When something is out of the ordinary, there is always a demon behind it.
Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes.
Charlotte said nothing more either.
The two of them seemed still to be waiting for something.
And besides these two Black-God legion fleets, the number of reinforcing interstellar warships kept growing; it had passed six hundred thousand by now.
And just then an interstellar fleet with entirely different starship colors entered the stage!
Their hulls were black all over; apart from some patterns in classical colors, there was no other color at all.
They were like silent steel warriors, one after another.
And if there was one thing special about them?
It was the special fleet blazon on the interstellar warships' hulls: the image of a suit of black armor.
And in the Devourer Civilization only one fleet, known to all, used these special fleet colors:
the Black-God Sovereign's legion, also called the Black-God Guard Fleet,
for it was a legion fleet ruled directly by the Black-God Sovereign,
and the strongest legion fleet in the whole Devourer Civilization.
It had few interstellar warships, only thirty thousand.
Next to the Troll Monarch's legion fleet and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet mentioned before,
thirty thousand interstellar warships was truly not many.
But these thirty thousand interstellar warships, few as they were, were quite terrifying in quality.
Every one of them was a T6-grade interstellar warship or above.
In practice, though, they included a great many quasi-T6-grade interstellar warships, and this fleet even had a new term for rating fleets:
the super-T6-grade interstellar warship, which, as the name suggests, was somewhat stronger than an ordinary T6-grade interstellar warship but still fell short of a quasi-T7-grade one.
To explain: it took T6-grade weapons technology and kept improving it, but still used no T7-grade technology at all.
That was the super-T6-grade interstellar warship.
Built up from these quasi-T6, T6 and super-T6-grade interstellar warships was this Black-God Army, said to have thirty thousand T6-grade interstellar warships!
Thirty thousand T6-grade interstellar warships: the name alone was enough to frighten many off.
After all, thirty thousand T6-grade interstellar warships: not even the Holy Elf Empire had T6-grade interstellar warships on such a scale.
Set before any interstellar civilization, this thirty-thousand-strong Black-God Army alone was enough to sweep away that interstellar civilization's universe's legion fleets.
The existence of this Black-God Army had also secured the Black-God Sovereign's place among the three Sovereigns before.
It was even rumored that the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King and the Troll Monarch had run war games against the Black-God Army several times in private, and that even the two Sovereigns' legion fleets combined never won a single one against the Black-God Army.
From that one could imagine the might of the Black-God Army.
And the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, naturally, could not be without preparations for the Black-God Army.
Long before this military operation, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's Army Staff had assessed the Black-God Army's fighting power several times over,
relying on intelligence supplied by the Holy Elf Empire, and on intelligence they gathered themselves.
The conclusion they reached in the end was this:
the thirty-thousand-strong Black-God Army was, of all the enemies the Owl Dragon legion fleets had faced so far, the legion fleet of highest fighting quality.
If regular Owl Dragon legion fleet groups were used,
then at equal numbers, the interstellar legion fleets in an Owl Dragon legion fleet group were no match for this Black-God Army.
And there was one more vital reason in it:
the Black-God Army's flagship was the Black-God Sovereign's own flagship,
one of the Devourer Civilization's three quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships:
the Black-God!
In full,
the quasi-T7 Black-God-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
Which of the Devourer Civilization's three quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships was stronger or weaker, perhaps no one could say.
For these three quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships had different roles on the battlefield to begin with.
But ask which interstellar warship its enemies would least like to meet,
and the answer was beyond doubt this Black-God.
For it was a battleship, which meant that once you were its opponent and it locked onto you, then unless you too were a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship, your end was already sealed.
Apart from quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships, no interstellar warship at all could stand up to a single blow from the Black-God.
So, facing a lineup of thirty thousand T6-grade interstellar warships plus such a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship,[1]
a regular Owl Dragon legion fleet group was no match at all.
