"Lord Sovereign, the thirty Devourer legion fleets are all ready!" A subordinate officer knelt before the throne, not daring in the least to raise his head to look at the huge figure before him.
But he could still hear, close by his ear, the sound of something hard being chewed.
He held down the fear in his heart with difficulty.
Before this he had known that the Troll Monarch was a terrifying being who liked to eat intelligent life.
But he had never seen it with his own eyes, and had thought it only an exaggerated rumor.
But these past few days he had seen it with his own eyes indeed.
After the Troll Monarch appeared at the front-line battlefield base, he had eaten, one after another, several officers who had made mistakes in the earlier fighting.
He still remembered the sight of one of his comrades, seized bodily by the Troll Monarch, his head stuffed into the Troll Monarch's mouth, and then the teeth biting down hard on that comrade's head.
He did not think himself any kind of good man; on his own turf he did some wicked things too.
But a thing like this, eating people outright, he was seeing for the first time.
"You're very afraid of me?" The Troll Monarch's voice sounded, somewhat mocking.
"I wouldn't dare. It's awe, awe of the Lord Sovereign!" the subordinate officer answered at once.
"Being afraid of me is fine. I want you all to fear me, fear me from the bottom of your hearts, fear me at the sound of my voice. And I want you all to know that if you make any mistake under my very nose, you'll end up the same as those few fellows. If you don't want that, fight this war well!" the Troll Monarch said, without the least courtesy.
"Yes. Now that the Lord Sovereign has come to the battlefield in person, we're sure to defeat the enemy and win victory!" the subordinate officer said at once.
The Troll Monarch wasted no more time on his subordinate.
He raised his head and looked at the several video windows before him; all of them showed dark masses of Devourer Civilization interstellar warships.
These were the 30 million interstellar warships, thirty Devourer legion fleet groups, of this third wave of support for the war!
"Since they're all here, then pass on my order. Carry out the combat tasks I gave before!" the Troll Monarch said lazily.
"Yes!" The subordinate officer fled at once, as if running for his life, to pass on the order.
At the Troll Monarch's order,
the stretch of space where 30 million Devourer Civilization interstellar warships had gathered came alive all at once.
One universe-space crossing device after another was switched on.
One brand-new space passage after another appeared.
……
The T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · the bridge
"Report: a sixth Devourer Civilization invasion point has appeared in System No. 06 of the Reef Star Region!"
"Report: a seventh Devourer Civilization invasion point has appeared in System No. 11 of the Thrones Star Region!"
"Report: an eighth Devourer Civilization invasion point has appeared in System No. 01 of the Ink-Crow Star Region!"
One warning after another broke the calm that had, for once, held on the Dragon Emperor's bridge for a while.
Zhao Chen opened his eyes, which he had only just closed for a short midday nap.
Whsh, whsh.
Two holograms rose before Zhao Chen.
They were Charlotte and the Flame Elf Queen.
It seemed they had both received the news at once as well.
"The enemy's new round of attack has come. We have to be ready to meet it." Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte.
By now the image of the interstellar war holo-table had been brought up before Zhao Chen.
Three newly added red dots could be seen, spreading: the coordinates of the Devourer Civilization's three new battlefields.
"Report: on the original five star-system battlefields, there are signs that the numbers of the Devourer Civilization's invading fleets are rising, and the intensity of their attacks has increased again," a department NCO reported.
"So this is their new general offensive." Zhao Chen looked calmly at the interstellar war holo-table.
"Marshal Charlotte, tell us: how do we need to arrange things?" The Flame Elf Queen looked at Marshal Charlotte opposite.
In the high command they had formed together, the two of them held equal rank, true.
But after several battles, the Flame Elf Queen trusted completely the battlefield command ability of this Grand Marshal of the Owl Dragon Empire before her, and her character too.
Marshal Charlotte would not give the Sacred Elf legion fleet groups high-casualty, high-difficulty combat tasks just because they were not the Owl Dragon Empire's own interstellar legions.
If anything, she would look after them somewhat on purpose, to make sure the Sacred Elf legion fleet groups did not suddenly suffer high casualties.
So the Flame Elf Queen trusted this Grand Marshal of the Owl Dragon Empire completely, and was willing to follow this Imperial Grand Marshal's battlefield dispositions and arrangements.
