The victor of the second battle of the Sacred-War Duel was the Sacred Angel Legion.
After Zhao Chen declared the concession, both sides' warships ended the fighting at once.
Unexpectedly, the several dozen warships remaining to the Sacred Angel fleet withdrew from the battlefield at terrific speed, for all the world as though fleeing some savage flood-beast.
The remaining warships of the Owl Dragon fleet, by contrast, hovered in place, for all the world as though deeply unwilling.
At this a video window opened before Zhao Chen; the unwillingness in Shen Bing's eyes could be felt even through the electronic screen.
"Shen Bing, arrange at once for the treatment of the wounded, and for rescue on the destroyed and damaged warships — get out every crew member who still has a hope of survival." Zhao Chen spoke first.
"Commander… why… we… we could have fought on!" Shen Bing clenched her fists, a trace of unwilling brightness welling in her eyes, and bit lightly at her lip.
Zhao Chen looked at Shen Bing, and let show a faint smile: "Shen Bing, you fought this battle superbly. On the surface we conceded, true, but everyone knows the true victor is you!"
"Then why…" Shen Bing's feelings ran a touch out of control.
Zhao Chen's expression changed; he said gravely, "I don't doubt in the least that you could win it for us. But let me ask you. Fighting on like that — of 100 warships, how many could you guarantee would come through! How many warships, and the crew and soldiers aboard them, would have to be sacrificed!"
Shen Bing was at a loss for words.
She had the confidence to grind out a victory — but by then the surviving warships would likely number under 20.
"This Sacred-War Duel matters greatly to us, but it is not a true battlefield. If there's a choice, I could never stand by and watch you all sacrificed here! I've already seen the effort you've poured out; you are the Owl Dragon fleet I take pride in, and that is enough! You've done very well," Zhao Chen said in earnest.
Shen Bing choked up, her eyes faintly red.
"All right — do as I've said. I've already dispatched interstellar medical ships and interstellar industrial ships to assist you. Cut our losses of life as far as you can!" Zhao Chen reminded her again.
"Yes." Shen Bing nodded hard.
The comm ended.
At this Lilith said at his side: "In this second battle, near half our warships lost their combat ability. 13 of them were destroyed outright; apart from crew who escaped in time, the odds of survivors among the rest are slim. Another 25 are gravely damaged, but their ship structures are largely intact, with a chance of survivors inside. The rest lost combat ability through damage to key ship systems; after our rescue, the odds of survival for their crews are very high. By estimate, this battle will cost us 37 warships in the end, including some not worth repairing; the remaining damaged warships worth repairing will be taken back, after the Sacred-War Duel, to the nearest starport for repair. As for casualties, the death toll is projected at around 2,300; the wounded, light and grave, are many — this portion may reach some 2,000. But with the T3 Andromeda-class Interstellar Medical Ship we brought along handling treatment, there's no great problem." Lilith finished her report.
Hearing Lilith out, Zhao Chen nodded.
This loss was within what he could accept; had he not ended the battle in time just then, then even with victory at the last, the loss of life might have swelled more than tenfold.
For now, both battles of the Sacred-War Duel had been decided — the Owl Dragon Legion and the Sacred Angel Legion had each taken one.
So the final victor came down to the third battle of the Sacred-War Duel.
Each side had 3,000 warships; over more than half an hour of gradual approach, the two warship hosts reached a broad engagement zone.
By the look of it, neither side had readied much in the way of stratagem — they meant to have a straight, face-to-face clash of legion-fleets!
At this Zhao Chen pressed the comm button to Saint Cana alongside.
"Miss Saint Cana, let me counsel you one last time — this is your last chance now to concede. Don't add needlessly to the casualties."
Zhao Chen's words sounded at Saint Cana's ear.
The NCOs around Saint Cana heard them too, and to a one were furious, taking this fellow to be sheer provocation now.
But Saint Cana's mind within was otherwise; she had sensed something amiss, and there was a voice crying out inside her too, telling her to end this battle.
But… as the Sacred Angel Legion's commander, a member of the Empire's Council of Elders—
—now that the Sacred-War Duel had begun, she could not break it off at this point, still less with the two legion-fleets not yet truly joined.
"Your Excellency Zhao Chen, your Owl Dragon Legion is strong. But the warriors of my Sacred Angel Legion are no cowards; my Sacred Angel Legion will never retreat without a fight!" Saint Cana made her position known.
"Haah — we aren't even true enemies just now. I truly have no wish to see needless casualties added between us." Zhao Chen's voice was helpless; he knew, too, that whatever he said now, the other side likely wouldn't take it in.
After he'd said this, there came no further sound from across the way.
"Won't be counselled." Zhao Chen looked to Lilith beside him and gave a helpless shrug.
Lilith thoughtfully called up the detailed data panel of both sides' combat strength for the third battle.
On the Sacred Angel Legion's side, 3,000 warships.
Of them, 2,900 combat-type warships, and 100 support-type warships of various models.
The support-type warships included interstellar supply ships, interstellar scout ships, and so on… and among them interstellar anti-stealth ships too, for when the Sacred Angel Legion had earlier investigated the Owl Dragon Legion, intelligence had shown the Owl Dragon Legion was equipped with interstellar stealth bombers.
And of the 2,900 combat-type warships, 30-odd were T4-grade warships!
The rest were, one and all, T3-grade warships.
This was the Sacred Angel Legion's terrifying combat power.
And it was also why even Governor Chu Changhe held no full assurance of defeating the Sacred Angel Legion, one of the Holy Radiance Empire's Ten Great Sacred-Light Legions.
Still, though there were 30 T4 warships, 25 of them were T4 Divine-Envoy-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers.
The Holy Radiance Empire's T4-grade warships in service came in three models.
This was unlike the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth; theirs were three genuine models.
The T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship; the T4 Sacred-Lucent-class Light Interstellar Cruiser; the T4 Divine-Envoy-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer.
The strongest of them was, of course, the T4 Retribution Angel — the face of the Holy Radiance Empire.
The T4 Divine-Envoy-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer was the Holy Radiance Empire's most numerous T4-grade warship in service; its count was said to top 500, and rumor held the Holy Radiance Empire might soon expand it to 1,000.
This was the strength of a conventional warship — cheap to build, able to be built and put into service in great numbers.
And it was why Chu Changhe so longed to possess a T4-grade interstellar destroyer of his own.
As for the T4 Sacred-Lucent-class Light Interstellar Cruiser, that was a weak spot of the Holy Radiance Empire's now — which was why Saint Cana wished to obtain the Owl Dragon Legion's T4 interstellar cruiser technology, to shore up her empire's technological shortfall.