Alae-Particula was true to its name.
Its primary attack method was a particle stream.
These particle streams would induce informational chaos and deliver devastating energy impacts. Like a fierce gale sweeping through, this horrifying energy could even dissipate energy shields.
The 110 warships of the Winunder Fleet, before being engulfed, had already anticipated the threat from their rear. The main server issued an urgent warning regarding extremely high-level energy fluctuations detected behind them.
They began to execute ripple flight, a maneuver involving rapid movement along all axes—up, down, left, and right. This chaotic flight pattern was designed to evade enemy fire by preventing the adversary from accurately locking onto their positions.
That was not merely an unconventional tactical thought; in fact, it was highly effective.
Ripple flight could even evade attacks from certain high-tier, super-range weapons.
It was not just a change in flight maneuvers.
The Captains on the warships also prepared appropriate counterattacks to hinder the Fourth Fleet's progress.
For instance, they employed secondary cannon fire.
They also considered deploying jamming devices or launching bacterial drones.
Much like the astonished personnel on the Fourth Fleet, in reality, as long as the crews remained composed, the outcome of such a pursuit remained uncertain.
A key distinction between warships and ordinary vessels is that warships carry a diverse arsenal. They do not rely solely on speed or raw firepower.
"Only 300 warships are pursuing us; they cannot achieve absolute superiority over our forces."
"Now we just need to escape. Abandoning those ships is acceptable. They are likely just attempting to intimidate us and will not take decisive action."
"We are less than 400 astronomical units from Carbines and his fleet. Very soon, they will be forced to retreat."
Carbines commanded another fleet. They were originally intercepting the Fourth Fleet's harassing units, but having realized the situation, they altered course to provide reinforcements.
Because both fleets were surging toward each other, the time required for a rendezvous would be brief.
This realization brought them a sense of security.
"Begin releasing the bee. Let them taste the sting of its venom," the now-composed Captains ordered, deploying their countermeasures.
The bee consisted of numerous drones, each approximately 6 meters in length, carrying a material system virus.
As the name suggests, this virus does not target electronic equipment; it targets matter itself.
Theoretically, it could infect a solid block of iron.
Viruses targeting matter belong to a broad category known as Source-Viruses, where "Source" refers to natural matter.
This category includes not only metals and minerals but also biological pathogens.
"The bee is too isolated. We can utilize code points for communication; their main server might not be as sophisticated as it appears. An outdated system version would make them highly susceptible to this tactic."
Code points for communication.
A point-jamming attack against the main server.
This would generate a massive number of jamming points within the main server's calculations, a form of communication bandwidth interference.
With continuous preparation and a return to tactical normalcy, these 110 ships were restored to their optimal state.
They believed they were well prepared.
Until the main server began to blare its warning.
[Warning! The enemy is releasing massive amounts of energy. Main cannon activation suspected. Warships automatically initiating ripple flight. Energy shields deploying at maximum output. Secondary cannons prepared for anti-energy counterfire.]
Barely half an hour had passed.
The officers and soldiers remained relatively calm.
In their estimation, the enemy should have unleashed the main cannon much earlier. Delaying the attack until now seemed peculiar, as if something were amiss.
The power of a main cannon is formidable by nature, but beyond conventional energy weapons, more specialized main cannons require independent research and development.
Flaorse and the Ynun Star Nation had both obtained intelligence regarding the main cannons used by the Rusty Star Nation.
However, because those weapons were not widely deployed in active combat, the specific technical details remained unknown.
They could only confirm that the Rusty Star Nation's main cannons suffered from certain functional limitations.
To put it frankly, they were considered weak.
"No need for concern. It is just a junk warship with a junk main cannon. The Rusty Star Nation has never exported this technology, which proves their hardware is low-performance."
"Simply evade the fire."
The Captains remained relaxed, relying on their past experiences.
Another two hours passed.
A burst of intense light struck the fleet.
The Winunder Fleet Captains relaxed even further.
"It is another Broad-Field attack. There is nothing to worry about."
A Broad-Field attack is an area-of-effect strike, meaning the main cannon's energy is dispersed over a wide area.
Dispersed energy, especially on such a massive scale, would see its potency diluted tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of times.
Such a diluted strike posed no threat to them whatsoever.
