The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Furthermore, it wasn't just the weapons; the Hearthkyn's heavy fighters possessed engines far more powerful and reliable than those of humanity. Their maximum cruising speed was nearly 50% faster than the Fury, representing a qualitative leap. Their hulls utilized the Void Armor technology unique to the Kin, constructed from a ferromagnetic woven structure reinforced with adamantine and enhanced with micro-field generators, reducing damage from ballistic or directed energy weapon attacks.

In terms of maneuverability, protection, and firepower, they far surpassed the Imperium's existing fighters and interceptors. Sensors were, of course, even better. But the most crucial aspect, in Sorkh's eyes, was that the Kin fighters came with pilots. Pilots were the core factor determining a fighter's combat effectiveness, and the Kin pilots were the mysterious Ironkin. Moreover, such a massive fighter only required a single Ironkin pilot to manage flight, fire control, radar, and numerous other systems.

As for what the Ironkin truly were, every race had its secrets. Sorkh was always curious, but he wouldn't delve into it, even if he already had an answer in his mind.

So, Sorkh naturally accepted the offer of hiring a fighter and getting a complimentary Ironkin pilot. As for the exorbitant price, with his current resources, hiring an entire aviation squadron wasn't a major issue. The Blue Ants Mining Guild, affiliated with the Chapter, had already established a strategic partnership with the Greater Thurian League, allowing the League to benefit from hundreds of resource-rich planets.

These Kin pilots stationed on the Abyssal Maw were known as the Votann Volunteer Air Corps, to signify the non-military ally relationship between the two.

"Ironstone Squadron, prioritize attacking enemy Doomrider bomber squadrons."

The Ironkin had their own command network, rapidly formulating attack plans on a second-by-second basis and transmitting them to each fighter. The Abyssal Maw carried 16 squadrons of heavy fighters, totaling 240 aircraft. They quickly deployed, joining the 8 squadrons released from the front-line Ranger-class cruisers, and engaged the Chaos fighters in a fierce battle.

Instantly, the void was filled with intersecting beams, plasma, warpfire, and missiles. But it was clear that against fighters with 'stats' far exceeding those of humans, the Chaos forces were at a disadvantage. Hell Blades were constantly exploding or disintegrating while attempting to evade, and the Doomrider bombers were particularly targeted. Plasma beams severed their wings, missiles pierced their hulls, and no amount of evasion could shake off those deadly hunters.

While the heavy fighter squadrons clashed with the Chaos fighter swarm, another type of aircraft began targeting Chaos warships, especially the Styx-class heavy cruiser *Bloodied Scimitar*. These were larger bombers called Thunderstrike bombers, with a very unique shape—a flat square nearly ninety meters long, without wings. Compared to human Starhawk bombers, they resembled miniature warships. Their entire bodies were covered in thick Void Armor and equipped with weave shields, capable of withstanding direct fire from ship-based point defense weapons. The engines at the rear allowed them to charge towards their targets at extreme speeds.

Upon approaching a target, the frontal armor plates of the Thunderstrike bomber would open, revealing four torpedo tubes capable of launching eight 'Malice' torpedoes in two volleys. These medium torpedoes possessed a Deadye seeker system, plasma armor-piercing warheads, and concussion-thermic detonators, automatically seeking out the enemy ship's defensive weaknesses and penetrating the heavy armor of capital ships, detonating a volcanic torrent of death within. Additionally, the bomber had four retractable missile launchers on its sides capable of launching Hatred missiles, and its defensive armament consisted of eight retractable ion beam cannons and heavy railguns. The underside of the fuselage also had torpedo launch ports capable of deploying 36 'Bastion' void mines that could automatically construct a defensive zone. Such a massive bomber required only two Ironkin pilots, or one Kin and one Ironkin, demonstrating an exceptional level of automation, freeing up a significant amount of space for ammunition and equipment, making its firepower two levels stronger than that of a Starhawk.

The Thunderstrike bombers were extremely fast, and the Chaos warships only reacted when they were almost within attack range.

"Emergency air defense! Emergency air defense! Launch interceptor fighters!"

On the bridge, filled with human organs and blasphemous creations, the Slaaneshi ship commander issued a terrified order. The two Hell Blade squadrons remaining near the ship immediately moved to intercept.

However, the Thunderstrike bombers' defensive firepower was ferocious, especially when they attacked in groups. The Abyssal Maw carried six squadrons of Thunderstrike bombers, totaling 90 aircraft. They all charged towards the *Bloodied Scimitar*. As the Hell Blades attacked from above, the armor plates on top of the bombers opened, revealing turrets that unleashed a dense network of fire.

When the Hell Blades strafed the Thunderstrike bomber formation with autocannons, their fire was either blocked by shields or harmlessly ricocheted off the Void Armor—their firepower was simply incapable of harming these heavily armored bombers. The Thunderstrike bombers' counterattacks, however, constantly caused the Chaos fighters to lose wings and disintegrate.

Soon, the ship's defensive fire joined the fray, and the Thunderstrike bomber formation scattered, forming groups of nine and entering their respective attack positions.

Then, they unleashed a ferocious torpedo salvo. The first wave of 360 'Malice' torpedoes surged towards the *Bloodied Scimitar* from multiple angles. The warship desperately accelerated to evade while attempting to intercept the torpedoes.

Some torpedoes were shot down, some were neutralized by shields, but over 200 torpedoes still struck the heavy cruiser's hull.

After a brief silence, the warship resembled a model dropped on the ground. The entire hull slightly buckled, then armor plates shattered inch by inch, followed by fire. Hundreds of explosions spread across the six-kilometer-long hull. It was accustomed to using fighter squadrons to destroy enemies; this was the first time it had suffered a devastating attack from an enemy fighter squadron.

But even so, the resilient warship was not dead. It was still fighting back, struggling.

Then, the Thunderstrike bomber formation launched 180 Hatred anti-ship missiles. They faced almost no interception, as if poisonous needles were piercing the *Bloodied Scimitar*'s riddled hull.

After a few seconds of silence, a cataclysmic explosion erupted. Several missiles penetrated the shattered armor and struck the warship's reactor and ammunition stores. After a period of contortion, the *Bloodied Scimitar* broke into three pieces, spinning and drifting in the void.

The bomber squadrons then began attacking other warships. Meanwhile, a unique silhouette appeared on the battlefield, acting alone, but it was the most expensive and precious asset among the aircraft.

This fighter had a flat, rectangular head that transitioned into an oval-like fuselage in the middle, with four engines at the rear, two short wings on the sides of the fuselage, and no visible weapons from the outside.

Additional update tomorrow~ Also, happy Lover's Day to all my fellow Warhammer fans! (Waves tentacles)