Only an ace fleet group fitted out with great numbers of T6-grade ships of its own could naturally be its match,
such as Charlotte's own Reverse Scale ace fleet group, or Marshal Chitong's Blizzard ace fleet group.
These two ace fleet groups happened to have super-flagships of their own as well.
At equal numbers, the Owl Dragon side's ace fleet groups had a great advantage.
But how it would actually go on the battlefield, no one could know.
After all, a thing like this could only be known by truly matching strength on the battlefield; every prediction and simulation was empty talk.
"I never thought the Black-God Sovereign would actually come himself." Charlotte had not expected the Black-God Sovereign to appear on this battlefield either.
It was something she had not foreseen.
"This… the situation now doesn't look good for us. The other side has sent over six hundred thousand interstellar warships at one go, plus two Black-God legion fleets, and the Black-God Guard Fleet! Once these interstellar fleets join the battlefield, they're beyond doubt a huge threat to us," Lilith said with some worry.
Once these Devourer Civilization interstellar fleets joined the battlefield, they were beyond doubt bound to change the situation on the battlefield as it stood,
above all the Black-God Guard Fleet opposite and that interstellar warship, the Black-God.
Zhao Chen said in a low voice, "As things stand, the Black-God Sovereign really has laid all his cards on the table. Next it's a matter of how we respond. We have to send in more reinforcements, or we won't be able to keep our advantage on the battlefield. With our strategic supplies running short later on, losing our advantage will make things far worse for us."
Lilith brought up a string of figures beside him and said, "The latest battlefield figures. If the enemy sends no more legion fleets onto the battlefield after this, then on the whole battlefield the enemy now has two million five hundred thousand interstellar warships. And on our side we've put over five hundred thousand interstellar warships into the fight. Looking only at the ratio of numbers, we may still have the advantage, since it's still five to one. But in the fighting quality of the interstellar warships, there's been a huge change. First, the six hundred thousand newly added interstellar warships are at full strength; we can't ignore that. Then there are the two Black-God legion fleets; these are elite legion fleets, only thirty thousand interstellar warships each, but wherever they're thrown into a local battlefield, we have to respond in time, or things could go very badly. The rest is the Black-God Guard Fleet's thirty thousand interstellar warships, and that quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship, the Black-God. We can't ignore that quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship. And at present, the only interstellar warships able to take on this Black-God are our several main-line super-flagships and the quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts. The latter aren't in good fighting condition; if we sent them in, unless we had the advantage in numbers, our Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts would risk being destroyed by the enemy. As for dealing with the Black-God Guard Fleet, the combat simulation system here advises assigning one ace fleet group to it alone. That disposition would keep our losses to the lowest. But there's one more thing we can't ignore: the two million enemy interstellar warships about to reach the battlefield within ten hours." Lilith set out these battlefield figures one by one.
Perhaps at this moment, looking only at the situation, the scales were still somewhat higher on the Owl Dragon legion fleets' side.
But very soon, as the next stage of the war began, the scales of the battlefield would tip toward the Devourer Civilization at great speed.
When those two million interstellar warships of reinforcements reached the battlefield, the initiative on the battlefield would change hands outright.
Grand Marshal Charlotte and Zhao Chen, His Majesty the Emperor, naturally knew this better than anyone.
Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes, looking at the interstellar war holo-table before him. "And if we choose to pull out right now, the Black-God Sovereign opposite is sure not to let us go easily. Then we'd have to pay a very high price."
Lilith had already entered some information into the Dragon Emperor's war system, and come up with the results of a war simulation.
Lilith said with a grave look, "By the simulated results, if we choose to withdraw now, we can get out, but of our five hundred thousand-odd interstellar warships here, two hundred thousand will go down here. And they'll include two or more Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts!"
Zhao Chen's look grew graver; he said, "In other words, we've as good as been forced up onto the dueling stage. Either we fight the enemy to the death here, or we lose an arm and a leg and scuttle off."
Lilith said nothing, but that was plainly just what she meant.
