Chapter 10: The Great Counteroffensive 7200
In the Starry World, within the vacuum sea between stars, there drifted an extremely thin, mist-like dust.
The Borderland Galaxy, the Gulangma Nebula located between Sector 78 and Sector 76, was once a starfaring civilization known as the Langma Federation. It was not destroyed by the hands of Evil God's Minions, but by an extreme coincidence—a supernova artificially triggered over three hundred thousand years ago due to a flawed psychic ritual. This caused the entire Langma Federation's solar energy arrays to malfunction, and through hyperspace psychic reactions, it chain-detonated twenty-three stars under their control, annihilating all of the Federation's core territories and colonies within eight minutes.
Whether this was stupidity or misfortune was unknown. Something theoretically impossible happened in an instant, killing eighty-seven billion Langma people. The stellar dust of their Federation became an ever-expanding composite nebula, while the souls and psychic energy of all Langma people spread, condensed, and coalesced into a small psychic star. Because their deaths were so sudden and without warning, the Langma people of that era didn't even have time to feel "absurdity" or "anger" before they were obliterated. Thus, this psychic star remained relatively pure, even serving as a navigational beacon for ships, guiding later fleets through this sorrowful nebula.
Three hundred thousand years later, the psychic star gradually approached extinction, and the ancient Gulangma Nebula welcomed new uninvited guests—the Chaos Minions descended from beyond the void, destroying and utilizing everything they could perceive. The nebula was no exception, becoming their lair.
The Gulangma Nebula contained a large amount of psychic interference. The Chaos Minions didn't mind this disturbance, but ordinary fleets found it difficult to navigate within. With the psychic star's guidance lost, the Gulangma Nebula became a hiding place for Chaos Demons, a forbidden zone for surrounding civilizations.
Now, however, a peculiar, massive fleet was traversing the Gulangma Nebula. At the fleet's center, a giant warship with a three-dimensional shape resembling a "G," its front height exceeding twenty-five kilometers, was ejecting phantom-like psychic streams as it advanced through the void. On its side was painted a vivid red, blazing fire emblem.
The "Blazing Fire" Emergency Cleanup Fleet.
In the distance, a small reconnaissance ship emerged from a jump within the nebula. After exchanging signals, it rapidly approached the fleet and was taken into the giant warship. As the database connected, a large amount of information was transmitted.
"Is that so? The psychic star has completely extinguished, but the Chaos Minions have also vanished without a trace."
On the bridge command deck, an elderly Zanya person who looked like a cicada swayed his antennae. He calmly read the exploration information in the database and mused, "This means there are no enemies anywhere in the entire Gulangma Nebula. Twenty-seven reconnaissance ships from various directions have all obtained the same result. Unless the Chaos Minions have evolved some new ability, this is the reality."
After a moment of thought, a cold, mechanical voice came from the Zanya person's chest. The translation device hummed: "Full fleet acceleration. We leave the inner nebula and jump to the next target."
"Yes!"
A unified response came. As the orders were relayed layer by layer, the Blazing Fire Emergency Fleet, with over two thousand nine hundred ships and holding a giant planet-destroying warship, slightly adjusted course and then accelerated as a whole, flying towards the nebula's periphery.
Since there was no target here, they would execute the next mission. The Emergency Cleanup Fleet was like the white blood cells of the "Star River Guardian Alliance," tasked with cleansing all Chaos-related pathogens within the Alliance's territory.
No one on the entire fleet had any objections to this order. Every crew member of the cleanup fleet was an elite, carefully selected for the best quality and combat awareness. The commander leading this group of elites, the powerful psychic controlling the "Armageddon-class Planet Destroyer," Five-Star Fleet Commander Kedar, was the cream of the crop. For this man who had fought for over forty-five years, commanded three fleets, and battled Chaos one hundred and two times, a holder of the "Alliance First-Class Guardian Medal," no one would hold meaningless doubts about his commands.
Even the planet destroyer's vice-captain and maintenance department head, the Midgardian Faya, unconditionally trusted this experienced old commander most of the time.
