The front-line field between the Angel Race and the Demon Race spreads over several star systems, and the fields great and small are not under a hundred.
Some may be no more than small melees of a few thousand warships.
Some are campaigns upon the grand scale of tens of thousands.
And it is plain that the Demon Race holds the initiative there; they have sent great quantities of Demon Race warships to chase down and bar in the Angel Race warships.
While the Angel Race warships make trial of withdrawing and breaking out.
For before this the fleet captains and commanders of these fleets had received the order of the two Angel Kings.
That the Judgment Angel King and every legion fleet under her had turned traitor.
And that the legion fleets under the Holy Angel King and the War Angel King should now find every means to withdraw!
Yet for these Angel Race warships to withdraw is by no means so easy.
For the Judgment Angel King had long since set no few of her own legion fleets to stab their old comrades in the back, and bar these Angel Race warships from withdrawing, and thereafter to form rings of encirclement together with the Demon Race warships.
Meaning to destroy here what she might of the Angel Race fleets' living strength.
"There are yet a million two hundred thousand Angel Race warships within our encirclement.
"Those Angel Race warships that got out did not sail away at once, but should be making trial of rescuing the fleets beset." An angel subordinate in a mask stood with all reverence before the Judgment Angel King.
The Judgment Angel King was in black gauze from head to foot, and even one side of the wings at her back had turned black.
The whole of it was exceedingly uncanny, black and white together, like a wraith walking the line between black and white.
"They will of course wish to save more of their warships.
"The industrial works within the War Angel Star Region are very nearly destroyed by us.
"To repair them is simply not to be done in three years or five.
"And in that time their starship capacity will fall by seven parts in ten at the least!
"Which means that these warships in their hands now are their last cards: play one, and there is one the fewer." There was a thread of mockery in the Judgment Angel King's voice.
"Were it not for that fellow the Demon King drawing off too many demon legions.
"These warships of the Holy One's and the War One's here I could have swallowed whole!"
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss.
And just at this moment the several instruments upon the bridge shorted out and their screens broke into snow.
"What is this?" The Judgment Angel King looked at the sight in surprise.
"My lady, our communications network and our starship systems have been invaded!
"And our fleet here is now cut off perforce from communication with the other fleets about us!" her subordinate reported.
And just at this moment, outside the viewport, one could see the warships upon one side taking a sudden wild bombardment.
Some of the attacks even fell upon the star-shield of the flagship in which the Judgment Angel King stood.
Watching the flames blossom at arm's length from her.
The look beneath the Judgment Angel King's black veil was likely no fair one.
"Who attacks us!" The Judgment Angel King's voice was very dark.
Her legion fleet lies at the rear of the field, and has stood the whole while within a safe district; unless there be some operation exceedingly safe, her legion fleet does not go up and put a foot in.
"Reporting — a body of interstellar warships has appeared of a sudden upon our flank.
"They appear to be two classes of interstellar stealth bomber in the Owl Dragon Legion's service, the T4 Shadow-Demon and the T3 Phantom-Thorn.
"And we have found T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth Scout Ships besides!
"It should be they who are attacking our communications network!" her subordinate reported.
"The Owl Dragon Legion?
"How should they appear here?
"Ought they not to be fighting the demon legions?" The Judgment Angel King was astonished past measure; she ordered at once, "Get me the Demon King, and ask what in the end the case is upon their side."
"My lady… our communications are barred; we cannot reach them," her subordinate answered.
The Judgment Angel King's look checked; she had all but forgotten that.
"The enemy are but interstellar stealth bombers; there is no threat in them.
"Fight them as one ordinarily would.
"And do not forget, there are other legion fleets about us, and a great quantity of demon legion fleets besides.
"So soon as they mark our stir, they will come to our support at once!" The Judgment Angel King was still exceedingly confident at this moment, holding that everything lay yet within her governing.
Little knowing that a great hand had already come down over this field.
Time went by, little by little.
Those interstellar stealth bombers of the Owl Dragon Legion did not press their assault upon this fleet of the Judgment Angel King's with one mind, but did more of tangling with it.
As though it were done to fall in with the T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth Scout Ships that came with them, and their interference with the fleet's communications.
And though there was no very great loss in substance, the feeling of it is a particularly vexing one.
And above all now, when the Judgment Angel King cannot reach the world outside — which gives the Judgment Angel King, who has ever loved to hold the whole board in her hand, a feeling of having both hands bound.
"What is this? Why has the support of the legion fleets about us not come yet?" The Judgment Angel King demanded with her brows drawn.
"That… we do not know either." Her subordinates were all at a loss.
And just at this moment one subordinate put out a video picture. "Reporting — this is from the interstellar scouting equipment we sent out, taken with a deep-space telescope: the case about us.
"At several fields about us Owl Dragon warships have welled up.
"The Owl Dragon Legion is rescuing those Angel Race warships that were beset, and even seems to be making ready to strike back!"
By these somewhat blurred pictures sent back — this is the little intelligence of the world outside that the Judgment Angel King could come by.
"How many warships has the Owl Dragon Legion brought in the end?
"If it be but some tens of thousands, they can by no means break our attack here!
"Curse it — what in the end is the case upon the Demon King's side?
"Why should so great a trouble arise at such a time!" The Judgment Angel King, cold and clear as she had been, could now scarcely govern her feeling, and the fire of anger could be heard within her speech.
"We can wait idle here no longer.
"Make ready; find a quarter.
"Break out at whatever price, and set up our link with the outside anew!" the Judgment Angel King ordered.
Thereafter this legion fleet directly under the Judgment Angel King, the Grace-of-Judgment Legion, began to break through the tangling of the Owl Dragon warships about them.
And though they had the worse of it in the fighting of communications networks against those T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth Scout Ships.
Yet so long as they could open the distance, they could set up their link with the outside anew.
This Grace-of-Judgment Legion is not great in scale — three thousand warships only.
But every one of them of T4 grade, with several T5 warships besides.
It may be called a picked fleet.
And yet under the tangling of those interstellar stealth bombers it was several hours tangled before it broke free.
And so broke through the blockade of the network.
And came to know the case outside.
And in those few hours only, the whole case of the war had already undergone a change to turn heaven over and earth about!