Chapter 399 1.13
Since the Steel Sea Battle is going to be fought, there is no need to worry about anything else.
So Hades once again confirmed the request for help signal sent out. The good news is that Medusa, the home planet of the Iron Hands, is to the northwest of the Eye of Terror, and not far from Medusa is the Dark Angel's home planet. Home planet Caliban.
The bad news is that the fleet where Hades is located is on the southeast side of the Eye of Terror, exactly one entire Eye of Terror away from Medusa and Caliban.
Under the strong suggestion of Hades, Fainus detached a small team to go to the two planets to ask for reinforcements and mobilize troops.
Backhand is necessary and necessary, Hades is very sure of this.
As for whether the back-up team can arrive in time... Hades thought, this is to do one's best and obey destiny, although the destiny now is most likely to be subspace chaos.
Hades paused, recalling the information the Emperor had given him in Prospero's orbit.
If the legions of the Word Bearers and Iron Warriors still generally comply with the iteration rules, then the total number of ships of the two legions should be slightly less than twice the ships of the Iron Hands, and coupled with the ships of the Silent Order, This number can come to around one point six.
Among them, the ships of the Iron Warriors tend to be heavily armored, and the price of high defense is reduced mobility. The current Word Bearers have not yet received ship supplements from the Warmaster, so the number of Word Bearers' ships is relatively small.
Hades pondered, thinking about the message from Thor - no, they do not have to face the enemy's entire force, at least not in the early stages.
And the Iron Hands are not all disadvantaged. Almost every ship of the Iron Hands is stuffed into a factory or laboratory-like building, which often allows them to obtain firepower beyond their own level.
Among them, influenced by the preference of the Lord of Medusa, the Iron Hands' battleships are mainly composed of battleships and medium and large armored cruisers.
The Silent Order, on the other hand, mainly consists of battleships and medium-sized light cruisers. The Silent Order is usually assigned special missions and appears as an auxiliary to other large legions. The Silent Order knows their position well, so each ship has an engine and concealment system. It was modified and equipped with an anti-psionic defense field.
Hades's ships are better suited for surprise attacks, or in other words, sneak attacks.
Hades stared at the Word Bearers who were leading the way in the distance on the Bird Servant. His left eye flashed red, and countless data poured in. The fleets of the Silent Order and the Iron Hands changed their formations. Soon, the entire fleet closed into a wedge shape. .
The Iron Hands' fleet was still in the light. In order to cover the Silent Order scattered in the dark, Hardist ordered the Iron Hands to activate signal and light source interference.
【coming. 】
Fenusmanus said softly,
as if walking into a deep jungle, branches twisted into steel bars protruding into the line of sight, and the stars in the distance cast vague light and shadow on their heavy dark gray ships. Across the distant void, Hades clearly saw those silver-white symmetrical symbols, which looked like helmets and skulls - they were the Iron Warriors.
The master of this star field has arrived, and the Word Bearers team leading the way in front of the Iron Hand immediately sank the ship downwards, waiting impatiently for the Iron Hand's attention to shift.
"Don't worry about them."
Hades said abruptly.
Faenus stared at the Bird Servant. He nodded and continued to direct the fleet to move forward. The Word Bearers team, which was finally spared by the original body, immediately pulled out after a brief polite notice to the Lord of Medusa. Full engine decided to drive away from here.
Hades whispered a few words in a low voice. He shook his head. Thor, the Word Bearer, was still in their hands. The departure of this team was really decisive.
This is a good thing.
Hades thought, while keeping his nerves tense, waiting for the ships of the Iron Warriors to enter. The fleet continued to move forward cautiously, and the outermost flanking ships had already sent back the blur of the defense arrays on the distant planet. map.
Step by step, they walked into the star field of the Iron Warriors. These dark gray guys came from all directions. In the gorgeous nebula, between the long gravel belts, and the shadows on the back of the planet, they always maintained a cautious attitude towards the Iron Hands. distance.
It seemed like polite alienation, but also like... Hades blinked and saw the wolf pack behind the prey in the distance.
[They sent a brief notice of the meeting. ]
Feinus spoke,
[I asked them to give Iron Hand an accurate map of the star field, but I was prevaricated. ]
Hades's voice sounded,
"They want us to go inward, the better. The further in, the thicker the encirclement will be, and the harder it will be for us to retreat. At the same time, if the Eye of Terror is opened, the impact will be stronger." "But
. They don't want us to go too deep,"
the voice paused for a moment.
"The deeper we go, the more dangerous it will be for them. They don't know when we will speed up and rush into their precious obelisk corridor." "
This It's a game."
Hades stared closely at the Bird Servant. The red dots on it were flashing. Each red dot represented an Iron Warrior ship.
