Zhao Chen sat there calm and unruffled, for all the world a mere spectator, watching the shifts across the three battlefields.
Lilith cast a glance at the Sacred Angel Legion's people 'next door'; on the Sacred-Spirit crew aboard the shuttle-craft opposite, every face was overcast now, and not one of them spoke.
Earlier she'd noted that adjutant 'chattering away' opposite; though the light-curtain shut out the sound, from his expression and gestures one could roughly guess what he'd been saying.
And now?
Hmph — slapped in the face, weren't you.
Lilith gave a cold little smile, and watched the real-time feed of the first battlefield, settling in for the fine show to unfold.
"Launch me the Retribution-Angel-type T4 interstellar missiles — all of them. Aim at the enemy ship's bow; find a way to knock out that damned bow cannon!" The Retribution Angel's captain gave the order half-crazed.
His 'face' was plainly not good; great patches of light surfaced across it — at a glance, for all the world like a bulb flickering bright and dark.
This meant his feelings were, just now, greatly agitated.
To speak truly, in a situation like this, it would be stranger if the captain weren't agitated.
Once his own bow cannon entered the reset-and-recharge phase, what would happen then could well be imagined!
He would absolutely not permit such a thing to come to pass.
"Understood — 300 interstellar missiles locked on target, launch!" the adjutant hurriedly gave the order.
Interstellar missiles were costly to build; a single one's might may not match a solid shell of the same cost, but their greatest advantage was that they carried their own propulsion systems and could change course mid-flight.
And so, once the 300 interstellar missiles launched in sequence, each formed an umbrella-like arc, bearing down on the target.
T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship · bridge
"Report — the early-warning system has detected 300 interstellar missiles inbound from the enemy ship, likely the 300 T4-grade interstellar missiles the T4 Retribution Angel carries. Projected to strike our ship's bow in 30 seconds!" the deputy captain warned.
Xue Xiaoxiao, her face unmoved, gave her order mildly: "Pass my order — the close-in defense cannons on the hull's frontal face, and the secondary and main cannons, all train forward and form an interception curtain. Find me a way to intercept the enemy ship's interstellar missiles!"
"Yes!"
On the hull of the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship, the dense-packed close-in defense cannons all locked toward the inbound interstellar missiles; laser beams fired in bursts, at high frequency and with no gap, able to form a curtain of fire across a whole zone.
Because the weapon systems had shifted their attack-direction, the defensive power at the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon's other hull positions dropped.
But happily, the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship's hull armor was thick enough; a hit from the enemy's secondary cannons did it, in the main, no harm worth mentioning.
Even a hit from the stronger main cannons could only do the hull armor surface damage — nothing substantial in the short term.
Back to the present: the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship's frontal defense zone.
Very soon those 300 interstellar missiles entered the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon's fire-defense range; and in that instant, interstellar missiles began to be intercepted and struck, detonating mid-flight to form whirl upon whirl of explosion.
At this moment the captains on both interstellar warships held their breath.
The Retribution Angel's captain, all the more, stared fixedly at a data panel before him showing the state of the 300 interstellar missiles.
Some interstellar missiles, already intercepted and blown, had lost signal and turned gray.
As missile-signal after missile-signal turned black, the captain's heart hung suspended.
"20! So long as 20 interstellar missiles can strike that zone, we can surely destroy that damned cannon!" The captain clenched his fists, murmuring, praying.
By rights, if the interstellar missiles were making a blanketing strike over the enemy ship, the interception efficiency would drop greatly — for the defended area would be larger.
But now this captain had ordered all 300 interstellar missiles loosed at a single target, so the odds of their being intercepted rose accordingly.
The more so when the other side was no fool, and had long since moved every close-in defense cannon it could to form layer upon layer of defensive firepower along the interstellar missiles' line of travel.
Whatever the case, now they could only pray.
Time seemed, in this moment, to crawl.
Every crewman with little on his hands, and a view of the huge data panel before the captain, now fixed his gaze on it.
At this moment 200 interstellar missiles yet remained; but because they drew nearer and nearer the enemy ship, that number fell faster and faster.
150… 130… 100…
"Report — the foremost interstellar missiles are about to strike the target zone!" the adjutant said, unable to hide his excitement.
The captain said nothing, only stared at the several interstellar missiles about to strike the enemy ship.
Of them, the missile numbered 266 was the fastest, its progress showing 99% — meaning it was about to complete its attack sequence.
But the next second, this interstellar missile turned gray.
Which meant it too had been intercepted — at a distance very close to the target.
The captain's heart sank.
"Hit! Interstellar missile number 198 has completed its attack task and struck the designated zone!" the adjutant suddenly cried in excitement.
The captain's gaze locked at once on that missile numbered 198.
(T4 Retribution-Angel-type interstellar missile · No. 198: attack task complete)
Hope rose again in the captain's heart — but that silver-white beam opposite still showed no change, meaning no great damage had been done.
This too was within the captain's expectation; that was the bow cannon, after all!
The fiercest weapon of an interstellar battleship — and, right there, this warship's strongest defense besides!
So the captain had reckoned in advance that it would take 20 T4-grade interstellar missiles striking home to achieve his aim!
Following the first to complete its attack task, more and more of the interstellar missiles struck home.
Five… 10… 13… 15… 17… 19…
The captain's chest heaved without cease, his feelings surging beyond containing.
20!
23!
The interstellar missiles striking home had even passed the projected 20.
But when the captain lifted his head to look at the frontal battlefield, he was dumbfounded.
For he saw that the piercing silver-white beam opposite was still there.
Which meant what…
It meant their interstellar missiles had achieved no effect.
"This… how can this be…" The captain swayed on his feet, for all the world as though he might topple at any moment.
He looked at the remaining interstellar missiles — every one turned gray.
In these 30 seconds, in the end, 25 interstellar missiles had struck the designated zone.
Yet… yet still it had not achieved the result they wanted.
And at the same time, their bow cannon's attack-duration had under 30 seconds left.
These 30 seconds… seemed as long as the four seasons!
In the crews' hearts there was but a single thought: this cannon… it's just too tough!