Chapter 1 The Tables Turn

The news of the shift in the war's momentum quickly spread throughout the upper echelons of the Star Cluster Alliance army. The various allied civilizations, who were originally struggling with the World Tree's invasion of their territories, were pleasantly surprised. They wholeheartedly cooperated with the Three Great Civilizations' assembly operations, and the legions from various star fields flowed like rivers into the sea, heading towards the central Star Sea.

Han Xiao's contribution in prematurely maturing the Pivotal Snake also spread, becoming known to the major civilizations. Although Black Star had guided the war's trajectory more than once, this time, the impact on the upper echelons was still shocking. Everyone had been prepared for decades of arduous resistance, but suddenly, they discovered that they no longer needed to suffer. They had a chance to achieve victory in one fell swoop.

If the World Tree's invasion was a disease, then Black Star had developed a special medicine to solve the illness before the interstellar society's health suffered significant damage, saving countless lives. With decades less of war, countless refugees and soldiers were spared. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had accumulated boundless merit.

Although it was a bit cheesy, many civilization leaders felt that using the word "hero" to describe Black Star's contribution to the war was completely justified.

As an important part of the Star Cluster Alliance army, the higher-ups of the Super Star Cluster Alliance also received this information, and they couldn't help but be a little stunned.

"I didn't expect the situation to change so quickly…"

In the joint conference room, the leaders of the Super Star Cluster Alliance gathered, their expressions complex.

More than half a year ago, Black Star had forcefully come to their door, forcing them to terminate their migration plan. Although the Super Star Cluster Alliance had bowed its head, it naturally harbored resentment in its heart. Due to the agreement between the two sides, they could only stay temporarily, but they still hadn't given up on the migration plan. They originally intended to observe the situation for two or three years, and once the situation became unfavorable, they would restart the migration plan at any time.

But what they didn't expect was that in less than a year, the "great situation" had been reversed by Han Xiao. The World Tree's full-scale invasion was disintegrated, causing the Three Great Civilizations to lose their restraints. In this way, even if they wanted to migrate, they had lost the prerequisite. The current explored universe didn't have the chaotic environment for them to carry out this plan. If they insisted on going their own way, the Three Great Civilizations would have plenty of energy to deal with them.

"Alas, we can't leave even if we want to now. It's all because of Black Star. We didn't seize the opportunity," someone said regretfully.

However, the Star Arc leader shook his head and said helplessly, "You've got it wrong. We've turned a misfortune into a blessing this time. If Black Star hadn't stopped us from implementing this plan, we would be in trouble now."

Everyone thought about it and felt a chill down their spines.

No one had foreseen that in just over half a year, Black Star would have made the World Tree unable to hold on. If they had really launched the migration, they would have been screwed. This amount of time wasn't enough to complete the entire migration plan, and they wouldn't be able to go far at all. At the same time, they would lose their way back and be regarded as traitors who leaked information, becoming the target of public criticism… So, this was a case of "a loss may turn out to be a gain". Should they thank Brother Black Star?!

After understanding this, everyone felt a little frightened.

At this time, the Star Arc leader seemed to be lost in thought. He pondered and said, "I think that Black Star had already foreseen the current changes. After all, he has always been in control of the Pivotal Snake. The current situation is under his control… When he came to our door and strongly demanded that we give up the migration, in addition to taking the overall situation into consideration, perhaps it was also a subtle reminder, using his way to help us avoid this pit."

Hearing this, the eyes of many Super Star Cluster Alliance leaders flickered.

The Star Arc leader glanced around, paused, and continued:

"Black Star is doing this not because he has any friendship with us, but from the perspective of interests. Just as he said, after the war, the conflict between the Three Great Civilizations and the Super A Grade Association still exists. He needs a weighty ally to help him complete further expansion, so he will help us this time."

"...What a dangerous guy."

Many Super Star Cluster Alliance leaders shook their heads and lamented Black Star's deep foresight.

