Chapter 212: Russ: "For the Allfather, For the Raven!!"
But then Raven thought about it: this was the Warhammer 40k universe, and the Warhammer Universe's science was indeed half-dead underground.
"It's probably Nurgle, that bastard, trying to scheme against me."
The Raven considered another possibility. That dead fatty was brewing his snot soup every day. Who knew what conspiracy he was cooking up this time?
This was too much. Sooner or later, he'd invade that garden and shove Nurgle into his own pot.
"Akchooo!!"
"Aghh!! NURGLE YOU LITTLE SHIT!!, You just wait for my WRAITH!!!" The Raven secretly plotted his retaliation.
Meanwhile, in his garden, Nurgle suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
An inexplicable unease crept over him, the distinct sensation that someone wanted to harm him. He turned his head but found nothing, so he continued brewing his plague soup.
...
The Raven arrived at his destination: the Yeni system.
This was one of the Human Empire's colonies—the Fashi Empire.
The Fashi Empire was also a human civilization that had endured the long Age of Darkness, re-emerged into the galaxy, and sought to restore humanity's glory.
After negotiations to peacefully join the Human Empire broke down, the Fashi Empire openly declared war. Their ruler even ordered a continuous stream of taunts and insults sent to the Empire, expressing his determination to resist to the end.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Terra ordered the Sixth Legion to move out, with clear orders - Destroy the Fashi Empire, and enlighten the ignorant people who had been misled.
The Ravens' trip was to find Russ. Since Russ left the Emperor's Grand Design, he hadn't been seen. Considering how long it had been, the Raven felt he needed to check in more often, couldn't have the Space Wolf getting abducted.
At this moment, the Sixth Legion was launching a fierce assault on the Fashi Empire's colony.
In the void, Fashi's hunter warships were being routed. Several magnificent orbital fortresses crumbled amidst dense gunfire, terrifying explosions engulfing each structure whole. The Sixth Legion's warships smoothly disengaged from the expanding fireballs and continued firing upon the fleeing Fashi fleet.
Intersecting laser fire filled the gaps between warships, striking shields and creating cascading ripples.
Russ's flagship, the 'Hrafnkel', a Gloriana-class battleship, was fully engaged in destroying the Fashi Empire's last fortress in the Yeni system.
It was a massive cylindrical space station constructed from carbon-steel composite materials, orbiting Yeni's third planet. The station possessed vast arrays of energy weapons, dense missile silos, and over a hundred thousand Fashi soldiers.
Yet such a formidable fortress could not withstand 'Hrafnkel's' bombardment for even half an hour.
Its energy shields failed under saturated fire. The massive fortress was pierced by light-speed projectiles launched from mass drivers, then utterly destroyed and disintegrated into fragments during five minutes of sustained kinetic bombardment.
"Hunting time," Russ said, licking his lips as he watched the fleeing Fashi warships. "They'll pay for their foolishness."
This battle was without suspense. The Sixth Legion, equipped with second-generation warships and third-generation Astartes, could easily crush all resistance from the Fashi Empire. No matter how valiantly they fought, their ultimate fate was defeat.
Suddenly, a bright arc of light appeared, expanding into a portal.
The Raven jumped out.
Russ and his Wolf Guard startled, weapons snapping up. Upon recognizing the Raven, they immediately lowered them.
Russ's surprise turned to excitement. "Lord Raven! Why have you come?"
"Of course I came to see you, Husky."
The Raven's words made Russ burst into laughter.
"Ohthere, Bjorn—the task of clearing out the enemy is yours. Oh, and bring up the gift we prepared for Lord Raven."
He handed the final mopping-up operations to his trusted company commanders and ordered someone to bring the fries and ketchup the Sixth Legion had collected during the campaign.
The Raven tasted a few bites and found that these fries and ketchup had different alcoholic flavors.
"You always get me good stuff, Husky, hmmm, so delicious. The taste is unique, very satisfying."
"Oh, How's the war against the Fashi Empire going?" the Raven asked between bites.
"Very smoothly. The main resistance forces have been annihilated. Now we just need to find the Fashi Empire's home base," Russ said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Bjorn, commanding the battle, brought new intel.
They'd boarded the last few Fashi warships and captured several high-ranking generals. From the captives, they'd obtained the coordinates of the Fashi Empire's capital planet: Duran.
"It's time for this campaign to end," Russ declared. "For the Allfather, for the Raven, let us set sail and bring a perfect close to this war."
For the current Empire, once an enemy planet's coordinates were exposed, the opponent was already within their grasp. Victory was only a matter of time.
This was only considering that Duran was a human colony. Otherwise, with a cross-dimensional planetary annihilation strike, the Sixth Legion wouldn't even need to show up to destroy all life on a planet.
