Soul of Searing Steel

Far Harbor, Fort Pioneer, the edge of the galaxy.

The once dark Void was now a luminous world, illuminated by the exhaust flames of countless warships.

Within the Void harbor that had been expanded and built in recent days, thousands of Void vessels of various design stopped at the vicinity of each dimensional anchor points. Their tidy formations made it evident the crew were well trained with fine conduct.

Dreadnaught, the name ship of her class and Flagship of the Combined Void Fleet of Mycroft was parked at the fore. Inside that Battleship, all crew and Extraordinary individuals attached to the vessel were manning their stations while silently waiting and performing checks.

Soon, as pale-blue dimensional ripples emanated out of the base of Far Harbor, a portal slowly opened and six Extraordinary individuals who were differently dressed stepped out from within and went to stand in front of all every single vessel of the Combined Fleet.

The armada of almost ten thousand vessels were stretching towards the dark Void like rows of straight lines. Each were steadily ejecting luminous flames brighter than even starlight, and while the rumbling as engine drew in and sprayed out energies could not be heard in the Void, its ripples repel even dimensional turbulences and was more jarring than thunder.

However, the energy ejection that could knock a world’s energy cycles off-balance had instantly dimmed and quieted because of the six people who stepped out of the portal. The very existence of the sextet commands presence and power that surpassed the entire task force combined.

It was now Starfall Year 841, the twenty-seventh of December.

In other words, the appointed day where Mycroft’s Combined Void Fleet would depart for another galaxy.

After countless people had strived diligently, multiple Legends had helped personally along with the support of civilizations, the expedition that Mycroft put together with all their strengths after so long was finally completed.

Joshua stood upon the foremost of Far Harbor, looking around at the stars—at the very center of this dockyard were the core convoy that belongs to Mycroft’s civilization, with 510 main warships and 2400 auxiliary vessels and corvettes.

There were six Dreadnaught-class battleships, each acting as flagships of six different fleet detachments. Alongside them were twenty-four Gallant-class battlecruisers that plays the role of main firepower for the fleet, while a mix of ninety-six cruisers and three-hundred and eighty-four destroyers acted as the fleet’s formation and defensive nodes.

Most of the other twenty-four hundred vessels were corvettes that were usually anchored to the battleships and battlecruisers to form a large Void harbor. Their combined momentum would accelerate Void navigation, and when battle was necessary, its specially designed construct would allow the ships to easily detach as the coverts assisted in defense and attack.

The remaining vessels were not warships but ‘life-support vessels’ used for transporting and producing necessities—the armada could never carry enough resources for the long, inestimable expedition, which was why the saucer shaped life-support vessels were designed. They were assigned to the fleet’s protected center, encircled by the six detachments from above, below, left, right, front and behind.

And this is the core fleet which totals to almost three thousand vessels and would be the mainstay of hit expedition—the ten thousand vessels gathered on Far Harbor apart from them mostly belonged to other civilizations.

Amongst them, the Starherders’ eight Void Behemoths were most eye-catching: young, massive and each carrying a single world, the moving continents that were each controlled by a King of the Akasha outsized the warships. They would act as the Combined Fleet’s vanguard, and were responsible for leading the way over the long dark realm.

Starboard of the Void Behemoths were the Sartreans’ Void Fleet. Each were uniquely designed, painted in dazzling gold and hold their own class and designation as well. The major unrests that the Evil God of Death had caused left the Sartreans hard-pressed to maintain their warships, which was why they simply gifted all of them to Mycroft civilizations, along with corresponding crewmembers. Sixteen of their supersized motherships hence wafted in the Void, with 1696 varying golden warships floating steadily on the halo that each mothership created.

The Sartrean motherships played the dual function of life-support vessel and capital ship. Thousands of years ago, each mothership would carry enough colonists and Sartrean ecosystems to other worlds for grand colonization in different worlds, while also carrying massive ranks of corvettes that could be unleashed in battle—that design was referenced in the anchoring of corvettes onto the Dreadnaught-class battleships on Mycroft’s core fleet, with the Starherders’ Void Behemoths being a point of inspiration as well.

Apart from that, the motherships also held powerful energy cores that could rapidly recharge other warships, which was why unlike most civilizations, the Sartreans’ strategies revolve around their motherships.

And finally.

Joshua turned to the portside of the Mycroft’s fleet.

It was an unilluminated navy hidden within the Void, showing not even a glitter apart from hints of magma sparks. The demons’ Infernal Fleet had always been that way, ever lurking in the darkness outside of battle as they invaded world after world.

