In the Sector Fosar system, this peaceful starfield was devoid of any clamor or chaos; its stars still shone serenely.
But who would have thought that decades ago, this was a bustling interstellar trade route, with a Hive World named Abel that boasted mining operations, mineral refineries, and metal processing plants? Abel was not only self-sufficient but also exported its products to sustain several surrounding star systems.
Now, however, only desolation remains.
The destroyed Hive World of Abel still bears the destructive consequences of dual-stage cyclone torpedo.
Two-thirds of the planet's sphere was completely shattered, and these planetary fragments, pulled by the gravity of a distant star, are gradually moving away from Abel, forming a stunningly beautiful trail with a long tail.
Yet, this abandoned mining system, personally destroyed by the Imperium, received two "uninvited guests" today.
"Boom!"
Roughly every three minutes, a hundred-meter-long asteroid was pulverized by incoming laser cannons, turning into countless tiny fragments.
These fragments slammed into the high-speed starships, causing violent jolts and vibrations, but neither of the two ships, one in front and one behind, showed any signs of slowing down; the scorching orange-red exhaust flames from their engines stretched exceptionally long behind them.
To an observer, they would appear as two crimson meteors, shining with dazzling light, playing out an intense chase against the magnificent and brilliant backdrop of the cosmos.
The tattered black ship in front was a private vessel of the Inquisition, though it looked severely damaged, having sustained significant battle damage, yet it still unleashed astonishing speed. One could only conclude that anything produced by the Inquisition was of premium quality, giving the illusion of "this thing can still fly?"
Inside was the former Inquisitor Tossak-Rome. He was forced out of the underhive Ashley by the terrifying high temperatures that engulfed the entire world. Originally, he had planned to leave immediately after his injuries were treated!
But who would have thought that Kenmyo Isayama, disregarding the lives of the underhive residents, would directly set fire to the entire Ashley, turning it into a high-temperature inferno.
Here's a dark joke: Ashley, the lowest level of the Hive World, had never been so clean. Apart from the slag produced by the burning, it was a world purified and sterilized by high temperatures.
Perhaps it was even cleaner than the mid-levels.
Tossak-Rome, watching the relentless pursuit on the screen, slammed his single hand on the steering wheel, cursing loudly.
"Damn it, he's definitely one of those twisted war maniacs from the 'Unilateralist' faction!"
Such reckless and aberrant behavior, so ferocious, could only be attributed to one of the more insane Inquisitors within the Inquisition.
If Tossak-Rome had known that Kenmyo Isayama had just executed an Exterminatus and dropped two cyclone torpedo, he probably wouldn't have even set foot in Kenmei's hotel room.
He would have packed up his ship that very night and fled that unlucky Adelie Hive World, running as far as possible without hesitation. These days, anyone who could launch an Exterminatus without batting an eye was a ruthless individual.
Sacrifice? What was he going to sacrifice?
Relentlessly chasing like a hound behind him was the "Death's Piety," a modified Fury-class interceptor, about a hundred meters long. This type of vessel, resembling a sharp, pointed blade, was built for speed and maneuverability, featuring massive thrusters and attitude adjustment jets.
Thus, even though his opponent had a ten-minute head start, Kenmyo Isayama was able to catch up from behind, which would have been impossible without the help of these powerful thrusters.
Kenmyo Isayama's private Inquisition ship, needing to conceal his identity, could not directly enter this Hive World but instead used a transport ship for entry. This interceptor was the fastest ship he could deploy.
It was regularly equipped with multiple rows of incredibly powerful laser cannons and sixteen of the Imperium's latest MK-SAN "Redemption" missiles, embodying the violent aesthetic of "bigger caliber is better, more ammo is beautiful" to the fullest.
Kenmyo Isayama finally understood why most people harbored a sports car dream. Watching the numbers on the dashboard constantly soaring, the surrounding scenery rapidly blurring, and the massive asteroids, all kept him highly focused at all times!
"Target locked. Fire?"
Kenmyo Isayama, with his hands on the steering wheel, stared intently ahead. Just as he executed a maneuver similar to a cobra maneuver, raising the nose of his ship from horizontal to vertical, flying almost at the limit along the surface of an asteroid that suddenly appeared around a corner.
When he heard the fire control system lock onto the ship ahead, Kenmyo Isayama pressed the trigger without hesitation.
Previously, aiming was impossible due to the tens of thousands of asteroids, several kilometers long, which severely impacted aiming precision. If a powerful missile missed and hit an asteroid just a few kilometers away, the resulting shattered fragments would be enough to give Kenmyo Isayama a headache.
Therefore, he had been using more precise, manually controlled laser cannons for intermittent firing. But now that they had flown out of the asteroid belt, there were fewer concerns, so Kenmyo Isayama simply opened fire.
"Warning, warning, you have been locked."
At this moment, in Tossak-Rome's cockpit, the machine spirit's cold voice, accompanied by red alarms, echoed throughout the cabin.
Upon hearing this news, Tossak-Rome was drenched in sweat. He gritted his teeth, his expression utterly frantic.
"Shut up!"
Enveloped by the shadow of death, Tossak-Rome tried to turn the ship's nose back into the asteroid belt, but it was already too late.
Several panels on the surface of the "Fury-class" interceptor now opened one by one. Torpedoes, flashing with guidance beams and containing destructive power, roared out of their launch tubes, wreathed in flames.
Several projectiles, as dazzling as the stars in the background, directly struck the ship ahead.
Inside, Tossak-Rome's control panel was now covered in terrifying electrical currents and sparks, with red alarm sounds crackling and intertwining.
This was because the missiles launched by Kenmyo Isayama contained impact-fusion shaped charges designed for maximum armor penetration, which unleashed immense heat, corroding the Inquisition warship's outer armor, and also contained powders that corroded electronic components, damaging the ship's wiring.
The black armor on the ship's port side had completely melted away, and the gun barrels within the weapon firing arrays were beginning to bend and deform under the high temperatures. The ship's structure swayed precariously, as if on the verge of disintegrating in space.
Even the warship's stern thrusters began to flicker dimly under the continuous missile damage, appearing as if they might cut out completely at any moment.
The surface of the Inquisition warship was covered in smoke and dust. This once magnificent vessel was now scarred by bombardments, with ruptured and damaged holes spewing out raging flames.
Most of the ship's body had become a shattered wreckage, its crystalline trail extending backward from the warship.
Kenmyo Isayama watched the dazzling warship, like a kite with a broken string, unexpectedly imbued with the tragic beauty of "sacrifice."
Especially the burning Inquisition symbol, which was full of irony.
Alas, that was the glory of a traitor.