Today, however, was an exception.
Faya was a Midgardian with higher carotene content, so the leaves on his head were orange-yellow. Pretending to be unconcerned, his gaze swept over Commander Kedar, who appeared calm and normal, but his heart was filled with worry.
This concern didn't start today. To be precise, ever since the Blazing Fire Fleet's last mission, Faya had been somewhat worried about Kedar's mental state.
After all, it wasn't something anyone could handle—witnessing their own race's home planet being destroyed. And what was even more terrifying was that the one who gave that order was the man himself. Even worse, on that planet corrupted by Chaos, there were his only descendant, his deceased wife's grave, and the last remnants of all his family and friends.
It was quite possibly the worst day a person could experience.
Having endured such pain, being able to remain normal was the greatest abnormality. Faya had long since applied to the Alliance's military high command for Kedar to receive rest therapy and a dedicated psychological team. But perhaps the war situation was too intense, the long-overdue transfer order never came. So Kedar continued to lead the Blazing Fire Fleet on cleanup campaigns.
Actually, Faya thought this wasn't entirely bad. If fighting Chaos Minions allowed Kedar to vent some of his pain and anger, that was a good thing—at least it was a normal outlet. But perhaps the Great Outflanking Operation had been too successful. After the "Eternal Void Anchor Point" was destroyed, the entire Evil God Minion camp experienced a massive shift. The Great East Star Sector suffered continuous heavy attacks, while the Great South Star Sector—where the Blazing Fire Fleet was located—saw all Chaos Minions retreat, leaving only empty lairs and depleted star systems.
"Damn it, the Chaos Minions in the Gulangma Nebula have also retreated... We haven't fought a single battle in weeks!"
Faya groaned inwardly. He knew that Captain Kedar's grief and anger had not yet calmed. He had seen Kedar several times in his spare time, staring blankly at old photos of his family. His psychic waves occasionally transmitted the terms "Eternal Void Anchor Point" and "Star Breaker Fleet," which clearly indicated his abnormality.
The "Eternal Void Anchor Point" needed no explanation. Its essence was a void gate connected to the void, permanent in duration. It was the Chaos Minions' largest source of reinforcements. During its existence, the number of Chaos Minions pouring out of it per unit of time exceeded the number eliminated across hundreds of battlefields simultaneously. The Life Preservation Program calculated that without destroying the Eternal Void Anchor Point, victory was impossible. The Great Outflanking Campaign was the Guardian Alliance's plan to divert the tiger from the mountain—tying down the main Chaos forces on the front lines while elite units executed long-distance jumps for a suicide attack to destroy the void anchor point.
The Star Breaker Fleet was one of the fleets that carried out the suicide attack on the Eternal Void Anchor Point during the Great Outflanking Campaign. Its members were mostly loners with no relatives, or those whose families had all died at the hands of Chaos. Of the eighteen fleets that attacked together, only one—the Star Breaker Fleet—had a small squadron of ships survive and retain its designation. All others were honorably disbanded, with every member's name and career recorded in the "Guardian Martyrs' Monument."
In Faya's view, Commander Kedar had clearly given up on living. He wanted to serve in the Star Breaker Fleet, continue executing the most dangerous and difficult missions, and die in one of them. Perhaps the transfer order hadn't come for this reason. Kedar had likely already applied for this command. The military high command welcomed such experienced old captains with a death wish to serve in the Star Breaker Fleet—it would certainly deal the greatest blow to Chaos.
But with no skirmishes for weeks, Faya was very worried about Captain Kedar's mental state. Anger, if not vented, would gradually destroy a psychic's rationality. And Kedar was an Omega-level great psychic. If he truly went mad, he might destroy the planet destroyer single-handedly.
"Don't worry, Faya. I've been a soldier for over forty years, after all."
Suddenly, Faya, who thought he had hidden his concerns well, heard a mechanical voice from the translation device. He looked up in shock and found Captain Kedar had turned around, his antennae trembling as he said, "I really am fine. You don't need to worry so much about my mental state."
