Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1014, 08.1013: 'The Duel Between Skyhawk and the Duke'

Amidst a deadly web woven from dozens of torpedoes, the reactor of the HMS Duke's Pride emitted a desperate, desperate scream.

It poured all its remaining energy reserves into the engine, trying to break free from this deadly threat.

However, a wounded behemoth is ultimately not as agile as a hunting dog. The massive and cumbersome size of the large cruiser, along with its energy reserves already more than half depleted in the battle with the Swifthawk, made its evasive maneuvers slow and clumsy.

It didn't get very far before it ran out of its last energy reserves, and its speed slowed down again.

The six torpedoes launched by the "Tricolor Crown" arrived first.

One shot was detonated in mid-air by dense close-in weapon fire, turning into a harmless ripple of energy.

The two engines grazed the stern as the flagship evaded them, and were instantly ignited by the scorching plasma ejected from the engines.

But the remaining three shots hit the target precisely.

Immediately afterwards, four torpedoes fired by HMS Swift Eagle at extremely close range also arrived, all hitting the massive engine array of HMS Duke's Pride.

The engines of this large cruiser consist of six massive arrays.

The hits from the four torpedoes completely destroyed the engine arrays on both sides, triggering a catastrophic fuel leak and a chain of explosions.

Huge pieces of metal and burning debris were thrown into the void, turning the surrounding area into a nightmare for any small aircraft.

At this moment, only the topmost engine was still barely clinging to life, slowly propelling this heavy, burning steel body.

"So this is a large cruiser... It's really tough."

Horatio watched as the three nuclear-incendiary torpedoes launched by the attack ship successfully struck the enemy ship's lower deck and hull, exploding into towering flames on the holographic projection.

Two such torpedoes were once enough to completely destroy a Tau light cruiser, and three torpedoes even destroyed an Explorer-class armed colony, while five torpedoes destroyed a Guardian-class space carrier.

Now, although this ancient behemoth has suffered devastating damage, it is still stubbornly moving forward while burning.

Before Horatio could finish speaking, the Duke's Pride, which had been slowly turning to the left, unleashed a final, furious volley of vengeful fire.

The entire "Swift Skyhawk" began to shake violently, not from a single impact, but from a continuous, earthquake-like tremor. The huge glass lamp hanging in the hall rattled and clattered, making one worry that it might fall at any moment.

The piercing alarm, like the screeching of a vulture, burrowed into Horatio's ears.

Before he could even ask about the damage, an urgent report from the engineering department arrived: "Engines No. 1, No. 4, and No. 8 have been damaged and shut down. At least twenty-two enemy shells have hit the stern of our ship."

(1, 4, and 8 are all on the port side)

The No. 3 crew quarters/barracks were completely destroyed. Fortunately, the orbital landing force inside was still engaged in ground operations. However, Captain, we have lost nearly a third of our power.

"I... sensed a distortion of space! Captain, your enemy is attempting to tear open a warp rift. Prepare for an emergency disengagement." The navigator patriarch's aged voice entered Horatio's mind through the ship's closed-circuit communication.

"Interrupt them! How many Hellspears do we have left? Launch a lightning strike immediately to cut off its energy supply!"

“No more, Captain!” The armed forces officer shook his head. “The Hellslingers suffered heavy losses, and the rest were all sent to the ground during the previous military operations!”

Horatio slowly sat back on his command throne, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He held his index finger to his lips, his teeth unconsciously biting the pad of his finger.

"Use all the fleet's weapons and concentrate fire on it! Destroy it! We cannot let it escape! All heavy artillery crews, open fire at will!"

Bang bang bang bang bang! The Swift Eagle and the Duke's Pride began a frantic, close-quarters, circling exchange of fire.

This large cruiser specifically used its still-intact side guns to target this light cruiser, which was like a leech clinging to its bone.

Meanwhile, the artillery on the other side was indiscriminately attacking any Imperial warship that entered its firing range.

Ten light heavy artillery pieces versus thirty-two light heavy artillery pieces.

Although both were free-fire operations, the crew of the "Swift Eagle" had more precise calibration parameters and a higher hit rate.

They focused their fire on the bridge and the remaining engines of the HMS Duke's Pride.

Meanwhile, the "Duke's Pride" relied solely on its massive number of cannons to unleash a devastating barrage of bullets on every part of the "Swift Eagle" that could be hit.

The rebel escort ships and the remaining destroyers also came out in full force.

They discovered the location on the low-plane orbit where the torpedo had been launched inexplicably.

The escort commander immediately concluded that Imperial torpedo boats must be hiding in that location.

The Rising Feather immediately dispatched her entire squadron, from interceptors to bombers, sparing no effort to thwart the Severus escort's attempt to hunt down its own attack ship.

After a brutal boarding maneuver, the High Power finally surrendered to the Hermione.

But the bloody battle that nearly decimated the entire warship also resulted in the loss of almost half of the crew of the HMS Hermione.

Her captain reported to Horatio that he needed an urgent rest period to reassign and reposition personnel in order to continue operations.

The "Tricolor Crown" was still engaged in fierce combat with the enemy's Dominator-class cruisers, and was also being besieged by two enemy light cruisers.

With the battle escalating to this point, almost all the void shields on both sides' ships had entered a long cooldown phase due to overload.

This battle turned into a pure, primal duel between steel and cannons.

"Swift Skyhawk", medical room.

Louise was gently secured to the zero-gravity medical bed. Each violent rocking of the warship made her feel as if she were sleeping on a turbulent waterbed, her stomach churning.

"What happened?" she asked a medical nun beside her.

“We are engaged in a duel with the enemy’s flagship,” the nun replied. “Ms. Louise, if you feel unwell, please let us know immediately. We will take good care of you, so please don’t worry.”

Louise's brow furrowed deeply. Amidst the roar of gunfire and the tremors of the ship, she heard an ominous, metallic scraping sound. That sound was almost etched into her very being as a naval assault scientist.

"It's a boarding assault boat!!" Louise shouted to the nun beside her.

"Varied……?"

boom!
A dull thud, characteristic of molten metal from beneath the bridge, echoed. Immediately afterward, the rapid sounds of gunfire reached her ears.

Louise stared nervously at the sound array in the upper right corner of the room, where a buzzing electrical sound was emanating.

"Attention all crew members! Attention all crew members! The captain has given an order." Fideo's voice quickly came from inside. He had temporarily taken over Louise's duties according to the command structure.

"Enemy boarding! Enemy boarding! All ships now on armed mobilization! Repeat! Enemy boarding! Enemy boarding! All ships now on armed mobilization!"

(End of this chapter)