Perhaps it was also because they were interstellar destroyers that the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet could have T5-grade interstellar warships on such a scale.
After all, this was the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet, every ship of which, apart from the T6 grade, was a T5-grade interstellar warship!
Zhao Chen gave this data to the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship's artificial intelligence, to Commander Xiong Xiangxiang of the Emperor's Guard Fleet, and to one other commander.
After all, in the fighting to come, these three would be the main ones commanding on the battlefield.
And on the interstellar war holo-table, the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet could be seen on its route toward a star gate.
They would use this star gate to go to one of the star-system battlefields and support the fighting.
If these hundred thousand interstellar warships appeared on any one of the star-system battlefields, the change they made to the situation would be enormous and terrible.
"The task Charlotte has given us this time is no easy one. Once we move against the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet, the other two Sovereigns are very likely to do something, and might even come straight over in support. After all, this Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship of ours stands out too much; it easily becomes the enemy's target." Zhao Chen looked at the two video windows beside him.
But in truth there was one thing he had not said: this might well be one of Charlotte's strategic aims as well.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Whatever happens on the battlefield, we of the Emperor's Guard Fleet swear on our lives to protect Your Majesty's safety!" Xiong Xiangxiang vowed solemnly.
"Big brother, don't you worry. With us here, we guarantee you come out whole, without losing a single hair." A cheeky, grinning voice came over.
Zhao Chen looked across.
It was a rare thing, too, to carry out a combat task together with his own younger sister.
That's right: the one in contact with Zhao Chen was the supreme commander of the Shadow Hunter ace fleet group, Zhao Chen's younger sister Zhao Waner.
Zhao Waner looked very excited at this moment; to be able to go into action with her own big brother was a very happy thing for her as well.
To take on the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet of a hundred thousand interstellar warships with only the three thousand-odd interstellar warships of the Emperor's Guard Fleet: Zhao Chen was naturally not so arrogant as that yet.
Charlotte knew this very well too.
So she had specially arranged for Zhao Waner's Shadow Hunter ace fleet group to assist.
Zhao Waner's Shadow Hunter ace fleet group had a hundred thousand interstellar warships too. They were all interstellar stealth bombers, and many of them were T4-grade interstellar warships, but they were still well able to deal with the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet.
And that was far from Zhao Chen's last card this time.
"Then tell me, what are your thoughts on the fighting ahead?" Zhao Chen looked at Zhao Waner and Xiong Xiangxiang.
Xiong Xiangxiang, for her part, looked at Zhao Waner.
In rank, Zhao Waner was an Imperial Marshal; her level of command was higher.
But Zhao Waner said straight out, briskly, "My Shadow Hunter ace fleet group is better suited to surprise attacks. So the business of the frontal field is still up to you, the Emperor's Guard Fleet. When the time comes, I'll quietly give them a nasty little surprise!"
A teasing look showed on Zhao Waner's face.
Zhao Chen rolled his eyes. Three thousand interstellar warships meeting the enemy head-on, and a hundred thousand interstellar warships playing sneaky tricks: however he heard it, it sounded backward.
Luckily, there were other preparations.
"Then, Xiong Xiangxiang, you settle the plan for the frontal fighting. Then you need only share your side's battle plan with Zhao Waner. In your dispositions, you don't interfere with each other; each of you fights your own fight, and you need only know clearly what the other has arranged. We have one combat task: in the shortest possible time, destroy the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's flagship! And at the same time annihilate every interstellar warship of the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet. Done that way, this attack of ours on the Devourer Civilization's home universe will have achieved part of its strategic aim," Zhao Chen said, his gaze keen.
To destroy one of the Sovereigns would naturally be the best thing of all.
After all, as the saying goes, to catch the bandits, first catch their king.
Killing one of the Sovereigns and his legion fleet would surely throw the other side into a certain amount of disorder within a short time.
That was also one of Charlotte's aims.
"Don't worry. This time, I absolutely guarantee that whatever-his-name Drought-Fiend Sovereign over there won't even get a chance to run," Zhao Waner said with full confidence.
Xiong Xiangxiang nodded firmly too.
As commander of the Emperor's Guard Fleet, when she led the Emperor's Guard Fleet into action, what she stood for was beyond doubt the Emperor's own face.
How could she let His Majesty the Emperor be shamed?
So this combat task the Emperor's Guard Fleet had to complete, and could do nothing else!