However, their composure lasted only a few minutes.
The main server's alarm shrieked once again.
[Alarm! Enemy is releasing massive amounts of energy. Simulated main cannon activation detected. Warships automatically initiating ripple flight. Energy shields deploying at maximum output. Secondary cannons on anti-energy standby!]
The alarm tone was significantly more urgent.
It was as if everything was stable one minute, only for a total catastrophe to manifest across all sectors in the next.
"How is this possible? How could the energy density of a Broad-Field attack penetrate our energy shields?"
The Captains checked the energy threshold their shields were currently withstanding.
19,387 mel.
'el' was the modern unit for measuring energy levels.
A standard cutting laser blade possessed an energy level of 0.071 el. Such a tool could slice through ordinary steel as if it were mud.
But the energy they were facing now was measured in 'mel,' which signified millions of el.
Converted, that equated to 193,870,000 el.
This represented the energy level intensity, not the total energy volume.
Standard energy levels were measured by intensity per square centimeter—specifically, el/cm².
It was a difference of hundreds of millions of times.
This was not the largest figure the Captains had ever encountered.
Above mel, the scale progressed to bel (billions), and beyond that lay tel (trillions).
Conventional super-range weapons typically operated at the tel level.
By comparison, a mel appeared insignificant.
However, while super-range weapons were designed for stellar annihilation, a warship's energy shield possessed a practical threshold of only about 10,000 mel.
The onslaught they currently faced had exceeded their shields' maximum tolerance by nearly double.
Under normal circumstances, a standard warship's Broad-Field attack could never achieve such intensity. But Alae-Particula was different; it was a stacked phenomenon, aggregating more than just a single vessel's main cannon fire.
Furthermore, the potency of Alae-Particula intensified exponentially as the distance decreased.
At a mere 20 astronomical units, they were far too close.
Alae-Particula completely overtaxed the energy shields, shattering them before slamming directly into the hulls. It was, without question, total annihilation.
The specialized alloys of the warships could not withstand such high-energy beams.
The exterior plating, caught in the blast, superheated to 18 billion degrees Celsius in less than ten seconds. The hull effectively liquefied, flowing off the structure like molten wax.
The 6-meter-thick armored plating dissolved entirely within two minutes, exposing the interior compartments to the raw power of Alae-Particula, which reduced everything inside to ash instantly.
All 110 warships were neutralized.
Mingna immediately issued the next directive: "Inform all units to cease pursuit of the stragglers; we are proceeding to engage the next fleet."
The entire engagement had unfolded precisely according to Mingna's calculations.
The moment the gap closed to 100 astronomical units, the enemy's fate was sealed.
The adversaries had possessed a theoretical window to escape, or even to launch a punishing counteroffensive.
But they lacked the technical capability and, perhaps more importantly, they had lacked the necessary tactical resolve from the very beginning.
By the time they recognized their peril, it was far too late.
The Fourth Fleet began to regroup. In the distance, the harassing units held their ground, transitioning from hit-and-run tactics to maneuvers designed to actively bleed the enemy's momentum.
...
Carbines.
As the most distinguished Captain in this sub-fleet, his record of service was extensive, earning him profound respect among his peers.
It was he who had sanctioned this "separation and annihilation" strategy.
Had he insisted on a full retreat and consolidation with the main fleet from the start, the others—despite their own ambitions—would have followed his lead.
But unfortunately, his hunger for prestige was as insatiable as anyone else's.
At this moment, he stood petrified.
"How is this possible? They were erased so quickly."
"It was a trap. I knew it... it was so blatant, yet I walked right into it."
"Victory is no longer an option here; this is merely a stay of execution."
"We were cautious, yet we were played like puppets…"
He was a veteran of countless conflicts.
But he had never witnessed a slaughter like this.
In truth, ever since they had engaged the Rusty Star Nation fleet, the experience had been surreal.
The M36 Star Cluster campaign had been manageable—it followed a rhythm he understood. He had even garnered significant military merit during those operations.
However, the moment they crossed the threshold of the M36 Star Cluster, the nightmare began.
The enemy seemed to possess Mind Reading capabilities, anticipating their every maneuver with uncanny precision.
It was the doctrine of a demon, striking directly at their psychological fault lines.
This engagement followed that same terrifying pattern.
