Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 868, 08.867: 'Shortest Safety Distance'

While a bloody duel erupted in the engine room, in the deep void, the "Swift Eagle" and the terrifying Dark Ark also engaged in an even grander and more deadly battle.

Swift Eagle, like a cunning and swift swordsman, first feinted an attack.

A sharp, sudden turn sent several torpedoes flying at the enemy ship from just within the safe zone. This threatening maneuver successfully forced the massive black ark to make a hasty phase jump, causing its elegant hull to fade and disappear in real space.

However, based on the three ominous fragments that predicted the enemy ship's movements, Captain Horatio was already aware of its treacherous intentions.

The moment the enemy ship disappeared, the Swift Skyhawk groaned as it channeled all its reserve energy into its attitude control thrusters.

The massive light cruiser drew an incredible, sharp arc of over 120 degrees in the air, its bow abruptly turning from starboard to firmly lock onto the port side where the enemy ship was about to reappear.

"I got you."

Horatio's voice was deep and powerful, like a hunter's ultimatum to a beast caught in a trap.

Before he could finish speaking, the bridge began to tremble violently under the relentless bombardment of enemy Sickle missiles. The shrill sirens of alarms and the deafening clang of metal twisting filled the air. Horatio gripped the armrest of the command throne tightly, his body swaying with the ship's movements under attack, but his eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed on the main tactical projection of the black ark about to fall out of the subspace.

"Captain! The Void Shield is overloaded! The fifteen-minute depressurization procedure set by Chief Technician Father Lati is about to be forcibly executed!" the power department officer reported nervously.

On the control panel in front of him, a series of scarlet warning runes flashed wildly, each code screaming the same terrifying fact—if this extreme boost was not stopped, the entire warship's plasma reactor would overload in mid-air within minutes, turning into a fireball brighter than a star.

"Let Lati hold on a little longer!" Horatio growled through gritted teeth, his eyes fixed on the mountain-like target.

"No! We can't get in touch with the chief technical priest!" the officer in charge of shipboard communications reported loudly.

Beside him stood the ship's sonic array master—a man whose flesh and pipes were tragically fused together—his body pierced with countless sonic array probes, his eyes vacant and lifeless.

As the ship's living messenger, he is the embodiment of the ship's closed-circuit communication system.

At this moment, he simply shook his head slightly, silently confirming the complete loss of communication.

"Torpedo compartment fully loaded and ready! But the enemy ship's stern is too close! Based on its turning speed, it is estimated that the enemy ship will not move its stern out of the torpedo unlocking safety range for another three minutes!" The report from the operations department came through, and the officers in front of the console turned their heads to look at the silent figure on the command throne, and then glanced uneasily at the dark enemy ship projection on the front panel.

It is turning.

It's incredible that a ship of such immense size, comparable to a battleship, could turn as fast as a human light cruiser.

Even the most senior naval officers on board were amazed by just how exquisite the shipbuilding skills of this ancient race were.

Eldar warships are known for their bow firepower, but this one is now pointing its vulnerable side at the Swifthawk.

However, this was not an oversight or loophole, but rather it was cunningly positioned at a safe distance from the Imperial Navy's torpedoes.

At this distance, a torpedo that hasn't automatically unlocked its safety mechanism will only strike its armor like an iron rod, leaving a few large dents without causing any damage.

Horatio was certainly aware of this principle as well. As a classic engagement rule in the GW Gothic Fleet series, torpedoes have a one-inch safety distance; if they hit within that distance, they only cause impact damage.

Aside from torpedoes, light cruisers had no weapons that could harm this battleship-class warship.

All it takes is for it to turn its bow toward the Swift Eagle light cruiser, and the game is over.

At the same time, a second wave of dark, swarming "swarms"—hundreds of boarding bays and attack craft—swarmed out from the sides of the Black Ark, like a flock of bloodthirsty vultures, heading straight for the spine and bridge of the "Swift Eagle".

The "Swift Skyhawk" opened fire simultaneously on all close-in weapon systems within its firing range.