While they were still focusing on the war, Black Star had already begun to plan the post-war landscape. What was revealed from this was Black Star's firm confidence in this war, believing more than anyone else that the interstellar society could achieve final victory… because the key to ending the war was in his hands.

…

On the other side, when the Star Cluster Alliance army was gathering, the Super A Grade Association also learned of the change in the situation from Han Xiao, and they were greatly surprised.

"Beautiful, Black Star! You've grabbed the World Tree's lifeline this time!"

Inside the meeting room of the Association's main planet, the good news made many Super A Grades feel excited.

For the past half a year, they had been rushing to support various places, only able to passively respond to the invaders, without any room for counterattack. They were all holding their breath.

Since the start of the war, only the World Tree had been invading, but now, they could finally counterattack. Most of the Super A Grades present were excited and eager to try, and their eyes looking at Han Xiao were mixed with strong admiration and appreciation.

Han Xiao tapped his fingers on the table and said, "I have already provided the coordinates of the World Tree's main body to the Three Great Civilizations. They are gathering a large army, preparing to achieve victory in one fell swoop. Everyone has to contribute."

"Don't worry, even if you don't say it, we will do our best. My cannon has long been thirsty!"

Hunter waved his hand, his small body exuding great heroism.

Manison said calmly, "It's finally possible to end this war once and for all. It's earlier than I expected."

The vast majority of people were quite happy. Although there was the Sanctuary as a backup, they were not afraid of casualties, but a short pain was better than a long one. No one wanted to die several times in a long war.

Han Xiao raised his hand and pressed down, signaling everyone not to be so excited, and said slowly, "In this war, our chances of winning are over ninety percent. Defeating the World Tree civilization is only one aspect. After the war, we have more things to deal with. In order to prevent the Three Great Civilizations from abandoning us after crossing the river, I need your strong support."

Hearing this, everyone restrained themselves a little and waited for further instructions.

"What are you planning to do?" Kasuyi asked on behalf of everyone.

"I plan to take advantage of the aftermath of the war to change the nature of the Association's organization and turn it into a civilization regime, forming a true third pole force. With our reputation in the war and our own powerful strength, the Three Great Civilizations will have to recognize us even if they grit their teeth. I'm just informing you now. When I shout out the name, everyone just needs to give their full support," Han Xiao explained simply.

"Is it finally time for this step? Don't worry, we will definitely cooperate."

Everyone's spirits lifted.

This was a crucial step in the transformation of the Super A Grade group. Everyone had expected it and there was no objection.

At this time, Manison suddenly said, "Be careful of one problem. With the Three Great Civilizations having a high chance of winning, they may have other thoughts. They may have their eyes on the World Tree's power… We are helping the Three Great Civilizations defeat foreign enemies, but we can't sit back and watch them control or subdue the World Tree, turning it into a weapon to deal with us. That is absolutely not allowed!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

The World Tree had already proven its terribleness. Originally, the combination of the Super A Grade Association + Super Star Cluster Alliance could contend with the Three Great Civilizations. If the Three Great Civilizations controlled the World Tree, then their power would expand to a new level, threatening the survival of the Super A Grade group again. This was a result that everyone was unwilling to see.

Han Xiao's eyes moved and he smiled, "So, everyone, keep an eye out when fighting and pay attention to the Three Great Civilizations. Don't let them hinder my actions."

…

The Three Great Civilizations specifically designated a gathering area in the central Star Sea. As the armies from various star fields arrived one after another, the scale of the fleet waiting here had reached an astronomical figure, simply boundless.

The Radiant Federation almost brought out all of its stockpiled high-dimensional Apocalypse Transmitters, arranging them neatly and orderly.

Because the World Tree was shrinking its forces to protect the main tree, this battle could only be a head-on confrontation. It was a true all-out, life-and-death battle between the two sides. The scale of the war was the largest since the start of the war.

The warriors in all the warships had serious expressions, filled with a decisive atmosphere.

On the player forums, related posts had already flooded the screen.

The player group naturally wouldn't miss this kind of grand scene. Almost everyone had gathered and accepted the same mission—to act as scouts for the main force, finding out the distribution of the World Tree civilization's forces in the main dimension.

