In the vast, boundless, and unfathomable Warp, a massive fleet sped toward the Provence Sector Capital at an astonishing pace.
This fleet had once been imposing and majestic, but now it showed traces of exhaustion and desolation.
Bulon repeatedly used the Astropaths' power to gather the Imperial Combined Fleet units that had retreated in defeat from various star systems.
After several days of waiting, the scattered remnants finally used their coordinates to reach Bulon's main fleet and rendezvous with it.
When the Imperial Combined Fleet attacked the star systems under the Lord of the Stars, not every assault fleet had been completely annihilated. Many fleets had withdrawn from their assigned targets once they realized the situation was hopeless.
They entered the Warp to evade the Star Navy Fleet's encirclement and suppression, but Astropath communications were not instantaneous.
They could only send word of mission failure to Bulon's main fleet first, warning him to make arrangements. After sending their messages, these surviving fleets also headed toward Bulon's main fleet.
As warship after warship gathered, the Imperial Combined Fleet gradually expanded, eventually recovering to nearly six hundred warships.
When these surviving fleets came together, the sight was vastly different from when they had set out in high spirits to punish the Star Army.
Back then, nearly two thousand warships had surged forth like a torrent of steel, blotting out the sky and inspiring fear.
Now, the fleet before them had shrunk drastically. Its former glory was long gone, leaving only gloom and desolation.
For a high-ranking noble like Bulon, who came from Segmentum Solar, this defeat was undoubtedly a heavy blow.
As a high-ranking noble, he had always been filled with zeal and righteous fury toward campaigns to purge heretics.
Even so, he understood that one defeat did not decide victory or