Within the great hall, all was silence.
The company of generals dared not speak at this hour.
Only the heavy breathing of that red demon seated in the high place could be heard.
"Which is to say that my 300,000 demon interstellar warships are destroyed to the last. That not one ship has come back. Is that so?" Marshal Red Demon kept his eyes shut.
"It… it is so… Because contact was lost with all 10 Red Demon legions at the time, some interstellar scout ships were sent afterward to look into it. At a place still some distance short of the appointed forward position, the relics of a battlefield were found. And… and interstellar warp interceptors spent to exhaustion. After that, we received besides an encrypted message the demon Fifth Legion commander sent out before he fell. Because encrypted messages travel rather slowly, it was only lately that we received it. It is confirmed: our 300,000 interstellar warships were ambushed by an enemy called the Owl Dragon Legion, who used warp interceptors to ambush our fleet. And destroyed our 300,000 interstellar warships… every… every one." The subordinate reported this news with some nervousness.
"300,000… 300,000… 300,000… All gone. Hahahaha… all gone." Marshal Red Demon covered his face with one hand and laughed aloud, half madly.
Of the company of generals and subordinates below, not one dared make a sound at this time.
"What was it you said just now — who did this?" Marshal Red Demon demanded of that subordinate who had spoken.
"The Owl Dragon… the Owl Dragon… the Owl Dragon Legion," the subordinate stammered.
"The Owl Dragon Legion?" Marshal Red Demon narrowed his eyes. "The Owl Dragon Legion? I shall remember it. Pass my order: every legion fleet of the Red Demon Legion to assemble! I shall make an expedition against this Owl Dragon Legion; I shall destroy with my ship-guns every star system, every planet that has any bond with this Owl Dragon! I shall tear them to pieces!"
"My lord Marshal… this… if the whole Red Demon Legion is to go upon expedition… this… this must first be reported to His Majesty the Demon King," the subordinate said, trembling.
But before he could finish, he saw a pair of crimson boots appear before his eyes.
Whereupon the boot struck him full upon the jaw.
Before he could recover himself, several heavy blows followed.
At the last this man lost consciousness outright; and even so Marshal Red Demon went on venting his rage without cease.
Three hundred thousand interstellar warships!
It truly made him ache as though flesh were being cut from him.
And before this, near 120,000 interstellar warships had already been thrown into that field, twice over.
First and last, this amounted to the loss of 420,000 interstellar warships.
Bear in mind that his whole Red Demon Legion, at its most flourishing, had held only a million-odd interstellar warships.
At a single stroke, near half of it was lost to him!
How should he not be enraged?
Marshal Red Demon looked at the fellow beneath his feet, in whom life was already extinguished, and swept his blood-thirsty gaze over every general and subordinate in the great hall.
"I know well enough that a movement of forces at this level must be reported to His Majesty the Demon King. But… do you know what would come of it, if His Majesty the Demon King learned that I… had lost above 400,000 interstellar warships? Among them our two T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers. What sort of result would that be? His Majesty the Demon King would finish me as I have just finished this fellow! And you would come to no good end either. So this matter must not be let to reach His Majesty the Demon King. Our one chance of redeeming ourselves is to destroy the enemy entire and seize the enemy's star-region territory. To atone to His Majesty the Demon King by victory — only so can we keep our own lives, and keep our own people. Is that understood! You have no other choice!"
Marshal Red Demon roared and bellowed it.
After a brief silence.
Thereupon one general cried aloud, "Wash the Owl Dragon away in blood!"
There was one, and then a second, and a third.
"Wash the Owl Dragon away in blood!"
"Wash the Owl Dragon away in blood!"
At the last, under Marshal Red Demon's arrangement, this plan of expedition against the Owl Dragon Legion might be counted settled.
Those fleets remaining to the Red Demon Legion began at this moment to assemble in haste.
And the matter of the 10 Red Demon legion fleets' annihilation was to be blockaded upon every side.
Should His Majesty the Demon King learn of this thing, then they were finished indeed.
The many generals within the great hall departed one after another.
But two remained behind all the same.
Marshal Red Demon sat once more in his own place; the look of rage upon his face was gone, and in its stead was a look of weariness.
"My lord Marshal, your plan of expedition we approve. But how the expedition is to be made, and how it is to be fought — that is a question wanting thought. That this Owl Dragon Legion could beat our 300,000 interstellar warships means they assuredly have their strength. And by the last word the Fifth commander sent back, the enemy possess several T5 interstellar warships. That should be where their strength lies. And with the particular character of that lane besides, the enemy is easy to hold and hard to attack. Were we to go straight across under warp navigation as before, it cannot be ruled out that we should be ambushed by the enemy a second time. Still more that this time we have not even a bridgehead position left." The one who spoke was the Red Demon Second Legion commander.
The other beside him, the Red Demon Third Legion commander, said, "And then there is our strength of arms. What we can move now is only 20 demon legions — 600,000 interstellar warships. And by our present rating of this Owl Dragon Legion's danger. With 600,000 interstellar warships… it may not suffice to destroy the enemy with nine chances in ten."
Hearing the words of these two trusted men.
Marshal Red Demon said, low and grave, "What you say, I know too. But these are the only forces in our hands now."
"My lord Marshal… in truth… we might go and borrow," the Red Demon Second Legion commander reminded him.
"Borrow?" Marshal Red Demon was silent a moment; he understood what his trusted man meant, and said with a blackened face, "That borrowing is not so easy a thing. That crew are cunning to a fault; borrow from them and they will assuredly put forward some harsh demands."
"My lord Marshal, do you think those demands matter more now, or whether our Red Demon Legion can go on existing? Time waits for no one. Once His Majesty the Demon King learns of this thing, he must lay the blame upon us. And with His Majesty's original notion of cutting down the Demon Marshals besides, the first blade of that new policy will fall upon our heads. I beg my lord Marshal to think thrice!" the Red Demon Third Legion commander said, low and grave.
Marshal Red Demon said, "I understand. This matter I shall see to. You go first and prepare the plan of expedition. I want a battle plan in the least possible time."
"Yes!" the two commanders answered.
Within the great hall, Marshal Red Demon alone was left.
He set his own feelings in order a long while; and at the last he opened the communication device, and got in contact with that wretch he least wished to contact of all.