It was over a million Owl Dragon interstellar warships, pouring wave after wave toward the blue door, setting out for the battlefield on his side.
And beneath the blue door was a glowing starship:
the T6 starship Southern Heaven Gate!
Never mind the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's enemies;
even within the Owl Dragon legion fleets, few people knew of this starship.
For this starship was too mysterious, and it had appeared too rarely.
Mind you, the Southern Heaven Gate could be counted as the earliest to appear of the several T6 super-flagships under Zhao Chen.
But it had taken part in very few campaigns, and as a support interstellar warship besides, it naturally went all but unnoticed.
But going unnoticed and seldom used did not mean this interstellar warship was not strong.
Its power to send interstellar warships without limit alone was enough to secure it a vital place in great campaigns!
The Southern Heaven Gate could open a short-term star-gate channel, linked both ways,
and then send interstellar warships without limit!
Without limit!
Those two simple words were where its worth lay.
That was also why Owl Dragon interstellar warships could keep pouring out now.
And just then, a huge interstellar warship rose into view behind the blue light-door:
the T6 Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought, the Owl Dragon Grand Marshal's flagship.
Just then a video window came up before Zhao Chen too.
"Welcome," Zhao Chen greeted her with a grin.
"We're not too late, are we?" Charlotte asked.
"Not late, not late. The real show hasn't started yet. It's been waiting for you to come and play it," Zhao Chen said with a laugh.
Secretary Lilith beside him was rather surprised, and said, "I never thought you'd actually bring the Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought over, Grand Marshal. Didn't I hear it was being used on several of the main battlefields? Didn't that lot notice you disappearing?"
Charlotte explained with a smile, "The enemy noticed, naturally. But a starship rotating to the rear of a battlefield to rest and refit is nothing much, is it? After all, it vanished for less than half an hour all told. Who would have thought this starship had its own space-jump capability?"
That's right: the Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought had a space-jump capability of its own, so after leaving a battlefield it could quickly maneuver within a certain space-jump range.
With this ability, Charlotte had brought the Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought to the Southern Heaven Gate's assembly point,
and then come to the battlefield through the star gate the Southern Heaven Gate had opened.
By this move,
the Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought, a starship that could not possibly appear on this battlefield in so short a time, had appeared here just like that!
"How are things on the other side?" Zhao Chen asked about the far side of the door.
"Nearly two million interstellar warships in all have more or less finished gathering on the other side of the door; the few that haven't arrived yet will be there within three hours at the latest. At present the Southern Heaven Gate is sending about five hundred thousand to six hundred thousand interstellar warships an hour. Sending them all over should take about three hours. Besides that, long before the plan began, we had great numbers of interstellar transports and interstellar supply ships waiting at the assembly point over there. That way, the interstellar warships that arrive early don't waste time even while they wait; they can resupply on munitions and supplies in the meantime and get ready for the fighting ahead," Charlotte explained.
Zhao Chen listened to Charlotte and looked at that point on the star map.
In truth, Charlotte had told Zhao Chen of the real plan before:
to beat the enemy on timing before the final decisive battle.
Hadn't the several attack plans before already drawn off most of the enemy's legion fleets?
So at this point, pull the Owl Dragon legion fleets off those star-system battlefields.
It looked like a withdrawal, but in truth, the moment those Owl Dragon legion fleets left the battlefields, they hurried at full speed to an assembly point fixed long before,
an assembly point where the Southern Heaven Gate and a batch of interstellar transports and interstellar supply ships had long been waiting.
At that assembly point, to put the arriving Owl Dragon interstellar warships in better fighting condition,
several temporary wartime starship bases had even been built, where interstellar warships could be maintained and resupplied, which greatly eased the load on the interstellar supply ships and made resupply more efficient too.
And the choice of this assembly point mattered a great deal.
Charlotte had chosen it long before this campaign began.
First, this assembly point had to be neither too near nor too far from those thirty star-system battlefields, so that the Owl Dragon legion fleets withdrawn from the star-system battlefields could reach it in time.