He realized now that this was not a disparity in raw combat power, but a fundamental chasm in strategic mastery.
The enemy had been architecting their descent into the abyss from the very first shot.
"But how could their timing be so precise?"
He remained in a trance until a high-priority transmission pulled him back into the virtual briefing room.
He looked at the holographic displays of the other commanders; every face was grim.
"Heavy losses. I will not sugarcoat it; this failure is our shared burden."
"We were blinded by greed, and the enemy exploited that hunger at every turn. Yes, it is the work of a devil."
One Captain stared blankly at the holographic table, mesmerized by the data streams.
"I once served as an escort for a merchant convoy near a distant star nation—it was right on the edge of the galactic front."
That front had also been the site of the war between the Twenty-Eight Nations Covenant and the Federation.
"It was an experience I'll never forget."
"The soldiers there spoke of a victorious fleet they called the Devil's Kiss."
"The name is quite famous. It originated from a legendary victory where a high-ranking figure from the Twenty-Eight Nations Covenant personally led 130,000 ships to crush a Federation force of 150,000."
"You understand the gravity of that—ordinarily, 50,000 Federation warships can overwhelm 100,000 from the star nations. That battle defied all logic. The strategy she employed was identical to what we are facing now: she isolated the enemy piece by piece, then devoured them whole."
"That operation was dubbed the Devil's Temptation, and that commander earned the title of Demon Duke."
Devil's Temptation.
A term used to describe the pinnacle of strategic deception.
Applying complex strategy on an interstellar battlefield is notoriously difficult; every officer knows the variables are too vast.
And yet, this level of total strategic dominance—one that rendered numerical advantages irrelevant—was perverse.
"No, the Rusty Star Nation is a minor power. How could someone of that caliber be among them?"
He was bewildered, his thoughts spiraling into chaos.
Observing the pervasive listlessness, Carbines realized that if he did not intervene, the fleet's morale would suffer a total collapse.
He straightened his posture, his voice booming through the comms.
"No matter how brilliant a strategy is, it requires us to fall for it to be effective!"
"If the enemy possessed absolute numerical superiority, they wouldn't bother with these intricate deceptions."
"We still have a chance. That chance lies in consolidation: we must regroup, advance with extreme caution, and refuse to be baited into scattering again."
"Our objective is now singular: to regroup is to win."
"Wake up! This is war, not a simulation. War does not permit the luxury of lethargy!"
His voice was resonant and commanding, cutting through the despair of the room.
The increased volume of Carbines' voice caused a physical tremor among the Captains in the holographic briefing room. His commanding tone effectively purged all hesitation from their minds.
"The enemy intends to intercept us now, but as long as we maintain maximum velocity, we should remain secure."
"Although the enemy possesses a speed advantage, a significant distance still separates us. They require time to close that gap, and that window is sufficient for us to regroup."
"We simply must avoid further errors. This is a straightforward objective."
The reality of the situation supported his assessment.
Even with Mingna's sophisticated calculations, achieving the complete capture of this fleet intact would be an monumental challenge.
Her strategy was inherently ambitious.
It could not guarantee absolute perfection.
Carbines had regained his composure with remarkable speed, demonstrating a capability entirely commensurate with his rank as a Captain.
A true battlefield does not mirror a simulation. In a simulation, strength is measured solely by the destruction of the opponent. On the actual battlefield, however, composure is a critical asset equal to raw firepower, particularly for a commander who can remain level-headed while making decisive choices.
Carbines' directives provided the necessary structure to the Captains, who had previously been acting like headless flies.
They followed his orders.
They maintained stability.
"Initialize all defensive countermeasures and immediately deploy ambush traps to impede the enemy's velocity."
"We must not replicate the catastrophic failures of the previous warships."
The fleet took immediate action.
Because the fleet's command structure remained intact, these tactical preparations were finalized with impressive speed.
...
Two days later.
Mingna led the fleet directly into the snare prepared by the enemy.
Over a hundred ships disintegrated instantly, erupting into a fierce, incandescent light.
"It is a Shatter-Veil! Deploy Particle-Storms."
The warships immediately released Particle-Storms to neutralize the Shatter-Veil before sustaining further casualties.
