In the depths of the void, Qian Ye and Song Zining stood on the deck of the cruiser, gazing at the distant battlefield. This colossal beast lurked quietly in the darkness, waiting for the moment to strike.
Scouts were hard to deploy in the void. Most reconnaissance machines relied on origin power feedback and spatial transmission principles, receiving information unidirectionally within a certain range or continuously scanning, filtering out interference, and then analyzing and reconstructing it. However, the complex environment of the void made the accuracy of such recon results extremely unpredictable. Therefore, the vision of the strong was the most reliable.
Qian Ye chose this position because it was the maximum distance his extraordinary vision could reach, supplemented by his true sight. The entire battle scene ahead was clearly visible, barely affected by the void fluctuations caused by origin power blasts.
Song Zining did not have such a long range of vision, but as he looked into the distance, a faint aura glowed in his right palm. Upon closer inspection, the swirling light formed an image of aerial combat.
Curious, Qian Ye asked, “This doesn’t look like the Art of Divination. Could Shijian Fanhua reflect reality?”
Song Zining replied enigmatically, “Shijian Fanhua, Shijian Fanhua, it embodies the truth.”
Just as Qian Ye was about to say something, his expression suddenly tensed, and he saw the warship battling fiercely at the center of the Evernight fleet. The flagship of the Imperial fleet had a special mark—a large, clear blue-golden serpent symbol, indicating that this warship belonged to the Imperial Guard fleet and was the flagship.
Qian Ye suddenly said, “Do you think the Right Chancellor is on that warship?”
“Probably,” Song Zining answered without hesitation.
“What is he doing? Is he seeking death?”
“If his flagship is not shot down, this is the way to defeat the Evernight fleet with the least cost and fastest speed. But the cost is high. Even if he wins the battle, he may very well die.”
“This doesn’t seem like his style. Aren’t these high-ranking officials all afraid of death?” Qian Ye asked.
Song Zining clenched his right fist, and light spilled from between his fingers. “Anyone who can climb to such a position is no ordinary person. They may fear many things, and death is one of them, but it’s probably the last on the list. Once they understand that death is a necessary cost, they won’t fear it, especially not dying in battle.”
Qian Ye pondered this, finding it quite reasonable, though it didn’t align with the rumors he had heard before.
Knowing his thoughts, Song Zining added, “Perhaps many in the court have long forgotten their initial determination to rise, but not the Right Chancellor. From what I know, he is extremely disciplined and lives simply, almost to the point of being austere. Any grandeur and luxury are merely to maintain the dignity of his position. Such a man must have immense ambitions, and to achieve them, he will stop at nothing. So, no matter who is afraid of death, it won’t be him!”
Hearing this, Qian Ye simply commented, “A madman.”
“He is a madman, in a sense. But if we measure ourselves by the same standard, are we not also madmen?” Song Zining remarked.
Qian Ye pointed to the battlefield ahead and asked, “What now? Should we launch a full assault? Should we use the Hall of Heroes?”
Song Zining shook his head, “The Hall of Heroes is your last card. Don’t use it unless absolutely necessary…”
Before he could finish, a blazing fireball suddenly lit up in the void, visible even without any auxiliary equipment. It was an Imperial escort ship hit at the edge of the battlefield, its opponent’s main cannon so powerful that the entire ship exploded, skipping the burning process entirely.
Moments later, the massive cruiser beneath Qian Ye and Song Zining shuddered, the shockwave of the explosion reaching them. At such a great distance, the advanced stability system of the cruiser was still affected, showing the intensity of the blast. The crew aboard the exploding ship, needless to say, had no chance of escape.
Two more fireballs soon appeared, two more Imperial escort ships obliterated.
The Imperial fleet’s charge was too fierce, disrupting both their enemies and their own formation, causing smaller, more agile escort ships to overtake and rush to the front. Although three ships had exploded, the Imperial fleet’s momentum continued to surge, their attacks intensifying, and the crew red-eyed, pouring fire onto the enemy.
“Attack!” Qian Ye commanded.
Song Zining was startled, “It’s not time yet!”
“When would be the right time?” Qian Ye raised his voice, a rare occurrence.
“The Evernight side might have hidden reinforcements. We should confirm they have no other tricks before attacking,” Song Zining frowned. “And we still don’t know the Right Chancellor’s plan. If he’s really on the flagship…”
“In fact, we’re waiting for the Empire and Evernight to exhaust each other, and then we’ll appear, right?” Qian Ye exposed Song Zining’s intent.
Song Zining did not deny it. “Qian Ye, war is not just combat. We must strive for the most advantageous situation, or we’ll lose.”
“Attack!” Qian Ye repeated, his voice carrying clearly into the command room behind them. The captain of Dark Flame dared not disobey and immediately began preparations, accelerating the ship towards the battlefield.
Song Zining let out a sigh, no longer trying to stop him.
The battle intensified, with ships on both sides exploding and burning. Amidst the chaos, the Right Chancellor’s flagship miraculously held on, breaking through the Evernight lines to join the Imperial fleet.
Its hull was ablaze, and fearless crew members ran along the outer walls, trying to extinguish the fires at critical points. The flagship showed no intention of retreating, continuing to fire.
