Chapter 350: This Is Called a Display of Force

Mobius stared at the ugly photos transmitted back and couldn't help but remark:

"Have these creatures not completed their evolution?"

"So ugly!"

"Pointy-nosed and monkey-faced" – there's no better description for them.

"They are not of our race," Dr. Mei said while adjusting her glasses. "It's normal for them to look hideous. So, what do you want to do next?"

Like Mobius, she didn't like the monkey-like aliens either. They were genuinely unpleasant to look at.

"No real thoughts," Vilvi said, shaking her head. "Just let Kosmo attack. Or better yet, have Takumi drop a Honkai wave."

She wasn't planning to think much about it. These things were just too ugly.

Their goal in ascending into space was to conquer civilizations and absorb knowledge to strengthen their own. In the universe, it was the law of the dark forest.

Didn't both civilizations start fighting as soon as they discovered each other?

It was a matter of survival. Even if they didn't attack, the enemy might strike first — possibly in collaboration with others. They never put their safety in others' hands. If something could be eliminated, there was no reason to hold back.

"Let's start by probing," said Dr. Mei. "Let Kosmo attack. See if they team up. If they do, we'll have Takumi drop the Honkai."

Vilvi nodded. "Kosmo, did you hear that?"

Though Kosmo was deep in distant space, he could still hear their conversation. Despite the distance, their transmission tech never faltered.

"Received," Kosmo's voice echoed as he appeared on the main screen, arms crossed, wearing a serious expression.

He was now the captain of a fleet, bringing many troops, including some MOTH members. Of course, there were also numerous robots and unmanned Gundams.

"Alright!" Vilvi grinned. "Let's greet them with a Star-Destroyer Cannon!"

Without hesitation, she gave the order to use the Star-Destroyer as the opening move.

"No!" Kosmo immediately rejected the idea. "Let's use Gundams instead. No Star-Destroyer Cannon."

"Didn't you all want to collect data?"

Using a Star-Destroyer to start things off? One shot might wipe everything out — what's the point then?

He had been observing the alien battles the whole time. They hadn't spotted him, and their warfare didn't involve large-scale destructive weapons — only particle cannons and such. It was likely they didn't even have a Star-Destroyer equivalent.

Why use a cannon to swat flies?

"Outrageous!" Vilvi yelled. "Kosmo, are you rebelling? Obey your orders!"

Kosmo stiffened but scoffed.

"A general in the field does not have to obey every command."

"I'm not listening to you. You just want to test the full power of the Star-Destroyer, don't you?"

He saw right through Vilvi's intentions. She just wanted to see what kind of damage it could do. Why not test it elsewhere?

They were handling serious matters here. What if the enemy couldn't take the blast? Then the fight would end before it began.

She clearly lacked the foresight of a proper commander. Kosmo inwardly scoffed at her.

"Enough," said Dr. Mei, cutting off their argument. "Vilvi, don't argue. Let Kosmo handle this."

"If you want to see what the Star-Destroyer can do, test it on a planet later."

Seeing Mei take charge, Kosmo dropped the matter with Vilvi and began commanding his fleet.

These ships were equipped with stealth systems — the reason they remained undetected thus far.

Watching the screen, Dr. Mei said, "Prometheus, broadcast this live."

"Kosmo, make it look good. You're going live to the entire world. You don't want to embarrass yourself, do you?"

Kosmo shivered.

"I understand!"

Of course he didn't want to look bad. That'd be worse than death. Kosmo had his pride.

This had to be done flawlessly.

Prometheus began executing her command, live-streaming the space scenes throughout Takumi's world.

Back home, Takumi and Bronya saw the sudden pop-up.

Indeed, it was a forced global broadcast.

Takumi looked confused at first but quickly understood. This was a show of military strength — letting everyone know they'd reached outer space.

Many of the people here had been forcibly dragged into this world, or had arrived after world-fusion events. Among them were bound to be those with strange ideas.

A military display was more than necessary.

"We're already at the destination?" Bronya exclaimed, surprised. "That was fast!"

"Geez, I was in the middle of a game," came a new voice — Kaguya Houraisan suddenly appeared next to Takumi, having paused time to join him.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Got into a spat with aliens," Takumi said, shrugging. "Nothing to be surprised about. It's just footage of us beating them up and showing off our tech."

Kaguya blinked, then nodded. "Got it!"

"This is for those dumb folks, right?"

"Humans can be really complicated sometimes."

Takumi grinned — she understood completely.

After all, some people had no sense of scale. Weaklings thought they could challenge the strong, only to get utterly wrecked.

If you can't flip the table, don't speak up.

Sometimes, displaying raw power was necessary.

Even as a shut-in, Kaguya understood this perfectly.

"This must've been Dr. Mei's idea," Takumi added.

"She really hates certain things."

And with that, the live demonstration began.