Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 278 Cassian Vaughn

Ninglu sat on his throne, watching the green-armored warrior enter the hall, his right shoulder adorned with the yellow lettering of XVIII.

On his left shoulder was the legion insignia, a pair of black metal horns curving downwards.

Cassian Vaughn, commander of the Eighteenth Army Corps, removed his helmet and slung it over his left arm.

Nimrod stared at Vaughn, remembering that the warrior before him was not only the commander of the Eighteenth Legion now, but would also survive the brutal “Istvan V” in the future, becoming the founder and spiritual leader of the “Flame Disciples”.

"What is the situation with the 18th Army Corps?"

Before meeting Vokhan, the Eighteenth Legion was known as the "Warriors of the Dragons," but this is no longer mentioned.

They, along with the Sixth and Twentieth Legions, were disguised by Old Man Huang as "Clover."

"My lord, the Eighteenth Army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Storm Corridor during the War of Unification, with its strength reduced from 26,000 to 1,000."

"We have now recovered from the previous losses and currently have 15,000 soldiers."

Ninglu nodded slightly. He remembered that when he reunited with the 18th Legion, the Legion numbered 19,000.

After Vorkan returned in 832, he did not immediately take over his legion. He studied under Huang Laohan for several years before taking over. The number of people Vorkan mentioned was not much different from his estimation.

The "Sons of the Emperor," "Thousand Sons," and "Fire Lizards" legions can compete for the title of the legion with the fewest members at different stages of the "Great Expedition." I've actually commanded two of them.
"I will send a small team to the 18th Army Corps to enhance the understanding between the two corps so that we can cooperate in the future."

Because of its small number of personnel, the 18th Army Corps had never been the main force responsible for combat since the start of the "Great Expedition".

They were deployed in scattered groups to deal with threats from the rear, such as space wrecks or Eldar pirates.

For this reason, the 18th Army Corps also has something to learn from in dealing with guerrilla warfare and space wreckage.

"As you wish."

Vaughn, leading a small squad of Shadow Order, left the palace. He looked at the shield that enveloped the entire city and shimmered with dazzling light, and asked curiously.

"what is that?"

"This energy shield technology is called the 'Fortress-level Energy Shield,' which can guarantee the safety of the entire city," Lucas, a member of the Honor Guard from the Eleventh Warband of the "Shadow of Order," proudly explained.

"This is technology that the Arbitration Lord discovered on the Vigilant Star."

Vaughn stared at the shield, his eyes gleaming, and exclaimed in admiration, "Amazing technology."

Two days later, the 14th Army's fleet arrived at Sepra Mandy, where Nimrod met with Balasin, the first company commander of the "Twilight Raiders," and Tessus, the seventh company commander, in the palace.

They wore unpainted gray power armor, with their right arms and shoulders painted deep red, symbolizing that they were the Emperor's ruthless right hand.

The insignia on their right shoulder consists of a skull on one half and spikes, a semicircle, and a hemisphere on the other.

After the two company commanders saluted, Balasin, as the chief company commander, addressed Ninglu.

"My lord, by order of the Emperor, those who fail to break through your defenses are here to report."

Ninglu knew that although Old Man Huang had given the Fourteenth Legion the name Twilight Raiders, the Terran warriors had always called themselves the Unbreakables, even after Mortarion returned to the Legion.

This is because they all came from the warlike and tenacious tribes of Albania.

"How many Unbreakable Warriors does the Fourteenth Legion have?" Ning Lu asked.

"My lord, the legion currently has 37,000 Unbreakable Warriors."

Barasin's answer was similar to what Nimrod knew: before the start of the Great Birthday Celebration, the Death Guard had a total strength of about 95,000 men, making it a relatively small legion.

After inquiring about the legion's condition, Nimrod issued the following orders:

"Five days from now, the three legions will depart for the Stevenage system."

“My lord, those who will not break through will be prepared.” Balasin accepted the order.

"I will send two teams of Shadow Order to fight alongside you and deepen mutual understanding."

The "Twilight Raiders'" use of heavy infantry and their grasp of the timing of dusk are also worth learning from.

