"What interstellar warships are these? How is it I have never seen them?" This angel commander Adams asked it expressly of his own adjutant besides.
The angel adjutant gulped and shook his head. "I… I do not know them either."
Looking at these ten thousand-odd warships never seen before.
The only thing recognizable, by estimate, was the Holy Angel King's fleet blazon upon them, and the pure white painting proper to an Angel Race fleet.
Which set the heart Commander Adams had just laid down hanging again at a stroke.
"This… what in the world is this Holy Dragon Angel Legion?" Beads of sweat had risen upon Commander Adams's brow.
"Should we… ask?" the angel adjutant inquired, sounding him out.
Commander Adams showed a hesitating look; to ask the angel Tilia at such a moment was plainly somewhat unfitting.
But not to ask, and to look at these ten thousand hulls — he truly could not set his heart at rest.
"Let us… let us wait a little and see." Commander Adams forced down the anxiety within him and watched upon the war sand table as those ten thousand hulls drew by degrees toward the main field.
And the Demon Race's fleets had perhaps marked this angel fleet as well.
From their own main fleet they drew off 20,000 hulls and turned them upon these ten thousand angel warships newly come to the field.
Ten thousand angel hulls against 20,000 demon hulls — in former days that would have been no trouble, but now there was no saying.
Still more when these ten thousand angel hulls were warships of unknown provenance besides.
None could say what would happen next.
And just as they were all in their anxiety.
The starship radar showed something.
"Reporting — the radar detects that this Holy Dragon Angel Legion has fired a great quantity of interstellar missiles!" the radar officer called.
Commander Adams stared at the war sand table; by the radar's information one could see upon it point after tiny point of light moving at high speed toward those 20,000 demon warships.
"So many interstellar missiles?" Commander Adams's brows drew together. "Can you reckon how many were fired?"
The radar officer, having calculated a while, answered, "We can estimate only roughly; by the energy fluctuation detected. We look for some 500,000 interstellar missiles!"
Five hundred thousand interstellar missiles!
At hearing this figure Commander Adams was startled.
And at this time one could see upon the sand table those missiles striking the demon warships, and vanishing from it.
"But by the explosive energy reaction we detect. These are only T2-grade interstellar missiles," the radar officer said further.
Only T2-grade interstellar missiles?
Commander Adams's brows drew together again.
Everyone knows that the warships in service with the Angel Race and the Demon Race are all T3-grade and above.
To bring out T2-grade missiles to fight with now — could that answer?
"Set me several interstellar scout craft; I want the real-time images sent back from that field!" Commander Adams gave the order at this point.
The angel adjutant went at once to see to it.
Very soon ten scout craft were put out.
Because that field was not far off, the pictures came back quickly.
One could see besides the dust and smoke raised after the bursts, and certain demon warships destroyed — though not many in number; some one or two thousand hulls, roughly, had been threatened at all.
"An attack of no more than this degree works no great effect either." Which was much what Commander Adams had thought at first.
For to shell T3- and T4-grade warships with T2-grade missiles leaves a very wide gap indeed.
And at this moment those demon warships, having taken one round of attack, charged on, and would shortly enter their own engagement compass.
"Reporting — we detect another round of interstellar missiles fired by this Holy Dragon Angel Legion!" the radar officer reported again.
This time Commander Adams could see the sheet of fired missiles straight from the pictures sent back.
And the number this time was a good deal greater than before.
But Commander Adams shook his head all the same. "These T2-grade missiles — what does it matter how many more there are? Against these demon warships they can do no more than scratch an itch. Ah… what in the world is the matter with this Holy Dragon Angel Legion. Ten thousand hulls only, and fitted out with these strange and curious warships besides. Contact above at once and require that other reinforcements be sent!"
By this time Commander Adams held out no hope whatever of this Holy Dragon Angel Legion.
And just as the angel adjutant, holding the same thought, was making ready to call for relief again.
Within the pictures sent back there appeared an astonishing scene.
Globe after globe of exploding light appeared, covering demon warships in sheets.
The effect of those bursts was nothing at all like a T2-grade missile's.
Commander Adams was dumbfounded at this moment; he even saw a T4 Demon-Hunter-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser turned outright to wreckage beneath this round of missiles.
"Commander, the explosive energy strength of this round of missiles is not T2 grade! It is T3-grade interstellar missiles! And the number is not less than a million!" came the radar officer's voice.
So they were T3-grade missiles; no wonder there was such an effect — that could be made sense of.
Commander Adams looked in his excitement at those demon warships destroyed within the field pictures.
"Scan it for me — how many demon warships were destroyed after this round of missiles!" Commander Adams said it eagerly.
"And the matter of calling for relief…" the angel adjutant inquired.
"Relief be damned!" Commander Adams threw him a look of the whites of his eyes without ceremony.
And very soon the tally of demon losses worked by this round of firepower came out too.
By this round of missiles alone, near 10,000 T3-grade demon warships had been destroyed, and near a thousand T4-grade.
Which is to say that of those 20,000 demon hulls first charged with intercepting the Holy Dragon Angel Legion, above half had been destroyed outright!
And most important of all: these demon fleets had not so much as fired a single shot at the enemy!
"Reporting — the demon fleets engaged with us head on have made a new movement. Ten thousand demon hulls are left to go on fighting us; the remaining 40,000 all move in support toward the flank, to the Holy Dragon Angel Legion's field!" the angel adjutant reported.
Commander Adams looked with a heavy expression toward that Holy Dragon Angel Legion; the enemy too had marked this fleet's threat, and meant to destroy these uninvited guests first.
"Contact Commander Tilia — do they want our help?"
……
"Commander Tilia's side answers that we need only carry on our present action."
Hearing it, Commander Adams looked in some surprise toward the pictures of that field.
Understand that what the Holy Dragon Angel Legion would shortly face was near 45,000 demon warships!
Could it be… that this Holy Dragon Angel Legion truly meant to meet so vast a threat with ten thousand hulls?
——————
The T4 Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship · bridge.
Tilia, seated in the captain's chair, listened to her subordinates' reports and looked at the forty thousand-odd demon warships closing upon the sand table.
"Have the Hell-Angel make ready for a saturating firepower strike.
"This time we may let them come a little nearer before we strike."