"Do you even need to ask that? If we don't, then how will we even exist?" Kael snapped, losing his composure for a moment.(What is wrong with this AI…?) he thought bitterly.

He then added, with an even sharper tone, "Plus, you already made the announcement—and that too without asking me. So why are you asking me now, hmm?"

"Oh, you're right about that," Sentoiry replied innocently.

Kael's face darkened. He was left speechless, thinking, Are you even an AI? At this point, if you say you're not, I'd believe it.

Slumping back in his command seat, he rubbed his temples. Wasn't today already cursed enough? And now even my ship's AI—if she can even be called that—is testing me… I'm on the verge of crying.

Then, in a more proper tone at last, Sentoiry said, "In two minutes and thirty seconds, the fleet will exit the quantum tunnel."

Kael exhaled in relief, finally snapping out of his misery. Finally… normal, he thought with a sigh.

Meanwhile, at the head of the formation, a leading vessel nearly two kilometers long began its work. At its center, a set of massive rings, attached around a hollowed core of the hull, started rotating. Faster and faster they spun until they became invisible to the naked eye.

The quantum sync enveloping the fleet of 10,000 ships quivered, rippling in waves before stabilizing again—though faint vibrations continued to shiver across the tunnel. As the countdown drew closer to its end, the trembling only intensified.

Then, with a sudden flare, the leading ship's rings triggered a massive distortion. In the heart of the quantum tunnel, a colossal ripple tore open space directly in front of it. The opening spread wide—so vast it seemed less like an exit and more like a cosmic maw, swallowing everything in sight.

One by one, the entire fleet was drawn into it, vanishing as though consumed by the tunnel itself.

Meanwhile, just inside the outer edge of the Granthor star system—near the vast Oort Cloud—a massive bluish-purple portal tore open in the void. The distortion, nearly 4–5 kilometers in diameter, cracked and shattered the silence of space as reality itself warped around it.

Out of the rift surged the 3rd Battle Fleet, emerging in disciplined formation. They came forth with momentum, led by their vanguard: the Quantum Ship that had guided their passage, followed by the destroyer squadrons at the fleet's forefront.

Within minutes, wave after wave of vessels poured out until the entirety of the armada—10,000 ships strong—had entered realspace.

[Fleet Composition of the 3rd Battle Fleet:

Battlecruisers — 3,600 total

60%: BE-211 Barracuda-class (light battlecruisers).

40%: BE-911 Storm Lancer-class (heavy battlecruisers).

Destroyers — 3,200 total

1,600 DS-Spearhead-class (upgraded as point-defense escorts).

960 DS-Vanguard-class (specialized as missile/torpedo ships).

640 mixed legacy models: DS-Sphere class and DS-Vanguard class, serving as all-rounder destroyers in both light and heavy configurations.

Frigates — 2,100 total

50%: SF-398 Striker-class (light frigates).

50%: SF-468 Titan-class (heavy frigates).

Corvettes — 580 total

290 Phantom Dagger-class (light corvettes).

290 Iron Fang-class (heavy corvettes).

Battleships — 490 total

245 Antares-class.

145 Resurgent-class.

100 Neo-Continental-class (newest battleship design).

Carriers — 20 total

12 Battle Carriers.

8 Missile Carriers.

Flagships — 3 total

All Oblivion-class super-flagships.

Commanded respectively by Grand Admiral Kael, and his right- and left-hand commanders, Admirals Macron and Melons.

Support Ships — 200 total

Specialized vessels of various categories, providing logistics, electronic warfare, medical, and repair capacity.]

As the 3rd Battle Fleet finally settled into formation at the outer edge of the Granthor star system, a sharp pressure rippled across the void. The fleet drew heavily on the surrounding mana, warping the local space itself. Their emergence from the quantum rift—an entry point that, moments before, had been nonexistent—left behind a lingering distortion. The oppressive aura alone was enough to make the fleet's dominance over that sector undeniable.

Meanwhile, Kael sat seething in his command chair. At last, the gloom that had weighed on him all day began to fade. His expression shifted, excitement flickering in his eyes—not because of the battle to come, but because he would finally be able to vent his frustration to his heart's content.