But Charlotte spoke up just then: "Danger and opportunity come together. This looks very dangerous. But it's also our chance. The enemy is moving legion fleets toward us on a grand scale, which means other places will be left empty; the battle plan we drew up long ago can be carried out now."
Hearing Charlotte mention that battle plan, Zhao Chen nodded silently; he knew of that battle plan too.
But the conditions for carrying out that battle plan had been somewhat demanding, so there had been no saying it would surely be carried out.
And now that the conditions for it were here, they could naturally not let it slip.
Zhao Chen said seriously, "That battle plan can be carried out. But at the same time, our own position here has to be dealt with. As things stand, we can't let the enemy drag us into a war of attrition; our war supplies can't stand the drain of the fighting ahead. By then our interstellar fleets' fighting ability will keep falling, far below what it is now. And then the enemy is sure to try everything to destroy us. Then what we lose might far outweigh the advantage we've won before this."
Charlotte was silent a moment, then said, a gleam in her eyes, "It's just as you say. But with so good a chance before us, we have to fight for it. That battle plan has one more condition: we must tie the enemy down for at least ten hours."
"What? We're to keep tangling with the enemy here for ten more hours?" Lilith was greatly startled.
Right now she wished she could send every Owl Dragon interstellar warship here straight back to the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, and Charlotte actually wanted them to stall here for ten more hours.
Mind you, a great deal could change here in ten hours.
Charlotte took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Chen. "Your Majesty, the chance is right here. I won't deny we'll bear some risk on our side. But compared with what we can gain, that risk can be called nothing at all. Please decide now!"
Charlotte was the Grand Marshal, and the Owl Dragon Emperor had given her supreme command on the battlefield;
by rights, even if Charlotte made the battle dispositions outright now, it would be nothing out of the way.
But with the Owl Dragon Emperor present, she had to ask Zhao Chen's view.
Zhao Chen took a deep breath and steadied himself too; he looked at the interstellar war holo-table and said in a low voice, "As things stand, the Black-God Sovereign opposite will never let us withdraw easily. That being so, let's stir up something big. Before we leave, we'll present this Black-God Sovereign with a great gift, so this Lord Sovereign won't go missing us after we've gone. Charlotte, I agree to all your battle dispositions from here on. Every card we hold is yours to play. If we're going to do it, let's do it big. This may not be our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's universe, but our Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets aren't afraid anywhere."
Grand Marshal Charlotte stood up straight at once, her eyes all but shining, and said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty; we guarantee you an answer sheet you'll be satisfied with."
When she had said this, Grand Marshal Charlotte began laying out her dispositions.
For this final curtain, Grand Marshal Charlotte had a great deal to prepare.
Secretary Lilith beside him covered her face helplessly; in truth, even before this was brought up,
Lilith had more or less had this idea herself. The things she had said before did not mean she opposed the plan.
It was only that at such a point someone always has to step forward and pour a basin of cold water over everyone, so they can see coolly all the strengths and weaknesses as they stand,
and make the next choice from there.
And she knew that, after so many years together, Charlotte and Zhao Chen had long had something of each other in their natures when it came to command on the battlefield.
So naturally, at such times, they would come to the same mind without a word.
"I knew it wouldn't end this simply. I'll see whether logistics and supply can give us any more backing." Helpless as she was, Lilith too did what she could within her own work to give Zhao Chen and Charlotte more help.
Zhao Chen watched Lilith busy at work, and Charlotte on the other side of the video window giving order after order, working at the interstellar war holo-table.
In this moment Zhao Chen felt utterly at peace.
The battle plan ahead carried great risk, but with them fighting shoulder to shoulder with him, at any time Zhao Chen's heart was in truth very steady.
For so long as they were there, Zhao Chen had nothing to worry about.
Zhao Chen trusted them now as he trusted himself.
The Black-God · the bridge
The Black-God Sovereign sat on his throne, looking at the interstellar war holo-table before him, and then at the fighting on the field.
