The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Two seconds later, the screen switched again, this time to infrared thermal imaging and sonar imaging. From this perspective, it could be seen that beneath the fortress was actually a vast network of caves over a thousand meters deep, containing numerous high-temperature heat sources. It was like a plant with massive roots, only the tip of the iceberg visible above ground.

"The surface is mainly for defense weapons; its real hatchery should be hidden underground. It has realized the power of our long-range weapons."

Then, Sorsaryan turned to Alaras and smiled:

"Fighting Tyranids is, in a way, like playing cards. You not only have to counter their moves but also figure out their psychology to understand their hand. Luckily for me, I have good card luck, and I'm not bad at fighting either."

Alaras smiled slightly and said softly:

"Chapter Master is wise."

Sorsaryan then turned around.

"Mark, send my order: the Special Missile Regiment is to strike the discovered Tyranid hatchery fortress locations immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

After Mark turned and left, Alaras asked:

"How did you think of moving naval missiles to land use?"

"I originally wanted to use the Adeptus Mechanicus's Deathstrike missiles, but they are too troublesome to use, requiring a lot of rituals, and frankly, the effect is just so-so. I consulted the Squats' technicians about this, and they said their plasma missiles could be used in an atmosphere and are nine times faster than Deathstrike missiles. The Tyranid flying creatures have no chance of intercepting them. So, after I had the Mechanicum modify the guidance system, I established a Special Missile Regiment, mainly to deal with large Tyranid land weapons or super-giant units that might be built, and to test the feasibility of this type of unit. Currently, it's still operating under the Deathstrike name."

As he spoke, Sorsaryan looked up at the transparent glass dome. A black missile with a triangular warhead streaked across the sky like a meteor, spewing blue plasma flames.

Soon, he faintly heard a muffled thunder-like echo from afar, and felt a subtle tremor under his feet. Many in the command post noticed it.

"Warlord, the strike results are in."

Mark hurried over, transmitting an image to the screen.

The ground, originally covered in deep purple filth, had been transformed into a cracked, concave mirror surface, with almost nothing remaining on it. At the center was a crater over five hundred meters deep, a truly astonishing sight.

Alaras was stunned for a moment, then said:

"That's not a plasma missile."

"Of course not. Plasma missiles are effective against armor, but their destructive power isn't optimal, so I chose a fusion bomb with a yield of 60 megatons."

Sorsaryan paused, then shook his head and sighed:

"Even so, we haven't eradicated them completely. Tyranids are truly troublesome."

As he spoke, Alaras noticed a smaller rocket flying into the crater, but when it landed, it didn't erupt in flames, but rather a rapidly expanding cloud of green mist. The ground began to change color, and Alaras, as Chapter Master of the White Templars, immediately realized what it was.

"Phosphex!"

"It's the only way to eradicate them, at least to make the Tyranids abandon this hatchery. This is playing cards, you play one, I play one..."

Sorsaryan slowly walked to the tactical map, pointing to the ocean.

"So, they're likely to build the hatchery in the already dead ocean or far from our scouting range, which will be difficult to discover."

Then, he lowered his voice and said meaningfully in a slow tone:

"The victory or defeat of this battle is not here. Everyone's life depends on the actions and speed of the Malakeen brothers. I trust him, and I hope he trusts me."

"Captain, orders from the battle group flagship: order the Twelfth Cruiser Squadron to maneuver and fire into the C2 hemisphere, suppressing the enemy's escape routes."

Inside the austere, militarized bridge of the Yama-class heavy cruiser, Kinedu Silva, the newly appointed captain, turned his gaze away from the tactical display after hearing the communications officer's words.

"Relay the orders to the other ships in the squadron."

The captain no longer possessed the faint gloomy aura he had during the Maelstrom campaign. Having completely shed his illegitimate status, he was now solely a naval captain with decisiveness and composure.

When he initially joined the Star Phantoms, he merely served as the captain of a Lunar-class cruiser, but compared to his previous role as a destroyer captain, it was a quantum leap forward.

In less than a decade, he was transferred from his original ship to become the captain of a new warship.

Kinedu was not entirely unfamiliar with the Yama-class. The BF/67-A's defection, an experimental ship, was practically a mandatory chapter in the Naval Academy's ideology and loyalty education courses. However, he never imagined he would one day command this "infamous" model. Although the weapon's issues were mostly caused by people, it still gave him a sense of absurdity.

However, orders were orders, and a more powerful warship also meant a wider battlefield. Kinedu Silva was often called "Gladiator" by his colleagues, not only because of his exceptional swordsmanship but also because he was warlike. He was renowned for his aggressive tactics of quickly cutting into the enemy's flanks and lower sides for close-range firing while commanding ships.

It wasn't that he truly enjoyed close-quarters combat, but his personal tactical philosophy was that when facing a numerically superior enemy, it was crucial to prioritize reducing the enemy's numbers to avoid being attacked from multiple directions. As long as the firepower was sufficient, proximity didn't matter.

The Serpent King, in a way, suited his tastes. This pure lance ship possessed terrifying long-range firepower, and due to certain "experimental" technologies, its firing rate was much faster than that of typical Imperial lances, which was the initial design goal of the Yama-class.

As for how the Yama Eight achieved these technical specifications, only the Omnissiah or some other god knew.

Moreover, as the first result of the collaboration between the Chapter and the Yama Eight Navy, the Serpent King also received Sorsaryan's personal attention. Therefore, upon deployment, the Serpent King became the flagship of the Twelfth Cruiser Squadron, which, in addition to the Serpent King, included the Dauntless-class light cruiser Lightning, and the Endurance-class light cruisers Bronze Shield and Defender.

At this moment, they were located on the far right of the fleet's Third Battle Group, with the Eternal Loyalty as the battle group flagship, commanded by Fourth Company Captain Lothar.

The entire strike fleet was arranged into three spherical battle groups, each centered around its respective flagship, encircling the powerful capital ships, most of which bore the insignia of the Star Phantoms and White Templars. The central battle group, with the Mother of Tears as its flagship, was the core of the entire strike fleet, corresponding to the Tyranid fleet, a bloated, writhing mass of flesh.

As soon as the Tyranid tendril fleet entered the Longobardi system, it pounced on the vibrant worlds like a ravenous predator, but the limited inhabitants had long since evacuated. The Tyranids could only digest those worlds with sufficient biomass one after another to strengthen themselves.

Just as it was about to devour the last world, the Imperial fleet suddenly arrived.