Traversing the Lesser True Void was anything but an endeavour that could be effortlessly achieved. Even once a being's body was powerful enough to withstand the ordeal, their speed of progress would generally not be particularly fast–and that's without considering that orientating oneself in such an environment was extremely challenging.
That was exactly why nearly all civilizations that had developed to a sufficient degree eventually opted to research technologies which would allow for the creation of Voidfaring Vessels. Depending on the ships' size, they could carry varying numbers of people within them, their Energy consumption was rather efficient, they protected their passengers, enabling even those too weak to brave the Lesser True Void to step beyond their worlds' borders, they were generally faster than personal travel, they were equipped with advanced navigation systems, et cetera.
Truly, the list of benefits that they provided to all those who wanted to become just a little bit more than mere embryonic tadpoles within the frog in a well was quite extensive. And that was exactly why Theodore and his Subordinates would never say no to obtaining more advanced Voidfaring Vessels.
During the first round, they had already come across plenty of them, yet compared to the ones that the Naxsir army had brought with them, their past acquisitions were simply thoroughly inferior. And naturally, because they originated from a completely different civilization, learning how to operate this new technology proficiently was not entirely child's play.
Fortunately, everyone had been prepared in advance. Back when Devashtich and Spandarmad had joined the fold, their Voidfaring Vessel, as well as its numerous crew members, had become Theodore's spoils of war. Obviously, not all of the captives had accepted this fate, therefore their numbers had to be cut down a little bit.
As for those who remained, none of them had qualified to become his Subordinates, but they were ultimately still valuable talents. A few of the more exceptional ones had been chosen by his Followers and Retainers, turning into their Subordinates, whereas the Naxsir twins had been charged with accepting the rest of them.
Whilst everyone had been waiting for the fleet's arrival, quite a number of guards and maids had used this time to become familiar with the Naxsir's Voidfaring Vessels. Now, they were able to semi-proficiently steer the newly obtained ships, allowing for the simultaneous deployment of nearly all of Theodore's forces, as well as a rapid expansion of his territory.
Taking a quick glance at everyone bustling about and noticing no noteworthy issues, he stepped out into the Lesser True Void beyond Pytho and rushed into the distance. Considering that the Tetrachroma Palace was extremely far away, it could be argued that he should have taken a Voidfaring Vessel there, yet there were many reasons as to why he didn't choose to do so.
For one, he was on a sort of reconnaissance mission. Steering one of these ships wasn't usually a one-person job, although such a feat could certainly be achieved–it was just a bit of a headache. Bringing someone else along would only make it easier to be discovered–as would the presence of a Voidfaring Vessel.
That aside, Theodore wasn't as suppressed by the Lesser True Void as most others, courtesy of his Void Walker Talent. Prior to today's significant improvements, it was this Talent that had enabled him to ignore the negative effects of this environment to a far greater extent than what could be considered normal.
Without it, he wouldn't have been able to ignore the influence of the Lesser True Void altogether, but right now, even if he was to be deprived of it, he could no longer be harmed by it in any way whatsoever. Still, that was not the greatest benefit that it brought him.
The increased Void Affinity was what had the potential to become a real game changer, especially in the long run. In its current Legendary-grade state, it almost trivialized the disorienting effects of the Lesser True Void, but it would be utterly incapable of doing the same in the True Void beyond the Heavenly Court. But if he upgraded it further, then by the time that he would have to step on that stage, he would have it significantly easier than his enemies.
'Let's shelve that for now. I have more imminent matters to worry about.'
Shaking his head to get rid of these distracting thoughts, Theodore spent his travel time both cultivating a little and consciously sensing the Lesser True Void around him. Previously, he had either been too weak to withstand its influence, or too busy to pay attention to it. However, now that he had absolutely nothing better to do, he could finally properly explore this Talent of his.
Back during his illusory lives, every journey through the Lesser True Void–regardless of how strong he had been at the time–had always filled him with a hint of instinctive dread. It had been as if his very being wanted him to escape this environment as quickly as he could, even if it couldn't possibly hope to harm him.
However, right now, he felt a fundamental difference. No longer did it feel like he was all alone in enemy territory, but rather, it appeared as if he had returned to his home town after a long campaign into foreign lands. The utterly empty Lesser True Void felt akin to gentle rays of sunlight stroking his cheek, or like the tender embrace of a mother.
'What a fascinating sensation. I wonder, does the Lesser True Void–or perhaps only the True Void–also have a Will of its own?'
Somewhat lost in thought, he contemplated this issue and came up with a number of theories, none of which he could meaningfully substantiate at the moment. Yet perhaps one day, he would find out.
-----
Not long after Theodore's departure, Satoru and Conrad's group set off as well. But instead of aiming straight for the Iulian Empire's worlds, they had another stop to make on the way there. And depending on how it worked out, they might be able to significantly reduce the difficulty of their assignment.
Due to the Naxsir ships' impressive speed, it didn't take long for them to arrive in front of the Iulian Empire fleet that had been locked in place by the Lesser Void Guarding Array for many weeks. Having snatched one of the secondary command vessels, their singular craft dwarfed the comparatively pitiful creations of the locals.
