Then the Black-God Sovereign saw several abnormal spatial fluctuations appear on the interstellar war holo-table.
These were beyond doubt those wormholes.
Do not think the Hive Princess's Owl Dragon hive-race fleet group had only those ten million elite interstellar warships.
In fact the Hive Princess had a good many more in hand.
But Zhao Chen and Grand Marshal Charlotte knew very well that, rather than bring them all out at once, driving the enemy to despair bit by bit was the best way.
And now was just such a moment.
The Black-God Sovereign saw it all too, naturally.
His expression could not be seen.
It was only known that, after a brief daze,
he said, "I don't know how many hive-race fleets you have in hand. But I can see that the number of hive motherships those hive channels of yours can let through at once is limited. So you can't possibly send great numbers of hive-race fleets over all at once in a short time. And very soon every legion fleet under me that I've called up will be here. I could perfectly well attack right now. With the advantage of home ground, I could cripple your interstellar fleets in a short time, and destroy as many of your interstellar warships as possible. Which do you think is faster: my destroying your interstellar warships, or your hive-race fleets coming in support?"
Zhao Chen could hear the challenge in the Black-God Sovereign's voice.
The corners of Zhao Chen's mouth turned up slightly. "So the great Black-God Sovereign means to gamble here?"
The Black-God Sovereign slowly raised both hands and clasped them together before his chest.
Then he said, "You and I both: to have come to where we are, to have made the multitudes bow at our feet, we've both made great gambles before. To stand on a new peak, we can't avoid the nature of the gamble. And now the odds are greater on my side; why shouldn't I try it? After all, once your Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire loses you, its Owl Dragon Emperor, it will vanish without a trace. In future, an expedition against your Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire would be very easy for me; it might even fall apart without a blow. So you tell me: what reason do I have to let you go now?"
Zhao Chen did not answer at once; he had not expected to fail to bluff this Black-God Sovereign before him now.
Did he really have to take the stance of fighting until the fish died or the net broke to truly cow this fellow?
On the other side, Grand Marshal Charlotte was thinking and planning now too.
In truth she had not expected the Black-God Sovereign opposite actually to want to fight until the fish died or the net broke either; they were not afraid of such a fight,
but it would make their losses go beyond what they had foreseen, which was something Charlotte, as Grand Marshal, did not want to see.
That was not a good ending.
Just then,
suddenly an alarm sounded on the bridges of both the Black-God and the Dragon Emperor.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Abnormal spatial fluctuation detected."
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Abnormal spatial fluctuation detected."
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Abnormal spatial fluctuation detected."
Nearly the same alert sounded on the bridges of the Black-God and the Dragon Emperor alike.
And the two in the video call could both hear it.
Zhao Chen was puzzled at heart, but his face did not change at all; that was the bearing an emperor ought to have.
On the other side, the Black-God Sovereign was just as unmoved, and said nothing either.
Both sides were waiting for their subordinates to explain what this was.
Why had abnormal spatial fluctuations appeared again?
And very soon the answer came.
For one of the spatial windows lay on the battlefield's flank, very close to the battlefield.
It could even be said to lie right in the area between the Owl Dragon legion fleets and the Black-God legion fleets now drawn up here.
The two could naturally both see clearly and directly what had come.
It was some very handsome interstellar warships, absolutely top-rank in their beauty.
Besides that, some of these interstellar warships differed somewhat from the usual interstellar warships.
Traces of plants could be seen on them.
Just then someone had already noticed the two blazons on these interstellar warships' hulls.
The largest and most striking, in front, was the fleet blazon of the Holy Elf Empire!
These were interstellar warships from the Holy Elf Empire.
"How can the Holy Elf Empire's interstellar warships be here?"
"Wait, we had word before that the Holy Elf Empire had been readying legion fleets all along; we suspected before that the Holy Elf Empire and the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire were allies, and might invade us together!"
"Damn it, if the Holy Elf Empire declares all-out war on us now, it's very bad for us!"
"Look at that red blazon; it's the guard fleet group of the Holy Elf Empire's Flame Elf Queen, said to be the strongest legion fleet in the Holy Elf Empire!"
