The three T5 interstellar warships stood at this hour upon the field like the horns of a beast, each bracing the others.
"Report. The enemy T5 interstellar warship has entered attack range!" a subordinate reported to the Red Demon Fourth Legion commander.
The Red Demon Fourth Legion commander looked toward the Fifth Legion commander in the video window beside him.
"Open the attack! The whole fleet to bear down upon them — but keep the distance, and guard against the enemy's counter-measures!" the wary Red Demon Fifth Legion commander said, low and grave.
Having heard it out, both demon commanders handed down their orders at the first instant.
The two T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers opened their attack.
Upon either side of each ship's bow there appeared a pair of bow cannon, which from a distance were for all the world like two keen blades grown out of the head, blazing with a dazzling light.
Some seconds later, from two directions, four beams came driving straight at the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought.
And slammed heavily into the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's star shield.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! The star shield is under attack! The star shield is under attack!" came the starship system's prompt-tone.
The crew beside her all looked toward Captain Xue Xiaoxiao.
But Xue Xiaoxiao was in no haste at this hour; she said calmly, "Wait yet. Let them come nearer!"
The star-shield figure began to fall, and to fall rather fast.
For with the other T4 demon interstellar warships closing in, they had opened their attacks as well.
T4 interstellar warships in such numbers, and two T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers besides — that output was a very great threat even to the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's star shield.
The crew began to grow tense, their eyes moving now and again to Captain Xue Xiaoxiao and to Commander Zhao Chen.
Had there been none aboard this interstellar warship but themselves, they would have been willing to take the risk.
But the Commander was here now, and what they feared the more was for the Commander's safety.
And Commander Zhao Chen at this hour was the more at his ease, leaning back upon the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, for all the world like drifting cloud and thin wind.
As though he understood nothing whatever of the case before him.
Three minutes went by.
It had to be said, the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's star shield was truly formidable.
After taking the enemy's fire head-on for three minutes.
The star-shield energy value had only just fallen to 50%.
And by this time the distance between the two sides' interstellar warships was nearer still.
So that those demon interstellar warships' medium- and short-range ship-guns could reach the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought as well.
Which made the pressure upon the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought greater still.
"Now is the time. Lay upon coordinate direction *, and use the Hades Domain*." Xue Xiaoxiao handed down the order without a word more.
Within the space of some seconds, the authorization was given.
Whereupon, upon the starship radar, a point of light could be seen bursting within the demon fleet's position on the left, and the burst's district covered precisely that T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser on the left.
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The Red Demon Fifth Legion commander looked at his bridge, gone dark of a sudden; every control panel had died at this moment.
The bridge crew fell at once into disorder and anxiety.
"Every one of you stay at your own post; as I said before, restart every system of the starship at once, and the instant the communication system recovers, get me in contact with the other interstellar warships!" The Red Demon Fifth Legion commander showed not the least alarm, and handed down his orders steadily and coolly.
The counter-measure of that T5 interstellar warship of the enemy's had been within his expectation long since.
So he found nothing unlooked-for in it.
On the contrary, he was a good deal easier in his mind.
Had the enemy's means stayed hidden throughout, that would have made a man uneasy; brought out and used, they let him rest easy instead.
For in this case the other T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser could lead the remaining Demon Race interstellar warships in an attack, and take the enemy's T5 interstellar warship while the moment served.
By the intelligence they had at present, the enemy had only one T5 interstellar warship.
Most likely the enemy's commander was aboard that T5 interstellar warship; and could it but be destroyed, this campaign would amount to being turned about entire.
This ambush the enemy had mounted would become an annihilation battle in which they had dug their own graves!
He walked to the port and looked at the case outside through the most primitive of deep-space telescopes; and though he could not see clearly, it was at the least better than knowing nothing at all.
The Red Demon Fourth Legion commander next door was indeed, as they had settled beforehand, pressing the fiercest attack now.
And that T5 interstellar warship had at last brought out its true instrument of slaughter.
When that beam shot forth, even observing it by deep-space telescope alone, this demon commander could feel the strength of the threat in it.
The first struck by that beam was a T4 Gargoyle-class Medium Interstellar Frigate.
Its star shield, long since raised, did not hold out long; and once the star shield shattered, this interstellar frigate, renowned for its defense, was very soon blasted to pieces as well.
Thereafter, wherever this beam passed, the result was in the main the same.
And it was plain that this terrible beam's target was that T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser.
But for this case the two demon commanders had made their response ready long before.
It could be seen that a great number of T4 Gargoyle-class Medium Interstellar Frigates were pouring in ahead of the T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser, using their own star shields and hulls as a shield to guard their flagship.
And this means was very effective too.
At the last, though that terrible beam did strike the T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser, it did not shatter the star shield, but dispersed before the star shield could be broken.
"There is no telling how much of the Blade of Terror's star-shield energy it consumed." This demon commander murmured to himself.
Bear in mind that before ever touching this T5 Blade of Terror's star shield, this terrible beam had already destroyed at the least 1,000 T4-grade interstellar warships!
A terrible power past imagining.
He was now much interested in this T5 interstellar warship of the enemy's; a hull so vast as that meant it must have a most powerful heart, and these two strategic attack weapons besides were most out of the common.
He hoped only that once this T5 interstellar warship was destroyed, as much technical material as possible might be preserved within the wreckage for them to study.
Were a new model of Demon Race T5 interstellar warship to be developed from it, then never mind these Demon Race interstellar warships lost now — though all 300,000 were thrown away here.
His Majesty the Demon King would lay no punishment whatever upon them; there would even be a reward!
"A pity the stored energy is not enough, or I could have blasted that interstellar warship opposite apart in one breath," Xue Xiaoxiao muttered, unwilling.
But with the stored energy already down to the 10% warning value, Xue Xiaoxiao could only break off the attack.
"Open the dock bay doors — loose the cubs for me, and ram these calves dead!" Xue Xiaoxiao handed down the order with a fierce and menacing air!