“Cardinal, there’s only one option left.” The entire surviving crew of the Borealis gazed at the cardinal, even though he could only see them through the ocular visionary aid of the floating Drog Quasifier, he can sense their unbroken will to persevere and willingness to sacrifice.

“May the Bright Almighty guide your souls unto his warm embrace.” He bowed as he gave his last prayer and blessings upon them, respecting their choice.

"It seems that we may be outmatched in terms of firepower." The cardinal said, displaying a proud grin. "But we will not back down. We will fight until our last breath, for the sake of every man, woman, and child under the Lucid’s light. Prepare to engage the enemy on close quarter battle. This is our moment of truth."

As the Borealis and the remaining ships of the fleet moved to intercept the enemy, this time, they aimed their traverse directions to the hull of the enemy ship.

"Cardinal, we're in position," the helmsman reported.

The cardinal nodded, his gaze focused on the viewscreen displaying the massive heretic vessel.

"Fire at will and steer straight to the ship. Let's show these heretics what we are capable of."

With a chorus of clicks and whirs, the Borealis main batteries roared to life, unleashing a devastating barrage of energy blasts at the shields of the heretic ship. The enemy ship replied with its own barrage which the blasts struck true, searing through the armor plating and causing sparks to fly as their engineers scrambled to contain the damage. Its weapons tearing through the Borealis other ship’s shields with deadly accuracy.

"We're taking heavy fire!" One of the bridge acolytes, shouted over the din of battle. "Shields are failing!"

The helmsman of the Borealis gritted his teeth, his hands tightening on the controls as he tried to maneuver the Borealis out of harm's way. But it was too late. With a deafening roar, the heretic ship's weapons found their mark, sending shockwaves rippling through the Borealis’ hull.

"We've lost power to the engines," another acolyte reported. "We're dead in the water."

The cardinal noticed that the ship was floating at a high speed towards the enemy ship, knowing the end. He made a silent resolve to take in the sacrifice of the Borealis.

"We need to buy the other ships more time," the cardinal said. "Prepare to initiate self-destruct sequence. We will smoke out their defenses as we hit their shields!"

The crew prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. Then as the bow of the ship struck the shield of the heretics, with a heavy heart, Cardinal activated the self-destruct sequence, knowing that their sacrifice would not be in vain.

"May the Almighty watch over you in your journey to his embrace," he whispered, he voice barely audible over the sound of alarms blaring and consoles sparking. And then, with a blinding flash of light, the Borealis was consumed in a fiery explosion. Its crew giving their lives in service to their faith and their cause.

As the smoke cleared and the debris settled, the heretic ship loomed ominously in the distance. Its engines still intact despite the Borealis valiant effort. The cardinal then received several coms from the surviving ships on the Borealis side of conflict.

“Cardinal, it was an honor and privilege to fight by your side.” All of them simultaenously suddenly lost contact with him and was replaced with a static as he watches their disappearance from the blip on his display map. At a distance he saw the colliding ships on the heretic shields, exploding and sending more debris to the battle around them.

But unfortunately for them and for the cardinal, even with such suicidal attack, the heretic vessel seemed to shrug off the onslaught with ease, its thick armor plating was never even scratch due to the intensity of their shields in absorbing the brunt of the damage.

"We're not making a dent in their defenses..." The cardinal’s voice tinged with frustration. "Their shields are still holding strong."

"Cardinal, we've lost contact with the Divine Nemesis and the Eternal's Fury… Greater Guidance was disabled, their last report was engine damage and critical loss of bridge command." an acolyte voice trembled with fear. "We also just lost Remembrance, St. Paul Austes and Pure Maiden."

The cardinal's heart sank as he realized the full extent of their losses. The heretics were now just potshotting them, striking down their ships in ease.

“Cardinal! We received report that the Arturos Might, Secunda Phillis, Razorwind and Temarchy were lost!”

"We've lost contact with the Raging Heart," another acolyte, in charge of the the ship's communications officer, reported. "She's gone, Cardinal."

“Cardinal, we lost the 2nd group… we have lost all of them.”

“Engine’s offline! We’re hit! My deepest apologies Cardinal. Main power of the ship is shutting down.”

Cardinal Zhander Forth stood again on the bridge of his flagship. His heart heavy with dread as he watched the chaos unfolding before him. One by one, his ships were either disabled or destroyed by the relentless onslaught of the heretic vessel. Now, his own flagship floated harmlessly in space, its once-mighty cannons were silenced and its shields powerless against the enemy's onslaught and debris.

The sounds of battle had faded into an eerie silence, broken only by the static of the communications channels and the desperate prayers of the crew as they faced the inevitability of their own demise.

Cardinal Zhander Forth clenched his fists, his knuckles white with tension as he struggled to maintain his composure in the face of overwhelming defeat. He had led his fleet into battle with the fervent belief that they would emerge victorious, that their faith in the Almighty would carry them through even the darkest of times. But now, that faith seemed to falter in the face of the heretic's unrelenting onslaught.

As the minutes ticked by, the silence on the bridge grew deafening, broken only by the occasional burst of static from the communications channels. Cardinal Zhander Forth watched helplessly as the heretic ship loomed larger and larger in the viewscreen, its weapons primed and ready to deliver the final blow.

"Cardinal," came the voice of Minister Rodri, his helmsman. "We're being targeted."

Zhander Forth's heart sank as he realized that their fate was sealed. There was no escape, no hope of victory against the overwhelming power of the heretic vessel. All they could do now was face their fate with dignity and courage, and pray that their sacrifice would not be in vain.

