Chapter 200: Wheel of Fire: The Beacon of War Ignites (Three Chapters Posted, Requesting Monthly Votes)

The three members of the War Council—the governing body of the early "Great Crusade" of the Human Empire—the Emperor, Malcador, and Horus, were all focused on the war in the Flame Wheel System.

The monarch of Vostonia and the Wolf King of Fenris extended their hunt from Fenris into space, and both chose the side they favored.

Further intelligence gathered increased the number of Orks from the hundreds of millions to several billions.

This meant that the war in the Flame Wheel System was the largest-scale war the Imperium had faced since the beginning of the "Great Crusade."

"Order Shadow" moved a step ahead, but Ninglu encountered a rebellion launched by Planetary Governor Francesc Soler on Arenis.

The Wolf King's rapid advance allowed the Sixth Legion to catch up with the pace of the Eleventh Legion.

In the third-to-last week of 819. M30 on the Terra calendar, two Chapters of "Order Shadow" and the "Space Wolves" simultaneously jumped back into realspace from the Mandeville Point.

The Sixth Legion's Gloriana-class Battleship had not yet finished construction, so Leman Russ temporarily housed his court on the Legion's original flagship.

The Bridge was dimmer than that of other warships, much like a wolf's den.

The Wolf King's azure eyes stared fixedly at the holographic projection, and within seconds, he had grasped the situation on the battlefield.

Having returned to the Imperium for several months, Leman Russ had left an impression of crudeness among the Imperial high command; only a handful of people saw through his disguise.

The Wolf King's ability to learn was quite remarkable; it took him only five days to master High Gothic.

After experiencing brief tutelage from the Emperor, Horus, and Malcador in succession, he was considered capable of commanding the Legion in battle independently.

The Flame Wheel was Leman Russ's touchstone.

He stared at the holographic projection, seeing twenty-five dazzling points of light, followed by another one hundred and thirty, and after that, two hundred and fifty-six more...

The Wolf King immediately realized that the number of Ork warships far exceeded a thousand; he bared his sharp fangs and growled.

"I knew it, the intelligence was just dogshit. How could there be so few enemy ships on the battlefield where Ninglu and I are competing?"

His boorish tone immediately infected the Space Wolves and high-ranking officers on the Bridge.

Enoch Lashwin looked toward the Russ Wolf Helm; it was meticulously crafted for the Wolf King by the All-Father's personal Artisan, a symbol of the Legion's glory.

It was also the wager the Wolf King had put up; it was his father's trust in him, and he believed he would win the victory.

The Wolf Lord clenched his fist and swore an oath.

【I will never lose to Sanchez; the Wolf King's sword can only be wielded by a Space Wolf.】

Leman Russ said this in Vogan; he did not deliberately raise his voice, but it carried across the Bridge, his tone imbued with Fenrisian boorishness.

"The good news is that we aren't with Ninglu's whelps, which means we won't be held back by them."

He shouted his combat orders, "Let Ninglu and the Imperium both witness the speed of the wolf pack. Attack!"

"Attack!"

Lashwin let out a roar, and every starship in the "Space Wolves" fleet increased its engine power.

The prows of the Space Wolves' warships were decorated with ferocious wolf heads, and their hulls were enveloped in shimmering Void Shields.

The Machine Spirits of the Frigates hungered to begin the hunt as soon as possible, and they moved first.

The twenty-five Capital Ships turned their bows and followed slowly behind.

The gray warships spread out into an assault formation, creating a sphere of destruction expanding outward from the flagship as its core.

Hundreds of flickering bright spots bloomed in the red radiance of the system, and the entire fleet increased its travel speed to attack levels.

The light on the flagship's Bridge grew dimmer, and sharp alarm sirens sounded.

Enoch Lashwin checked all the video screens; the warship's weapon systems were at their stations, and fire solutions were generated one by one.

"Turn, three degrees up," the Wolf Lord ordered, "Take it out."

