While the Void Fleet swept through the remains of the Minotaur’s 7th Light Fleet, the last fragments of resistance tried to flee.

Some of them still had functional FTL modules.

They tried to escape—initiating emergency jumps, leaping into hyperspace.

And they did jump.

But they didn’t get far.

Within seconds, their ships were pulled back—snatched from hyperspace by something they couldn’t see.

Obliterator Spatial Multiplication Modules had locked the entire combat zone in a layered gravity well.

FTL didn’t fail—it just didn’t work.

The moment a ship enters hyperspace, it is pulled into a false lane, one created and controlled by Obliterator itself.

Like running into a trap hidden inside the very fabric of space.

⸻

Minotaurs panicked.

They realized they were dealing with some unknown tech—something they had never seen before, let alone prepared for.

No matter how advanced their drives were, they couldn’t break through.

The battlefield was a cage.

So they made a desperate decision.

They gave up on FTL.

Instead, they tried to escape the old-fashioned way: sub-light propulsion.

Their logic was simple: if whatever was blocking FTL had a limited range, then maybe if they pushed far enough—

Five million kilometers?

A light-month?

Some arbitrary threshold?

Maybe then, just maybe, they’d be able to jump again.

But they didn’t realize that Obliterator field stretched across half the system—nearly eight light-years wide.

That kind of space manipulation wasn’t theory for the Void Fleet.

It was routine.

⸻

And even if the Minotaurs could push far enough—even if—there was one last problem:

They weren’t alone.

The left flank was already locked down by Titan’s Bane.

The right flank had been secured by the Black Wing.

And between them moved Raj and Damien—not just warriors but predators.

To Raj and Damien, these fleeing ships weren’t threats.

They weren’t even enemies anymore.

They were targets.

Training dummies.

Live practice.

Each failed escape attempt became a data point.

A way to calibrate their soul weapons.

To test new angles, power levels, shot timings.

⸻

For the Minotaurs, it wasn’t a battle anymore.

It was a slaughter.

A hunting ground.

They were prey with no sky to fly into.

No stars to run toward.

Just empty, silent death.

Meanwhile, in the Core Star System of the Minotaur Clan…

At the heart of Minotaur Prime, within the towering halls of the Council Citadel, the grand chamber glowed dimly beneath ancient glyphlight.

All nine Supreme Elders of the clan were gathered.

The air was thick with tension—not panic, but the kind of measured urgency known only to beings who had survived galactic ages.

The discussion was quiet until the Sixth Elder finally broke the silence.

“It’s time we moved, isn’t it?” he asked, looking across the curved table at his eight fellow councilors.

The Seventh Elder nodded.

“The energy surges in that star sector are extreme. Our long-range sensors confirm massive mana displacement. It won’t calm for another six or seven cycles.”

The Third Elder glanced toward the First Elder, who led them in name and influence.

“Jarkon—has he sent word?”

The First Elder gave a slow nod.

“He will wait. He’s given himself twelve hours before he acts. He says it’s a ‘strategic window.'”

“So, caution then?” the Ninth Elder asked, rising slightly from his seat.

“Not caution,” corrected the Second Elder, “preparation. Jarkon knows the Genome will follow. Keeping the fleet ready behind him is foresight—not hesitation.”

The Fourth Elder leaned forward, intrigued.

“The Genome… It’s them we should be worried about. Capturing the Forbidden Zone may be a challenge, but taking down the Genome…”

The Third Elder finished the thought.

“If Jarkon times it right, he might weaken the Genome’s Second Arch Fleet. If that happens, we strike.”

“A strike against their flanks,” the Seventh Elder said, eyes sharp now.

“Take systems on the rim—especially the resource-rich ones. If they’re exposed, we must act.”

The chamber fell into a short silence.

Then, the Fifth Elder, who had said nothing until now, finally spoke.

“If Jarkon opens that door, it may be our last chance to reset the board.”

“Last chance, you say?” the First Elder spoke at last, voice calm—too calm.

But there was something simmering behind his tone. A knowing edge.

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting in the glyphlight.

“It will only be the last chance if we overlook what lies buried in the Forbidden Sector.”

The room fell quiet.

“Have you forgotten,” he continued, “or have you simply ignored the histories we recovered from the ruins of the ancient civilization that once ruled this planet—the same people whose remnants became the foundation of our rise?”

The Fifth Elder said nothing, eyes narrowing.

“That region—what we now call the Forbidden Zone—was once the same as the core star sector of this galaxy. The center of power, ruled by those ancient beings. You’ve all been there, briefly. You’ve seen what remains.”

