Chapter 364: CH

While another breakup had occurred within the grand alliance, from the initial five tier-one powers, it had now fallen to three… and once again, down to only two.

The possibility of the remaining factions achieving what they had originally sought had now become immensely harder.

The burden that was once shared among five powers—making the operation less risky and less costly, as others were there to bear part of it—had now shifted entirely. With three tier-one powers withdrawing their forces and no longer remaining allies, the full weight of the operation had fallen upon both the Association and the Star Empire.

Now, it remained to be seen what they would do next.

Would the Star Emperor fall back, seeing the situation getting out of hand? Or would he utilize all his power to get what he wanted? That was yet to be seen.

And even if he chose to act—would he succeed? That too remained uncertain.

As for the Association—would it be willing to deploy a large portion of its forces for this operation? And if it did, would it still choose to collaborate with the Star Empire?

That, again, was yet to be seen. Soon, all of it would become clear.

But whether they moved or not, other powers—both tier-one and tier-two factions, some even more powerful than the Star Empire—had already begun to stir.

And with each passing day, the attention fixed upon the southern galactic rim was only growing stronger.

Flexi, who was standing at the command bridge viewport, watched as the fleet of more than 3,000 ships warped away together. He could only shake his head as he let out a sigh.

“And there goes another one…”

Though Flexi was a realistic person who knew when to move forward, when to stop, and even when to step back, this time it weighed on him. While he truly wanted to pull back and head home, there was still that lingering thought in his mind—of what he had lost.

Shaking his head again, a bitter smile formed on his face.

“If only things had gone the way they were supposed to… this would have been far better than what it is…”

While he was lost in thought, a man walked toward him, dressed in the same uniform, bearing four stars and the imperial seal on his shoulder.

He was the Imperial Grand Admiral—someone from the royal family, holding extraordinary power within the military, something clearly reflected by his rank.

He had been placed within Flexi’s fleet by the emperor himself… to keep an eye on him.

Indeed, that was his true purpose.

Even though the emperor had “faith” in Flexi, it wasn’t absolute. He remained cautious.

Sensing the presence of the Imperial Grand Admiral approaching, Flexi let out a quiet sigh. Then, in a low tone—yet clear enough to be heard—he spoke: “It’s time I go back and contact the emperor… and inform him of my failure to achieve what I set out for.”

He paused briefly. “After all, no matter what… this is my failure. I can’t place the blame on the extraordinary circumstances we faced…”

Flexi, throughout this operation, had never once done anything that would harm the interests of the emperor. Nor had he given any opportunity to Tagerion to latch onto him. And even at the end of it, he intended to keep it that way… for it might soften the emperor’s reaction, or at least prevent it from worsening, when he delivered the bad news.

Grand Admiral Tagerion wore a complex expression on his face.

Throughout the entire operation, he had paid close attention to every move Flexi had made. He had taken note of each one. And indeed, he knew that Flexi wasn’t at fault, despite what Flexi himself claimed.

The situation had simply been… abnormal. Far beyond what any of them had expected when they first set out.

As for the cracks that had formed within the alliance—he knew those weren’t Flexi’s fault either. The alliance had been formed in haste. There had been nothing strong enough to bind its members together, especially in the face of a worsening situation.

What had happened… was bound to happen. It was only natural.

The moment that new faction—the so-called Void Fleet, or whatever they called themselves—had appeared, the once calm pond had already turned restless. And it wasn’t as if they were alone.

There were always fishermen waiting at the edge of the pond… ready to take advantage of the chaos, to sweep in and eliminate those caught in unstable waters. All in all, Tagerion understood every move Flexi had made. Cautious as they were, they had not been illogical. Nor had they been overly hesitant.

Flexi had simply done what the situation demanded.

But he knew it wouldn’t matter to the emperor. After all, a failure was still a failure, even if it wasn’t truly your fault…

Flexi would be held responsible—though perhaps not too harshly.

Standing beside him, Tagerion lightly tapped his shoulder and said, “Do not worry, Duke. I know what has taken place. I will judge it myself… and help lessen your punishment.”

“Thank you, Grand Admiral, for your kind words.” Flexi chose to accept his reassurance, replying with a bitter smile on his face, as if he had already prepared for the worst.

“Let’s go,” Tagerion continued. “The communication arrays are ready. The emperor is waiting to hear from you. We should not keep him waiting for long.”

Nodding, Tagerion added, “Indeed, we should not delay any further.”

Solemn, yet still carrying that faint bitterness, Flexi gestured ahead. “Please, lead the way, Lord Tagerion…”

And with that, both of them moved forward, descending deeper into the depths of the enormous vessel.

Meanwhile, something similar was happening aboard the flagship—a mothership far larger than the acting flagship or any vessel within the Star Fleet.

It was a colossal ship, nearly 180 kilometers in length, bulky yet carrying a distinctly futuristic design. Its overall structure was somewhat rectangular, and it was surrounded by various other ships.

Each of them was powerful, radiating a dangerous aura. Their mere presence alone had a noticeable effect on their surroundings. If one looked closely, they could even see tiny particles of different kinds of magical energy drifting around the ships.

Within this enormous flagship, deep in its core area, stood the once-arrogant Alchemy Association representative, Kendal.

But now, there was no trace of that arrogance.

The air of pride he once carried had completely vanished.

His face was red with embarrassment, lowered toward the cold metal floor beneath him. His body trembled… not with anger, but with fear.

Before him, a holographic figure furiously scolded him.

The figure had a lean build. From the voice alone, it was clearly male—but his face, for some reason, wasn’t visible at all.

“Look at what you’ve done, Kendal!” the figure snapped. “I used so many favors to put you in that position, to lead that fleet! And yet—look at the result!”

“The alliance we had is all but broken and gone!”

“Though the fleet hasn’t suffered losses, that isn’t because of you. It’s because of that man from the Star Empire. Otherwise, who knows what state the fleet would be in right now!”

“You are an idiot—one who knows nothing about how to conduct himself out there! You practically spat in the face of the mountain dwarf elder! While we do not fear them, they certainly possess strength that could cause significant harm to our association!”

“And yet it was you who fanned the flames!”

“Above all, you can’t even control your own subordinates! Instead of keeping things contained, everything spilled out—and now look at the situation! There are already motions against you, and even I am now in a difficult position!”

“All because of you…”

“You stupid grandson of mine… damn it… damn it!!”

“But… but, Grandpa… I’m not at fault!”

Kendal spoke quickly, even though he knew that some of it was his fault. But all of it?

“What happened was already out of my control—”

“Out of control? My ass, out of control!” The holographic figure cut him off sharply. “I’ve already heard what’s being said in the council. I know very well of your ’great deeds’ and how you conducted yourself!”

“From day one, you were arrogant about everything! And what you’ve caused with the mountain dwarf clan—what do you have to say about that, huh? Tell me!”

“Grandpa, I can explain that!” Kendal said, raising his head slightly.

“What I said wasn’t wrong! If that clan of little people got furious and felt they lost face, then that’s on them—not me!”

“For that person had been vague all along! He had decision-making power, yet he kept circling around everything without giving a clear answer!” Kendal’s voice rose as his frustration spilled out. “Clearly, he had no intention of siding with us from the moment we reached this system!”

“So tell me—” he almost roared, “what right do they have to demand that I speak in a formal tone, to not be arrogant, and to act submissive toward them, huh?!”

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