The elf commander Xavier stood at the viewport now, his feelings running high, watching the Hell-Angel ace fleet group's battle positions in the distance.
Nearly 30,000 interstellar missile ships had finished assembling by now, drawn up neatly in battle position after battle position.
Once these interstellar missile ships had taken up their battle stations, they began one after another to open out their interstellar missile launchers.
Hatch after hatch opened, showing the interstellar missiles stored inside.
Row upon row of black holes, like a honeycomb; the sight alone made one's scalp prickle.
"Interstellar missile ships, every one…… What will a salvo of interstellar missiles from all of them look like?" the elf adjutant could not help muttering.
Before, the salvo of one corps fleet, 3,000 interstellar missile ships, had left them lost in wonder.
Now there were a full 30,000 interstellar missile ships.
That was a full tenfold increase in numbers!
"Not just 30,000…… the number is far over 30,000." The elf commander Xavier swept his eyes over it, and at last, looking at the figures that had been tallied, swallowed again.
This Hell-Angel ace fleet group had in active service 30,000 T4 Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships, 10,000 T5 Crimson-Reaper-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ships, and thirty T6 Holy-Blood Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ships.
What a terrifying array!
Never mind the tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of interstellar missile ships before them;
the T6 Holy-Blood Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ships alone numbered a full thirty!
Don't underestimate these thirty.
These thirty were T6-grade interstellar missile ships!
Just looking at those huge hulls, and the vast number of interstellar missiles,
was enough to make one's scalp prickle.
Luckily these interstellar missile ships were not aimed at them.
So now, if anything, they were looking forward very much to the scene to come.
The wait was only a few minutes.
But now, for the onlookers watching this, every minute was beyond doubt very long.
"It looks like they're about to fire!" the elf adjutant said impatiently.
The elf commander Xavier did not forget to remind him at this point, "How are the video recordings on every starship arranged? We must record this as fully as we can! This is very important to us."
This was the first time their Sacred Elf Empire had seen this powerful interstellar missile ship ace fleet group of the Owl Dragon Empire's open fire in full.
It was beyond doubt one of the Owl Dragon Empire's aces.
So recording the battlefield data of this ace was very important.
"It's all been passed down. Every camera and recording device on all our interstellar warships around here is aimed this way. We'll get a blockbuster for sure!" the elf adjutant said confidently.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
Just then a video window popped up.
"Who's calling me at a time like this?" The elf commander Xavier glanced at it impatiently.
But the next second he behaved himself.
For on the other side of the video window was none other than the Flame Elf Queen.
"What, am I disturbing you?" the Flame Elf Queen asked with a half smile.
"No, no. My lady the Elf Queen, what are your orders for me?" the elf commander Xavier said at once, respectfully.
"I hear that on your Luoyang System No. 11 battlefield the Owl Dragon Emperor has brought in every interstellar missile ship of the Hell-Angel ace fleet group, is that right?" the Flame Elf Queen asked, coming straight to the point.
"Yes," the elf commander Xavier answered.
"Bring up the live footage for me. I want to see it," the Flame Elf Queen said.
So that was what it was for.
It seemed my lady the Flame Elf Queen was very curious about what was about to happen too.
And come to that,
the fire of 30,000 interstellar missile ships: who would not be curious about that?
If the battlefield footage could be recorded and sent back to the Sacred Elf Empire, it was bound to shake the Sacred Elf Empire's top leadership.
At the thought of the faces of those fellows on the High Council when they saw this, he was more excited still.
But he did not forget what the Flame Elf Queen had told him to do just now.
He put the footage of the Hell-Angel ace fleet group's battle positions in front of the window of his video call with the Flame Elf Queen.
"So many interstellar missile ships……" At the sight of the dark mass of interstellar missile ships, the Flame Elf Queen's heart gave a jolt too.
She had heard of the thing, but when she truly saw it, the shock of it was a wholly different feeling.
And this was through a communication window.
