Hearing the Black-God Sovereign's explanation, the Troll Monarch was already cursing in his heart.
He naturally saw through the Black-God Sovereign's manner: it really meant he did not want to send help.
But this was no time for a falling-out; the only one who could support them now was the Black-God Sovereign.
The Troll Monarch begged again: "But as things stand, Black-God, will you really stand by and watch this place fall? It would be a huge loss for our whole Devourer Civilization. I don't need much; a hundred thousand interstellar warships will be enough. Please!"
Seeing him begging like this, the Black-God Sovereign did not refuse him again; in truth he had meant to send support all along.
He really would not leave these two Sovereigns entirely to their fate.
"I understand. I'll find a way to send a hundred thousand interstellar warships to support you in the shortest possible time. Hold on a little longer," the Black-God Sovereign agreed, but gave no exact time for the support.
The call ended in a hurry.
The Black-God Sovereign looked at the video window gone dark before him.
He turned his head toward the five commanders of the Black-God legion fleet group beside him.
These five Black-God Commanders were the five great commanders under the Black-God Sovereign. They held the elite legion fleets of the Black-God legion fleet group, and counted as the Black-God Sovereign's most trusted men.
"My lord, do you really mean to give up on those two?" asked one of the five commanders, whose armor bore the word "Five" in their own script.
So the Black-God Fifth Commander asked straight out.
At these somewhat presumptuous words, the Black-God Commanders present showed no surprise at all,
as if they were long used to it.
"I've been thinking about bringing those two's forces under one hand for some time. Those two look as if they're always at each other's throats and would never have a thing to do with each other. But they're both very sly; they never really come to blows, and they've always been very wary of us instead. Moving against both of them at once, I'm fairly sure I could do it, but it would surely do our Devourer Civilization as a whole no small harm."
The Black-God Sovereign looked at the map of the Devourer Civilization's universe before him and said coldly, "The original plan was to deal with those two after the campaign against the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, while we were at it. But that campaign, of all things, failed, and the plan was put off. And this time, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets attacking us has given us a chance instead."
"But doing this would surely weaken our Devourer Civilization's own strength? As things stand now, it seems ill-timed," the Black-God Third Commander said thoughtfully.
But the Black-God First Commander, standing at the very front, said calmly, "I think this is the best time of all, rather. Nothing new is built without breaking the old. Whenever it's done, clearing out those two's followers is bound to hurt the Devourer Civilization somewhat; it's only a question of how much. And this time, with the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets attacking, the two of them have already lost a great deal. Their flagship legion fleets, and even their own super-flagships, have taken heavy losses now. In such a state, clearing out their followers will do the least harm. As for the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's threat: we all know very well that the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's slender reserves can never support an all-out war against our Devourer Civilization, and the way they fight, within a month or two at most they'll have used up their main interstellar warships' munitions, above all their interstellar missiles. If they keep fighting past that stage, their fleets' casualties will rise steeply. By our understanding and analysis of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets, they take casualties very seriously, and won't do anything so risky. What's more, behind us there is Order. They won't throw everything they have against us; they're bound to hold something back against the risks that may come. So the strategic aim of this attack of theirs is only to take the initiative in the war with our Devourer Civilization into their own hands, and keep us from attacking them. If I'm not wrong, once this stage of the war is over, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets will stay quiet for a year or so at least. Their real attack on us will come next year, not now. And we can use that time to clear out those two's followers. Nothing new is built without breaking the old; that way we can build a more united Devourer Civilization. You've all seen it: the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire under that Owl Dragon Emperor's control has enormous fighting power, precisely because they're all under one man's command. And if we are all under Lord Black-God's sole command, we too are sure to unleash a greater potential for war!"
The Black-God First Commander's words won the agreement of many.
But someone still asked uneasily, "But if we move against these two Sovereigns, the Great Order… won't it be awkward for us to answer to it? After all, when our Devourer Civilization was founded, the Great Order backed all three of our factions at once. What we're doing now is nothing less than rooting out those who stand apart from us. If it displeases the Great Order, won't we… come to grief too?"
