The interstellar warships on all three battlefields moved at the same instant.
But the first to break into battle was, of course, the smallest ground — the first battlefield, with only two interstellar battleships.
The two T4 interstellar battleships bore down on each other at full speed.
Both sides' star shields were already up, and every gun-position was trained in the enemy's direction.
Whether energy battery or solid-shell battery, all stood ready; the moment the other entered firing range, they could aim and open fire.
"Does Xiaoxiao have much chance of winning?" Lilith said in a low voice beside Zhao Chen.
She was a touch worried — a duel this important, handed of all things to a cadet barely a year out of the academy to command.
Should the Sacred Angel Legion's people learn of it, they'd surely find it beyond belief.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and called up the data on that T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
The T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship had been in service many years, with a record of many campaigns; earlier it had even fought the Mechanical Race alongside the border group-army Chu Changhe commanded.
Allies at the time though they were, Chu Changhe had long since secretly gathered all the data he could on the T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship; and on learning that Zhao Chen meant to hold a Sacred War Duel with the other side, helpless as he was at Zhao Chen's 'impulsive' conduct, he'd all the same shared this vital intelligence the first instant.
Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship
Ship-class: Interstellar Battleship
Hull-armor strength: approx. 60,000–75,000 units
Star-shield energy: approx. 3,000,000 units
Cruising speed: approx. 370 star-knots
Warp drive: Grade-8 warp drive
Length: 8.68 kilometers
Mass: approx. 5,500,000 tons
Crew complement: approx. 4,000
Ship weapons: one Retribution-Angel-type pulse-laser bow cannon; eight 11,800-caliber heavy electromagnetic-rail railgun main cannons; 180 four-barrel heavy laser-energy rapid-fire secondary cannons; 666 fully automatic high-density four-barrel energy close-in defense cannons; 300 Retribution-Angel-type long-range interstellar missiles
Lilith cast an eye over this data panel.
These were all surface figures; the core data, naturally, no outsider could easily come by.
But from these surface figures, one could roughly infer the strength-comparison between this T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship and the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship.
First, in hull form — beyond doubt the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon was the more massive, plain to the naked eye.
As a rule, for interstellar warships of the same grade and same class, the larger the bulk, the slower the speed — the more so with a colossus like the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
But nothing to be done: the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon had a cheat-like energy system and engine system, so that its speed was only slightly behind the T4 Retribution Angel's.
And a gap that small could be wholly ignored in a one-on-one duel.
After all, an interstellar battleship doesn't win by speed.
What an interstellar battleship chiefly relies on is defensive capability and means of attack.
In hull armor, beyond doubt the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon left the T4 Retribution Angel several streets behind.
For this was, after all, a Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship!
From the very name one could feel that terrifying aura.
Next, the weapon systems the ships carried.
Because both were interstellar battleships, the types of weapon systems they mounted were much alike; but in numbers the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon, by virtue of its larger hull, held the edge.
The T4 Retribution Angel, though, carried 300 interstellar missiles — which the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon did not.
300 T4-grade interstellar missiles, true.
But on the strength of these 300 missiles alone, to try to claw back the T4 Retribution Angel's disadvantage was wholly impossible.
And it's worth mentioning that in star-shield energy the T4 Retribution Angel did hold the edge.
"In some other, more tangled combat situation, the outcome would be hard to call. But in a duel with limiting conditions this plain, the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon can surely 'behead' the T4 Retribution Angel opposite." Zhao Chen had it all worked out.
As a starship engineer, this was his instinct.
At this moment both Zhao Chen and Saint Cana were watching the broadcast of Battlefield One.
Very soon, the two T4 interstellar battleships entered each other's firing range.
"Fire up the bow cannon — aim at the enemy ship — open fire!" Xue Xiaoxiao, holding her one-foot-on-the-captain's-chair pose, brandished her fist, the ponytail behind her swaying with the motion.
A beam of silver-white energy shot forth — and because of the terrifying energy of the discharge, it even slowed the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon's former full-speed state by no small measure.
At the same time, at that huge bow-cannon position, several haloes of light appeared — the light-effect thrown off when high-intensity energy is released.
On the other side, the Holy Radiance Empire's pride, the T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship, was no less prompt.
Zhao Chen had heard that this interstellar battleship's captain was a deputy commander of the Sacred Angel Legion — by the Starlight Empire's military ranks, at the least a three-star lieutenant general.
The T4 Retribution Angel's bow cannon was majestic too, though in bulk still a touch the lesser beside the great one of the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon opposite.
But as for the platinum-white radiance it loosed — seen from afar, the two beams of light rushing head-on at each other were, to the naked eye, without any discernible difference.
The two beams passed abreast, a certain distance apart, and each struck the other ship's star shield.
The collision of shield and spear — the radiance it threw off very nearly swallowed both interstellar warships whole; by the naked eye alone it was hard to make out the ships' shapes.
At the same time, the system alert-tone sounded on the bridges of both interstellar battleships.
Without exception, both reported the star shield taking the attack, the star-shield energy value falling.
Next it would come down to whose giant cannon held out the stauncher, the longer.
For the laser beam a bow cannon loosed could not be sustained for long; the exact duration ran longer or shorter by the different model and spec of bow cannon fitted.
"Pass my order — all main and secondary cannons, ready! The instant we're in range, open fire for me — hammer away, aim right at that turtle-shell of the punk opposite!" Xue Xiaoxiao gave her next combat order.
"Yes!"
At this moment, what everyone was watching all the more closely was how long each side's bow cannon could hold out.
One minute… two minutes… three minutes…
The first to fall silent was the T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship's bow cannon; the platinum-white beam dimmed by degrees, and at last vanished.
Whereas the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship's silver-white beam was still pouring out its output.
This set the watching Sacred Angel Legion's faces going ugly.
Saint Cana too watched, agape, that T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon interstellar battleship still pouring out its beam.
"Wa-kaka-ka." Xue Xiaoxiao, excited, planted both feet on the captain's chair outright and bounced up and down.
"See that! It's still this lady's giant cannon that lasts the longer — keep hammering it for me! Punch clean through that damned turtle-shell!"
At the same time, the two interstellar battleships had drawn nearer.
They'd already entered the firing range of the main-cannon and secondary-cannon weapons; and now both interstellar warships opened up with all their fire!