The planet could be seen now "riddled with holes"; the attacks of the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought had even set off some small natural disasters.
Some important ground facilities had been wrecked as well, and the broken walls of ground cities could be seen everywhere.
Seen from outer space, it was like a badly wounded soldier with hardly an inch of whole skin left on him.
One could even see a mountain range that should have been there cut into several pieces now,
and where there had been a plain, several "canyons and gullies" could clearly be seen.
How these changes in the land had come about needs no saying.
They were all the work of the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought No. 11!
And now this "culprit" had at last stopped, and sailed away from here.
The three Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts joined up and headed together for the edge of the battlefield, leaving behind them the burning home planet of the Troll Monarch, the burning Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship, and the wreckage of who knew how many interstellar warships of the Troll Monarch's legion fleet.
The Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship · the bridge
It was utter chaos here now; flashing red lights could be seen everywhere.
Explosions could even be heard faintly.
"Put out the fire! Put out the fire! There's fire here!"
"Hurry, patch it; there's a breach here."
"Somebody come quick; someone's pinned down here."
"Medic, medic! Wounded here, wounded here!"
At the captain's seat on the bridge, only half of the Sovereign's throne that had stood there was left, and where the other half had been was a deep pit.
The compartment below the bridge had been wrecked and had caved in.
The Troll Monarch's fat bulk stood not far off, looking at the caved-in ruin and the half throne.
His face was very ugly.
"Lord Sovereign! The enemy's Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts have withdrawn for now. But our Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship is badly damaged. Cough, cough, cough… Wouldn't you rather move to another starship first?" his adjutant suggested carefully beside him.
"They've beaten us all the way to our own home. They've shelled my own home planet. And you want me to go and hide? You pack of useless fools! If it weren't for you useless things, how could this fight have gone like this!" the Troll Monarch roared hysterically.
This time he had truly lost all face.
Losing the first campaign was one thing.
This time his home planet had been shelled outright, and even his own flagship damaged again.
Wasn't that standing on his face and stamping on it?
"Report: the Black-God Sovereign has sent the Black-God Fifth Legion to support us. The Fifth Commander of the Black-God Fifth Legion is organizing the pursuit of the Owl Dragon side's eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts. The Black-God Fifth Commander has sent a message asking you to be sure to see to your own safety," a communications officer passed on.
"Heh, heh, heh. Playing the good man now? If they really cared about us, where were their reinforcements before! A pack of hypocrites!" the Troll Monarch roared in fury; the Troll Monarch's angry bellows could be heard all over the bridge.
And after that, the eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts met pursuit and blocking by the Black-God Fifth Legion's thirty thousand interstellar warships come in support.
But they were eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts, quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships, after all.
Short of a ring as tight as an iron bucket, it would be very hard to keep all eight quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts there.
In the end the Black-God Fifth Legion fleet split in two: twenty thousand interstellar warships went after the Owl Dragon side's eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts, to see whether they could keep one or two of them there.
The remaining ten thousand Black-God Fifth Legion interstellar warships stayed here and took over the defense around the Troll Monarch's home planet.
After all, of the ten thousand interstellar warships of the Troll Monarch's legion fleet that had been here, fewer than two thousand were left by now, and those two thousand hardly looked like "ships" anymore.
About half an hour after the Owl Dragon side's eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts had withdrawn,
the Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship received some visitors.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp.
Footsteps sounded outside the bridge.
The Troll Monarch sat on a makeshift throne with a bottle of wine in his hand; there were many empty bottles at his feet, and on the wall not far off several dozen bodies tortured to death could be seen.
It could be seen that the Troll Monarch was venting his rage.
"Lord Sovereign… Lord Sovereign…" a subordinate called carefully from not far off, his voice trembling a little.
"Didn't I tell you not to damn well bother me!" The Troll Monarch flung the bottle in his hand toward the voice without ceremony.
But there was none of the sound of a shattering bottle one would have expected.
Instead, a leisurely voice came.
"It seems we've come at a bad time. The Lord Sovereign is in a poor mood?"
