While Zhao Chen was studying that list,
word came very soon from the Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom.
They had found the source of the Black Wolf Princess Cynthia's communication: an interstellar warship drifting in the edge space of a star system.
Blanche had even sent on to Zhao Chen the live images the interstellar fleet dispatched there was taking.
Zhao Chen looked at the scene before him.
The background was the pitch-black edge space of the system.
But far off could be seen a single interstellar warship hanging there alone.
Lilith beside him at once captured the shape of this warship.
And Charlotte beside them knit her brows and said at once: "The shape of that warship I have never seen. Within the known universe there should be no interstellar warship of this model."
Charlotte was not to be made light of.
From the day she joined the Owl Dragon Legion, besides relying upon her own gifts, she had studied without cease.
In her leisure she would go of her own accord to learn what she could of the several interstellar civilizations and races, and above all their military matters.
And of the several classes of interstellar warship she knew the most thoroughly of all.
It might be said that of the known universe, from the beginning of its records, whatever material could be found Charlotte had read.
Very soon Lilith had an answer: "By the search through our database, this class of interstellar warship should indeed never have appeared before. But by comparison. The outward form of this warship has at least 30% in common with several classes of the Demon Race's Demon King faction. In all likelihood they come out of one place!"
The different warships of one interstellar power will for the most part have something in common, or some shared conception of design,
whether in the shape of the hull or in the weapons they carry.
The Warhammer's warships of old, for instance, were all in a rough and rugged style.
The Holy Radiance Empire's warships were chiefly light and medium, and chiefly in white livery.
In this they were very like the Angel Race's.
While the Starlight Empire's design took the strengths of both the Warhammer and the Holy Radiance to make good each other's want, and then chose its starship road according to the case before it.
So by this judgment,
this warship is in all likelihood of one blood with those former warships of the Demon King's.
And taking with it the word they now had.
It cannot be got free of Order.
Zhao Chen stared at the picture, still transmitting live.
Of this interstellar fleet sent out by Consul Blanche, the ship taking this video should be the flagship.
Some thirty and more interstellar escorts about it had begun to close upon the target warship.
The rest held to a state of battle; should that warship do anything whatever out of the common, they would answer immediately.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! A high-energy reaction detected!"
At this the flagship's system gave its alarm.
And while these people were still at a loss, rifts suddenly appeared upon the warship opposite!
Zhao Chen, Charlotte and Lilith knit their brows,
staring into the picture.
Rift upon rift appeared upon that hull of a full thirty and more kilometers; and with the rifts came tentacles, reaching out one after another.
"There is some unknown creature within that warship!" A possibility came to Lilith at once.
"Tell the scouting warships at once to withdraw and keep their distance! And at the same time…" Zhao Chen was about to speak.
Charlotte beside him offered of her own accord: "Let my First Fleet Group go. I can send the Fifth Legion there at once; they are in training right now, and can set out at any moment!"
Charlotte knew at every moment what state her fleets stood in.
"Very well; you arrange it." Zhao Chen was still speaking,
when he heard screaming from the far side of the video.
"Heavens, look at those, what are they!"
"Monsters! Those are monsters, past all doubt!"
"Open fire! Open fire!"
"Curse it, those monsters are attacking our escorts!"
"These monsters have energy shields upon them."
"Withdraw! Withdraw at once!"
"There is no time… there is no time…"
Within the picture could be seen that warship, lonely until now; and with the rifts and those unknown tentacles.
There came afterward creatures of shapes strange past describing: some after the manner of insects, some like the skeletons of beasts.
Once out, they swarmed at once upon the interstellar escorts nearest them.
They were very many in number.
Those escorts, perceiving the danger, began to fire without cease.
But they found that when these attacks fell upon the monsters, they were stopped by a shell of energy much like a star-shield.
And thereafter these monsters charged straight into those escorts!
Just so.
Straight in.
Those escorts were of T4 grade.
They had star-shields.
But their star-shields were as good as nothing.
They could not stop these monsters that came so suddenly at all.
Very soon the hull armor of those escorts was heaped over with the monsters, and the monsters began to bite and tear at everything.
And even the hull armor, which should by rights be exceedingly hard, very soon showed rifts under their assault, and then was torn open in a number of gaps.
And through those torn gaps the monsters rushed into the ships' insides.
In no long while explosions came from within that warship, and rolling black smoke began to pour out.
Under the eyes of them all, a train of sympathetic detonations followed at the last.
And with those detonations, more monsters welled out of the black fog, and welled out toward the warships about them.
This sight frightened the reconnaissance fleet badly enough.
They made ready to withdraw at once; but by then it was far too late for withdrawing.
Very soon there rose upon the bridge cries for help, and the alarms of confusion.
And at the last even this fleet's flagship came under the monsters' assault.
At this Zhao Chen saw what these monsters looked like.
Bone only!
No flesh or blood whatever.
Some were of a bulk as great as a T3-grade interstellar warship; some were only half the size of a man.
Of the great-bulked there were not many; but of the small, which were almost identical with the hive-race, the number was past all counting.
They seemed to know no fear at all, and to hold no thought but slaughter.
Striking without cease at whatever warship they could reach.
And at the last this flagship's bridge was broken into as well.
After a burst of screaming in Zhao Chen's ears, the video before his eyes lost its signal utterly.
Zhao Chen, Charlotte and Lilith fell into a brief silence.
The next second.
Zhao Chen said gravely and at once: "Give notice throughout the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire: enter the first grade of combat readiness!"