His voice rose slightly now, laced with intensity.

“The resources that sector holds are beyond value. Rare, nearly mythical herbs—ones that can catalyze talent evolution. Pure mana, so refined it strengthens any who breathe it. And the Laws—” he paused, gaze sweeping the room.

“—the very Laws of the Galaxy are thinner there. More malleable. Easier to comprehend. Do you understand what that means for our kind?”

Silence followed. But it wasn’t denial—it was awe.

“These are not legends. They’re opportunities. And if we gain control of that region, our rise to dominion over this galaxy will no longer be a question of ‘if.’ It will be a question of when.”

“What you say is right, First Elder. I don’t deny that,” said the Fifth Elder, voice firm but measured. “But I think there’s something you haven’t fully considered.”

He paused, letting the room settle before continuing.

“That region—the Forbidden Sector—wasn’t just abandoned. It was cut off. Severed from the very lifeblood of the galaxy. And what did that? The hellish artifact. The one that reshaped the laws and poisoned the ether of that sector.”

He looked around the chamber, making sure the weight of his words landed.

“Yes, it’s an opportunity. But the truth is, that place has likely become desolate. What you called a mana surge? That’s the region trying to heal. Trying to restore itself to what it was millions of years ago. But that will take time. Time we don’t control as much as we think.”

He stood, arms folded behind his back, eyes locked on the First Elder.

“We may have patience. But we lack the capability to contain what happens if knowledge of this resurging sector spreads. Once the truth leaks, do you think we’ll be the only ones moving on it?”

A heavy silence fell.

“There are powers in the mid and core regions of the galaxy—real powers. You know them. If they see us making moves, they won’t ignore it. And they won’t see it as ambition. They’ll see it as challenge.”

He sat down slowly.

“And challenge… will bring war. The kind we may not yet be ready for.”

Second Elder leaned forward, eyes narrowed.

“What point are you making, Fifth Elder? Speak your mind.”

His tone wasn’t confrontational—yet. But it was sharp, calculating. He had caught the real meaning behind the Fifth Elder’s caution. Everyone in the chamber knew the Fifth Elder’s ambition burned hotter than any of theirs.

“The Forbidden Zone falling under our control… that’s something you’ve long desired. It’s the key to pushing your vision further. So if you’re raising warnings now—then clearly, you’ve thought of something you’re not yet saying.”

The air in the grand chamber thickened. The other elders turned their eyes toward the Fifth, waiting. He wasn’t one to back down. And the Second Elder had called his bluff—or perhaps, invited it.

“What you say is right, First Elder. I don’t deny that,” said the Fifth Elder, voice firm but measured. “But I think there’s something you haven’t fully considered.”

He paused, letting the room settle before continuing.

“That region—the Forbidden Sector—wasn’t just abandoned. It was cut off. Severed from the very lifeblood of the galaxy. And what did that? The hellish artifact. The one that reshaped the laws and poisoned the ether of that sector.”

He looked around the chamber, making sure the weight of his words landed.

“Yes, it’s an opportunity. But the truth is, that place has likely become desolate. What you called a mana surge? That’s the region trying to heal. Trying to restore itself to what it was millions of years ago. But that will take time. Time we don’t control as much as we think.”

He stood, arms folded behind his back, eyes locked on the First Elder.

“We may have patience. But we lack the capability to contain what happens if knowledge of this resurging sector spreads. Once the truth leaks, do you think we’ll be the only ones moving on it?”

A heavy silence fell.

“There are powers in the mid and core regions of the galaxy—real powers. You know them. If they see us making moves, they won’t ignore it. And they won’t see it as ambition. They’ll see it as challenge.”

He sat down slowly.

“And challenge… will bring war. The kind we may not yet be ready for.”

Second Elder leaned forward, eyes narrowed.

“What point are you making, Fifth Elder? Speak your mind.”

His tone wasn’t confrontational—yet. But it was sharp, calculating. He had caught the real meaning behind the Fifth Elder’s caution. Everyone in the chamber knew the Fifth Elder’s ambition burned hotter than any of theirs.

“The Forbidden Zone falling under our control… that’s something you’ve long desired. It’s the key to pushing your vision further. So if you’re raising warnings now—then clearly, you’ve thought of something you’re not yet saying.”

The air in the grand chamber thickened. The other elders turned their eyes toward the Fifth, waiting. He wasn’t one to back down. And the Second Elder had called his bluff—or perhaps, invited it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep