On the radar screen of the Goddora fleet, the more than one hundred dots representing the DarkStar fleet were dispersing, and the incoming ion cannon arrays were becoming sparser, clearly indicating that the enemy had begun to retreat.
Battet' expression changed, and he made a guess. He said in a deep voice, "DarkStar realized they couldn't break through our defenses, so they simply retreated before our reinforcements arrived. They're abandoning this attack!"
Nagokin, observing the battle from his own ship, frowned deeply. "It seems that way..."
"They're getting further and further away, I have to catch up. We can't let them get away so easily," Battet shouted.
"Don't be careless. This might be a trap set by the enemy. Let's hold our position and not attack."
Battet's face darkened. "We finally managed to get DarkStar to show itself, and I don't want to let this opportunity slip away. We've already taken a round of artillery fire, and now we're just going to watch the enemy swagger away? That's not my style!"
As the DarkStar fleet moves further away, once it exceeds a certain distance, radar will be unable to penetrate the enemy's concealment devices, and DarkStar will re-enter Stealth mode, becoming an invisible fleet.
As the light spot on the screen receded into the distance, Battet restless.
Nagokin hesitated. Remaining still was the safest tactic, but opportunities are fleeting, and he wasn't sure if the enemy was truly retreating.
If we catch up and entangle DarkStar, with our strength, we can at least destroy some of DarkStar's assault ships. Moreover, our fleet can hold back the enemy's warp. If we can hold them off until reinforcements arrive, we can severely damage DarkStar's fleet.
The first two attacks had caused considerable losses to Goddora, which greatly frustrated the entire War Bureau. Even Nagokin was eager to achieve some success.
Moreover, Battet was the commander of this escort fleet, and although Nagokin was of a higher rank, he could not directly give orders to Battet's fleet.
"Nagokin, don't hesitate!" Battet said in a deep voice, "Whether you come or not, I'm going to take action."
"... Leave a portion of the fleet behind to await orders." Nagokin's eyes narrowed as he made his decision, ceasing his attempts to dissuade Battet, and preparing to pursue them together.
"I don't need you to remind me!" Battet's eyes lit up, and he immediately issued a new order.
The next moment, the Goddora escort fleet split into two groups: eighty ships chased after the DarkStar fleet, while the remaining forty ships stayed in the outer space of Planet Aquamarine to stand by.
Battet decided to pursue, but he did not send out his entire fleet. The enemy fleet numbered around 110 ships, while his own force was in pursuit. Sending 80 ships would be barely enough to pose a threat, and he was not worried about the enemy turning on him. He could hold out for the time being, and he also had Nagokin, a Calamity Grade powerhouse. Even if the enemy had Calamity Grade officers, they could still fight for a while.
The pursuing forces quickly caught up, unleashing a barrage of ion cannon fire, flashes of golden light, and long-range attacks, while also releasing interference rays to prevent the enemy from warping away.
Since the DarkStar Fleet was retreating, Battet adjusted his strategy, maintaining sufficient reaction distance during the pursuit to delay the enemy and guard against any possible ambush.
Two fleets of m. hetushu. com. com moved through the universe, gradually moving away from Planet Aquamarine.
Just then, in the opposite direction from where Battet had left, hundreds of jump beams approached from afar and stopped in the outer space on the other side of Planet Aquamarine, revealing their true forms. They were a new DarkStar Fleet, with hundreds of ships, all of them assault ships.
The Norcap fleet had more than two hundred warships, while the Goddora escort fleet had only one hundred and twenty ships, about half the size of the DarkStar fleet. So he divided his fleet into two formations, with the main formation, where the command ship was located, diverting the Goddora escort fleet's attention and luring them away from their base.
This strike force seized the opportunity to attack, break through the blockade of the remaining Goddora fleet, and complete the strategic mission of destroying Planet Aquamarine.
Even if the Goddora escort fleet hadn't been dispersed, this assault team would still have appeared and attacked from both sides.
"Attack!"
From the command ship group being pursued by Battet, Norcap issued the order, which was relayed to the assault team.
At this moment, the forty Goddora warships guarding the outer space of Planet Aquamarine reacted and hurriedly launched a resistance. This time, the DarkStar Assault Team no longer launched beyond visual range attacks, but engaged in close combat. Explosions occurred repeatedly on the shield surfaces of both sides' ships, and the battle was fierce.
This DarkStar Assault Team was more than twice the size of the remaining Goddora fleet. The remaining Goddora fleet was engaged in a fierce battle and immediately sent the news to Battet.
Upon receiving the message, Battet's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "So that's the tactic. Hmph, the enemy has more than two hundred warships, nearly twice our number, which is why they can do this... All troops, listen up! Speed up and catch up! Don't let the enemy command ship escape! Have the remaining troops abandon Planet Aquamarine and come to join us immediately."
Nagokin was startled, "You don't want to go back to help?!"
"There's no need. There's not enough time. Going back to reinforce would be futile and would only allow the DarkStar command fleet we've already engaged to escape, which would be a net loss. The enemy is larger than us; that's a difference in raw strength. If we engage them head-on, we'll suffer heavy losses. So, the enemy splitting their forces is actually a good thing. We can gather all our troops and wipe out the DarkStar command fleet in front of us, picking them off one by one. If we put enough pressure on the command ship, that assault team will have no choice but to shift its target and rush to its aid!"
Battet scoffed. If it were guarding an important planet in Goddora, he would never dare to leave and would prioritize safety. However, this disaster planet called Planet Aquamarine was insignificant to him and could be discarded at any time.
Between protecting Planet Aquamarine and striking the DarkStar Fleet, he would choose the latter without hesitation.
The events of the first two attacks made Battet realize some problems, so he simply left Planet Aquamarine exposed to the DarkStar Commando's artillery fire without any protection. This would be a good opportunity to see if DarkStar would wreak havoc on the disaster planet. If DarkStar still did not cause devastating damage under these circumstances, then at least the enemy's intentions would be exposed.
It's okay if we guess wrong; one less disaster planet means one less burden on the War Bureau.
Nagokin frowned. Things had come to this point, and he couldn't influence Battet's decision. He said, "I need to inform Black Star first."
"No need, I heard you." Han Xiao's voice came through the communicator. He didn't say much, just slowly said, "Leave the assault team to me."
"... Try to hold on." Nagokin clenched his fist, turned off the communicator, took a deep breath, and quickly went to the hatch passage.
At this moment, his fleet accelerated and caught up with Norcap's DarkStar command ship formation. The two sides' warships collided with each other's formations, and cannon fire filled the air. His ship was rapidly approaching a DarkStar warship, and his battle was about to begin. Nagokin had no time to pay attention to Han Xiao's situation.