Charlotte did not stand on ceremony either.
She looked at the interstellar war holo-table and said directly, "First, draw three Sacred Elf legion fleet groups to support these three new star-system battlefields. Not to overpower the enemy, but at least to keep the enemy's offensive within the range we can control. This is only the enemy's first move in this round; it will certainly not be only this. We first have to use the strength we have in hand to steady the situation; only then can we keep contending with the Devourer Civilization's Sovereign opposite!"
The Flame Elf Queen nodded, then said at once, "Going by where the battlefields lie, I'll send the Sacred Elf Fifteenth, Nineteenth and Twenty-Eighth Legion Fleet Groups to the three new star-system battlefields. It will be hard for these legion fleet groups alone to defeat the 5 million Devourer Civilization interstellar warships the enemy has put on each of the new star-system battlefields. But holding the situation steady for a few days shouldn't be too great a problem."
Charlotte nodded. "I'll trouble you with that part, Your Excellency the Elf Queen."
The Flame Elf Queen went on cautiously, "This round of attack the Troll Monarch has launched, sending out so many Devourer Civilization interstellar fleets, is sure to use Soul Altars too. That's likely their real trump card. The number of Soul Altars will very probably go beyond the scale of last time. So we have to be ready for anything. There may even be a grade-six Soul Altar!"
A grade-six Soul Altar.
Zhao Chen's brows shifted slightly; by the intelligence he had received before, the Devourer Civilization had three grade-six Soul Altars.
And before this, grade-six Soul Altars had been put into use only twice.
And both times, it was said, had been on the battlefields of grade-six technological civilizations' universes.
For a grade-six Soul Altar could condense T6 Pitch-Black Legion interstellar warships!
T6-grade Pitch-Black interstellar warships were something else altogether.
"And besides, there's the Troll Monarch Legion fleet he leads in person, and that T6 Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship. In name it's only a T6-grade interstellar warship. But by our overall assessment, it's an interstellar warship that has fully reached quasi-T7 grade. It uses some black technology from Order, and because its hull is so huge, it carries a great many weapon modules too. Once this starship appears on the battlefield, we must be careful," the Flame Elf Queen did not forget to remind them.
Grand Marshal Charlotte said, "I've already passed that down. The moment these special fleets and interstellar warships appear on the battlefield, they'll be reported to the Dragon Emperor at once."
"Then are you about to carry out that battle plan?" The Flame Elf Queen looked at Zhao Chen and Charlotte with excitement in her eyes.
Charlotte said coolly, "That's our trump card now. When the time comes for it to go out, it will naturally be used."
Zhao Chen smiled slightly, with a hint of mockery. "All this while it's been them making trouble on our turf. We've always made a habit of returning courtesy for courtesy. Naturally we should prepare a great gift for these fellows too."
The Flame Elf Queen's eyes were full of expectation, excitement and eagerness.
……
With the three new star-system battlefields appearing,
three Sacred Elf legion fleet groups arrived in time at these three star-system battlefields to build defensive lines and hold off these invaders' attacks, true.
But the three added battlefields beyond doubt sharply increased the pressure on the Owl Dragon Empire.
After all, it now had to keep up the fighting on eight star-system battlefields, and logistics and supply were running at a very startling pace now as well.
Trouble with logistics resources failing to keep up could arise at any moment.
Luckily, the Flame Elf Queen knew all this too.
She had no right to move those legion fleets without the consent of the High Council and the other Elf Sovereigns.
But she could have the resource-producing grounds and the industrial system within her own tribe's domain run at full capacity,
and ship the battlefield resources and supplies the Owl Dragon Empire's battlefields needed to the Owl Dragon Empire's battlefields without end.
Here, too, the benefits of the Owl Dragon Empire's star-gate navigation network showed.
It was precisely because of this star-gate network that the interstellar transports, fully loaded with strategic supplies from the Sacred Elf Empire and arriving in the Owl Dragon Empire by the universe star gate, could reach every battlefield or star-port station in the shortest time,
and so meet the battlefields' consumption.
That too was the key to why Zhao Chen now trusted the Flame Elf Queen so.
