Zhao Chen sat in the seat of his shuttle-craft; a few meters off, aboard the neighboring shuttle-craft across the light-curtain, Saint Cana had likewise taken her seat.
As the supreme commanders of the two legion fleets, they had to be in this place.
Such was the rule of the Sacred War Duel.
Zhao Chen fixed his eyes on the three great screens before him, each recording one of the three battlefields.
The first battlefield was, of course, the ground for the interstellar-battleship duel.
The two T4 interstellar battleships stood within an empty stretch of star-space, without any obstacle or cover — a head-on collision of steel giants, face to face.
The second battlefield was several times the size of the first, for it had to hold 100 interstellar warships from each side.
In the middle of the ground lay a meteor-belt; and at the position where each side's interstellar warships were stationed, there stood a glowing blue crystal.
This was an attack-and-defense battle: the victory conditions were, besides the total annihilation of the enemy's warships, simply the destruction of the enemy's crystal to win.
The third battlefield needs no describing — a battlefield encompassing a total of 6,000 interstellar warships between the two sides, its range exceedingly vast.
Even a T3-grade conventional interstellar warship, sailing from one end to the other, needed at least 15 minutes — and that was the time for a straight-line course.
The environment of this battlefield was fairly complex, including a small meteor-belt and three asteroids.
Before Zhao Chen's eyes, a countdown number surfaced.
"03:00"
Three minutes more, and this Sacred War Duel would begin.
Zhao Chen cast a glance at the Saint Cana across the light-curtain.
Saint Cana seemed to feel Zhao Chen's gaze too, and turned her head to meet his eyes.
Zhao Chen's lips stirred faintly.
Saint Cana knit her brows slightly — for she'd read the words Zhao Chen meant to say.
'The fine show begins.'
A fine show?
He actually took this Sacred War Duel — so unfavorable to him — for nothing but a fine show.
Did he truly believe he could win it?
Inwardly Saint Cana felt this man Zhao Chen a touch too arrogant, and her impression of him dropped a good deal.
And yet, seeing that calm, unruffled expression of his, for some reason she felt, of all things, an unease.
Saint Cana's gaze fell on the very middle screen — the No. 2 battle-zone, that is, the second round.
The adjutant beside her, noting his Commander's gaze, said at once: "For this second round, we've chosen the T3 Light-Cone-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers and the T3 Light-Ranger-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers in our legion fleet's service. 30 T3 Light-Cone-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers and 70 T3 Light-Ranger-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers. We're sure to win the second round!" Though the Sacred Angel Legion had T4-grade interstellar cruisers, the second round had a limiting rule: only T3-grade interstellar warships could duel.
"What are those two classes opposite?" Saint Cana looked at the hundred-odd Owl Dragon Legion interstellar warships in the image — plainly, by the numbers, a configuration of 70 interstellar frigates paired with 30 interstellar destroyers.
The adjutant beside her called up the data.
Before the Sacred War Duel, each side had to report the names of its interstellar warships.
"These are… the Triceratops-class Heavy Interstellar Frigate and the Wolverine-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer," the adjutant answered.
"Names I've never heard. Owl Dragon Legion warships of their own devising again, it seems. Though, looking at the hull forms — why do they strike me as a touch odd, a touch unlike ordinary interstellar frigates and destroyers." Saint Cana knit her brows slightly.
"Is there something unlike about them? Perhaps their technology's simply too backward," the adjutant said.
In fact, Saint Cana's instinct was not wrong — and it was, at the same time, a little cunning trick Lilith had played.
Had Saint Cana been shown the full names of these two ship-classes, she'd have known why she felt something off.
Lilith had exploited a loophole in the rules: though one was required to report the names of one's interstellar warships, one was not required to report detailed data, and the names served only to better record the Sacred War Duel.
And what were the full names of these two ship-classes?
The Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate, and the Wolverine-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyer.
A few key words short. 'Heavy Assault,' and 'Armored.' A few simple words — yet they hid the terrifying potential of these two ship-classes.
Saint Cana looked at the countdown; the last 10 seconds remained.
Whatever the case, it would come down to the actual result to follow.
10!
Nine!
On the third battlefield, in charge of commanding the legion contest, was Chitong, standing on the bridge of the T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser, ship one.
This was the first time she'd truly commanded a battle — though only a legion contest.
But it was a rare chance for her to show herself; for before this, there had always been a certain great white cat eclipsing her light.
"The Sacred Angel Legion…" Chitong murmured the name, and the long-dormant fires of war within her heart kindled once more.
Her whole body felt the hot surge of the blood; it was as though, in some depth of her, something were being roused awake.
Seven!
Six!
Five!
On the second battlefield, in charge of commanding the Owl Dragon's hundred interstellar warships, was Shen Bing.
Her flagship was the T3 Wolverine-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyer, ship one.
Though it was only 100 interstellar warships, Shen Bing had made ready in full array; a hand laid over her heart, she drew a deep breath and murmured to herself: "Shen Bing! You can do this! You can surely do this! Isn't this the stage you've always dreamed of? What did you study so long at the Northstar Starship Military Academy for, if not to become a fleet commander able to stand on her own? It was he who brought you here, who gave you a brilliant future. Now! He's watching you — don't let him down!"
Having done herself this bit of building-up within, Shen Bing raised a hand, waiting for the order that would declare the Sacred War Duel begun.
She'd made ready for all that was to come.
She would offer up a victory, for herself and for that man.
Even if, in outsiders' eyes, this was an interstellar battle of a wildly lopsided disparity in ship-class!
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!
Battlefield One
T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship, ship one · bridge
"The Sacred War Duel — begin!"
A mechanical voice rang out over the public channel — a voice that sounded, too, in the ears of the two commanders on the other two battlefields.
Xue Xiaoxiao planted one foot on the captain's chair and pointed at the image of that T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship on the screen:
"Full speed ahead; all weapon systems into the ready stage. Bow cannon, begin charging — ready to fire at any moment! Give it to them, damn it!" Xue Xiaoxiao, in this moment, was in a state for all the world as though she'd downed a bottle of bad liquor!