The Bishop's fanaticism was not a bit weaker than the Deacon's beside him.
Using his maximum authority, this Bishop sent out a message to all other Bishops and the even higher-ranking Overseer, calling for an emergency meeting.
He explicitly stated that the matter was of grave importance and that everyone must attend, offering his own position as Bishop as a guarantee.
"All we have to do next is wait."
Trazyn set off, walking deeper into the stronghold.
The corridors on both sides were no longer just painted with symbols of the Marker; instead, physical objects related to the Marker were placed there.
For instance, there were small replica Markers. Although they had no actual effect, even an ordinary person just looking at the strange patterns on them would hear whispering voices, as if constantly unearthing the internal desires of intelligent beings.
Of course, these had no effect on the two metal skeletons who didn't have a single scrap of flesh on them.
They entered a room filled with corpses, its walls painted with various symbols in blood.
The bodies of all Unitologists after death would be reclaimed by the Church for research, in an attempt to discover the secrets of Convergence.
"The Marker—"
Trazyn recalled some information mentioned by the human who had sent him to this universe.
"These ancient creations known as 'Markers' can warp genes and flesh, influence minds and souls, and ultimately forge a sentient planet of flesh."
Based on the internal Unitology data Trazyn had absorbed during this time, that statement was not wrong.
The so-called Convergence was the unification of all flesh into a single flesh planet.
But, which civilization had created such a terrifying 'weapon'?
Trazyn pondered.
He had already absorbed a vast amount of information from the human civilization here and had found no trace of anything related to the Old Ones, so they could be temporarily ruled out.
In that case, the Markers must have been created by another species native to this universe?
Trazyn did not yet know anything about the Brethren Moons; he only regarded the Marker as some kind of weapon.
"My Master, the first batch of Bishops has arrived at the stronghold."
7
The Bishop controlled by the Heart-Lock Beetle spoke respectfully.
"Tell me when everyone is in place."
Trazyn didn't want to waste time controlling the Unitology leadership batch by batch; catching them all in one net was the most convenient way.
"Yes—"
Trazyn didn't have to wait long. Soon, most of the Bishops in Unitology had arrived at the stronghold on the Titan Space Station.
Although the humans here possessed interstellar travel capabilities, the Sol System remained the core of their civilization. Unitology here was naturally deeply entrenched and had the largest number of followers.
Coupled with the impact of dwindling energy resources, the quality of life for civilians was declining, leading to the continuous expansion of Unitology's influence, to the point where it almost rivaled the government authorities.
In the meeting hall at the deepest part of the stronghold, eleven Bishops gathered; only one Bishop far away in another star system was unable to arrive in time.
Seated at the head of the table was the actual power holder of Unitology and the leader of the extremist faction within the church, Overseer Danik.
"Bishop Jacques, explain to us immediately the reason for calling such an emergency meeting."
Someone among the Council of Bishops spoke impatiently.
These high-ranking members of Unitology had all come in the midst of busy schedules. If they didn't receive a satisfactory answer, they would certainly bring down the Bishop who had summoned them.
"I have brought a new master to Unitology! Humanity shall be reborn!"
Controlled by Heart-Lock Beetles, the fanatical Bishop Jacques and Deacon Mowen shouted in unison.
"The doctrine of Convergence is nothing but a false lie! Only the new master can grant salvation!"
"You have gone mad!"
The members of the Council of Bishops were utterly shocked, never expecting the man who summoned them to utter such sacrilegious words.
"Guards! Seize these two heretics!"
Some Bishops began to shout, wanting to call in armed personnel, but they received no response.
At the same time, someone noticed with even greater bewilderment that Overseer Danik, who should have been the most enraged, had for some reason failed to react.
Trazyn and the cryptek watched all this from the shadows; tiny Heart-Lock Beetles had already quietly invaded the brains of these people.
"This should be completely isolated from the outside world, right?"
"Everything's been checked; there are no problems."
Also on the Titan Space Station, in a remote room within the outer civilian sector, Isaac, Hammond, Daniels, and Leon were gathered together.
This was a place they had just found to stay, serving as a temporary base.
"It's been ten years, and the scenery here still hasn't changed much."
Isaac stood by the window, looking outside.
Daniels shook her head.
"That's not a good thing, at least not for the people here. You don't even have to think about it to know that the energy depletion problem still hasn't been solved. I'm afraid it won't be long before the EGCA regime collapses."
"Moreover, the disappearance of the Ishimura is likely to make matters even worse."
Hammond, standing to the side, added.
"Yeah, if the energy depletion problem weren't so severe, I doubt so many people would believe in that bullshit Unitology."
Isaac thought of his mother, who had squandered the family fortune for Unitology.
"Planet Crackers are ultimately just a temporary fix. After all these years, the EGCA still hasn't found a way to efficiently utilize resources and energy. With the continuous population growth, a collapse is only a matter of time."
"Perhaps the Universal Union—"
Although Leon was not from the Dead Space world, through his interactions with the other three during this time, he had come to understand the general situation here.
