Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 909, 08.908: 'The Void Revelation'

The void was torn apart.

There were no warning signs, and there was no gradual process.

A deep purple light first tore a wound in the curtain of reality, and then a silent lightning bolt burst forth from it, like a poisoned dagger, forcibly dissecting the skin of the universe.

What was revealed through the breach was a bizarre and distorted scene that even the word "hell" seemed pale and powerless.

In the next instant, a massive combat detachment, like steel blood gushing from a wound, was violently flung into the starry sea of ​​the material universe.

Inside the bridge, the emergency red rune lights were gradually replaced by regular, cold white lights.

The nauseating, soul-stripping tremors that had accompanied the warship's departure from subspace finally subsided, leaving only the steady, low hum of the reactor core, like the heartbeat of a behemoth.

"Captain, we are very lucky." First Officer Louise's voice came through the communicator, with a hint of relief. "Perhaps the subspace storm that interfered with us has just passed, and our voyage has been exceptionally smooth."

“Very good.” Horatio’s voice was as steady as ever. He sat motionless on the command throne. “Navigation Department, confirm our position.”

The order had barely been given when the ship's public address system suddenly blared, a passionate, even somewhat excited male voice drowning out all the data stream reports from the bridge. It was an internal recruitment announcement from the military affairs department.

"This is the Imperial Weekly of the Calissis Sector! The Calissis Military Affairs Department reports to all loyal citizens of the Empire on the latest developments in the Whirlwind Front, which you are concerned about!"

(After a burst of rousing military music, a solemn female voice rang out.)

"The Spiral Guardian Line is located on the edge of our Calissis Sector, far from our prosperous sector capital, but the light of the God-Emperor still shines on this barren territory."

Beyond this point lies the desolate frontier of the Empire. Star sector navigation here was previously hampered by a warp storm, but the storm has now subsided!

Valiant combat troops from all corners of the human empire are pouring into this crucible of glory! Citizens, there is no need to worry!
The current battle situation is still under the complete control of the Empire! As of now, the Empire still holds a decisive advantage in this battle!

But remember, citizens of the Empire, once the enemy breaks through our blockade, they will flood into the Calithis Sector like a tidal wave, slaughtering your beloved families in your homeland! What are you waiting for? Head to the nearest recruitment station and join the Imperial Guard! Become a glorious guard! Defend your homeland!

(A more stirring military song begins, a triumphant anthem filled with an atmosphere of victory and glory.)
As the announcement was broadcast, a massive armored roll-up curtain in front of the bridge slowly rose.

The light from the surrounding stars shone in like searchlights, causing Horatio to squint slightly.

"Wait...what is that?"

He caught an unusual light in his eyes.

It was not the soft light of stars, but countless crisscrossing weapon beams that tore through the void, and clusters of explosions that bloomed silently in the stillness, like flowers of death.

Right before him stood a weathered Imperial Navy Moon-class cruiser, its hull riddled with scars.

At this moment, it was being hit by several attacks simultaneously—the elegant yet deadly dark matter spears from the Dark Eldar cruiser, the incredibly brutal solid cannonballs from the Greenskin "Rock" asteroid, and the blasphemous, twisted energy rays from the Chaos warship.

After a series of attacks, a vicious light spear pierced through the battered cruiser, and the plasma reactor that was pierced through caused a catastrophic secondary explosion. A dazzling burst of fire shone eternally in Horatio's pupils.

There is no doubt that Horatio and his fleet were not trapped in the warp storm.

They were swept directly to the gates of hell by the storm.

This is an apocalyptic meat grinder!
The four fleets engaged in a fierce battle here that would go down in history. All the capital ships combined numbered over a hundred—to put it in perspective, a standard sector fleet only has seventy-five capital ships.

The smaller frigates and destroyers were countless, like a swarm of bees, and from Horatio's distance, they looked as tiny as carrier-based aircraft.

They belonged to the Imperial Navy, Space Marines, Mechanicus, and conscripted wandering merchants; they also belonged to the green-skinned orcs and the dark Eldar pirates; and they were fallen traitors from hell whose ships were painted with blasphemous chaotic eight-pointed stars.

This was the first time Horatio had ever witnessed such a massive war, with hundreds of capital ships locked in a deadly battle in the void.

This is the final gateway from the Whirlwind Line to Sintira.

The empire is using flesh and blood and steel to defend this last line of defense.

No wonder I just received a recruitment broadcast from the Ministry of Military Affairs.

It turns out the enemy is already close to Sintila!

"Captain!" The navigation officer's voice was shrill with extreme tension. He almost shouted out the report that Horatio had been numb with a jolt of fear: "We've deviated from the planned Mandeville point, 1.3 million kilometers ahead of schedule! This damned storm has sent us straight to the edge of the Whirlwind Line! We're now... we've now reached the battlefield! Right at the gateway to the Calissis core sub-sector!"

This is completely different from Horatio's original script.

The script that would have been to arrive in Sintira, deliver the goods, and then, with a letter of recommendation in hand, form an army through the connections of an old acquaintance, undergo six months of training, and then march to the Xuanwei front to fight against the enemies of the God Emperor, was torn to shreds.

The reality he faced was that the enemy was about to break through the empire's battle lines.

He, along with the unarmed Charter fleet that needed escort, was directly pushed to the forefront of the battlefield by the warp storm.

Those enormous, mobile city-like space-class transport ships can be seen from thousands of kilometers away.

On the tactical display screen, the enemy's small and medium-sized ships, like sharks smelling blood, split up and headed towards the convoy's location to encircle it.

Almost at the same time, Rear Admiral Bruyès's encrypted, highest-priority communications also came through.

"By the Divine Emperor! We've deviated from Mandeville! We've arrived directly at the battlefield! My high-level command channel is filled with hymns of agony... beep—(a burst of ear-piercing busy signal)... Communications! Filter out those damned accesses! Let me finish what I'm saying!... buzz... Colonel Cochran! Can you hear me?!"

"Yes, I can hear you." Horatio's voice remained eerily calm.

"There are too many enemies! Our fleet's battle lines are about to be broken! I must lead the fleet into battle immediately!"

On the other end of the communication line, Major General Bruyès practically roared, drowning out the urgent and noisy reports from the officers on his bridge, “Quick! Escort the convoy out of this damned place! We’ll cover your rear! Damn it, what’s that busy signal again?! What? The Astral Army Frontline Staff? Hold on, Colonel, I won’t cut off the communication yet!”

"I am François-Paul Brués de Agaliyes, Rear Admiral of the Callisi Fleet! State your identity!"

"What?! Captain?! How did you manage to contact me using the highest-level communications from the frontline staff?! You just clicked on the newly accessed premium channel???"

On the other end of the communication line, Major General Brues' tone shifted from anger to utter disbelief.

"Where is your superior? Are you playing house on the front lines?!"

"Sir... (A burst of gunfire and screams of the dying)... The frontline staff has been invaded by aliens!"
The officer was shot in the head and died instantly in his seat! The enemy attack came too fast! We didn't have time to destroy the classified documents! Requesting backup! Requesting backup! We must take—beep—with us no matter what! We can't let the enemy get them! Beep! —Buzz—Buzz—"

(End of this chapter)