Chapter 201: Chapter 201: THE UNRAVELING KNOT
AN: I fast forwarded a lot of things so that we can get back to the main story line. And it is a poorly written out Chapter. Most of the Chapters have been churning out recently have been poorly written. There is too much dramatic writing and many other problems. Am shocked nobody has called me out yet. Anyways I am sorry and will try and improve.
Orion stood by the main console on the command deck while keeping the dark cloth tied tightly over his eyes. He had already made his choice about the future, and he decided to keep it to himself for now. He would leave a clone behind when the time came, and that clone would carry every memory and technique he had learned so it could grow strong without starting over. Cassia and Nyla did not need to carry that weight while the enemy was still approaching, so he kept the plan locked in his mind and focused on the present. He pressed the fleet channel and spoke clearly into the open line.
"All vessels, shift to intercept vector. Push three light-years into dead space. Do not let them cross the inner threshold. Keep formation tight and shields layered."
The engines flared to life, and thousands of hulls folded space and jumped into the quiet dark. Hours passed while the crew ran quiet checks and kept the shield layers thick. Then the void ahead tore open, and the Kreth’mar vanguard dropped out of warp in a tight formation. Their bone-white ships cut through the black, and red energy veins pulsed along their armor as they lined up their cannons. They did not waste time with warnings or slow approaches, and they opened fire the moment they locked onto the human line.
The dark lit up with a storm of heavy weapons that bent reality and split the vacuum apart. Reality-altering rounds warped the space around the shields, while antimatter lances struck with bright violet flashes that shook the deck plates and made the crew brace against their seats. FTL kinetic rounds hit like invisible hammers, and black hole bombs detonated in tight clusters, pulling nearby light and debris into crushing spirals before exploding outward in thick shockwaves. Cassia’s voice came through the open channel, and she reported the status without hesitation.
"Shields holding at seventy percent. The gravity redirects are pulling the force sideways, so we are not taking the full hit."
Orion kept his voice steady as he answered. "Hold the line. Redirect the thermal bursts. Let the pressure slide into empty space."
The enemy commander realized that a straight ship fight was slipping away from them, so he ordered mobile combat units to launch from the cruiser bays. They folded through short jumps and slipped past the main gun arcs, because they wanted to breach the hulls and break the shield nodes before the human fleet could adjust. Orion tapped the comms network and sent his own awakened commanders out to meet them. They stepped onto the outer plating and pushed into the void, and the space between the lines erupted into fast, close-range clashes. Spatial locks cracked through the air as human cultivators froze enemy skiffs in place, while gravity bends pulled incoming fire away from friendly hulls and sent plasma spiraling into the dark. Orion did not need to open his eyes, because his spiritual sense covered the entire fight and traced every movement, every weak angle, and every heavy strike. He spoke calmly over the comms and gave clear directions as the battle moved.
"Shift left three degrees and fire when their thermal shield drops back, because that is where their guard opens."
"Copy. Adjusting angle now and waiting for your mark."
"Drop your stance and let their gravity fold stretch too far, then step inside and cut the line."
"Locking position and going in."
"Do not chase them. Their flight path loops every four seconds, so wait for the turn and hit them on the third beat."
"Understood. Holding position and waiting... now. Strike lands clean."
He was teaching them through the noise, and the commanders adapted quickly because his guidance turned a chaotic scramble into a steady rhythm. Human lines pushed forward, enemy skiffs broke apart with loud metallic echoes, and the boarding attempts failed as the awakened soldiers covered each other’s gaps. Two human cruisers took heavy hits and fell back to the second line, but medical teams moved fast to pull the wounded inside, and the remaining hulls adjusted their formation without breaking pace.
On the enemy flagship, the Supreme Commander watched his forward wing fall apart, the heavy weight of an early Galaxy-level presence roll through the bridge. He had stayed behind the reinforced glass while his generals tested the line, but he saw that the human fleet was not just holding steady, so he decided to step in before the vanguard collapsed completely. He ordered three high-ranking generals to join him, and they folded into the void together, cutting through the wreckage and moving straight for the human command cluster. Their spiritual pressure made the air around them crack and warp, and they carried enough power to break formations with sheer force. They crossed the two-million-kilometer mark, and the moment their boots hit open space, Orion lifted the blindfold and opened his eyes. The Rule of Genesis flared to life behind his sight, and he saw the exact starting point of their existence laid bare. He did not gather energy or shout a command, because he did not need to. He simply raised his hand and waved it forward.
The rule pulled at the root of their bloodline, and their bodies came apart like thread caught on a sharp edge. Armor faded first, then spiritual pressure dissolved, and their flesh and meridians unraveled into pale dust that scattered into the vacuum. The wave did not stop at the generals, and it passed straight through the flagship’s reinforced hull until it reached the bridge. The Supreme Commander tried to brace his spiritual core, but the rule did not ask for permission, and his entire presence dissolved in the same quiet instant. The command deck stood empty, and the consoles flickered out while the remaining enemy ships drifted in silence.
The Kreth’mar line broke, and their remaining vessels powered down their weapons as they turned to retreat. For a few seconds, nothing moved across the dark, and then the human comms channel crackled to life with loud, exhausted cheers. Commanders clapped hands on shoulders, engineers wiped sweat from their faces and laughed in relief, and medical teams rushed to bring the wounded back inside while the outer decks rang with steady boots and heavy breathing. Orion closed his eyes and tied the blindfold back in place, because he had already seen everything he needed to see. He tapped the console and spoke into the fleet channel.
"Hold formation. Begin damage control. Pull our people back. Secure the perimeter. Let them run."
He stood by the console and listened to the quiet rhythm of the ships, and he felt a steady certainty instead of pride. The battle had proven that the empire could stand on its own, and the path forward was clear. The System interface flickered in his mind with a quiet prompt, and it asked him directly.
*"Author memory fragment stabilized(AN: I used an ai to summarize the story for me). Primary timeline anchor confirmed. Do you wish to proceed with the clone protocol, or initiate the original universe bridge?"*
Orion rested his hand on the cool metal and let the question hang in the quiet air, because he knew the real choice would come after the last ship returned home.
