Counterfeit Hero

After losing forty percent of their combat power, the cruisers and fighter squadron of the First Mixed Fleet finally crushed the battleship formation of the enemy. It was a fierce battle where both sides desperately attacked the core of the opponent’s formation. Ultimately, an Imperial Fleet carrier was destroyed during the assault. The carrier’s explosion blossomed into magnificent fireworks, completely shattering the morale of the Imperial Fleet. The explosion also affected the flagship that was hidden inconspicuously within the fleet.

Without unified command, some battleships began to retreat before the command signal could transfer from the flagship to the vice ship. These battleships were already riddled with holes, and the Empire’s officers on their decks were utterly intimidated by the Federation fighters and cruisers’ fearless tactics. These lower-rank soldiers comprised over sixty percent of the entire crew, and their morale was rapidly declining. Upon seeing the flagship in trouble, one battleship did not wait for the ship captain’s order. The captain in charge of navigation seized the chance to avoid artillery fire and turned the vessel around, never to look back.

At the same time, the Federation Second Mixed Fleet, composed of the Federation’s First, Second, and Eighth Fleets stationed in the space jump point area, finally encountered their opponents. This was a mixed formation of six Imperial Fleets. The appearance of six carriers made all the officers and men of the Federation Second Mixed Fleet involuntarily gasp. The enemy had appeared in a region thirty thousand kilometers away from their own fleet two hours earlier and was advancing at a speed of several thousand kilometers per hour. In another two hours, the enemy’s vanguard would engage the Second Fleet.

Vice Admiral Chel, the fleet commander, had already received news from the Federation First Fleet. Upon learning that the First Fleet had been entangled by another Imperial Fleet, Chel knew that they could only rely on themselves this time. The Federation’s 3rd Mixed Fleet was still forming in the Central Star Domain and couldn’t reach the Newton Star System via the space jump point in less than a week.

The Gazalin Empire intended to achieve decisive victory in a single battle. The appearance of so many foes at this time indicated that the Imperial Army had taken advantage of the Federation’s Third and Ninth Space Fleets’ journey through the Public Star Domain, returning to the Central Leray Star Domain for resupply, to deploy over half of the space fleet stationed in the Galileo Star System to the Newton Star System. Without the restraint of the two Federation fleets, they had no scruples. The Federation’s Third and Ninth Space Fleets should now be en route to the capital in the Public Star System.

There were only three paths in front of Vice Admiral Chel: the first was for the entire personnel to die in battle! The second was to retreat the whole army before the Imperial Fleet, still thousands of kilometers away, advanced further. The third path was to retreat to the Federation Central Star Domain.

The most reliable option was to retreat to the Central Star Domain, but it was also the most disgraceful choice! All their efforts would be in vain. Neither the First Mixed Fleet still in the Newton Star System nor the ground resistance forces on Miloke Planet would receive resupply. To reopen this space jump route would require ten times the sacrifices previously made.

As for the first path? Although the Federation Fleet had greatly improved their combat power in recent battles, the disparity in strength was too significant. Confronting them was a mixed fleet of six Imperial Fleets! The best outcome from a fight to the death would be total annihilation on their side while the enemy would lose forty percent of their combat power.