From the bridge, alternating red and blue lights flashed, a common signal in the Imperial fleet: fight to the end!
Behind the Evernight fleet, a sleek and swift warship appeared, quickly occupying a favorable position. The smaller vessels or the particularly important large ships in the rear were thrown into panic, struggling to turn around.
Qian Ye and Song Zining stepped onto the bridge, where everyone was bustling about, issuing commands and gathering information.
Qian Ye said softly, “I’m sorry, I can’t watch the soldiers die like this. The Right Chancellor is one thing, but these soldiers are another.”
Before he finished, the ship jolted, and a stream of fire hurled towards the Evernight fleet, hitting a destroyer and blowing off half its tail.
Song Zining remained silent.
After the main cannon roared, the cruiser turned, aiming its broadside at the Evernight fleet, firing a dozen smaller streams of fire. The cruiser continued to rotate, then fired its stern cannons and the secondary cannons on the other side.
The cruiser constantly shifted positions, maintaining continuous fire. Only such a new cruiser could use this tactic, as other ships lacked the stability to fire while moving.
After a round of bombardment, the cruiser destroyed a destroyer, disrupted the Evernight formation, and hit a duke-class flagship. However, the flagship’s defenses were formidable, and despite several hits, only a few small fires were sparked, which were quickly extinguished.
The dark race duke-class ships were larger than Imperial battleships, comparable to motherships. Compared to the cruiser, it was nearly twice the size. In a direct confrontation, the cruiser would be nothing more than fleeing prey.
The Dark Flame captain naturally wouldn’t challenge the duke-class ship directly. After a full salvo, the cruiser used its agility to make a graceful arc, accelerating to disengage.
Unexpectedly, the scattered Evernight fleet not only failed to regroup but spread further, giving the dark duke-class ship space to turn.
Song Zining’s face changed, and he jumped down, pushing aside the captain to take control, issuing a series of commands. The cruiser sped up, using its unmatched agility to circle around the duke’s flagship, increasing its hit rate.
But the cruiser’s firepower was still weak against the duke’s flagship. The secondary cannons were ineffective, and only the main cannons inflicted damage, but not enough to cripple the ship. The cruiser would need to engage in a prolonged battle to sink the duke’s ship, but a single main cannon hit would severely damage the cruiser.
The cruiser was designed for hunting, emphasizing both firepower and speed, and was not suited for direct combat. Song Zining was forced to do this. The Evernight side seemed to take the surprise attack seriously, dispatching a duke-class ship instead of probing their firepower.
However, as the Dark Flame faced pressure, the tide of the battle on the main field began to turn. One duke-class ship was engaged, and another fought with two Imperial battleships, putting the Evernight fleet at a disadvantage, with more ships being destroyed.
But under the Evernight’s desperate counterattack, the Imperial fleet also suffered heavy losses.
Qian Ye suddenly left the bridge, flying into the void. Everyone was shocked; entering the void at this moment was suicide. But Qian Ye moved swiftly, disappearing in two blinks.
Song Zining hesitated but said nothing.
The battle raged on, with ships burning every minute. Though the Evernight fleet was weakening, they fought fiercely, and the two dukes’ flagships rampaged through the battlefield, virtually unstoppable. Despite Song Zining’s best efforts, he could not contain the duke’s flagship, which, after entering the main battle, destroyed three Imperial ships with its secondary cannons.
The cruiser dodged through a hail of fire, avoiding the main cannons and other enemy fire. Even with Song Zining’s mastery of Shijian Fanhua and lightning-quick thinking, he could only barely maintain the situation, unable to turn the tide.
With the destruction of the two duke’s flagships requiring a heavy toll, and considering Song Zining’s knowledge of the Evernight Council, these high-ranking figures, if fighting to the death, likely had reinforcements. The Imperial main fleet was still far behind, and their strength was far less than the vanguard led by the Right Chancellor.
The Right Chancellor’s flagship was engulfed in smoke, hiding the ship. Although the fires were extinguished, the damage was severe, with six or seven large holes. The ship hadn’t exploded yet, a minor miracle. Clearly, its engines were damaged, the main cannon destroyed, and only a few secondary cannons remained operational, forcing it to retreat slowly.
At this point, no one could fault the Right Chancellor.
Suddenly, a distant light appeared in the void, initially faint but quickly brightening and flashing rhythmically. The sharp yellow and pale purple indicated the Evernight fleet’s signal.
Reinforcements had arrived!
On the remaining Imperial ships, captains growled in frustration, smashing their fists on the consoles or kicking chairs.
All their efforts were in vain. With just thirty more minutes, or even twenty, they could have destroyed or crippled the two duke’s flagships, effectively eliminating the combined Evernight fleet.
The good situation had been hard-won. Without the Right Chancellor’s daring lead, the Imperial fleet would not have gained such an advantage. But now, with the arrival of the Evernight reinforcements, the Right Chancellor’s gamble was in jeopardy.
The distant light became clearer, revealing a combined fleet of three duke-class fleets, even stronger than the one in battle.
Yet the Imperial main fleet was only half the strength of the Evernight reinforcements, and even if they arrived, they could not reverse the situation.
The Imperial fleet had to abandon their victory and retreat.
Lin Shuai’s plan had never been smooth.
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