The Black-God Sovereign's subordinates soon began talking all at once, and the mood on that side was not good either.
On the other side, Zhao Chen's fist, clenched out of sight of the video window, opened just then.
And in the other video window, Grand Marshal Charlotte let out a long breath too.
The last piece of this game was in place.
"Lord Black-God Sovereign, my guest has arrived too. I suppose there's no need to introduce this guest? You must be old friends. But you're not on very good terms, so I won't introduce you." Zhao Chen said it lightly.
He paused, then looked at the Black-God Sovereign opposite with a little laugh. "So, back to where we were. It seems we're the ones with the upper hand now? Or does Your Excellency the Black-God Sovereign think your side alone can be a match for our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire and the Holy Elf Empire together?"
This time the Black-God Sovereign said nothing for a long while; it was the longest he had been silent.
Seeing the Black-God Sovereign say nothing, Zhao Chen went on mildly, "So now, Your Excellency the Black-God Sovereign, can you consider my earlier proposal? We've been fighting a long time; it's time each of us went home to eat dinner and bring in the washing."
"You've raised havoc in my Devourer Civilization's universe, and now you want me to let you go so easily?" The Black-God Sovereign's voice sounded, cold and grim; it could be seen that he was very unwilling.
Zhao Chen shrugged and spread his hands. "Call it a return of courtesy. Didn't your side come uninvited to visit our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire before? I've nothing much else to recommend me, but I hold to one principle: courtesy calls for return. Since you came, I had to come and pay a visit too, and bring some gifts; anything else would be rather ill-mannered."
The Black-God Sovereign stared at this Owl Dragon Emperor.
The Owl Dragon Emperor's bearing was not the least bit weaker than the other's; he went on as if chatting, "Now the visit's over. Naturally we're leaving. So, Your Excellency the Black-God Sovereign, there's no need to see us off so warmly."
"And if I insist on keeping you?" This time the Black-God Sovereign's voice was plainly through gritted teeth.
Zhao Chen smiled slightly, paying no mind at all to the threat in the words.
He said thoughtfully, "If the Black-God Sovereign insists on keeping us for more company, then I'd hope Your Excellency the Black-God Sovereign will weigh the cost of it carefully. If we stop here now, Your Excellency the Black-God Sovereign can quickly gather in the other two Sovereigns' territories and forces, and after bringing them together you'll be the strongest interstellar power in the Devourer Civilization. Then you can quietly build up for a while, gather some strength, and we can have a proper get-together then. Why not? If you insist on fighting to the death here now, then whoever dies and whoever lives, both sides are sure to suffer terrible losses. Mind you, there are a good many people watching here now. Aren't you afraid of someone taking revenge on you then? Your Devourer Civilization has no shortage of enemies."
Hearing Zhao Chen's argument, one had to admit it made a great deal of sense.
At least to the Black-God Sovereign's ears, it really was so.
But for the Black-God Sovereign to make this decision so easily was truly hard.
After all, such a decision meant letting go a band of enemies who had run riot in his own universe and territory, and afterward he, the Black-God Sovereign, would find it hard to answer for it.
"I know Your Excellency the Black-God Sovereign must think that if this war just ends like this, it will be hard to answer for. Then why not do this? Whatever happens, there's bound to be a battle between you and me. So let's just fix a time and a place, and fight one proper battle, to the death. How about it?" Zhao Chen stared at the Black-God Sovereign opposite.
When the Black-God Sovereign heard Zhao Chen's proposal, he looked interested.
Zhao Chen thought a moment. "I wonder whether the Black-God Sovereign remembers the Zu'an Universe."
The Zu'an Universe?
At the name, the Black-God Sovereign was taken aback a moment, but soon remembered: it was a universe they had invaded and wrecked before.
But because the universe's territory was so vast, the Great Existence had suffered something of an indigestion.
So the Zu'an Universe had not been wholly destroyed, but left in a shattered state.
The Zu'an Universe had broken apart into dozens of different universe fragments, like a dozen-odd islands drifting on the sea.
