The order for the Obsidian Fleet to turn and break out had just been issued, but how easy was it for a leviathan trapped in a heavy encirclement to turn around?
From the moment the Pluto Fleet surged out of the nebula, their ferocious firepower had clung to them like a stubborn parasite, biting down hard.
The disadvantage of their exposed flanks was immediately transformed into devastating results.
Shells, beams, and missiles poured down like a torrential storm of steel and energy, continuously drenching the Obsidian Fleet's formation, which had not yet fully adjusted.
Undying Dignity.
This T5 Super Battleship, a symbol of the Empire's majesty, had just withstood the first concentrated volley.
Its shields were severely overloaded, its armor melted in multiple places.
Yet, it still dragged its colossal frame, attempting to follow the flagship "Unbreakable Bulwark" in turning to withdraw.
However, the Pluto Fleet clearly had no intention of letting this biggest fish escape.
The four "Sky-Opening" class heavy plasma main cannons from the Kunlun Mountain and the Kunlun Mountain - Modified Battleships, after a brief yet precise charging and calibration sequence, locked onto it once more.
"Target: Undying Dignity. Overloaded shield weak point. Volley!"
The command was icy.
Four massive, suffocating streams of deep blue plasma tore through space.
Striking, at near-light speed, the same area on the Undying Dignity's not-yet-fully-recovered shields!
The first hit caused the remaining shield energy to flicker violently, emitting a piercing shriek of strain.
The second hit. The shields, like glass struck by a sledgehammer, instantly cracked before shattering completely, dissolving into a cloud of dissipating energy particles.
The third and fourth hits penetrated almost unhindered through the thick armor now bereft of shield protection!
The superheated plasma, capable of vaporizing steel, sliced through like a red-hot knife through butter.
Tearing two horrifying, core-penetrating wounds into the massive hull of the Undying Dignity!
Internal ammunition depots, energy pipelines, and fusion reactor bulkheads detonated in chain reactions under indescribable heat and pressure.
From the outside, the leviathan first seemed to freeze rigid, then its midsection and stern simultaneously swelled and bulged outward, blinding white light erupting from countless fissures!
The next second...
BOOM!!!
A light of destruction, brighter than a star, blossomed at the center of the battlefield.
The Undying Dignity, like a supernova ignited, was utterly torn apart in the chain of explosions.
Transformed into a rapidly expanding nebula of death, composed of metal fragments, molten material, and raging energy!
The shockwave, carrying lethal radiation and debris, slammed into nearby Imperial vessels that had failed to distance themselves in time, causing further chaos and damage.
The fall of the Undying Dignity struck the hearts of all Imperial officers and crew like a heavy hammer.
And this was merely the beginning of the disaster.
Just as the Obsidian Fleet plunged into deeper chaos and panic from the flagship's explosion.
Another group of more agile, more lethal "scavengers" joined the slaughter.
"All Swift squadrons, attention. Free hunting time.
Priority targets: enemy warship turrets, missile arrays, sensors, engine nozzles.
Clear obstacles for the Capital Ships. Don't let them turn and escape comfortably!"
The command from the Swift Wing flight commander was delivered with chilling efficiency.
Swarms of "Swift-V" fighter craft descended like bloodthirsty sharks upon a wounded leviathan, roaring in from the carrier's direction and boldly plunging into the already riddled gaps in the Obsidian Fleet's formation.
Among them were two "Swifts," call signs "Razor" and "Spark."
"Hey, Spark, see that 'Hammer'-class cruiser on the right? It's still firing six secondary guns from its broadside. Annoying!"
Razor's voice crackled over the encrypted squad channel, laced with a hint of mockery.
"Saw it ages ago. Aren't the missile pods on that destroyer to your left still spitting fire too? Wanna make it a contest?"
Not to be outdone, Spark executed a graceful barrel roll, evading a hastily fired burst from a point defense cannon.
"Old rules: one point per turret or missile silo, five points for disabling an engine. Loser buys a month's worth of 'Stardust' rum!"
"Deal!"
The two fighter craft darted like agile swallows through the dense, chaotic anti-air fire net. Their speed was astonishing, their trajectories unpredictable. Often, just as Imperial gunners locked onto their blurred afterimages, a stream of precise high-velocity armor-piercing shells or a compact yet deadly fusion missile would already be unleashed from beneath their fuselages.
Razor's fighter dove sharply, its cannons roaring as they blasted the base joints of two rotating turrets atop a cruiser, sending sparks flying and leaving the turrets tilted and silent.
"Score +2!"
Spark skimmed along the belly of another destroyer, a missile perfectly slipping into the plasma-spewing exhaust port of its rear engine. After a muffled thud, the destroyer's thrusters abruptly died, its speed plummeting as it began to drift helplessly across the battlefield.
"Score +5!"
"Nice shot! But watch this!"
Razor locked onto the flank of an Imperial Battleship desperately trying to turn, where a row of menacing missile silos were opening. "Spark, draw the point defense fire from its port side!"
"Copy that!"
The two fighters moved in perfect sync, dancing a deadly ballet through the storm of fire, systematically eliminating external weapons and power nodes on one Imperial warship after another. Behind them, more "Swifts" followed suit, performing the same tasks.
The warships of the Obsidian Fleet were like ferocious beasts having their fangs and claws gradually pulled. Their return fire visibly weakened, and their turns and accelerations grew increasingly sluggish and clumsy due to engine damage.
The battle had devolved into a one-sided slaughter.
The Pluto main fleet maintained its distance, relentlessly hammering the Imperial Fleet's core with fierce, coordinated barrages. Meanwhile, the "Swift" swarm, like a lethal hive, continuously eroded the enemy's resistance from within.
One by one, Imperial warships exploded under concentrated fire or lost power after key systems were destroyed by the fighters, becoming floating targets. The formation collapsed entirely, and retreat orders dissolved into desperate, scattered flight.
Aboard the "Unbreakable Bulwark," Lancaster watched the tactical screen as their own markers dimmed and vanished one after another. The cacophony of distress calls, reports of collapse, and cries of despair flooding the communication channel left his face as pale as paper. The bitter taste of defeat, mingled with dread at Qin Beiwang's tactics and regret over his own miscalculations, threatened to overwhelm him.
"At all costs... Breakout!"
"Every ship that can escape, escape!"
With a hoarse voice, he issued the final order that essentially acknowledged defeat.
An hour later, the Obsidian Fleet finally broke free from the encirclement of the Pluto Fleet.
However, out of the original large fleet of over sixty starships from five fleets, only a little over thirty starships remained.
The Amethyst and Jade Fleets were completely annihilated.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!