Suddenly attacked, the Imperial army quickly recovered from the initial chaos and launched a fierce counterattack. With the coordination of ground forces and aerial fleets, they managed to shoot down several Evernight warships in mere moments. Although two Imperial warships were also shot down, the exchange rate still favored the Empire.
Seeing the situation was not favorable, the Evernight fleet immediately regained altitude and returned above the clouds. The Imperial fleet, however, did not dare to recklessly pursue. Instead, they cautiously dispatched a high-speed vessel to emerge from the clouds and investigate.
The moment the escort ship emerged from the clouds, the captain nearly fell over in shock. Above the clouds was a tightly arrayed fleet, with a colossal ship at its center, bearing an unfamiliar insignia. Yet, its sheer size sent a chill down the spine, suggesting it was, at the very least, a ducal-class flagship, if not a grand ducal one.
After losing control of the outer space, the Evernight fleet had rarely deployed ducal-class flagships. Even when they did, they usually operated alone to avoid being dragged down by the fleet.
Was the appearance of such a fleet now an indication that the Empire had once again lost control of outer space?
As soon as the Evernight fleet spotted the Imperial escort ship, two rear guard ships executed a sharp turn and rushed forward. Fortunately, the escort ship was cautious and maintained a safe distance, retreating swiftly upon sensing the danger.
The escort ship returned at breakneck speed, relaying this shocking news. The Fourteenth Prince, still young and inexperienced, was at a loss. In contrast, Duke Wei Guogong’s face darkened, and he remained silent.
The central army had already shifted from a marching formation to a defensive one, while the escort fleet hovered overhead, both shielding the troops and relying on ground firepower for self-protection.
At that moment, a fierce wind arose, parting the clouds and revealing a corner of the vast fleet. The Imperial generals were all shocked.
Seeing that their bait had failed, the Evernight fleet slowly descended, fully exposing itself to the Empire.
The flagship captain finally spoke, uttering only three words: “We can’t win.”
The captain, hailing from the Imperial Guard Fleet, was an expert in outer space fleet battles. Thus, even though his words clearly shook morale, Duke Wei Guogong merely frowned but did not reprimand him. He asked, “Can we fight?”
“We can, but we will ultimately lose. The difference in combat power is too great. That’s a complete outer space flotilla!” The captain did not mince his words, even in the presence of Duke Wei Guogong.
Duke Wei Guogong pointed at the conspicuous ducal flagship and asked, “Can we take it down?”
The captain shook his head. “If we fight to the end, that will be the only one left.”
Duke Wei Guogong replied, “So, we can destroy all the other warships except for it?”
“The cost will be the annihilation of our entire force.”
Duke Wei Guogong’s expression gradually turned cold. “This trade-off is acceptable. Order the advance!”
The captain was shocked. “Absolutely not!”
Duke Wei Guogong was displeased. “Why not? Even if our fleet is wiped out, the Evernight forces will suffer greater losses. They have already lost two entire outer space fleets. How many mobile fleets can they mobilize now? This is the best strategy. No matter what, we cannot let this fleet return to the void!”
The captain knew this logic. If they did not eliminate the Evernight fleet here, the pressure on the Imperial ground forces would increase exponentially, potentially affecting the entire war. However, sacrificing the warship he had piloted for years was a painful prospect.
Duke Wei Guogong glanced at the Evernight fleet and instructed, “The fleet should remain above the corps, advancing slowly, maintaining a protective posture. Do not engage without my order. Also, send the message back to the Unfallen City. If I am not mistaken, the true decisive battle begins now. Those old fellows should start moving.”
A high-speed communication vessel sped towards the rear, while the Evernight fleet remained stationary, blocking the path of the Imperial fleet.
Under Duke Wei Guogong’s command, the central army advanced again. Ground and air forces, like a steel ball, slowly pressed forward.
The Imperial army, with its integrated ground and air forces, resembled a hedgehog bristling with quills. The Evernight fleet had only two options: engage in a decisive battle, which would result in heavy casualties regardless of the outcome, or allow the central army to pass, thereby losing White City and the aerodrome, and potentially annihilating most of the Evernight forces on the floating continent.
With the Imperial army pressing relentlessly, the Evernight fleet immediately formed a battle array, slowly retreating, and revealed their response.
As an eerie whistling sound filled the air, one by one, floating warships emerged from the clouds, descending rapidly behind the Evernight fleet, clearly preparing to land.
About ten meters from the ground, the warship doors opened, and countless soldiers poured out like raindrops. These soldiers, leaping from a height of over ten meters, landed steadily, their movements unaffected, clearly elite warriors.
Numerous equipment crates were also dropped. The Evernight soldiers swarmed forward, extracting pieces of interlocking steel armor plates and quickly erecting a chest-high armored wall in front of the Imperial forces. In the open, this wall made a world of difference.
The first line of dark race soldiers stood ready, while transport ships appeared, continuously disgorging more soldiers and equipment. In a flash, a row of heavy artillery was ready. Though there were only twenty or thirty, several ballistae capable of firing giant bolts posed a significant threat to the Imperial fleet.
The Fourteenth Prince finally showed concern. “What is the Imperial Guard Fleet doing? How did they let such a large fleet get through?” It was bad enough that the warships had penetrated, but the fact that transport ships could enter indicated a dire situation in outer space.
