bookbashuk Page 854
Page 854
A somber, pale black enveloped the outermost part of the fleet, followed by the dazzling gold of the interior. Gale-force winds howled between the speeding ships, passing through the ship's deck, shattering the surging blue ocean, and breaking through the waves on the ship's exterior.
The Void Shield was activated to its maximum in a short time, humming violently. Then came the point defense array, with cannons and guns spitting out flashes of fire, detonating missiles and torpedoes. The EMP artillery platform had also been activated, interfering with the torpedoes near the ship as much as possible.
On the deck, fighter jets took off and circled the ship, their machine guns spewing flames.
But that's still not enough.
Most of the torpedoes and missiles were shot down or intercepted, losing their target direction and disappearing into the void. However, many still managed to slip through the net and crash into the ship. The Blade Storm, which was cutting through the wind for the entire fleet, roared with its head held high. The torpedoes struck its thick bow, leaving small black marks on it.
The torpedoes on the flanks of the fleet struck the outer shell composed of Pluto fragments, and with each brilliant explosion, countless fragments were scattered into the void.
Not enough to be afraid of.
"Keep it at full speed!!! The queue must not be broken!!"
The horses' speed did not slow down; on the contrary, they became even more frenzied at the sight of blood. The lead horse neighed and strode forward—its tall and sturdy body rammed head-on into the first wolf charging at them. The Storm did not hesitate for a moment; its sharp bow smashed straight through the ship that was smaller in size compared to itself.
An even larger explosion occurred at the point of impact between the two ships—self-destruction is often the final act of a suicide attack.
Amidst the glittering brilliance, the Bladestorm sailed out of the smoke and explosions, continuing its charge forward! Charge! Charge! Charge!!!
Slowing down means death!!! If the gale stops howling—then death must be taking away the speed of life—any horse that falls behind will die, only the steeds galloping wildly in the night will survive!
Charge! Charge! Charge!
Blood stained its hooves, but the lead horse, seeing the blood, became even more frenzied. Its mane flew high, as if declaring to its herd—run! Run to catch up with it!
In an instant, the Queen Glory seemed to come alive; it ran, head held high, and neighed.
Seeing that the Bladestorm could not break through, the wolf pack that had charged up immediately changed direction nimbly, ruddering the sides and breaking in from the flanks. Some of the wolves knocked off fragments of planetary armor on the outer side of the fleet, while others successfully broke into the outer part of the fleet. They bit into the sides of the ship, turned the engines up to full speed, and embedded themselves firmly into the ship's bulkheads, biting open the thick bulkheads and exposing the vulnerable compartments inside.
The boats caught by wolves begin to slow down, howling in their dying moments. The horses beside them do not help; every hesitation will lead to them falling off the pack.
In an instant, the ships that had been caught were left behind by the main force—soon afterward, brilliant explosions erupted one after another at the sites of those ships that had been left behind, turning them into a muddy mess of death.
On the Stormblade, three or four raiding ships that were specifically targeting it were also caught on its side. However, with the launch of light lances and torpedoes, the warships recklessly rammed into the raiding ships that were biting them, knocking them overboard.
Debris from the damaged ships flew through the air, but it was getting faster and faster! Faster and faster!
Run, herd of horses!
The Khan gripped the reins tightly, his eyes gleaming.
Chapter 853 [295] Destiny
The sun shines brightly, surrounded by wolves.
Run! Release the reins of your steed!
Let the wind howl!
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The wolves howled and pounced fearlessly, tearing flesh and blood with fangs made of torpedoes and light spears, their claws piercing the skin and dragging out the steaming entrails, their mouths bloodshot and filled with bloodthirsty fervor.
Some ships on the outer edge of the fleet were permanently separated from the main force and were quickly surrounded and torn apart by countless wolves. Ships that were rammed straight through their internal compartments from the outside spewed out air and their crews, and the blood splattered in the void before being swallowed up by the explosion.
However, the leading horse will never slow down.
The herd of horses strode through the [Killiman] fleet, the wind growing stronger. The once pristine exterior of the ships was now illuminated by sunlight and the flashes of explosions, shimmering like the mane of horses being blown about by the wind and sunlight.
As the entire fleet was about to break through the first line of defense, the alpha wolf growled in dissatisfaction. His loyal wolf pack immediately reacted, and the larger ships, shimmering with eerie psionic energy, stepped forward and charged straight toward the Khan's fleet!
【…】
At the bow, the Khan frowned imperceptibly, his figure seeming to grow even taller, like a herdsman standing atop a distant mountain on the plateau. The wind and the spirit of freedom emanated from each of the white-scarred figures, casting a radiant glow over the very front of the fleet.
