"As of now we have not discovered that the Demon Race fleet possesses T5-grade interstellar warships. But by the results of the Dragon Emperor's investigations over past years, it cannot be ruled out that the Demon Race have research projects upon T5-grade interstellar warships. And the Demon Race's fleets in service fall into two tiers. They may be divided into first line and second line. The second-line Demon Race fleets chiefly take on such tasks as patrol and garrison across the Demon Race's several territorial star regions; they are composed of T2, T3 and a small number of T4-grade interstellar warships. While the first-line Demon Race fleets — that is, those Demon Race fleets now lying beyond the Dragon-folk tribe's northern territory — belong to this tier. Like our Owl Dragon, they are constituted upon an establishment of T3-grade and T4 interstellar warships. And the proportion between the two is an astonishing 10 to one! Within a Demon Race legion fleet of 3,000 hulls there are 300 T4-grade interstellar warships. As for the Demon Race fleet's T2 and T3 series interstellar warships, I shall not dwell upon them; you may consult the relevant material yourselves after the meeting, and put any questions to me. This conference chiefly concerns the T4-grade interstellar warships the Demon Race have in service."
Lilith raised a hand, and of the several dozen Demon Race interstellar warships there remained at once only five.
"The T4 Demon-Hunter-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser. In the known combat data, its all-round combat strength is equivalent to 50 of the quasi-T4-grade T4 Dragon-Knight-class Heavy Interstellar Cruisers. By our conjecture, its all-round strength may already have reached the level of the T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship."
Zhao Chen knit his brows slightly. An interstellar battlecruiser that could already match an interstellar battleship — from this alone one could see that the Demon Race's starship industrial technology must already surpass the Galactic Alliance's.
Though this was without reckoning in the Owl Dragon's own starship industrial technological system.
"The T4 Keen-Blade-class Light Interstellar Interceptor." Lilith pointed at the one whose hull was smallest of the five. "This is, in known intelligence, the most numerous class among the Demon Race's T4 series interstellar warships. Its bulk is very small — a great deal smaller even than our T4 Paladin-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Frigate. The interstellar interceptor is a ship type of a particular kind; its core is in fact similar to our interstellar destroyer. But it lays especial emphasis upon hull armor strength, short-burst acceleration, close-range firepower output, and a special capacity for jump interception in its own right. It can carry out operational missions alone, intercepting interstellar warships in the midst of a jump. And it can also operate in concert with a fleet; in such operations it takes on the harassment of an enemy fleet, close-quarters combat, cutting off an enemy's line of retreat, and the like."
At this class of interstellar warship, Zhao Chen's eyes lit up.
Sure enough, differing interstellar civilizations will always develop in differing directions.
In the Galactic Alliance's history there had been a concept of the interstellar interceptor as well, but it had soon been abandoned.
And its defect was plain enough: its combat ability as a single unit was in fact very weak, and when it could not obtain advantage of numbers it fell to disadvantage, and was on the contrary hunted down by the enemy.
"The T4 Gargoyle-class Heavy Interstellar Frigate, possessed of very strong hull armor — indeed it is rumored that the hull armor it is fitted with employs a special biological technology and possesses the ability of self-repair. The T4 Lich-King-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship is, in known intelligence, the Demon Race's most powerful interstellar warship as a single unit."
Having spoken of these four classes, Lilith paused a moment.
And pointed at the last Demon Race interstellar warship, the largest in bulk besides.
"This class of Demon Race interstellar warship is rather special; its bulk exceeds that of any T4-grade combat-type interstellar warship of our Owl Dragon Legion's. If one must find something to compare it with. Then perhaps only our T3 Storm-Fortress-class Large Naval Port. And it does indeed much resemble a movable large naval port! First, it possesses quasi-T4-grade weapon modules of its own, whose intensity of firepower falls not a whit short of an interstellar fortress! It is called the Demon-Lord-class Interstellar Composite Mothership, and has a byname besides: the Demon Lord's Castle. Besides which, by the data obtained during the Dragon Emperor's battle, this fortress-grade interstellar composite mothership, apart from possessing the functions of a carrier starship and being able to put out T4-grade interstellar fighters and interstellar drones— can, by its vast frame, carry great numbers of interstellar warships besides! The precise number cannot be determined." Lilith finished her account.
The Owl Dragon commanders present were digesting this knowledge; indeed within their minds they had already begun to model the scenes of engaging these Demon Race fleets.
What manner of tactics and methods might most effectively destroy these enemies.
The T4 Demon-Hunter-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser, the T4 Keen-Blade-class Light Interstellar Interceptor, the T4 Gargoyle-class Heavy Interstellar Frigate, the T4 Lich-King-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship, the T4 Demon-Lord-class Interstellar Composite Mothership.
Zhao Chen stared with narrowed eyes at the holographic images of these five Demon Race interstellar warships before him.
He seemed already to see such a Demon Race fleet presented before him — and that the one about to meet such a Demon Race fleet was his own Owl Dragon Legion.
Having introduced these Demon Race interstellar warships, Lilith went on, "Next are certain tactics and strategies of the Demon Race interstellar fleets, by the Dragon Emperor's own account. The Demon Race interstellar fleets are chiefly skilled in two tactics. One is the interception tactic of local operations: relying upon the T4 Keen-Blade-class Light Interstellar Interceptor to carry out interception, intercepting an enemy fleet directly in the course of its jump and destroying it piecemeal. The other is the large-scale frontal field. The T4 Gargoyle-class Heavy Interstellar Frigate and the T4 Demon-Lord-class Interstellar Composite Mothership advance the position slowly, the former taking charge of defending against the enemy ships' firepower output, the latter using all its own weapons to launch the attack upon the enemy. And commonly, after the T4 Demon-Lord-class Interstellar Composite Mothership has launched its first wave of attack, command of interstellar airspace is seized by the Demon Race fleet. Thereafter the remaining three classes take the stage. The T4 Lich-King-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship carries out the main assault upon the front, while the T4 Demon-Hunter-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser and the T4 Keen-Blade-class Light Interstellar Interceptor take on such tasks as thrusting through, flanking round, and harassment. And because of the great number of T4-grade interstellar warships they possess. The Demon Race fleet's manner of fighting is commonly to send out great numbers of T4 interstellar warships first to tear the enemy's line of defense open outright, and then to have the more numerous T3-grade interstellar warships carry out the mopping-up. By which the Demon Race fleet's own losses are greatly reduced as well. This is also why, when the Dragon Emperor led 150,000 interstellar warships in person to encircle and destroy 30,000 Demon Race interstellar warships, he inflicted a loss of under 3,000 interstellar warships upon the enemy." Lilith finished, and looked toward Zhao Chen.
Over this stretch she had used every effort to put in order for the Owl Dragon Legion the enemy's combat material.
Zhao Chen drew a deep breath and looked at the Owl Dragon commanders seated there. "The enemy we face this time is stronger than any we have faced before. And at the same time, we do not know how many Demon Race interstellar warships stand behind these 30,000. How much relief there may be, or when it may appear. None of this do we know. But I know one thing: I will not permit a single Demon Race interstellar warship to enter Dragon-folk territory. What falls then may be Dragon-folk territory; but by the Demon Race's nature, they will assuredly not be satisfied with one Dragon-folk tribe, nor satisfied with the Warhammer. Their invasion will certainly spread to the Starlight Empire — spread to our own home. So that such a thing may not come to pass. I need you to destroy any Demon Race interstellar warship that appears before us. Is that understood!"