And these islands were dying away all the time; their vanishing entirely was only a matter of time.
"By geography, the Zu'an Universe lies between my Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's universe and the Devourer Civilization's universe, about equally far from both. And there are hardly any natives left in the Zu'an Universe. We can fix a time and have a great decisive wager-battle in the fragment star regions of the Zu'an Universe. Whatever means you and I use, whoever controls every fragment star system in the Zu'an Universe within the agreed time is the winner. And the loser surrenders without condition, to be dealt with as the winner sees fit. What does the Black-God Sovereign think?" Zhao Chen looked challengingly at the Black-God Sovereign opposite.
The Black-God Sovereign snorted coldly. "How do I know you're not lying? If you lose then and refuse to honor it, what then?"
Zhao Chen said, "I wonder whether the Black-God Sovereign has heard of the 'Oath Fruit'."
The Black-God Sovereign's face changed slightly.
"I came by it by chance from an interstellar trader. It's a very rare fruit with a very wondrous power. No one knows how this fruit comes to be, but each fruit splits into two halves, and if two people eat the two halves, they enter into an oath-covenant. If either side breaks the oath-covenant, they die outright. So far no medical technology can do anything about it, and no technology can explain it. Some say it's the product of a god-level civilization of a higher grade. But whatever the case, this fruit's power is accepted by all. Once you and I eat this fruit and agree the terms of the decisive wager, neither of us can break it. Then whoever loses will have only one end: death."
Red fire flickered in the Black-God Sovereign's eyes.
"Owl Dragon Emperor, you really are interesting. I thought you were only a troublesome opponent, but now it seems you're a very interesting opponent. Now I'm beginning to be glad those two fools, Drought-Fiend and Troll, didn't destroy you before, or I'd have lost so great a pleasure. Good. I agree to your proposal." The Black-God Sovereign sprang to his feet.
The adjutants and subordinates beside the Black-God Sovereign were all astonished.
They could feel the Black-God Sovereign's bearing had changed, which showed the Black-God Sovereign was truly very excited now.
For the Black-God Sovereign, always cool and steady, to be stirred now showed one thing: the Black-God Sovereign had truly taken a deep interest in this Owl Dragon Emperor before him.
Some officers of the older generation knew still better why.
For few knew that the Black-God Sovereign had once been a battle-loving commander too, but since he had seldom met an opponent he truly thought worth his while,
he had seldom left his star system, and seldom risen from his throne.
This Black-God Sovereign was very lonely.
Zhao Chen stood up on his side too; there was a battle-loving fire in his eyes as well,
like his own younger self.
How many years had it been, how many years since he had felt such surging excitement?
Back when Zhao Chen was a youth of twenty or so, he had been just this full of spirit.
But as his standing changed, his place changed, and everything he had charge of changed,
Zhao Chen's frame of mind had begun to change too.
But the situation now gave Zhao Chen the feeling of being young again.
"Then it's agreed?" Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes, looking at the Black-God Sovereign opposite.
"So long as there's nothing wrong with the terms of the oath-covenant, I have no problem with it," the Black-God Sovereign said seriously.
Zhao Chen said loudly, "Good, then it's a deal. Next, let the staff departments under us both work out every clause in the covenant. Within half an hour, you and I will eat the Oath Fruit together and seal the covenant of the decisive battle!"
"A deal."
With that, the video window closed for now.
And on both bridges there was a brief silence.
The Black-God's bridge
"A covenant of decisive battle? How did it suddenly come to something like this?"
"Are we really going to let the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite go? They grow far too fast; give them enough time and they can build great numbers of powerful interstellar warships. Will we… will we really be a match for them in future?"
"And this Oath Fruit, we've only heard of it in rumors; is it really sound?"
"The people of this Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire are all very cunning; are we really going to agree to their proposal? Could they have some scheme behind it? We have to be careful; we mustn't fall for it on any account."
On the Black-God's bridge, the Black-God Sovereign's subordinates were all very worried and wary, talking it over and over there.
