"Tell our staff departments to work out plans aimed specifically at this quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship of the enemy's. It must be destroyed at the least possible loss," Zhao Chen said gravely.
"Very well," Secretary-Officer Lilith answered.
"How are the other battlefields? Has this quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship appeared there too?" Zhao Chen asked with concern.
Secretary-Officer Lilith called up the real-time battle reports from the other four battlefields. "Among these million pitch-black interstellar warships this time, one quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship appeared on each of the five battlefields. At present Battlefields No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 have destroyed their targets. Battlefields No. 2 and No. 4 are still in the course of destroying theirs. There's no great problem in the main; only a difference in how large their own losses are."
Five quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships.
Zhao Chen frowned slightly.
Five had appeared now; who knew how many would appear next?
Having no quasi-T7-grade warship of its own was beyond doubt the Owl Dragon Empire's greatest weakness at present.
And the more so when what it faced was Order, a T7 technological civilization.
"How did it go on the three battlefields that destroyed their quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships?" Zhao Chen asked.
Lilith answered each in turn. "The fastest to destroy its quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship was Battlefield No. 5. The Owl Dragon hive-race fleet under Hive Princess destroyed that quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship in the shortest time. But it's said it lost near 30 T6 Hive Motherships and several hundred T5 Hive Motherships doing it."
Zhao Chen could already imagine the scene of that bug-sea tactic.
"Battlefield No. 1 is ours, here. Battlefield No. 3 is under Marshal Medusa; she used much the same tactics we did, with much the same losses." Lilith finished.
"The three ace fleet groups still haven't taken part, have they?" Zhao Chen asked.
"Yes."
The three ace fleet groups were Zhao Chen's hole cards now,
kept to meet whatever might happen shortly.
No one knew what further moves Order had to come.
Zhao Chen folded his arms and watched the real-time battle footage from the five battlefields.
"Now it comes down to when the next batch of the enemy's endless Pitch-Black Legion fleets will appear."
With the enemy's flagships, the quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships, destroyed,
though the enemy's warships still held a great advantage in numbers, happily it was within the range that could be controlled.
And the time too was passing, little by little.
Twenty minutes…
Half an hour…
Fifty minutes…
At last!
When it reached one hour,
the 'ink,' which had gone quiet, stirred.
It was like a calm lake raising waves with no wind.
Pitch-black interstellar warships surfaced one after another.
"Here they come!" Zhao Chen's heart jolted.
At once Lilith, beside him, looked at the time. "An interval of one hour since the last appearance of a million pitch-black interstellar warships. In strength, it's greater than last time. But not by much; it should still be at the level of a million warships."
Zhao Chen made no sound.
He was watching every move upon the battlefield.
In the past hour's fighting,
the million-odd pitch-black interstellar warships of before had been largely destroyed.
Most battlefields still had 300,000 or 400,000 left.
Counting the million pitch-black interstellar warships now come in relief, the pitch-black interstellar warships on each battlefield were expected to number around 1.5 million,
a peak never reached before.
And that was not what mattered more.
What mattered more was
that Zhao Chen saw three giant ships appear above the 'ink' of Battlefield No. 1.
It was that quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship!
Three quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships had appeared at one stroke.
"Is it the same on the other battlefields?" Zhao Chen asked Lilith on the instant.
Lilith checked how things stood on the other battlefields.
It was indeed much the same on every battlefield: three quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships each.
It meant the pressure on the Owl Dragon fleet groups on every battlefield would rise sharply.
"Assess the situation on every battlefield." Zhao Chen did not panic, but gave the instruction calmly.
"Yes."
Secretary-Officer Lilith at once had the staff departments make a risk assessment of the situation.
The result came very soon.
Of the five battlefields,
the rather special Owl Dragon hive-race fleet's side carried in the main no great risk; only its losses might be somewhat larger by comparison.
But for the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet, losses were, if anything, not what mattered most.
