Meanwhile, after nearly eight hours of travel through the void of Transcendent FTL space, the Void Fleet was about to emerge.

The Red Empress’s voice chimed in over the command bridge.

“We’re about to exit the FTL jump. Countdown—10… 9… 8… 3… 2… 1…”

BOOOOOOM.

And just like that, the not-so-lifeless Regel Star System welcomed the arrival of the Void Fleet.

Outside the viewport, the stars shimmered unnaturally, and I could see spatial fluctuations dancing faintly along the system’s boundary.

Outside the viewport, the stars shimmered unnaturally, and faint spatial fluctuations danced along the system’s boundary like ripples on a pond disturbed by unseen forces.

“Strange… I can feel the layers of space flexing—even for this region, that’s unusual,” I muttered, eyes narrowing. Then I turned toward the Empress. “Empress, have our quantum readers and other radars deployed. I want a full data sweep of that anomalous planet. Something’s hiding in that spatial layer—I want to know what.”

She nodded silently and began working. Within the hour, Obliterator’s advanced Transcendent-grade sensors completed a comprehensive scan of the hidden planet and its inner situation.

“No signs of intelligent life detected, Commander,” the Empress reported at last. “Only flora and fauna… battered ancient structures… and some living creatures. They aren’t an intelligent species, but they are—”

She paused mid-sentence, her expression flickering between confusion and curiosity.

I raised an eyebrow. “They are… what, Empress?”

Only then did she shake off the daze, focusing her gaze again.

“They appear to be… prehistoric Earth creatures. Dinosaurs are among them—along with a variety of other species.”

My brow rose sharply. “Did you say dinosaurs?”

“Yes, Kallus,” she confirmed, her voice steady but laced with intrigue. “They are nearly identical—biologically—to species recorded from Earth’s late Mesozoic era. Some even match exact genetic profiles. And there are many of them… though not all are Earth-origin.”

“How different are we talking?” I asked, leaning forward.

She waved a hand, summoning a holographic projection. Images filled the space before us—beasts of all sizes and forms: a towering, hybrid creature labeled Dodo Rex, winged serpentine predators resembling wyverns, and even a massive feline with a scorpion’s tail—a manticore. Dozens of other unfamiliar species hovered in view, each more alien and impossible than the last.

“Damn…” I breathed, reclining slowly into my command chair, curling up with a thoughtful smile.

What I was thinking… well, you’ll know in time.

“I didn’t expect that. Not at all,” I said aloud.

“Nor did I,” the Empress agreed, her eyes still scanning the holo-display. “I assumed we’d find some trace of intelligent civilization. But according to the data… there’s nothing.”

She hesitated, then added, “Well—there are ruins. Cities, or what’s left of them. Structures battered and eroded by time, overtaken by vegetation and silence. But they’re long abandoned—not a place any sentient life could still dwell in.”

She looked up at me, her voice quiet.

“So yeah… no signs of current sentient life. It looks like whoever hid this planet didn’t bring anyone with them. It wasn’t a sanctuary—not for their people, at least.”

I nodded slowly. “So… it was meant for others. A legacy. An inheritance of sorts.”

“Most likely,” the Empress said. “And we won’t have to wait too long to know for sure. In about a month and a week, the planet will phase out of its hidden spatial layer—roughly four to five days before this region reconnects with the outer universe.”

I stared out at the rippling stars once more, my voice quiet.

“Hm. Right… then we’ll know.”

As our fleet advanced toward the fourth ring of the Regal Star, the bridge fell into a rare moment of calm. We discussed many things— ourselves, about our fleet progress the danger that we will soon, and finally what might lie ahead. With the void stretching endlessly around us, even the silence between words felt deeper and more meaningful. before both us felt silent.

Let me tell you a bit about the Regal Star—a single-star system much like Sol, but larger, brighter, and far more majestic.

At its heart blazed a brilliant blue star, its immense gravity shaping six distinct rings of celestial bodies. Unlike Sol, the outermost edge of the Regal Star system was wrapped in a vast, ever-shifting barricade of drifting rock and ice—a dense asteroid veil that rendered the system nearly impenetrable through conventional means.

But for us, it wasn’t a problem. We were traveling through hyperspace, bypassing physical obstructions entirely. After all, hyperspace existed in a different dimension altogether.