After leaving a unit on Yeni to guard and clear the battlefield, the Sixth Legion set sail for the Fashi Empire's home base.
With the Golden Throne's amplification, the Emperor's control over the Warp had already reached incredible degrees, far surpassing his alternate counterpart.
Currently, the Warp was calm and undisturbed, and the time required for superluminal travel was significantly reduced.
A few days later, the Sixth Legion's warships arrived in the Duran system.
By this time, the Fashi Empire had assembled heavy forces and constructed numerous fortresses and strongholds. Soon after the Sixth Legion entered realspace, fierce fighting erupted.
Noisy chatter surged through the fleet's communication channels. The voices of commanders and high-ranking Legion officials rose and fell, punctuated by occasional roars.
The fleet moved steadily according to precisely planned tactical schemes.
The Fashi Empire's capital planet—Duran—hung visible within eyesight. Initially just a bright star, its outline grew larger as the fleet continuously approached.
Hundreds of warships sailed toward the Sixth Legion's fleet. They were the Fashi Empire's last naval strength.
Raven lay sprawled lazily on a small throne padded with unknown animal hides. The throne's size was quite miniature for an Astartes, only a few dozen centimeters long and wide. One Wolf Guard could easily lift and hold it steady. Other Wolf Guard were responsible for carrying the fries and ketchup.
Raven wasn't concerned with the battle, treating it merely as entertainment to pass the time.
"Speed up. Send them on their way," Russ ordered, eyes fixed on the tactical projection.
Sensing his master's killing intent, the two giant wolves—Freki and Geri—resting beside the Primarch let out low growls.
The void battlefield quickly intensified.
The Fashi Empire's remaining forces erupted with unimaginable courage. For them, Duran was their Terra, not in grandeur or splendor, but in meaning.
In status within their hearts. And there was a long history behind this.
When Humanity first set foot on this planet over a dozen millennia ago. The settlers gave everything to this planet's development. As years passed, the people here had long forgotten Terra's existence. They regarded Duran as their homeworld. In their hearts, Duran's meaning was equivalent to Earth itself.
They would not surrender Duran, just as the Human Empire would undoubtedly use all its strength to protect Terra.
Facing the Human Empire's furious assault, they knew they were doomed and had no retreat. But they would never give up. They would resist to the end. Even knowing death was the final outcome, the people of Duran would shed every drop of blood for every inch of their sacred homeland.
Raven felt pity for Duran's inhabitants, little children fighting a useless war in the end, but he did not stop the Sixth Legion.
To maintain the unity of human civilization, the blood of kin must be shed. The path to glory was destined to be woven from blood, fire, and sins of their own.
Neither he nor the Emperor would babysit each and every planet in the universe; do that and you doom the future of people.
The Fashi fleet's vessels were bloated and massive, reactor light visible through portholes illuminating the surrounding orbit. The defensive orbital stations in Duran's orbit also unleashed full firepower, furiously pouring energy beams, missiles, and projectiles onto the Sixth Legion's fleet.
Dense light beams illuminated the dark void, weaving temporary, brilliant constellations. Accompanied by continuous flashes, terrifying explosions occurred endlessly, soundless, but with slowly expanding shockwaves visible to the naked eye.
Fashi fighter squadrons weaved through the chaotic battlefield, dancing agilely. Flames spewed from gun barrels beneath their fuselages, burning eternally. Laser crossfire went back and forth like netting, and the sparks of exploding ordnance spread rampantly.
Occasionally, burning metal broke off and fell, as if every inch of void space was filled with the smoke and dust of war.
The people of Duran resisted fiercely and fearlessly, so much so that even some officers, though mocking this whole facade, still gave admiration for the brave souls, already thinking about how they would integrate these warriors into their fleets.
However, the Human Empire's second-generation warships far surpassed Fashi vessels in both performance and firepower. Courage and fearlessness could not offset the disparity brought by technology.
Amidst the fierce battle, Fashi's commander helplessly watched as one ship after another was destroyed.
A Fashi warship's shields were breached, instantly submerged by dense projectiles. Terrifying but silent explosions tore through the thick hull, throwing crew members out into space.
Dense light lances and lasers pierced fighter fuselages, stabbing them through and through, turning them into burning balls of flame.
Fashi warships' gunfire somehow did land on the Sixth Legion's vessels, but they were blocked by thick void shields, merely causing ripples and tremors like soft waves, unable to penetrate the defenses.
And the Human Empire's counterattacks often turned these Fashi warships into bloody fireworks in the void.
The Fashi fleet quickly collapsed. The remaining ships and brethren dragged their scarred bodies and kins and fled toward the star fortress, trying to escape the nightmare that was Imperium.
[End of Chapter]
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