"N-no, no problem!" The moment the elf fleet group commander heard the news, it was as though a stone had dropped from his heart.
At last the Owl Dragon Empire's reinforcements had appeared.
"After this my people will settle the steps of the rotation stages with your legion fleet, to make sure casualties on our side are cut when we rotate," General Qingman said earnestly.
"No problem; we'll cooperate fully!"
After this brief exchange,
the elf fleet group commander looked at the video window as it went dark, and let out a long breath. "At last reinforcements have come. Now we can catch our breath too. If the fleet can rest and refit a little longer and get back its fighting condition, in battle it will not only have more fighting power but less chance of falling too."
"Only I wonder how much fighting power this Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group has. I hear it was formed on short notice?" the adjutant beside him muttered, worried.
The elf fleet group commander frowned slightly; he knew little of this news either.
For before this the Flame Elf Queen had only mentioned the matter in passing, and told them at the same time not to hold too great hopes of it, and to be ready to fight the enemy to the end.
"Never mind; let's wait. It's only twenty minutes; then we'll see this Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group's true face. I don't ask how strong their fighting ability is, only that they win us some time to rest and refit. At least that way we won't be able to hold out only two hundred combat hours." The elf fleet group commander laughed at himself.
Before this, they had thought that, having prepared carefully for so long,
they would face the Devourer Civilization's invading fleets, if not with full certainty,
then at least at even odds.
But having fought until now, he found it was not even odds at all.
The enemy held the advantage in the number of starships and fleets, true, but that they had known all along.
That it had still come to such a pass could only mean it had gone far beyond anything they had expected.
Think of it:
had this war broken out in the Sacred Elf Empire, even he would not dare swear with full confidence that the Sacred Elf Empire could have withstood the Devourer Civilization's invasion.
Twenty minutes, neither long nor short,
soon passed.
At the same time, in the depth behind the battlefield's lines, the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group appeared as well.
But looking at those warships,
this elf fleet group commander was dumbfounded; he wondered whether he had seen wrong.
"Just… just these warships? Have they split their legion fleet into several echelons, and this is only one of them?" The elf fleet group commander looked at his adjutant, hoping to hear from him the answer he wanted to hear.
But the adjutant swallowed, and said, "I contacted this Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group's side just now too. The word is this: this time the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group has only a hundred thousand warships, and some support fleets that came along with it. The whole scale won't exceed a hundred and twenty thousand warships."
The elf fleet group commander felt he had been deceived!
Only a hundred thousand-odd warships!
On the battlefield before them, wasn't that a mere cupful of water on a burning cartload?
For mind, this Sacred Elf legion fleet group of theirs had a million warships here.
He did not deny that in all the intelligence they had had so far, there was praise for Owl Dragon-line warships; no few elf leaders had even said Owl Dragon-line warships surpassed elf-line warships.
But good quality could not wholly cover a gap in numbers.
This was only a hundred thousand-odd warships.
"Report: the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group's side has put in a request for rotation of the lines, asking us to cooperate," the adjutant reported at once, having received a message at this point.
"Get me the supreme commander of the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group at once; I want to speak with her!" This elf fleet group commander still could not hold back.
Very soon the connection was made.
That snake-folk commander appeared again in the video window.
"Your Excellency General Qingman, may I ask: this time, is your Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group only these hundred thousand warships? Or are other parts of your legion fleet still on their way?" the elf fleet group commander said very gravely.
"Yes. The Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group was formed less than twenty hours ago, and for now is fitted out with only a hundred thousand warships." General Qingman hid nothing, and set it out item by item.
"Formed… less than twenty hours ago?" This elf fleet group commander drew in a cold breath; he had not thought there was a still bigger pit waiting for him here.
He was actually to fight shoulder to shoulder with a legion fleet group formed less than twenty hours ago.
This… was someone making fun of him?
Now he understood why, before this, the Flame Elf Queen had only mentioned the matter in passing, and asked them not to count on it too much.
So this was why.
How could they feel easy about a legion fleet formed less than twenty hours ago fighting shoulder to shoulder with them, and taking over their battle lines besides!
"General Qingman, it's not that I don't trust you. But everyone knows that when a legion fleet group is formed, it takes a very long time to become fit to fight. Your legion fleet group now has been formed less than twenty hours. Forgive my bluntness: I find it hard to be sure of your legion fleet's fighting power," the elf fleet group commander said bluntly.
General Qingman was not angered at being doubted either; she said calmly, "I know what you're worried about. But I have great confidence in my Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group. And for this military operation, when I received the task, I gave a pledge under martial law. My Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group was formed less than twenty hours ago, but I'm sure they're not much worse than any veteran troops or veteran ships. What you can do, we can do as well. Now please do as agreed before: your side's fleet withdraws, and ours steps in, completing the rotation of the lines. Your fleet can go and rest."
Seeing that the commander opposite would not budge an inch,
the elf fleet group commander said, somewhat angry, "General Qingman, I'm talking to you very seriously. I won't allow the lines I've held till now to be handed to… a legion fleet I can't trust!"
General Qingman's tone was still neither warm nor hot. "First, I'm carrying out the Owl Dragon Emperor's order now; I have only to obey. By rights I needn't explain much to you. But I'll say one thing to you now. Whatever I tell you now, you may not believe it. As soldiers, we can only prove our strength by drawing the sword on the battlefield. And I'll answer for everything my legion fleet group and I do. After the rotation to come, if my Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group lets the present line fall back even one meter, I'm willing to bear all the blame. That is the pledge I, Qingman, supreme commander of the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group, have given. Now! Please have your side's legion fleet complete the rotation. This is the last time I'll repeat it."
