CHAPTER 244: CH 240 THE BOVARKA STAR -7

"But what good are diamonds when no one can cut them? What use is knowledge when none among us can unlock it? That is why we are weak. That is why we cling to others, begging protection from so-called Tier One powers, instead of standing as one ourselves. And now look where it has led us—ruin, fire, slaughter.

This is the fault of the Supreme Elders and the Council they preside over. Their failure is the root of this disaster."

His voice lowered, a grim final note.

"And if these enemies tell us we are not the only ones of our clan being attacked, I would believe them. They have the power to burn our entire clan into ash—what is a single star system to them?"

"Hisss—how dare you say that, Vice Lord...!" a middle-aged Minotaur snarled, his voice filled with disbelief and outrage, his broad chest heaving as his horns glinted under the flickering lights. "How can you claim our clan is weak? What weakness are you speaking of? Our clan has won every battle it has ever fought! No other power on our level has ever defeated us!"

His eyes burned as he stepped forward, disbelief plain across his face, his tone half fury, half desperation.

"And beggars? Where in the void did you come up with such filth about our race? When have we ever begged from anyone? Our clan has never stooped so low! What we received from the Star Empire—those technologies, those gifts—were not charity. They were the price of the information we gave them! You know this well!"

He jabbed a thick finger toward the Vice Lord, his tusks bared in anger.

"And as for your talk of us sitting on diamonds and not knowing how to cut them... that knowledge is being unlocked, step by step. Progress may be slow, but it is progress nonetheless. It is only a matter of time before we hold the full power left behind by the Feathered Race in our hands. Their legacy will be ours—all of it."

The City Lord’s voice rose louder, shaking as much from conviction as from the fear he refused to admit.

"And this nonsense about believing our enemy has the power to conquer our entire clan? I will not accept it! You forget one thing: within the bounds of our territory lies the fleet of the Star Empire itself—a fleet far mightier than any our enemies can muster. Do you truly believe these so-called humans, this Void Fleet, could bypass them? No! Impossible! If they even dared such a thing, they would be crushed without mercy."

He straightened, his voice booming across the ruins, as if trying to convince himself as much as the others.

"It is only a matter of time before we are rescued—before the Star Empire strikes down these lowly invaders. And when that day comes, we will take our revenge. This Void Fleet, this pitiful human rabble, will learn what it means to provoke the Minotaur Clan!"

"Heh..." the Vice Star Lord of Brontar Star let out a dry laugh, his tusks flashing as his crimson eyes narrowed. "Oh, look at you, City Lord—speaking like a true Minotaur. So proud. So loud. You dress your words in pride as though our clan itself will swoop in and rescue us. But in saying that, you admit the truth—you admit our clan is too weak. Weak enough that even against humans, we cannot protect ourselves."

He leaned forward, voice dripping with disdain.

"And you still dare call them ’pitiful human rabble’? These very humans who reduced our proud cities to ash, who slaughtered millions of our kind without breaking stride? You still have the gall to spit ’lowly’ in their direction? Where do you find such guts? Or are you simply delusional?"

The Vice Lord’s voice rose, mocking and sharp, cutting through the murmurs of the gathered survivors.

"’What it means to provoke the Minotaur Clan,’ you say? Ha! You sound brain-dead, City Lord. Clearly, the shock has unhinged your mind if you believe these humans fear us at all. Look around you. They do not fear us—they don’t even acknowledge us. This Void Fleet of theirs shows no hesitation, no mercy. I tell you now—" his tone grew heavier, darker, "

—I fear even the Star Empire would not stand against them. And I will not cling to some false hope of their rescue. The Empire owes us nothing. We are nothing to them—fodder at best, a nuisance at worst. Do not mistake convenience for loyalty."

His words silenced the space, until another voice joined him—older, quieter, yet weighted with despair.

"Unlocking... You said it yourself, City Lord. How long have we been ’unlocking’?" a middle-aged Minotaur stepped forward, his face drawn, his horns dull with age. "For thousands of years—ten thousand, if the records are true—we have clawed at the Feathered Race’s inheritance, and in all that time, we have unraveled barely ten percent. And even that, incomplete. Fragments. Scraps."

He shook his head slowly, bitterness twisting his features.

"This is the failure of our race, and of the Elders who lead it. The opportunity was always before us, yet instead of devoting ourselves fully to unraveling those secrets, we wasted centuries posturing, flexing our strength against weaker powers. That was our pride—preying on the weak, while the true path to greatness rotted in our vaults."

His words fell heavy, leaving a silence colder than the flames still smouldering in the ruins around them.

And then came the silence—cold, suffocating, a silence that sent a shiver crawling down the spine of every Minotaur present. No roar, no defiance, only the weight of grim truth pressing into their hearts.

And in that silence, many found themselves leaning toward the words of the Vice Star Lord rather than the hollow promises of the City Lord. Promises built on hoping for rescue from powers who owed them nothing, who had no ties to them, no reason to risk their fleets for a dying star system.

Deep down, they knew. They were not impressive enough. Not important enough. And more than that—they believed the Vice Star Lord’s warning. The Void Fleet was not just stronger than them; it might even be stronger than the Star Empire itself. That strange weapon—those blinding white blasts that erased entire orbital stations without leaving even scrap behind—what other proof did they need?

So voices began to rise, openly this time, no longer content to remain silent. Many said what others feared to admit—that the Star Empire would not save them. That even if they came, they might fail. That it was foolish to place hope in a rescue that may never arrive.

Better, some argued, to surrender. To live under these humans. To kneel and endure—because at least then, they would live.

But others recoiled at the thought. Their horns lowered in defiance, their voices harsh with pride. They said they would rather die than submit to humans, no matter the cost. Better to fall as warriors than live as thralls.

And so the Minotaur people stood divided—caught between fear and pride, survival and honor—as countless thoughts and arguments churned in their minds, none of them offering a true escape from the reality closing in around them.

In one corner of the city, a lone voice called for reason. Few high officials had survived to debate, but their words made other Minotaurs pause and consider what choices remained in such desperate times.

High above, the projection flickered. It showed the Rose, gazing down on the city. She seemed to notice the Minotaurs, their voices carrying pleas—some begging for an end to the slaughter of their comrades, others urging surrender if only to stop the attacks.

A faint smile touched her lips. The Minotaurs saw it at once, for their eyes had long been fixed on her. They knew that what she said next would decide who lived and who died. And though pride weighed heavy, survival was stronger—better to live than to fall to a pointless death.

She spoke, her voice calm yet heavy with command. To the Minotaurs, even her lightest words carried unbearable weight.

"How did you like the little show I gave you just now? Was it good?" she asked.

"I hope so. I noticed many of you calling for mercy, even ready to surrender. That’s... sweet of you." Her smile lingered, then faded, her aura pressing down like iron.

"But there are many more among you who remain defiant. And defiance..." Her tone sharpened. "Defiance must be crushed. Let me share something that will help you accept your reality."

"Do you really believe the Granthor star system is the only one under attack—or the only one that will be attacked? If so, you are far too naïve.

Our forces strike not only here, but across other systems as well. Soon, your entire clan and every one of its territories will fall under us. Cities like this one will crumble, just as others are crumbling even now on the habitable worlds of this very system.

And many more of you will die—just as they have died already."