Chapter 479: Ch
"Just because there is no true human power in this galaxy doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want and treat humans however you please. The human race has suffered enough in this galaxy.
It is time for them to rise again. And it is time for those who committed such crimes and treated humans unjustly to be dealt with. And we will be starting with you," Mav said before continuing,
"We fear neither what will happen nor how the galaxy will react. Those are things that do not concern us at all. An enemy of the human race is an enemy of my Celestial Void Empire.
That is all that matters. And that is something the entire galaxy should know.
And you, the Illyarin race and every other race of the Bright Moon Republic, would be the medium through which our Celestial Void Empire lets the galaxy know the consequences of harming us humans."
Mav spoke coldly, not giving Vael even the slightest bit of face or respect, just as he had from the very start.
Those words startled Vael, and his heart grew more and more anxious and worried.
This crazy human... and this crazy human empire that had suddenly risen from a forbidden land—something that even powers like the Star Empire and the Alchemy Association had no say against. Despite everything they had tried, they had failed every single time, and each failure had been even more miserable than the last.
First was the Minotaur Clan, supported by the Star Empire, which was completely annihilated after the destruction brought by this human empire.
Then there was the Hegemony Fleet. In the eyes of the common people of the galaxy, it was merely a pirate fleet, but elites like him all knew that it was actually a fleet formed by the combined hidden forces of the Star Empire, the Alchemy Association, and a few other powers, created specifically to cause trouble and inflict heavy damage upon the former Void Fleet, now known as the Celestial Void Empire.
Then there was the recent incident where a grand fleet consisting of well over a hundred thousand ships, reaching nearly two hundred thousand vessels, was wiped out in the surprise attack they had hoped to launch against the Celestial Void Empire. Instead, they had been annihilated by the Celestial Void Empire’s defense forces, and ever since then, the Star Empire and the others had kept completely silent.
He knew this silence was merely the calm before the storm.
It was also during this period that they had received orders directly from the Star Empire.
When the Star Empire learned that the Celestial Void Empire had dispatched envoy fleets to build stronger and more familiar relations with its subordinate powers, including the republic, they immediately ordered them to chase and try to destroy the human Void fleet that had come so far away from its homeland, using the excuse that they had entered their territory without prior announcement.
Vael knew about it very well.
But they had failed and were unable to do anything.
It was then that the Star Empire ordered them to hunt down every human they could find within the boundaries of their territories.
Again, this was something they had done.
And now Vael was realizing just how wrong that decision had been.
Facing and testing the power of the Void Humans of the Celestial Void Empire firsthand, he knew just how completely outmatched they were.
Hell, even the Star Empire, which was close to reaching the Tier-4 Quasi Stage, or the so-called Super State level, was not far above his own forces.
Having fought many battles against the Star Fleet and even participated in several friendly joint battles alongside some of the true elite forces of the Star Empire, Vael could easily reach the conclusion that even the Star Empire possessed no strength capable of standing against the forces of the Celestial Void Empire.
Instead, they paled in comparison. The difference between the two sides was as vast as heaven and earth.
That realization immediately caused Vael’s face to turn pale.
If the Star Empire—which was literally their Republic’s paylord—compared to the Celestial Void Fleet, what were they? Even worse off than the Star Empire, something he knew very well at a personal level.
He had experienced it firsthand, watching as his fleet was taken down in a few minutes, with all the habitable zones and the people living within them being wiped out by that very same power.
It was a human power that the galaxy was still not taking seriously, with all the campaigns against them causing others—and previously him—to underestimate the true capabilities of the Void Fleeters by a large margin.
In that instant, he realized that sacrificing himself while taking down just a few Void Human ships was no longer valuable enough.
Now, he needed to do something—say something—to make this human in front of him change his mind, hold his execution, and put a halt to the annihilation of at least his race.
"You... how can you be so confident, human leader? That annihilating us to create an example would even work?" Vael spoke.
"With all the internal campaigns around the galaxy, everyone feels that you Void Humans are tyrants and bloodthirsty. Doing this would instead have the opposite, far-reaching effect on your race! People will definitely gain fear, will not let it go, and could take actions that you may not accept! Have you even thought about that, human leader? No, right?"
Mav just shook his head. "They can try taking those measures to oppose and stand against us, and they will be no different from what will soon become of the Bright Republic, the other two Tier 3 powers under the Star Empire, and the Star Empire itself," he casually said.
His words frightened Vael to no end. Catching the phrasing, Vael asked, shaking, "Wh-what do you mean by the other two subordinate Tier 3 powers and the Star Empire itself?" He swallowed hard, trying to steady his voice, but to no avail.
Mav smiled a smile that was not a smile—it gave Vael a chilling realization that he still dared not accept. How can that be possible? It must be these humans painting a picture just to terrify me. It must be a mind game, thought Vael. Yet at the same time, as absurd as it was, his mind was already pushed to the brink, accepting any crazy scenario far too quickly.
"It is as you think. Not only is your Republic facing its endgame, but so are the other two Tier 3 powers that are your neighbors," Mav said as if brushing past something beneath him. "And soon after you fall, the Star Empire will have a taste of the same medicine—just not as bitter as yours."
"Youuuuu... Impossible!" Vael was speechless for a second before he immediately shot back. Yes, they were powerful, but not that powerful. They couldn’t execute a dimensional strike and take down two other Tier 3 subordinate states and the Star Empire single-handedly without anyone noticing. "You don’t have enough numbers to pull that off at once without this coming to light! Then all of your efforts and plans will be over, human. At least learn how to lie!"
Mav was stunned for a moment before sighing. "What goes on in your people’s minds is something far too complex for someone like me to understand. Who told you this is our only Grand Fleet? That we only have one fleet on the move?"
Since Vael was about to die here anyway, Mav decided to add something that would crush whatever last shred of hope remained in his eyes. "Not only am I attacking, but two other fleets of equal strength are currently striking the other two Tier 3 empires. The Star Empire itself will be attacked by another elite fleet of ours." (He didn’t mention Kallus at all.)
After that, we will also target and ultimately destroy the Blood Moon Empire and the White Angel Empire. Beyond that, we have already formed an alliance with over a hundred members—bringing benefits far too numerous to count.
Once you are all wiped out, the fear will be so immense that no one will dare think of attacking or targeting humans.
In fact, they might even protect them. As for your worries about our operation being leaked—worry not, for they won’t even have the time to investigate it."
Mav spoke without beating around the bush, completely crushing the last remaining spark of hope in Vael’s eyes.
After a couple of seconds of silence, Vael laughed sinisterly. "Hehehehehe... if that’s the case, then..." His face turned vicious as he glared at Mav, then shifted his gaze toward the 50 or so ships surrounding the moon fortress. "I’ll be taking my leave—and I’ll be taking a few of your ships and the people inside them with me as payback, human!"
With that, he punched the center of the control console in front of him.