"It depends on how much Perturabo wants to be greedy. "
Fernus frowned,
[They know our purpose, and we also know theirs." 】
"Yes," Hades said, "A delicate balance. If Perturabo doesn't know our intention, then he will choose to try to win over you instead of hovering at the edge of the fleet's maximum attack range - from The Iron Hands were marked as targets of attack from the beginning."
Hades was silent, but it was not clear whether Perturabo knew that the Silent Order was also here? He preferred that Perturabo knew this, and if he had been dragged down by Chaos, then he would have known that Hades was here.
But the biggest problem is not here. The real problem is that Hades and his team do not know to what extent the Eye of Terror has been expanded, and when will it erupt?
This is the most difficult problem. For Hades, the solution is naturally to reach the anchor point as quickly as possible.
He can command the fleet to rush into the local battle like a cavalry, trying to disrupt the core point as quickly as possible, but if the first raid fails, then they will be surrounded and have nowhere to retreat. dilemma.
At the same time, the opponent does not know the plans of the Iron Hands. For Perturabo, it seems that the Iron Hands still have two options: destroying the long-term line and raiding the anchor point - although both sides are well aware of the plan. A choice destined to be in vain.
But Perturabo couldn't be sure Hades knew this.
Hades' fingertips tapped lightly on the command table. The data map given to him by Thor, the Word Bearer, was shining with a bright blue light. The Eye of Fear, which was slowly rotating like a vortex, was staring at him. The sudden crack penetrated this white eyeball from the southeast, and in the deepest part of the crack, Cadia was floating quietly. The Gate of Cadia was the most stable route to the Eye of Terror.
And now, their fleet is moving along this crack.
Hades thought, and he measured every planet on the fleet's current route with a scrutinizing gaze. The level of infrastructure of the Iron Warriors clearly marked for Hades those planets where black stone obelisks may exist.
The good news is that because they have to garrison those planets with black stone obelisks, the Iron Warriors are dispersed into long lines. Although the key star fields are heavily guarded, this still weakens the strength of the Iron Warriors.
Finally, Hades stretched out his hand and clicked on a star field. The Belis Coronary Area is on the only way to Cadia. It is the last pass and is also connected to several possible black stone squares. In the area of the Obelisk, here, the fleets of the Word Bearers and the Iron Warriors are locked in battle.
"Disperse..."
Hades muttered softly, and his voice reached Feinus's ears. The Lord of Medusa paused for a moment,
[I don't think it is necessary to disperse when there are more ships on the opposite side than us. It's a good idea,"
said Feinus,
"Active dispersion means being cut up and then trapped in a circle. ]
Hades blinked.
"Then what if their encirclement is not strong?"
Fenus slowly raised his head,
[What do you mean? 】
"Our opponent, Perturabo, has very little time."
Hades said, his eyes moved, and Fainus saw the eyes of the Lord of Hades on the light spots that symbolized the Word Bearers Legion. move.
It seems that the Word Bearers are not monolithic.
But... there isn't much time left for Hades.
Hades suddenly spoke,
"Now let us arrange the fleet. It is best for the two generals not to be on the same ship."
————————————
Angeltai was holding the gun Scepter, he closed his eyes and pondered.
Lorgar left them... he was transferred and ordered to garrison Cadia, while the Word Bearers' fleet was ordered to stay away from their primarch, with at least a third of the Legion remaining with Lorgar. Ga, while the remaining legions were stationed on the fleet.
As Luojia himself admitted, the Word Bearers fleet is temporarily led by Perturabo, who needs to concentrate on studying new teachings in Cadia.
Although the orders given by Perturabo were usually concise and affirmative, this did not mean that the Word Bearers could execute them well. Lorgar himself was not around, and most of the original management were exiled, and new ones were appointed. The management team all chose to follow Luojia to station in Cardia.
Therefore, the current Word Bearers can be said to be in chaos. Most of the company commanders chose to protect themselves wisely, and the temporarily selected commanders were even worse.
Including the Word Bearers' mothership, the Law of Faith, they were sent to the outer star fields, as if they were deliberately separated from the original body. If the previous warriors could still be under the leadership of the original body, Lorgar If Mo didn't speak up, the sudden order would be more like a conspiracy with ulterior motives.
Originally it was the Chaplains who maintained the morale of the Word Bearers Legion, but due to the Primarch's frequent changes in doctrine and replacement of Chaplains, these newly appointed Chaplains could not even convince most of the battle brothers.
Although it still looks intact on the surface, the Word Bearers are basically in a semi-stop state internally.
There wasn't much they had to do. Perturabo's order to the Word Bearers was to stay in the middle and outer star fields and establish defense systems in key star systems.
Angeltai sighed softly. After that day, he quickly left the Law of Faith and took the exiled ship all the way to the Crown of Belis. Thanks to his connections, Angeltai got in touch with many Word Bearers stationed here, and some of them were very supportive of him.