The First Ring held a lone rocky world we called Sentila. Larger than Earth, its surface was a blend of mineral-rich mountains and vast, volcanic cave systems that tunneled deep into its crust. Two moons orbited Sentila—Lumea and Vessa—both teeming with untapped resources.

The Second Ring was home to a gas giant we named Veiled Gate. It was orbited by four natural satellites:

Kealos, a frozen world wrapped in icy silence.

Daren, a barren moon dense with Helium-3.

Oran, jagged and scarred, hiding rare minerals deep within.

Xypos, a sulfur-covered inferno that boiled with constant volcanic activity.

The Third and Fourth Rings were largely empty—stretches of open space, occasionally interrupted by drifting asteroids and debris. It was here, in this relatively quiet sector, that the hidden planet was expected to emerge from its spatial veil.

The Fifth Ring held another gas giant, The Lost Frontier, with three moons: Tavros, Epsilon, and Nirax—each with their own secrets yet to be uncovered.

Finally, the Sixth Ring housed The Dying Giant, an ancient gas giant not nearing the end of its life cycle we just named it Dying for a reason that I don’t remember.

It was surrounded by five moons: Varis, Solmara, Dravik, Hesperis, and Zyra—each scarred by time and cosmic erosion, yet still awe-inspiring in their quiet, orbiting dance.

There was more to the Regal Star than what we’d uncovered—but those secrets would reveal themselves in time, not now.

As we approached the outer perimeter of the system’s Second Ring, our fleet passed smoothly through the Third and Fourth Rings. Once we crossed that threshold, I gave the order to halt. Our ships decelerated, engines dimming as we approached our holding position—approximately 100,000 kilometers from Daren, the helium-rich moon orbiting the Veiled Gate.

This would be our anchor point for the foreseeable month.

I handed command over to Admiral Ezara, assigning her full authority over the fleet’s operations while I prepared for departure. This time, I wasn’t going alone.

Emma insisted on joining me. She was eager to train, driven by a fire that had grown stronger with every mission. She was close to breaking through to the next rank—Paragon—and I trusted her instincts. I hadn’t registered her deployment in the official logs, but I didn’t regret it.

So I took her with me.

And just like that… time began to move again.

One month and half had already passed here, in the Regal Star system. But for us—moving briefly through the higher layers of the Universal Plane—two months had already passed.

During that month, The Void achieved several critical breakthroughs—all thanks to the tireless efforts of our crew, especially the R&D Department. Their dedication bordered on obsession. It was as if they had compressed centuries of research into mere weeks. What they managed to accomplish was nothing short of astonishing.

Meanwhile, beyond the Forbidden Zone, around two weeks into the time skip, the Minotaur Empire began to take notice. The sudden and bold deployment by the Azure Empress—stationing a visible fleet in their outer region directly facing the Forbidden Zone—had triggered a ripple effect. It was only a matter of time before others reacted.

The Council of Elders of the Minotaur Empire convened in the Primary Elder Hall, deep within Minotaur Prime. Upon receiving confirmation of the Genome Empire’s deployment near the Forbidden Zone, tension boiled over.

The Seventh Supreme Elder, Dlamed, slammed his hand down onto the obsidian council table, the force causing a deep vibration through the hall. His voice trembled with rage as he read the report aloud:

“Damn it! The Genome Empire—how the hell do they already know about the Forbidden Zone?! And how have they managed to position their Arch Fleet so swiftly?!”

“Traitors!” he roared. “There must be traitors among us. We’ve trusted too many for too long!”

“It’s time we purged the disloyal from our ranks,” added the Sixth Elder, his voice cold and unwavering.

The Third Elder grunted disapprovingly. “So you’d destabilize our entire empire for a few whispers and suspicions?”

“But isn’t it better to suffer now,” countered the Eighth Elder, siding with the Sixth, “than to be betrayed later?”

The argument grew louder, fracturing the unity of the council. Elders began bickering, accusing, aligning themselves with different factions—chaos brewed in the chamber.

Then suddenly, the Second Supreme Elder stood, releasing a pressure so vast that the entire hall trembled under his aura.

“Enough! All of you!”

The room fell into silence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep