Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 198 The decisive battle is coming
The First Legion's warships assembled and pressed forward from the left flank, forcing Ran Dan to hesitate to deploy troops.

The tide of the battle has turned completely.

From the moment Wolf King Leman Russ arrived, the human fleet turned the tables and launched its first offensive against Randan.

A massive void war has broken out!
The war correspondents were moved to tears, their eyes reflecting the flashes of the exploding warships.

They wielded their brushes to record this battle, which could be described as an "apocalyptic" event.

Every moment, warships exploded in the void, emitting muffled groans.

The proud warship carrying millions of people was reduced to a coffin by attacks from light spears and macro cannons.

Life is so fragile; warm lives vanish into the void, becoming mere burial goods for cold steel.

Blue plasma and orange light spears intertwined, the shield was instantly overloaded, and the torpedo blasted into the ship's cabin.

"So beautiful~ So magnificent~" The narrator at the porthole knelt on the ground, bent over and wrote with a quill pen, using words as a medium to depict the most poignant chapter.

Ruth's lips twitched, and he growled at the guard, "Throw him out!"

The narrator ignited an uncontrollable rage within him.

The sacrifice of the wolf pack and the deaths of the imperial people were seen as beautiful and magnificent by these literati.

If it is so beautiful and magnificent, then it needs no artistic embellishment or literary exaggeration.

Ruth's private guards—the Wolf Guards—rushed forward, grabbed the narrator by the back of his neck and collar, and dragged him off the bridge.

"No! No! No!" The narrator in the linen robe reached out, grasping at the view through the porthole, wailing and pleading incessantly.

“Let me see! Great Primarch, let me see, I want to record all of this. The people of the Empire must know all of this, so that these magnificent scenes may be forever etched in the annals of the Empire.”

"Pah!" Ruth's spittle landed precisely on the narrator's page: "Let them go. From now on, there will be no more narrators in the Space Wolves."

The Primarch's orders were not to be questioned, and the narrators were expelled from the Space Wolves' ships.

Those who were humble were imprisoned and guarded, while those who resisted stubbornly became copyists, continuing to shine with the power of words.

"My lord, the rear of the Randan fleet has dispatched ships to intercept us," the mechanical advisor warned, his mind connected to the oracle, detecting Randan's movement.

“Don’t worry about them,” Ruth waved dismissively, his hands resting on the command platform, making no move to respond.

"Doom is in charge of the big picture. My brother will handle this. He won't betray the wolves and put us in danger."

The Thinker Array activated its bionic mouthpiece, continuously reporting the battlefield situation: "The First Legion's fleet is attacking the aliens from the left side of the star system disk."

"The alien blocking fleet has turned back and is forced to engage the First Legion's attack fleet."

“Send a message,” Ruth’s golden eyebrows furrowed. Bad news had come from the fleet battle. “Tell the wolf pack to be cautious about boarding. The alien warships are full of traps.”

Just now, the wolves attempted to board the biological warship, only to discover that the interior was inhabited by the slave race of Randan.

A race completely different from humans, the aliens were completely controlled by Ran Dan and were responsible for carrying out space operations for Ran Dan.

Their fearless resistance, operating within the narrow, slippery pipes, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Space Marines.

Ruth immediately shared the intelligence with Doom and the humans, making the alien race's intelligence transparent and avoiding unnecessary losses to friendly forces.

On the holographic image, Ruth's large hand moved as fast as a phantom, constantly manipulating the fleet's movements and performing detailed micro-management.

Compared to when he returned to the Empire, his command style has matured considerably, and his methods of action are more sophisticated.

The space wolves charged into the enemy ranks, relentlessly pursuing the Randan fleet and making it difficult for them to escape.

The battle in the void is long; ten hours have passed since the Space Wolves joined the battle and the First Legion engaged the enemy.

The First Legion had extensive experience fighting Randan and achieved significant results in the battles on the left flank, destroying several small fleets.

The Space Wolves' attack was both organized and ferocious, killing fifty alien capital ships with minimal losses of their own.

Doom sat upright like a chess player, the battlefield unfolding before him resembling a giant chessboard.

His opponent was Ran Dan's space fleet commander.

"First Fleet, advance one million kilometers." Doom issued the order, instructing the First Fleet to begin operations to deter the Randan fleet.

