Legacy of the Void Fleet

Francis, the cat-kin representative of the Eyrnodro Empire, stepped forward, a sly but proud glint in his eyes.

”You need not worry about security on my end, Lord Kameshiki,” Francis said, his voice carrying the rhythmic purr of his feline heritage. ”I cannot speak for the others, but I give you my word: no leak will come from my ranks. My forces have been on the move for over a month—since the very day we forged this alliance.”

He patted his chest with a heavy, resonant thud, his pride as a beastkin commander evident in his posture.

”To the rest of the galaxy, my ships are merely on a routine expedition, gathering resources from the undeveloped, outer-rim regions. They are hidden in plain sight, masquerading as simple miners and scouts. By the time they arrive here, they will be fully armed and ready for the kill, and no one will be the wiser.”

Looking at the arrogant cat-kin, others couldn’t help but feel a bit skeptical. Cojack even refuted them, saying it wasn’t only the cat-kin who had planned things this way…

”And to go further, you act like you’ve done something worthwhile, while others are just trash. Truly, you cat-kin have little brain… other than your flexible bodies, I guess you all don’t possess anything special in your kind…”

”Hmph… that said, we all have made preparations of our own, Lord Corvus. So you need not worry about us exposing ourselves or becoming a roadblock to a plan that already has more than a sixty percent chance of success.”

Hearing his words, the others nodded and echoed the same, throwing disdainful looks toward Francis. Some even mocked him, saying his brain was so small it was practically nonexistent.

This caused his face to flush red. Though no one was sure whether it was from anger or embarrassment—that was left open for debate for another time.

Hearing this, Corvus and a few others added their own remarks, even sharing parts of their plans before they left the discussion room under the lead of the Orc Overlord, who remained just as pleased as when he had welcomed them.

Soon enough, they all boarded their ships at the private airport and departed toward their stealth fleets lurking around the system. Some remained behind—Corvus, Kameshki, and Cojack—as their fleets were already stationed here.

In total, there were about 40,000 Tier-One ships. Of these, 15,000 belonged to the Star Empire, another 15,000 to the Association, and the remaining 3,000 to Cojack’s faction—though most of his were research or construction vessels, with only around 4,000 being mid-grade Tier-One warships.

There were also a few battle fortresses, along with two smaller—but still super Tier-One grade—metal behemoths, one belonging to the Star Empire and the other to the Association.

The fleet had long since surrounded the entire star system. Multiple graviton-generation devices had been deployed, disrupting and pulling in any ship that passed nearby, eliminating them almost instantly as they exited hyperspace.

This happened from time to time—mostly because the system lay near the ”Star Sector of the Lost,” a region filled with pirates, mercenaries, and all kinds of lawless elements. These pirates, whether by mistake or in hopes of a raid, would approach this outpost… only to be obliterated.

As all this kept happening, cycle after cycle without pause, frustration began to build among both the Star Fleet and the Association forces. It had reached a point where many of them wanted nothing more than to rush in and completely destroy the stronghold of those third-rate pirates right then and there…

But they were helpless. All they could do was hold back their anger.

While most struggled to keep their tempers in check, the fleet belonging to Cojack’s faction worked tirelessly. They were focused on improving the structure of the hyperspace gate—a massive ring nearly a thousand kilometers in diameter, forming its main body.

At the moment, parts of the previously completed gate had been taken apart. Huge trenches now ran across its surface, and from a distance, one could see ant-sized ships moving back and forth, transporting different materials and making constant adjustments.

All of this was being done to ensure the gate could properly adapt to the Space Stone and the Void Stone when the time came.

Otherwise, the hyperspace gate might reject the stones entirely. And if that happened, it would trigger intense spatial and void storms—causing severe losses.

Something no one wished to witness.

And just like that, time passed—and before anyone truly noticed, a week had gone by. The Alliance of Twelve continued their work as their fleets slowly assembled…

In a region that once belonged to the Minotaur Clan, within a large-scale star system, stood a Generation-Two battle fortress—spanning nearly one to two thousand kilometers in diameter. It was surrounded by almost ten thousand ships.

Upon its surface was the insignia of the Void Fleet—a sword pointed toward the universe. And if one looked closely, the sword itself was formed from thousands upon thousands of tiny ships.

This was the Void Fleet’s First Grand Battle Fleet, under the command of First Grand Admiral Ezra.

Inside one of the grand halls of the battle fortress, two men could be seen engaged in a serious discussion.

One of them was the well-known Ezra. The other was a similarly young man, yet carrying the aura of a seasoned military veteran—Ferris, commander of the 14th Defense Force, known as the Obsidian Watch.

He was also one of the early members, someone who had shared those early days when their numbers barely reached ten thousand—long before they came to this world to serve their Imperial Commander.

The two had been talking for quite a while, and their conversation was nearing its end.

”So far, what we and our fleet have achieved within a year… it should have been impossible. And yet, here it is—not happening, but already done before our very eyes,” Ferris said, his gaze fixed on the holographic map before him.

The map displayed this star system along with six or seven others—territories his forces had taken control of under the orders of the Imperial Commander.

The size of the fleet was enormous, nearing thirty thousand ships, along with two medium-sized battle fortresses and his own large fortress anchoring their hold on the region.

Hearing this, Ezra nodded, admiration clear on his face. ”All of this… was made possible by our Imperial Commander—his planning, and his resourcefulness.”

”I couldn’t agree more,” Ferris replied with a faint smile. ”And we, as his sword and shield, building upon those resources—we haven’t disappointed him yet… well, at least you haven’t. As for me…”

Ferris shook his head slightly. ”I haven’t had much of a chance to do anything.”

Ezra simply shook his head in response. ”Our roles are different. I may get more chances to flex strength, but your role is just as—if not more—vital. So don’t say that.”

He paused briefly before adding, ”And though I don’t wish to be a black-tongued omen… trouble should soon be knocking at our door. When it does, you’ll have your chance to prove yourself as well, Ferris.”

”Haha, what ’black-tongued’?” Ferris laughed lightly. ”You know it, and I know it—we’ll be attacked from all sides sooner or later. After all, in the eyes of the galaxy’s hungry wolves, we’re just a fat ship drifting in open space…”

He smirked slightly. ”…only a bit stronger than the rest. Nothing truly worth fearing, at least not in their eyes.”

He didn’t continue further—but what he meant was already clear.

Ezra simply rolled his eyes before slowly standing up. ”Well then, my friend… I’ll leave the security of this place to you. My work here is done. I should begin my return voyage toward the heartland of our fleet—as per the Imperial Commander’s orders.”

”Ohh, look at me… how much of your time I’ve taken just handling these changes…” Ferris said with a facepalm, which was soon followed by a burst of laughter.

Ezra simply rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. ”Well, it wasn’t bad. Talking about things here and there… it helped calm my mind a bit.”

”Did it?” Ferris replied, raising a brow. But quickly brushing it aside, he added, ”Well, you really should get moving now. There’s a lot on your plate. You need to take that girl from the Elf Empire to the Imperial Commander—and confirm whether your findings are actually correct.”

He paused briefly before continuing, his tone sharpening slightly. ”And if they are… then I have to say, we may have found a true treasure.”

Hearing this, Ezra can only nodded solemnly.

Because he understood what this might meant for them .

Anything connected to that ancient, gigantic tree on the Origin World—the very core of the Universal Domain, a space as vast as an entire universe… and someone who carried even a faint, diluted wavelength of its aura…

There were only a few possibilities. And none of them were simple.