But just as he was about to leave further, Perturabo's order came. Just three hours ago, the Word Bearers received an emergency dispatch notice. The fleets scattered in various star fields began to gather and reorganize. The engines roared and the red and gold ships were rearranged into a fortress, a line of defense, in the center. The giant ship was the Law of Faith, but all the Word Bearers knew that Luojia was not on their Queen of Glory at the moment.
They were on the flank, and above the more important planet, the Iron Warriors' ship was floating quietly.
Among the ships that were urgently dispatched, naturally included the 34th Company where Angeltai was originally planning to leave. The original captain of the 34th Company, Saul, was transferred. After the company commander was transferred, The remaining companies were also moved out of Cadia.
Angeltai leaned against the bulkhead, feeling the faint trembling of the ship. Starlight shone from the observation window. He opened his eyes and stared ahead with squinted eyes.
A flash of mechanical cold light flashed by, and he saw the Iron Hand's ship, and the plasma engine behind the ship lit up with erratic blue flames.
Angeltai frowned.
The next moment, a piercing scream exploded from the channel of his armor -
it was an electronic attack!
Angeltai suddenly took off his helmet, his pupils suddenly dilated, reflecting the ships advancing at full speed in the distance, and a bright yellow light lit up from the front of the naval gun array.
————————
This is the war between iron and iron.
The void drowned out all the roars and cries, and the noise of the huge electronic waves had not subsided. Without any hesitation, the two giant steel beasts bared their fangs at each other at the same time. The torpedoes were everywhere, cutting through the darkness, with bright and bright flames trailing from the ends. It filled the entire sky and rushed towards the opponent's fleet.
The heavy and huge iron cavalry trampled the trajectory of light in the void. The Iron Warriors lined up straight towards their enemies, while the bow of the Steel Fist, the Glory Queen of the Iron Hands, began to yaw slowly, and she exposed her left side string. In front of the Iron Warriors.
The sidearm arrays stared at their enemies, an uneasy heat surging within the dark muzzles.
No, now is not the time. The distance between the two armies is still too far. Now is not the time to waste ammunition.
The first spark bloomed from the outside of the Iron Warriors' fleet. It was the first torpedo detonated by the Cobra-class destroyer artillery array outside the giant ship.
The next moment, countless lights lit up outside the two armies, and a rain of silent explosions bloomed. The cruiser's bow swam out of the light curtain, and ate the explosion by leaning on the collision angle. Small frigates were dotted around the cruiser like a school of sardines. Next to them, the explosion just now made their dragon spines tremble slightly.
The smoke slowly hung down, and the huge figure of the battleship continued to move forward surrounded by small boats.
The torpedo barrage just now was nothing more than angry flames replacing the war cry for both sides.
The Iron Hand's giant iron horse turned around and charged straight towards the gap in the Iron Warriors and Word Bearers fleets.
As if knowing the opponent's intentions, the Iron Warriors' second round of artillery fire sounded, and torpedoes that were far denser than before were fired at the Iron Hands. Among the dense barrages, there were many special models.
At the same time, the entire fleet of Iron Warriors rushed towards the Iron Hands, and the ocean of radio waves boiled, roaring orders.
Having just witnessed the first confrontation between the two armies, the Word Bearers fleet, which was stunned on the spot, seemed to have just woken up from a dream. The arrays changed, the muzzles rotated, and the overseers roared and ordered the crew to load ammunition.
"Get ready, the second wave of torpedoes is about to arrive."
Hades's voice sounded like inorganic mechanical life, and the channel buzzed noisily. Hades stared at the bird servant expressionlessly, and his left eye lit up red.
"Zero zero three, zero zero two——"
Hades counted down, reminding each captain to prepare to engage the enemy. Different from the first test, the second torpedo barrage had an absolute purpose. They vowed to slow down the Iron Hands, and the first The data after the first confrontation is enough for the Iron Warriors to calculate a better attack trajectory for the next time.
But Perturabo wasn't the only one who knew how to calculate.
Hades and Faenus are both good at calculations. The data in the mothership roars like a torrent. Every move on the macro battlefield is marked with the past and the future. Flashes of light burst out, and thousands of waterfalls of light erupted from iron gray. The walls dropped, illuminating the symbol of the Iron Hands amid the explosions.
Explosions followed one after another, the fish dispersed and then gathered together again, while the giant ship rushed straight through the waves without fear. In the gorgeous hazy light and mist, a strange black scale swayed past, and then disappeared into the steely gray stone reef again. Inside.
It wasn't until the Iron Hand emerged from the second barrage from the Iron Warriors almost intact that the Word Bearers' muzzles began to flash.