The fleets of the Eighth Warband and the Fourteenth and Eighteenth Legions of the "Shadow of Order" arrived in the Steveny system in 824.

The fleet immediately joined the void battle. The bridge of the flagship of the Eighteenth Legion.

Cassian Vaughn stared into the void. After the "Shadow of Order" fleet arrived in the Steveny system, it immediately coordinated with the Second Chapter to launch an attack on the alien fleet.

He recalled the "Reapers" from the "Unification War" and exclaimed, "You are different now."

“The return of the Father of Genetics has reshaped the Legion,” said Lucas, the squad leader stationed in the Eighteenth Legion.

Vaughn's eyes flickered. Despite his best efforts, the Eighteenth Legion had never been able to restore its glory.

His legion and the Fourteenth Legion combined only barely exceeded half the strength of the Eleventh Legion, even after they had suffered heavy losses in the fierce battle of the "Wheel of Fire".

The Eleventh Legion now governs more than seventy star systems, which are steadily developing under the rule of the Shadow of Order.

This laid the foundation for the development of the Eleventh Legion. No one could have imagined that the "Reapers," who only knew how to kill, would transform into a shadowy force adept at management after Lord Nimrod's return.
After a moment of reflection, Vaughn ordered the warships to join the battle.

Lucas stared at the video screen and saw the Second and Eighth Battle Groups, centered on the Relic-class warships, using their range advantage to strike the alien warships.

Dense beams of light rained down on the enemy ship, which was covered in flashing red runes.

The red beams fired from Andres's fleet failed to touch any of the Imperial warships that shone with green light.

The dazzling red light burst forth and then vanished in an instant.

After several repetitions, the enemy ships marked in red scattered and avoided the attack like a school of fish in a panic.

Lucas glanced at the video screen, reviewed the enemy ship readings from the identification runes, and then spoke to Vaughn.

"Alien ships, smaller and more agile."

[So, what should the Eighteenth Army Corps do?]
Vaughn's gauntlets outline a path in the holographic image.

Lucas noticed that it was a route that led straight into the center of the alien fleet's escape route.

He began by saying, "Just as you said, the alien fleet is more mobile and agile."

"You cannot win by trying to outmaneuver them."

"Break into the center of the alien formation, and the firepower advantages of the bow and two bows can be fully utilized."

Lucas remained silent. The Fourteenth and Eighteenth Legions, lacking Relic-class warships, found it most suitable to utilize the armor and firepower advantages of Imperial warships as their tactical option.

The warships of the Eighteenth Army Corps, centered on their flagship, formed an arrow formation and charged at the alien fleet.

All the video screens were filled with red and green dots of light, and Lucas stood with his feet apart, his body still.

A violent tremor swept across the bridge bulkhead. He saw that in the instant of the attack, the Void Shield was subjected to countless attacks, and alarm runes flashed frequently.

After the runes flashed frequently, the B-2 Void Shield rune on the starboard side of the flagship turned completely red.

The Void Shield shattered, and then the next wave of attacks violently shook the bridge bulkhead.

A servitor's control panel lost power due to a broken internal cable; after two electrical sparks, the servitor's work ceased.

Lucas was prepared for the impact; his body swayed only slightly before he maintained his balance.

He couldn't help but think: "[Restarting the Void Shield takes too long. It would be great if it could automatically recharge and restart.]"

Yes, the Legion discovered this technology at Medusa, and it should be widely adopted by our Legion's warships in the future.
Lucas gathered his thoughts and refocused on the battle. He saw that although the Eighteenth Legion's warships had suffered some losses, they had inflicted greater damage on the aliens.

The light spears on the bow tore through the alien's cramped warship.

The two cannons, with every shot hitting its mark, smashed into the enemy ship that had no Void Shield.

Vaughn’s stern voice rang out: “The alien pirates have no honor, no courage, they have collapsed.”

After clearing out the alien warships, the Imperial fleet began its amphibious assault under Nimrod's orders.

After the Eighteenth Army Corps conducted orbital bombardment of Planet III, it launched a landing operation.

　PS: I watched the game last night and didn't feel like writing afterwards. I didn't finish writing the second chapter, so I'll post it at 23:23.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)