Marshal King-of-the-North kept his eyes upon those three hundred interstellar warships within the picture.
The chill that came off him grew stronger still.
So that the demon subordinates below the throne felt themselves shivering.
"These several interstellar warships — how is it I have never seen them within the Owl Dragon Legion's database?" Marshal King-of-the-North demanded, his voice low.
"Your servant goes to make certain of it at once." The demon subordinate began at once to search out the information upon those interstellar warships within this Owl Dragon fleet.
Comparing them one by one against the database.
Of which some warships had some information.
【Search complete… this class of interstellar warship is the T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyer, held and in service with the Owl Dragon Legion alone; combat data…】
【Search complete… this class of interstellar warship is the T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruiser, held and in service with the Owl Dragon Legion alone; combat data…】
【Search complete… this class of interstellar warship is the T5 Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleship, held and in service with the Owl Dragon Legion alone; combat data…】
【Search complete… this class of interstellar warship is the T5 Fire-Qilin-class Heavy Carrier Starship, held and in service with the Owl Dragon Legion alone; combat data…】
【This class of interstellar heavy-artillery ship — no related data found】
【This class of interstellar missile ship — no related data found】
【This class of interstellar battlecruiser — no related data found】
【This class of interstellar frigate — no related data found】
Cold as the air about him was, this demon subordinate's back at this moment ran with sweat.
He gulped, looked toward Marshal King-of-the-North upon the throne, and answered him timidly. "Besides the Chaos-Knight, the Lightning-Wraith, the Holy-Redeemer and the Fire-Qilin — those four of the Owl Dragon series.
"The other interstellar warships have no record whatever within our database."
Marshal King-of-the-North was silent a while. "The last time the Red Demon Legion fought this Owl Dragon Legion was near a year ago, was it not."
"It… it was."
"Then there are two possibilities.
"Either this Owl Dragon Legion, in that war against the million interstellar warships of the Red Demon Legion and two other demon legions allied with it, was holding a hand back.
"Or else, within this one short year, the Owl Dragon Legion has produced and built four further classes of T5 interstellar warship?
"Tell me — which is the likelier?" Marshal King-of-the-North's voice came darkly.
The demon subordinate lowered his head and dared not speak.
Both of these possibilities are somewhat too far-fetched.
Facing a demon legion fleet of a million ships, and still hiding what they could do?
Then to what pitch of might has this Owl Dragon Legion come?
Or else, that within one short year and less, they have produced and built another batch of T5 interstellar warships?
Which is harder yet to believe.
For it must be remembered that the demon civilization spent some hundreds and thousands of years to bring out two classes of T5 interstellar warship only!
Though there are at present several programs of research upon T5 interstellar warships.
Those all take ten years to a cycle of development.
And how long it may take truly to succeed in the development, and to produce them besides, no one knows.
And so, that the Owl Dragon Legion should within one short year bring out four classes of T5 interstellar warship never seen before is a thing truly hard to believe.
"Think no more of it.
"Wait until we can go from here alive, and then think upon these things," Marshal King-of-the-North said darkly.
Hearing it, the demon subordinate said at once, "My lord Marshal takes too much thought; though there is this Owl Dragon fleet come up in support, that we suppose to be T5 interstellar warships.
"Yet we have three hundred thousand interstellar warships, and a picked fleet such as our King-of-the-North Legion besides.
"It is not possible…"
"That fellow Red Demon reckoned much the same, I should think.
"I have read the two battle reports of the Owl Dragon Legion against us.
"That fellow Red Demon, though no clever creature, is no fool either.
"Were I in his place, I should likely have made the same dispositions for the fighting.
"And every action of the Owl Dragon Legion took Red Demon by the vitals directly; they seize the chance, and put the enemy in the way of death!
"This Owl Dragon fleet appearing now — their object is to destroy us to the last ship.
"Or at the least to take my head.
"Until they have the object they will not leave off," said the King-of-the-North darkly.
Hearing it, the demon subordinate gulped.
"Pass my order: send our news here back, and request whatever support may be possible." Marshal King-of-the-North said the words asking for support, and yet his manner in saying them was exceedingly calm.
He paused, and went on. "Then open the field-recording equipment upon every interstellar warship, and set down all the data of this battle.
"Above all the combat data of that Owl Dragon fleet opposite.
"Use every means there is to keep these combat data, or to send them back.
"This is the last thing I can do for His Majesty." At this moment Marshal King-of-the-North might have been setting out his own last will.
Which the demon subordinate found somewhat hard to believe.
To his thinking, this campaign has but begun, and is not half an hour old, and is the Marshal already so grimly resolved upon death?
The King-of-the-North Legion is, among the original twelve demon legions, a terrible thing that may be ranked within the first three.
Let even the mightiest angel legion of the Angel Race meet it, and it dare not say it is wholly certain of the business.
Before the Demon Race rose and held the Angel Race down, demon fleets upon a field, even where they carried the victory, must often pay several times the ratio of loss.
But the King-of-the-North Legion is an exception.
From the founding of the King-of-the-North Legion to the present day, in no campaign whatever has the King-of-the-North Legion shown a loss rate above 50 percent.
Even in a lost battle he can withdraw his main body swiftly, and keep the tinder well for the King-of-the-North Legion to come back with the dust of its return.
And in a battle won, the ratio of loss can reach a startling one to one!
And it is the marshal of just such a mighty demon legion who has now made an arrangement like a last testament.
Which is truly hard to believe.
"Now then — let me have a good look at this Owl Dragon Legion's performance.
"I hope it will not disappoint me too much." Marshal King-of-the-North crossed both hands and laid them upon his breast, his deep blue gaze fixed upon those three hundred interstellar warships within the picture.
Without the least air of despair at any risk of defeat.
And those three hundred Owl Dragon interstellar warships had already spread out their own formation of battle.
"Crimson Reaper number one ship, act."
T5 Crimson-Reaper-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ship · bridge
A wolf-girl of the white wolves, snow-white of fur, sat straight in the captain's chair, and upon her face no change of expression could be seen.
"Pass my order: enter the coordinates of the district of attack.
"Crimson Reaper, make ready a saturating firepower strike!"
This wolf-girl is not that wolf-girl Baixue.
But she is five parts like the wolf-girl Baixue.
For she is Baixue's younger half-sister by the same father — the wolf-girl Baiyue.
Unlike her elder sister Baixue, whose feeling runs high at every fight, the wolf-girl Baiyue is at all times as one whose face is palsied, and shows no expression whatever.