The T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · the bridge
"Report! Equipment that looks like an enemy Soul Altar has appeared in Luoyang System No. 11!" a department NCO called out loudly.
"Bring up every picture window!" Secretary-Officer Lilith said at once.
Very soon the battlefield footage of Luoyang System No. 11 at that moment rose before Zhao Chen and Lilith.
The most conspicuous thing on the battlefield, that T6 Gluttony Demon King starship, could be seen.
So could the "Soul Altar" in the very middle of the area the Devourer Civilization's invading fleets controlled.
Huge black pillars floated there one after another, eerie and mysterious.
"So this is the Devourer Civilization's Soul Altar?" Zhao Chen frowned, staring at the scene.
He had long foreseen that this thing would appear on the battlefield, but at the moment it truly appeared, Zhao Chen was still somewhat uneasy at heart.
"I wonder what grade of 'Soul Altar' this is," Secretary-Officer Lilith murmured curiously.
At this point two more communication video windows appeared, one hard on the other's heels.
They were Grand Marshal Charlotte and the Flame Elf Queen.
The two saw each other's video windows as well, and nodded slightly.
The Flame Elf Queen spoke first. "The Soul Altar has appeared. From what we can see in the video footage, this should be a grade-five Soul Altar."
A grade-five Soul Altar.
Charlotte said beside her, "According to the earlier intelligence, a grade-five Soul Altar produces 200,000 Pitch-Black Legion interstellar warships a day, is that right?"
The Flame Elf Queen nodded. "It's about that figure."
A supply of 200,000 interstellar warships a day did not seem like a very large number on this battlefield, but it was no small effect on the battlefield either.
What mattered most was that these were Pitch-Black Legion fleets gathered from the souls the battlefield produced; for the Devourer Civilization it was a low-cost arms factory that could turn out Pitch-Black Legion fleets without end,
to launch attacks on its enemies.
"It may be only 200,000 Pitch-Black Legion ships a day, but I advise against taking it lightly. With the intensity of the fighting on this battlefield now, I doubt the Devourer Civilization will be so simple as to set out just one grade-five Soul Altar," the Flame Elf Queen said gravely.
Charlotte frowned and asked at once, "Is there no limit to how these Soul Altar devices can be placed?"
The Flame Elf Queen shook her head. "In theory, so long as there's space enough, and there are enough souls within that range of space, nothing limits it. Before this, the Devourer Civilization rarely set out too many Soul Altars on the same battlefield, because that would make the Soul Altars' areas of coverage overlap. That would raise the number of Pitch-Black Legion fleets the battlefield produced, true. But when the Soul Altars were recovered afterward, it would cost a great deal of time and effort too. So it rarely happens."
Zhao Chen understood what Charlotte had been driving at.
The reason the Devourer Civilization had used only one Soul Altar per battlefield before was that the 200,000 Pitch-Black Legion ships one Soul Altar gathered a day were enough to supply what a battlefield needed.
No enemy could withstand that round of attack, so there was no need to waste more.
But as things looked now, the commanders on the Devourer Civilization invading fleets' side at least knew clearly how strong the Owl Dragon Legion was.
So they would very likely send out more Soul Altars on the main battlefield, to the end of storming it.
"A single Soul Altar, supplying 200,000 Pitch-Black interstellar warships a day, is no small trouble already. If a few more turn up, what then? And if what appears next is a grade-six Soul Altar……" Lilith bit her red lip lightly, a worried look on her face.
"As things are, we can only take one step and see the next. Your Majesty. Given that the enemy has sent out a Soul Altar, next, according to the original plan, we'll have to trouble your own ship, the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship, to go to Luoyang System No. 11 and hold the field in person," Charlotte said, looking at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded. "Understood. I'll give the order at once on my side. The Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship will hurry to Luoyang System No. 11 in the shortest possible time."
"Then if more Soul Altars appear after that, what do we do?" Lilith asked anxiously, her eyes turning to Zhao Chen with still more worry.
It was hard to say whether she was worried about the state of the battlefield, or about the safety of Zhao Chen, who was going onto the battlefield himself.
