Chapter 108: The Chemical Lake of the Yogal Cylindrical World

Persephone Star System, in the void, ships that have jumped out of the Warp assemble.

The crenelated hulls and majestic silhouettes of the ships move slowly through the silent darkness, forming a massive architectural complex.

The enormous prows face the same direction, and plasma flames carve rapid, dazzling currents through the void.

The lead ship of the fleet is pitch black, and etched onto its plow-shaped prow are letters as tall as a man; the long text evokes memories of the Golden Age of humanity.

The Legion emblem on the left side is like the shadow of the ship, and on the right hull, its name is engraved in blood-red Gothic: Void Hunter.

On the strategic table of the bridge, a hologram gradually takes shape, outlining the form of the Yogal Shijiejian.

It is a large cylinder several kilometers long, with a massive, protruding engine cluster at one end and a short, thick, and narrow prow at the other.

Surrounding it are teardrop-shaped ships, numbering as many as forty-three.

Ninglu takes the data leaping across dozens of surrounding video screens into his mind, and after quickly completing the analysis, he opens his mouth to issue orders at high speed.

"Utilize the range advantage of the Void Hunter to strike the Xenos frigates."

"Order all boarding parties to prepare."

"Although the air the Yogal breathe contains oxygen and nitrogen, as well as high concentrations of chlorine, your helmets can protect you."

The Primarch pauses, speaking in a joking tone to Jorginho and the other Order Shadow who have just become Astartes.

"Do not worry, even if you are unlucky and your helmets are broken, the lungs of an Astartes can overcome the toxins."

He raises his left hand and taps lightly on the holographic image.

"Pass the order: the target of the 'Thousand Sons' is the power center of the cylindrical world."

"The target for the Faceless and the new members of the Legion is the bridge, to conduct a decapitation strike on the enemy commander."

When the various Chapters of the Eleventh Legion set out, a total of five thousand two hundred and forty-one Warriors had completed the Path to the Heavens, and they joined the various Chapters.

After that, one thousand six hundred and thirty-nine Order Shadow joined the Legion in succession, and they are about to welcome their first battle.

"I, along with the Honor Guard, will launch an attack on the Fuhuchang of the Xenos construct."

The Yuejia'er are very special; their cubs possess psychic powers, but they lose this ability after reaching adulthood.

There is another reason Ninglu decided to deal with the Xenos cubs personally: the Yogal Cub Aberration is the main material for Sequence 9 "Monster," and it is the only required main material.

【Perhaps it is because they are harder to obtain than ordinary Sequence 9s that only one is needed to satisfy some inner need of the "Monster."】

"Gabriel, you lead the Techmarines and act with me."

After Wojciech Berek was successfully modified, he, as a Techmarine, and other new recruits with high technical affinity set off for Mars for advanced studies.

At the moment Ninglu issues the order, the artillery deck begins to execute the commands from the Primarch with tension.

The ancient artillery Machine Spirit is awakened; it lets out an excited hiss and pours its fury upon the loathsome Xenos ships.

With every volley of artillery fire, several Xenos warships, or even over a dozen, are struck.

The Yogal warships launch a counterattack in vain, but their shells cannot reach the hull of the Relic-class warship.

The Void Hunter completes its first hunt in thousands of years; the engine of a frigate is struck by a shell, blooming with blinding light in the void, seemingly celebrating the rebirth of the ancient warship.

The ancient Machine Spirit lets out a joyful hiss, swallowing the shells sent by the train into its belly, and then spitting them toward the blasphemous Xenos warships.

The hunt of the Void Hunter continues, and "fireworks" bloom in the void.

Ahriman looks through the viewing window at this shocking scene and cannot help but sigh to his twin brother Ormuzd and his good friend Apophis beside him.

"What a powerful warship; it is so brilliant, even surpassing a Capital Ship. Our warships still need to close at least fifty-six thousand kilometers to enter range."

Ormuzd nods in agreement, his eyes deep.

"I heard that it is an ancient warship gifted to the Primarch by the Emperor; the Master of Mankind is very satisfied with the proactive attitude of Lord Ninglu."

Apophis says thoughtfully: "Perhaps only the Gloriana-class warships being built in the Mars shipyards have more powerful firepower."

The Thousand Sons watch the hologram as one Xenos warship after another is torn to shreds.

Until the number of frigates drops to single digits, Ahriman, wearing scarlet armor, speaks.

"Order: board the assault boats and launch a boarding action on the cylindrical world."

Hundreds of heavy assault boats speed through the void, each one like a precision-guided missile, flying toward the Yogal Shijiejian.

The engine thrust is like a heavy Hammer striking bone, pressing the Astartes against the acceleration racks.

Jorginho, who has just been promoted to "Fury of the People" and serves as a Company Captain, quickly blinks to acquire the data available in the command layer's communication network through the image circuit in his armor's eyepiece.

Among them is a broadcast from a squad leader's eyepiece camera, telemetry data scripts from a Vostonia-manufactured Divination device, and low-resolution images of the granular surface outside the serrated prow.

Jorginho examines this data, watching the movement of that cylindrical world as the assault boat approaches.

The pearlescent metal wall gradually grows larger; its volume is so immense that its curvature is almost imperceptible, and the only sign proving it is indeed approaching is the slow change in the wall's details, its surface features gradually becoming clear:

It is a cluster of spike-like objects resembling Hive City antennas, and then the Company Captain's line of sight sees yellow tracer rounds spitting from spherical turrets.

Jorginho is not worried about the Yogal artillery; he knows the Legion's Techmarines have already used electronic countermeasures, thermal decoys, and metal chaff clouds to disrupt the enemy ship's sensors.

The wall approaches rapidly, the distance shortening quickly.

Long-range sensors detect a relatively weak part of the hull, and they will strike in at a position about one kilometer from the top of the cylindrical world.

Jorginho closes the data connection and switches to the company's communication channel.

"Focus, brothers."

"We completed the Path to the Heavens only to follow in the footsteps of the King, and he has now become our Gene-Father."

"Today, our actions must be swift and decisive, making the Primarch proud of us! For Ninglu!"

The voices of the Order Shadow come from the channel, filled with fervor in their shouts.

"For the King!"

The next moment, the thick prow of the assault boat crashes into the hull of the cylindrical world, and the screeching sound of melting metal and the roar of atmospheric venting come from around the boat.

The assault boat drives straight in, and the claw rails on both sides bite into the chitinous armor plates several meters thick.

The interior of the Yogal ship is not just cold machinery, but a structure like an ecosystem.

The assault boat's navigation servitors deploy hydraulic barbs, and the ship's speed drops rapidly.

The seemingly endless sliding stopped after a violent collision; Jorginho heard the sound of metal grinding, and then the activation rune of the clamshell hatch in front of him lit up.

"Prepare to open the door!"

As the explosive bolts of the hatch blew, Jorginho unholstered his bolter, held it in his hand, and prepared to fight the defenders.

The next moment, he froze; what surged into the craft was blue saltwater.

One would not encounter such a situation on a human starship, but this was a Xenos warship.

Jorginho immediately thought of the Xenos data issued by the Gene-Father and knew he had crashed into a chemical lake of the Yuejia'er, which was part of the Xenos warship's ecosystem.

The liquid was extremely cold, swirling rapidly around his legs and rising to his stomach.

The situation encountered was completely different from what he had expected, but the "Fury of the People" was very familiar with this kind of situation.

"Charge!"

(End of this chapter)