Shatter-Veil was the technical designation for the weapon; it functioned by directly annihilating energy at the subatomic level, classifying it as a Weak-Force weapon.
The Weak-Force is a highly peculiar fundamental interaction.
It governs the process of particle decay, specifically through Boson-Exchange, which allows it to affect all Fermions—the fundamental building blocks of all matter.
Most importantly, it can induce Parity Non-Conservation.
Under the influence of electromagnetic and strong interactions, normal particles maintain perfect mirror symmetry with their counterparts, save for their direction of spin. This principle is known as Parity-Symmetry.
Parity Non-Conservation can be understood through the analogy of a person looking into a mirror. Usually, the person and their reflection perform identical actions. However, the Weak-Force can cause the reflection to act independently; while the person eats, the reflection sleeps.
To a certain extent, the Weak-Force is exceptionally potent.
The Shatter-Veil is the practical application of Weak-Force research. It produces two primary effects: first, it forces matter to undergo rapid Weak-Decay, and second, it causes the Quarks within that matter to change Flavor.
As Quarks transition between six distinct Flavors, they trigger systemic chaos within the fundamental properties of the particles.
Theoretically, such chaos poses minimal danger to natural matter.
However, in this modern era, the majority of particles utilized in construction are artificial rather than natural.
Artificial particles are highly susceptible to destruction via internal imbalance, leading to molecular separation.
All matter exposed to the Shatter-Veil undergoes both Decay and Separation, resulting in a blinding flash of light as the structure dissolves into a cloud of fundamental particles.
"Strategos, the enemy has deployed active traps! If we persist with this pursuit, we risk catastrophic losses. We should consider halting our advance!"
One Captain, witnessing the lingering radiation from the explosions, attempted to reason with Mingna.
But Mingna would not be deterred by this level of resistance.
She responded without hesitation: "Proceed forward. Do not decrease velocity!"
The crew wondered if they had misheard her.
Continuing at this pace was equivalent to a death march.
In this environment, every maneuver demanded extreme caution, yet the enemy was retreating at full speed. They would never catch up; they would only arrive in time to see the enemy regroup, at which point further engagement would be futile.
Yet they knew they had not misheard, leading to the sole conclusion that Mingna possessed another plan.
Their faith in Mingna was absolute.
Consequently, there were no objections, and her orders were executed swiftly.
The fleet maintained its heading without any deceleration.
Mingna continued to make precise tactical adjustments.
For example, she ordered a single vanguard ship to accelerate ahead. If another trap lay in their path, this would provide the rest of the fleet with a window to react.
Indeed.
The vanguard ship positioned ahead erupted in a violent explosion, the cause of the detonation remains unidentified.
Mingna did not waste a single moment investigating the incident; to do so would be a strategic blunder.
"Deploy Black Explosion."
On the command vessel, a massive aperture approximately 20 meters in diameter swiveled forward. A concentrated beam of light surged into the void.
This was no ordinary energy discharge.
The beam initially spanned 30,000 meters, but its length visibly contracted as it surged through space. Simultaneously, the illumination at the front intensified to a blinding degree.
The energy from the rear was rapidly converging upon the leading edge.
Theoretically, such a phenomenon should be impossible, but it was being achieved through sophisticated spatial manipulation. The light at the vanguard was being artificially decelerated, growing progressively slower the further it traveled.
Ultimately, the 30,000-meter beam was compressed into a layer as thin as a single atom.
Then, it underwent a rapid gravitational collapse into a singular point.
A Black Hole was born.
The moment of the Black Hole's formation was simultaneously the moment of its expiration; the process was nearly instantaneous.
Typically, a black hole weapon requires external gravitational interference to trigger an immediate detonation; otherwise, even a microscopic black hole could persist for millions of years.
But Black Explosion operated on a different principle.
It manifested as a Black Hole, yet it was intentionally designed with a critical structural deficiency. Because of this slight imbalance, it could be detonated with ease.
On this vast interstellar scale, the mutual hostility between star nations forced them to engage in independent research and development. Black Explosion was a proprietary weapon unique to the Rusty Star Nation.
It utilized a specialized branch of technology previously provided by Giotto—the science of Space Bubbles.