His mood was very ill; he had known early from the battlefield reports that the friendly fleets fighting on the battlefield were not doing well.
But when he truly saw the two sides' fleets fighting on the battlefield,
he felt those reports and words had made it all look a good deal prettier,
for the reality was far worse.
Whether on the main battlefield or the other local battlefields, the fighting was going very badly.
Nearly everywhere, the Owl Dragon legion fleets had the absolute upper hand.
And in the very few places where the two sides' fleets seemed on the surface to be at a deadlock,
anyone looking closely would see that in the fighting they were entirely being led around by the nose by the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite.
The rhythm of the battlefield was entirely in the other side's hands.
On every battlefield they had the advantage in numbers of interstellar warships, yet facing the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite,
it was like children facing grown-ups.
The Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite were simply toying with them.
The Owl Dragon interstellar warships opposite were very rigorous in their dispositions, with nothing wrong at any step; looked down on from the interstellar war holo-table,
the fighting of those Owl Dragon interstellar warships was like a dazzling waltz.
By contrast, the Devourer Civilization's interstellar fleets were like a backup dancer who had only been learning a few days and could not even rank among amateurs.
Battle dispositions, the course of the fighting, the stages of engagement: all an utter mess.
Even the Black-God Commanders' legion fleets were not doing well.
The Black-God Commanders who had come here with him had not expected this either.
"This… this… how could it have gone like this?" the Black-God Fifth Commander muttered, unable to believe it.
Because the three of them had the video call open, they could all hear one another.
The Black-God Fourth Commander also found it past belief, and said, "When we chased those Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships on the Troll Monarch's battlefield before, I knew the Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships were very strong. But not this absurdly strong. There's the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King's legion fleet here, and three of our Black-God Commanders' fleets. And still… still it's gone like this."
Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would probably never have believed this battlefield before them was the work of their fellow Black-God Commanders' fleets.
That was also why they only said they could not believe it, and said nothing mocking.
For they knew very well that their five Black-God Commanders' legion fleets might differ somewhat in strength, but not by much.
To mock these Black-God Commanders' legion fleets now would be as good as mocking themselves.
What was more, even the strongest of their five Black-God Commanders' legion fleets, the Black-God First Commander's, was struggling on the battlefield now.
They could hardly laugh at anything.
The Black-God Sovereign said nothing, but the air around him was very heavy.
Just then, video windows opened one after another.
On the other side of each were the Devourer Civilization's senior commanders in this battle:
the commander of the Black-God First Legion fleet, the commander of the Black-God Second Legion fleet, the commander of the Black-God Third Legion fleet.
The Drought-Fiend Sovereign was there too.
But the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's face was plainly not in a good way now; on his withered cheeks there was even anger, seldom seen there.
"This is the result you give me?" Only now did the Black-God Sovereign speak, slowly. "And I have to come here specially to clean up after you."
The three Black-God Commanders went down on one knee at once on the other side of their video windows.
"Your servants are at fault; our command on the battlefield was poor. We ask you to punish us, my lord!"
The three Black-God Commanders' results were poor at present, but as the Black-God Sovereign's trusted men they still had sound fighting discipline.
They would make no excuses at all; since it had come to this, they would obediently ask to be punished.
The Drought-Fiend Ghost-King, for his part, said defiantly, "This isn't our fault. The Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite are too cunning. They deliberately hid this quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship, the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought, and only brought it out now, to catch us off guard. Who could have imagined an Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire like this could mass-produce a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship? With no intelligence to warn us, we had no preparations at all. If we'd known earlier that the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had this interstellar warship, the battlefield would certainly not be as it is now!" the Drought-Fiend Sovereign said solemnly!
But in truth these words of his were, in a way, only excuses for his own defeat this time.
For the Drought-Fiend Sovereign had lost far too badly this time.
His legion fleet had not a tenth left, and his Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer had all but reached the point of going back to the factory for an overhaul!