Hades's eyes did not blink, and countless flashes of light sank into his dark and empty pupils as if being sucked into a black hole. It seemed that he was right, the Iron Warriors' Glory
Queen was not here. , it seems that Perturabo only sent one-half of the fleet, while two-thirds of the Word Bearers' fleet are here, including their Queen of Glory, the Law of Faith.
"Plan A."
Hades said as he opened the communication. Thor, the Word Bearer, stood beside Hades and looked at Hades hesitantly.
At this moment, the Iron Hands' ships are about to reach the close attack range of the Word Bearers fleet, and on the other side, the Iron Warriors' fleet is also approaching.
The radio waves vibrated suddenly. For Hades, if he already had a Word Bearer, it would not be that difficult to forcefully invade the Word Bearer's channel.
The black mist fell, and a dark cloak fell from the iron halo, and a green arc of electricity wrapped around Hades' throat.
"I, Lord of the Silent Order, Pluto, the Silent One, speak to the seventeenth legion, the Word Bearers."
An emotionless voice sounded, and at the same time, a dark scythe poked out from between the waterfall of light. They had previously Hidden under the thick steel, they now revealed their sharp blades,
"In the name of the God-Emperor and Hades, Perturabo deceived and betrayed the empire, and designed to frame your original body, Lorgar. In the name of the God Emperor, I am here to harvest the souls of traitors and redeem the fate of the innocent."
"Word Bearers, don't resist, don't resist, don't resist."
"Violation will be punished by death."
A cold voice spoke from each Word Bearer. sounded on the viewer's channel, and at the next moment, brilliant blue plasma flames burst out from behind each dark ship, the rudder shook, the steel giant turned to the left, and the black monster climbed out from the right - heading straight towards the Word Bearers queue
. The inner cry of faith.
At the same time, the Iron Hand suddenly turned and rushed straight towards the Iron Warriors, causing the two steel giants to collide.
The Cobra-class destroyer and the Sword-class destroyer began to fight. The cruisers exchanged fire. The carrier-based aircraft rose from the mothership and rushed towards the enemy. The Iron Hands battleship used its slightly faster maneuverability to fire macro cannons at the opposite side. After the dazzling light, the first overloaded void shield screamed.
The captain who successfully overloaded the opposite void shield with his macro cannon immediately seized the opportunity. The light spear he had prepared lit up, and the straight laser pierced the joint of the Molten Steel's ship frame. It looked small and pale in the void scale. The smoke of gunpowder was spurting out along with the air in the cabin, and the air and blood of the ship were spurting out.
The irregular metal building materials and the unfortunate crew members were thrown into the extremely cold universe by the turbulent air, and solidified as the first victims.
Fierce flames ignited from the rear half of the ship. Seventeen seconds later, the unstable power system exploded and the battleship was completely broken into several pieces.
Next to the body of the Molten Steel, countless similar scenes are replaying themselves. The wreckage of steel and steel are floating in the void, making it difficult to distinguish each other.
The Iron Warriors' fleet did not have the Queen of Glory, and the long defensive line dispersed the Iron Warriors' forces. Hades believed without hesitation that Faenus, commanding the Iron Hands, would win.
Perturabo's original plan was to use the Word Bearers to hold them back, but unfortunately he overestimated the Word Bearers and did not expect that his opponent chose to use only the Silent Order to deal with the Word Bearers.
Stupid mistake, Hades thought. The Word Bearer's reaction was slower than he thought. It seems that Lorgar is not in very good condition?
The fleet of the Order of Silence penetrated the fleet of the Word Bearers in a smooth manner. A strange scene appeared. Neither side attacked each other. The muzzles of the guns kept rotating along with the movement trajectory, but it was always silent. Ice cold.
Hades carefully watched the situation of each Word Bearer ship, his voice echoed in the channel,
"Do not resist."
In the distance, in the underground trench of Cadia, Perturabo roared angrily, He opened the communication angrily -
[Ulia Olatel! 】
An order without hesitation,
【Tell the Word Bearers to attack! 】
Vashtor lowered his body next to the Lord of Steel and said in a hissing voice,
+You should give that poor demon some time, it was so repulsed by the original body. +
【I gave it enough time! I gave it enough time for any Iron Warrior to deploy everything! ]
The fire in Vashtor's eyes surged,
+You shouldn't think about the Word Bearers with the efficiency and work of your legion. +
Perturabo sneered, and he continued to focus on the thousands of battlefields, the collision of ships with ships, and the research and development under the black stone obelisk tower.
[It doesn’t matter, just holding them back for a short while is enough. 】
The Lord of Steel said coldly, he "watched" the steady progress of the work of reversing the polarity of the last few black stone obelisks.
[They are too late. ]
Vomiting soul... 6k words, really squeezed out
(end of this chapter)