"As for the other four battlefields, with the experience of fighting this quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship before, there are several sets of battle plans now. Though more elite warships will have to be committed, even without added support, every fleet group can still handle the situation." Secretary-Officer Lilith gave the result of the analysis.
Zhao Chen wore a thoughtful look.
He did not know whether Order would go on raising the weight of this attack later.
And now, if the ace fleet groups held in reserve were committed to the battlefields,
their own losses could naturally be reduced.
But their power to meet future risks would also be greatly lowered.
It was a question that called for a choice.
"Tell the supreme commander of each fleet group: we won't be giving extra support for now. But when she judges for herself that she needs support, she can apply to the Dragon Emperor, and we'll make the arrangements on our side," Zhao Chen said gravely.
"Yes!" Secretary-Officer Lilith raised no question at all over Zhao Chen's arrangement, and saw to it at once.
After that came an hour of still fiercer fighting.
Because the pitch-black interstellar warships had increased, the area of the battlefields affected grew larger and larger as well.
At some battlefields, Battlefield No. 1 for one, lying near densely populated systems, passing warships naturally caught sight of the battle.
Though the Owl Dragon Empire had officially issued a no-sail order around these areas beforehand,
there were simply too many people, and some always took the risk to come in and look.
Above all some shuttles full of curiosity, hidden quietly at very distant positions, recording what went on upon the battlefield with special ultra-long-range filming equipment.
When they saw the pitch-black interstellar warships, they were all greatly astonished.
It was the first time they had seen warships of this kind.
Pitch-black from end to end, with nothing at all of the feel of a warship, and yet the outward form was a warship all the same.
And once destroyed, they dissolved as well, leaving nothing whatever behind.
Of course, what drew more wonder still was the might the Owl Dragon Empire's imperial fleet groups displayed:
that dense gunfire, those terrifying interstellar missiles,
and that masterly system of battlefield command.
Everyone across this universe who was watching this battle was filled with an admiration they could hardly hold back.
And when a suspected quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship surfaced among those pitch-black interstellar warships,
who knew how many people got a great fright.
Above all in the systems and star regions of densely populated areas near the battlefield, those of the great families and great personages who got word of it, the ones with no great courage,
all began, on pretexts of 'business trips' and 'travel' and the like, to get far away from the systems around the battlefield.
"My lady Queen. It is said that at that battlefield, after the Owl Dragon First Legion Fleet Group destroyed one quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship, three more quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships appeared. And a million warships as well. The battle grows fiercer and fiercer." An official stood tensely beside Queen Saint Cana.
They were the royal house of the Holy Radiance Kingdom, and could naturally get some official word through back channels.
"What are you trying to say?" Queen Saint Cana looked at the official.
"My lady Queen… though it is not well for me to say it so… but… the enemy that has appeared this time is too mysterious and too strong. Those pitch-black interstellar warships surface without end from that strange ink. There are even quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships. Though we know the Owl Dragon Empire's imperial fleet groups are very strong, still no one knows how many warships the enemy has in the end, or how long the fighting will go on, or how many more quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships will be sent over. There is… still no small risk in it," the official said hesitantly.
"Stop talking nonsense." Queen Saint Cana frowned.
At once the official lowered his head and said it straight out. "Our royal capital is too near the battlefield. At the warp speed of a T5 warship, with no interception, it could reach our royal capital within twenty minutes. Even at ordinary sailing speed, it could reach us within three hours. This… this is too dangerous. I advise my lady Queen to leave here for a time… for a time. To withdraw to a safe place, and wait until this battle is over…"
"Silence!" Queen Saint Cana cut him short with an angry rebuke, and no ceremony about it.
She looked at the official coldly.
She did not doubt this official's loyalty, but his spirit was not equal to it.
"I am the Queen of the Holy Radiance Kingdom. My throne is here, and my people's eyes are on me."