Just then, Sentoiry—who had been scanning the star system with an array of detection devices mounted across the frigates and other ships—finished her sweep. Her holographic form flickered on the bridge. But instead of her usual calm confidence, her expression was… perplexed.

Kael, who had been rubbing his hands together with a devilish smile, immediately noticed. His gaze sharpened, his tone shifting from playful to serious as he asked curiously:

"Did you find something?"

And after a pause, his voice lowered, colder:

"…Someone?"

Sentoiry's expression remained perplexed as she stared at the incoming data. For a fleeting instant, she thought it might be a lag in the system—though she immediately dismissed the notion. That was impossible. Still, she gave it another pass, re-checking the feed in microseconds. The results were the same.

As Kael's questions reached her, she first shook her head. The motion made him ease back slightly, a faint wave of relief washing over him. If what he feared had happened—if their prey had slipped away—it would've been troublesome. Not that he would ever allow such an escape, but it would have cost him time, energy, and annoyance. With her initial response, he felt the smallest measure of reprieve.

But then, Sentoiry slowly nodded.

Kael blinked, thrown into confusion. Before he could press her further, she spoke on her own, her voice steady but carrying a note of unease.

"It's not what you think, Kael—or at least, not entirely."

Her holographic form shimmered as she expanded the scan across the star system.

"Our systems have detected fewer signatures from the warships deployed here. Almost ninety percent of them are… gone. And the star fortresses—" she paused, pulling up a projection. "We can confirm only one. The other two aren't registering at all."

The results flickered before Kael, stark and undeniable.

Seeing the results, Kael briefly wondered if the systems were glitching—but the thought vanished as quickly as it appeared. He knew the quality of their technology. Their systems were not only superior but also utterly reliable. They couldn't be wrong.

Another possibility crossed his mind: perhaps the Minotaurs were using some artifact or hidden technology to mask the signatures of their warships and star fortresses. Yet he dismissed the idea almost immediately. Even if such concealment existed, the quantum scans would have pierced through it. But they hadn't.

He opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off as Sentoiry voiced her conclusion first.

"It looks like they might have relocated a large part of their forces elsewhere," she said.

Kael looked at her, speechless for a moment, then finally nodded. "Those are my thoughts as well. But why they did that… that's something we can't guess or know just yet."

Indeed, Sentoiry seemed to share the same doubts. "It's a bit foolish of them, isn't it? But—" her lips curved into a small smile, "this just makes things easier for us."

Kael's lips twitched before he nodded in agreement. "You're right. This makes things easier."

She tilted her head, asking, "So, will you be making any changes to the plan that's already been set?"

Kael shook his head firmly. "No. The plan remains as it was decided. Have Macron and Melon carry out their tasks exactly as assigned. The quicker we end things here, the sooner we can focus on the other part of the mission."

Sentoiry gave a slight nod of understanding. It was the only right course.

Kael contacted his two fleet admirals—his right and left hand, Macron and Melon. Their figures soon appeared before him as holographic projections. Kael explained the discovery they had made, something they might have already suspected, but as Grand Admiral it was his duty to repeat it clearly. He then conveyed his decision: the plan would remain unchanged.

However, he added one note. Now that the enemy had fewer forces than expected, he expected them to complete their objectives faster than the previous projections and simulations had estimated.

"As for the rest," Kael finished, "you'll know how to deal with them."

With that, he dismissed them.

Moments later, the First and Second Divisions—each consisting of 3,000 ships, led by Macron and Melon respectively—broke from the main formation and began maneuvering toward two separate directions.

Macron's POV

After returning to his flagship, the White Frost—an Oblivion-class warship—Macron settled into the high command seat, overlooking the bridge where his crew worked with disciplined precision.

"Fire up the propulsion engines," he ordered. His voice carried a sharp edge of anticipation. "It's time we wave into action and test these beauties—see if they're as strong as the Imperial Research and Development Department claims."

His gaze shifted toward the tactical display. "Our target is the Star Fortress and the fleet surrounding it."

Then, turning to the weapons operations officer, he continued coldly, "Charge the secondary batteries. Fire when we're close enough. There's no need to give the Minotaurs even a chance to think about resisting."