Published at 11th of September 2026 7:06 am

Chapter 4489: The Pillar of Confidence

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His briefing with his liaison continued for some time more as the man patiently told Kane everything that he needed to know. It wasn’t long before his new ride and foreseeable residence finally arrived at the space dock that the two were still standing in.

WHOOSH...

Kane could feel space warp under the weight of the massive carrier ship that moved closer and closer towards the gate of the dock. Through the windows of the space dock, he could see just how imposing the two-kilometer-long Empiercer LXXVI was. Its body was studded with a black and silver surface, giving it a very formidable appearance. Its grandeur was considerable, as expected of a ship that belonged to the top twenty armadas in the Strategic World Bridge Force.

It continued slowing down until one of its hatches overlapped with the space dock’s gate, before finally stopping.

FSSHHHH...

The sound of gushing gas rang in the air as a bridge extended from the space dock’s gate, connecting to the transit hatch of the ship, before both of them opened, creating a passage.

"Let’s go, Your Corporeality," Mr. Seaton gently coaxed. "I’m told that the admiral himself wishes to speak with you."

Kane simply followed his liaison with his travel bag in hand as the two of them boarded the Empiercer LXXVI. The moment they entered, he could feel the difference. The first thing that struck him was the air that he inhaled. It smelled like that of a brand-new car, giving him the impression that it was a recently constructed ship. The corridors were wide, white, and spacious, with numerous technological components and circuitry running through the walls.

Numerous individuals garbed in astronaval attire stepped forth with a disciplined gait and straightened backs, led by an older man with a particularly embellished naval uniform with a medal proudly pinned to its chest.

He stomped his foot down before performing a salute to Kane. "Welcome aboard the Empiercer, Corporeal Kane Dullahan. I am Admiral Ferdinant Maynegeist of the 26th Sol Carrier Fleet."

It was a considerable gesture for the admiral of the entire fleet to go out of his way to meet Kane on the ship he would be

Kane saluted the man. "Kane Dullahan, at your service."

The admiral smiled at Kane’s modest greeting. He didn’t put on airs nor carry himself with a highly dignified bearing. He simply acted like a normal person, which undoubtedly would make the admiral’s life easier.

Admiral Ferdinant had already heard some nightmares about other Transcendent Candidates or Martial Corporeals and the planet-sized ego they had. In comparison, he was grateful to have someone down to Gaia.

"We are grateful for your presence on this ship and in our fleet," the admiral shook his hand. "Your superluminal combat speed has been touted across the stars. We judge that you will be able to do great good for human civilization in this upcoming war. This here is Captain Sana Clepele. She will be your direct commander in the field."

A younger woman stepped forth from behind the admiral, saluting Kane briskly. "Your Corporeality, I look forward to working with you in the field."

Other Martial Artists may have chaffed at the thought of being commanded by a woman much younger than them. Kane had no issues, returning the salute and greeting. The air quickly eased up as the four of them walked across the corridors of the ships towards the central command room.

"The Seventeenth Armada will be on the very front lines from the very start," Admiral Ferdinant spoke with a burly voice, his expression becoming more serious. "We will be among the first armadas across the entire Gaian Space Force and Strategic World Bridge Force to engage with the enemy invasion when it does occur, and thus our successes and failures will decide how many people will die."

His words made the air heavier, causing Kane to tense up a little. Of course, Kane was not unfamiliar with this pressure, having been a powerful Martial Artist for many years. The Era of Expansion that lasted seventeen years had extremely high stakes every second of every day, both as a Martial Master and a Sage. Not to mention the similarly high pressures that existed on the Panama Continent as a whole for several more years after the Unfolding.

The past eighteen years had been a relative bliss in comparison. He had gotten the opportunity to raise his son in relative peace, even if human civilization was still in tumultuous expansion. At least there were no existential threats.

Now, they faced a civilization that was one thousand times larger than them. In terms of purely the might of the enemy, nothing they had ever faced came close to the Arakai Web Civilization.

Yet, he felt a profound confidence compared to the past. He wasn’t the only one. Even though Admiral Ferdinant and Captain Sana were alert and serious, he couldn’t sense any genuine dread in their minds.

That was because there was a pillar supporting all of their confidence and certainty.

"We have the Emperor of Water, thankfully."

That was it. That was the pillar of confidence in their minds.

So what if Arakai Web Civilization had a thousand times as many warships and weapons?

So what if they were much more advanced?

They had Rui Quarrier.

Kane’s confidence was also buoyed by his best friend’s power. But unlike the two of them, he didn’t elevate Rui on a pedestal or deify him. He knew Rui quite well; the two of them had spoken as recently as a week ago despite him being extraordinarily busy. He also knew that Rui was not infallible.

While he had faith in his friend, he intended to do his absolute best to ensure that there was no additional pressure that Rui would face from Kane’s shortcomings in the war.

"We must win so decisively that Rui can focus all of his energy on those Divine Mothers and forget about the war."

That was the best that he could do for his friend and for human civilization.

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