Advanced technology does not always translate directly into superior hardware. For instance, while certain evasion-class vessels are technologically eons ahead of the modern Federation, their potential is often wasted. If Luna were to acquire such technology, she might use it as crudely as a primitive using a high-powered rifle as a simple club.
Every technological advancement requires a comprehensive ecosystem to support it. Much like a management simulation, if one maximizes the Main City level while leaving all other structures at Level 1, the civilization remains vulnerable to even slightly upgraded enemy units.
The principle here was identical. While Giotto's technology was revolutionary, its immediate benefit to the Federation was limited; it required a substantial period to upgrade the necessary infrastructure.
The Black Explosion detonated 2.7 astronomical units ahead of the fleet.
The resulting energy surge was so immense that it completely scoured all matter from that sector of space, carving out a vacuum void.
Mingna directed the fleet to surge through the neutralized trap zone.
Once again, she designated a single ship to assume the vanguard position.
...
The Winunder Fleet.
Carbines had not anticipated the Rusty Star Nation warships possessed such a sophisticated capability.
Typically, black hole armaments demand astronomical energy reserves. Yet, the adversary appeared remarkably unconcerned with energy consumption, suggesting they had achieved a significant breakthrough in black hole physics.
However, this was not his primary concern.
The true challenge lay in the enemy's psychological posture.
Before he could offer an analysis, another Captain—who had reached the same conclusion—voiced his thoughts.
"I did not expect the Rusty Star Nation to be so ruthless, sacrificing their own ships as mere minesweepers."
"This must be devastating for their morale. It appears we might actually survive this engagement."
Such a brutal tactic would inevitably breed resentment among the crew, creating a dangerous rift between the soldiers and their officers. In extreme cases, it could incite full-scale mutinies. Even if suppressed, it would ultimately degrade the fleet's operational efficiency.
"Heh heh, it seems the enemy has exhausted their options."
"Moderate your optimism, Captain Carbines. As long as we remain composed, the enemy will inevitably succumb to chaos."
Complacency is a persistent human trait.
Carbines, however, could not afford to be so cavalier.
"Have you already forgotten the cause of our previous failure?"
"Our monthly intelligence briefings seem to have done little for your memories."
"Even if the enemy has fallen into disarray as you suggest, as professional officers, we cannot permit ourselves to assume so."
"We must analyze every variable. Everything the enemy is doing currently is calculated and aligns with their strategic interests."
"Our opponent is likely a standard Rusty Star Nation fleet, commanded by a high-ranking Strategos. This Strategos clearly maintains absolute authority over the fleet, commanding soldiers willing to sacrifice themselves while keeping the formation stable."
"If that is the case, their objective is simple: close the distance to our position at any cost."
"Given the current gap, even at maximum velocity, we will reach our reinforcements before they enter the 100 astronomical unit kill zone."
"Therefore, they have only two possible strategies. First, they possess a weapon capable of annihilating us from beyond 100 astronomical units. Second, they possess the confidence to defeat us even after we have regrouped."
"I find the latter unlikely. If that were the case, they wouldn't have bothered with these elaborate isolation tactics."
"The former possibility is still manageable, or perhaps there are variables we haven't yet considered."
Carbines laid out his deductions clearly.
A sharp intellect was undeniably an asset; the other Captains had not considered these perspectives at all. Upon hearing his words, they finally began to think critically.
How exactly did the Rusty Star Nation fleet intend to eliminate them?
It was a grim irony—discussing the potential method of their own execution. But they had to remain vigilant; they could not afford a single mistake before the rendezvous.
What they failed to realize was that the pursuit fleet was also under immense strain.
"At this velocity, we will not intercept them."
"We possess nothing superior to the Alae-Particula, yet the Alae-Particula cannot achieve lethal energy density at this range."
"This bombardment is effectively just discarding our ships one by one."
Because Mingna had yet to reveal her next maneuver, the Captains—despite their loyalty—were becoming increasingly anxious. Trust is a choice; anxiety is an instinctive reaction. The former can be maintained, but the latter is difficult to suppress.
Inside the command center, Mingna was not merely tracking the Winunder Fleet; she was meticulously counting at regular intervals. When she reached the number 47, she paused for four days, and then she finally exited the command room.
A sophisticated suit of purple mecha with silver filigree enveloped her frame.
She turned to the bridge crew and issued a single order: "Launch me!"