Although the Shadow Kingdom had already been eliminated, as one of the "Sons of the Empire", their representative still had a say. "The risk is the same. The battlefield is not an arena; the mortality rate will be much higher. If these young geniuses fall in the bug tide, what we lose is each of our futures."

"But this is also a form of screening." The Priest of the Holy Silver Church Country spoke slowly. "A true powerhouse not only wins tournaments, but can also survive war and claim victory. Flowers raised in a greenhouse cannot withstand the storms of the universe. If they can’t even handle a bug tide of this scale, then they are unworthy of being called ’the hope of humanity’s future’."

Very soon, a consensus was reached.

The "Sons of the Empire" jointly submitted an urgent proposal to the Star Alliance Tournament Committee and the Security Council:

In view of the current grim situation, it is proposed that the scheduled final-stage matches of the Star Alliance Grand Finals be suspended. Instead, the teams that advanced to the top eight will form the "Star Alliance Youth Task Force", and immediately head to one of the Stellar Distrcits under the most severe threat from the Bug Race to carry out reconnaissance, interception, support, and even counterattack missions.

Ultimately, based on each team’s overall performance in actual combat, their contribution to war results, survival rate, and other factors, the final rankings of this tournament will be jointly evaluated by the Star Alliance military and the Tournament Committee.

This proposal quickly received approval from the Star Alliance leadership.

In the face of a life-and-death existential threat, all entertainment and competition must give way.

Soon, the Star Alliance officially released an announcement:

"To all Star Alliance members and citizens following the Grand Finals: In response to a sudden large-scale Alien Race invasion, and in order to concentrate the full strength of humanity against our common threat, after an emergency consultation between the Star Alliance Supreme Security Council and the Tournament Committee, it has been decided that the third stage ’Peak Showdown’ of the Star Alliance Grand Finals will be adjusted."

"The original top eight teams will form the ’First Star Alliance Youth Task Force’, and will immediately undergo temporary reorganization and pre-war briefing under the Star Alliance United Fleet Command. Within 24 standard hours, they will board a rapid response fleet and head to the front lines of the ’Silent Frontier’ Edge Star Zone to execute the emergency combat mission codenamed ’Dawn’s Edge’."

"Actual combat performance in this mission will serve as the primary basis for determining the final rankings of this Star Alliance Grand Finals. Details of the mission and evaluation criteria will be issued separately by the Star Alliance military. May human courage endure forever, and may the light surely drive away the darkness!"

Once the announcement came out, the world was in an uproar, but there was more understanding and a kind of tragic hot-blooded fervor.

The competition had become a real war, and the glory of the championship would be directly tied to the merit of defending civilization.

Reactions to this sudden turn of events varied across different parties.

Ordinary citizens, while worried, also placed no small expectations on this "Task Force" composed of the top young Mech Pilots in the entire universe, hoping they could create miracles on the battlefield.

The eight participating teams entered the most intense state of pre-battle preparation.

This was not a simulation, not a competitive match, but a life-and-death war between species.

And in the private exchanges among the high-level members of the "Sons of the Empire", besides their shared goal of dealing with the Bug Race, certain little schemes began to stir again.

"The battlefield... might be an opportunity." The Priest of the Holy Silver Church Country whispered over encrypted comms. "On a chaotic battlefield, ’accidents’ can happen at any time. No matter how strong that Bai E is, facing an endless sea of bugs and the ’tacit cooperation’ of our several ’trump cards’... can he really keep his teammates safe every time, or himself unscathed?"

The advisor from the Golden Federation sneered. "Besides, when it comes to dealing with the Alien Race, we’re the professionals. The former Empire accumulated countless experience in confronting alien civilizations. Our Mecha, our weapons, our tactics have all been optimized against this type of enemy. That Bai E might have fought a few pretty Bug Race defensive battles in the Peak Star Zone, but those were just small-scale skirmishes in an Edge Star Zone. Faced with this kind of cross–Star Domain large-scale invasion, that bit of ’experience’ of his might not even be worth mentioning."

