From the colossal warships, Reize led two hundred thousand of Dalton's elite guards, their steps perfectly synchronized as they marched out into the void.
The cold gleam of their blades reflected off the stars, and a wave of killing intent surged across the battlefield.
Then came the Crusaders—grim, resolute warriors whose eyes locked onto the Calamity Army flooding toward them like a living tide.
"Warriors of Dalton!"
"Follow me—slay the Calamity!"
Elizabeth unsheathed her sword—the one that symbolized judgment and death—and thrust it toward the enemy.
Her cry of command thundered through the starry expanse.
"Slay the Calamity!"
A million voices roared back in unison, shaking the void itself.
That single cry ignited the hearts of the exhausted defenders.
"Kill! Let these damn invaders see what we're made of!"
Across the entire frontier, morale soared like wildfire.
Reize burst into manic laughter as he charged ahead, plunging straight into the densest mass of demons.
His massive blade—like a door-sized slab of destruction—swept out in an arc that cleared an entire field of enemies in one stroke.
Dalton's guards followed close behind, moving with machine-like precision.
Their blades flashed like lightning; every swing harvested countless demons and Void Zerg in showers of blood and sparks.
The members of Hat, meanwhile, were like shadows on the battlefield—appearing and vanishing without warning.
Every flicker of darkness meant one thing: a Calamity commander or elite unit had fallen, slain before they even sensed danger.
At the rear lines, Elizabeth exchanged a brief glance with Elarielle.
No words were needed.
Both nodded once—and the next instant, an overwhelming pressure exploded outward.
The aura of Starfield Lords.
The power of cosmic law surged to life.
Around Elizabeth, sword-qi blazed like golden fire, forming a Domain of Judgment.
Every lesser Calamity creature within it disintegrated into dust in an instant.
Beside her, Elarielle summoned the might of nature itself—an emerald radiance of life swept through the battlefield, and wherever it passed, Abyssal Demons and Zerg collapsed into nothingness.
"Starfield Lords—two of them?!"
The cry of shock rippled through the fleets.
Starfield Lord—a rank beyond the Astral Archmage, a being who had grasped the fundamental rules of the cosmos itself, capable of defining personal laws within a domain of existence.
Aboard the "Holy Flame of Judgment," flagship of the Luminous Empire Fleet.
Marshal Calvin stood motionless before the viewing window.
For the first time in decades, his solemn face showed an expression of utter disbelief.
The Imperial Marshal's Sword in his hand trembled slightly from his unconscious grip.
"Starfield Lord…"
He understood all too well what that rank represented.
It was the culmination of a lifetime—a level of existence that even the Luminous Empire, with its endless history, could barely claim a handful of times.
"Elizabeth… you've truly reached this height."
Shock, awe, and a flicker of pride surged within him.
In his mind's eye, he saw once again the girl who had clawed her way up from the slums to survive, the one who had once been the Empire's brightest star.
And now—she was blazing anew, brighter than ever, far beyond what the Empire had ever imagined possible.
Among the Imperial soldiers, however, emotions were far more tangled.
They stared at the valkyrie-like figure cutting through the void, and many old veterans were struck speechless.
"Is that… Princess Elizabeth?"
"She's… so powerful. Far beyond the stories…"
"But why isn't she with the Empire? I thought she'd fallen during the demon invasion?"
"How did the Princess become Dalton's Marshal?"
Pride, confusion, grief, admiration—everything mixed together, twisting in their hearts.
Across the allied ranks of other civilizations, chaos of emotion erupted as well.
"Two Starfield Lords!"
"Dalton actually has two Starfield Lords!"
The elder of the Forest Alliance gasped aloud.
"Not only Marshal Elizabeth, but that elven woman as well… By the stars, just how deep does Dalton's strength run?!"
Within the Crystal Cluster Civilization, data streams flickered and stuttered in shock.
And far behind the front, in a silent region of space, a gaze—ancient, profound, and impossibly distant—fell upon Elizabeth.
In that gaze was a trace of warmth, the satisfaction of seeing uncut jade finally polished to brilliance; a quiet sigh, as if witnessing destiny's strange twists; and above all, an undercurrent of anticipation.
Elizabeth seemed to feel it.
Her violet eyes flicked briefly toward that hidden corner of the void—then she turned back, her face once again composed and cold.
Among the coalition armies, expressions turned complicated.
Awe mingled with envy, admiration with unease.
They, the long-established superpowers, had struggled for countless eras to nurture one or two Starfield Lords.
Yet Dalton—a small, obscure power barely known a century ago—had revealed two at once.
And the most terrifying part?
The ruler of Dalton Town—the so-called President—had never once shown his face.
No one knew what rank he might be.
That thought alone chilled every commander's heart.
Soon, under Elizabeth's sweeping Judgment Sword Intent,the Calamity vanguard that had broken through the defenses was annihilated—burned away like frost beneath a blazing sun.
In mere moments, the entire frontier zone fell silent.
Was it over?
Every defender held their breath, eyes locked on the still-flickering rift that continued to leak tendrils of foul energy.
But the high command did not relax.
They knew—this was only the beginning.So far, the Calamity Army hadn't even revealed its true elites.
If the vanguard alone had nearly shattered them…what horrors awaited when the main force arrived?
A dreadful realization rippled through every mind—and then, as expected, the void itself began to tremble.
From beyond the rift came a surge of energy so immense it made the very stars wail.
Dozens of monstrous silhouettes emerged—taller, more grotesque, wreathed in black magic and pulsing with eerie bio-energy.
Each one radiated the unmistakable aura of a Starfield Lord.
At their head strode a Demon Lord wielding a burning scythe, and beside him slithered a Zerg Queen, her upper body resembling a beautiful woman, her lower body a massive insect abdomen glistening with iridescent plates.
"Ah… the scent of fresh flesh," the Demon Lord rasped.
"Lyrimous, this layer of the lower plane shall be your feeding ground. The rest—our kind shall make into a pasture.""Of course, Lord."
Their cold, mocking gazes swept across the assembled coalition forces—filled with contempt, as though regarding vermin.
Before such overwhelming power, numbers were meaningless.
"Eighty Calamity Lords…"
Captain Augustus's voice shook.
Even counting Calvin's recent ascension, the Luminous Empire possessed only three Starfield Lords in total—and now, the Calamity Army had casually sent eighty.
The imbalance was staggering.
Across the coalition lines, faces turned pale.
Even with their own Lords combined, they were still vastly outmatched.
Elder Green Leaf of the Forest Alliance inhaled deeply, then exchanged a solemn glance with several other ancient leaders.
They nodded once—decision made.
Rising into the starry sky, Green Leaf's voice resonated through the void, amplified by the power of law itself:
"Slumbering Guardians!The cosmos once again faces ruin—order trembles on the brink!Awaken now—and stand with us against the Calamity!"
His cry echoed through every layer of the battlefield—and then, suddenly, the stars themselves began to stir.