While Commander Su Lan was thus spreading her hands wide, and the T5 Fire-Qilin-class Heavy Carrier Starship was making its first showing in a fashion that ground all before it.
At the same time, elsewhere, another interstellar warship was dancing the waltz of its own first showing.
The demon legions, having found their chance to tear the Owl Dragon Legion's line open, had divided into two assault fleets.
The remaining assault fleet had met with an opponent exceedingly thorny as well.
At very nearly the moment the T5 Fire-Qilin-class Heavy Carrier Starship came upon the field there.
Upon this field a pure white interstellar warship came sailing slowly out from among the Owl Dragon Legion fleets.
Unlike the T5 Fire-Qilin-class Heavy Carrier Starship, which wants other ships to fight along with it.
This pure white interstellar warship sailed of itself, all alone, toward the three T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers across from it.
Though there were Owl Dragon interstellar warships about her too, plainly they had no intent of fighting in concert with her; they let this pure white ship charge abruptly into the enemy's array as she would.
T5 Terror-Blade No. 037 · bridge.
"What is that?" The demon captain of No. 037 had marked this abrupt interstellar warship as well.
The deputy captain beside him had already begun searching the starship data banks, but very soon shook his head and said.
"Reporting — within our data banks no information whatever upon this class of interstellar warship can be found. This class has never before appeared within the Owl Dragon Legion! But by our technical department's observation, this is an interstellar battleship… and in high likelihood a T5-grade interstellar battleship."
At the deputy captain's words the demon captain simply threw him a look of the whites of his eyes. "I am not blind; I know well enough that is a T5 interstellar battleship."
The deputy captain dared say no more.
The demon captain fell to thinking.
Upon their side were three T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers: three battlecruisers against one battleship.
In class they stood at a disadvantage, but in number they held the advantage.
Set the two against each other and the thing looked somewhat complicated.
But by the case upon this field, the enemy's friendly ships seemed to have no mind whatever to attend to this T5 battleship.
She had left the other Owl Dragon ships' formation entirely.
Had even driven somewhat deep into the enemy's mass.
Whereas upon their own side, besides the three T5 Terror-Blades, there were near 10,000 T4 interstellar warships about them!
"Send word to No. 044 and No. 071; the three ships fight in concert, and destroy this T5 interstellar battleship of the enemy's first. At the same time draw off the T4 interstellar warships about us to fight along with us. Have a care, and lessen so far as may be the damage to our three T5 Terror-Blades," the demon captain said in reminder.
Very soon this plan of battle had its leave.
And near 300 T4 interstellar warships about them were to be moved to fight in concert.
Set against the importance of a T5 Terror-Blade, to spend some tens or even some hundreds of T4 interstellar warships in exchange for one enemy T5 was a thing well worth doing.
"By our observation, the main weapons with which this enemy T5 interstellar battleship is fitted should be those four laser cannon." The deputy captain reported to the captain the parameters analyzed from the enemy ship.
"Have a little care. This Owl Dragon Legion annihilated two of our Terror-Blades before. We cannot take it lightly." This demon captain was somewhat wary still at this moment.
The three T5 Terror-Blades, resting upon their own rather high speed, had already set themselves at three angles about this T5 interstellar battleship, put the T4 interstellar warships out in front, and opened their attack.
Only that this battleship's star-shield stood still, and these attacks all fell upon the shield.
Thereafter the battleship opened her counter-attack on the instant.
Eighteen 20M-bore heavy electromagnetic cannon, together with 366 eight-mount heavy particle-energy rapid-fire cannon, poured out their firepower upon every enemy ship within range.
The sight of it was uncommonly magnificent.
For a while it held down even the T4 demon interstellar warships about her.
"Captain, the captains of the T4 interstellar warships under us report. The enemy ship's firepower is far too fierce, and their own strength of attack is insufficient; they request our firepower in support." The deputy captain reported to the demon captain.
"Wait a little longer," the demon captain said, his voice low; and he kept his eyes upon that pure white T5 interstellar battleship.
Time passed, moment by moment.
By degrees T4 demon interstellar warships were destroyed.
And in the course of it the number of T4 interstellar warships charged with this action began to rise without cease.
While the three T5 Terror-Blades kept roving beyond the compass of her attack, like hunters waiting upon some chance.
At last the four laser cannon of this T5 interstellar battleship made their move!
At the instant those four beams appeared, four T4 Demon-Hunter-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers were destroyed outright!
"That attack…" The demon captain marveled a moment.
Worthy of a T5-grade interstellar battleship; the weapon was fierce enough indeed.
Had his own three T5 Terror-Blades gone up against it, there was no telling whether they could have warded it off; and even had they borne the first round, their star-shield energy would likely have been near spent.
But it was well now: this first round of attack being over, there would be a stretch of interval.
And that was the chance for their three T5 Terror-Blades to move.
At very nearly the same moment, all three T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers closed the distance to this T5 interstellar battleship and threw themselves into the fighting.
Main cannon and secondary cannon in a full broadside!
Upon this battleship's star-shield appeared ripple after ripple of explosion, whose force was plainly some tens of times what the T4s had brought!
The T5 Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleship · bridge.
A graceful figure sat straight in the captain's chair.
Zhao Ruyue, captain of the first of this T5 interstellar battleship class.
"Captain, the enemy's three T5 Terror-Blades are closing with us!" the deputy captain said in her excitement.
Zhao Ruyue glanced at the interstellar sand table, and said levelly, "There is no haste. Let them come a little nearer."
The deputy captain gulped, and stared at the sand table; she could scarcely wait.
Several minutes more passed.
These three T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers stood at three quarters about the T5 Holy Redeemer, opening their attacks severally, with every intent of dismembering this Owl Dragon ship.
"Open the super-electromagnetic railgun; load a Redeemer impact-type shell. Lock the enemy ship, and stand ready to fire!" Zhao Ruyue gave the order of a sudden.
The deputy captain, who had long waited upon this order, carried it out at once.
Upon the upper part of the fore-body of this T5 Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleship, a pitch-black fissure opened slowly.
And thereafter a vast muzzle appeared before them all.
"Curse it! What is that!" The demon captain too had marked the change in his quarry; and when he saw that vast muzzle clearly, his whole face was ashen.
That bore assuredly reached some 300 meters!
Though what its force might be in fact he did not know, one need only think of it — a great cannon of 300-meter bore; to take a shot from that…
And most unluckily, this T5 Terror-Blade of his lay exactly upon that great cannon's line of attack.
"Evade, quick! Evade, quick!" the demon captain cried out in his alarm.
But there was no time now to evade at all; that great cannon held its quarry locked past shaking off.
As this Redeemer-class 300M-bore super-electromagnetic railgun began to charge, a blue light flashed out — and a vast shell came driving straight at this T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser at an astonishing speed!