It could be neither too far from any one star-system battlefield nor too near one.
And at the same time, this assembly point could not be exposed too early.
For this, the Phantom Scout ace fleet group, which had charge of choosing the site, had spent a long time before the campaign began before settling on this position!
Luckily, the whole move had now come out very well!
"Then have you settled on your final idea?" Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte.
There was one thing, in truth, that even Zhao Chen did not know yet:
how far Charlotte meant to go.
Charlotte herself had not been sure of it before, for she had said it had to be decided by how things actually went on the battlefield;
she could not fix a goal in advance.
Now Charlotte looked at Zhao Chen and said very firmly, "I mean to eat the Black-God Sovereign's three million interstellar warships here, and two elite Black-God legion fleets!"
Hearing Charlotte's intention,
Zhao Chen's face did not change much.
It was Lilith who looked greatly startled.
Three million interstellar warships might not sound like a great many, but mind you, this campaign had all but reached the end of its stage.
To eat three million enemy interstellar warships at the very end,
plus two elite Black-God fleets: that was quite an appetite!
If Charlotte really managed this,
Lilith reckoned that in this campaign, counting the enemies destroyed on every battlefield, enemy interstellar warships destroyed would come to an astonishing thirty million at the least!
Perhaps more.
After a few words, Charlotte put on a serious look, turned to Zhao Chen and gave a military salute. "Your Majesty, I, Charlotte, now ask you for command of the battlefield."
She was still like this, sometimes holding to these formalities.
Zhao Chen could only say, just as properly, "Pass on my order: supreme command of this battlefield now passes to Marshal Charlotte. The Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship will obey and support Marshal Charlotte's command."
"Yes," Charlotte answered.
Then she went straight to work; she had only just arrived on this battlefield,
but every order she gave was fast, precise and exact, as if she had been watching this battlefield all along.
And Charlotte's orders were simple: gather the interstellar cruisers and interstellar battlecruisers of every legion fleet now, and form several fast slicing strike fleets, all to turn from defense to attack at this moment and encircle the enemy's interstellar warships before them.
Just as Charlotte had said before, she meant to annihilate the three million enemy interstellar warships in all, those here now and those about to come in support.
She meant to put a perfect full stop to this campaign.
Such moves, naturally, could not escape the eyes of the two Black-God Commanders opposite either.
And they were greatly astonished by them.
For in their view, the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets were fighting across universes, and were surely unwilling to fight to the death here against Devourer Civilization legion fleets fighting on home ground.
Yet the formation the other side was taking up now was plainly meant to encircle their legion fleets; could the aim be any plainer?
They meant to eat the million-odd interstellar warships here now.
And mind you, the million-odd interstellar warships here were not only the Devourer Civilization's regular legion fleets; there were the Black-God legion fleets come in support too, the elite legion fleets under the Black-God Sovereign!
In the eyes of these two Black-God Commanders, the Owl Dragon commander opposite had far too big an appetite.
Not thinking how to get away, but actually thinking of eating them!
It was incredible, past all reason!
"The commander opposite is a madman through and through. What do we do now?" the Black-God Second Commander asked the Black-God Third Commander opposite for his view.
The Black-God Third Commander paused, then said, "The Lord Sovereign's idea before was to make this a meat grinder for the enemy. Mind you, this is our ground; compared with the scattered fighting before, isn't fighting in one place like this better suited to us! If they can bring in legion fleets, can't we too!"
The Black-God Third Commander grew more and more excited as he spoke, and said straight out, "I think this is in fact a chance for us to use the enemy's greed. Not only do we have a hope of crippling the enemy's super-flagship, we can wear down more of the enemy's interstellar warships here. That would make up for our losses before, wouldn't it!"
Hearing the Black-God Third Commander's thinking,
the Black-God Second Commander looked somewhat hesitant; she said with a little worry, "But if the Owl Dragon commander opposite dares take such a risk, it means they're sure of themselves. You've seen the fighting power of the Owl Dragon legion fleets and their interstellar warships!"
