Chapter 1172: Counterattack of the Fengkao Shield (2)

On the bridge of the *Xiuluosheng Glory*, Roboute Guilliman stood before the tactical holographic table, his arms crossed over his chest.

On the star map, the cluster of purple light points representing the Fengqi Seventh Sub-fleet was surrounded by blue light points from three directions.

A perfect pincer maneuver.

"The Third Fleet has reached its designated position."

"The Fifth Fleet has completed the jump and is sealing off the retreat route."

"The Seventh Fleet has begun its advance; ten minutes to contact."

The voices of the officers rose and fell.

Guilliman nodded.

"Notify all Fleet Commanders: execute according to plan. I want annihilation, not a repulse."

"Yes, Primarch."

Guilliman turned to Donatus beside him.

"What is the ground situation on Fengkao Shield?"

"The Titan and the Ultramarines have brought the situation under control. The Fengqi ground forces are collapsing but are still resisting stubbornly. Their fleet has begun preparing for evacuation."

"They are not getting away."

Guilliman said calmly.

"Valken will realize this is a trap, but he cannot mobilize enough reinforcements in such a short time. Those few assault fleets are already isolated."

Donatus hesitated for a moment.

"Lord Guilliman, will Kalivento surrender? He may possess valuable intelligence."

Guilliman pondered for a moment and shook his head.

"Whether Kalivento surrenders or not is irrelevant; I am just going through the motions. Tell the fleet to prioritize striking the engines and command systems, but if there is an opportunity to capture enemy ships, they may attempt it."

"Understood."

Guilliman's gaze returned to the star map.

Valken was trapped in his own pattern of thinking. He believed the Star Alliance would disperse its defense and reveal flaws.

But Guilliman had chosen the opposite strategy: deliberately revealing flaws to lure the enemy deep, then annihilating them in one stroke.

Now, the chess game had reached its endgame.

"Notify Ferrus and Vulkan that they may begin executing the second phase of the plan."

Guilliman said.

"When Valken attempts to rescue the surrounded fleet, his flank will be exposed."

"Yes."

Guilliman took one last look at the star map, then turned and left the bridge.

He knew this battle was already won.

Now he had to consider what came after the victory.

The surface of Fengkao Shield.

The Fengqi military knew they had been abandoned.

No orbital bombardment arrived, no evacuation transports landed, only the enemy's constant reinforcements.

"For the Star Alliance! For the Three-Eyed!"

A Fengqi officer stood on the wreckage of a destroyed "Thunder Beast" tank, shouting through a megaphone.

Half of his face was scorched, but his remaining three eyes burned with a frenzied fire.

"We have nowhere to retreat! Our home is behind us! Kill one and break even, kill two and make a profit!"

The surviving soldiers gathered together, forming a final line of defense.

They utilized the terrain, set traps, and fought back with every available weapon.

A Warhound-class Titan stepped on a pre-laid energy minefield while advancing.

The Warhound Titan stumbled, causing a small-scale earthquake.

The Vulcan Mega-bolter continued to roar, clearing a large area with every volley.

"Concentrate fire on one!"

Dozens of Fengqi soldiers rushed out of their bunkers carrying anti-tank weapons.

"For Fengqi!"

The first wave of the charge was swept away by the Warhound Titan's secondary weapons, but a few still reached firing range.

Energy Rockets struck the Titan's Void Shield, exploding into ripples.

Just then, blue figures appeared.

Dekatuosi and his squad cut in from the flank, Bolters and Plasma Weapons firing simultaneously.

The charging Fengqi soldiers fell in droves.

Dekatuosi asked over the comms.

"Do you see that self-propelled artillery at ten o'clock? It is causing heavy casualties to our infantry."

"Target locked. Fire."

A plasma beam crossed the two-kilometer distance and precisely hit the self-propelled artillery.

On the other side of the rift, the Death Korps of Krieg were preparing for their final offensive of this battle.

123-7-379 reassembled all the soldiers he could find.

Their task was to capture a highland at the north end of the rift, where the Fengqi military's last heavy firepower point was located.

Three self-propelled artillery pieces and one Command Center.

The soldiers looked at him in Silence.

Kriegers do not need speeches to boost morale.

They only need orders.

"We will split into three groups. The first group will draw fire from the left flank, the second group will outflank from the right, and the third group, which I will lead personally, will launch a frontal assault. Our objective is to destroy those artillery pieces."

No one asked questions, no one hesitated.

They simply checked their weapons, adjusted their gear, and waited for the order.

The attack began.

The first group of Krieg soldiers charged out from the left flank, firing toward the high ground.

Immediately, the defensive fire of the Fengqi Military was drawn over.

Energy Beams and Rune Bullets covered that area; many Krieg soldiers fell, but the others continued to advance, returning fire while charging.

The second group began to outflank from the right, using the terrain to slowly approach.

The third group, led by 379, waited for ten seconds, then launched a charge from the front.

They ran, fired, fell, and continued to advance.

379 charged at the very front.

A Fengqi soldier leaned out from behind cover to fire.

379 dove to the side, rolled, and fired as he rose.

The Laser Beam struck the enemy's shoulder, and the opponent let out a scream and retreated back into cover.

379 continued to advance.

One hundred meters from the artillery position.

Seventy meters.

Fifty meters.

The soldiers beside him fell one by one.

Some were hit directly, others were caught in the blast waves.

Upon reaching a distance of thirty meters, only five people remained in the third group.

Five Fragmentation Grenades were thrown simultaneously, landing on the perimeter of the artillery position.

The explosion overturned two gunners, but did not destroy the artillery itself.

"Charge!"

The five people leaped out of cover simultaneously, rushing the final thirty meters.

This was the most lethal distance, completely exposed to enemy fire.

Two people fell.

Then another.

379 felt a sharp pain in his left leg; he looked down and discovered his thigh had been grazed by an Energy Beam, the charred wound deep enough to reveal bone.

He stumbled, but did not fall.

Continue to advance.

The final ten meters.

On the position, a Fengqi officer drew a Pistol and aimed at him.

The two locked eyes.

The officer fired.

The bullet struck 379's chest, blocked by his respirator and the armor beneath his uniform, but the impact forced him to take a step back.

379 raised his Laser Gun and pulled the trigger.

Out of energy.

The officer sneered and aimed again.

Just then, a blue figure descended from the sky.

Dekatuosi.

The Space Marine's Power Sword swept through, and the officer was cut in two, along with his weapon.

"You Kriegers are always in such a hurry."

Dekatuosi said, turning to finish off the last few enemies on the position with his Bolter.

379 knelt on the ground, finally unable to hold on.

He watched as Dekatuosi and the Ultramarines who arrived afterward cleared the position, destroyed the artillery, and then...

Darkness began to Devour him.