The Troll Monarch heard this rather unfamiliar, mocking voice.
He slowly raised his head and looked across the bridge, dim without its lights.
At the bridge's doorway stood a squad of soldiers, and the one at the very front wore black armor and was holding the very wine bottle that had been flung at him.
And at his feet was a bridge officer, trembling.
The style of that black armor was very familiar.
It was very like what the Black-God Sovereign wore!
"How did you get onto my flagship? Were you announced? Don't think that being some Fifth Commander or other under Black-God lets you swagger on my ground! In my eyes you lot are nothing but lackeys!" The Troll Monarch, somewhat drunk, looked at these people.
He naturally knew who they were: the Black-God Fifth Commander of the Black-God Fifth Legion.
The Black-God Fifth Commander smiled coldly, a mocking smile on his face.
He paid no heed to the anger and scorn in the Troll Monarch's words, but glanced around the bridge and said with regret, "Such a fine interstellar warship, gone to waste. You've let it come to this. I saw that even your home planet was shelled by the enemy. Tsk, tsk, tsk: unable even to protect his own home planet. You make a truly shameful Sovereign!"
At this, a flicker of anger crossed the Black-God Fifth Commander's eyes.
This useless thing had actually let the Troll Monarch's home planet fall and suffer such heavy losses in so short a time; when he went back it would be truly hard to answer to the Lord Black-God Sovereign, and he was sure to be punished for it.
"You dare blame me! What are you supposed to be? Do you believe I'll crush you right now, you little small fry!" The Troll Monarch was utterly provoked now; he walked toward the Black-God Fifth Commander with rather unsteady steps.
He was carrying a wine bottle a full meter and more tall, and was about to smash it down on the Black-God Fifth Commander's head.
A bottle that big smashed down on him would surely make the Black-God Fifth Commander's head spin a little, helmet or no.
But just then, several figures shot out.
Then came the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, and the meter-plus wine bottle landed safely on the floor, rolled over a few times, and happened to bump against the Black-God Fifth Commander's feet.
"What are you doing! I am a Sovereign; you dare treat me with such disrespect? You'll die for it! Someone! Where are my guards! Seize these people for me; I'll drink their blood and eat their flesh!"
The Troll Monarch, still roaring, lay on the floor now; his hands and feet had been shot through by some weapon trailing chains, which had dragged him down flat on the floor, prostrate.
Because of his fat bulk, the bridge shook several times when this great thing fell.
"Bastards, what are you doing!" The Troll Monarch struggled and howled, but the several men holding him down left him unable to move.
The Black-God Fifth Commander stepped forward and set his foot without ceremony on the Troll Monarch's face, saying coldly, "I come by the order of the Black-God Sovereign to take over the Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship. As for you… the Devourer Civilization no longer needs any spare Sovereigns."
On the Troll Monarch's fat face, besides the Black-God Fifth Commander's foot, beads of sweat appeared.
He struggled and shouted, "Impossible! This is impossible! We made a promise before the Great Existence to build the Devourer Civilization together. If Black-God dares move against us, he's betraying the Great Order. He'll be punished by the Great Order. I want to see Black-God, I want to see Black-God!"
The Black-God Fifth Commander looked down at the Troll Monarch with contempt and said scornfully, "Do you think you became one of the three Sovereigns back then because of some ability of yours? Dead wrong. If your forces hadn't had the most men and troops of all the legion fleets under the three Sovereigns back then, you'd never have been fit to be one of the three Sovereigns. And you've lived off your old savings for all these years; it's time you stepped down from that seat. This universe needs only one Sovereign, and that is our Black-God Sovereign."
At this, contempt and disdain came over the Black-God Fifth Commander's face; he drew a lightsaber from his waist and toyed with it in his hand.
This seemingly easy movement was very frightening in the Troll Monarch's eyes; it made him sweat all the more.