"We still have other flagships to move. If more Soul Altars appear later, then we move that part of the Owl Dragon flagships first," Charlotte said, giving her plan for what came next.
The Flame Elf Queen, who had been listening all along, was about to speak several times, but each time stopped.
She clenched her fists.
What could she do now?
The five Sacred Elf legion fleet groups she had brought had all been sent out; there were no other forces left for her to move.
She could give the battlefield no practical support at all.
Anything more she said now would only be empty words.
The situation filled the Flame Elf Queen with deep shame, and at the same time her disgust at the High Council grew still greater.
If that pack of pedantic, shortsighted fools had sent more Sacred Elf legion fleet groups to support the Owl Dragon Empire's battlefield at the same time, the battlefield here would be in much better shape.
"I'm sorry. At a time like this, as your ally, I can't give you more help," the Flame Elf Queen, truly unable to hold it in, said guiltily.
She was a straightforward person, and could not keep things hidden.
Whatever she thought, she said.
Before Zhao Chen could say a word or two of comfort,
the Flame Elf Queen said, "I'll report the Owl Dragon Empire's war to the High Council once more, and do all I can to persuade them to send more Sacred Elf legion fleet groups in support as soon as possible. At the very least…… my own legion fleet group will certainly come to support the battlefield!"
Seeing the Flame Elf Queen's firm resolve, Zhao Chen said nothing, only nodded slightly.
They briefly settled a few matters.
This short "meeting" came to an end with that.
The T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship, Zhao Chen's ship, formally set out for the battlefield,
passing through the star gate toward Luoyang System No. 11.
Everyone simply took the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship to be just an interstellar command ship, a support-type interstellar warship.
That was right.
It was a battlefield-support interstellar warship.
But its place was not only at the battlefield's rear.
On the battlefield, it had still greater powers of battlefield assistance.
The Luoyang System No. 11 star gate
The T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship passed through the star gate and appeared in this star system.
As an Owl Dragon flagship, and the Owl Dragon Emperor's own ship besides,
this interstellar warship naturally had the highest priority.
This was the first time Zhao Chen had looked directly upon the Luoyang System No. 11 battlefield through his starship.
"It's this close to the star gate already?" Zhao Chen frowned slightly, looking at the defensive line not far from the star gate.
He had been watching the war in Luoyang System No. 11 all along.
But being there in person was a wholly different feeling from watching over a video network.
Only by being here in person could one feel that weight pressing on you until you could hardly breathe.
"I expect the enemy knows how important the star gate is too, so they're concentrating their attacks on the star gate's position. But luckily, the commanders have stationed heavy forces here. The line's strength here is several times that of the other directions," Secretary-Officer Lilith said beside him.
At this point several video windows rose one after another before Zhao Chen.
Commander of the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group · General Qingman
Commander of the Owl Dragon Ninth Legion Fleet Group · General Midai
Commander of the Blizzard ace fleet group · Marshal Chitong
And the commander of the Sacred Elf Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Owl Dragon Emperor. My lady the Flame Elf Queen has told me that you are coming to this battlefield to oversee the fighting in person, and has ordered me to place myself wholly at your disposal. Supreme commander of the Sacred Elf Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group, the high elf Xavier, awaits Your Majesty the Owl Dragon Emperor's orders at any time." The elf commander Xavier looked at the Owl Dragon Emperor before him, excited.
Perhaps it was a case of fondness spreading from one thing to the next.
Fighting alongside the Owl Dragon Empire's legion fleet groups all this while had made him admire these soldiers and fleets of the Owl Dragon Empire from the bottom of his heart,
and from that he had come to respect this Owl Dragon Emperor too.
He had not expected that this Owl Dragon Emperor would now come in person to this most perilous battlefield to oversee the fighting.
To him, a high elf, this was the highest of honors.
"Mm, I've heard of you. You've fought very well on this battlefield," Zhao Chen said, with a few pleasantries.
Then he said seriously, "Since the Flame Elf Queen has handed you and your legion fleet group over to my command, then next, I'll trouble you to have all your remaining elf interstellar warships ready to accept the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship's signal link. From now on, command on this battlefield will be taken over entirely by the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship. And a networked battlefield command post will be set up here, where you can all discuss the battlefield's operational command."
