However, faced with Lieutenant General He Ru's forceful question, Great Xirithut clearly did not understand what "retribution" meant. But he at least knew it was not a compliment. He sneered coldly. "So, with that one pathetic warship of yours, you think you can challenge our Ssi-ruuvi Imperium? Very well! This will be your burial ground! Here, I will avenge the three fleets you destroyed!!"
He roared furiously, then cut off the transmission.
There was indeed no need to keep talking. The foundations on which both sides stood meant that reconciliation had never been possible. What was more, both sides believed they were capable of defeating the other.
Lieutenant General He Ru closed the channel and turned to ask his adjutant, "What did he just say? Three fleets?"
His adjutant seemed unconcerned. Shrugging, he said, "Those first three cruisers were probably a patrol fleet. And during the interrogations, we learned that the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium's fleet formations are not fixed. They also organize fleets around a Xirui-class battlecruiser as the flagship. So the two Xirui-class battlecruisers we destroyed afterward were probably from two separate fleets."
Lieutenant General He Ru did not dwell on the matter. He nodded and said, "Then proceed according to the original plan! Continue the attack! Bombard Levik planet!"
The Endless-class Super Carrier continued bombarding Levik planet with the three immensely powerful Particle Beam Lances mounted at its bow. It fired one shot every ten minutes on average, then paused for cooling after five consecutive shots.
This was clearly Orbital Bombardment. However, as Energy Weapons, Particle Beam Lances dealt their primary damage through extreme heat and penetration. They were not particularly effective for Orbital Bombardment, especially since the beams suffered severe scattering and attenuation upon entering the atmosphere. Thus, the actual damage inflicted on the planet's surface remained limited.