The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Although the Ark Coalition fleet had already dealt the Commorragh fleet a head-on blow, it seemed insignificant compared to what appeared next.

In the shimmering water, the War Palace arrived on the battlefield with an almost kingly presence. This war fortress, capable of short-range space jumps, caused almost every Commorragh captain to stare in stunned silence. They had been assured that the Blessings of the Warp would not appear, nor would the space fortress rebuilt from the ruins of the Malan'tai Ark, yet here it was.

As Malanthiel roared, the weapons equivalent to a city's worth unleashed a song of destruction.

"Seize the opportunity, and fiercely attack the Black Heart Kabal's fleet. Let the other Kabals leave if they wish."

At this moment, Szarekh issued another perplexing order, but he quickly explained to Guilio, who looked puzzled:

"This fleet is disunited. If we push them to the brink, they might become desperate and reckless. There's no need to risk such losses. Focus on beating the Black Heart Kabal severely, and the other Kabals will scatter like frightened birds, and the news of Vect's failure will spread throughout Commorragh."

"Your Highness is very thoughtful."

Tahl-Anrakyr was the first to act, launching an attack on Archon Sannox's flagship, the 'Venomous Gaze.' This fleet contained one-fifth of the Black Heart Kabal's forces, including three super-battleships.

At the same time, the Eternal Court's vassal race fleets also arrived on the battlefield through warp travel. However, they could only be considered cheerleaders. After all, apart from the Drukhari, the ship quality of the other races was not very high, not even comparable to the T'au Empire that Szarekh had seen, even without considering tonnage. But their appearance did boost morale, with over a hundred warships of various shapes, at least putting some pressure on the edge of the Commorragh fleet and occasionally taking down a few small pirate ships.

"Since Vect has sent such a gift, then I will reluctantly accept it."

Szarekh slowly stood up, and the Phoenix Guard around him stepped forward in unison. Then, with the sound of his neck slowly cracking, the Sunfire Blade slowly slid out of the Phoenix Throne's mouth and floated in front of Szarekh.

"It's time to let those rat-like creatures of Commorragh know what the real difference in strength is."

Sannox was in a very bad mood. This ambush had turned into a disaster. The fleet was disappearing at an alarming rate. Although they still had the advantage in numbers, Sannox knew very well that Commorragh had no concept of 'us.' The other Kabals were only here because of the Tyrant's threat. They would never fight to the death, so the numerical advantage was as illusory as a reflection in the water.

Every once in a while, a beam of dazzling light would appear on the flagship's dome, shining down as hot as the sun, obliterating ship after ship.

The original plan was to end the battle as quickly as possible. Even a little delay could cause chaos in the fleet. Now, it was not a matter of ending the battle, but of not being ended by the enemy.

And on the question of whether to leave or fight, there were divisions within the Black Heart Kabal.

As Sannox paced back and forth on the bridge in frustration, a projection lit up with colorful signal interference.

The expression on Thyrrl's face in the picture was also terrible. His bridge was darker than before. Suddenly, a small explosion occurred in a corner, sending sparks flying. A Kabalite's corpse then hung on the damaged console behind him, and explosions could be heard in the distance.

"We can't continue fighting. Retreat now."

Thyrrl's meaning was clear, but Sannox sneered and asked:

"Then, when we return, will you report to the Overlord, or will I explain to the Overlord?"

"Of course, it's you. I was responsible for the lure, and you were entirely responsible for the outer ambush. Do you think I am to blame for the unfavorable reconnaissance and failure to detect enemy movements?"

The smile on Sannox's face grew even wider, but the members of the war court around him quietly moved away, because they knew that the Archon was most dangerous at this time.

"So you plan to put it all on me?"

"The Overlord decides. I'm just telling the truth."

There are five Archons in the Black Heart Kabal. Some of them followed Vect from the beginning, and others took their place later. This means that the power of the five Archons is not balanced, nor are they ironclad positions. They also compete in private, even fiercely, to the point of killing each other. Vect is happy to see his subordinates fight each other and rarely intervenes.

"Go eat shit, you pig-headed idiot! If we leave now, and the Dragon's Nest falls into the hands of the apes, will it be your fault or mine? Open your dog eyes and look, we still have more ships than them now. What we need to do is as soon as possible--"

Suddenly, Sannox heard a tense scream, so he turned around.

"What's wrong!"

"'Venomous Lash'--"

The screen turned to the bridge of that super-battleship, but at first there was no picture, only light constantly expanding. Soon, a painful scream came from the side of the screen, and blurred shapes swayed, then solidified, revealing magnificent armor.

A tall figure walked through the gradually dimming light, followed by a terrifying army.

The surrounding Kabalite Warriors tried to fight back, but a burst of white-hot flames drove them back. Others began to curse and scream, and flames rose from all directions, followed by loud laughter.

Then, tall warriors in Phoenix armor rushed out of the flames and pounced on the screaming Kabalite Warriors closest to them.

"Kneel and be spared, otherwise I will burn your rotten souls with fire!"

The mighty Phoenix King roared, cleaving a charging Incubus in half with his sword.

A dozen seconds later, as the Dracon responsible for the warship was beheaded by the Phoenix Guard, the rest all knelt on the ground, raising their weapons.

After retracting his gaze, Sannox's face was as white as a corpse that had been dead for half a month, and his expression was very ugly.

"He captured the 'Venomous Lash.'"

"What?"

Thyrrl's eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief. Then his bridge shook violently again, forcing him to curse:

"To hell with the Biel-Tan mongrels, may their Ark shatter!"

"The next target is likely to be the 'Venomous Gaze'... Wait, it seems their fleet has been attacking us all along!"

Sannox looked at the damage report in horror, and then his face collapsed.

"Damn it! He knows Commorragh too well! That damned ape is concentrating his fire on our ships! The others in the Kabal must have seen it, they will retreat soon!"

"Bad news! The Kabal of the Dying Sun has already begun to retreat!"

Hearing Thyrrl's roar, Sannox quickly looked at the battlefield hologram and found that the Kabal of the Dying Sun was indeed maneuvering to the right, looking like they were going to attack the Autochthonar Ark's fleet, but as a Kabal Archon, Sannox was not a naive tactician. He saw through the other party's real intention to disengage at a glance, and they even deliberately missed their attacks, as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding with the Eternal Court.

However, just as the situation took a sharp turn, all the Eldar present heard a shrill laugh in their ears--