One could imagine what it would be like to be there in person,
and how stirring it would be!
At this moment,
at last some interstellar missile ships fired.
Interstellar missiles could be seen, one after another, leaving the interstellar missile launchers and streaking off toward the target, trailing tail flames.
The interstellar missiles of ship after interstellar missile ship flew out in arcs; seen from afar, the scene was like tens of millions of white threads crossing the vast stars,
turning into specks of light that fell on the area ahead.
It was beyond doubt the most brilliant "meteor shower" the Flame Elf Queen and the elf commander Xavier had ever seen!
Even elves, whose artistic taste had always been very refined, would exclaim in wonder at the sight:
"How beautiful!"
This meteor shower of interstellar missiles soon closed on the target battle zone.
It was beyond doubt the route the Emperor's Guard Fleet had been attacking along.
Faced with these oncoming interstellar missiles,
the interstellar fleets on the Devourer Civilization's side naturally noticed them too; every defensive weapon on every interstellar escort and interstellar destroyer was switched on.
The close-in guns formed a barrage in the void, trying to intercept these interstellar missiles.
Some interstellar missiles were even brought out to serve as interceptors.
This did have an effect; explosions swirling like whirlwinds could be seen appearing one after another in front of the Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets.
Clearly they had indeed intercepted a fair number of interstellar missiles.
But far more Owl Dragon interstellar missiles passed through these swirling clouds of smoke and flew on toward their targets.
By now, in the Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets, not just the interstellar escorts and interstellar destroyers but every interstellar warship able to intercept at all was giving it everything it had.
After all, if so terrifying a rain of interstellar missiles fell on your head, you truly could not withstand it!
But the fact was that, though the Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets strained every nerve to intercept them, the interstellar missiles they succeeded in intercepting were few indeed.
The enemy simply fired far too many interstellar missiles, alas!
Now at last interstellar missiles got through the Devourer Civilization interstellar fleets' defensive net and fell on the star shields of those Devourer Civilization interstellar warships.
Explosion after explosion of flame appeared, as though a torch had been tossed onto a meadow in an instant.
Countless flames burst out, and kept on spreading.
More and more Devourer Civilization interstellar warships were swallowed and engulfed by the flames.
Whether the Devourer Civilization's T4 or T5-grade interstellar warships, or even those T6-grade interstellar warships,
hardly any could survive an interstellar missile onslaught of this grade.
After all, among them were the interstellar missiles fired by the T6 Holy-Blood Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ships.
The T6 Holy-Blood Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Strategic Missile Ships were not simply a matter of great numbers; what they carried were T6-grade interstellar missiles, every one!
Before the first smoke had even cleared,
the Emperor's Guard Fleet, sailing up to this position, plunged straight in without the least hesitation, not in the least worried about being hit by its own side's interstellar missiles.
"Report: our interstellar fleets have sent up a message. It's an order from the Dragon Emperor, requiring our interstellar fleets to keep following and hold the attacking line's formation. But right now many areas ahead of the line are covered in smoke and dust from the explosions; no one can see clearly what's happening in those areas, and many starship captains are worried about being hit by mistake too." The elf adjutant hurriedly passed on a message he had just received.
At this news the elf commander Xavier's face changed abruptly.
Before he could speak,
on the far side of the video window, still connected all along,
the Flame Elf Queen spoke first. She said coldly, "Xavier, since when has your Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group become so timid? There's gunfire and smoke ahead, so you don't dare attack? The Owl Dragon interstellar warships dare plunge straight in. What, are they braver than we are? Or are the NCOs and soldiers of our Sacred Elf Empire timid as mice, every one of them!"
Hearing the trace of anger in the Flame Elf Queen's voice,
the elf commander Xavier at once sensed trouble.
In this war the fighting ability the Owl Dragon legion fleet groups had shown had already put the Sacred Elf legion fleet groups in the shade.
And now, to fall short of them in courage as well:
that truly would be a slap in the face.
