Owl Dragon interstellar warships in their thousands, for all the world like a wolf pack that has caught the smell of blood, threw themselves upon the Disciple Legion — which had just passed through a saturating strike of interstellar missile fire, and had not yet come back to itself.
Though the Disciple Legion was the mightiest of the Ten Great Sacred-Light Legions.
At this hour and this moment, no one would doubt what the Disciple Legion's end would be.
"Saint Cana! You have actually colluded with the Owl Dragon Legion! You call us traitors with every breath, when in truth it is you who have betrayed the Sacred Light!" Consul Andrew pointed at Saint Cana in fury.
"Back when I was at the Stellar Alliance, I knew this slut had some connection with the Owl Dragon Legion. And with that Owl Dragon lord above all — there is no telling what filthy sort of connection!" Consul Stanford said it in contempt.
By speech of this kind Saint Cana was unmoved.
She looked mildly at Consul Stanford. "Stanford, are you at this moment still laying your hope upon that Southern Sacred Fleet-Group of yours, stationed not far from here?"
Hearing Saint Cana's words, Consul Stanford's face changed slightly; but he mastered his feeling all the same, and said with a cold laugh, "And what if I am? My Southern Sacred Fleet-Group has a full 200,000 interstellar warships! By the time they arrive here, do you suppose this treachery of yours can succeed?"
Hearing this, the guests about them let out a breath as well.
How had they very nearly forgotten this?
Consul Stanford had consented to the migration plan; and so as to be ready early.
He had even abandoned the frontier defense long since, and gathered every fleet of his into one place. Save for a portion of interstellar warships lost in the early fighting against the interstellar hive-race.
The remaining near 200,000 interstellar warships had all completed their assembly.
They awaited only Consul Stanford's order, and could voyage off to the new homeland.
Consul Stanford understood very well: the military power held in his hands stood directly for his voice in the time to come.
"Though your Southern Sacred Fleet-Group would seem, at present, no longer to be listening to you." Saint Cana opened a further video window.
Within it was the image of a bridge.
A man who had been seated in the captain's chair, upon seeing Saint Cana, rose at once, laid one hand upon his breast, and made his obeisance. "I salute you, Supreme Commander Saint Cana."
"Paul?" Consul Stanford, seeing the man before him, was blank a moment.
He confirmed carefully that the other was indeed that man he knew — Paul, supreme commander of the Second Army Group of his own Southern Sacred Fleet-Group.
Paul threw a glance at Consul Stanford, but said nothing.
"Paul! What are you doing! I command you: contact the other parts of the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group at once, and hasten to the Imperial Star this instant to put down the rebellion! The Sacred Angel family have conspired with an enemy from without; they are now the Imperial Senate's most-wanted criminals!" Consul Stanford roared it aloud; one could see that his feeling at this hour was somewhat unsteady.
It seemed that only by such loud roaring could he cover the unease within him.
This Commander Paul said nothing, but looked to Saint Cana and bowed slightly. "I await the Supreme Commander's next instruction."
"Never mind. A certain lord Consul is by now, I should think, much puzzled. Commander Paul, first set out for this lord Consul what has become of his former Southern Sacred Fleet-Group." Saint Cana said it light and unhurried as a passing cloud.
"Yes." Commander Paul looked at Consul Stanford and said mildly, "Half an hour ago. The Southern Sacred Fleet-Group's First Army Group fleet was annihilated to the last; and thereafter the Second, Fourth and Sixth Army Group fleets rose over to us entire. The Third and Fifth Army Group fleets had some trouble at the outset; but after a series of senior officers came over, and after certain fleets that resisted at first surrendered, the case grew in the main steady. The Eighth Army Group fleet, being in a star-port refitting after the earlier fighting against the interstellar hive-race, upon receiving our intelligence. Its consul likewise declared that it joins our camp. As of this hour the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group has been wholly reorganized as the Sacred Angel Second Army Group fleet; 150,000 and more interstellar warships lie within our control. Report ended."
Having heard out this soldier within the video window.
No few of the guests present were turned to stone.
And the one whose feeling was shaken most was naturally Consul Stanford himself.
His body fell back several steps whether he would or no; he shook his head without cease, muttering, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! This is absolutely impossible! My First Army Group has a full 30,000 interstellar warships. How could it be annihilated to the last in the space of half an hour! This cannot be! It must be that you and this traitor Paul are deceiving me! It is all false! All of this is false! My fleet-group will come and put down this rebellion very soon!"
Within the Holy Radiance Empire's fleets, beyond the legion fleet of 3,000 interstellar warships to a body.
There stands above it the army group fleet establishment, of 10 legion fleets to a body — which comes to 30,000 interstellar warships.
The overwhelming majority present were unwilling to believe as well that the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group's most elite First Army Group should be annihilated in the space of half an hour.
It was past crediting!
Looking at Consul Stanford, gone somewhat out of his wits, Saint Cana turned to Paul. "Commander Paul, are you still upon the field where the First Army Group was annihilated?"
"Yes, I am here."
"Then you may as well show Consul Stanford the picture of the place. Let it count as giving him a chance to mourn that most elite First Army Group of his," said Saint Cana.
"Yes." Commander Paul shifted the picture; it turned toward the outside of the bridge's viewport, and began to pan without cease into the distance.
By degrees they saw a stretch of broken walls and ruined ramparts made of interstellar warships.
The wreck of one interstellar warship after another drifted amid this quarter of the heavens.
This was a starship graveyard.
And among them the wrecks of certain great interstellar warships still declared to onlookers what they had been in life.
T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
T4 Sacred Lucent-class Light Interstellar Cruiser.
T4 Divine-Envoy-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer.
These glories of the Holy Radiance Empire had fallen at this hour to a graveyard within this quarter of the heavens.
Wait — how was there yet another interstellar warship hanging in the distance?
At the outset this interstellar warship was, to the eye, no bigger than a grain of rice.
But as the picture came forward, this interstellar warship grew larger, and larger.
That vast hull, even across a video window, gave one a sense of oppression exceedingly strong.
"What starship is that, so large? How is it I have never seen it?" a young guest muttered in puzzlement.
And at this moment another Consul's face went ghastly pale.
His pupils shook, his lips trembled; he pointed at that interstellar warship within the video window past all believing. "T5… this is a T5 interstellar warship. It was this… that annihilated our Sacred Wing Legion!"
In this moment the truth stood revealed.