And one bolder officer stepped up, bowing, and asked the Black-God Sovereign carefully, "Lord Sovereign, as things stand, even with the Holy Elf Empire's legion fleets supporting the other side, we're not without the slightest hope. Compared with that great decisive wager or whatever it is, wouldn't it be better for us to attack the Owl Dragon legion fleets directly now?"
Faced with his subordinate's question, and the puzzled looks on the others' faces,
the Black-God Sovereign did not hide it either, but said what he thought straight out; he said frankly, "I know what you're worried about. First, that Oath Fruit: so long as it's genuine, there's no problem. I don't know how the Owl Dragon Emperor found it, but such a thing truly exists. I once had the fortune to hear the Great Existence mention it. In wars between high-grade interstellar civilizations, to keep from wars of destruction that spread across several universes, two hostile interstellar civilizations' universes will set up a great decisive battle of this kind, marking out a zone for the decisive battle, its requirements, and the penalties for winning and losing. Then the two sides' supreme leaders eat this Oath Fruit. That way the two interstellar civilizations get the chance to fight a great war, and the universe's star systems suffer the least harm."
Hearing this explanation, everyone could accept it.
As interstellar civilizations' technology rises,
a great war between high-grade interstellar civilizations could have truly terrible results.
Their fighting with the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets, for instance, counted as a T6-grade interstellar war.
An interstellar war at this grade could destroy star system after star system.
Then what of a T7-grade interstellar war?
They knew now of only one civilization, Order, but no one doubted there might be a second T7 civilization, even more T7 and higher interstellar civilizations.
And if such interstellar civilizations fought one another without control or rules, the reach of it might extend across a whole universe.
No power at all wanted to see any universe destroyed.
Not out of mercy, but because the birth of any universe is beyond price, and the resources in it are prized by all.
And if a universe were destroyed, who could promise its death would not set off a chain reaction and harm the universes around it?
So everyone naturally hoped to keep a war between high-grade interstellar civilizations within certain bounds.
And such an oath-duel also gave the Black-God Sovereign a step to climb down by at this point, so he could let the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite withdraw as a matter of course.
"And what that Owl Dragon Emperor said before was right. We really do need some time now to set our own house in order, bring together the forces and resources we have, and turn our Devourer Civilization from the age of the three Sovereigns into a stronger new age." The Black-God Sovereign's bearing was very strong.
Everyone knew what the Black-God Sovereign meant:
to bring together all the forces once scattered among the three Sovereigns,
and build an interstellar civilization with only one ruler, like the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire.
Only so could all an interstellar civilization's military power be brought to bear.
"But if we let the Owl Dragon legion fleets go now and give them time to rest and recover, won't it be letting the tiger back into the mountains? Mind you, we've all seen how fast the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire grows. In a short half year they not only made a mass-production quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship, but built a full fifteen of them! Give them another year, or several years, and who knows how far they'll grow; they might even truly step up to the level of a T7 technological civilization. And then we'd really be no match for them at all?" someone said, worried about how fast the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire grew.
The Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's astonishing speed of growth, and its defense technology, were plain for all to see.
Hearing this worry, the Black-God Sovereign showed no alarm at all.
For he had thought of this long before.
"There's no need to worry about that either. I've long since thought of a card to play afterward. The oath of decisive battle has to be set by both sides together. One clause in it is that we can draw on any military force that will take our orders, not only the military forces inside each side. That way I can ask the Great Existence for support and aid. In truth, I've wanted to seek some aid on this front for a long time. The Great Existence once promised it too. And one more thing: if there's no limit on powers, then we can bring in other interstellar powers to take part and back us. Do you really think that in all the vast multitude of universes, we're the Great Existence's only followers?"
When the Black-God Sovereign said this, everyone present fell briefly silent.
Before this, however mighty the Devourer Civilization was, the range it could explore was limited.
And within the range it could explore, the Devourer Civilization had been the only follower of the Great Existence.
So nearly everyone had assumed without thinking that there was only this one.
But now the Black-God Sovereign's words were beyond doubt telling them
that the Devourer Civilization was not the Great Existence's only follower!