"I know all that you say, naturally, but that's part of the battlefield too. If the enemy dares do it, can't we! When two meet on a narrow road, the bold one wins!" the Black-God Third Commander said firmly.
The Black-God Second Commander thought it over, and said, still hesitating, "This matter is very important; I need to ask the Lord Sovereign for instructions."
The Black-God Third Commander looked at the other coldly. "As timid as ever."
"In this campaign the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire has shown a great deal of terrifying military technology. If we aren't careful and cautious, we may come to grief at the Owl Dragon legion fleets' hands just like the Troll Monarch and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign. Never take your opponent lightly." When the Black-God Second Commander had said this, she began contacting the Black-God Sovereign.
The Black-God Third Commander said nothing more either; he believed they should fight the Owl Dragon legion fleets to the death right now and make this a meat-grinder graveyard for the enemy,
but this was a matter of great weight, and if the other did not agree, he could not give the order on his own.
Luckily, the Black-God Sovereign soon gave his answer.
The order was simple:
he agreed with the Black-God Third Commander's proposal, and gave the two of them the right to widen the scale of the fighting on this battlefield without limit.
And he said that regular legion fleets could be drawn from the other star-system battlefields in support.
That also meant the number of Devourer Civilization interstellar warships on this battlefield in future might go beyond three million.
The Black-God Second Commander looked at the Black-God Third Commander again. "The Sovereign has agreed to your battle request. He'll send us more reinforcements after this. But there's one requirement: we're to hold the enemy's interstellar warships here and get the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite to commit as many interstellar warships here as possible. The enemy has been fighting in our universe for over half a month now; by our estimate, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's war resources can't keep the Owl Dragon legion fleets fighting at this intensity for long. So if we can pin the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's main fleets down here, then as the enemy's war resources run out, we may well rout the enemy's interstellar legion fleets!"
The Black-God Third Commander nodded. "Right; that's what I was thinking too. After all, this is our ground, our strength is no weaker, and we still have a great many interstellar legion fleets we can move. In a long war, we've nothing to fear!"
"Then let's lay out our dispositions for the fighting ahead." The Black-God Second Commander looked at the interstellar war holo-table before her.
On it the Owl Dragon legion fleets could be seen on many sides; under the earlier arrangements and movements, they had gradually begun to encircle the interstellar warship fleets of the Devourer Civilization's position on their side.
The encirclement had already formed a half moon.
"As things stand for us now, we have only a million-odd interstellar warships here, and the two million behind still need a little time to get here. And the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite already number over three hundred thousand, and are growing fast enough to see. On present strength, we're at a disadvantage. So it's not wise to meet the enemy hard against hard. But we can't withdraw either. So my idea is that we simply build a defensive position on this base point and draw the enemy into attacking us. Let them form their encirclement. Then later, when our reinforcements arrive, they'll form an encirclement around the enemy. Then it'll be us who can strike the enemy from both sides!"
Hearing what the Black-God Third Commander set out, the Black-God Second Commander thought it over, and said in a low voice, "If we're to go about it as you say, then to tear a gap open quickly as things stand now, we'll have to use our elite fleets."
When she had said this, the Black-God Second Commander gazed at the Black-God Third Commander, and the meaning in her eyes was already very plain.
The Black-God Third Commander nodded. "That's right; to carry out the whole combat task, our two Black-God legion fleets will have to step up. And we know the risks in it very well, naturally. The enemy opposite will naturally not let slip so good a chance; in their eyes, our two legion fleets have always been the best prey of all! They won't let slip any chance to destroy us. But that's our chance too. The number of interstellar warships the enemy has sent to support this battlefield has nearly reached a limit by now; we've both seen their follow-on legion fleets dwindling step by step. In the fighting to come, the interstellar warships opposite will probably stay at about this number; there won't be any more reinforcements."