But... that's not enough!
In the heart of the fleet, Neos suddenly sat up straight, his eyes gleaming, his black hair flying wildly, and golden flames igniting as if burning from the very depths of his bones.
The blood still visible at the corner of his mouth was even more glaring. There were probably few beings in the galaxy who were so insane and so ruthless to themselves and others. Anyone with a psychic perspective who saw the Lord of Humanity's actions at this moment would probably faint in shock because of his madness.
To make an inappropriate analogy, this man has already sacrificed his flesh and blood for power, but now his fleet, his offspring, and his empire are calling for another victory, and he must win.
He dismembered his own bones and threw them into the fire, watching the flames blaze with ecstatic fervor. The raging fire illuminated the man's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious) smile and his remaining existence.
Golden flames ignited, and then a gust of wind swept past him, causing his black hair to flutter wildly. The golden flames around him instantly dissipated in the wind, turning into scattered sparks.
The wind grew stronger and stronger, and the bright sunlight shone down, illuminating the entire grassland and mountains, leaving no darkness or shadow on the ground. The eagles soaring in the gale became even more proud.
The Lord of Mankind is using his own psychic powers in conjunction with the Khan, just as he did for Robert Guilliman, to tether his brothers with psychic powers.
This scene was unknown to Guilliman, and few Primarchs knew about it. If the situation required it, the Emperor would actively use psionic powers to assist them. The only one who truly knew about this was probably the current Lord of the Eagles, Chagatai, who was soaring in the sky.
Sensing a surge in his psychic power, the Khan pondered for a moment, showing neither great joy nor sorrow. His eyes were fixed solely on the raging storm; he would send his army to Terra.
In an instant, the psionic ships that had come to self-destruct crashed straight into the fleet. A burst of brilliant blue light exploded, but they were quickly blown behind them by the hurricane generated by the fleet. The noisy and discordant curses were forgotten by the speed, leaving only the roar of the engines.
Like a sharp arrow, they shot straight out of the chaotic flock of birds, their gleaming white blades gliding over the arrowhead—they had successfully broken through the first blockade.
The azure ships that had obscured his view were left behind, as if the clouds had been cleared away. The Khan's sharp, eagle-like eyes suddenly felt open and vast, but there was not a trace of joy in them.
This is only the "first line of defense".
The Primarch looked into the distance and saw that the densely packed formations, like a Great Wall in the void, formed a defensive line in space like a shimmering river.
[Killiman] laid out twenty-seven such defensive lines.
The first line of defense is just an appetizer—
Composed of a motley fleet that was faster and could be mobilized most quickly near Pluto, the fleet defenses they would face would become increasingly formidable. With just a cursory glance, the Khan could already see at least nine Glory Queen-class heavy ships quietly floating among his battleships, waiting to bestow cannon fire and death upon the outsiders.
Even more challenging is the presence of heavy firepower platforms built on the planet along the way to Terra—platforms whose firepower coverage will obviously exceed everyone's expectations.
To reach Terra, they would face a potential disaster that could wipe out the entire fleet—a constant stream of spacecraft of all shapes and sizes taking off from Mars had already filled the entire space platform, and to reach Terra directly, they would have to pass through Martian territory.
The Khan had reason to believe that the mechanical planet that supported the entire empire contained advanced technology capable of destroying them.
This is capital, this is Robert Guilliman's capital, the power and army he gained by managing an entire empire.
The Khan's brow furrowed even more, but the Primarch remained as steadfast as a mountain, guiding his warriors through storms.
Perhaps sensing the Khan's frustration, the Emperor's psionic communication rang out once more—
"Just keep going... my child."
Whether it was because he was overdrawing his spiritual energy, or because he was tearing his own spiritual energy apart bit by bit and merging it into the Khan's spiritual energy domain, the Emperor's tone was extremely calm at this moment... even revealing a strange benevolence.
It was as if he were truly comforting his own offspring, but that was clearly impossible, because this was Neos.
Immediately afterwards, the originally calm voice was tinged with the frenzy of a gambler sitting at the gambling table.
"Bet everything—our fleet must reach Terra, Chagatai—I repeat to you again, everything except a small elite force can be sacrificed."
Khan felt the burning sun expand even more, like the final brilliance of a star before its death. The Primarch did not know the extent of the Lord of Mankind's decline—nor would he consider it now.
He was only slightly annoyed by the Emperor's madness, but that was all—it seemed unnecessary to define the Lord of Mankind as a bastard now.
I will send the fleet over.
