Chapter 468: Ch

Slowly, the moment arrived for the 8th Grand Fleet—known as the Lance of the Void, taking its name after Mav’s own flagship—which had now organized itself into a Tri-Void Formation.

It began to move ahead toward the super-large Star Wormhole Gate.

A Star Wormhole Gate is vastly different from a normal stargate of the Celestial Void Empire. Born out of a natural wormhole, it is enhanced by various higher-grade void materials and advanced, high-tier technological inclusions, transforming it into a controlled gate-type wormhole.

While a normal wormhole merely connects two fixed points in space, this Star Wormhole Gate pushes past that limit, acting similarly to a space bridge that can open a pathway to any location as long as one possesses the coordinates.

This specific Star Wormhole Gate has a maximum range of forty thousand light-years in diameter, within which it can repeatedly open a stabilized gate for a set duration. The construction of this wormhole was one of the monumental breakthroughs achieved by the Evolution Department, representing a true mastery over the advanced knowledge they possessed.

The Lance of the Void Grand Fleet entered the super-large Star Wormhole Gate, which fluctuated with a colorful, blue-green light that lit up the surrounding space. It possessed a mesmerizing beauty that could swallow one’s consciousness, warping and distorting the fabric of space around the gate if watched for too long.

The fleet quickly vanished from sight, followed just as rapidly by the 9th and 10th Fleets, led by Grand Admiral Yuki and Grand Admiral Anky, respectively.

Their destination, the Inner Zone of the Southern Outer Circle of the galaxy, had historically been referred to and known throughout the galactic archives as a zone forever surrounded by chaos—a place that had never known peace or prosperity.

For many millennia, more than twenty-eight Tier-Two factions—localized star kingdoms and federations spanning thousands of star systems—coexisted here. All of these Tier-Two factions were, in one way or another, constantly fighting each other.

Whether through direct frontal wars or covert attacks launched from the shadows, they fought to gain access to the few rich material veins and resources located around this rim of the galaxy.

While alliances did exist between these Tier-Two powers, they were ultimately always wary of one another. Even among allies, they constantly used various methods to undermine each other, searching for a breakthrough to swallow up rival territory and gain a bit more valuable resources.

History was full of examples; more than thirty such Tier-Two states had fallen over this region of the galaxy in a span of over one hundred thousand years.

However, three dominant factions stood above the rest in this transition zone from the outer to the inner southern circle of the galaxy. Each was led by a Tier-Three hegemony, empire, or federation.

First was the Bright Moon Republic, a government-ruled state known for its relatively advanced understanding of bio-engineered ships and mech technology. They were also famous for a precious resource capable of extending a person’s lifespan by twenty years.

The Republic dominated a few key wormholes—about five in total—that connected them to the inner circle of the galaxy, linking them with a powerful, long-existing, and almost supreme Tier-Three power: the Star Empire.

This strategic connection solidified their status as a recognized Tier-Three power.

Then, there was the Ogrini Hegemony. A Tier-Three power led by twelve ruling families, the Hegemony was much more powerful than the Bright Moon Republic.

It was established by a race of intelligent, humanoid lifeforms who had mastered higher-tier technology that was superior to the creations of almost any other race.

Because of their nature as lifeforms with a natural affinity and mastery over technology, this race was not much different from mechanical lifeforms; the only distinction was that they were made of biomass rather than metal.

They, too, possessed a solid connection to the Tier-Three Star Empire—even more so than the Bright Moon Republic.

And the third was the Vorn Directorate, one of the oldest and most ancient Tier-Three powers. Though ancient in age, it was not lacking in power; it belonged to the same upper echelon of Tier-Three states as the two mentioned above.

This Directorate was ruled by a plutocracy of a mute species that had grown to this level by depending on the capabilities of the different races inhabiting their nation.

This diverse populace enriched the nation’s heritage and gave it a rock-solid foundation, allowing the country to possess almost every kind of technology the galaxy had to offer and fostering a deeply diverse culture.