"You... you can read my thoughts?"
Faya first felt a pang of embarrassment at having his secret exposed, then surprise, even shock: "Although it's been a short time, I'm also an Omega-level psychic... Wait, could it be!"
Thinking of a possibility, Faya's leaves began to curl in shock: "You've broken through to the Immortal Realm?!"
The so-called Immortal Realm was a level beyond Omega-level psychic, which allowed one to fight at the interstellar fleet level alone. True experts who could decide the outcome of a battle single-handedly. Even in the entire Guardian Alliance, such psychics were rare. Among over eight thousand starfaring civilizations, there were no more than forty, and most were leaders of their civilizations, not easily sent to the battlefield.
If the other party had truly broken through to the Immortal Realm, then he could indeed control his emotions and not fall into madness... That would be a good thing.
"Perhaps. I've just broken through that thin barrier."
Kedar replied calmly: "I've been at the peak realm for decades. Under the stimulation of extreme emotions recently, I reviewed my life, understood many problems that had troubled me before, and observed every vein of my psychic power with the calmest mindset... I have indeed made progress, but whether I am an Immortal is hard to say."
This should have been a joyous occasion. A fleet commander breaking through to the highest Immortal Realm in the entire Alliance should have been a great celebration broadcast throughout the Alliance. But for some reason, Faya suddenly felt a profound sense of desolation.
If the price of advancing to Immortal was personally ordering the destruction of one's own homeland, one's own home planet, everything one once cherished... then surely few would be willing to do so. Because people seek power for a purpose. To destroy that purpose and reason for the sake of power was the most ridiculous stupidity.
Faya could hardly imagine, beneath Kedar's calm tone and those emotionless compound eyes, how much anger and hatred had settled. What surging emotions had driven this commander, who had focused on command for decades and never seriously thought about breaking through realms, to forcefully shatter that barrier in just a few weeks and find his own path?
Kedar himself didn't know.
At the front of the bridge, the fleet commander turned back to gaze at the vacuum before him, at the distant, hazy stars. His tone remained calm and rational, but that was the limit. The current Zanya person dared not speak much. He had no idea when he might suddenly let out a roar or a painful wail, unleashing all the psychic energy in his body to destroy everything around him.
Breaking through to the Immortal Realm? Perhaps. Kedar knew very well that his temporary increase in power was likely just a flash in the pan. The vast psychic energy driven by emotion was beginning to exceed his control, reaching a realm he had never aspired to. When the power broke its limits, he might indeed advance, but more likely, he would become a terrifying, bizarre Immortal-level psychic monster.
I have to leave. If I lose control, at least let it be among the Chaos Minions.
A rational voice told him this. The fire of anger must be poured upon the enemy. That was the best revenge, and the only meaning of survival for his lingering existence.
To hell with everything. As long as I can kill Chaos Minions, I don't care what kind of monster I become!
This was the hateful roar of one who had nothing. He had lost all family, all friends, even his home planet. The Zanya people were now a civilization without a home. They might continue to exist as a starfaring civilization throughout the Alliance, but the newborn Zanya would never know the beauty of their home planet.
Nothing remained. Apart from hatred and revenge, Kedar had no reason to fight Chaos, no reason to suppress his anger. Every time he woke from a nightmare, he felt lost, mocking himself for why he still maintained rationality.
Since he truly had nothing left, why suppress himself, pretend to be rational, even disguise himself as calm and composed, issuing orders that made him want to vomit?
Emotions tore at his mind, tearing and tearing. Kedar could still maintain rationality, just as he said. He truly had no major issues. As a great psychic, he could control his emotions, even if it was like walking on thin ice... At least, during his time with the Blazing Fire Fleet, he could control it.
As for being transferred to the Star Breaker Fleet... that would be another matter.
"Come on."
Gazing at the distant, hazy stars, his psychic energy radiating a red glow, Kedar muttered somewhat neurotically to himself: "I can hardly wait..."
And at that moment.
In the vacuum, a psychic net, invisible to anything below infinite light level, began to tremble. With a barely perceptible hum, four completely different lights began to jump and spread across the entire Starry World.