The demons’ armada varied in size, design, and form. It was more appropriate to call primitive pirate ships instead of warships, however—apart from the massive mystic cannons on their primary ships, their only fighting strategy was to rapidly approach other ships or worlds and throw the demons inside the vessel onto them, essentially boarding them.

Numbering almost up to two thousand ships, the Lava Fleet essentially had no long-range combat ability in the Void. However, none of them—even Joshua would underestimate those primitive warships… because those vessels carried five Legendary-tier Demon Generals, and a Demon King that stood heads and shoulders above them.

With the Demon Generals having progressed to the limit of Extraordinary, so what if the Lava Fleet could not attack from a distance? Even if their fleet should fall, the demons would have over ninety percent combat capacity as long as the Demon Generals survived.

In other words, the Demon King of Gluttony had placed everything from the Sixth Abyss on its bet on the Combined Fleet, and now Joshua could feel Goliath watching himself from beyond the Void. He hence nodded at its direction, an acknowledgment of its sincerity.

Nonetheless, Joshua was not worried about the Demon Generals and Goliath’s addition would make for a bottom-heavy chain of command.

After all, Mycroft had dispatched six Legends to control the six navy detachments.

Having determined the ranks of the Combined Expedition Fleet, Mycroft’s civilization had gone through a period of discussion, after of which they decided to have six Legends follow the fleet as they headed to another galaxy on the other side of the Void.

One of them was Joshua van Radcliffe, supreme commander of the entire Expedition Fleet. The Legendary warrior’s true form was still recuperating and slumbering at the depths of the Vortex of Creation, but his strongest clone would be following the Fleet—a rapidly whirling silver star that stayed distinctly at the rear of the Starherders’ Void Behemoths, who would also be playing vanguard alongside those colossal creatures as they probed dark Void regions.

To Joshua, his clone and true form were no different since he was his own beacon. If necessary, his true form could assist his clone with the link maintained within his world, and that unique ability was the reason he must join the fleet, since no other person apart from him had the ability ensure support anywhere at any given moment.

The other five Legends who would be boarding the fleet vessels were now standing beside him too. They were Barnil Gaskell the Rune Master, Yana Milo Ashwing the Glorious Era Legend, La Motte-Ternant the Sword Saint, Aydril Galanoud the Nature’s Magister and Vahina Nolan, Sage of the Oceans.

Six Legends, whose ability and strength matches and were superior to the demons.

There were nineteen Legends across the entire Combined Fleet—including the Void Behemoths. Coupled with the Dreadnaught-class battleships that have what was considered Legendary-tier firepower and the firepower of other warships, the grandness of these ranks was virtually next to the Glorious Era.

“Never thought that I would join such a grand expedition in my lifetime.”

Beside Joshua, the Nature’s Magister narrowed her eyes and sighed in satisfaction. “Most of the elite forces in our galaxy is gathered here, and I would not fear even if it’s another galaxy.”

“We have nothing to fear.”

On another side, the La Motte the Sword Saint stroked his scabbard, smiling, “the fellows on the other side should be fearful.”

The six Mycroft Legends holds six different positions: Joshua was the absolute power who controls the entire Combined Fleet. He would not attack other than on occasions where celestial-level targets or powerful Legendary champions show up, just as his power was vital in building—after arriving on the other galaxy, Joshua could use Creation to swiftly build a large fortress or Void harbor.

Barnil, meanwhile, would act as a technical consultant and chief foreman. His legion of runic lifeforms had become a professional maintenance force after modifications over the last few years, with every major project on Mycroft along the way including setting the Mana Net beacons and building dimensional hubs in another galaxy requiring the Rune Master’s involvement.

Beside them, Yana Milo Ashwing was quiet. The Glorious-era Avian Legend was a traveling Soul Priest whose main role was the regulate the fleet command with her rich experience in that respect—naturally, she was reluctant to stay at the world of Mycroft which was now unfamiliar to her, having always felt alone there. Here, in the fleet, she regained a hint of the former Glorious-era warmth, and she would stay here before the seven other Glorious-era Legends awakened.

At present, Yana Milo had recovered a third of her powers, with most of her soul wounds having healed, with only more intricate recuperation and rehabilitation. Still, she was without peer in the soul aspect on Mycroft, save for William Charles the Mind Lord.

As for La Motte the Sword Saint, his chief role would be to target enemies of their champions for focused assault. His ability leans to battle and hence did not benefit the construction efforts on Mycroft, which was why he volunteered himself to contribute for the Combined Fleet, or he would otherwise be idling.

