A second fireball, a third… a fifth… a tenth…
In a bare few seconds, along that one line, demon interstellar warship after demon interstellar warship turned into a ball of fire.
Among them were T4 Blade-class Light Interstellar Interceptors, T4 Demon-Hunter-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers, and T4 Gargoyle-class Heavy Interstellar Escorts besides.
Before this shell, all these interstellar warships were equal!
That unlucky demon captain watched with his own eyes as those bursting fireballs came nearer and nearer to himself; his heart seemed to hang in his throat, and his brow was all beads of sweat.
At the last this shell of destiny struck upon the star-shield of this T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser, and the blaze of light held for some seconds.
The star-shield shattered; the shell struck the hull.
And the same thing happened.
Only that this T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser was somewhat luckier — perhaps because the interception of those dozen and more ships before had served to some little effect.
At the last the shell struck the stern part of this T5 Terror-Blade, and blew a portion of the after hull to pieces outright.
The vast force of the impact even left this T5 Terror-Blade spinning uncontrolled in space.
"Reporting — our attack has struck the target hull successfully. But the enemy interstellar warship is not wholly destroyed; only the after part of the enemy hull is destroyed. Though by our assessment this T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser has lost its capacity to sail, and its star-shield is gone besides. Its power to threaten us is in the main lost." The deputy captain reported it to Captain Zhao Ruyue.
At this result, not a wholly perfect one, Zhao Ruyue was content enough.
"Have the other interstellar warships give it a little attention, and take its fighting capacity from it entirely."
So saying, Zhao Ruyue looked toward the remaining quarry.
That last T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser!
"Pursue." At Zhao Ruyue's one quiet word, this T5 Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleship set off in chase of that fleeing T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser.
Though in the course of it she was caught within the encirclement of several hundred T4 demon interstellar warships, she flinched not in the least.
Resting upon this T5 Holy Redeemer's powerful capacity for firepower output, she could even, standing within the enemy's array, give the ships about her stroke for stroke — one hull like a whole army!
Ten minutes passed.
That great cannon was loaded once more.
"Reporting — loading is complete. The target starship is three minutes from escaping our effective range," the deputy captain reported.
Captain Zhao Ruyue kept her eyes upon the starship radar.
Had the demon captain been here, he would have found something.
The compass of firepower upon it in fact already surpassed the compass in which those three T4 Terror-Blades had roved upon the outer position at the first.
So it seemed Zhao Ruyue had been feigning at the outset.
That compass had not been her true range at all.
"Destroy it," Zhao Ruyue said quietly.
"Yes?"
The deputy captain passed the order down, and stole a glance at her captain.
She had been with this captain some while now.
Their captain had one particular quality: in fighting she was exceedingly calm, and scarcely a stir of feeling could be seen in her, as though she were a robot.
But her command was exceedingly practiced besides.
It was said she had graduated from their Owl Dragon Goddess Academy less than half a year ago.
Half a year from graduation, and raised to captain of a T5 interstellar battleship.
From which one may judge how terrible her ability was.
In the instant the deputy captain's mind wandered, when she looked again at the attack image.
All she saw was the wreck of a starship destroyed past all shape.
By the degree of destruction upon the wreck, the shell should have struck in at the stern and come out at the bow.
Set against the two T5 Terror-Blades before, this one had beyond doubt the worse of it.
And the stricken wreck drifted some distance besides — very nearly up to the front of the Red Demon Legion's position in the rear.
Marshal Red Demon sat in his captain's chair, his expression exceedingly cold.
Before him a company of demon petty officers and staff officers dared not utter the least sound.
A long while passed.
Then this Marshal Red Demon spoke. "Can anyone tell me what these two T5 interstellar warships of the Owl Dragon Legion's are?"
Nobody spoke.
The next second Marshal Red Demon drew the laser gun at his waist outright and took aim at one demon staff officer.
Fired.
Crack.
Blood flew; there was nothing left of this staff officer's head but a hole, and the whole man toppled to the floor.
The other demon petty officers and staff officers, seeing this, held their tongues by main force.
At this moment, to speak was the most dangerous thing of all.
"This Marshal has lost six T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers! Is there not one man who can give me an explanation!" Marshal Red Demon's voice was exceedingly grim, with no note of rage to be heard in it.
But every one of them knew this was the hour of Marshal Red Demon's greatest rage.
If the explaining went ill, every soul present might well die.
Happily, at this point the breaking-in of two communication windows saved them.
"My lord Marshal Red Demon, how is it you never told us the enemy had these two classes of T5 interstellar warship!"
"My lord Marshal, the present case is very bad. There are 400,000 angel interstellar warships beside us besides, eyeing us as a tiger eyes his meat. Fight on, and even should we take this Owl Dragon Legion, there is every likelihood of our being fallen upon by those angel legions — and then our losses will be greater still! I advise that we first withdraw, and lay our plans at leisure!"
These two, who dared speak at such a moment, were severally the highest commanders of the Ghoul Legion's and the Balam Legion's parts in this action supporting the Red Demon Legion.
"I require that the attack continue! And that your two sides' T5 Terror-Blade-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers join the field as well!" Marshal Red Demon said coldly, his eyes fixed upon the two with murder in them.
But these two demon commanders showed not the least timidity.
In the eyes of one there was even contempt.
"My lord Marshal Red Demon, understand this, if you please. It is the lord Marshal Ghoul we serve; our coming to this action in aid was upon the friendship between our two legions. I must answer for our lord Marshal's legion fleets. If you are not minded to withdraw, then forgive me — we shall quit the field!" The Ghoul Legion's commander said it neither humbly nor proudly.
Marshal though the other was, in their eyes the Red Demon Legion was a demon legion that would be cut down sooner or later — and as for this Marshal Red Demon, he was finished sooner or later too.
What mattered more now was of course the legion fleets in their own several hands.
Any man with eyes could see that the Owl Dragon Legion across the way was a bone exceedingly hard to gnaw.
Marshal Red Demon clenched his fists; one could see that had those two been before him now, he would have shot them dead without ceremony.
But the present situation left him no choice but to decide.
"Very well… we withdraw first." At the last this Marshal Red Demon agreed to it, unwilling as he was.
Which let every soul present breathe again.
This order went down, and all the demon legion fleets began to withdraw by degrees.
And Zhao Chen, receiving word of the enemy's movement.
Sat upon his sofa, propped his chin upon one hand, and smiled slightly. "Come when you please, go when you please? What manner of place do you take this for? To go — did you ask my leave?"