The representative of the Steel Alliance was comparatively cautious. "Don’t underestimate him. Intelligence previously sent from the Peak Alliance indicates that Bai E does indeed have unique methods in dealing with the Bug Race, and has even been called by some the ’Insect Race Killer’. This actual combat will be a good chance to verify whether he’s just an empty reputation, or truly lives up to the name."

The representative of the Flame Republic was itching for a fight. "Who cares about what ’Killer’ he is or not? Truth is proven on the battlefield! Perfect chance for our ’War Dogs’ to cross paths with him and see who racks up more bug kills!"

Although they still harbored fear and even hostility toward Bai E and his team, under the greater cause of fighting the Bug Race, the common enemy of humanity, they temporarily pressed these emotions down, transforming them more into a sense of competition—

To prove on a real battlefield that the elites trained by the "Sons of the Empire" are far more outstanding and reliable than a "dark horse" who came from an Edge Star Domain.

They were full of confidence in their years of accumulated technology, tactics, and elite training systems.

...

International Pavilion, Zone Seven, New Bauhinia base.

After receiving the announcement, the atmosphere in the conference room was solemn and heavy.

"The Bug Race... large-scale invasion." Catherine stared at the Star Alliance announcement on the screen and the sparse footage from the front lines, her expression grim.

Although their record against Bug Race Fleets in previous battles was flawless, the Bug Race was never something to be taken lightly.

Now that it was a large-scale invasion, who knew what new kinds of mutated forms might appear?

The most important thing was that this species was constantly evolving, only growing stronger the more it fought.

Kuang Xin scratched his head, actually looking rather interested. "So we’re really going to fight bugs now? Fine by me; those things look disgusting anyway. All the more satisfying to chop them up!"

Gong Yan brought more intel. "My lord, according to the limited information shared by the Star Alliance, the ’Silent Frontier’ Stellar Distrcit is one of the main directions of this bug tide invasion. At least two inhabited Colony Stars have already lost contact. The Bug Race Fleet is estimated to include more than ten bio–super-dreadnoughts, accompanied by large numbers of medium and small units. The local defense fleet in the Stellar Distrcit has suffered heavy losses and is retreating across the board. The Task Force’s mission is very likely to be to delay the Bug Race’s advance, cover civilian evacuation, and attempt to find weaknesses in the Bug Race Fleet."

Bai E listened quietly. His "Insect Race Killer" Spiritual Energy perception seemed, after the announcement was released, to faintly capture from an incredibly distant Star Domain a clearer, more violent hunger and malice.

The scale was indeed far beyond anything before.

"Looks like our rest is over." Bai E spoke slowly. His voice was calm, yet carried an unseen weight. "The tournament has become war, but our goal hasn’t changed—to demonstrate the strength of ’New Bauhinia’, and fight for our own future. It’s just that this time, our opponent has become the common enemy of humanity."

He looked at his team members. "This is our first time on a Milky Way–level battlefield, standing alongside the elites of the ’Sons of the Empire’. What we’re competing on isn’t tricks or tactics, but the most direct killing efficiency, survival capability, and contribution to the overall situation. Don’t feel pressure. Take everything we’ve trained for, everything we learned fighting the Bug Race on the Mine Star and on Karian, and put it all to use."

"Remember." Bai E’s gaze swept over each and every one of them. "On the battlefield, keeping yourselves alive is always the first priority. Then, kill as many enemies as possible. I’ll be right there with you."

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded in unison. There was no fear in their eyes, only blazing battle intent.

For them, the Bug Race was not an unfamiliar enemy.

Their leader was the very existence known as the "Insect Race Killer".

Their Mecha "Dawn’s Edge"—many of its initial design concepts and field tests were built on the foundation of fighting the Bug Race.

This time, it was simply a bigger stage.

The Star Alliance Grand Finals had entered its final and most brutal Chapter in a way no one had foreseen.

The glory of the arena was about to be replaced by the merits earned on the battlefield.

"To war!"