In the high orbit above the central forge-world of System #35, three thousand two-mile-long Iron-Wing Spiked Destroyers floated in a menacing wedge formation that blocked out the light of the local yellow sun.
Unlike normal warships that relied on long-range spirit cannons, every single destroyer in this fleet had a fifty-foot-long, drill-shaped Meteoric-Iron Ramming Spike welded to its reinforced prow, along with dozens of smaller barbed iron hooks sticking out of its sides like a medieval torture wheel.
On the bridge of the lead destroyer—the Skull-Skewer—stood Vanguard Commander One-Ear Xiong (Rank 8 Early Peak), a nine-foot-tall giant with a missing left ear, a jagged buzzsaw scar running across his bald scalp, and a necklace made of crushed spirit-ship steering wheels hanging around his thick neck.
One-Ear Xiong grabbed the fleet broadcast microphone and spat a wad of black betel-nut juice onto the iron floor, his voice booming across every public sky-screen on the six mining planets of System #35 below:
“LISTEN UP, YOU MUD-DIGGING WORMS OF SYSTEM #35!”
Down in the open-pit iron mines of Planet #35-A, twenty billion terrified miners looked up at the sky-screens as One-Ear Xiong bared his yellow teeth in a savage grin.
“I heard you rats have been whispering about those country bumpkins from Dry-Well Village who took over Systems #31 through #34 yesterday!” One-Ear Xiong roared, slamming his iron-gloved fist onto the control console. “Keep dreaming! Squadron Commander Ma and Captain Liu only got caught because they drove tiny border corvettes! Today, Warlord Tie…