"My lady the Elf Queen, this is my responsibility. I've been lax with my subordinates. But please rest assured: I gave the order before that every interstellar warship of our Sacred Elf Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group is now under the Dragon Emperor's command and obeys its every order absolutely. I'll oversee those interstellar warships of ours in person right now. If a single one dares shrink from the fight now and disobey orders, I'll shoot them first myself!"
When he had said it, the elf commander Xavier could hardly hide his own anger; he looked at his elf adjutant. "Who sent me that message? List their names for me, and get every one of them on the line for me. They really haven't taken what I said before seriously at all. There are explosions and smoke ahead, so they don't dare go on? How is it the Owl Dragon interstellar warships dare plunge in! Our interstellar warships fall short of theirs; I put up with that. Our combat experience falls short of theirs; I put up with that too. And now they don't even have courage, the most basic of fighting qualities. I'd say they can all get out of my sight, the sooner the better."
After the elf commander Xavier had quickly contacted a few of them and given them a dressing-down, making examples of them to warn the rest,
no one dared raise the matter again.
On the battlefield, those Sacred Elf interstellar warships each followed orders too, and plunged into the smoke and dust after the Emperor's Guard Fleet.
"If a thing like this happens a second time, I don't care which of your people did it. It's you I'll come down on!" The Flame Elf Queen stared coldly at the elf commander Xavier, warning him.
"Please rest assured, my lady the Elf Queen: this will never happen a second time!" the elf commander Xavier promised solemnly.
At the same time he stressed the point once more to his elf adjutant, and had these words passed down.
When the time came, whoever offended again had better not blame him for turning on them!
Back to the battlefield.
The interstellar missile attack went on.
For there were truly far too many interstellar missiles; they could not all be fired off in a short while.
And anyone paying attention would notice that the area the Hell-Angel ace fleet group's blanketing interstellar missile fire struck was moving forward bit by bit,
just like sweeping a floor.
"Report: the Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets in other areas of the battlefield are all hurrying to support this line of attack. The Dragon Emperor has given a do-or-die order: the interstellar fleets on the other lines of attack are to attack at any cost, and must pin down as much as they can of the Devourer Civilization legion fleets on their own fronts!" the elf adjutant reported.
Everyone had foreseen this.
The Devourer Civilization were no fools; they had seen that the Owl Dragon Empire's legions were aiming for the three Soul Altars, meaning to destroy them.
The Devourer Civilization could not possibly let the Owl Dragon Legion's plan succeed, and the only way was to put as many interstellar warships as they could around the three Soul Altars to protect them.
Hence the situation now.
"How about our Sacred Elf Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group? Are they carrying out this order!" the elf commander Xavier asked at once.
"Every legion fleet of our Sacred Elf Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group, and the corps fleets under them, are carrying out this combat order since they received it. There's no slackening whatsoever!" the elf adjutant said.
With the earlier example before them, anyone who dared pop up and make trouble now would truly be blind, and asking for death.
"Time matters very much now. The Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets have an absolute advantage in numbers. Even if the interstellar fleets attacking on every line give it everything they have, they can't possibly pin down the enemy's interstellar fleets entirely. So sooner or later the enemy's interstellar fleets will turn up on that line of attack. And the longer it drags on, the worse it is for this tactic of striking at and destroying the three Soul Altars." Though she was far away, the Flame Elf Queen saw through the state of the battlefield.
"With so many interstellar missiles…… it should…… be all right, surely." The elf adjutant looked out the viewport at the meteor shower still falling, muttering in a low voice.
On this, not one of them dared hold a firm answer in their hearts now.
They could only wait quietly.
"This puts me in mind of the motto I once heard for this Hell-Angel ace fleet group," the Flame Elf Queen said suddenly.
The elf commander Xavier looked at the Flame Elf Queen. "What motto is that?"
"Where the angel's wings beat, the starry sky is a purgatory, and stillness is destruction."
Hearing these words, they all fell silent.
For it fit the scene before them all too well!