General Qingman's words were very grave, beyond question.
The elf fleet group commander scratched his head in irritation; he knew General Qingman's demand now was nothing excessive, but wholly in keeping with orders.
If he still refused now to hand over the line positions, the blame would lie with him.
He had no choice now.
"I hope you can answer for what you've just said!" When he had said it, the elf fleet group commander hung up the communication at once.
"It seems this elf commander doesn't much believe in our strength." General Qingman shrugged and looked at the secretary-officer beside her.
The secretary-officer smiled slightly. "Then let's prove ourselves on the battlefield."
General Qingman's snake pupils narrowed; she stared at this star system's interstellar war holo-table.
"Five hours. We must make sure the line holds in our hands for five hours," General Qingman said, firm and unshaken.
Five hours was not very long.
But for the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group, with only a hundred thousand warships, it was not short either.
But this was the order those above had given her.
"Carry out the battle plan we drew up before," General Qingman said.
"Yes."
Next came the rotation between the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group and this Sacred Elf legion fleet group before them.
The two sides' rotation was their first time working together, but went fairly smoothly.
For the rotations on the other star-system battlefields had already given a great many templates and much experience, and this experience was all shared.
With the experience built up by those before, they need only make sure of making no mistakes.
And because the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group had only a hundred thousand-odd warships, the whole process of rotation went very quickly too.
The thirty corps fleets the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group now had all went into their planned battle positions.
Every Owl Dragon-line warship went into combat condition at once.
By order, the moment enemy warships came within range of their fire, these warships were to open fire outright, without asking leave of any kind,
all so as to get their fire out in the shortest time!
For opposite were near five million warships, after all.
What they truly faced was not five million warships, true, but set against a hundred thousand Owl Dragon-line warships, the gap between the two was still enormous.
Very soon
the Owl Dragon corps fleets in the forward positions began to bear enormous pressure.
The line began, bit by bit, to be pushed back.
"My lord, look. Not even twenty minutes since they took over, and crises of differing degrees have appeared at several places on the defensive line! If it goes on like this, never mind five hours; likely within one hour the defensive line will collapse!" The adjutant had been watching the battlefield all along, and seeing this, could not help reporting to the fleet group commander.
The elf fleet group commander put his hand to his chin, and said with a grave face, "Pass an order to our legion fleet. In the stage of rest and resupply, don't relax their guard. Be ready at any moment to go back to the defensive line!"
At this moment he had already made ready for the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group's defeat, collapsing like a falling mountain; then his Sacred Elf legion fleet group would fill the gap at once!
"Yes!" The adjutant understood without a word and went at once to make the arrangements.
And just then
part of the interstellar fleets behind the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group began to move.
It was interstellar missile ships!
About one corps fleet's worth: a corps fleet of interstellar missile ships.
Every interstellar missile ship it had opened all its missile launchers, and interstellar missiles one after another made ready to launch.
The elf fleet group commander showed a look of interest.
In the battle material from the other star-system battlefields he had seen interstellar missile ships launch too, but only a handful at a time.
And like this, a whole corps fleet's worth of interstellar missile ships giving fire support, seemed to be a first.
He had not thought he would get to see it here.
"So this is the trump card you rely on?" the elf fleet group commander said, somewhat expectantly.
The next moment
these T5 Crimson-Reaper-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ships and T6 Holy-Blood Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ships, which he knew of, opened fire together!
Interstellar missiles by the tens of thousands, once launched, formed shower after shower of meteors,
falling on the enemy's attack positions.
They were like balls of fire kindled one after another, blanketing the Devourer Civilization's invading fleet's attack positions.
Just watching the scene before them felt very splendid.
"Beautiful." The high elves, much given to aesthetics themselves, praised it from the heart on seeing this.
They had not thought that even in war one could see so beautiful a scene.
"Strange. The area these interstellar missile ships of theirs are blanketing seems rather scattered. They're not destroying the enemy fleets in the forward positions first?" The adjutant, beside him, looked at those areas of blanketing fire appearing on the interstellar holo-table, and raised his doubt.
The elf fleet group commander lowered his head and looked closely, at the areas those interstellar missiles blanketed.
Suddenly his eyes went wide.
"This is… this is them cutting the battlefield apart!"
Those interstellar missiles could be seen blasting a chasm outright between the enemy's forward positions and middle positions.
In the chasm, apart from a few T5 and T6-grade warships, every other warship was reduced to starship wreckage.
And even as these interstellar missiles kept falling,
within the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group the lines opened, and warships actually surged out on the attack,
launching a counterattack on the enemy's interstellar fleets in the forward positions!
"Heavens, they're actually counterattacking!" The adjutant covered his mouth in astonishment.
Close on it, he saw a still more astonishing sight:
flight upon flight of interstellar fighters and interstellar drone swarms!
Like swarms of bees, they worked with the Owl Dragon fleets that had sallied out, and struck back at the enemy.
Under this sudden counterattack,
the enemy's attack fleets at the very front were cut through and split apart in an instant.
Close on it, they took the fire of the Owl Dragon warships coming after.
Because they could get no support from behind, these 'cut-off' Devourer fleets could only watch helplessly as they were destroyed, bit by bit, by the Owl Dragon fleets!