"Prepare for impact," Zhander Forth said, his voice steady despite the fear churning in his gut. "We will meet our end with honor and offer ourselves to the embrace of th-"

And as the heretic ship unleashed its final barrage of firepower, the Deus Sanctus Mori was consumed in a blinding explosion, its crew joining the countless others who had fallen in the name of faith and righteousness.

In the darkness of space, there was only silence, broken only by the static of the communications channels and the distant echoes of prayers whispered by those who had fought and died in the name of their God.

Then Cardinal Zhander Forth's eyes snapped open, his heart pounding in his chest as he jolted upright.

“Cardinal… thank the Almighty.” he was met with people in masks, then as his mind started to become sober, he realized that they actually tried to brought him back to life and they succeeded.

The surviving acolytes then started putting a rebreather system to his face to help him breathe in the destroyed bridge. Then they put him back on his command chair as they went to other survivors.

He was surrounded by darkness, the only light coming from the faint glow of the control panels on the bridge of his flagship, the Deus Sanctus Mori. For a moment, he struggled to catch his breath, his mind reeling from the vividness of the nightmare that had gripped him.

But as he glanced around the bridge, he realized that it wasn't just a dream. The remnants of the battle still lingered, the air heavy with the scent of smoke and the echoes of distant explosions. And yet, despite the devastation that surrounded him, he was alive.

And what was left of his crew, was now trying to fix their damaged bridge in order to survive. He took a glance at the status screen of his ship and realized that it lost almost two thirds of its hull, which had now become part of the debris in this corner of space.

As he tried to collect his thoughts, a voice suddenly crackled over the communications console, breaking the silence of the bridge.

It was a female voice, but there was something unsettling about it, as if several women were speaking together in unison. And it felt familiar.

"Greetings, Cardinal Zhander Forth," the voice said, sense of playfulness dripping with mockery. "It seems you and your fleet have survived our little encounter. How disappointing."

“Who?” he asked in confusion, the medicines that his crew injected on his body had started to help clear out his mind.

“I am what you called the Malignant Mother. Such a disgusting name to be labeled as such, for I am neither malignant nor a mother.”

Zhander Forth's heart sank as he recognized the voice for what it was: the supposed pagan and dark saint of the heretic's Colossus ship, the entity that the heretics worshiped as their god’s messenger. The acolytes and the officers who survived the ordeal earlier, now heard the discussion between the two.

"What do you want, servant of the dark god?" Zhander Forth demanded, his voice trembling with anger and fear.

The Malignant Mother chuckled, the sound sending shivers down Zhander Forth's spine.

"I merely wanted to extend my congratulations on your survival," It said. "But I must admit, I find it amusing that you and your fleet lost approximately 789,365 people. A very dark result in worshiping several false dead bodies as your gods. How quaint."

Zhander Forth bristled at the Malignant Mother's words, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Our faith is not for you to mock," his voice filled with indignation. "We believe in the Almighty, the one true God who watches over us and guides us in our darkest hour. And with other saints and his fellow gods under his pantheon, he will bring us back to his embrace."

The Malignant Mother's laughter echoed through the bridge.

"It’s ironic when such thought was first assumed to be our first attempt to remake humanity. A very childish fantasy and notion born from fear of our existence. Yet its proven that on its darkest moment, your specie will turn to the hope of becoming one with everyone and everything. Believe what you will, cardinal," it said. "But know this: your faith will not save you from the might of what was to come in the future. We saw everything, we know everything and what we encountered from beyond is something you can never hope to overcome, for you and your people have abandoned the very concept and beauty of humanity that helped it rose to the stars… evolution.”

Then it continued.

“But know also that your feeble attempts to take over my master's properties are nothing more than a pathetic display of arrogance, immaturity, stupidity and ignorance.” The voice of the Malignant Mother echoing through the bridge of the Deus Sanctus Mori. Its tone dripping with scorn and contempt as it addressed Cardinal Zhander Forth and his crew.

"And its actually pathetic," the Malignant Mother spat. "You dare to assault our ship with your primitive weapons, thinking you could challenge the might of my master's creation? How utterly foolish. Especially when you, your people could easily replicate the technology that your predecessors made. They were masters of the galaxy and already have the right to claim this corner of the universe as their own."

The mocking voice of the Malignant Mother reverberated through the bridge of the Deus Sanctus Mori, its words laced with scorn and derision as it addressed Cardinal Zhander Forth and his crew.

"You blind fools," the Malignant Mother sneered with mocking. "Your devotion to religion has stifled humanity's progress, leading to stagnation and repression of your own evolution. You have turned your backs on the advancements of science and innovation, instead choosing to cling to outdated beliefs and superstitions."

“We may not have the power or the technology of our predecessors, but we had something far more powerful: faith. For as long as there was hope and courage in their hearts, we would never falter in their quest for redemption and salvation that Lucid promised us.” Zhander Forth shook his head, refusing to let the Malignant Mother's words shake his resolve and those who are hearing him and the Malignant Mother’s words. "Our faith has brought us together, united us in a common cause. It has given us hope in the face of despair, strength in the face of adversity. It is what drives us to continue fighting for what we believe in, no matter the odds."

Zhander Forth bristled at the Malignant Mother's words. His jaw clenched with frustration. The members of the crew shifted uncomfortably. Their eyes darting nervously as they grappled with the implications of the Malignant Mother's words. Zhander Forth frowned, his brow furrowing in thought.