Chapter 490: Ch

With that, they resumed their tactical discussion, formulating an aggressive strike plan to resolve the conflict swiftly while the fleet surged through hyperspace...

A few hundred light-years away, within the Moon Star System...

Standing on the observation bridge of the Lunar-class Apex Fortress—one of three massive Moon Fortresses deployed alongside thousands upon thousands of warships, the smallest being destroyers and the largest super battleships—stood President Vance. Surrounding him were several high-ranking Republic officials, standing stiffly at attention.

Vance’s hands were tightly clenched behind his back, his face dark as he stared out into the cold yet majestic expanse of space.

Behind him, complete chaos had erupted among his cabinet members as news of the Battle of Selene reached the bridge.

"W-What?! Wiped out?!" a senator shouted, his voice laced with terror, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. "You’re telling me an entire armada made up of two hundred and fifty thousand warships was completely obliterated in less than a single day?!"

"Incompetent fools!" yelled the Minister of Defense, slamming his fist onto the round holographic table with full force, exerting his Paragon-rank cultivation and causing the console to tremble. "Not only was the armada destroyed, but a force of over two hundred thousand ships wasn’t even able to damage a single human ship to the point of destruction?! While millions of our men, hundreds of thousands of ships, and vast military assets were completely annihilated?! Is this some kind of sick joke?! How are we supposed to face the rest of the galaxy with a record like this, dammit?!" he roared.

"How are we even supposed to fight these humans and their ships—vessels that look more like ancient artifacts than starships?!" another official stammered in full-blown panic, wringing his hands.

"Their technology is vastly superior to ours! Our weapons couldn’t even penetrate the human ships’ shields, while they tore through ours like paper!

They even managed to disrupt our targeting and locking systems the moment they dropped out of hyperspace! Do we have anycountermeasures against this?! If not, what is stopping them from doing the exact same thing right here?!"

He spat out his fears in sheer despair.

The observation bridge grew increasingly chaotic, rapidly devolving into bitter infighting. Expressions of shame, fury, and suffocating terror consumed the entire room.

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!"

A voice like thunder shattered the chaos, instantly plunging the chamber into dead silence once more.

Everyone hurriedly turned their gazes toward the man standing directly beside the President—a man to whom even Vance showed immense respect.

He wore the majestic blue and gold-trimmed uniform of the Supreme Radiant Armada of the Bright Moon Republic: Grand Marshal Kalen, commander of the Republic’s most powerful military branch—the Phoenix Fleet—and Supreme Commander of all armed forces beneath President Vance.

His chest was covered with medals of honor earned over a lifetime of service—victories won across countless wars, including defending the Republic for nearly a hundred thousand years against the horrors pouring out of the Radiant System wormhole. To call him the most prestigious figure in the entire Republic was no exaggeration.

Kalen turned, sweeping his gaze across every standing and seated member around the table with a look of pure disdain that caused several faces to darken.

Refusing to show them an ounce of pity, Kalen spoke with cold authority. "These humans and their ships are formidable. Based on the combat records we just received, they operate at a level far above ours, and their technology is indisputably superior across the board."

His icy voice turned even colder as he grunted, "But that is not enough to make me fear them. It is not enough to make me back down. And it is certainly not enough to challenge me."

He spoke with an overbearing, grand confidence that momentarily stilled the panic in the room.

"This is not blind arrogance; it is a resolve forged through the countless hellish battles I have commanded throughout my life," he said, folding his arms. "I have fought through horrors far worse than this. I have faced entities far more powerful than this human fleet—monsters that crawled straight out of the Radiant System wormhole. Yet despite all of that, I am still standing! My fleet and armada are still whole!

"And it will be the exact same in this battle. I will still stand, I will still fight, and I will still win. And with me, our Republic will stand victorious, just as it always has!"

"So keep your pathetic thoughts to yourselves! Do not speak another word of nonsense until this battle ends, and do not dare demoralize my soldiers with your trash talk while they prepare to make a valiant stand against our enemy!"

Kalen scanned the room with a razor-sharp glare before issuing a final, stern warning. "And under no circumstances do you dare interfere midway through this war! I will not have people who know nothing about warfare or strategy trying to participate, issue commands, or disrupt our battle formations. I will not allow a repeat of what happened in the Selene system. If I catch any of you interfering, be prepared to face the full weight of military law!"

With a heavy huff, Kalen turned back toward President Vance, maintaining his rigid posture.

Vance didn’t react negatively; instead, he simply nodded in agreement. This was precisely what he wished for as well. The disastrous failure of the Selene armada could be attributed directly to the interference of spoiled aristocratic brats—incompetent relatives pushed into command positions by these very ministers and senators.

Had those fools not disrupted the chain of command, the Selene fleet might have at least held the line long enough to buy Vance precious time to mobilize further reinforcements. That interference was the primary reason Vance was so deeply displeased with his cabinet.

Putting those thoughts aside for the moment, Vance asked, "Do you have any countermeasures against their method of disrupting our targeting and detection systems, Grand Marshal?"

Vance was deeply concerned about this specific threat. That single tactical disruption had robbed the Selene armada of any chance to suppress the human fleet early on, and he could not afford to let history repeat itself in the capital system.

"We have implemented countermeasures, though we cannot say we are entirely confident in their absolute efficacy," Kalen replied with unyielding poise. "However, do not worry, Mr. President. What happened at Selene will not happen here—even if our technical countermeasures fail to fully neutralize the human fleet’s methods."

Vance didn’t feel good about this at all. Though Grand Marshal Kalen radiated confidence, he clearly hadn’t seen firsthand what had transpired in the Selene system or how rapidly it had occurred. Now, hearing that they lacked guaranteed technical countermeasures, how could Vance feel assured?

The only saving grace Vance had was Kalen’s legendary track record—he was a commander who had earned his position through sheer merit, and Vance had no choice but to place his faith in him.

Forcing a tight, slightly strained smile, Vance said, "Then I must leave this entirely in your hands, Grand Marshal."

Putting his smile away, Vance’s expression turned dead serious. "The fate of our Republic rests on your shoulders. Whether the Republic lives or dies will be decided by this upcoming battle and how you lead us."

Vance saw the unwavering confidence still radiating from Kalen, who opened his mouth to speak, but Vance raised a hand to cut him off. "I know you are confident, and that exact confidence is what I need right now. I cannot demand more from a decorated officer who climbed the ranks on merit alone, but I ask that you take this battle with the utmost seriousness. There must be no room for error."

With that, Vance patted Kalen’s shoulder and turned, walking out of the chamber without waiting for a reply.

Kalen remained standing there, uttering quietly to the empty doorway, "Do not worry, Mr. President. I will fight with everything I have in this battle."

Moments later, Kalen teleported from the observation chamber straight to his command bridge on another Lunar-class Apex Fortress.

"Give me a status report," Kalen demanded the moment he materialized. "Are the orbital batteries and perimeter defense installations fully powered and combat-ready?"

"Yes, Grand Marshal," replied Kalen’s right-hand man, turning his gaze toward the vast space visible through the observation windows. "Every single installation is fully charged and standing by, Marshal. If they come, we are ready for whatever they throw at us."

"Good," Kalen nodded in approval, stepping up to the glass to look out at the vast sea of warships assembled in tight tactical formations, waiting for the enemy to show themselves.

Out in the cold, vast star void separating the neighboring systems—three light-years away from the Republic’s outer perimeter—the Grand Fleet of the Lance of the Void had once again split into three distinct battle groups.

Every vessel across all three fleets had locked its weapons onto the defense installations stationed along the outer edge of the Moon Star System.