The answer came quickly.
Duke Wei Guogong, who had been silent, looked up at the sky, sensing something. Several kilometers away, patches of the clouds glowed like fire. Suddenly, debris fell from the clouds, burning as it hit the ground.
The debris was from floating warships. Judging by the thickness of the hulls, these were at least cruiser-class main battle ships from outer space.
The debris was severely deformed by the heat, but based on their design, some belonged to the Empire, while others belonged to the Evernight.
Duke Wei Guogong sighed. “It seems the Imperial Guard Fleet has done its best.”
The Fourteenth Prince also saw the anomaly in the sky and realized a fierce battle was underway in outer space, with the wreckage of main battle ships already falling.
He looked up and asked, “Even if the Imperial Guard Fleet wins, they likely won’t come down and will set up a blockade in outer space. But what about us?”
Duke Wei Guogong smiled bitterly. The situation was perhaps due to the Imperial Guard Fleet’s underestimation of the Evernight’s sudden heavy investment, or simply a lack of strength to stop the determined enemy. The first scenario was manageable, but the second was disastrous, meaning the Evernight might still have reserves to deploy on the ground.
Moreover, the Imperial Guard Fleet was a purely outer space fleet, not specialized in ground support. Their weapons and gear were entirely different from those needed for ground operations.
The optimal strategy was to intercept the Evernight fleet as it intruded into the floating continent, causing maximum attrition, then blockading outer space, waiting for them to emerge. When a fleet entered or exited the void, they needed to reorganize, and the waiting side could exploit this to achieve a glorious victory. As for what the Evernight fleet did after infiltrating the floating continent, it was, to put it bluntly, no longer the Guard Fleet’s concern.
Duke Wei Guogong said slowly, “If I were commanding the Imperial Guard Fleet now, I would also be blocking the void, waiting for the Evernight fleet to emerge.”
The Fourteenth Prince looked at Duke Wei Guogong, awaiting his next words.
The situation was now beyond his ability to handle. With the emergence of a large number of Evernight ground forces, the Imperial army found itself in a dilemma. An attack would incur heavy losses, but allowing the standoff to continue would spell disaster for White City.
Given the Evernight’s heavy investment in intercepting the central army, it was clear they had even more at stake in White City, aiming to completely annihilate the White City forces and remove the threat to the aerodrome.
Duke Wei Guogong watched the Evernight forces, which were not attacking but improving their defenses, his expression growing serious. The Evernight’s intentions were glaringly obvious. After a moment, he raised his right hand, and an aide immediately came to receive his orders.
“Order…” Duke Wei Guogong paused for a while before continuing, “the entire force to attack, at all costs, to breach the passage!”
The aide was taken aback but dared not say anything, rushing off to relay the order.
Duke Wei Guogong then turned to the Fourteenth Prince and said, “Your Highness, please summon Renhuang!”
“Renhuang? Now?” The Fourteenth Prince was visibly surprised.
Duke Wei Guogong said, “Renhuang is a weapon of war. Now is the time to use it. Only by breaking through the ground defenses can we hope to shatter their combined air and ground forces and clear the way to White City.”
“Why such urgency?”
“If I’m not mistaken, the situation in White City is probably at a critical juncture. We must attack desperately, even if we don’t arrive in time, to try and tie down more of their strongest forces and alleviate the pressure there.”
The Fourteenth Prince detected the gravity of the situation and asked, frowning, “Isn’t the Evernight taking too much of a risk? If they fail, the loss will be even greater.”
Duke Wei Guogong’s face was resolute. “Exactly. That’s why we must go all-in, to decisively defeat them. If we take it slow, we may fall into their trap.”
“I understand. Please wait a moment, I’ll go get Renhuang.”
“Good! The first strike will be up to you, Your Highness.”
Moments later, all Imperial warships sounded their horns, the distinctive, far-reaching notes echoing across the battlefield. On the ground, the entire Imperial force formed an offensive formation, following the aerial fleet, advancing slowly.
Surprised that the Empire would still attack in such an unfavorable situation, the Evernight’s rear reinforcements became somewhat disorganized. Some transport ships that had finished unloading began to accelerate away, but more transports were still arriving, disrupting the low-altitude flight order in the limited area.
“Now!” With a command from Duke Wei Guogong, the Imperial fleet suddenly accelerated, charging towards the Evernight fleet.
The disarray in the low-altitude order behind the Evernight fleet affected some of their warship formations. In the ensuing clash, the Evernight fleet suffered a moderate setback. Some ships, still within their own ground perimeter, opened fire hastily, and an Evernight escort ship was hit, burning and crashing into their own position.
At this moment, the Imperial flagship accelerated, diving downward, braving the heavy fire to attack the Evernight ground forces. The Fourteenth Prince, holding Renhuang, stood at the bow. A faint light enveloped him, deflecting any elemental rounds or arrows that hit it.
Protected by Duke Wei Guogong, even the highest-ranking dark noble, the Marquis, could not break through the shield. The Fourteenth Prince calmed his mind, focused, and aimed Renhuang, firing a devastating shot at the dense ranks of dark soldiers below.
In an instant, a river of fire blazed through, leaving a swath of emptiness in the Evernight army.
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