The Black-God Sovereign sat on his throne with his eyes closed and said calmly, "Lately the Great Order has had no time to watch us here."
"What?"
"Why?"
The Black-God Commanders were all very curious.
The Black-God Sovereign did not hide it, and said, "From what I understand, in the outer space between universes, some force has come to threaten the Great Order. So for now the Great Order is putting all its strength into dealing with this force. For a while it naturally has no time to watch us. And knowing the Great Order's nature, so long as we can clear away the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, the Great Order will surely not blame us."
Some force could actually contend with the Great Order in the outer space?
At this, the Black-God Commanders were all deeply shocked.
In their hearts, the Great Order was a being of tremendous power and terror.
The war technology their Devourer Civilization had now had nearly all been bestowed by the Great Order.
Without the Great Order's help, their Devourer Civilization could never have come this far.
"To business. Since we've decided to do this, we have to arrange everything properly." The Black-God Sovereign opened his eyes.
That single look was enough for the Black-God Commanders to know their Sovereign's mind clearly.
From this moment on, in the Devourer Civilization's future, there would be only one Sovereign.
"Then your meaning is that we need to support these two battlefields. But the timing of the support matters a great deal," said the only woman among the five Black-God Commanders, the Black-God Second Commander.
The Black-God Sovereign tapped his fingers slowly on his throne and said mildly, "Those two must die. But they can't die by our hands; that would be the worst outcome. It would get in the way of our taking over these two factions' followers and territories afterward; we'd best avoid it. Besides that, the loyal ones under them must be cleared out too; we've already drawn up a list of them. And it has to be done without a trace during this war, so that the blame can be pinned on the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets. After all, on a fierce battlefield, anything can happen. That includes the Troll Monarch's legion fleet and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet, naturally. But the two super-flagships under those two, we'd best get into our own hands. Those two starships fall well short of my Black-God, but they're quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships all the same, and still very useful on the battlefield. And the research institutes and industries under them will naturally all be ours in future; I don't want those badly damaged."
With these words the Black-God Sovereign had set out more exactly what he wanted.
The Black-God Sovereign paused, then went on, "What the Owl Dragon Emperor wants is to hold the initiative in the war and weaken our ability to attack the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire. It's true that after this stage of the war we'll find it hard to attack the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire again in a short time. But we can't let them come all this way for nothing either. Our Devourer Civilization's universe isn't a place they can come and go as they please. Since they've come visiting, they have to leave something behind."
These further words marked out still more exactly what the Black-God Sovereign wanted.
The five Black-God Commanders looked at one another, understanding without a word.
What the Black-God Sovereign wanted was to use the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets to pull out two Sovereigns and clear away their trusted followers and trusted fleets,
while not letting the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets do too much harm to the defense, research and other industries under those two.
What it came down to was that they meant to take over a whole, intact industrial chain from these two Sovereigns, not a heap of ruins.
And besides, these Owl Dragon legion fleets were to pay some price in this war; they could not be let off with a free win.
"We've set lookouts watching both of these battlefields. On the battlefield in the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's star system, the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet and the forty thousand interstellar warships sent by the Troll Monarch's legion fleet are still fighting the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite; so long as the Owl Dragon legion fleets send no more reinforcements, there'll be no clear winner for a while. Besides that, the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer was badly damaged in the attack by two of the Owl Dragon legion fleets' Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts; it escaped destruction, but it can't fight on. Fortunately, though, the Owl Dragon legion fleets weren't too set on destroying the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer on the spot. And the Drought-Fiend Sovereign has switched from attack to defense, guarding his flagship with everything he has. He's also asking us for support. By our analysis of things as they stand, he can hold out a while longer with no trouble. We can judge when to send support by whether the Owl Dragon legion fleets send reinforcements," the Black-God Third Commander said coldly.
