Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 440: A vulnerable defense line

The rebels of the Sons of Horus and the Iron Warriors activated the orbital defense system in an orderly manner. The space orbital platforms set up on the edge planets activated the reactors. Then, amid the friction of gears and machinery, the huge weapon array was aimed at the deep starry sky.

The high-energy nuclear reaction continued to intensify, drawing out surging energy to consolidate the void shield. At the same time, the battleships and cruisers in space also began to turn around and aim their main guns at the location of the scanning array warning.

"Everyone, everyone, maintain alert!"

There is no need to say much about the qualities of the Sons of Horus. As the Warmaster's personal soldiers, their troop quality and fighting will are first-class.

They began to check the operation of the defense system, and many supervisors waved whips to lash out at the slave mortals who were careless and lax.

The teeth-grinding sounds of flesh colliding continued to ring out, and the priests of the Dark Mechanicus prayed to the gods they believed in, using the blood and souls of mortals to please those machines.

The void shields of the star fortress suspended in space are fully activated, and the densely packed weapon systems have entered the preheating and standby state.

The early warning signal from the front line was immediately passed to the Supreme Commander Velen Ashurden. This outstanding Sons of Horus commander calmly deployed defense according to the predetermined measures.

He had more than 1500 warships under his command, operating throughout the Garmon sector. Horus trusted him greatly and gave him most of the military power to command.

"I don't know what they are thinking. Are these lackeys of the false emperor crazy enough to use warships to crash into our defenses?"

"Or do they have more schemes that haven't been exposed yet? Feint attack?"

Ashurden was confused. He despised the lackeys who were loyal to the Emperor, but he would not underestimate their fighting power.

Obviously, something he didn't know about had changed the pattern of war he was familiar with.

"Based on the data from the scanning array, calculate the enemy's predicted trajectory, launch saturation fire of torpedoes and macro cannons, and prepare the light spear array to attack."

The experienced war commander quickly took defensive measures. Suicidal attacks like this were not impossible to defend against. As long as they were predicted in their orbit in advance, the enemy's manpower could be greatly destroyed.

This requires great experience and skill, but Ashurden has no shortage of these.

The Dark Mechanicus priests loyal to Horus and those mortal high-level technicians began to work. The former began calculations using a creation called the Demon Engine, which was far more efficient than the Cogitator system currently used by the Empire.

The Demon Engine is a creation of the Dark Mechanicus after they broke through the Emperor's red line. This half-mechanical, half-demon creation has great differences in form and function, but they all have one thing in common - under the physical shell there must be a Chaos Demon bound inside it.

It is the demons that drive these engines, and as long as the demons are not destroyed, these evil creations will continue to operate.

The demon engines used by the Mechanicus are the demons that enslaved the Lord of Change. These beings are better at computing than war.

The Daemon Engines tortured their hosts, causing these Warp Daemons to scream as they were drained of their psychic energy to maintain the machinery's circuits and other functions.

"Enemy track locked."

"Space torpedo launch!"

Thousands of void torpedoes were launched from orbital platforms and space battleships. They were like a big net, woven together to try to stop the White Scars fleet that was accelerating.

There was nothing wrong with Ashurden's move. The calm veteran adopted the most harmless and safest measures to deal with the enemy.

The initiative is still in his hands.

The rebel warships turned all their weapons used for orbital bombardment around and fired continuously at the predetermined orbits.

Dazzling macro cannons and giant light spears traveled through the universe, seeming to illuminate the dark galaxy.

The cluster warheads carried by those torpedoes continued to split, differentiating into more coverage areas, locking down the area where the White Scars were hiding.

A scornful smile appeared on the Sons of Horus's commander's lips. The enemy commander was clearly a fool, having lost his composure on the battlefield and chosen to charge so recklessly. "Let me completely annihilate this enemy force and celebrate the arrival of the great Warmaster," the commander thought.

However, the next second, the data displayed on the screen by the scanning array surprised him.

The fleet that was attacking at nearly the speed of light disappeared in an instant. The light spots on the dark screen were dim, and no one knew where they had gone or where they were now.

"Is our machinery malfunctioning?!" Ashurden roared, calling out to the engine oilers of the Dark Mechanicus. This was an absolutely unforgivable act on the battlefield.

"Sir, I swear in the name of Ohm Messiah that our machines are extremely stable. The existence of the devil allows the power of the machines to be better exerted. There is absolutely no error."

"But they did disappear, and I need an explanation!"

At this moment, the screens and machines on the other side began to scream, and the communication servitor made a harsh noise. Ashurden walked closer and smashed the noisy servitor with one punch.

The enemy's signal suddenly appeared in another direction, with a completely different navigation track.

But how is this possible?

How is it possible that they were at one end of the galaxy one second and moved to the other side the next? Can they still change direction at a terrifying speed close to the speed of light?

Who the hell can answer me?

This was all too bizarre, and Ashurden couldn't accept it.

The demon engine immediately began to control the orbital defense system to turn, and those bloated warships also started their side engines so that these behemoths could move and lock onto the enemy again.

Ashurden gritted his teeth and commanded his troops to change their position, releasing another wave of firepower barrage and predictive coverage.

However, the thing that caused his cerebral hemorrhage happened again. The fleet changed its navigation trajectory again and appeared in another part of the galaxy.

"They're playing with us! Absolutely! Playing with us!"

The Son of Horus understood instantly that the reason the enemy had exposed themselves so early was to consume their weapons, ammunition and energy first. They had already used up the first few waves of ammunition, and the remaining supplies were still being transported.

The brief panic on the Sons of Horus' side obviously did not escape Chagatai Khan's eagle-like intuition. He had a calm smile on his face, thinking that the commander on the other side was still too immature.

If Horus was in command personally, his tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west would never work so easily.

Compared with the Primarch's command ability, the commander on the opposite side is still too weak.

"Cut through them!"

The White Scars' fleet formed their special "chisel" tactics, and the fleet with the Sky Eagle as the core finally broke into the enemy from the other corner of the galaxy before the enemy's defense system could react.

The huge Thundercloud-class planetary battleship wantonly released its terrifying firepower. The giant light spears destroyed the rebel warships like igniting fireworks, while at this moment they were still on guard in another direction and had not turned.

In terms of maneuverability, the gap between the two is too great. If the Sky Eagle is an agile jet spaceship, then Horus' army is a medieval sailing warship.

Reaction speed and movement speed are the key to flaws in this war. Chagatai only needs to deceive the enemy commander like a fool, constantly harass and defeat the opponent's psychology, and he will be able to break through the defense line they have painstakingly set up.

And now, having destroyed the obstacles and orbital systems that blocked their way, the White Scars fleet has penetrated deep into the galaxy. Such lucrative results are right before their eyes, ready for Chogoris' space cavalry to reap at will.

"For the Emperor! Charge them!" Khan's roar rang out in the communication channel, and many White Scars' space battleships immediately began to inflict heavy killings.

(End of this chapter)