The Black-God Fifth Commander went on, "As for what you said, that the Great Order will punish us? You're far too naive. After so many years, don't you know the Great Order's temper yet? The Great Order has always looked only at results, never at how they came about. So long as the result satisfies it, the Great Order won't care at all what we did. Right now the Great Order is dealing with other things and has no mind to watch us. Once we've dealt with you lot and swallowed up your forces and resources, we'll build up our legion fleets in a short time. And then we'll wipe out the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire at one stroke. In that case, do you think the Great Order will really punish us for anything?"
Hearing the Black-God Fifth Commander's words, the Troll Monarch's pupils widened.
For there really was some sense in what the Black-God Fifth Commander said.
If they really did as he said, then at most the Great Order would scold Black-God with a few words.
After all, by then the wood would already be a boat, and the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire wiped out.
And the Great Order would still need a claw to see to some things for it.
So it would quietly accept all that had happened.
No one would care at all whether these Sovereigns lived or died.
Understanding all this, and looking at that shining lightsaber,
the Troll Monarch's eyes were full of fear; he began shouting, begging for mercy: "I see, I understand! I'm willing to give up everything I have now; I'm willing to hand everything in my hands to the great Lord Black-God Sovereign. I'm willing to swear loyalty to the Black-God Sovereign. With my help, the forces and resources under me will be reorganized and merged faster. If… if the Lord Black-God Sovereign doesn't need my help, I'm willing to give up everything I have now too. I only beg you, for the sake of our friendship all these years, spare my life. I beg you, I beg you. Or… let me get in touch with the Lord Black-God Sovereign, and I'll tell the Lord Black-God Sovereign myself…"
The Black-God Fifth Commander smiled with scorn. "You help us? It sounds sensible enough, but have you ever wondered why we could get onto your flagship so smoothly, come straight to your bridge and stand before you? Is it possible that long ago our Black-God's people were already planted everywhere under you? Being taken over by the Lord Black-God Sovereign is only a matter of one order. We don't need your help at all, Lord Troll Monarch. And to us, your existence is a nuisance. And nuisances, we have always dealt with by clearing them away."
Only now did the Troll Monarch notice that, with so great an upheaval on his own bridge, no one at all had stepped forward.
He looked around him.
His own guards had not appeared at all; probably they were either long gone or already under Black-God's control.
And among the people still on the bridge, two kinds could be seen.
One kind went on with their work step by step without a change of expression, as if what was happening here had nothing to do with them and did not even touch their feelings.
The other kind were shocked by what was happening, but because everyone around them did nothing, and because they feared the Black-God Sovereign in their hearts,
they only dared stay obediently where they were and keep silent.
So it had come to this.
Just then, the lightsaber in the Black-God Fifth Commander's hand began slowly coming down toward the Troll Monarch's head.
The Troll Monarch struggled madly, but with his hands and feet bound he had no chance to move at all.
He felt the lightsaber overhead going into his head bit by bit, and pain began to come; perhaps it was deliberate.
The Black-God Fifth Commander's hand moved very, very slowly, as if to let the Troll Monarch taste the flavor of death to the full.
"No… no… don't kill me. I… I still have a great many treasures and resources here. If you'll only let me go, these… these can all be yours… No… no… don't kill me…"
The begging grew weaker and weaker, and after a pool of blood had reddened the floor, the Troll Monarch made no more sound at all.
The lightsaber had gone in at the top of his head and come out at his jaw, running his whole head through and pinning it to the bridge floor.
The Black-God Fifth Commander saw the blood flowing onto his boots and knit his brows slightly.
He let go of the hilt, wiped his bloodied hand on the Troll Monarch's clothes,
then walked to the half of the throne that was left and looked coldly at everyone on the bridge. "I declare that from this moment on, I take over all affairs aboard the Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship. You are all subjects of the Black-God Sovereign now, and you will give your lives for the Lord Black-God Sovereign. Is that clear!"
"Clear," came a scattering of voices on the bridge.
"What? From the sound of you, you're not very happy about it." The Black-God Fifth Commander's cold gaze swept over everyone present.
"Clear!"
"Long live the Lord Black-God Sovereign!"
"We'll give our loyalty to the Lord Black-God Sovereign!"
Voices rose one after another on the bridge.