The Black-God Fifth Commander spoke up just then as well: "As for the Troll Monarch's battlefield, that's simpler still. Ten enemy Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts are besieging the Troll Monarch's ten thousand interstellar warships and his Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship. We need only wait until those ten thousand interstellar warships are down to about two thousand, or until those ten Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts threaten the Troll Monarch's home planet and his flagship, and step in then."
"That's right. After all, the savior always shows up at the very last moment," the Black-God Fourth Commander said mockingly.
The Black-God First Commander stared at the interstellar war holo-table and pointed at the Owl Dragon legion fleets on the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's battlefield.
"The Owl Dragon Emperor's guard fleet and his flagship, the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship, are fighting here too; the Owl Dragon Emperor may very well be here himself. Since we mean to make the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire leave something behind, this guard fleet of the Owl Dragon Emperor's is beyond doubt the fittest target. And we can use it as bait to draw more Owl Dragon legion fleets here, and force them into a decisive battle with us here."
The Black-God Sovereign listened to his subordinates' thinking and nodded in satisfaction. "Then how many legion fleets do you need? And who will command the operations on each battlefield?"
The five Black-God Commanders looked at one another, and in the end their eyes settled on the Black-God First Commander.
Among the five of them, the Black-God First Commander had always been treated as the eldest; they all hoped to take part in this battle, but they still had to follow the eldest's arrangements.
The Black-God First Commander spoke up then. First he pointed at the battlefield in the Troll Monarch's star system and said, "Fifth, you take the Black-God Fifth Legion fleet and a hundred thousand regular legion fleet ships to this battlefield at the appointed time, and carry out your orders."
The Black-God legion fleet group was the Black-God Sovereign's ace force; it could also be called his guard force.
It was made up mainly of five Black-God legions, a hundred fifty thousand interstellar warships in all, thirty thousand interstellar warships to each legion fleet.
Its total number looked larger than the other two Sovereigns' ace fleets, and each single legion fleet smaller than either of theirs.
But in fact, neither of those two Sovereigns dared take any one Black-God legion fleet lightly.
Each had only thirty thousand interstellar warships, but leaving aside those two quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships, neither of those two Sovereigns' legion fleets was a match for thirty thousand interstellar warships of a Black-God legion.
This was the ace of aces among the Devourer Civilization's fleets!
"A hundred thirty thousand interstellar warships is plenty to deal with ten Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts opposite. I'd like to see for myself whether this rumored mass-production quasi-T7 interstellar warship of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's is really so strong." The Black-God Fifth Commander looked ready to spring. "Lord Sovereign, big brother, don't worry; I guarantee this little task will be done!"
The Black-God First Commander added one more reminder just then: "Remember, your combat task is to secure our harvest, not to destroy the enemy's interstellar warships."
"All right, I know, I know. If my looks scare the enemy's interstellar warships off, I won't chase them." The Black-God Fifth Commander waved his hand carelessly.
The Black-God First Commander looked at the battlefield in the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's star system, then at the other two. "Second, Third, the two of you take your own Black-God legion fleets, plus three million interstellar warships when the time comes. You're responsible for taking in our harvest, and for putting a little pressure on that Owl Dragon Emperor and his fleet as well. If you can take out that Owl Dragon Emperor's flagship, so much the better; failing that, draw as many enemy interstellar legion fleets as you can in support. On this battlefield, destroy as many enemy interstellar warships as you can."
"Understood." The Black-God Second Commander licked her red lips with a bloodthirsty smile.
The Black-God Third Commander said coldly, "Orders received."
"Huh, it's just me left over again?" The Black-God Fourth Commander looked aggrieved.
The Black-God First Commander looked at the Black-God Fourth Commander and said, "We can't rule out the enemy having other means. After all, the Owl Dragon Emperor still has that Owl Dragon hive-race fleet in hand, and the Holy Elf Empire's legion fleets haven't stirred all this while. We have to guard against that."
"Yes…" The Black-God Fourth Commander shrugged helplessly.
"Haven't you got me here keeping you company?" the Black-God First Commander said.
Then he looked at all of them and said, "For now we'll go by these dispositions; if anything else changes later, we'll arrange things then. You may go and prepare now."