The Khan's jaw tightened as he looked at the undulating mountains and nodded.
But you'd better make sure you still have the strength to fight when you arrive on Terra, Lord of Humanity.
Instead of going all in beforehand, the Emperor's behavior always makes people worry that he has already pawned everything, yet he still appears completely unconcerned.
“You have no right to question your father, Chagatai—just charge forward, and I'll handle the rest.”
【…】
The Khan was glad he hadn't shown the Emperor the slightest sympathy, but after receiving the Emperor's reassurance, the Primarch's gaze sharpened. He looked at the ships—they were about to charge forward, a reckless act of throwing eggs against rocks.
Robert Guilliman sat on his Terra throne, looking down on them.
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[Main Fate Line]
【past】
"Ah... why isn't it all approved yet?"
Hades, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, looked up from the pile of documents in Terra's office. His hair was a mess, tangled from reviewing documents.
"Keeleyman—hey! Kidleyman—are you alright?!"
Hades called out to the other side, and the mountain of documents shook, revealing a middle-aged blond man who looked far more haggard than Hades. Guilliman looked as if he were dead, or worse.
I'm fine.
"Killiman said weakly,"
I'm working on building a defense system for the solar system—I believe it's necessary to combine military forces with subspace capabilities.
Hades scratched his head and shrugged.
"I think the solar system is now very secure. The two stargates leading into and out of the solar system are heavily guarded—not to mention the troops stationed on the various planets, and the garrison on Mars."
It's hard to say.
Guilliman pondered for a moment, recalling the Greenskins' battle on the moon years ago. But after that, Guilliman directly upgraded Terra's defense system, ensuring that the humiliation of the past would never return.
"Then you'll be the attacker,"
Hades leaned back. He truly didn't believe that the solar system could be easily breached. Guilliman was frantically shoving troops into every corner of the solar system as if he were paranoid—these resources could perhaps be left for other star systems for development.
"Can you think of any methods to attack the solar system?"
Guilliman silently raised one hand.
[I do have a rough idea—Hades, do you remember a Primarch who's currently vacationing in Barbaros?]
"Motalian?"
Hades was taken aback. It was completely unrelated. Why did Killieman suddenly bring this up?
[By shaping an entire fleet into a suicidal arrow and sending it hurtling into the solar system—their chances of reaching Terra are far from zero.]
"But how do they get into the solar system? Pluto and Neptune won't accept their intrusion—the other psionic domains are also filled with the light of starlight."
Perhaps there are other methods...
As Killieman spoke, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
[But regardless... I believe it's necessary to increase the garrison in response to this situation, at least to ensure that this fleet is nearly annihilated by the time it approaches Terra.]
..............................
They will all perish, of course.
[Killiman] coldly watched the dense military banners moving on the star chart, a fleet from another destiny, a futile struggle, being peeled away layer by layer under his heavy guard.
It was just a moment of arrogance.
[Killiman] sneered inwardly, but remained strategically vigilant, with more troops gathering.
He watched as the once spirited and unstoppable fleet was peeled away layer by layer, starting with the outermost, insignificant fragments of asteroids and engineering vessels.
Then came the outermost, gleaming white ships, their pristine exteriors peeled away layer by layer, revealing veins and flesh. They futilely fell among his army, only to be torn apart in an instant by the onrushing Ultramarines.
The Queen Glory at the very front was also covered in blood. The Killieman admired with satisfaction the long wound on its side, ripped open by a suicide ship, as the enemy crew futilely tried to mend the breaches.
Although the replacement ratio still displeased the monarch, who possessed far more ships than his opponents, they still managed to advance layer by layer, getting closer and closer to the core of his empire—a disgrace, as the enemy should have been completely annihilated at the outermost defensive perimeter of the solar system.
But eventually they will perish, their arrogant ambitions shattered along with their ridiculous fleet, turning into space debris, drifting uselessly in the void.
..............................
[Three hours later]
[Killiman] remained silent, his expression grim, watching the broken-through thirteenth line of defense, where his two Glory Queen-class giant ships had just sunk.
The fleet, however, maintained its speed without slowing down, even though it was already a dilapidated mess, resembling a garbage truck.
..............................
[Six hours later]
[Killiman] stood up abruptly, opened the communications of the deputy naval commander, and began to reprimand. In front of him, on the star map, the fleet had become much smaller, and most of the ships were damaged—the Glory Queen at the very front even had one of its side engines explode and stop working.
But their speed remained undiminished, even more graceful and frenzied, as if they had shed their weight, carrying an unyielding determination.
[I don't want to see them reach the Martian defense line.]
[Killiman] said with a stern face.