Chapter 54: The Shattered Hall, Section 9

The Moorish officer who had just wiped away his cold sweat was Skasah. As part of the expeditionary force sent by the Moorish Empire, Skasah commanded a fleet of five hundred imperial warships. Such formidable power filled him with unparalleled pride. He never doubted he could easily defeat his opponents and become a new hero of the Moorish people—just like that Count Beck!

The Moorish Empire was a nation of conquest. Every Moorish person had a dream from a young age: to command the empire’s vast fleet and dominate the universe, becoming a hero amid the cries of the conquered races—someone who would make countless girls scream and warriors admire. Skasah was no exception. That’s why he accepted the emperor’s mission to come to this desolate star system, merely to erase the existence of a minor force.

It must be said that before arriving, Skasah didn’t take the Death Star seriously at all. In his mind, the race the emperor ordered to be eliminated was nothing more than ordinary barbarians, just like those in the past. Even if they possessed interstellar technology, it would be nothing but outdated ships. With his five hundred imperial warships, he could easily wipe them out of existence—it was a task simpler than simple.

Yet that view was completely shattered just now.

The Nomis were puppets of the Moorish Empire, a recently added vassal race. As the superior master race, Skasah ordered them to attack in a condescending tone. To many, this might have seemed like contempt, but Skasah knew they would surely enjoy this order.

Wouldn’t they? Attacking first meant the chance to plunder first and claim a larger share of the spoils after victory. Everywhere, war was driven by naked greed. Since the Nomis were considered alien pirates, they surely understood this well. Skasah could even clearly see the greedy eyes of the Nomis envoy kneeling at his feet.

But he never imagined that these greedy dogs would be torn to pieces in such a short time…

Those terrifying triangular warships captured everyone’s attention from the very beginning, and in the subsequent battles, their formidable power left people breathless. Their devastating impact, lightning-fast speed, and immense destructive force shocked anyone who witnessed them. Skassaha was aware of the strength of the Nomi fleet; otherwise, they wouldn’t have become vassals of the Moors. Yet even such a powerful fleet was completely destroyed in just fifteen minutes. Standing on a Moorish giant ship at the back, Skassaha even witnessed the destruction of that massive ship carrying the Nomi chief and all their elders.

It was struck by three triangular warships at once—its bow, bridge, and hull all suffered fatal impacts. From Skassaha’s perspective, he could even see the entire process of the enemy ships sinking into the massive ship’s hull. The ship, several kilometers long, was submerged halfway in an instant! It was as if arrows had been thrust into the enemy’s body!

The Nomi command ship was shattered in less than fifteen seconds… Skassaha shuddered, drenched in cold sweat.

Now, he no longer dared to underestimate this race. An unprecedented strange feeling arose in his heart. Skassaha clearly realized that feeling… was fear.

“Commander, the enemy has completed their attack and is now retreating. The staff estimates this is their weakest moment. Should we launch an attack?” While Skassaha was still in shock, an officer beside him spoke coldly, his expression as icy as a statue.

Skassaha knew this officer was a veteran. Unlike himself, he had been involved in interstellar wars for countless years, allowing him to remain calm in the face of such terrifying scenes. But he himself couldn’t do the same.

What bad luck… Why did I have to be the commander of this mission?

That thought suddenly arose in Skassaha’s mind.

But on the surface, he didn’t dare show any panic. Forcing himself to stay calm, he swallowed hard before slowly speaking, “Does the staff have any predictions about the outcome if we engage in battle?”

“Apologies, Commander. Although the staff has made assessments, they cannot provide any conclusions. The enemy is highly combative, and they belong to an unknown civilization. We have no idea how strong they really are. So the staff’s answer is ‘unknown’.”

