The world shook as a calamitous event occurred within the area of one light-second around the planet, which was filled with countless weapons of mass destruction, led by various alien beings wearing expressions of different kinds as they wantonly unleashed their payload upon the planet.
Meanwhile, the denizens of this planet, the people of Earth, were not so amenable to having their home destroyed and fought back using their own means, causing the usually dark and inhospitable void of space to be alight with energy and power of all kinds.
SHWIM!
ZIU!
KRAKOOM!
There was utter chaos and mayhem all around, and one with normal eyesight would not even be able to open their eyes with all the flashing lights and explosive shockwaves that erupted in the middle of space, but those who were currently locked in a life-and-death conflict here were more than capable of this minor feat.
Currently, the battlefield was split into three main camps. There was the mass graveyard where the bulk of fighter-class ships were engaged in crazy dogfights, outmaneuvering one another while unleashing their payloads onto their foes in an attempt to permanently snuff out their lives.
The numbers were completely stacked, though, as one could see fighter ships bearing the Earth Federation flag being chased and shot down by pursuers with varying flags on their ships, numbering ten to one. No matter how skilled the Earth pilots were, two fists could not beat four hands, and in this case, ten enemy ships of the same class!
These fighter ships were directly deployed from the planet's orbital space station, some even directly from silos on the planet itself, due to how off-guard they had been caught by this invasion—no, this extermination!
Within the orbital base station, which was even under fire as its shields were rapidly weakened and depleted, the main command room was filled with human workers with sweat beading on their brows as ever-new shells struck the shields and depleted them further. They knew the situation was too grave for them to flee.
In the main seat, now standing, was a strong-looking young man with an angular and thin face, with piercing blue eyes full of calm wisdom. His black hair was neatly combed and styled in a noble manner, with a sharply trimmed goatee underneath his chin that matched his thin mustache quite well.
He wore the official uniform of the Earth Federation's top force, the Great Ten, which was a black-and-red military uniform in an ornate officer style, topped off by a commanding cape of the same colors, evoking elite authority and noble presence. There was the symbol of the Earth Federation on his high-collared jacket, along with a badge that had the number "6" embossed on it.
One of the aides in the room turned to him with a grim expression, quickly reporting. "Commander Baines, all attempts to communicate with this invading force have failed. They do not all seem to be of the same race or faction, but have formed a general coalition."
Another aide spoke with a tone of confusion and despair. "On top of that, the few that have responded to us have only hurled insults and words of hatred, as if… as if we have killed their parents in front of their eyes."
Commander Baines remained silent, his eyes piercing. "How are the evacuations going? Will we be able to save some of our species for a later comeback?"
The room became deathly silent, and Commander Baines got the answer he needed. Closing his eyes, he thought with his enhanced brain for only a few seconds before opening them once more with a resolute glint.
"Then we fight to the death. Activate the Kamikaze Protocol."
...................
In the second battlefield, there was a group of men and women in skin-tight exosuits who were fighting in the middle of space using their own bodies. Around them were various weapons and tools that they used to exercise their abilities, though most of it was borne by a special power the human race had come into contact with only recently, one that enhanced the species' combat power.
These humans numbered less than a million in total, and they were spread out in battle against multiple foes who either wore similar exosuits or entered space with their raw bodies!
The majority of the explosions expanded from this battlefield, as the few humans fought ferociously, exploding various fighters in the lower battlefield while fending off direct assaults to their persons, trying to multitask at the cost of their own safety just to save one more life and take down one more foe.
Among them were five fellows in the same red-and-black military uniforms of the Great Ten, standing in space with their real bodies, unaffected by the void. Each of them wielded immense power and even threatened nearby commander-class ships, causing them to be destroyed and disrupting the enemy's communication lines repeatedly.
The one with the number 10 badge was a young man with wild, spiky hair that was completely untamed, a short yet masculine body, and piercing amber eyes rimmed with purple eyeliner, making him seem semi-human. Around him were six mechanical arms that were continually punching out, destroying many ships and smashing countless foes to paste at the same time.
However, despite this seemingly impressive display, the young man was actually bleeding from all seven orifices while smoke emitted from his ears, his mechanical arms worn yet crackling with untamed power.
"It seems this is the end for me. If I go down, then all of you are coming with me! Yahhhh!" he screamed in fury, more power emitting from him, which was picked up by his mechanical arms, doubling their speed and also doubling their descent into destruction.
The member with the number 9 badge was a young man with dark skin and curly dreadlocks, his expression placid as he maintained a semi-corporeal shield with black edges. The shield rebounded all damage launched at him back at his foes almost magically, causing them to either become severely wounded or die.