Once again, the dense fire whips, like the tentacles of a void demon, danced wildly around the ship, smashing one boarding boat after another that tried to approach into a dazzling display of fireworks.

"Dispatch..." Horatio's gaze swept across the bridge, scrutinizing all the combat units still available on the tactics panel. Finally, his eyes landed on Inquisitor They and the black-armored warriors behind her. That was the only elite unit that might survive to the battlefield. Demigods in the eyes of mortals, this combat force with its low profile was now incredibly valuable.

This further solidified Horatio's belief that he would deploy at least one Astartes tactical squadron on the capital ships, just as Robert Guilliman would do upon waking up.

"Dispatch the Black Shield Squad and have them find her. Do everything in your power to keep her a little longer! Ask her to optimize the payload logic, to have the two Void Shield generators alternately overloaded, even if we have to replace the entire warship's energy hub plasma core shaft after this battle!"

To Horatio's dismay and frown, the Black Shield team was once again missing one person.

The Black Shield Astartes, wearing a skull helmet resembling that of a Warband Priest, was unsurprisingly not among the Black Shield squad on standby.

"Captain, in fifteen minutes, we will enter our first window of vulnerability when the shields are breached. At that time, we will have to rely on our armor to withstand the enemy's attack." The officer's report brought Horatio back to his senses, which was filled with anger.

As an Imperial Navy officer, he couldn't interfere with the affairs of the Inquisition, but Thee certainly had a responsibility to properly manage the discipline of her Death Watchers.

After all, it wouldn't be good if something were seen while wandering around everywhere.

This is his ship!

"Issue the order for the entire ship to prepare for attack!" Horatio took a deep breath, readjusted his thoughts, and spoke with unwavering resolve, his eyes flashing with a do-or-die determination. "We may be torn apart today, but the enemy will certainly not fare any better than us!"

"Report! The enemy flagship's stern has turned and moved out of the torpedo danger range! Firing is permitted! We recommend a 300-meter spread and a saturation barrage, concentrating all firepower to destroy its engines in one strike!"

"Plan adopted, launch immediately!"

"May the god of all machines protect them, praise Om Messiah! Sing the 'Hymn of Wrath' for them!"

As the warning bell atop the torpedo launch silo beneath the bow of the adamantine ship rang heavily, a surging stream of plasma flowed along specially designed magnetically confined tubing, pouring into the tail of the torpedo. A ghostly blue light illuminated the entire launch silo, radiating deadly ionizing radiation.

laugh! ——

laugh! ——

Six Helios-class plasma torpedoes ignited simultaneously, like six vengeful javelins, speeding out of the launch silo and piercing the swarm of boarding bays.

Small, purplish-red orbs of light occasionally exploded around the torpedoes. These were the Dark Eldar slave ships that had been destroyed by the torpedoes' sturdy outer shells, along with the malevolent alien creatures inside, turning into dust in the void.

A torpedo was precisely intercepted mid-air by the Black Ark's close-in defense amethyst ray and exploded. A large, silent burst of fire engulfed everything around it, temporarily clearing a patch of clean air.

Immediately afterwards, the smoke was dispersed by the subsequent shockwave. On one side were five Helios plasma torpedoes that smashed through the thick smoke and flames and continued to advance; on the other side were countless Mosquito-Fly vehicles that fearlessly continued to rush towards the Swift Eagle.

"Prepare to be attacked!"

The cold, impersonal order, delivered through Louise's shouts, resounded throughout the ship once more and was carried out.

This order was not only to deal with the enemy boarding boats rushing towards them, but also to prepare for the vengeful barrage of alien bullets that were about to penetrate the Void Shield and strike the ship's hull.

On the command bridge, the heavy iron curtain slowly descended.

This device was originally designed to shield the bridge's line of sight during subspace jumps, but in emergencies, its relatively good defensive capabilities also allow it to protect the command bridge.

Now that the torpedoes have been launched, Horatio no longer needs to look outside the ship.

How to evacuate safely is the only priority he needs to consider right now.

(End of this chapter)