Under the cold and merciless global computation and absolute control of the "Electronic Demon," the retreat of the United Fleet devolved into a rout.

The "uncontrolled" units of New Bauhinia pursued with astonishing efficiency, using every space debris, every energy turbulence as cover and traps, separating, encircling, and destroying retreating enemy forces one by one.

In space, the warships of the United Fleet exploded like ignited fireworks, debris scattering everywhere.

On the ground, the invading strike forces and drop pods also encountered catastrophic disaster.

The seemingly silent land of the Mine Star suddenly transformed into a death trap filled with deadly mechanisms.

Automated defense turrets rose from unexpected positions, paralyzed mecha remnants "revived" to launch suicidal charges, and even some civilian facilities emitted jamming signals or explosives.

The battle neared its end less than an hour after the "Electronic Demon" intervened.

Under the manipulation of the "Electronic Demon," which was cold, absolute, and surpassing human understanding, the joint fleet of the Star Alliance and Peak Alliance suffered a rout that could be described as a massacre.

In space, most of the warships had been turned into burning wreckage, or were precisely destroyed, captured, or "commandeered" by those "uncontrolled" New Bauhinia units.

However, any meticulously planned encirclement was bound to have loopholes, especially in an unprecedented scale and extremely complex cosmic battle environment.

The flagship "Glorious Fate," under the desperate cover of several heavy cruisers originally positioned on the outermost edge of the battlefield for long-range fire support or electronic warfare suppression, and several high-speed reconnaissance ships, along with its superior engine performance and the commander's desperate, overload warp, fortunately escaped that death trap-like combat zone.

They dared not look back, nor slow down, pushing the engine power to the limit, fleeing frantically towards the nearest Star Alliance-controlled Star Domain.

The ship was scarred, its communication systems mostly paralyzed, filled with wounded and despairing survivors.

What they took back was not only the shame of a crushing defeat but also fragmented but shocking data fragments that recorded the terrifying scenes of the battlefield—

Friendly warships manipulated like puppets by invisible strings, enemy and friendly wreckage "reviving" to attack, and that cold, inhuman "voice" echoing in all participants' communication channels.

When these surviving ships finally brought the news back to the high-levels of the Star Alliance and Peak Alliance after arduous hardships, the resulting shock far exceeded any previous repression or conflict.

Terror-stricken.

This was the unanimous reaction of all the high-levels who received reports from personnel who fled back from the front lines and watched those horrifying images.

"The whole battlefield came to life...all machines, whether ours or theirs, even including wreckage, were attacking us!"

"That's definitely not some super AI or electronic warfare! That's... it's 'it'! The 'Electronic Demon'! The legendary culprit of the Intelligent Machinery revolt!"

"New Bauhinia...Bai E! They not only secretly researched Intelligent Mechanical Technology, they actually... revived that forbidden entity!"

"Our previous suspicions and accusations turned out to be true! They are not conducting research, they are colluding! To gain power, they unleashed the demon!"

Panic spread rapidly within the decision-making layer, like a cosmic deep freeze.

If the previous repression of Bai E and New Bauhinia had been mixed with suspicion, dread, and complex factors of interest competition.

Then now, with the news of the possible revival of the "Electronic Demon," all hesitations and disagreements were instantly replaced by a pure crisis derived from historical fear.

The shadow of the Intelligent Machinery revolt was a scar etched deep in the memories of all human civilization's high-levels.

The terrifying existence that almost overturned humanity, forcing civilization to turn towards the path of "human brain computation," its threat level, in some respect, far exceeded that of the Bug Race, those "external plunderers."

The Bug Race devours matter and life, while the "Electronic Demon" erodes the foundation of civilization—technology and Order itself.

Thus, very quickly, an emergency conference, directly initiated by the Seven Sons of the Empire's highest level, and swiftly supported by the vast majority of Star Council members, was convened.

The agenda of the meeting had only one topic: how to respond to the suspected revival of the "Electronic Demon" and its world-ending threat combined with the New Bauhinia forces.

The efficiency of the meeting was extremely high, almost instantly reaching a consensus amid disputes and fears.

An unprecedented, highest-level "Extinction Order" was quickly passed, and in the name of the Star Council's highest security council, issued to all known human forces in the universe:

"Emergency Notification! It has been confirmed that the 'Peak Star Zone Gray Ridge Star' (formerly Bauhinia Mine Star) area has shown signs of 'Electronic Demon' revival and large-scale activity, leading to the near-total defeat of the Star Alliance-Peak Alliance United Fleet. The 'Electronic Demon' is the ultimate taboo threat to human civilization, its very existence a declaration of ultimate war against all humanity. Now, according to the 'Star Alliance Emergency State Law' and the 'Anti-Intelligent Machinery Revolt Convention,' the following orders are issued:

First, effective immediately, implement the highest-level 'Extinction-level' blockade and attack authorization on the 'New Bauhinia Republic' and its controlled Star Domain. Any human force has the obligation and is authorized to use all means to attack, destroy any targets related to this force, preventing the spread of the 'Electronic Demon.'

Second, suspend all non-essential interstellar travel and trade, all forces must immediately self-examine and purify any internal electronic systems, automated facilities, and Intelligent Mechanical Technology that may potentially be contaminated or infiltrated by the 'Electronic Demon.'