"Yes." The three Black-God Commanders saluted and took their leave.
The Black-God First Commander looked at the Black-God Fourth Commander, who had not left. "You go too."
"Huh? But I don't have a task." The Black-God Fourth Commander was taken aback, then seemed to understand something, and left at once with a smile.
That left only the Black-God First Commander and the Black-God Sovereign in the palace.
"Brother, do you think I'm being cruel? After all, those two have their little faults, but they're comrades who walked side by side with us all the way here." The Black-God Sovereign leaned back on his throne and looked at the Black-God First Commander.
The Black-God First Commander looked at the Black-God Sovereign in his armor, his face unseen, and some feeling showed in his cold gaze:
guilt, complication, inner struggle.
That's right.
The Black-God First Commander was in truth the Black-God Sovereign's own elder brother.
As for why the younger brother had become the Black-God Sovereign while the elder was content to serve under him as the Black-God First Commander, that was another story.
"Whatever you want, whatever you mean to do, I'll do it for you," the Black-God First Commander said calmly, as if a thing like clearing away two Sovereigns did not matter at all in his eyes.
"Ha ha ha ha… ha ha ha… It's so good to have my brother here, so good. Then the two of us will rule the whole Devourer Civilization! Brother, shall I make you a new Sovereign then?" the Black-God Sovereign said suddenly, laughing as he looked at his brother.
A flicker of helplessness crossed the Black-God First Commander's eyes; he went down on one knee and said in a low voice, "The Devourer Civilization needs only one Sovereign, and that is you. I will only ever be a sword in your hand, fighting for you."
………
The Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · the bridge
Zhao Chen looked at the video window that had come up before him; on the other side was Charlotte.
"You're calling me. Are we moving on to the next stage of the battle plan?" Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded and said seriously, "From our watch on the Black-God Sovereign's side, we've found that the Black-God Sovereign's legion fleets are on the move. Above all the elite fleets under him, the Black-God legion fleet group. The Black-God Sovereign must be about to act. Most likely his targets are the battlefield you're on and the battlefield in the Troll Monarch's star system."
"That fellow called Black-God has held out long enough. I've just about finished off his two brothers before he gets ready to move. It seems the three Sovereigns aren't of one mind after all," Zhao Chen said mockingly.
Charlotte said, "My guess is that this time the Black-God Sovereign means to use us to clear away these two Sovereigns."
"That's a cold heart, truly. Then what do you plan to do next?" Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte with interest.
Charlotte raised her hand and brought up the interstellar war holo-table of the Devourer Civilization's universe.
On it now were thirty-two battlefields:
the original thirty, and the two that had been added now.
"Since another target has started moving, we have to move too. I've already given the order. In five hours, the legion fleets on two-thirds of the thirty star-system battlefields will withdraw at once and hurry to the assembly point. The remaining third will act as things allow: pull out if they can, and if they can't, keep the enemy tied up. After all, we have hardly any forces left to move now; we can only squeeze out what we can from everywhere else," Charlotte said.
Zhao Chen propped his chin in his hand. "I expect the Black-God Sovereign will want to use me as bait to draw more legion fleets to this battlefield. But what he doesn't know is that we're using my being bait to draw them in. The real battlefield for the decisive fight isn't any of those thirty star systems. It's this place we picked out for them long ago. And they've been wary all along of our Supernova Ultimate Bomb and the Owl Dragon hive-race fleet. So long as we never use those two trump cards, the Black-God Sovereign has to keep guarding against them. It's like a blade hanging over his head: unfallen, it frightens more than if it fell."
"But from here on, you'll be in some danger. I talked it over with Lilith; would you consider moving to another starship first…"
Before Charlotte could finish, Zhao Chen cut her off: "Don't even say it. This is the battle plan you drew up, and I'm a key part of it. Right now it's not only us watching the other side; the other side is watching my every move too. Never mind whether I'm willing to leave. If my leaving made the enemy suspicious, it would upset our whole plan. And Charlotte, you ought to know what I'm like."