CHAPTER 263: CH 258 FINAL MANOEUVRE-1

"They are almost there, huh," said Ezra, watching the coordinated movement of Shadow Divisions One and Two.

"It should be starting any moment now," added Michel, joining the projection from his own ship.

"It should, and from the look of it, Raj is winning here over Damien this time, taking their rivalry one step further, don’t you think, Grand Admiral?" Right Admiral Jasmin asked as her figure materialized.

"That much is obvious," Ezra replied. "These two can’t help but compete everywhere they go. It was the same in the Battle of Rijid Star and it’s the same here."

"But this time, Raj has indeed taken a decisive advantage over Damien. Damien should be in shock, even if only briefly, knowing the very assets he worked for are now aiding his rival."

"As he should be," added Ezra. "Damien can only blame himself for forgetting that Raj successfully comprehended a secondary Law of Time. After all, that information is hardly private."

"But from the look of it, this ’defeat’ has had little effect on him. Rather, I can tell he’s more pumped up. In the next clash, it looks like it’s Raj who should worry more about it."

"Putting this aside," Ezra asked, not looking away from the battle screen, "are both your sides done with the cleanup already? I see both of you here chatting, and that’s mid-battle, hmm?"

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"Well, mostly it’s taken care of. Whatever little is left shall soon be dealt with, Grand Admiral," replied Jasmin, recounting the happenings on her part of the battle.

"Same for me, Commander. It’s not like we ourselves did much; Damien took care of all of them on the left flank, and we only provided a little help. All in all, yes, in my sector, the vanguard is clear of any filth," replied Michel.

"Hmm," replied Ezra, continuing to watch the movement of the Shadow Division. "How are the preparations going on our side? After all, we have our own things to do in this mission here."

"The preparations are done, Commander! By your leave—" Both Jasmin and Michel spoke at the exact instant, stopping with a brief awkwardness. Michel nodded at Jasmin, directing her to complete her report first.

Jasmin nodded her head in appreciation and continued. "The main cannons are ready, and our other battle cruisers are similarly prepared. The moment we notice any strangeness happening within the main Minotaur line, we shall make our move—a move that the Minotaurs shall not recover from."

"The same is true on my side, Commander. Everything is ready. Just as Admiral Jasmin said, at any moment of notice, we shall make our move without fail."

"But Commander, while we might be able to take down the Minotaurs by surprise, they still have their fortress. It can’t be taken down with one strike, and we aren’t targeting it directly. Won’t the Shadow Fleet members become easy targets for the Minotaur fortress to pick on and destroy?"

"That is my question to the Grand Admiral. What is your plan for it? After all, if we don’t do something about the fortress, won’t our entire mission be pointless?"

"Well, what you ask is indeed a right question, and I’ll definitely answer it." With that, snapping his fingers, a new holographic display materialized in front of them. The image it showed stunned and surprised both Admirals so completely they couldn’t find words.

"This... this," they stammered, pointing at the display, astounded to say the least.

"So that’s why you asked for them to be prepared when you reached out to Rear Admiral Maxtern, Grand Admiral!"

"And the Shadow Divisions are there as well!" Jasmin added with a hint of surprise and excitement. She continued, "So all of this has already been foreseen and planned out by you, Grand Admiral? No wonder the Imperial Commander appreciates you when compared to others."

"Haha, this isn’t that exaggerated," said Ezra with a laugh as he disclosed his plan a bit further to them.

Meanwhile, the 2nd Shadow Division reached a point where they began to split off into four different groups, each led by two frigates and four to six corvettes. Each of the four groups split according to their directed missions, led by capable Captains.

Within the Minotaur Star Fortress, a plan was taking shape. All the Minotaurs involved, though limited in number, were working at the top of their ability.

"Helran," the Commander said, "this is the only way we can achieve something. Fighting this battle against an enemy that is more advanced, more powerful, more cunning, and largely unknown to us will only lead to our ultimate destruction."

"But Commander," said one person, "this plan is also no different than the ultimate destruction you speak of. Either way, we are all going to die."

"Indeed, Commander, he is right. On top of it, there’s no guarantee they will be able to make an escape and make our Elder Council aware of what is happening here. As you said, the enemy is too powerful, too advanced, and too cunning—there’s no way they haven’t calculated that we would try to escape."

"Yes, I understand your point," Helran said, looking at the first person who had commented that this plan also led to only one end. He continued, "But this is now the only way we can achieve something meaningful. You all should have realized that survival is impossible for all of us, and dealing a big blow to our enemy is also becoming impossible as losses keep mounting while they play with us."

"You’ve seen the Mecha and the kind of destruction it alone did, and that weird yet mighty space fighter and the others following are just as effective. Look at how they are dismantling our forward flank like it’s nothing but garbage."

"Look at the damage the enemy’s main vanguard is dealing to our battle line. While it hasn’t broken due to the constant shifting of ships in our three-layered formation, we are still losing ships and taking massive damage with each passing second, despite all measures we have in place."