"Reporting — three T5 Imperial-War-Blade-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruisers destroyed by the enemy's quasi-T6 Destroyers."
"Reporting — three defensive positions lost; three fighting fleets, every soul of them dead."
"Reporting — the enemy quickens the pace of its advance upon the center!"
Red frames sprang up one after another before Ah-Jin; both hands set upon the desk, she said nothing for a long while.
The Machine Race warships that can at present be moved are every one of them upon the line; there is no other way left.
And should the case go forward so, the demon legion fleets will punch through the mechanical royal court within three days.
"Reporting — upon the forward field at present the enemy has five and twenty quasi-T6 Destroyers, and near five hundred T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers.
"We have but seven hundred T5 warships of every model in the fighting, and the number falls without cease.
"The enemy has the momentum to carry it at one breath, and to break our mechanical royal court outright within this stage of the fighting," her subordinate said to Ah-Jin.
Ah-Jin was silent and said nothing.
What ought to be arranged she has arranged already.
Saving the pushing of newly built warships into this meat-grinder of a field, wave upon wave, to drag out the enemy's advancing feet, there is no other way.
"Ah-Jin, the Prisoner fleet requests entry to the field!"
A video window sprang up, and opposite was Ah-Yin, come at last to the mechanical royal court's field.
"Ah-Yin, the case upon the forward field now…" Ah-Jin was somewhat anxious; she does not know whether this trump Ah-Yin has been preparing this while can turn the case about.
Ah-Yin said, her face set, "Ah-Jin, we have no other way now.
"However it be, let us make the trial."
Ah-Jin was silent a while, and said, "The Prisoner fleet is permitted to enter the field."
"Yes." Ah-Yin, having the leave, began at once to set out her own Prisoner fleet.
Three hundred warships, new-made and never seen before, appeared upon the mechanical royal court's line.
"Begin the counter-stroke!" Ah-Yin gave the order of battle.
Not defense, not support, but a counter-stroke!
————
The Serpent King Legion's flagship, a quasi-T6 Destroyer-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship · the bridge
"What is that?" Marshal Serpent King pointed in surprise at a class of Machine Race warship appearing within the picture.
The demon adjutant beside him searched the database at once, and yet there was no data whatever upon this class of warship.
The demon adjutant said, "This warship the Machine Race uses has no record within the database.
"It should be a new class.
"Judging by the hull's shape, it should belong to the T5 grade of heavy interstellar battleship.
"At a guess it is but newly finished in design — the first batch off the line and into service."
Hearing his own adjutant's account.
Marshal Serpent King laughed in his contempt, and said, "A new class of warship? Newly off the line and into service, and they dare set it to this field of all fields.
"Then it falls out well: we shall send them straight back to the yard for a great refit.
"No — at a guess, straight back into the furnace.
"Ha ha ha ha…"
Marshal Serpent King laughed aloud; with those quasi-T6 Destroyers under his hand to hold him up, Marshal Serpent King has never felt an interstellar war fought so easily.
He feels at this moment that any enemy whatever, set before him, would be destroyed by him without trouble.
"Give the order to the whole host: quicken the pace of the advance.
"Three days from now I will have the mechanical royal court destroyed.
"What overweening Machine Race is this? No more than this!
"This universe shall bow beneath our Demon Race's feet!" Marshal Serpent King said it with a great laugh.
The demon legion fleets upon their side strengthened the pace of the advance.
And upon the other side the three hundred T5 Prisoner-class Heavy Interstellar Assault Battleships appeared besides upon the line's foremost field.
And were about to show their fangs.
"Reporting — the first Prisoner group has locked its target, one quasi-T6 Destroyer, coordinate **."
"Reporting — the third Prisoner group has locked its target, one quasi-T6 Destroyer, coordinate **."
"Reporting — the seventh Prisoner group has locked its target, one quasi-T6 Destroyer, coordinate **."
"Reporting — the ninth Prisoner group has locked its target, one quasi-T6 Destroyer, coordinate **."
"Reporting — the tenth Prisoner group has locked its target, one quasi-T6 Destroyer, coordinate **."
Ah-Yin looked at the star chart before her, where five Prisoner groups had each locked its own object of battle, and those objects were held within little red rings.
"The five tasks of battle are approved; the other groups advance."
"Yes."
Upon the approval of the order of battle, the five Prisoner groups began to make ready.
The first Prisoner group: thirty T5 Prisoner-class Heavy Interstellar Assault Battleships turned their bows toward one quarter, and formed a battle array in the shape of a lozenge.
Thereafter the engine power of these thirty T5 Prisoners began to be strengthened.
"Starship engines entering the stage of overload; the counting of overladen working — one, two, three…"
T5 Prisoner-class Heavy Interstellar Assault Battleship after Battleship of a sudden showed a speed beyond that of any T5 warship, and went tearing away toward one quarter.
Which charge, coming so of a sudden, caught the Demon Race fleets at a loss in hand and foot.
And though they held them down with fire in good time, what help was there when these are T5 interstellar battleships, whose firepower is of itself very strong; and when they took no heed whatever of that suppressing fire, and their speed did not slacken in the least?
And even where enemy warships stood barring their path of sailing.
The means they took was either to destroy them with their own bow cannon, or to ram straight through.
After a charge of such ferocity, these thirty T5 Prisoner-class Heavy Interstellar Assault Battleships were like a war-spear flung out, and in one instant were driven deep within the throng of the Demon Race fleets.
"What is it they mean to do?
"Do they seek death?" Marshal Serpent King, seeing this, drew his brows together.
For these T5 interstellar battleships driving deep into his demon legion fleets — though they be T5-grade warships, they must in the end be swallowed by Demon Race warships numbered in the tens of thousands.
"This is bad — their object is our quasi-T6 Destroyers!" the demon adjutant beside him cried out of a sudden.
And Marshal Serpent King's pupils grew wide at this besides.
For one saw that, their mad short-range acceleration made, these thirty T5 warships came in the end to a stand about a quasi-T6 Destroyer-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
Perhaps because it had not looked for such a case at all, right up until this quasi-T6 Destroyer was ringed round, she had not fired one shot at these T5 Machine Race warships come killing upon her of a sudden.
The feeling of it was for all the world as if to say.
The quasi-T6 Destroyer: where have you sprung from? And what would you do!