Though this country possessed a vast trove of different technological classes, none of them were super-advanced like those created by the Ogrini Hegemony—whose specialized tech could produce twenty to even thirty percent higher output compared to others.

Yet, the Directorate still maintained a massive advantage simply due to its sheer, solid numbers. So much so, in fact, that despite its lower technological mastery, its sheer scale made it more powerful overall than both the Ogrini Hegemony and the Bright Moon Republic.

However, the Directorate did not enjoy as close a relationship with the Star Empire as the other two did, mostly because of the strict autonomy the country maintained over its own territory.

But ultimately, it was still one of the lapdogs of the Star Empire—a fact no one could refute—and it had earned many favors throughout its long existence, not just from the Star Empire, but from other foreign powers as well.

The only reason it wasn’t favored as much as the other two Tier-Three powers was its diverse population—something the Star Empire’s high-ranking elites intensely disliked. It was the absolute primary reason why this country didn’t enjoy a more privileged position.

But still, each of the three powers was a formidable force around this part of the galaxy. It was a point of immense pride for them, a status deeply entrenched in their collective consciousness.

They possessed fleets that numbered in the hundreds of thousands, giving them an incredibly solid foundation.

However, these were mostly outdated fleets, made up of equipment that was at the lowest end of the mid-tier stage, along with a few higher-level ships that acted as the main battleships of the fleet.

Much of this hardware was provided and transferred to them by the Star Empire, whom the three powers served.

Though this arrangement was kept out of the public eye, it was still an open secret known to many.

Because of this massive military backing, they lived by a single understanding, firmly believing that by the law of strength, they were the true, unchallenged rulers of this region of the galaxy.

And they ruled it as such. They allowed their subordinates to clash with each other both covertly and openly. Even within their own factions, their internal subordinates fought among themselves, yet these three Tier-Three powers never intervened.

After all, no matter what happened and no matter which Tier-Two power was destroyed, they didn’t give a damn about it. What truly mattered to them was that a major chunk of the benefits, once the deed was done, flowed directly into their own hands. As long as it did, they turned a blind eye and never interfered.

One of the reasons they were able to build up such a massive number of fleets was largely due to this exploitative system, which solidified their foundation more and more.

So why would they step in to curse themselves?

To push away all these benefits?

Oh, please. Why would they ever do that?

They cared nothing for how many races and lives were lost because of it; all they cared about were the profits, and that was exactly what they were getting. So why interfere? That was their constant mindset.

They chose to let things go on as they were, continuing to enjoy riches they had never truly fought hard for. But what none of them realized was that something monumental was about to happen.

And it was a catastrophe they had brought entirely upon themselves. They were among the primary factions that had not only attacked the Celestial Void Empire’s envoy fleet, but they had even dared to give chase far into the Outer Southern Circle region.

Of all the attackers, they were by far the most arrogant.

While they chilled in their lofty worlds, secure within their own territories, they had absolutely no idea that three terrifying, bone-chilling Grand Fleets had already arrived in the space ruled by their subordinate factions.

The 8th, 9th, and 10th Grand Fleets each appeared in a different starry void—the vast, empty spaces between star systems. Each fleet had long since divided up the territories they needed to clean up to maximize their strategic benefits. The 8th Fleet was targeting the Bright Moon Republic, the 9th was targeting the Ogrini Hegemony, and the 10th Fleet was targeting the Vorn Directorate.

The moment they appeared, each of the three Grand Fleets split into three separate fleets, rushing toward three different locations before fracturing into even smaller, individual sub-fleets. From sub-battlegroups to battlegroups, and sub-legions to legions, the armada divided with mathematical precision. Each sub-legion was tasked with taking down a single Tier-Two power, while each major legion was given orders to dismantle multiple Tier-Two powers on their own.

Just like that, across three distinct spatial vectors within the territories of the three Tier-Three powers, a simultaneous,hyper-precise attack began. Before the defensive fleets of these Tier-Two powers even had a chance to detect the incoming ships, they were overwhelmed, torn apart, and sunk into the void.