Pure, blazing light swept across millions of star domains, billions of stars. It sought, responded to those beings that could resonate with it, searching for its apostles.
Then, a blood-red light detached from the trembling net, flew out, and without anyone noticing, descended into Kedar's mind.
No one noticed this. Not Faya, who was right beside Kedar, nor the other bridge crew. No one.
Only Kedar himself shuddered violently.
He felt his mind heating up. A pure, incredibly clear emotion surged into his mental sea, suddenly clearing the old Zanya person's chaotic, muddled spiritual world, which had been a mess of hatred, anger, sorrow, and confusion.
In that instant, many things surged into Kedar's heart.
He wanted to kill Chaos Minions, as many as possible. He wanted to hell with the fleet and his duties, directly pilot the planet destroyer towards the nearest Chaos lair and self-destruct. He wanted to die cleanly in the war against Chaos. He wanted to pour out his endless hatred, his endless anger and madness, no longer caring about rationality, with no one left to be rational for. Then, he would become a powerful psychic monster and go on a killing spree against Chaos.
The purest "hatred" triggered countless dark thoughts. Like a stone falling into a mud pit, it stirred up countless lurking venomous snakes and insects. Kedar stared in shock at these dark, even shameful thoughts in his mind, involuntarily clenching his joints, his antennae curling up.
But at the same time, in that instant, many other thoughts also surged into his heart.
He wanted to protect other races, other civilizations, so they wouldn't suffer the same fate as his homeland. He wanted to lead his fleet, his crew, to resist Chaos's invasion, so that such sorrowful individuals like himself wouldn't appear again. His heart was filled with endless courage. Precisely because he had nothing, no one specific to love, he had everything.
Because he had nothing, he had no fear.
Kedar recalled the oath he had taken when he first joined the Guardian Fleet.
"We will guard all life and order among the stars, shining like stars upon all civilizations and races. We are the vanguard against Chaos, the guardians against invasion."
"We are the Guardian Fleet. We will cleanse Chaos and calamity until the end of our lives."
Two seemingly opposite, yet identically sourced emotions collided in Kedar's heart.
The old Zanya person silently raised his head. His antennae began to tremble, and then, in his spiritual world, he suddenly "wept."
"Ah, ah. So in my heart, there was still such immense cowardice."
He silently asked himself: "So I never truly controlled myself. I was just blindly suppressing it?"
If losing family meant letting hatred ferment freely, then spreading to others, even destroying oneself...
That would be the greatest cowardice and joke.
If Chaos had thoughts and could speak, it would surely sneer at such a boring version of himself.
"I..."
In reality, the blood-red psychic energy radiating from Kedar suddenly trembled, then dissipated. He said softly: "I was wrong."
Hatred, blindly descending, could neither defeat the enemy nor destroy Chaos. It could only plunge oneself and those around into the abyss... What he needed was never "hatred," nor was it escapism or self-destruction under the guise of "revenge." What he needed was to face the dripping blood, to confront this bleak life, to persist in a future where everything was lost, and still decide to move forward—that was "courage"!
Acknowledge his hatred. Acknowledge his mistakes. Acknowledge his cowardice. Acknowledge his self-abandonment. Then, direct hatred at the enemy, correct mistakes one by one, hang cowardice on the wall as a warning, and sweep self-abandonment into the trash.
Face all of this—the filthy self and the bleak reality. And at the same time, face the future without fear.
That was courage.
Psychic energy gathered again, then transformed.
A brighter, more vivid blood-red power gently pushed aside the vice-captain Faya, who had hurried over, sensing something was wrong. This power was different from psychic energy. It wasn't like phantom light, but seemed to have a physical "substance."
"Hatred can also bring courage, like a lighthouse guiding a ship's course."
Kedar exhaled. Light shone in his compound eyes: "But you cannot be drowned by hatred, mistaking the lighthouse for the destination."
My battle... is not for revenge against Chaos. My battle is not that shallow.