……
Elsewhere,
in the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's own Sovereign star system,
the capital of his territory,
a fully armed interstellar fleet, ready for battle, was traveling in warp toward one direction at this moment.
But very soon they came out of warp and began to slow little by little.
Because they were going to use a star gate, they naturally had to bring their interstellar warships down to the lowest speed.
And an interstellar warship of a very eerie shape stood at the center of this interstellar legion fleet.
This interstellar warship was enormous, very nearly the biggest single interstellar warship in this interstellar legion fleet.
Yet it gave a very bony impression too.
The starship armor it used was not one solid iron plate, but hull armor like a skeletal frame, made with some special hull-armor technology.
The feeling it gave was as if this were not an interstellar warship at all, but the dried bones left behind when some enormous demon died.
And at its prow was a huge skull.
That gave the impression all the more.
And this interstellar warship was in fact one of Zhao Chen's targets in this military operation:
the super-flagship of the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet, the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's own flagship,
said to be a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship,
the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer!
It was of the same grade as that quasi-T7 Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship, but as for the size of the interstellar warship,
this interstellar warship was still no match for the huge Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship.
But its fighting power was not to be taken lightly.
In fighting power on a local battlefield, this quasi-T7 Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer was without doubt the first of all.
Because it was built on the frame of an interstellar destroyer to begin with, it could be used in almost any battlefield environment.
Its value for the price was far higher than the Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship's.
More important still, because the Drought-Fiend Sovereign loved interstellar destroyers, he had made improvements to this super-flagship of his in many respects.
"Heh, heh. At last a chance to cross swords with that Owl Dragon lot. That fellow Troll kept boasting before about how hard that Owl Dragon lot was to deal with. I'd like to see how this lot differs from the elite fleets of the interstellar civilizations I've dealt with before, and whether they can hold out under my attack. I only hope they don't bore me, that's all." The Drought-Fiend Sovereign sat on his throne with a sneering look on his face.
To his mind, this whatever-it-was Owl Dragon legion fleet was not worth mentioning at all; as for its fighting power,
most likely that fellow the Troll Monarch was just too weak himself, and had even got his Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship badly damaged in the fighting.
What a disgrace.
If it were his own Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer, it need only appear on the battlefield to send every enemy fleeing head over heels!
Just thinking of such a scene filled the Drought-Fiend Sovereign with eager expectation.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Unidentified interstellar warships found ahead, unidentified interstellar warships found ahead."
"Report: word has come from our star gate. The star gate and its interstellar escort fleet have been attacked by surprise by unidentified interstellar warships. The star gate is still under our control, but interstellar warships destroyed in the attack are blocking the shipping lane. And the enemy used some jamming weapons that have badly disrupted the star gate's signal. It's expected to take up to twenty-four hours to repair."
Several petty officers urgently reported these important pieces of news.
The Drought-Fiend Sovereign knit his brows, and said as if he could not believe it, "Attacking our star gate at a time like this? But even if they attack this star gate of ours, I can still go to a neighboring star system and use another star gate to reach the battlefield. At most it wastes a few hours."
"Lord Sovereign, the enemy… the enemy doesn't seem to be going after the star gate. They're coming for us. The interstellar reconnaissance ships we sent out found the enemy has already drawn up a battle formation on our route; it seems… it seems they're coming for us. The enemy's interstellar warships all bear the Owl Dragon blazon. And… and, comparing against our database, we found one of the interstellar warships should be the Owl Dragon Emperor's own flagship, the rumored T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship. And the ones intercepting us there are the Emperor's Guard Fleet!"
"What? The Emperor's Guard Fleet? You mean that Owl Dragon Emperor has come in person!" The Drought-Fiend Sovereign sprang to his feet.
"Yes."
"Can you be certain!" The Drought-Fiend Sovereign's tone was very grave; the mocking, teasing note of before was gone.
"Almost certain. These are the images we captured; please look them over." His subordinate sent several pieces of image data to the Drought-Fiend Sovereign.
The Drought-Fiend Sovereign looked them over; sure enough, they matched the database's description of the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship and its records of the Emperor's Guard Fleet exactly.
"Wait… only the Emperor's Guard Fleet?" The Drought-Fiend Sovereign seemed to have noticed something, and asked at once with a grave look.
"Yes," his subordinate answered honestly.