Chapter 1503: In a Hurry to Die?

At the intersection of the shipping lanes on the edge of the Southern Border, on the periphery of the combat zone, a Xiuluosheng Fleet is approaching.

Ultramarines Legion, Fourth Fleet.

Octavius stands on the command platform in the center of the Bridge, watching the two fleets currently engaged in battle and listening to the Communications Officer's report.

"Commander-in-Chief, a battle is taking place at the shipping lane intersection ahead. The identities of the two warring parties have been preliminarily confirmed; one side is of the Keluoke Central Army sequence, and the other is an unidentified armed fleet. The engagement is estimated to have lasted over one standard hour, and the situation is deadlocked."

Octavius straightens up and speaks.

"The Keluoke Central Army and mercenaries have started fighting on the edge of the Southern Border. The fact that Kesi's fleet is engaged with mercenaries here shows that the rebellion situation in the Southern Border is more complex than the briefing we received."

An Adjutant standing behind him to his side says.

"Our Task is to support the Keluoke Central Army in suppressing the rebellion; logically, we should assist the Central Army in repelling the mercenaries."

"That is a conventional judgment, but look closely—the current situation is deadlocked, which means the scale and combat effectiveness of this mercenary group exceed the level of a normal mercenary group."

As he speaks, Octavius turns to the microphone for the fleet-wide communication channel and presses the talk button.

"This is the Ultramarines Fourth Fleet, Fleet Commander Octavius. The two warring parties ahead, listen clearly: cease fire immediately, disarm, and withdraw from the combat zone separately.

If you continue to exchange fire, I will consider it a hostile act against the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet and will open fire directly to eliminate all targets."

The communication signal passes through the battlefield and is quickly received by the sensors of both warring parties.

On the Bridge of the Tiezhua, Fafeili finishes listening to this communication and says in an impatient tone.

"The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet? How did they get here so fast? Didn't Kusilei say it would still be several days?"

The Adjutant checks the data and says.

"According to normal cruising speed, it should indeed still be about five days. But they may have taken another, faster route, or reduced their formation sequence to advance light."

Fafeili snorts coldly and says.

"Cease fire? Disarm? Withdraw from the combat zone? Who does he think he is?"

He stands up, walks to the communications console, and responds.

"This is the Iron Claw Mercenary Group; we are under contract with the nobles of the Southern Border and are executing a Task. Go back where you came from; this is not water you should be wading into."

He turns off the microphone and says to the Fleet Commander beside him.

"Ignore them, keep fighting. If the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet dares to interfere, hit them too."

The Fleet Commander says hesitantly.

"Grand Commander, that is, after all, the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet..."

"So what if it's the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance? This is Keluoke Central Army territory. Their fleet crossed the border to get here—what's so impressive about that?

We have one hundred and forty ships, and they have about the same scale; who is afraid of whom? Order all ships to launch a round of warning salvos toward the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet to tell them not to meddle in other people's business."

The right-wing detachment of the Tiezhua Fleet turns the main guns of several Capital Ships and fires a salvo toward the direction of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet.

The light beams land on the Void Shield in front of the War, stirring up ripple-like energy fluctuations on the surface of the shield; the beams are deflected and dispersed, causing no damage to the hull.

On the flagship of the Keluoke Central Army, the Commander, having received the ceasefire notice from the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet, has just let out a sigh of relief.

He has just prepared to order the remnants to close in toward the direction of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet when the sensor screen captures the energy signal of the Tiezhua Fleet opening fire toward the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance.

The Commander stands up abruptly from his seat and roars at the Communications Officer.

"What is that **** mercenary doing? They are attacking the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet? Are they in such a hurry to die?"

Before the Communications Officer can answer, Octavius on the Bridge of the War has already reacted at the same moment that the previous salvo hit the Void Shield.

"Confirm the opponent has initiated fire. Eliminate all; high-efficiency attack. All hostile targets within the combat range, as long as they are still in a firing state, are to be cleared."

The Ultramarines fleet switches to an assault formation; the first salvo is completed within fifteen seconds of the order being given, and the density and intensity of the Light Lances are far beyond what the Tiezhua Fleet's warning salvo just now could compare to.

The shields of two Frigates on the left wing of the Tiezhua Fleet are completely pierced within the first second of the Light Lances falling; the hulls explode from the inside out, and the debris is thrown in all directions by the force of the explosion.

A Battlecruiser on the left wing of the Keluoke Central Army remnants is also hit by several light beams simultaneously within the coverage area; the hull is torn open and disintegrates in the vacuum.

Octavius stands before the command platform, looking at the two areas on the main display covered by firepower.

"Prioritize clearing units that are still firing; do not give them a chance to regroup, continue the suppression."

The Ultramarines fleet's firepower output continues, with Light Lances and Macro-cannons alternately covering the target area.

The Tiezhua Fleet is caught off guard, and the ship defenses begin to collapse in a very short time.

The right-wing detachment, which had originally maintained a relatively complete formation, has only one-third left after four salvos.

The communication channel of the Keluoke Central Army Commander is filled with all kinds of chaotic information streams.

He shouts at the Communications Officer.

"Retreat! The whole fleet, retreat! Withdraw from the combat zone! Stop fighting!"

But ship retreats take time; the process of turning and re-accelerating is compressed at this moment by the continuous firepower of the Ultramarines fleet.

The retreat route is blocked by several Light Lances; the Keluoke Central Army remnants try to find a breakthrough, but every turn encounters new firepower coverage, leaving them trapped in the center of the combat zone unable to escape.

The Tiezhua Fleet begins to truly scatter after losing a large number of ships.

Their formation was originally a loose, mercenary-style formation; after suffering heavy losses, the chain of command breaks at a speed visible to the naked eye, and each ship begins to fight on its own.

Some try to charge toward the Ultramarines fleet for a suicide attack, while others flee at full speed in the opposite direction.

But the firepower coverage of the Ultramarines fleet happens to block both routes; ships that charge out have their shields pierced by concentrated fire halfway, and ships that retreat have their paths cut off by flanking fire—once they enter the combat range, not a single one manages to escape successfully.

Fafeili stands on the Bridge of the Tiezhua, watching the light dots on the main display representing his own ships dim one after another, and says with a trembling voice.

"I'll be... Kusilei, you motherfucker didn't tell me the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance fleet had already arrived."