The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Seeing the Archon Father's reaction speed that surpassed the limits of the flesh, Sochoyan understood why the T'au, despite their overwhelming national power and equipment, had not been able to quickly defeat the Arakens. Even if ordinary male Arakens didn't have the Archon Father's level of speed, or even only half of it, he had no doubt that they could easily cut through battlesuits with their legs. With the T'au's sluggish reaction, ten battlesuits might not be able to defeat one male Araken.

But the Arakens were at a disadvantage because their national power was too weak, and their fragmented social structure was not conducive to large-scale wars. Moreover, there were too few males; their male-to-female ratio was close to ten to one, and many of the females had almost no direct combat ability and needed the males to protect them, diverting their attention. This meant that even fewer male Arakens could operate on the battlefield. Even with the help of Lictor swarms controlled by females, they could easily be surrounded and killed by the T'au's superior forces.

In addition, Sochoyan estimated that the male Arakens' high-speed combat skills must put a great strain on their muscles. The white smoke coming from the Archon Father's thigh might be some kind of heat dissipation mechanism, which also indirectly indicated that they were probably not good at sustained combat. Once they couldn't quickly eliminate all opponents, they would lose their combat effectiveness due to fatigue or their own high temperature.

This book is first published on 𝚝𝚠𝚔𝚊𝚗.𝕔𝕠𝕞.

"What a fierce offensive, fast, accurate, and ruthless!"

After praising, Sochoyan looked at Lan.

"Besides using their legs, do the Archon Fathers use other weapons?"

"They are also good at using firearms and various swords and bladed weapons. From the moment they are born, males begin to learn to fight. Every male, after reaching maturity, will leave their respective co-op and go to an organization called the 'Sect.' It is a society composed entirely of males, where young males will continue to hone their combat skills and their single-minded fighting spirit. After passing the assessment, they can choose to leave the Sect and join a co-op that supports the Sect, or stay in the Sect to continue improving. Different Sects will regularly hold ritualistic martial arts competitions, and the final winner will be awarded the title of Master, and the Archon Fathers are selected from among the Masters."

Sochoyan nodded.

"An interesting organizational structure. How many Sects are there now?"

"Only four Sects remain: Blade Sect, Strength Sect, Upright Sect, and Wind Sect. My two Archon Fathers are from the Blade Sect. The one who demonstrated for Your Highness is called Xin·Blade, and the other is called Wen·Blade."

"Understood, Madam Lan, please select a few representatives when you return."

"Representatives?"

"Yes, representatives."

Sochoyan smiled, but it was hidden behind his mask.

"Representatives to talk with the so-called Ethereals with me."

"Hmm."

The meeting had been going on for thirty hours. Even An'Kor, who adhered to ascetic disciplines, had to take a large gulp of somewhat sour energy drink to maintain his energy, and then put the cup on his curved conference table.

The Ethereal Council of the K'san Sept was a imitation of the High Council of the Ethereal Caste. As a Sept, the Ethereal Caste also had a hierarchy of ranks. Ethereals with the lowest ranks would be assigned to committees that managed communities, or accompany frontline troops in combat. Older and more prestigious Ethereals would become middle managers, either leading a colony world, serving in the Fire Caste's headquarters, or supervising a main fleet for a long time. Only the most prestigious, experienced in management, and outstandingly intelligent Ethereals could enter the Ethereal Council of the Sept World. They were the brains, soul, and core of the entire Sept.

But now, these Ethereals were either silent, sighing, or even the lights in the circular conference room had dimmed somewhat.

"The only fleets that can be mobilized around now are..."

An'Kor, muttering to herself, stared at the star chart with her turbid eyes, leaning over. Technicians had updated the Sept's star chart with the latest detection data, filling it with dense markings and shorthand notes.

"Only three colony defense fleets remain, and four Kroot Warspheres..."

The oldest member of the K'san Ethereal Council straightened her back. The slight pain in her waist was relieved by the support of the suspended seat. She lowered her arms and sighed.

"It's no use."

"I still can't believe our main fleet was wiped out like that."

An'Lu looked at the star chart and made a low sound. He was a broad-shouldered Ethereal, very "strong" by T'au standards, with keen eyes and glossy skin. He was also one of the younger members of the Council, and a "hawkish" one, always carrying his honor blade. Now, the weapon hung on the weapon rack behind his chair.

He was also one of the Ethereals who mainly promoted the special military operation against the Eldar.

"Whether we accept it or not, according to the information sent back from the monitoring station near Shabang two days ago, our guardian fleet is completely finished."

Another Ethereal placed a finger on a particularly dense area of markings, then sucked in a breath through his teeth and shook his head seriously.

"This kind of fleet strength is more terrifying than the Tyranid fleets of the past. What kind of enemy have we encountered?"

"The enemy is already at the door, what's the point of saying this now?"

The leader of the Ethereal Council, and also the representative appointed by the High Ethereal Council, An'Xi, clasped his hands together, propped his chin, and focused his eyes on a large mass of bright red markings on the star chart.

That was the enemy's fleet, now parked at the edge of the star system where the Sept World was located. This was something they only learned four hours ago, and it was also the most puzzling thing for the Ethereals. What kind of technology did the enemy use to make such a large fleet come and go without a trace? The Kura's fleet also used some kind of teleportation-like technology for faster-than-light mass movement, but they didn't have such exaggerated flexibility. The T'au's Supreme Academy of Sciences was already working hard to study the Kura's mysterious faster-than-light technology, but the enemy they were now encountering seemed to be even better.

Anyway, their came-and-went, elusive maneuvering mode made all the defenses of the Sept World seem non-existent, not to mention they didn't have much defense anyway. The enemy fleet had already destroyed the Sept World's defense system.

In fact, after the enemy fleet left, there were already voices hoping that the Ethereals would temporarily "transfer" to some safer worlds, but An'Xi rejected this idea. They were Ethereals, and they had a responsibility to be with the people, guiding and protecting them, whether the outcome was survival or destruction.

"The enemy hasn't attacked immediately, which means they may have some other purpose, or they don't really want to go to war with us."

"We can't pin our hopes on the enemy's mercy..."

"How bad will things be when the enemy starts attacking?"

"It's not just bad, it's indescribable. Billions of civilians will die, or more, depending on the range of the attack."

"The planet has entered the highest state of combat readiness. Civilians have been transferred to shelters two kilometers underground or evacuated outside the city. All Fire Caste members have been mobilized, as well as auxiliary troops, plus troops who have risked returning from various colonies. The Sept World's military strength has now reached 32 million. Combined with ground defense weapons, it won't be easy for the enemy to land."