At the least, she had brought out everything she had to help the Owl Dragon Empire's battlefields.
Zhao Chen was no fool; he could see who was a friend and who an enemy.
And it had always been Zhao Chen's way: give me a foot of respect and I'll give you ten.
That too was why Zhao Chen had told the Flame Elf Queen of that secret battle plan.
The Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets surging onto every star-system battlefield naturally took some time too.
So the clashes on every battlefield in fact reached their peak thirty hours later.
And at this moment, beneath these raging winds and huge waves, the Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets had no idea at all that a pair of eyes lay hidden below.
The Devourer Civilization's forward battlefield base
Far off from the Devourer Civilization interstellar warships coming and going there, something in fact lay hidden in the pitch-black space.
"Report: the enemy's Soul Altars have begun to move!" the secretary-officer reported to Marshal Zhao Waner.
Zhao Waner looked at a few messages, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "We slipped in here and waited so long. At last we've got our chance! On the encrypted channel, tell the corps fleets on every battlefield to get ready to move."
"Yes!" The secretary-officer set about it at once.
Zhao Waner now gave orders to the interstellar warships in her own area as well: "Begin the covert approach. Every interstellar warship: first lock onto the enemy's Soul Altars and the enemy's logistics and supply ships, and those temporary star ports, logistics and supply bases and so on. Leave those combat-type interstellar warships alone!"
"Understood."
The commanders of every fleet answered one by one.
And the Devourer Civilization's interstellar warships opposite had never imagined that interstellar warships from the Owl Dragon Empire were hidden right under their very noses.
Zhao Waner held down the excitement in her heart.
She was now the front-line commander of this combat task, right in the thick of it,
but still she could not keep her heart from racing.
Let alone back when she had first heard of this battle plan from her brother and her sister-in-law.
"Here's the detailed battle plan; take it back and study it well. We'll give you about a week to prepare; after a week, this operation may begin at any time. The whole plan is divided into several stages. The first stage is our operation in Luoyang System No. 11; we'll destroy the enemy's three Soul Altars then, and at that point we'll likely fight our way close to the enemy's space-crossing points. You slip over there under cover of it. The second stage: first send a few interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships to try crossing through the space-crossing points the Devourer Civilization has set up, and make sure they can get through. The third stage, on condition that the second stage goes smoothly: you and your Shadow Hunter ace fleet group go into the Devourer Civilization's space-crossing points, then slip quietly into the universe on the Demon Civilization's[1] side and lie low. Remember! Lie low, not fight. In the third stage,[2] the enemy will likely have several things like front-line battlefield bases. You quietly scout out all the enemy's battlefield bases, and then pin down where the prey is. This time your prey isn't any combat-type interstellar warship. It's the enemy's technological devices, the 'Soul Altars'; their star ports; the interstellar transports, interstellar supply ships and other logistics ships; and then the related battlefield industrial facilities. In short, you're to knock out the enemy's logistics, supply, repair and industry! Having you wipe out the enemy's interstellar warships would work wonders too, but the result wouldn't be the best. But if you can knock out these combat targets we've set, then though the enemy's combat-type interstellar warships will still be there, it will make an enormous change to the whole course of the war! Do you understand!" Charlotte set out the content of these battle plans to Zhao Waner gravely.
Zhao Waner nodded hard. "I understand."
"Waner, this combat task truly goes deep behind enemy lines. And there's enormous risk in it; once you're exposed, you may be surrounded and wiped out by the enemy, and we may be unable to give you any support at all. Think it over now, whether you'll take this task." Zhao Chen looked at Zhao Waner gravely.
Zhao Waner looked at Zhao Chen and smiled slightly. "Brother, if I don't take this task, will someone else take command of the Shadow Hunter ace fleet group to carry it out?"
Zhao Chen did not answer.
Zhao Waner rubbed her nose and laughed. "Brother, I raised the Shadow Hunters single-handed. They're my child; I can't hand my child to someone else. Besides, as a marshal of the Owl Dragon Empire, and your sister, I fear no combat task."
When she had said it, she stood up straight and gave Zhao Chen a military salute, then said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty the Owl Dragon Emperor. Zhao Waner and the Shadow Hunter ace fleet group guarantee to accomplish the mission!"