The atmosphere across Arken’s outer defense network descended into chaos.Warning signals erupted simultaneously throughout multiple military channels as the enormous hostile signature continued advancing steadily through deep space behind Arthur’s ancient vessel.Inside the control chamber, countless fleet markers rapidly shifted formation across the tactical displays surrounding Ronan Crowne and Lucas Crowne.Defense cannons charging.Carrier formations repositioning.Outer shield arrays activating.Every fleet stationed near Arken’s perimeter had entered full combat readiness.“What is that thing?”“Energy output still increasing!”“Trajectory prediction uncertain!”“Deploy the Third Defensive Line immediately!”The communication channels filled with overlapping military voices as panic spread rapidly through the outer command network.No one had time to focus on politics anymore.Not when something from the era of the Great Cataclysm itself was approaching Arken.Ronan’s eyes rema

Warning sirens continued echoing throughout Arthur’s ancient vessel as the colossal Cataclysm-class construct advanced steadily toward Arken’s outer perimeter.Across the tactical displays surrounding Ronan Crowne and Lucas Crowne, countless military formations shifted continuously while the defense fleets attempted to stabilize targeting systems disrupted by the construct’s overwhelming spatial interference.The pressure spreading through nearby space had already reached terrifying levels.If battle erupted near Arken—the damage would be catastrophic.Ronan stared silently at the projected trajectory line crossing the radar.Then his eyes shifted briefly toward Lucas.His father was still focused on the military channels, issuing rapid commands toward multiple fleet formations now preparing for possible planetary engagement.“Stabilize the Third Defense Line. Do not engage until targeting synchronization reaches acceptable range. Move the carriers further from civilian orbit.”Even

Arthur’s ancient vessel continued deeper into the restricted containment sector.The farther Ronan Crowne traveled, the stranger the surrounding space became.Distortions twisted silently through the void like fractured currents flowing across reality itself, bending distant starlight into warped reflections while endless debris fields drifted throughout the darkness.But what drew Ronan’s attention most was not the distortions.It was the wreckage.Massive fleets from countless civilizations drifted silently throughout the containment zone, their destroyed remains frozen like relics abandoned by history itself.Ancient Arken warships.Gigantic crescent-shaped carriers from races Ronan only recognized from historical records.Coalition battleships large enough to dwarf modern planetary fortresses.Different civilizations.Different technologies.All destroyed in the same war.Ronan stared quietly through the outer display.The Great Cataclysm.Every child in Arken grew up learning its

The ancient corridor fell silent after Arthur Crowne spoke those final words.Across from him, Ronan Crowne immediately narrowed his eyes slightly.For the first time since arriving inside the containment fortress, genuine caution surfaced within his expression.Arthur noticed immediately.Then surprisingly, the old Martial Saint shook his head faintly.“Seeing your expression, I know I’m right. So… the legend was true.”Ronan remained silent.Arthur slowly continued walking deeper into the ancient fortress halls while Ronan followed beside him.The dim emergency lights cast long shadows across the ruined coalition corridors surrounding them while distant warning systems echoed faintly somewhere deeper inside the station.“The Will of Arken was never considered confirmed truth,” Arthur said quietly. “Even during the Coalition era, most people treated it as mythology.”Ronan’s gaze sharpened slightly.Arthur continued.“Some ancient civilizations believed worlds possessed something sim

The containment fortress shook continuously.Ancient warning sirens echoed throughout the massive coalition structure while countless dormant systems across the sector continued reactivating one after another beneath the spreading crimson resonance.Inside the central command chamber, enormous projections filled the air surrounding Arthur Crowne and Ronan Crowne.Seal integrity levels.Suppression array synchronization.Containment fluctuations.Every reading continued worsening.Arthur stood before the ancient control systems silently while rapidly activating stabilization protocols across multiple sectors at once.Despite the chaos surrounding them, his movements remained calm and precise.Like someone who had repeated the same process countless times before.The old Martial Saint no longer looked like a legendary figure from distant history.He looked like a guardian desperately holding together a dying prison.“The outer suppression layers are still functioning,” Arthur said calmly