Despite this miraculous ability, the young man sighed and passed the stump of a hand through his scorched hair, his legs and both arms long destroyed, leaving him floating in space as a torso that was only preserved by the rapidly weakening rebound shield.
"Damn, and I just took a loan from the Rank 7 Galactic Bank to customize my own Pharaoh Star Destroyer," he muttered with lament, feeling his life force slowly wane under the onslaught.
The fellow with the number 8 badge was a burly brute with short, cropped black hair, bulging muscles, and a full facial beard that was slightly thick and unkempt. He wielded two great axes in either arm that were made of a silvery alloy with blue lines running through them, and whenever he waved them, a huge wave of dark-blue axe light would erupt and cut anything in its path.
The fellow was unstoppable and awe-inspiring, cutting through entire swaths of enemies and even slicing commander-class ships in one hit, laughing crazily with his eyes wide open. Even when he was hit by an enemy attack, his body rapidly regenerated as if it meant nothing to him.
Despite this powerful display, though, one would notice that his number of foes was the highest on the middle battlefield and his regeneration rate was slowing down greatly even as his killing rate increased, yet he never stopped bellowing with laughter.
"Hahaha! Come, let me kill! Kill one! Kill two! Kill all! Hahaha!"
The fellow with the number 7 badge was a tall man with wavy brown hair and a thick brown beard tied in Irish curls. He wielded a simple long spear in one hand that was made of a glowing red alloy, striking out multiple times in a single second, releasing spear lights large enough to kill multiple foes at once and even pierce ships from bridge to engines.
Despite this, the fellow didn't even bother to defend himself against counterattacks, letting them strike and mutilate his body while he kept drinking from a flask, his expression bleak and partly intoxicated.
"Meh, what's the point? Go ahead and destroy it all, who cares? Maybe the annoying thoughts in my head will finally go silent," he murmured lazily, still fighting despite his nihilistic words.
Finally, at the lead of this battlefront was the fellow with the number 5 badge, who was extremely handsome, with flowing black hair that had red tints and fierce amber eyes filled with a calm hatred as he wielded a halberd that was crimson in color.
Every swing of his halberd brought waves of destruction on a scale that surpassed his other four compatriots in the Great Ten, causing foes to flee from him, because those that this human touched screamed in agony and were turned into energy, which was reabsorbed by the human to keep unleashing attacks.
However, like his compatriots, his momentum was flagging because stronger beings from the highest battlefield had come down to deal with him, and strikes from them actually shattered his blows and denied his energy absorption ability, causing him to spit blood in pain.
Yet his will wasn't deterred.
"Fuck! I will kill each and every one of you non-human freaks if it's the last thing I do!" he roared with madness, still charging forward to attack as best as he could.
...............…..
This left the last central battlefield, where the core of each army's best warriors were facing off.
This place held only four humans wearing the military uniforms of the Great Ten against the patriarchs of the offending races, who numbered around twenty. Each of these patriarchs stood atop a minor planetary body, while the four humans also did so, but the scale was vastly incomparable.
The human with the number 4 badge was a burly young man with rugged features that were extremely masculine but not all that handsome, his brown eyes filled with unwillingness and hatred toward the invaders as he stood atop a barren planetoid that was half the size of the three other humans with him.
The human wearing the number 3 badge was a tall young woman with bronze-colored skin and flowing brown hair that was silky in nature. She was extremely voluptuous beyond compare, with proportions that her tight military uniform had to be specially tailored to accommodate without looking ridiculous.
She snorted coldly as she stood atop an Earth-like planet, lush with greenery and life, with water bodies also containing animal life. Her deep brown eyes were filled with calm anger, but the way she folded her arms under her impressive bust betrayed her uncertainty and fear from the way she gripped her elbows tightly.
The human with the number 2 badge was also a young woman with the features of a goddess, her face sculpted to perfection with pristine golden eyes filled with divine majesty, and white hair cut short in a bob-cut style. Her figure was slender and curvy without possessing as much volume as her nearby compatriot, and her face was locked in the rictus of a snarl.
She stood atop a scorching sun that flared with flames and heat, which mirrored the hateful malice she held in her eyes when she glanced at her foes. Yet her restraint showed a hint of forbearance and confusion, for she was not known for her patience in situations like this.
Finally, there was the man in the lead with the number 1 badge, who stood at the top of every chart and ranking—the pioneer of the human race, the pinnacle of power, and the representative of the Great Ten!
With a steady height of just under six feet, spiky black hair that formed bangs on his head, piercing green eyes full of playful malice, and an amiable smile that was as trustworthy as that of a snake, he stood upon a planet that was more like a moon, covered in ice and darkness, full of malevolent energy.
With a smile that belied his true intentions, he opened the floor with a simple question.
"Dear friends from afar, what brings you to our part of the galaxy?"