For the 10-odd hours that followed—
the fleet Zhao Chen had charged with the pursuit played out a whole drama of chase and flight with the Sacred Lancer Legion's remnant.
Chiefly because the number of warships in Zhao Chen's hand was not great; in this action itself, the combat-type warships that charged the fray came to under 30.
And those taking part in this pursuit numbered fewer than 10!
While in such a case the Sacred Lancer Legion's remnant still had above 300 warships at the least.
Fierce as the firepower of Zhao Chen's warships was, to destroy them one by one wanted time.
Some may wonder — fewer than 10 warships chasing above 300?
Could the Sacred Lancer Legion not have made some resistance?
When they had been chased near 10 hours, the Sacred Lancer Legion did try resisting.
But the result of that resistance was to have their heads held down and ground into the deck by the Owl Dragon fleet, with the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship at its head.
Not a scrap of room to strike back, and 50 warships lost outright.
After which the Sacred Lancer Legion's remaining warships gave up every other notion altogether, and held to a single conviction — run!
"Report. The Sacred Lancer Legion's fleeing remnant now numbers fewer than 50! Among them one T4 Retribution Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship, and five T4 Divine-Envoy-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers," a subordinate reported.
Xue Xiaoxiao muttered in displeasure, "This pack of turtle-spawn — running is all they know how to do. And that T4 Retribution Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship above all — the most contemptible of them! Not only does it run fastest itself; every time we have a chance at a shot, it orders its own friendly ships to shield it with their hulls! Shameless!"
"Rest easy. Not one of these Sacred Lancer Legion warships is getting away!" Zhao Chen said with confidence.
And now Saint Cana spoke up beside him in warning. "Don't blame me for failing to warn you: hold this heading another hour and you'll be entering the Holy Radiance Empire's borders. And the Sacred Lancer Legion will certainly have called the Holy Radiance Empire for aid; relief is likely on the road already."
Zhao Chen said it easy as a passing cloud. "I said it before: not one warship of the Sacred Lancer Legion is to leave this place. Not one!"
Zhao Chen put a weight of emphasis upon the words not one.
This battle was not merely for those reasons that showed on the surface.
Zhao Chen was also establishing his standing with the Holy Radiance Empire.
Telling the Holy Radiance Empire's upper ranks: don't suppose I'm ignorant of your meddling in the Starlight Empire's affairs.
Today I can destroy one Sacred Lancer Legion; tomorrow I can destroy two, or four! Or every Sacred-Light Legion you have!
You had better weigh that price.
That was Zhao Chen's meaning beneath the words — establishing his standing by the fall of a whole Sacred Lancer Legion.
Saint Cana's deep gaze rested a moment upon Zhao Chen; she saw his intent, and said nothing further. Were she in Zhao Chen's place, she would have done the same.
Each served his own master, that was all.
"Pass my order. Increase speed! The Sacred Lancer Legion's remnant is to be destroyed within the hour, without fail!" Zhao Chen ordered.
"Yes!"
The order went down.
And this fight of chase and flight went on, with several Sacred Lancer warships falling behind at intervals, and then being destroyed.
Saint Cana watched all of it coldly, watched on the radar chart as those markers denoting Sacred Lancer warships vanished one after another.
From 50… to 40… to 30… to 20…
And in the turn of an eye an hour had gone.
The Sacred Lancer Legion now had a bare 10 warships left!
"Blast the man's lungs! That turtle-spawn of a flagship has used its own friendly ships for a wall again. Had that friendly ship not soaked up the bow cannon's shot, this old girl's one round would have scattered its ashes!" Xue Xiaoxiao said it hot with indignation.
A moment ago Xue Xiaoxiao had caught a chance at last and locked onto that T4 Retribution Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
And just as the bow cannon's sustained output was upon the star-shield opposite, with the shield visibly on the point of failing—
a T3 Light-Shield-class Heavy Interstellar Escort stepped forward and made a shield of its own body, and took that attack.
Which let that T4 Retribution Angel go on drawing its last breaths a while longer.
"No matter. Its star-shield energy is spent already. One more shot and it's finished." Zhao Chen said it mildly.
Those remaining Sacred Lancer warships were, to his eyes, dead ships already.
"Report! Our ship's radar detects a great number of interstellar warships appearing at the furthest range ahead!"
Suddenly a crewwoman reported it in haste.
Zhao Chen looked calmly at those markers at the edge of the ship's radar, growing more numerous by the moment.
From a few thousand, they very soon spread to above 10,000!
And at the same time, a message came in on the open channel.
"Commander-in-Chief, this is a warning message from those fleets that have appeared opposite," a crewwoman reported to him.
Zhao Chen tapped it open.
"We are the Holy Radiance Empire's Southern Sacred Fleet-Group! Cease your fleet's attacks upon our Sacred Lancer Legion, or bear the consequences yourselves!"
The message played over and over without pause.
Xue Xiaoxiao's eyes went to Zhao Chen, and the meaning in them was to ask whether they should go on fighting — say the word.
"Pay them no mind. Keep fighting." Zhao Chen spoke it mildly, and shut that declaration off outright.
Xue Xiaoxiao's eyes lit, and she went on after the Sacred Lancer Legion's remaining warships — and above all that T4 Retribution Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
This was quarry she had gone to great trouble to catch; how should it be let go for nothing?
"I remind you: you are provoking the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group now!" Saint Cana warned him from beside, her tone cold as ice.
Zhao Chen leaned back in the captain's chair with both hands behind his head, wholly at his ease. "I know it. Besides your Ten Great Sacred-Light Legions, your Holy Radiance Empire has five regional Sacred Fleet-Groups. Which is to say the five stretches of your territory, each in the charge of one of the five Imperial Consuls, and each with a Sacred Fleet-Group under his command. And every Sacred Fleet-Group is made up of 100 standard-establishment fleet legions — 300,000 warships all told."
That Zhao Chen dared move against the Sacred Lancer Legion meant he had naturally done his homework on the masters standing behind it.
"And what of it? Let the King of Heaven himself come today; I mean to destroy the Sacred Lancer Legion all the same!" Zhao Chen said it in mockery.
"Madman." Saint Cana muttered the word.
The situation at this hour stood thus.
Opposite there had appeared a dense black field of Holy Radiance Empire warships.
The number had already reached tens of thousands!
And was still rising.
Those few remaining Sacred Lancer warships had seen it too, and it was for all the world like sighting a savior in the dark.
At first they had supposed themselves safe already.
Their own Sacred Fleet-Group had come; surely that pack behind them would break off the chase?
But past all expectation, that pack behind them came on with more appetite than before.
And went so far, in the very face of the Sacred Fleet-Group, as to destroy several more Sacred Lancer warships one upon another.
Which set the remaining Sacred Lancer warships running for their lives!
Let them only get within the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group's range of fire, and they were safe.
But that stretch of distance, which looked no great way, might well be a chasm to the Sacred Lancer Legion.
Because—
ahead of them there appeared rings of light, one after another, like the haloed reflection upon the surface of a lake.
And then warship after warship came through!
Appearing plainly in the belt of space between the Sacred Lancer Legion and the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group.
Saint Cana saw this — and above all the dragon-form blazons upon those warships!
And her gaze grew fixed.
She looked in astonishment at the faintly smiling Zhao Chen. This man… had he reckoned it out as far as this?