Paling slightly at the behemoth that had stopped nearby, intimidating everyone with its mere presence, Legate Aulus Flavius didn't allow himself to grow panicked just yet.
'I don't know what they want, but the Naxsir normally do not bully insignificant forces like ours. As long as we're polite and don't make things difficult for them, they might even feel like helping us out of our predicament here!'
Trying to stay positive, he put on a resolute expression and stared at the scene outside, waiting patiently for a communication request from the other side. But that was when he spied something out of the corner of his eye that caused him to stare at the screen in bewilderment.
Tied to the Naxsir's Voidfaring Vessel with some sort of rope, a muscular young man was floating in the Lesser True Void, only clad in a pair of remarkably durable underwear. Most of his skin and even a fair chunk of his flesh and muscles appeared to be missing, but under Aulus' disbelieving gaze, they constantly regenerated.
A cycle of destruction and recovery repeated over and over again, leading him to believe that this individual was likely being punished for a mistake and consequently tortured. However, the ecstatic glint in the man's eyes told a different story.
'... what in damnation is going on here!?'
Speechless at what he was witnessing, he glanced at his soldiers, who were equally as flabbergasted. Somewhat glad that he wasn't imagining things, Aulus experienced a brief period of relief, before focusing on the situation at hand once more–and just in time to accept the other side's call.
"Greetings, troops of the Iulian Empire. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Conrad, leader of the Winter Saint's guards."
The words that were transmitted, however, caused the experienced Legate to feel even more confused than before. Who was this Winter Saint? Wasn't this a Naxsir ship? Yet knowing that asking these questions directly would be both dangerous and unseemly, he chose to proceed more carefully.
"It is our honour to make your acquaintance! May I ask: What has brought the esteemed Naxsir to this backwater?"
The person on the other end of the line clearly didn't want to bother with beating around the bush. After what sounded like an amused chuckle, Conrad's response arrived.
"They came here for my Master, the aforementioned Winter Saint. But by now, they've all been dealt with. I'll be frank. Without our help, you'll be stuck in this place forever. So why not have a chat?"
Almost staggering backwards at this revelation, at first, Aulus couldn't believe his ears. Being aware of how powerful the Naxsir were, he also understood that it would be impossible for the Iulian Empire–or even the Sarasvain Federation–to withstand an attack from a single fleet of theirs.
However, he wasn't foolish enough to immediately dismiss the possibility of this Conrad's words being the truth. Even the most erudite individuals amongst his people knew that they had barely scratched the surface when it came to understanding the bigger picture.
'This Winter Saint shouldn't be a local, heretofore unknown, hegemon. Timing-wise, it makes more sense for them to be a Heaven's Chosen–and an incomparably terrifying one at that.'
Quickly figuring out the most likely explanation, his back became drenched in cold sweat. Compared to dealing with the rather familiar and well-understood Naxsir, it was significantly more dangerous to be faced with an unknown genius and their people.
After all, what if they were irrationally murderous in nature? Or if they wanted to enslave his civilization? There were far too many potential doomsday scenarios to count.
'On the other hand, considering that they have yet to harm us, and that their people have chosen to reach out to us instead of simply slaughtering us, it means that they at least can be properly communicated with. If I want to bring my boys and girls back home safely, I should try to negotiate with them, as they suggested.'
In spite of the fact that he feared for his safety, he did not wish for his soldiers to have to make unnecessary sacrifices. If some sort of peace could be brokered with these forces of the Winter Saint, then even if he had to march straight into a dragon's den, he wouldn't flinch!
Psyching himself up, he took a deep breath before sending his reply.
"I, Legate Aulus Flavius, the general in command of this fleet, accept your invitation."
No sooner had he spoken than the Voidfaring Vessel that he was on was drawn closer to the behemoth nearby, eventually being transported inside of the massive craft and allowed to dock at an internal hangar bay.
Not sure how to proceed from here, Aulus didn't dare to leave his ship and awaited further instructions. Thankfully, it only took a little bit more than a minute for a group of three to enter the area.
The trio of young men were all clad in what he could only describe as soldiers' attire, although it was a lot more personalized and casual than he would have expected. They were not even at the Deiform Soma Stage, but the horrifying aura that they exuded prevented him from harbouring any thoughts of resistance.
'What kind of freaks of nature am I dealing with here?'
Greeting the unfamiliar figures with a silent nod, Aulus followed them deeper into the vessel, all the way until the command deck. There, he finally came face to face with the one who had been talking to him earlier–Conrad.
But before he could even open his mouth to utter a greeting, the other party had already motioned for him to take a seat at a table nearby and kicked off the conversation.
"I'm sure neither of us want to waste any more time than we have to, so I'll make this quick. My Master intends to turn all of the Iulian Empire's people into his Students. In the process, all evildoers will be eliminated. Would you like to cooperate?"
It was only now that Aulus realized something which he had previously overlooked: This meeting had never been a negotiation. From the very beginning, these people were merely here to tell him what his empire's future would be like. And he had been fortunate enough to have been offered a choice.