Though the Holy Dragon Angel Legion may be called a little Owl Dragon.
It is after all not the true Owl Dragon Legion.
Its intensity in the fighting falls far short of the Owl Dragon Legion's, and those T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships it is set out with are used very sparingly besides, for the whole case of the war must be looked to.
At the outset, five hours of fighting.
The Holy Dragon Angel Legion's conventional warships went out entire, and with thirty thousand warships fought enemy ships several times their number.
While in the rear of the array the forty T5 warships had not stirred.
As though they waited upon something.
And the quasi-T6 Destroyer-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship within the Demon Race legion fleet opposite stood in the core district of the demon legion fleet, and did not enter the compass of the fighting.
As though both sides held their breath together.
And each guessed at the other's design.
What is now to be seen is which of the two sides' conventional fleets is the stronger, and which can hold its breath the longer.
At the tenth hour of fighting.
For the spending of interstellar missiles, and because some of the T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships must be loaded with missiles anew, the firepower supporting the Angel Race's fleet fell away little by little.
Which led directly to this: that in the whole case upon the field, the Demon Race's side began to gather force!
"There is a stir." Charlotte chewed the mutton in her mouth, and threw the bamboo skewer in her hand into the bucket beside her.
"It is about time some change befell.
"To go on fighting so forever — how dull." Zhao Chen yawned; he had just now had a sleep.
Only the change he had looked for seemed not so plain as that.
Five T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruisers only came up in support to the forward field, and put down the demon legion fleet whose force was gathering.
At the twentieth hour of fighting.
The remaining five T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruisers joined the field besides, and fell to fighting the Demon Race warships.
"This Demon Race can truly hold its breath.
"Such a quasi-T6 warship, and they set it there by main force as a mascot." Lilith cracked melon seeds beside them and yawned in her boredom.
In the midst of it they would see to their own affairs besides, and come back to look when they were at leisure.
But the fighting of both sides is exceedingly wary, and to speak truth there is not much sport in it.
"How stifling.
"Were it me, I should send in one round of covering fire from the missile ships outright, and then the T5 warships go killing across and ring that quasi-T6 warship round and kill it!" Zhao Wan'er gnawed at a chicken leg.
She had reported upon her work aboard the Dragon Emperor once, and seeing her own brother here watching the play, of course squatted down here too, and enjoyed this rare leisure.
"And do you never think who your comrades are?
"And look who the Holy Dragon Angel Legion's comrades are.
"Were it truly done as you say, then once the assault were checked, those T5 warships would be deep behind the enemy; and though they be our Owl Dragon-line warships, to get clear without paying some price would be simply impossible.
"Nor is the Demon Race made of fools; they dread those T5 warships too.
"When they crossed hands with us before, they gathered no little of our data.
"They are fishing with that quasi-T6 warship." Zhao Chen looked at his own younger sister, and rapped her outright upon the head. "Grow yourself a proper eye for the whole board, or how shall I set you to command a legion fleet?"
Zhao Wan'er clutched her own head, put out her tongue, and then said, "I want no legion fleet to command.
"I have my special fleet of interstellar stealth bombers, and that is enough.
"Heh heh heh."
Beep, beep, beep.
And just at this moment Zhao Wan'er's handheld terminal was blinking.
She touched it open, and a chat window floated up.
Zhao Chen cast an eye over it, and very nearly sprayed out the drink in his mouth.
For the one chatting with Zhao Wan'er was no other than Annie.
And of every ten sentences, seven were grumbling about Zhao Chen — and Zhao Wan'er, on the contrary, was very glad to watch the process.
"How is it you grumble about your own brother together with an outsider?" Zhao Chen poked Zhao Wan'er's cheek with a chicken foot.
"Heh heh heh… is this not to ease our chief engineer Annie's pressure of feeling?
"And I do it for our Owl Dragon Legion's good besides.
"Brother, ought you not to praise me?" Zhao Wan'er's eyes rolled about, and she found herself an excuse.
Zhao Chen rolled his eyes, and did not truly mind so small a thing.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
And just at this moment a request for video communication sprang up upon that chat window.
Which put Zhao Wan'er in a great hurry at once.
While Zhao Chen beside her wore the look of one settling in to watch a good play; for he had marked just now that Zhao Wan'er had told Annie she too was at work.
And now, if the video were opened, would not the fact of Zhao Wan'er's eating, drinking and making merry here with Zhao Chen be laid bare?
Zhao Wan'er at once wiped the grease from her mouth, and then found a place against the wall, and opened besides a device to shut out the sounds about her, before she dared take the call.
"Sister Wan'er, how is it you were so slow to take my call?"
At that end of the video window, Annie held a box of instant noodles in her hands.
"How is it you are eating instant noodles again?" Zhao Wan'er, seeing the noodles in Annie's hands, drew her brows together. "Busy as you may be, you cannot go on eating that thing forever.
"At the least have the mess send you over a little food."
"It is nothing; I am very well so.
"I am very busy at present and simply cannot leave my post; to get one of these down is quite good enough.
"And you must on no account tell your brother." Annie held the noodle box in both hands, wearing a look of one much wronged, and yet of one not to be worried over.
"It will not do! For this I must certainly rebuke my brother.
"You are our Owl Dragon's chief engineer, and yet he may not squeeze you so!
"The welfare that ought to be had must be had!" Zhao Wan'er wore a look of righteous indignation.
The two of them, for all the world like true sisters, kept up their fire there; and Zhao Wan'er the more wore the look of one drawing a clear line between herself and Zhao Chen the exploiter.
"Wan'er, that great beef leg you asked for just now.
"I have put a great deal of cumin on it besides.
"It is certainly good."
All at once a great beef leg the size of two of Zhao Wan'er's heads was thrust into the picture.
And in that instant the very air seemed to go still.
"Oh dear, you are chatting with Annie.
"I beg your pardon, I beg your pardon.
"I have disturbed you.
"But do come and eat quickly; if you delay longer, the whole table of things will go cold."
Under Zhao Wan'er's murderous gaze, Zhao Chen gave a shameless little laugh, took up the great beef leg and went off.
Leaving Zhao Wan'er alone to look at Annie opposite with a face full of awkwardness.
"Annie… if I were to say… that I had only just this moment come…"
"Annie.
"You have put lobster in this instant noodle of yours, and crab roe besides, until not a noodle is to be seen — can that taste good?"
"Annie, which board game shall we play in a little while?"
From that end of Annie's video window came the voices of several companions speaking.
And at a stroke, the air between the two of them was as awkward as awkward could be.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem — that is… I have business to see to here."
"I had thought of it too; I have business to see to."
And that awkward video communication ended.
Zhao Wan'er, in shame and anger, sought out Zhao Chen, and her fist came down upon Zhao Chen's shoulder.
"What are you about…"
Zhao Chen laughed until he held his belly.
And just at this moment a greater change came upon the relayed picture of the field.
Twenty T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyers began to press upon the forward field.
And the quasi-T6 Destroyer-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship opposite began to sail besides, entering slowly into the compass of the exchange of fire.