“Unknown?” Skasaha sneered coldly. “What diligent folks. With such an outcome, you expect me to risk an entire fleet? What if they have other ambushes? Who will take responsibility if we fail to complete His Imperial Majesty’s mission?”
“Well…” The officer was at a loss for words. As an experienced warrior, he could see through Skasaha’s attempts to hide his fear. But unfortunately, the Moor Empire was a highly hierarchical country, especially within the fleet, where the boundaries between superiors and subordinates were extremely clear. There was simply no room for him to speak up.
The other party was the commander of a fleet, and all he could do was offer suggestions. Even if Skasaha truly showed signs of cowardice, he could only complain after returning home. For now, the officer saw no other choice but to obey orders.
Still, the officer didn’t mind giving him a little reminder.
“Commander…” The officer carefully chose his words before speaking slowly. “War is inherently uncertain. The Empire has been victorious for so many years, but there are few instances where we had absolute certainty before going to war. Moreover, although we can’t determine if they have ambushes right now, one thing is certain.”
“What?” Skasaha was stunned and asked in surprise.
“If they only have the forces they have now, our chances of victory are over 98%. Commander, they’ve just finished a space battle. Both their warriors and fleet are exhausted. This is a rare opportunity. If we act now, they’re likely to be unable to react, leading to a chain of defeats. And most importantly, our current position is within their scanning range. They couldn’t detect us during the battle, but now that it’s over, if we delay, they might discover us first. By then, all our efforts will have been in vain.”
“Are you trying to lecture me?” Skasaha’s expression turned icy, and his voice rose sharply.
“I wouldn’t dare,” the officer quickly bowed his head, realizing his earlier persuasion had been too hasty and had made the commander wary.
But he didn’t know that Skasaha had already been persuaded by his words.

As he said, the Blood Wolf Fleet was at its weakest at this moment. How could Skasaha, a top student from the Imperial Military Academy, fail to see that? Moreover, the officer’s last words struck a chord with Skasaha. They were already within the enemy’s scanning range. If they didn’t take action now, an ambush might turn into a full-scale attack, and by then, they would have no advantage left.

At these thoughts, Skasaha’s expression changed. He spoke coldly, “Pass my orders. Form the fleet into a trident formation. Enter combat mode immediately. In five minutes, charge at full speed!!”

“Yes, Commander,” the officer replied, overjoyed, and quickly transmitted the orders.

Soon after, the massive fleet began to move. In the vast universe, they quietly arranged themselves, and in an instant, they formed Skasaha’s so-called “trident” formation, creating three sharp attack points. Amid the humming sound of energy transfer, all the ship cannons removed their protective covers and slowly opened their firing ports.

Meanwhile, the fleet on the Death Star still had no idea it had become prey for others.

Having just ended a space battle, Protector Sje didn’t have much energy to spare on cleaning up the battlefield. Most of his attention was focused on the surface of the Death Star, where the Nommi thugs were wreaking havoc. So, Protector Sje left some Thunderbolt Assault Ships to clean up the battlefield and prepared to launch a parachute drop with the rest of his warships. The launch bays of hundreds of Thunderbolt Assault Ships opened simultaneously, revealing the dense array of mechs behind them. Each mech’s shoulders were equipped with parachute attachments that resembled two rockets. With just one command, they could descend from the sky and wipe out every last Nommi on the planet’s surface!!

But just as he was about to give the order, a sudden signal caught his attention. It was a yellow dot in the far corner of the screen—something one wouldn’t notice if not looking closely. Yet, as an experienced commander, Protector Sje’s expression changed drastically.

“All troops!! Stop preparing for the parachute drop. All mechs must immediately switch to space combat components. Send out a distress signal!! The fleet must activate high-power full-range scanning, and all warships must return to combat positions!! Storm Assault Ships, immediately recharge and prepare for a second attack!!”

“What’s going on? What’s going on?” Hearing Captain Sje’s urgent orders, all the Blood Wolf warriors were stunned. A series of questions burst from the officers’ mouths, but thanks to their rigorous training, they instinctively carried out Captain Sje’s commands. After a rapid movement, the fleet resumed its highly vigilant defensive formation.

Meanwhile, patches of light suddenly appeared in the distant starry sky. At first, there was only one or two, but soon, as if they could replicate themselves, the lights spread throughout the sky in an instant.

“That’s…” Everyone gasped in shock.

“Enemy attack!!”