Listening to what the Black-God Third Commander set out, the Black-God Second Commander knit her brows and said, "But you have to know that what's opposite isn't some few hundred thousand interstellar warships. What's already appeared before us alone is over five hundred thousand interstellar warships! Five hundred thousand interstellar warships! And not any ordinary five hundred thousand, but five hundred thousand Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships of the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite. Our doctrine has already warned plainly that against the Owl Dragon legion fleets we must have more than ten times their forces. Yet as things stand now, we have only two million interstellar warships even at the very fullest count. Once we do as you say, our two Black-God legion fleets could become two live targets right before the enemy's eyes."
The Black-God Third Commander said without a change of expression, "And if we keep huddling here, aren't we live targets? The enemy's intent is already very plain: they mean to surround a point and strike the relief force! And we're that point. And this point of ours is already in the last countdown of its life; the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite won't let us exist for long. As things stand, in the Owl Dragon commander's plan opposite, in ten hours at the soonest and no more than fifteen at the most, we'll be annihilated here by the enemy. Rather than keep fighting in the enemy's grip, let's stake everything on it and try to take the initiative."
Hearing the Black-God Third Commander's rather headlong talk of the battlefield,
the Black-God Second Commander thought it over a long time.
"There's no time; we have to make our arrangements in the shortest possible time!" the Black-God Third Commander said rather anxiously, with none of his usual calm to be seen.
It could be seen that he was truly growing anxious now!
After all, as things stood, for both sides, it was a moment when time was the chance to win!
"I can accept your arrangement and weigh it, but my plan must be carried out!" the Black-God Second Commander said.
The Black-God Third Commander knit his brows slightly; he could not make out what this woman was still fretting over here.
"We can attack outward and break through to link up with the reinforcement fleets. But we can't put all our eggs in one basket. Our two Black-God legion fleets split in two and attack in two directions! That way, if the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite want to destroy us, they'll have to move more legion fleets against us all at once. Then it's each of us on our own merits, but it would also ease the pressure on the other battlefields! Either way, we don't lose."
Hearing the Black-God Second Commander's arrangement: it was a little cautious, but not unacceptable.
At least this way, his plan was carried out too, in a roundabout way.
"Good; we'll do it as you say," the Black-God Third Commander said, nodding in agreement.
"Then let's not waste any more time. Each of us picks a direction to attack in now, and may draw regular legion fleets within a certain range to support the fighting on the battlefield. In that case, whatever happens to the other Black-God legion fleet, even if it's in danger of being wiped out, leave it be," the Black-God Second Commander said seriously.
The Black-God Third Commander smiled just then; he looked at the Black-God Second Commander opposite and said, "You were always so cautious before; now you've turned a little reckless instead. Good, it's as you say. Then I'll take this direction of attack."
The Black-God Third Commander was first to choose a direction of attack; he tapped lightly on the interstellar war holo-table, marking the direction he would attack in.
The Black-God Second Commander glanced at this direction of attack, looked at the Black-God Third Commander opposite, and said mildly, "You've deliberately picked the more dangerous direction of attack. Don't think I'll owe you for it. When the time comes, if you're in danger over there and ask me for help, I won't go soft then."
The Black-God Second Commander had seen that the line of attack the Black-God Third Commander chose was the harder one; he was plainly taking the risk on himself.
The Black-God Third Commander smiled slightly; today he had probably smiled more times than in all the year.
Perhaps it was because this time he had met an enemy he truly admired from the heart.
Only an enemy he truly looked forward to could make him smile like this on the battlefield.
"Don't read too much into it; it's just a habit of mine. Ever since I was small, ever since I became a commander, I've liked to take the hardest task; I'm not the kind to hand the heavy tasks to others and cling to my own life. You can also take it that I don't trust you and your people to bear so heavy a charge. So something this important naturally needs me to see to it myself!"
At these words of the Black-God Third Commander's, the Black-God Second Commander said nothing more.
Nor did she overrule the Black-God Third Commander's idea.
To tell the truth, in ability on the battlefield, and in commanding an attack, the Black-God Third Commander was no worse than she; his bold, risk-taking nature even often worked wonders on the battlefield.
And it was what he himself had asked for, so for the Black-God Second Commander there was naturally nothing to weigh on her mind.