It was easy to understand when it came to the role of the Nature’s Magister. Galanoud’s power was the key to maintain the life-support vessels, and she could use the wrecks to directly revive the ecosystems within should those ships develop problems or were damaged unexpectedly. She could also directly establish a massive ecosphere when they reach the other galaxy, building a large living Void installation alongside Joshua and Barnil.

Vahina, meanwhile, would play a versatile role: she would maintain the fleet with Barnil, fight alongside Joshua and La Motte, as well as restore or improve the ecosystems in the life-support vessels like the Nature’s Magister. She was also a huge, walking power bank who would temporarily back up the Fleet’s power issues in case of engine problems.

Now, every preparation was complete.

***

At the top of Fort Pioneer, a crowd which includes Igor, Nostradamus, Barbarossa and other Legends were staring nearby at the Far Harbor.

These Legends who would be staying on Mycroft, continuing various construction efforts and maintain global stability stared fixedly as the six expeditionary Legends boarded their respective flagships, listening to the psionic transmissions wafting through the Void in utter silence.

Having trained and practice many times, words were not needed now…

The Fleet was about to depart.

“All crew ready, resuming fleet formation—”

Joshua van Radcliffe’s deep and clear voice could be heard unfurling along with psionic ripples. At the Legendary warrior’s call, the Starherders’ Void Behemoths, the demons’ Lava Fleet, the Sartreans’ Golden Fleet and the Mycroftians own core fleet shifted directions primly, reorganizing their ranks.

Massive shockwaves stirred the Void, stirring ripples upon the Void as if a lake’s surface in a rainstorm.

“Targeting dimensional coordinates: WCCH1228, NEGT9467, YTSY1022, QZZA9510. All fleet assuming positions, status: ready. Withdrawing dimensional anchor points, target codename: the zodiacs.”

“Hear my call. Start your engines and consecutively launch dimensional flow stabilizers.”

“Combined Expedition Fleet, launch!”

Joshua’s solemn voice echoed through the psionic transmission waves. There were neither speech nor oaths, or any ceremonies—and yet such a plain and simple order prompted cheers from the crews of countless vessels. Mycroftians, demons, Starherders and Sartreans all had different reasons for jubilation and excitement, and yet all of them felt honor and delight for that single command.

Glorious Year 6171—Year 841 in Starfall calendar, the twenty-seventh of December. In the former central galaxy of the Multiverse, the greatest civilization had stopped its extended blankness and stagnation, awakening from their lost slumber to return to the stars of the Multiverse.

6,170 years ago, the Holy One was born into an ordinary village in the world of Mycroft. Unable to stand idly by as all races slaughtered each other, he unified all of them and established a grand civilization, allowing the name of the Glorious Era to reverberate through ten thousand worlds layer.

5,330 years later, over the ashes of the Glorious Era, the gates of the West Mountain Shelter were opened after being sealed for almost a hundred years. Perplexed, the peoples looked up to the skies, only to find stars descending. Countless celestial bodies had lost their color, and thus the name Starfall came to be.

6,160 years after the Holy One was born and 831 years after Starfall was founded, a soul descended upon this world out of nowhere.

He brought fire and blood, war and wails. He advanced upon scorched lands, followed by shrill horns.

He brought revolution, building tracks, and easy paths. He seized the future by the throat, and changed the trail of fate.

Joshua van Radcliffe and his companions led the grand fleet, not to reclaim Mycroft’s glory, but to seek the truth behind the darkness of the Multiverse.

Therefore, they spent endless effort to complete their plans and depart for the infinite Void.

In Fort Pioneer, Pope Igor stood up front and watched the armada. There was something stuck in his throat—having labored all his life for civilization, the elderly man should have been welling with warm tears… but after becoming an incarnation of light for so long, he had no such thing. It was fine nonetheless since now was not the time for crying.

It was the time for a smile.

Therefore, amidst pleased and grateful laughter, almost ten thousand warships flew towards the long nebula layers, guided by eight Void Behemoths and one silver star. They followed the trail determined early on, heading towards a chosen direction and left, with determination and no hesitation.

Silver-blue exhaust stream pushed the fleet as they slowly left the harbor until the large harbor become blurred and the stars’ splendor were specks. Moving past the borders of the galaxy, they vanished in the obscure nebula layer and sunk into the darkness where nothing could be seen…

Thus, as the garrison looked on, they departed, moving towards the distance.