Legacy of the Void Fleet-Chapter 331: Ch
Zyth nodded, completely siding with the Rear Admiral, as what he said was indeed the truth of warfare. But the next words from the Rear Admiral stumped him completely.
"But not only was the Mecha fine—it was completely unharmed by our attacks, standing there perfectly functional in the void of space. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
And then, unlike what we expected, the enemy Mecha began preparing a move of its own. Through my spiritual senses and our mana detection devices, we saw it drawing an immense amount of ambient mana toward itself..."
As he spoke, the Rear Admiral brought up a projection, showing them the scale of what the Mecha had done. The image showed something like a ripple in water; but where a ripple usually originates from one point and expands outward, the reverse was happening here. The ambient mana was being sucked toward the Mecha like inverted ripples, covering an area of over 50 km in space. Though that distance was small compared to the vastness of the cosmos, it was still staggering.
This completely stumped the Minotaurs. This scale of prowess was unheard of, especially from a Mecha; they had never even heard of technology like this. Zyth was the first to question it. "Wha—what? How is this possible? How is this Mecha able to manipulate mana?"
Though the term "manipulation" was perhaps excessive, what the Mecha or rather dark blade was doing was essentially absorbing the ambient mana to enhance its own systems and power to an extreme level.
But this concept was something that wasn't clear to the Minotaurs themselves; they were judging this phenomenon as "mana manipulation," even though that wasn't quite what was happening yet.
"And that too at such a scale! It's unheard of!" Zyth cried, absolute astonishment in his voice.
While he was stunned, so were the others. However, Mimosa remained more calm. Though he was still surprised by the display, he was in control. Seeing Zyth react like this, Mimosa knew the commander couldn't be relied upon. He felt disappointed that Zyth was being like this, even at a moment like this. He should have been more aware that time was of the essence; instead, Mimosa criticized Zyth in his heart, his disappointment in this bunch growing even more.
Jarkon's own foolish ideas had been bad enough, and now Zyth's behavior was only infuriating Mimosa more and more.
Control yourself, Mimosa. Control... this isn't the time nor the place where you can explode. Contain the anger within for now and take control of the situation first, before anything else, Mimosa talked to himself as he fought hard to control the angry resentment and other emotions that were on the brink of exploding.
"Continue with what you were saying, Rear Admiral, and be on point. No need for all the storytelling; we don't have that kind of time, and you should have more understanding of that than me right now," Mimosa said in a rather blunt and straightforward manner, without beating around the bush. His eyes were narrowed and directed straight toward the Rear Admiral.
The Rear Admiral, who was far away in the Star Battle Fortress, felt immense pressure weighing upon him when he saw the narrowed eyes of the Secretary of Defense. It was as if he were being told: I'm not hearing any more bullshit—see what will happen to you if you try.
His whole body shook at that moment, and he gulped a couple of times on his non-existent saliva. "Ye—yes, Secretary, as you say... that Mecha..." And just like that, he continued, and this time the Rear Admiral was much more direct.
While the Rear Admiral continued, the faces of Jarkon, Zyth, and Mimosa changed constantly. For Zyth, his astonishment was replaced by seriousness, then by astonishment again, and finally by fear. The same could be said for Jarkon and even Mimosa; for what they heard had completely shattered their worldview of power and might.
Jarkon even fell to the ground and hysterically shouted, "How? How could this be possible? Such power—how could anyone have it in their hands and use it as if it were something simple?! Impossible... impossible! I can't believe it... I refuse to believe it! This is an illusion! An illusion, I say!"
"Just... just like on the Rigid Star, where I saw that impossibly mighty, beast-like ship that came as fast as it was gone... and never appeared again! If that wasn't an illusion, what could it be? And this... this Mecha and the power it wields... I refuse to believe it is something real!"
Seeing Jarkon return to this state once again, Mimosa and the others felt helpless. Mimosa even felt disgusted; he couldn't relate this Jarkon to the bloodline of the Great Second Supreme Elder at all. He couldn't even fathom how someone of their great race could have such a weak will—one that shattered so easily at any moment.
Yes, he admitted that what he had heard had shaken him to no end as well, and even instilled fear within him. He wouldn't deny that he felt small against such a mighty display; knowing they were the targets of such power, of course he would feel fear.
But that didn't mean his will was nothing. He felt shaken, but he hadn't given up just yet. Yes, things were lost, and the fight here was a losing cause—something he had long since accepted. This display of power had only fermented one conclusion: he needed to leave this place. Nothing but losses would be incurred at this point, and he might even die if he stayed.
He contemplated the situation and came to a conclusion: the enemy—or rather, the Mecha—needed to be distracted. It couldn't be allowed to focus on the fleet's core.
And he knew how he could do it. He quickly moved to implement his plan, ordering the Rear Admiral, "Have the frontline ships—or what remains of them—launch a desperate offensive against the human fleet moving toward the habitable planets. Have one of the three remaining Star Battle Stations defend the core fleet, and have the other two fire their 'Planet Killer' main weapons toward the habitable planets... if our ships fail to distract that enemy Mecha, that is."
Mimosa spoke with resolve. One thing was clear to him—or rather, he hoped it was—as he weighed his options. It was obvious the humans were after them, and they would definitely want to secure the habitable planets, which were by far the most important resources for any race. If he targeted them, there was a possibility that the humans would move to safeguard them.
If he was right, the Mecha would definitely move to intercept that attack, and that would be his chance to escape with the rest of his remaining forces.
"And yes, tell me: are we prepared for the space jump?" Mimosa asked, unconcerned about the gazes directed at him. Some were filled with surprise, some with astonishment, and some even with resentment.
The Minotaurs were surprised that he was the one ordering such a thing. They were astonished that he, who came from a department with a motto to safeguard the people no matter what, was ordering such a cruel act. And the resentment came from those whose homes were the ones being targeted.
They felt a burning anger toward Mimosa. If the few within the shuttle felt this way, what would happen if the entire fleet heard of his plan? The scene would undoubtedly descend into chaos, and Mimosa was well aware of it.
To prevent this, his next move was to ensure no chaos erupted. He looked at the others, who were throwing him hateful glares as if they might jump him at any moment to stop the crime he was about to commit. The only thing holding them back was the presence of Zyth and the other high-ranking officers.
"If I am right, the planets will survive, and so will the people on them. But if I am wrong, I will take the blame as it is due," Mimosa said, beginning to walk toward the shuttle's exit. "Now, I would rather have my focus directed at ensuring we escape from this hellhole. You all should exert more control over yourselves."
As he exited, he swiftly and secretly contacted his own henchmen. He ordered them to keep a close watch on the native Minotaurs of this star system throughout the fleet. If the situation worsened, they were to be immediately controlled so as not to cause any problems. He did this without letting anyone else know—even Zyth and the Grand Admiral were kept in the dark.
Meanwhile, a few moments before Zyth's flagship shook, out in the void of space, the Dark Blade had just withstood the all-out attack of the Minotaur fleet with ease.
Inside, Kael looked at the intense fire surrounding him and smirked. "Whew... that was an intense attack. But," he sighed, "it was all bark and no bite, huh?"
With his eyes burning hot with excitement, Kael said, "Let's show them the difference between their 'attacks' and our Dark Blade."
"As you say, Master," the Dark Blade's AI responded, appearing in front of his eyes and syncing itself with his movements.
A long, katana-like sword suddenly manifested in its physical form. Kael, in full control of the Dark Blade, gripped the hilt with both hands and raised it high above his head.
"{Dark Apocalypse Series}"
