The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Chapter 2910: Escaping the Serpent's Mouth (Part 2)

Upon receiving the order, the ships in the evacuation zone commenced a concentrated barrage. Besides the Eternal Crusader, the main attacking force included the Yellow Springs-class heavy cruiser Serpent King, the Executioner-class large cruiser Silver Redemption, and the battle barge Remembrance. They launched massive shells and searing lasers into the void, with intense beams striking the Tyranid bio-ships.

The Eternal Crusader's main cannon unleashed a stunning blow. In a burst of scorching, brilliant light, a colossal Devourer ship was torn apart. Mountain-sized fragments exploded from the bio-ship, its soft innards rupturing from the sudden decompression. Viscera stretching for kilometers spilled into space, then were caught by gravity fields, plunging through the atmosphere towards the planet's surface. The shattered husk glowed with red-hot intensity, the pink flesh cooking as it slammed onto the planet.

However, entanglement was not the intention.

"Report! The last transport ship has completed personnel and equipment recovery!"

"Notify all ships, engines at full power!"

The Imperial fleet, having already adjusted its heading, immediately accelerated, racing along the planet's orbit towards the opposite side.

"The other two fleets, disengage immediately and head to the edge of the system for warp jump."

At this moment, the Hive Fleet still swarming around the planet was in the "start-up" phase. Though eager to hunt down the human ships, it couldn't immediately act, and thus vented its fury on the "nearby" evacuation fleet. It could sense the presence of the individual it feared within their ranks.

"These Tyranid bio-ships are truly terrifying marvels."

As a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted through the busy bridge, the highly stressed mortals felt a jolt as their somewhat dazed minds cleared, though none dared to question the cause.

With no outsiders present on the Eternal Crusader, Soch followed Veronica's appearance on the bridge in silence. When she said she wanted to see what a Tyranid Hive Fleet looked like, he had no reason to refuse.

Soch nodded, and said in a low voice:

"They come from beyond the galaxy. Their scale and numbers are still unknown, but their presence from the Ultima Segmentum to the Stormfront Sector indicates a wide range of activity."

Veronica sighed softly.

"Is there truly no sanctuary in the universe?"

"Sanctuary is something we create ourselves, but the emergence of the Tyranids also represents a different kind of hope. At least in the face of such a great threat, even the most stubborn xeno-haters must accept some compromises."

By now, the fleet had made a sharp turn around the planet's orbit, a maneuver the Hive Mind didn't immediately anticipate. The relatively slow speed of the Tyranid bio-ships within the system became a fatal weakness. They strained to catch up, unable to match the fully engaged Imperial ships accelerating with orbital assistance.

Some crew members couldn't understand why they weren't immediately retreating, but Veronica had already guessed Soch's intention, a smile appearing on her face.

"You're looking for an opportunity to deploy a destruction weapon."

"Exactly. I've provoked it, so it will definitely come after me. The Hive Mind can't resist the temptation to eliminate me. But we're much faster than them. They'll follow us around the planet, taking a longer path than they currently are. They won't catch anything, and we'll slip away."

"A gravitational slingshot."

Soch nodded slightly, glanced at the time, and then announced loudly:

"Launch atmospheric incineration torpedoes!"

In the next second, six atmospheric incineration torpedoes were launched sequentially towards the planet below.

These torpedoes were one of the Imperium's primary weapons for executing Exterminatus, their function being to literally ignite all the oxygen on the target planet, turning it into a blazing miniature sun for a very long time.

As the six torpedoes entered the atmosphere, a catastrophic explosion erupted. Horrific pillars of plasma fire erupted from tens of thousands of meters in the air, the immense power causing the entire world to shake violently. The air ignited rapidly, and rolling flames rose around the planet.

Countless Tyranid organisms shrieked and were annihilated in the flames and shockwaves. Vast capillary towers were torn apart and set ablaze, even the pervasive toxic mists becoming accelerants, allowing the inferno to spread across the land.

From orbit, the planet's surface appeared as a field of rapidly blooming flowers of death.

The Hive Mind finally realized what was happening, and unleashed a roar of terror. Even ordinary people without psychic potential could feel the sharp screeching in their ears. Veronica frowned, and an invisible psychic barrier rose to resist the roar, comparable to the rage of a god.

But by this time, the human fleet had completed its "charge," launching from the planet's orbit like an arrow released from a bow, piercing through the Tyranid swarm's bewildered interception. Except for two frigates that were unfortunately rammed and sunk, the remaining ships successfully escaped, accelerating towards the edge of the system. The Hive Fleet, once a constricting serpent strangling its prey, had become a clumsy snake entangled with a burning coal. The Hive Mind frantically tried to reclaim all recoverable biomass, unable to pursue Soch's escaping forces.

Soon, the three fleets converged, abandoned the destroyed system, and engaged their warp drives, entering hyperspace.

During this time, Soch convened a post-battle summary meeting with all the chapter masters and company commanders. He commended Malakin's actions, then presented a series of data collected during ground and space combat, conducting a comprehensive analysis of this Tyranid Hive Fleet. The consensus was that this fleet possessed a very strong learning ability and rate of evolution, with a large number of biological weapons not found in existing Imperial records. Nurus stated that the Imperial Tyranid database had not been updated for over a century, and the operational data needed to be promptly submitted to the Ordo Xenos as new assessment material. Soch had no objections to this.

After all, the Inquisition was still the most convenient organization to mobilize Imperial forces. Completely bypassing them was ultimately unrealistic.

After the meeting, Soch also led everyone to a Mechanicus warship, a ship belonging to Zhao-Arkhad. Although it also participated in the operation, its main role was research, and its interior was filled with research labs and cages.

"...Based on the dissection data of one hundred Tyranid organisms of various sizes, we have discovered a unique phenomenon."

In a large circular laboratory, over a dozen corpses of Tyranid Warrior bugs and Hormagaunts with different weapon types were suspended on tall metal frames. Their carapaces and skins were torn open by countless tiny silver hooks, fully exposing their internal structures. Even their skulls had been cut in half, displaying the brain tissue to the audience. All of this was done with preservatives, and a layer of shiny oil film could be seen covering them.