Chapter 931: Battle in the Chaomo Asteroid Belt (1)

"Asteroid belt..."

Horus's gaze fell upon the obstacle zone marked "Chao Mo" on the star map.

The opposing commander's choice was conventional, attempting to use the terrain to stall for time.

Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, such petty cleverness was meaningless.

The Emperor's will is to liberate all of humanity, to let the glory of humanity spread across the galaxy.

Any civilization standing in the way of this path has only one fate: destruction.

"Transmit the order to the Iron Warriors fleet and our Luna Wolves strike fleet. Target: the enemy defensive positions in the Chaomo Asteroid Belt. No warnings, no probing. In the name of the Emperor, with maximum firepower, crush them. Clear the obstacles on our path to Fengrao Starport."

"For the Emperor!"

Luoke turned immediately to relay Horus's command to the entire fleet.

Following the issuance of the order, dozens of warships began to adjust their formation.

The warships of the Iron Warriors Legion began to push forward.

The Luna Wolves' ships prepared for a flanking maneuver and a fatal strike.

Horus stood before the observation deck, watching the asteroid belt in the distance, which appeared hazy under the starlight.

Those Alien captains were not facing ordinary invaders, but the messengers of human resurgence, the extension of the Emperor's will, and the force destined to liberate all of humanity.

The weapons control officer signaled that they were ready.

"All warships report, target lock complete!"

Horus spat out a single word coldly.

"Fire."

Fengrao Starport First Defense Fleet.

Facing the opening fire of the Xiuluosheng Fleet, Kashika's pupils contracted.

He could feel the energy fluctuations transmitted from outside the ship-borne shields of the *Jiaoding*.

Too fast! Too decisive!

The enemy poured out such massive firepower at the very first encounter!

"Evasive maneuvers! All ships, emergency evasion! Maximum power output to the shields!"

Kashika roared on the Bridge.

With this kind of tactic, the enemy didn't take them seriously at all; they just wanted to crush them with the fastest speed possible!

Under the navigation officer's control, the massive hull of the *Jiaoding* forcibly shifted sideways, hiding behind the wreckage of a giant asteroid.

Almost at the same time, several thick Laser Beams grazed the edge of the cover, hitting a smaller meteorite behind it.

Some attacks struck the ship-borne shields of the *Jiaoding* Heavy Cruiser, stirring up ripples, and the Bridge lights flickered incessantly.

A Destroyer located at the very front of the array was locked onto by at least five Light Lances simultaneously.

Its ship-borne shield flickered and then directly overloaded; immediately after, the center of the hull was pierced through by a beam, an explosion tore open the hull from the inside, and the entire ship broke into two pieces in the cosmos.

Another Frigate was hit directly in the bow by dozens of Torpedoes.

The light of the explosion devoured one-third of its body, and the remaining part lost control, crashing into an asteroid nearby.

In just the first round of contact, the Fengqi Defense Fleet lost over 10 ships!

And this was even with the reduced losses provided by the cover of the asteroid belt.

"Counterattack! All units, fire at will! Aim for those largest targets!"

Kashika ordered angrily.

Even knowing they were outmatched, he would never allow the enemy to trample them like this!

The surviving Fengqi ships poked their cannons out from behind the asteroids they were hiding in and poured out firepower.

Blue energy beams, high-speed Armor-Piercing Shells, and tracking Missiles shot toward those ships bearing the Double-Headed Eagle Emblem.

However, the effect was minimal.

When most of the Energy Weapons struck the layer of Void Shield on the exterior of the enemy ships, they only stirred up ripples of energy diffusion.

Solid ammunition was either intercepted by the Close-in Weapon System or hit the heavy armor, leaving only shallow dents.

"Commander! The enemy fleet is splitting up! A portion of the ships continues to suppress us from the front, while another group is maneuvering to the sides, attempting to flank us!"

Kashika looked at the tactical star map—a standard pincer movement.

"Order all ships to rely on the depth of the asteroid belt, conduct echelon resistance, and retreat while fighting! Never let them easily form an encirclement! Attack craft squadrons, sortie, harass the enemy's flank ships, and delay their speed!"

Kashika gritted his teeth as he issued the order.

The only advantage now was this complex environment.

Use the cover of the asteroids to conduct guerrilla warfare.

The Fengqi ships wove through the gaps between meteorites, poking their heads out from time to time to perform a volley.

The two Xiuluosheng Star Alliance fleets used powerful firepower to constantly compress their activity space, forcing them to expose their positions.

From time to time, the fire of explosions lit up in the asteroid belt.

A Fengqi Frigate was blasted into fragments by the crossfire of several Light Lances, and a Sword-class Frigate, being too reckless in its pursuit, was hit in the broadside by close-range Plasma from a Fengqi Destroyer ambushed behind a meteorite; its shields overloaded, its armor tore, and it was destroyed by follow-up fire.

The losses of the Fengqi Fleet were far greater than those of the Xiuluosheng Fleet, and their activity space was being constantly compressed.

"Commander! The flank has fallen! Enemy ships have broken through our left-wing defense line and are circling toward the rear of the *Jiaoding*!"

Bad news followed one after another.

Kashika took a deep breath and ordered.

"Contract the formation! Move toward the 'Giant Rock' area! Prepare for boarding combat! All units, organize boarding defense teams! Never let them easily seize our ships!"

Soon, the first boarding occurred.

A severely damaged Fengqi Frigate, having lost most of its power, was grabbed by the boarding claws of an Iron Warriors Dreadnought-class Light Cruiser.

At the same time, several torpedo-shaped boarding pods slammed into the hull of the Fengqi Frigate, boring out terrifying breaches one after another.

Inside this frigate, alarms began to blare.

A boarding defense squad composed of Fengqi soldiers and a small number of marines from other races stood guard at the key passageways leading to the Bridge and engine room, holding Energy Rifles and energy blades.

Suddenly, the airtight door at the end of the corridor was torn open by a force from the outside!

Amidst the dust and smoke, several figures appeared wearing dark, metallic-colored Power Armor with no paint.

No warnings, no shouts.

The leading Iron Warriors Space Marine raised his Bolter, and the muzzle spat out tongues of fire.

A Fengqi soldier wearing an exoskeleton was blown into fragments along with his suit by a bolt!

The other Iron Warriors Space Marines began to advance with heavy strides, the firepower of their Bolters suppressing the defense squad so they could barely lift their heads.

"Fire! Concentrate fire on one!"

The Fengqi Sergeant of the defense squad roared.

The energy beams from the Energy Rifles struck the Power Armor of the Iron Warriors Space Marines, sending sparks flying.

A Stone-born soldier operated a Plasma Cannon, and a Plasma Light Sphere struck the chest plate of an Iron Warriors Space Marine, directly burning a hole through the chest of this Iron Warriors Space Marine!

"Iron Within, Iron Without!"

The Iron Warriors Space Marines let out a battle cry, crossed their fire, threw Hand Grenades, and dismantled the defense step by step.