This one round of missile bombardment alone went on near 10 minutes.
Because the numbers truly were far too many!
When the smoke and dust of the blasts cleared, one could see stretch upon stretch of the Dragon-folk fleet groups' warship wrecks.
"This one round of missile bombardment has destroyed at the least a third of the Dragon-folk fleet groups' warships; and the remaining two-thirds have taken damage in greater or lesser degree, with their fighting power sharply fallen." Chieftainess Hu Ya made her analysis at once.
"A third? Then… then is that not 20,000 warships!" a councilor cried out.
10 minutes of missile bombardment alone, and 20,000 warships destroyed!
And these were no Golden Eagle tribe fleets, the tail-enders of the twenty great tribes, but the legion fleets of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth's own standard-bearers, the Dragon-folk tribe!
"The fireworks show is not over yet." The corner of Zhao Chen's mouth rose slightly.
At that one line, the looks of everyone in the conference room changed.
"That… that… what is that warship?" Hu Xin'er keenly noticed one particular vessel.
Because that warship was slowly unfolding, and dense, teeming missile-launch installations came into view before them all.
Those launch apertures, one upon another, were enough to make a sufferer of trypophobia faint on the spot.
"The T4 Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship." Zhao Chen spoke the warship's name.
"A T4… grade missile ship!" Everyone present drew a cold breath.
Elder Ram's expression at this hour went wholly blank, and in his eyes there was disbelief — and even… a thread of regret.
Zhao Chen shut his eyes; it was as though he heard already that exquisite strain of music.
And murmured to himself, "Where the angel's wingbeat reaches, the starry sky is made a purgatory, and stillness itself is annihilation."
While the others were shaken by the closing act of this fireworks show.
It had not the overbearing force of those several hundred missile ships firing in salvo before, granted.
But watching several hundred thousand interstellar missiles go out without a break from one single missile ship — that feeling had a flavor all its own!
The Dragon-folk fleet groups, having just borne one round of the missiles' "meteoric rain of fire," had never imagined—
that this storm was, of all things, not yet over.
And under that earlier round of missile bombardment, the frigates' defensive interception had all but collapsed.
And this time it was unlike the last.
The T4 Hell-Angel's missile attack was no blanket fire-strike.
It was precision bombardment!
The first targets locked were every T4-grade warship within range among the whole enemy fleet groups.
And so those Dragon-folk T4 warships came to grief.
One… five… 10…
Though they had the protection of all-round T4-grade star shields, under missile bombardment coming one upon another, the shattering of those shields was merely a matter of time.
They could only watch, wide-eyed, as those T4 warships were set alight one after another like so many torches.
And at the last.
Under the T4 Hell-Angel's precision attack—
of the two Dragon-folk fleet groups' scant 60 T4 warships, fewer than five remained…
And those five only because they lay at the fleet groups' rear, and so escaped the disaster.
And besides those T4 warships, a great many T3 warships were locked upon as well, as the Hell-Angel's next-best targets.
If even T4 warships could not bear that assault, still less could these T3-grade hulls.
If that earlier round of blanket missile bombardment had destroyed half the Dragon-folk fleet groups' fighting power—
then the T4 Hell-Angel's attack was a slaughter of the Dragon-folk fleet groups' topmost strength.
"These two Dragon-folk fleet groups… fewer than five T4 warships survive; and of the 6,000 T3 warships they had, there remain now… fewer than 100…" Chieftainess Hu Ya set out the two fleet groups' present state.
In truth Chieftainess Hu Ya spoke conservatively.
By what she thought inwardly, these two Dragon-folk fleet groups had already lost.
With not one enemy warship destroyed, and both their own arms cut off — how were they to fight on?
This was quite simply a naked crushing.
Sure enough, the two Dragon-folk fleet groups were truly frightened by this sight; the commanders of both — or the deputies who had taken over command — gave the order to withdraw.
They had no desire whatever left to go on fighting.
But… would the Owl Dragon Second Legion let them go so easily?
Of course not.
After the fireworks show came the hour of the hunt!
One could see, out of the Owl Dragon Second Legion's formation, several small fleets charging forth; these small fleets came round at exceeding speed from every side to flank, pincer, and intercept the Dragon-folk fleet groups.
Though these small fleets were not many in number.
Each perhaps some 30 hulls, and all of them together only some 300.
But… these pursuing, intercepting small fleets were like so many lances thrust into the body of this Dragon-folk fleet group that sought to flee.
The Dragon-folk warships attempted to attack these Owl Dragon ships.
But there was nothing to be done — they simply could not destroy them in any short while.
Because these warships were either interstellar cruisers or battlecruisers, and several of them T4-grade besides!
Possessed of exceeding speed, armor strength, and attacking power.
And when things looked ill, they would break off from the field of their own accord, re-form, and come harrying again.
And with this coming and going, the Dragon-folk fleet groups' speed of flight was naturally affected.
While the Revolutionary Army's councilors and leaders, as onlookers, saw it the more clearly.
The Owl Dragon Second Legion's following fleets were closing in slowly.
With interstellar frigates guarding the formation, interstellar destroyers leading the attack, and interstellar battleships taking on the main assault.
And great numbers of fighters and drones had already reached the space where the Dragon-folk fleet groups lay, and opened a harrying assault upon them.
The Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth's characteristic is a dislike of carrier starships, and their counter-measure is the interstellar frigate.
But it happened that their frigates had lost the greater half of their number a moment ago intercepting missiles, and could now still less serve to hold off the fighter and drone swarms.
In near enough the blink of an eye, command of the space where the Dragon-folk fleet groups lay was taken by the Owl Dragon Second Legion.
And the fighters and drones, for the sake of efficient combat, would not even destroy these warships outright, but struck only at their engines and power structures.
Which brought the speed of these Dragon-folk warships down.
And once that speed fell, they fell behind — and were overtaken, before their own eyes, by the Owl Dragon Second Legion's fleets coming up behind.