The First Fleet's communications were fast, and he immediately sensed that the Royal Majesty was accelerating and beginning to advance.

On the chessboard, the ships of the First Fleet moved forward, approaching the star Morse by a million kilometers.

Soon, Ran Dan's defensive fleet responded. They advanced the same distance and began to increase their altitude, as if attempting to cross the star.

"Fleet, move to the left, assuming a surprise attack from the left side of the star." Doom remained calm, ignoring Randan's actions.

War is a struggle for initiative, and we must never allow ourselves to be held back by the enemy.

The Randan fleet immediately changed course and advanced from the flank and rear of the First Fleet, preparing to take advantage of this opportunity to head towards Morse Planet.

The alien commander's intention was clear: to force the First Fleet to turn around and defend.

"Full speed ahead, target: Battle Moon." Doom issued the order again, and the fleet engines roared to full power, heading straight for Battle Moon.

As expected, the Randan fleet turned again, flanking from the right rear of the fleet.

Doom had enough resources to take a risky gamble; he dared to entrust Maurice to Atum and let the Randan fleet go to support him.

But Commander Randan dared not gamble; the threat posed by the Royal Majesty was like the "Sword of Damocles" hanging over the moon of battle.

The commanders on both sides were like waging a war game, constantly adjusting their fleets' postures to engage in strategic maneuvering.

On the bridge of the HRAFIENKER, Ruth observed the overall situation and realized that his brother was playing something very new.

His eyes lit up, and he carefully observed the changes in the postures of both sides, learning the tactical thinking behind them.

Pulling and shifting. Two simple objectives, but relying on vastly different tactical thinking.

Rus watched as the Nur fleet and the Randan fleet danced in the void, pulling and probing each other.

This tug-of-war is a war without gunfire.

For three full Terra days, the battles on both the left and right flanks were fierce, and the fleet battle gradually reached its climax.

The central fleets of both sides did not fire a single shot, as if they were unrelated to the battlefield.

"Everyone, we're about to launch our final assault." Doom made the final arrangements before the assault in the holographic channel.

After three days of attrition, the flanking forces achieved fewer and fewer victories, and Ran Dan was also adapting to human combat tactics.

Doom clearly realized that this would not yield any further significant results, and once the losses exceeded expectations, Randan would leave completely.

Now, the only way forward is to charge ahead, even at a cost, in order to reap rich rewards.

“The timing was perfect.” Ruth agreed wholeheartedly; Doom’s attack occurred at roughly the same time he had predicted.

After the light appetizers, it's time to rush in and feast.

There is no war without bloodshed. The brothers have done their best to wear down Ran Dan's strength to the greatest extent possible.

“Yes,” Doom said solemnly, maintaining his authority in front of all the commanders: “Randan will not send any more fleets. The amount of investment in this war has exceeded their expectations.”

"They are now likely to want to abandon this place to avoid greater losses."

"My lord. Leave the alien behind, and the First Legion will be ready to charge ahead!" Grand Master Urian tightened his face, not daring to lose the legion's resolve in front of the two Primarchs.

“Only in this way can we prevent the Xenomorphs from escaping.” Doom nodded, but his gaze swept past him and instead turned to the Lord of the Void Army: “Only through sacrifice can we severely damage the Xenomorphs.”

“I obey your command.” The Lord of the Heavenly Army knelt in the holographic image. “The First Legion will not bring shame upon you.”

Doom nodded heavily, then looked at Ruth, his Primarch brother.

He wanted to say something, but then he remembered that his brother was a man of substance; Ruth, like himself, was a Primarch and knew the cruelty of war.

“A worthy death.” Doom said nothing else, but spoke of the insights they had gained on the Soul of Vengeance years ago.

“A worthy death.” Ruth nodded heavily, then smiled wryly, his expression softening. “Don’t forget your promise.”

"Of course not." The heavy atmosphere vanished instantly, and Doom chuckled, laughing and cursing, "Want to have another match with me?"

"You just wait!" Ruth's eyes widened as he recalled his defeat, and the holographic image pointed at Doom: "This time I'm going to drink you under the table."

Doom gave a disdainful look, spreading his hands and looking down at everything: "I have no fear."

Ruth grinned and abruptly disconnected the communication.

Doom's expression turned serious again: "Notify the fleet to launch a general offensive against Randan! All troops, attack!"

(Two chapters today, a bit busy)
(End of this chapter)