CHAPTER 201: CH 197 CHAOS AND CONFUSION

When they moved together, it meant something even bigger. And now, paired with the Dark Elven Empire and the Mountain Dwarf Clans, they were acting in ways no one had predicted—and no one could yet explain.

The randomness of the deployments didn’t sit right with the Tier-One powers. They knew—they knew—that something major was in play. But what could possibly be so significant that even the Forger Guild and the Alchemy Association were willing to mobilize at this scale, in this pattern?

That was the question haunting them.

And the worst part? They had no answers

That was the question haunting them.

And the worst part? They had no answers—and no intel, either. Not a single leak. Nothing.

That silence added weight to the growing mystery behind the strange, unnatural, and completely unorthodox movement of the fleets. Every second that passed without explanation only deepened the unease.

Their questions kept piling up, multiplying faster than they could be answered—despite their best efforts.

Somewhere deep underground, in a dark room filled with glowing data screens, a massive tracking board lit up the walls. On it, all 160 battle groups from the four powers were displayed in motion—each traveling in a seemingly random, unrelated direction. No signs of convergence. No signs of coordination. Just organized chaos.

A man stood in front of the display, arms crossed, face tense. He was trying—desperately—to find a pattern. Anything. A clue. A direction.

Using high-level computing systems, he ran simulation after simulation, feeding in historical data, ship signatures, behavioral models—anything that could help decode the fleets’ objective.

But again, like before, the data betrayed him.

Wrong.

Just like last time. His frustration boiled over.

With a twisted smile, he hurled the translucent data slate across the room. It shattered against the floor, scattering fragments.

"Damn it!" he shouted. "What are they doing?! Who’s the pig that came up with this insane plan?!"

He dragged both hands through his hair, nearly tearing it out in sheer exasperation. "That bastard’s toying with us! Don’t let me find you—because if I do... hehe..."

His voice dropped into a deranged murmur, eyes wide. "I’ll cook you like a pig... slow roast you alive... dry-age your guts and eat you raw..."

He stood there, trembling with rage, yet laughing—a sinister, sly laugh that sent chills down every spine.

Everyone in the room, his subordinates, could only watch in silent terror.

None dared to move. None dared to speak. Fear gripped them too tightly.

They stood frozen, horrified, as their team leader—once a widely respected analyst—spiraled into madness under the crushing weight of a plan none of them could begin to comprehend. Not even a fragment of it.

Meanwhile, in a chamber not unlike the one before it, another analyst worked tirelessly—though with far more composure. He was a short man, aged, with a long white beard and neatly tied hair. Small goggles sat on his sharp eyes, glowing faintly from the data being projected on the rectangular, translucent tablet in his hand.

He stood alone, watching data scroll in the air above him—fleet trajectories, signal maps, resource movement logs. With a few taps, he fed in a new data stream, adjusting for updated warp drift and logistical scans.

The result?

Barely any different from the before one.

He muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse with age but steady: "This is... full and utter chaos. Not a single thread of synchronization—not even within individual battle groups. And certainly not between the four powers. A complete mess."

He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Yes, the data clearly points to one overarching strategy. But if that’s true, it’s also impossible to believe. Their movements are too erratic, too fragmented. If they were coordinating, they’d be consolidating somewhere. But they aren’t."

He paused, watching the swirling display of 160 divergent paths across space.

"At least, not from what I can see with the current data. No sequence, no pattern—just fleets picking random directions, moving like... like they’re on a sightseeing tour."

He sighed.

"And yet, two days have passed, and the situation hasn’t improved. It’s only grown more chaotic, more unpredictable." He adjusted his goggles slightly, eyes narrowing.

"At first, I assumed this was one of those tricks. You know the kind—like a pig in a tiger’s skin. Something dressed up to look complex and dangerous, but really just a distraction... a bluff to draw out a reaction." He shook his head.

"But no. That’s not what this is. It’s too clean. Too perfectly misleading. They want us to think this is some clever diversion—or something simple disguised as genius. But no... no, this is something else entirely."

He leaned forward slightly, voice lower now, almost reverent.

"Whoever designed this plan thought it through to the bone. No weak spots, no cracks to exploit. And if there is a crack—then it’s a trap. One so obvious it dares you to step in it." He chuckled.

"That’s what makes it beautiful. It dares you to be overconfident. And that means... they’re hiding something. Something real. And that is what I need to find." He fell silent, eyes fixed on the shifting stars and lines of fleet movement.

What he didn’t realize—what he couldn’t realize—was that he had already found the truth.

It wasn’t a mask. It wasn’t a trick. It was the plan.

And it looked like the plan was working.

Ironically, the plan’s true strength came from something most analysts were ignoring—the obvious.

That was their fatal error.

In the world of high-level strategy, too many believed that only complex plans held weight. So when something appeared too simple, they dismissed it. Overlooked it. Forgot that even the simplest moves could have devastating effects if executed precisely—especially against those who had grown complacent, expecting only brilliance wrapped in layers of deception.

And now well not now but in future they would be paying a very steep price.

Many, like the aged analyst, would come to realize this the hard way—that is if they kept their sanity. But others... others were already unraveling, descending into madness under the weight of what they couldn’t understand.

And just like that time passed and six galactic days passed like a air or rain.

During that time, dozens of powers intercepted members of the 160 battle groups across various regions, demanding answers—many were even blunt not at all showing any inclinations of respect but they were out right aggressively instead.

"What are you doing?" "Why are you moving like this?" "Where are you headed?"

They got nothing in return. Well they did got something actually and that was umm....

Silence.

But if anyone pushed too far—pressed their sensors in too deep or tried to shadow the formations—one or two of their ships would be obliterated. Swift. Clinical. No declarations. No threats. Just the raw message: Stay out of the way and if not face the consequences yourself.

And this actually worked. Fear spread fast. No one wanted to provoke these people just yet for they still didn’t understand what they were doing and what there end goal was.

Far away, in a place untouched by fear but steeped in power, stood a vast palace—an architectural wonder that radiated both ancient legacy and futuristic brilliance. Its towering arches shimmered with runes older than the stars, yet its inner walls pulsed with advanced mana circuits and artificial intelligence nodes.

Within the grand throne room, a figure sat on a throne engulfed in violet flame. The fire roared without heat, pure mana dancing around him like a living crown. His skin was a deep, dark orange, his eyes glowing a luminous purple to match his flowing hair. He looked human—almost—but carried a presence that said otherwise.

Before him knelt a man of the same orange-skinned race, with black hair and eyes.

"Lord Amon," he said, bowing deeply, "the spies we dispatched to the galactic rim—where the Star Empire’s fleet was last seen—have been blocked. Some were killed outright when they tried to focus their scans or transmit anything out."

He hesitated.

"The region is completely sealed. Nothing is going in and similarly nothing is coming out. From what I can gather though barely using many resources ... the Star Empire and the Minotaur Clan are hiding something. Something they definitely don’t want anyone to see. That’s the only conclusion I can draw from how aggressively they’re locking the whole star region that even the power they’re are not saying anything at all."

Oh? Is it as you say, Shadow?" asked the man on the throne, his voice calm—low, yet laced with authority.

His face gave away little. A faint glimmer of interest, perhaps—but nothing more. His expression remained neutral, unreadable. Whatever thoughts stirred in his mind, he kept them buried behind centuries of discipline.

The kneeling figure, Shadow, remained bowed.

"It is, Lord Amon. There can be no other explanation. All evidence points to it."

Amon’s gaze drifted toward the violet flames dancing around his throne, flickering in response to his mana signature. He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke.