Chapter 564, Fleet Battle
On the war ark ‘Alfonzo II’, the meeting of the sages ended urgently.
There is absolutely no need to continue driving.
The core theme of their meeting was to summarize information and try to determine the location of the alliance's main fleet.
But now, no more.
The alliance's main fleet has appeared in front of them and launched a strong attack on them.
In the large conference hall where the sages were sitting, the surrounding screens immediately lit up, and the observation signals from the outside of the starship were received one after another. Some of them are processed pictures, and the other part are pure data streams.
These data flows, on conventional human ships, require specialized technical experts to access the information, process and translate it, and then report it to the captain and commander.
But on the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet, no need.
The sages are both commanders and highly skilled technicians.
Information is connected to the core processor of the brain, and they can quickly understand what is happening.
They were ambushed by the Alliance's main fleet. Seven of the eight giant ships mentioned in the intelligence were present. Only the Flying Wing, which had been attacked by the angry flames and suffered serious damage, seemed to be present.
However, in the absence of the Flying Wing, a 'Ghost Shark' battle barge was added. This is the flagship of the Blood Shark Chapter, a battle barge specialized in rapid strikes.
The overall combat effectiveness has definitely increased.
But no matter what, the strength of the Ark Fleet is far superior to that of the Alliance.
This made the seven mechanical sages on the 'Alfonzo II' feel a huge sense of disbelief:
"How dare they?"
Not only was this what they were thinking, one sage even said it directly.
I can't figure it out no matter how much I think about it.
ambush?
This was indeed an ambush. After entering the Bowang galaxy, they made contact with the local planet. Bowang Star should not have turned to the Alliance so far, and they also said that they have not observed any trace of the Alliance fleet.
Now it seems that it may have been a deception, or the Alliance used some means to cover up their whereabouts, so that the Alliance's actions in space could not be observed on Bowang Star.
The latter is more likely, because before the Alliance fleet took the initiative to take action, the Ark Fleet could not find any trace of the Alliance, so naturally it could not be demanding of the people of Bowang Star.
Of course, this doesn't matter anymore.
The alliance has shown up, and pursuing the cause is not the current thing to do.
Ambush naturally has advantages for the attacker.
But in interstellar naval battles, the advantages that ambush can bring are very limited.
Instead of being accurately ambushed at the jump point, there will be situations where the void shield and firepower system need to be restarted. During normal navigation, although the ship will not activate the void shield at full strength, according to the standards of safe navigation, these defense systems must still operate at a minimum level.
As soon as they are hit, they can immediately increase their operating power and enter combat status.
The same goes for the fire system.
The Alliance ship opened fire, and the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet was able to use the fire control system to target the Alliance ship and quickly fire back.
Through the ambush, the alliance only gained an initial advantage.
It was indeed useful. In the early stage of the attack, the Mechanicus fleet suffered a wave of fire when the shield was not fully activated. Then, with the shield activated at full strength, another round of volleys was fired, and then the counterattack began.
But overall, the damage is not big.
It is actually quite extreme for the Alliance to launch an attack without being discovered by the Mechanical Ark fleet. No matter how powerful the concealment method is, it cannot be discovered until it is very close to the Ark Fleet.
The fighting distance between the two sides was quite far.
The farther the distance, the hit rate of various weapons will decrease; in addition to missile weapons, the power of macro cannons and light spears will also be attenuated to a certain extent.
In this way, the threat posed by the two rounds of firepower that the alliance can unleash is actually relatively limited.
The Ark fleet suffered some damage as a result, but it was mainly concentrated on some small ships.
Their destruction had little effect on the strength of the entire fleet.
When the Ark fleet launched a counterattack, the alliance was naturally damaged, and some small ships were destroyed.
Overall, the Ark Fleet must have suffered more losses.
But it's completely within the acceptable range.
And next, the two sides set up their positions and fought head-on.
At this stage, the first-mover advantage gained by the alliance through the ambush has been realized, and it is finally time for both sides to compete with the hard power of the fleet.
The Alliance fleet would have no advantage in this regard.
So, why did the Alliance fleet take the initiative to fight this battle?
I originally thought that such a well-hidden alliance had some huge conspiracy, and the sages had held more than one meeting for this purpose.
Result, that's it?
Is that Gu Hang crazy?
Alfonzo's sages really couldn't understand this problem.
"It's not a bad thing. At least, we now know exactly where the alliance's main fleet is, don't we?"
"They're right in front of us."
"Destroy them! Victory belongs to Alfonzo!"
Since then, a naval battle that could be regarded as the largest in the entire Proud Claw Star Territory in hundreds of years broke out.
The total number of battlecruiser-level and above ships participating in the battle on both sides has reached twenty-two! Added up, that may be worth more than one trillion tax coins.
The outcome of this war will directly determine the trend of the entire southern battlefield.
In an instant, the ships of both sides launched a fleet battle, bombarding each other frantically.
The brilliance drawn by countless light spears, macro cannons, and missiles covered this large area of airspace.
In the starry sky, firelight and explosions intertwined into a spectacular war picture. The macro cannons and light spears of Alfonzo's fleet bombarded the Alliance ships, and each bombardment made the space tremble, as if it was tearing the void apart. Although the Alliance fleet fought back hard, it was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of firepower. Under the continuous attacks, the energy of their ship shields gradually weakened, and some cracks began to appear.
The Sages of Alfonzo's fleet exchange battlefield information through the internal communication network.
"Our firepower is superior, continue to suppress!" A sage's voice rang out on the network, and his words were immediately recognized by others.
In this contest of strength, Alfonzo's fleet was determined to defeat its opponent in one go.
A Dragon Serpent-class battlecruiser of the Ark Fleet: "Iron Will" is at the forefront of the battle line.
Its main gun is like a deadly scythe, harvesting the lives of enemy ships time and time again. Its captain, a commanding bishop who is almost integrated with the ship's command structure on the ship's bridge, is understanding the battlefield situation through countless messages sent directly to his mind. At the same time, countless messages were sent out from his mind, and with the help of many servo skulls and engine prophets, they were transformed into action orders that activated various functional units of the ship.
The overall strength of the alliance fleet still needs to be affirmed. Eight giant ships are a force that cannot be underestimated no matter what.
However, in the current head-on battle, the Ark Fleet, which had an absolute advantage in firepower, still quickly suppressed its opponent.
Especially the Emperor-class battleship and the War Ark. These two are two huge Star Wars core firepower platforms. One is more powerful than three.
Under their cover, the 'Iron Will' was at home on the battlefield, and many Alliance ships had been destroyed by it. And now, it has set its target on an Alliance moon-class cruiser.
The ship's shields were already red, and it was battered by artillery fire from all sides. It was moving in the formation of the alliance fleet, trying to hide behind and gain time to restore the void shield.
However, the 'Iron Will' did not intend to give the opponent this opportunity.
The Moon-class ship did not realize that it was being targeted, and as long as the 'Iron Will' used its its destruction.
Although a moon-class ship is not one of the eight giant ships of the alliance, it is by no means unimportant.
Destroy one, and the firepower of the Alliance fleet will be reduced. Victory is accumulated little by little.
However, at this moment,
The void shield of the "Iron Will" suddenly appeared abnormal. The shield surface fluctuated erratically, as if it was being torn apart by some unknown force.
In the bridge, the alarm suddenly sounded, and the captain immediately issued an order: "Strive all your strength to stabilize the void shield! Adjust the course and avoid the focus area of fire!"
But it was too late.
In the next moment, the void shield of the 'Iron Will' completely collapsed.
Immediately afterwards, as if premeditated, the Alliance fleet hit the shieldless hull with a series of missiles and light spears.
The armor of the battle cruiser is not an advantage. Without the void shield, the speed advantage cannot be fully exerted in this kind of decisive battle environment. The survivability of the battlecruiser that was under fire was actually no better than that of the Moon-class ship that they had just targeted. Where to go.
Amidst the fierce gunfire, a huge explosion tore the once mighty battlecruiser into pieces, and the wreckage and fire scattered in the space.
This scene was captured by other Alfonzo ships and immediately caused a commotion.
The loss of the 'Iron Will' was a huge blow to the Alfonzo fleet. It was not only a loss in strength, but also a heavy blow to morale.
The sages quickly adjusted their tactics to try to make up for this sudden vacancy.
"Find out the cause immediately, we can't let this happen again!" The voices of the sages were transmitted nervously and quickly in the communication network.
The situation on the battlefield changed in an instant. The offensive of Alfonzo's fleet became slightly chaotic due to this unexpected situation, and the balance of the war seemed to begin to swing at this moment.
But they still possess great firepower and an unbreakable will.
The wise men of Alfonzo's fleet knew that victory in this battle was still within their grasp.
However, the loss of a battlecruiser still hurts.
Alfonzo was certainly impressive, but there were only nine giant ships like battle cruisers in their fleet.
What's more, the way the "Iron Will" died was a bit too bizarre.
We must find out the reasons, and more importantly, we must find solutions, otherwise the trouble will be too big.
The reason was quickly identified by them: psionic energy.
It was the power of psychic energy that tore apart the void shield of the 'Iron Will'.
"Gu Hang...and the Alliance's Storm Mage Group...the psychic power they control is more powerful than what was mentioned in the intelligence."
Du Bo made this judgment.
Paulson said: "Sage Du Bo, we cannot let Gu Hang continue to do this, otherwise even if we can win the final victory, the losses will become unacceptable. Now, only you have the ability to fight against his spirit. Yes.”
"You don't need to say it."
Sage Du Bo said a word and left the bridge.
His body, assisted by the mechanical structure, floated and passed through the corridors inside the ship at extremely fast speeds, arriving at a secret cabin.
Here, there is a huge machine, its surface is covered with complex lines and symbols, emitting a faint blue light, as if whispering the oldest secret of the universe. At the center of the machine is a sphere composed of an energy field, in which a huge and strange creature is imprisoned.
Its appearance is intimidating, like a long worm. The body was dark purple in color, and its surface was covered with writhing blood vessels and tendons, making it look twisted and disgusting. Its head is unusually large and covered in a chitinous shell. The gaps in the shell are filled with dense eyes, each one emitting a green light, revealing its psychic power. Its tentacles kept rubbing the energy field, making an unsettling buzzing sound.
People who have an in-depth understanding of the Void Zerg can quickly determine that this is a very rare thing among the Void Zerg: a neuroprotozoa, or it can also be called a brainworm tyrant.
Cerebrates may be the latest evolved type of void insect beasts. There was no such insect in the few historical records of the void insect race a thousand years ago.
The earliest reports occurred thousands of years ago. Especially in the past few hundred years, it has become more common.
Some reports believe that this is a newly evolved war machine after the Void Zerg successfully cracked and transformed the genes of some psykers, or even a powerful psionic race.
They are powerful psykers with access to the concentrated psychic powers of the Hive Elder Brain.
These creatures have evolved to such an extreme that their shrunken bodies and bulging heads are powered entirely by psychic energy. They can only rely on psychic energy to levitate themselves, hover above the battlefield, launch psychic attacks on the enemies below, or transmit orders from the Hive Mastermind to the smaller Tyranids.
And ‘tyrant’ is the name given to some powerful individuals in the Void Zerg.
When the two are combined, one can imagine how powerful the Neuroprotozoa, known as the Brainworm Tyrant, is.
And this one, even among the recorded brainworm tyrants in the empire, is particularly large.
Sage Du Bo stretched out his hands, and countless nerve cords protruded from his arms and back, linking to the equipment in front of him.
As he operated, the brainworm's eyes began to flash more frequently, and its tentacles also accelerated the frequency of rubbing.
Suddenly, a strong psychic wave was released from the brainworm's body, penetrated the energy field, and spread into space. Like a giant net, it captures the psychic forces wandering in space.
These forces were originally under Gu Hang's control and could act arbitrarily, but now they encountered unprecedented opponents.
In the void of space, two psychic forces began a fierce confrontation.
Spiritual energy is intangible and qualityless, but when the two collide with each other, they will emit substantial light waves.
The psychic storms collided and made a deafening roar - this sound was not transmitted through trembling sound waves, but more like it resounded directly in the mind of every creature.
Visible light waves intersect with the storm. Sometimes the brainworm's psychic waves gain the upper hand and suppress the storm; sometimes the storm counterattacks and tears the light waves apart.
This silent battle was staged in the starry sky, like two invisible giant beasts fighting. Every collision distorted the surrounding space and directly had some impact on all the starships present.
The exchange of information between starships, and even within starships, has been greatly disrupted. Even if the anti-interference equipment is fully loaded, it cannot be completely shielded.
The decisive battle between the ships of both sides became chaotic and excessive.
Gu Hang was on his own bridge, the blue light in his eyes already extremely bright.
The power of countless psykers from the Storm Mages is linked to him. But in the confrontation just now, several storm mages couldn't stand it.
He was in good condition, just bleeding from his mouth and nose, and looking depressed. He was able to disconnect the psychic link, and then crawled aside to rest.
He was in such a bad state that his brain exploded into a bloody mist.
Gu Hang's brows furrowed.
The intensity of the psychic power that suddenly appeared on the battlefield was something he had not expected.
Of course, Gu Hang would not be so naive as to think that the Alfonzo Ark fleet would have no means of countering psychic powers due to its huge size.
But in general, the Mechanicus Cult is not a force that is good at utilizing psychic energy. They may have some strange technology that can protect them. It's not common to just use psychic power to do something proactively.
It's just that the current situation exceeded his estimate.
It is not impossible to say that Alfonzo also raised a powerful psychic.
However, the scale of psychic power that appeared on the battlefield was a bit too high.
This is definitely the level of an Alpha level psyker.
This means that this is definitely not a power that mortals can control.
Where can Alfonzo find a stable Alpha class for them to use?
What's even more strange is that Gu Hang can also feel that the spiritual power that is fighting against him has a very strange... smell.
It didn't look like human psykers, nor did it look like the psychic powers used by the abyss demons that Gu Hang had dealt with many times.
What is this?
————
5k
Still owe 115
(End of chapter)