Take over battlefield command outright?
The elf commander Xavier was taken aback; the order was rather too direct, but he chose to obey all the same.
Very soon every interstellar warship on this battlefield had been "taken over" by the T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship.
"Report: the data of every interstellar fleet and interstellar warship has been uploaded to the combat terminal; intelligent combat deployment is under way." The heads of every department set to work in earnest.
Before, their work had only been to hand out combat tasks to the battlefields, but now was the time for them truly to come into their own.
A huge three-dimensional interstellar war holo-table at once rose in midair at the center of the bridge, far more detailed than an ordinary interstellar war holo-table.
Every department's station turned automatically to face this huge interstellar war holo-table.
"'Dragon-Emperor Super War Mode' ready. Engage!" The Dragon Emperor's artificial intelligence, Little Dragon Girl, floated out.
She was dressed now in white-gold armor, with glasses full of a high-tech feel besides, and floated above the war holo-table.
And at this moment the elf-line interstellar warships linked up on the battlefield noticed something unusual as well.
"Report: our starship's star-shield energy is slowly recovering!" the adjutant reported to his commander in surprise. "Our other interstellar warships are showing the same thing."
The elf commander Xavier, a trace of not-yet-faded shock still in his eyes, said with a show of calm, "There's no need to panic. This is a battlefield-support function of the Owl Dragon Empire's T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship. Interstellar warships linked to the Dragon Emperor, within a certain range, can have their star shields charged directly."
"Charging across empty space?" Even the adjutant was greatly startled.
Did black technology like this really belong to the T6 grade?
It felt rather like T7-grade technology!
"Pass this news down, so as not to cause needless panic. And stress once more to every fleet's commander: if an order is received from the Dragon Emperor, carry it out unconditionally. An order from the Dragon Emperor is the same as from me…… No! The same as if my lady the Flame Elf Queen were here in person!"
"Yes!"
When the elf commander Xavier had finished, he looked out the starship's viewport at that interstellar warship shining like a diamond.
He too had only just learned of this function of the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship.
The function looked very simple, but for interstellar warships fighting on the battlefield it was beyond doubt a healer casting a heal over the whole field!
It was far too strong!
And what mattered most was that it actually had no technological barrier at all.
So long as both sides agreed, it could link straight into an interstellar warship of any system; even with elf-line interstellar warships there was no barrier at all.
That was where its true, terrifying strength lay.
And next,
as the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship set out its combat deployment on this battlefield, the elf commander Xavier's estimate of this T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship grew still more awed!
This was an Owl Dragon flagship far beyond the T6 Gluttony Demon King starship.
And it suited any battlefield!
From the moment this T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship took over command of the Luoyang System No. 11 battlefield,
the elf commander Xavier, of course, did not give up power entirely either; he watched carefully every order the Dragon Emperor gave.
Every order looked very ordinary, but each was clean, crisp and quick!
They went straight to the bridge of every interstellar warship, telling that starship's senior officers what to do next:
whether to sail or to fight, or to fight while sailing;
how fast to sail, which way to head, which way to fire, and when to withdraw.
Precise almost to the last digit!
Under such a command system, the most direct sign was that combat efficiency on the battlefield rose by at least 30%.
Enemy destroyed rose 30%, and losses of their own interstellar warships fell 30%.
Even the efficiency of logistics and resupply rose 30%.
Don't underestimate these 30%s; piled one on another, they gave the overall fighting power of these interstellar warships of theirs an enormous boost.
Even with Pitch-Black Legion fleets already appearing on the main front, there was no pressure at all.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Another grade-five Soul Altar has appeared!" The elf commander Xavier had not been happy for long.
A piece of bad news arrived.
No, two pieces.
"It's bad; another grade-five Soul Altar has appeared over here too!"
Fear rose in the elf commander Xavier's eyes.
He looked at those three Soul Altars hanging in the middle of the Devourer Civilization invading fleets' positions, giving off black vapor,
as though gazing upon three demon gods!