The flagship smashed through the chaotic debris, and Lance weapons spat out crystalline, lethal energy, striking directly at the prey's ugly hull.

Broadside weapons unleashed a dense barrage of Laser fire, raining down upon the Ork warship.

A tremor swept through the Bridge, and the servitors at the consoles lost power supply due to severed internal cables.

The Space Wolves' ships took damage, while inflicting even more severe damage upon the enemy ships.

This was the Space Wolves' style of space combat; they had always been this way.

The style of Order Shadow, however, had long since changed.

Adjusting the fleet formation in accordance with orders was a time-consuming process, especially for the Astartes Legion's Cruisers, whose hulls, several kilometers long, were like steel cities in the void.

Diana Polin received authorization from the Primarch to command this, the largest naval battle in the history of the Human Empire.

Through the console, she distributed orders to hundreds of sector commanders.

The sector commanders tracked the relative positions of the other warships in real-time, submitting trillions of sensor readings to the sensors and Cogitators, ensuring that the void warships would not intrude upon the flight paths of other vessels.

Thousands of junior officers made various decisions rapidly, ensuring that the level and frequency at which the engines delivered power for propulsion were flawless.

Hundreds of thousands of attendants and crewmen of the Eleventh Legion were at their stations, activating energy conduits, starting weapon systems...

The black warships displayed astonishing coordination in the void, executing the battle plan step by step.

The massive Shadow of Sovereignty attracted the attention of a large number of Ork warships; the Ork ships, like bloodthirsty sharks, charged toward the Gloriana-class Battleship.

Gretchin were hopping about operating the cannons, launching attacks against the Shadow of Sovereignty.

Every time they fired, Gretchin were thrown off, tumbling dozens of meters before crashing onto the deck, dazed and confused.

The unluckier ones were swallowed by the shrapnel and flames of exploding cannons.

Countless missiles, shells, and Torpedoes slammed into the hull of the Shadow of Sovereignty.

The powerful shields of the Gloriana-class Battleship blocked the overwhelming attacks.

The prow of the Shadow of Sovereignty spat out cataclysmic light and Torpedoes, the light of the explosions illuminating space.

Macro Cannons fired continuously at the Ork warships, shells smashing into their cobbled-together hulls.

On the Bridge of the Shadow of Sovereignty, the female captain stared at the video screens.

Diana judged from the feedback readings that the energy shields generated by the Ork force-field generators possessed defensive capabilities comparable to Imperial Void Shields.

She glanced at the video screen, unable to understand how shields crackling with lightning and spewing toxic smoke could produce such an effect.

The female captain's curiosity lasted only for an instant, then she picked up the microphone and issued her orders.

"Ether cannons, fire!"

The Shadow of Sovereignty, the Void Hunter, and eleven other Capital Ships fired colorful energy beams from the Ether cannons mounted on their flanks.

The Ether beams pierced the energy shields of the Orc Capital Ship-class vessel, and the second volley detonated the ship.

The explosion of the Ork Capital Ship triggered waves of destructive shockwaves in the void, and the fire directed at the Shadow of Sovereignty was greatly reduced.

The Capital Ships of the Second Chapter arrived at the void node and deployed in formation, intercepting the Orc fleet that was recklessly charging toward the flagship.

Following the strategic plan, the warships of the Seventh Chapter used the Void Hunter as a Spearhead to pierce the weak points torn open by the Shadow of Sovereignty.

Under the coordination of Diana, the fleet of the Eleventh Legion was organically combined into a whole.

Like a seasoned gladiator, the Shadow of Sovereignty was a feint, luring the enemy into losing their "center of gravity."

The assault launched by the Ork warships against the Gloriana-class Battleship was blocked by the Second Chapter.

The Seventh Chapter struck like a swinging reaping scythe, hacking into the Orc warships that had exposed their flanks.

The battle in the Flame Wheel System was advancing step by step according to Ninglu's plan.

As ship time reached 820. M30, a Gravity Tide suddenly erupted in the Flame Wheel System.

(End of this chapter)