Meanwhile, Earth was accelerating toward a new phase—superluminal expansion.
The Void Fleet had just completed its full outfitting, building even more ships to reinforce its might.
After more than twenty years of relentless effort, the Void was now—without question—fully prepared, both in terms of quality and numbers. No longer did they fear as they once did, especially not after the decisive annihilation of Grand Admiral Jorkon and the 7th Light Fleet of the Minotaur Clan.
Yet, they had chosen not to pursue further. Instead of launching a full counteroffensive that could have wiped out more than half of the Minotaur Clan in a single day, they had strategically retreated.
At that time, such caution had been necessary. Their total fleet barely numbered over a thousand ships. Leaving the Sol Region unguarded would have been too great a risk—if someone had launched an invasion in their absence, the consequences could have been disastrous.
But now, that fear was gone.
