Eclair giggled softly. She hadn't expected Duanmu Huai—who looked rough, burly, and fearsome—to have such an odd sense of humor. Seeing her companion stifling laughter, Lumière lightly coughed.
"Eclair, girls should be elegant."
"All right."
Duanmu Huai coughed once, then opened the Rose Knot and took out a seal. Next, Augis stepped forward and laid parchment before him. Seeing this, everyone instinctively fell silent.
Because they all knew what was about to happen.
"In the name of the Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition, I decree the complete purification of this xenos homeworld. May the fire of judgment cleanse their bodies and souls."
Duanmu Huai pressed down the seal.
"Thus, an extermination order is issued."
"—————————"
At this moment, the Yautja homeworld was filled with murderous intent. Yautja warriors stood fully armed, boarding their warships and ascending into space. No matter what, this was a battle worth remembering against another interstellar civilization. For the Yautja warriors, there was no better stage on which to prove their strength and glory!
Yet just as the Yautja warriors prepared for battle, they failed to notice that the colossal warship in the distance was quietly undergoing changes.
The prow slowly began to rotate. Soon, the bunny that had been lying there gradually opened its mouth. Its large red eyes innocently stared at the Yautja homeworld ahead, like a pure, adorable little bunny curiously gazing at a plump, fresh carrot.
In the next instant, a white-green torrent of plasma blasted straight out from the pink bunny's mouth, shooting directly toward the Yautja homeworld.
There was no stirring roar, no earth-shaking counterattack. The plasma torrent, laden with immense energy, effortlessly pierced straight through the Yautja homeworld. In the next moment, accompanied by a blinding flash, the entire planet exploded completely. Crimson light spread and expanded through space like raging flames, the brilliance of that instant even swallowing the light of the nearby star.
Yet moments later, when the light finally dissipated, the Yautja homeworld that had once existed there was completely gone.
In its place were countless shattered, pitch-black fragments, slowly spinning and dispersing through the void.
In merely a few seconds, a spacefaring civilization was utterly annihilated.
(End of chapter)