The rest, then, were three T4 Sacred-Lucent-class Light Interstellar Cruisers and Saint Cana's own flagship, a T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
Originally there had been two T4 Retribution Angels.
But the other had gone down to defeat in that first battle of the Sacred-War Duel just past.
The remaining T3-grade warships — row upon row, column upon column of data — were laid out before Zhao Chen, counts and all.
T3 Archangel-class Medium Carrier Starship · 10
T3 Sun-God-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship · 30
T3 Divine-Spear-class Medium Interstellar Combined-Firepower Ship · 10
T3 Light-Cone-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser · 100
T3 Light-Ranger-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser · 300
T3 Apostle-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer · 900
T3 Light-Shield-class Heavy Interstellar Escort · 1,500
Zhao Chen looked over these T3-grade warships of the Holy Radiance Empire — every model of them ranked, one might say, among the top three of its class within the Galactic Alliance!
In truth, were it not for the Mechanical Race invasion, the Holy Radiance Empire would have had every ability to invade the Starlight Empire and the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth.
"Among them, the Holy Radiance Empire's T3 Divine-Spear-class Medium Interstellar Combined-Firepower Ship is a rather special one. It's somewhat like our interstellar missile ships. But perhaps mindful of the interstellar missile ship's terrifying rate of consumption, the Holy Radiance Empire didn't go with interstellar missiles alone. Instead they combined heavy cannon. Of the weapons it carries, a third are missile launchers; the remaining two-thirds are energy-type heavy cannon. Energy-type heavy cannon are cheap to fire — they run on energy consumption, and are easier to replenish than interstellar missiles." Lilith pointed out one of the warship models at his side, giving it particular analysis.
"Against an ordinary enemy, a combined-firepower ship like that is indeed a fine ship type. But faced with a truly evenly matched opponent, it falls a long way short." Zhao Chen shook his head.
Look again at Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Legion here.
That lineup was, one might say, quite terrifying.
Only, the Sacred Angel Legion across the way had no idea yet what manner of opponent they were about to face.
The two legion-fleets spread into a conventional battle formation and advanced step by step.
First, of course, the carrier starships launched their starfighters, poised and ready to sortie at any moment.
As the two fleets' forward positions entered, bit by bit, into the enemy fleet's firing range, even within the shuttle where Zhao Chen sat, through the light-screen Zhao Chen seemed to catch the reek of gun-smoke drifting from the far side.
Soon, the first wave of attack came!
The first to strike this time was the Sacred Angel Legion's side; 10 T3 Divine-Spear-class Medium Interstellar Combined-Firepower Ships loosed their might first.
The missile-launch gear mounted upon them engaged, and T3-grade interstellar missiles shot forth one after another.
These interstellar missiles showed, naturally, on the Owl Dragon Legion's radar too, synced through to Zhao Chen.
"5,000 missiles per ship; 10 ships, and one such round is 50,000 interstellar missiles. This piddling count of interstellar missiles — a drizzle," Zhao Chen said offhandedly.
This paltry sum of interstellar missiles — one of our own T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships alone carries a loadout of 25,000.
Zhao Chen had by now, near enough, guessed the Sacred Angel Legion's battle strategy.
Very traditional.
First, a round of blanketing interstellar-missile fire, best to do a measure of damage to the warships at the Owl Dragon Legion's forward position and sow confusion.
Then the Sacred Angel Legion would strike from three directions at once.
Starfighters and interstellar-drone swarms would open an interstellar dogfight, contesting interstellar air-superiority.
Battlecruisers and cruisers would form an assault-and-penetration fleet, striking at the Owl Dragon Legion fleet's two flanks in a penetrating attack.
And the frontal battlefield would, of course, be left to the main-force warships for a head-on assault.
Generally, given strength enough, after these three axes came down, few powers' interstellar legions could hold.
A pity only that this time the Sacred Angel Legion's three axes struck a steel plate — a barbed one, at that.
T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser, ship one · the bridge.
Chitong stood at the console before the captain's chair; from first to last she never sat in the chair behind her.
Even though Zhao Chen had handed her full command authority over this flagship.
She would not sit in that chair, for that chair was one only that man was fit to sit in.
Chitong watched, on the ship radar, those 50,000 interstellar missiles loosed across the way in a single salvo; her gaze held not the least change — she'd seen far greater scenes, and this piddling drizzle was nothing at all.
"Escort ships at the forward position, prepare to intercept the enemy interstellar missiles." Chitong gave the order.
The several hundred T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy-Assault Escorts at the fleet's vanguard now stood ready and waiting.
The 200 T3-grade six-barrel 600mm-caliber heavy close-in energy cannon on each of them locked, as far as they could, onto the direction of the incoming interstellar missiles.
At the same time, the three-faced star-shield system engaged.
These star-shields formed a second line of defense.
"They've entered interception range — open fire!" the captain of one T3 Triceratops gave the order.
Every close-in gun engaged at this moment; at their muzzles one could see the "flame" they spat.
By the naked eye, one could near enough not see the energy rounds these close-in guns fired.
But soon, one blooming "firework" of explosion after another appeared ahead — those were, beyond doubt, the interstellar missiles intercepted and destroyed.
The blooming "fireworks" drew nearer and nearer the Owl Dragon Legion's forward fleet.
At the last, a scattered few interstellar missiles landed on the star-shields the T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy-Assault Escorts had raised.
And then some interstellar missiles too struck the T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy-Assault Escorts behind the star-shields.
Three minutes later.
The Owl Dragon Legion fleet drove on through the exploding "smoke and dust," pressing forward.
"How can this be…" The NCOs behind Saint Cana were dumbstruck.
A salvo of 50,000 interstellar missiles had, of all things, done no more than cripple a few dozen of the Owl Dragon Legion fleet's T3 escort ships, forcing them to slow and drop out of the front rank of the fighting.
This was the Sacred Angel Legion's "drizzle."
"This round of the enemy's interstellar-missile bombardment cost us not a single warship. But 65 T3 Triceratops had their star-shields fully spent and their hulls gravely damaged, and were ordered out of the fight. The remaining hundred-odd T3 Triceratops took damage to varying degrees, but can carry on with the combat tasks to come." Lilith, as though narrating, reported the present state of the battlefield to Zhao Chen.
"Next, then — it's time to let them know what a true storm and tempest is." The corners of Zhao Chen's mouth curved faintly up.
Next, the Owl Dragon Legion's 50 T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships in service made their move too, missile-launch gear engaging one after another.
Lock the target zone!
Unleash saturation fire!
Fire!