As she spoke, Queen Saint Cana raised her hand and pointed in the direction of the battlefield, and said coldly, "Out there, the Owl Dragon Empire's fleet groups are fighting the enemy. I ask you: without the Owl Dragon Empire's fleet groups, would those pitch-black interstellar warships of unknown origin not attack us directly? Would that quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship not appear right before me? Would its guns not be aimed straight at my royal capital? So. The Owl Dragon Empire's fleet groups are fighting now to protect us. And I am to play the coward and run off to a safe place?"
"Your subject dares not. Your subject only fears for my lady Queen's safety." The official went straight down on his knees.
Queen Saint Cana looked at the official and said in a deep voice, "Today's words I will count as unheard. My life is a small thing. The dignity of the Holy Radiance Kingdom is what matters most. If I hear words like these a second time, do not blame me for forgetting old ties."
"Yes." The official's forehead was all beads of sweat.
Queen Saint Cana said nothing more.
If one asked what this official had done wrong,
he was perhaps timid, but what he weighed was very practical.
Yet at times Saint Cana, seated upon the throne, could not afford to be too practical.
She had a great many things to weigh.
At least for her, honor stood far above life.
And the more so as, what did the Holy Radiance Kingdom have left now, besides the honor of old times?
If even that were gone, then truly everything would be gone.
……
The T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · the bridge
"Report: the last quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warship has been destroyed. Average losses were about 30% lower than the first time. We've built up more combat experience," Secretary-Officer Lilith said beside him.
Zhao Chen glanced at the time.
"It's been about forty-odd minutes now since the second batch of a million pitch-black interstellar warships appeared. Next it comes down to whether these damned quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships go on appearing in a while," Zhao Chen muttered in a low voice.
It was a great stone pressing on the heads of Zhao Chen and every Owl Dragon marshal.
If the pitch-black interstellar warships surfacing from this ink truly never ended,
then for the whole Owl Dragon Empire, it would be the end of the world.
However strong the Owl Dragon Empire's imperial fleet groups, however many elite T6 warships they had,
against enemies without end they would have no chance at all.
Secretary-Officer Lilith said nothing beside him; she too knew how much the matter weighed.
They were like people waiting to hear their sentence.
It made Zhao Chen clench his fists without meaning to.
His own strength was still far from enough, and he greatly disliked the feeling of having his fate in another's grasp.
And now, with no System, each and every thing would be Zhao Chen's own decision; he could never again lean on anyone else.
"How do the enemy's remnants stand on each battlefield?" Zhao Chen asked.
Lilith called up detailed battlefield data from every battlefield.
"Battlefield No. 1: the Pitch-Black Legion's remaining warships, 600,000."
"Battlefield No. 2: the Pitch-Black Legion's remaining warships, 750,000."
"Battlefield No. 3: the Pitch-Black Legion's remaining warships, 570,000."
"Battlefield No. 4: the Pitch-Black Legion's remaining warships, 630,000."
"Battlefield No. 5: the Pitch-Black Legion's remaining warships, 300,000…" Speaking of Battlefield No. 5, which the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet had in charge, Lilith did not forget to add, "On the other battlefields, our imperial fleet groups' loss ratios are all in our favor; but the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet's loss ratio on its battlefield is often three for one, or five for one. Or else it uses lower-grade Hive Motherships alongside Hive Motherships of the same grade in the bug-sea tactic. So far the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet has lost at least 10 million Hive Motherships."
Zhao Chen nodded silently.
That was the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet's way of fighting, and there was no help for it,
unless the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet became high-quality warships like the Owl Dragon Empire's fleet groups.
But high-quality warships and high-number fleets are commonly hard to have both at once.
"Command on Battlefield No. 5 goes entire to Hive Princess. Don't interfere with her orders. Just oversee. If there's any problem, tell me. It's the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet, after all; with a special arm like that, even Charlotte would be a layman on the spot," Zhao Chen said coolly.
Not to use a man you doubt, and not to doubt a man you use: it had always been Zhao Chen's principle.
"Yes," Lilith said.
After that, the hour came round again very quickly.
And this time, ten quasi-T7 pitch-black interstellar warships surfaced from the ink,
and near enough every one of the Owl Dragon's high command fell silent.
Did it truly never end?