What I want is to move forward. In this world filled with Chaos, to advance towards a future without Chaos!
And the moment Kedar finally understood the concepts of "courage" and "hatred," "anger" and "madness"—their contradictory opposition yet potential unity—and gave birth to true "courage" in his heart, the red light that had surged into his mind blazed brilliantly.
[Galaxy Guardian Alliance, Individual Kedar Monan. Your heart holds great courage. You belong to the Ring of Courage.]
[The Blazing Courage Heaven invites you.]
Courage alone would only earn the recognition of the Ring of Courage, gaining a phantom rune. To truly hold the physical Ring of Courage was not enough.
To become a Ring Bearer, one must be an individual who can control "hatred," understand "madness," manipulate "anger," and awaken "courage." Like the half of the ring that is the oath—to hold and discipline all these emotions.
A phantom ring, bearing lightning-like runes, appeared on Kedar's chest, hanging from one of his joints. It began to rapidly materialize.
Blood-red flames blazed up, enveloping the old Zanya person's entire body. All the cracks in his aged carapace, the stiffened joints, and all the various dull, worn body parts burned in these blood-colored flames, then were renewed, returning to their youthful state!
In that instant, a tangible, majestic aura spread instantly throughout the entire Armageddon-class Planet Destroyer, even reaching the entire Blazing Fire Fleet.
"Com... Commander?"
Beside him, Faya, shocked by the overwhelming aura, sat down on the ground. His eyes wide, he exclaimed in astonishment: "You... you broke through!"
There was no doubt. Seeing Kedar's completely renewed, youthful Immortal body, Faya's tone was firm, and he cheered sincerely: "That's great!"
"Ohhh! The captain broke through?"
"The commander, silently..."
"He actually managed to come out of such a heavy blow..."
"Congratulations to the commander for becoming an Immortal!"
Instantly, the entire bridge was filled with joyful cheers and praise. Even in the communication channels, various congratulations and blessings came in one after another. As the fleet Kedar had led for over ten years, both new and old members were well aware of the heavy blow their commander had suffered. With good news now, they naturally did their part, using blessings to wash away the gloom.
"Alright, stop."
A powerful psychic wave resonated in the minds of everyone in the entire fleet in an instant. Kedar, who had quickly mastered his new power, raised his head calmly. He seemed about to say something to his crew, who had silently supported and trusted him all along, but an urgent short message from the military interrupted his thoughts.
"...Very well." The commander-in-chief of the Blazing Fire Emergency Cleanup Fleet, Kedar Monan, read the short message several times. He turned to Faya: "Change the engine settings. We turn. Full power towards the 'Dark Star River' direction."
"Commander?" Faya was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted. His voice carried joy and a trembling excitement: "Could it be?!"
"It has been proven. The gods of the Midgardians, together with our great mechanical leader, recently destroyed over ninety thousand Chaos star systems. The Chaos Minions have begun a full-scale retreat. We no longer need to guard the rear. The Great Counteroffensive is about to begin."
The cold, serious mechanical voice came again from the translation device on his chest, along with the psychic message, transmitting into the minds of all fleet members: "The military has ordered that all fleets not executing 'SS-class' or above emergency missions suspend all current operations and proceed to the sector front lines."
"We are ending the cleanup mission. We are beginning the counterattack!"
A moment of silence, then cheers erupted throughout the entire fleet.
Kedar listened to this heartfelt cry of hatred and anger towards Chaos, and the fearless call of courage, for a moment. Then he raised his head, looking at the stars beginning to spin as the ship turned. He could sense that, under Faya's orders and coordination, the long-range jump engine settings and coordinates were being changed. The psychic core was charging. The ship was accelerating. Everything was in place.
It was time.
So he spoke calmly: "Coordinates: East Sector, Tehran Star Domain, First Star Base."
"All fleet in position, optimal condition. Activate long-range jump engines. Docking with Tehran Star Domain anchor point. Operation codename: Great Counteroffensive. Await my command."
Saying this, Kedar paused. He raised his joint, touched the red ring on it, and then gave the final order.
"Jump!"