At the macroscopic level, gravitational lensing could indirectly detect the strings theorized in string theory.

At the microscopic level, gravitons, as mediators, could reveal strings at the subatomic level.

This might be a coincidence, as they aren't the same thing, but perhaps it's also inevitable.

Detecting strings doesn't mean being able to manipulate them.

But it's not without value. The confirmation of string theory would allow Ayla to manipulate the four fundamental forces at a more fundamental level.

Once strings are discovered, other technologies would advance simultaneously, rapidly propelling the civilization to Type 2.

How quickly?

Ayla's plan was five years...

This was ambitious, but it didn't require precise manipulation; a crude approach would suffice.

She had access to vast energy reserves. Using these resources, she could create a rudimentary "string weapon."

"Luna, Ayla has fulfilled our promise!"

Ayla used a levitating camera to monitor Proxima Centauri.

She was concerned about Luna's safety but couldn't afford to rush.

The real battle had begun.

It was time to determine the victor.

...

"One hundred years passed."

Luna awoke deep beneath Proxima Centauri c.

She climbed out of the hibernation pod, finding herself in a ten-square-meter chamber with minimal gravity, making even the slightest movement difficult.

She went to a small computer terminal and activated the screen.

There was no keyboard, only a system interface with a single button and a video player.

If the plan went as expected, the Multi-eyed fleet had arrived at Proxima Centauri.

And she was about to take action.

She pressed the button, activating the video player.

Data scrolled across the screen.

Luna felt nothing, but the data confirmed the activation of her target.

A planet.

The Kate homeworld—Proxima Centauri b.

As she had planned before her hibernation, the galactic federation was inconsequential to her.

From the outset, she and Ayla had anticipated sacrificing some of the Kate.

She pressed the button, activating the hidden gravitational distortion device within Proxima Centauri b. The planet would be knocked off course, propelled outwards by Proxima Centauri's gravity at a precise angle.

Why not Proxima Centauri d?

Proxima Centauri d had too little mass, and its core would be easily scanned, making it unsuitable for concealing the device.

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Proxima Centauri c was her base; Proxima Centauri b was the optimal choice.

Moreover, the Purple Thorns wouldn't expect Luna's weapon to be an entire planet, a planet teeming with life.

"In 100 years, the Multi-eyed will arrive at Proxima Centauri, providing a distraction while we observe the enemy."

"The Multi-eyed don't need to defeat the enemy; they just need to draw attention and buy time."

This was Luna's earlier instruction to Ayla.

Ruthless.

But sometimes, ruthlessness was necessary.

Although she spent most of her time hibernating, her experiences in Divine Revelation weren't inconsequential.

Her physical age was just over 100 years, but considering her experiences in the virtual world, her mental age was well over a thousand years.

She was no longer the person she was on Earth or in the immediate aftermath of its destruction.

In terms of strategy and power, she felt she could rival any famous strategist or politician in human history.

She now controlled far more lives and territory than the entire human civilization ever had.

Sometimes, sacrifice was necessary.

Indecisiveness led to annihilation.

She calmly observed the fluctuations on the screen, calculating Proxima Centauri b's current state.

The next move depended on the enemy.

Given the energy drain of maintaining the blockade around the massive planet, the Purple Thorns would likely cease it.

They wouldn't leave Proxima Centauri b adrift, unsure of what it might contain.

They would choose to destroy this unpredictable "bomb."

Perhaps, like Earth, fireworks would once again light up the cosmos—fireworks orchestrated by her.

...

Simultaneously.

A fleet was traversing space.

They were from the Multi-eyed planet; they had arrived, as Luna had predicted.

Forty-one years earlier.

Mandatory military service had been implemented on the Multi-eyed planet. All eligible Multi-eyed were conscripted, undergoing five years of training before being deployed.

For the first fifty years, the Multi-eyed had mainly used their fleet to harass the Purple Thorns while maintaining a significant reserve fleet.

Their fleet now numbered 1287 ships.

These ships were far less advanced than the Valiant Legion's.

But sufficient.

They were about to travel across five light-years to join the battle at Proxima Centauri.

This had been part of Luna and Ayla's initial plan.

Forty-one years later, Proxima Centauri was within reach; war was imminent.

They couldn't see any planets within the Proxima Centauri system.

Kula, the Multi-eyed military commander, looked at his troops.

Fear was evident in their many eyes.

Each Multi-eyed knew their enemy and knew they couldn't win.

This was a civilization capable of blockading a star system and easily defeating a far stronger civilization.

Yet, they had no choice!

Ayla's orders were absolute. Disobedience meant death.

The robots on the Multi-eyed planet would slaughter them.

Objectively, it would have been better to remain on their planet than face this unknown enemy in the vast emptiness of space.

At least there, they had weapons, the ability to fight back, to attack!

But...

This was Kula's feeling.

He felt the deep sorrow of the Multi-eyed, though he'd never questioned being a Multi-eyed, nor desired to be human or Kate. This sorrow was real; he couldn't deny it.

He transmitted an optical message.

"Prepare for battle!"

"They are our enemies; our loved ones perished at the hands of their neutrino creations."

"To protect our people from such annihilation and death, we will fight to the death, leaving our mark on our enemies."

There was no boasting.

They had located the enemy warships.

Launch.

Engage.

They closed the distance.

Lasers fired at the U-shaped warship, but all were deflected.

Kula had received instructions; only by boarding the enemy ship could they win.

"Charge!"

With no path to retreat, they attacked.

Ships and fighters swarmed towards the Purple Thorn warship like locusts.

This was a repeat of the Valiant Legion's fate, destined for a similar outcome.

But then.

The warships detected a massive energy surge; the missing object reappeared.

Because the blockade had been significantly reduced, the fleet was now within the Proxima Centauri system, not far from Proxima Centauri c.

The Multi-eyed could even see a new planet emerging within the system.

A planet growing larger and larger.

"Is that Proxima Centauri b?"

Kula didn't understand. How could a planet move?

And why had the Purple Thorns ended the blockade?

In the distance, the Purple Thorn warship altered course. A massive, geometric energy structure at its center emitted a blinding white light.

This light struck Proxima Centauri b.

A moment later.

The Multi-eyed witnessed the destruction of Proxima Centauri b.

This was a true annihilation weapon.

A single shot... obliterating a planet!