The Black-God Fifth Commander smiled mockingly; he did not much care about these people either.
"Who is the highest-ranking person aboard the Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship now? Step forward," the Black-God Fifth Commander asked.
"It's… it's me." A deputy captain stepped forward, trembling, very nervous.
The Black-God Fifth Commander looked at this man before him, patted him on the shoulder and asked, "Tell me: what state is this Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship in now?"
"Reporting, my lord. The Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship was attacked by the Owl Dragon side's Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts in the fighting before, and is very badly damaged, worse than in the first campaign. It must go back to drydock for repairs at once; it's expected… expected to take about a year to repair," the deputy captain answered obediently.
The Black-God Fifth Commander knit his brows and said, rather vexed, "You really are a pack of useless fools. Against Owl Dragon interstellar warships, with ten thousand interstellar warships against fewer than ten on the other side, you still let the fight go like this. Truly shameful."
The deputy captain kept his head down and dared not speak,
though at heart he did not agree with these words at all.
You haven't felt the terrible fighting power of those Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts for yourself; if you had, you'd never say such a thing.
That Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought might not match the Devourer Civilization's three quasi-T7 super-flagships in fighting power,
but it was a true mass-production quasi-T7 interstellar warship, made for war.
And the three Sovereigns' super-flagships?
To tell the truth, they were nothing but quasi-T7-grade weapons and equipment fitted on and patched together.
Not the same thing at all as theirs.
Hence the result now.
It was not that they were incompetent; whoever had commanded this battle, the result would have been the same.
"From now on, you're in charge of this interstellar warship, and I'll have someone watching you. Don't try any little tricks. Now, loyalty to the Lord Black-God Sovereign is your only choice." The Black-God Fifth Commander patted this deputy captain's face.
"Yes… yes… understood. I… I've always admired the Lord Black-God Sovereign very much!" the deputy captain said at once, with a fawning smile.
The Black-God Fifth Commander glanced over the bridge before him; he had meant to command the next fighting from this super-flagship's bridge,
but the sorry state of it made him give up the idea.
He turned and walked out of the bridge.
Of the people he had brought, apart from some left to take over and watch this Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship, all the rest left with him.
All at once the whole bridge was quiet again.
The huge figure lying alone on the bridge floor seemed in that moment to matter to no one at all.
Yet the pool of bright red blood on the floor was so very striking.
Because no one said what to do with the body, this fat corpse lay there a long, long time,
until it began getting in the way of the work of the departments on the bridge; only then did the Black-God men left here, after asking their superiors,
take this figure, once one of the Devourer Civilization's three Sovereigns and a terror feared by other interstellar civilizations,
and throw it out through the garbage chute into the space outside.
The fat body drifted in the space outside, right above the Troll Monarch's burning home planet; and, it must be said, the picture had a flavor all its own.
And the Black-God Fifth Commander, boarding a shuttle to go back to his own flagship, looked at the traces of the battle outside just then.
"How do things stand now?" the Black-God Fifth Commander asked.
The adjutant beside him answered at once, "Lord Commander, here in the Troll Monarch's star system: of the ten thousand interstellar warships that were here, fewer than two thousand are left. Every important site on the Troll Monarch's home planet has been hit by orbital bombardment from enemy interstellar warships; the losses can't be counted yet, but… they probably aren't good. The quasi-T7 Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship's hull is badly damaged…"
The Black-God Fifth Commander shot this fellow a glance and said, "Do you think I can't see all this here? I'm asking about the eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts being pursued over there."
The adjutant paused, then went on, "We split off twenty thousand interstellar warships to give chase. But unfortunately those eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts are strong in every respect; they may have taken some damage in the fighting before. Of the eight Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts, three have no star shields. But at a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship's speed, once they're running, without a firm encirclement formed in advance, it's truly very hard to keep these eight enemy Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts here."
Hearing his adjutant,
the Black-God Fifth Commander knit his brows and asked in a low voice, "We can't keep even one?"
He was plainly very displeased with the state of things.
Eight enemy Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts had completed their combat task and then been allowed to withdraw so easily; it was something he could not accept.