The player group had no objections to this and even enjoyed it. After all, no one was more suitable for this mission than them, and they could play a role in this grand scene.

However, most players were surprised by the sudden change in the war situation and weren't mentally prepared.

"Isn't the version called 'Total Invasion'? I thought the World Tree's offensive would last longer."

"Maybe they got the priority wrong. Maybe our invasion of the other side is the real meaning of the version name."

"Speaking of which, with such a large-scale war, I feel like our influence is very limited… Damn, are we going to watch a CG again?!"

"I don't think so. I think this battle won't end in a short time. I'm afraid it will turn into a meat grinder battlefield, and it should be very tragic."

"It's hard to say. It's not that the enemy isn't working hard, it's just that our army has Black Star."

The player group discussed endlessly on the forum. Although there were many complaints, they were still quite looking forward to the Three Great Civilizations' counterattack.

On the other hand, the strategic command center was working intensively to deduce the tactical arrangements for this battle, as well as various possible situations.

Simon, Tainy, and other senior officers discussed fiercely, and Han Xiao and others were able to listen in.

"We will first deploy the Undying as scouts to bring back more positioning data, and then use the high-dimensional Apocalypse Transmitter for fire bombardment, using two hundred thousand Keys of Destruction as a batch, first deploying twenty batches, and then repeating this cycle several times, trying to damage the enemy's strength as much as possible."

"After that, we will deploy the main fleet in batches. Because the transmitter's transportation efficiency is limited, we can only use a piecemeal tactic. It will take a certain amount of time to alleviate the disadvantage in strength, so this period will be the stage with the highest casualty rate."

"The enemy will inevitably defend the World Tree's main body. Our goal is always to break through the enemy's defensive zone, open a path to the World Tree's main body, and carry out a beheading operation. This aspect requires the cooperation of high-level combat power."

Speaking of this, many senior officers present turned their heads and looked at Han Xiao.

Han Xiao knew what everyone meant and said slowly, "I will act as the arrow and lead the Super A Grades to break through. You are responsible for providing fire support."

"At that time, all the direct line Super A Grades will listen to your command," Simon said solemnly.

The Super A Grades possessed powerful individual combat power and flexible mobility, making them the best candidates for breakthroughs. According to the tactical deductions of the Three Great Civilizations, this battle was likely to open up the situation with high-level combat power, so the importance of Black Star and a group of Super A Grades in this war was self-evident.

Han Xiao was mentally prepared. He was looking at the Three Great Civilizations' troops, which could help him break through to the World Tree's main body, so that he could carry out the real plan.

Although the Three Great Civilizations didn't intend to fight a blitzkrieg, the Three Great Civilizations accelerated the speed of assembly, as the World Tree's speed of producing troops meant that a large number of troops would be added every day that was delayed.

A few days later, the Three Great Civilizations saw that the troops had been mobilized almost enough, so they launched the battle without hesitation.

In the vast universe, fleets of ships carrying players sailed into different high-dimensional Apocalypse Transmitters. In a flash of light, they disappeared from the spot.

…

At the same time, in the secondary dimension world, the World Tree's main dimension.

The area of this space far exceeded that of ordinary dimensions. A giant tree that reached the sky stood in the center, its branches and leaves lush and verdant. Around it were dense spatial rifts, and countless roots extended from the giant tree and inserted into them—this giant tree was the World Tree's main body.

At this time, layers of protective shields enveloped the World Tree's main body, and the surrounding area was filled with seemingly endless World Tree fleets, which had been waiting here for many days, forming layers of tight defense lines and installing countless weapon installations.

Buzz buzz buzz—

Suddenly, a piece of light flashed in the distant sky, and the pioneering group formed by the player group arrived, revealing themselves in the vision of the World Tree fleet.

"They're here…"

On a branch at the top of the World Tree's main body, the Ancestor Tree King opened his eyes and looked in the direction where the enemies appeared, his expression stern.