Isaac withdrew his gaze from the window and interrupted Leon before he could finish.
"I know what you want to say—it's nothing more than having the Universal Union come to this world to save the humans here, but things aren't as simple as you think."
"You should have seen the Brethren Moon controlled by the Universal Union, but that was merely an immature specimen."
"There are an unknown number of fully matured Brethren Moons in this world, and every single one of them poses a significant threat to the Universal Union."
"Plus, now we have that guy we need to monitor here—"
"In short, for now and for some time to come, the Universal Union will not intervene in this world on a large scale."
Although he was from the Dead Space world, for Isaac, who had lost his parents and his lover, there was nothing left here worth cherishing. Instead, the Universal Union, where he had stayed for over a decade, was now what he cared about most.
Daniels and Hammond shared the same attitude.
the Universal Union's priority was higher than that of the humans in this world.
While they were talking.
"Knock, knock-knock-knock, knock, knock-knock."
A rhythmic knocking sound came from the door.
With a thought, Telekinesis was used to unlock the door.
Ada Wong, dressed in a red dress, walked into the room.
"There's a situation at the Unitology stronghold. A large number of Unitologists are suddenly rushing there from different locations across various space stations, including high-level members of bishop rank."
"At the same time, the counter-reconnaissance intensity around the stronghold has increased by several levels. To avoid exposure, I returned early."
"Unitology wouldn't summon so many people with such fanfare for no reason. I'm afraid it's because of our target."
Isaac's group had arrived at the Titan Space Station earlier than Trazyn; the FTL speed of the ship they traveled on was faster than the old-fashioned Shockpoint Engines.
"What should we do next?"
Everyone looked at Isaac, the captain of this operation.
"Don't be in a hurry to make any rash moves."
Isaac said unhurriedly.
"Trazyn's goals are nothing more than the Marker and finding a way back, and he most likely won't excessively interfere with the development of humanity here."
"Furthermore, Trazyn doesn't know us, so we can just continue to remain undercover."
"In a week, if no major events occur on the Titan Space Station during this time, we'll head to Earth."
"Sooner or later, Trazyn will be unable to resist making contact with the Black Marker on Earth."
"1"
"My Lord—"
Inside the Unitology stronghold, eleven bishops and one pope were kneeling on the ground, shouting fanatically.
At this moment, Trazyn had finally gained control over almost the entire Unitology.
This organization, originally spawned by the Marker to incite human civil war to nourish newborn Brethren Moons, was now controlled by a metal skeleton.
It was truly the height of irony.
Furthermore, due to the Heart-Lock Beetles' forced mental distortion and the Marker's subtle, long-term influence, the interaction between the two caused these Unitologists to actually regard Trazyn as their new savior.
They believed that only Trazyn could lead them into an eternal heaven.
After having statues erected in his honor for worship and admiration on Serenade, Trazyn had now inexplicably gained the status of a savior, or even a god.
"Hmm, this is a moment worth collecting."
Trazyn muttered softly, though he still forced himself to suppress the urge to put all the bishops and the pope before him into Tesseract stasis.
"Firstly, I still needed to use these high-ranking members of Unitology to achieve my next goals."
"Secondly, my current equipment and supplies are running low, and I cannot afford such waste."
But his optical recorder still duplicated the video data at least hundreds of times, burying it all deep within his memory core.
"Danik."
"My Lord, I am here."
Pope Danik, whose name was called by Trazyn, responded immediately, showing none of the arrogance or madness he once displayed before ordinary people or even regular followers.
"Gather all data concerning the Markers here. Remember, I mean all of it."
Trazyn emphasized.
"Speed is not important; it must be detailed."
"As you command."
Trazyn had already hacked into the databases of this Unitology stronghold and even the entire Titan Space Station, obtaining countless records from which he had organized and categorized those related to the Markers.
However, many of Unitology's records were not stored on the Titan Space Station but were on Earth or beyond the Sol System.
Soon, Trazyn learned about the different classifications of Markers.
The first and largest, the Black Marker, landed on Earth sixty million years ago, causing the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event and subsequently prompting the rise of mammals and even humanity.
Later, through research on the Black Marker, humans reverse-engineered red markers, though most were covered up and destroyed by the government of that time.
"It could actually be replicated by the low-level technology of the humans here?"
"77"
Trazyn was somewhat surprised.
Perhaps the Marker was not as simple as just a weapon, as he had initially expected.
Both the principles and structure of such a terrifying weapon would be extremely complex; it should be nearly impossible for a low-level civilization to attempt reverse engineering and replication.
"Perhaps the beings that created the Markers wanted humans and other low-level civilizations to replicate them?"
Trazyn's mind matrix operated at high speed, and he soon had a new conjecture, one that was incredibly close to the truth.
"After the data collection is complete, it will be necessary to take a trip to this Earth and see that Black Marker for myself—"
"It's been quite a while since I've been able to contact that fellow."
In the pitch-black tomb, the thought matrix of Hamanet the Restless was whirring.
"Defection? Or an accident?"
Hamanet, one of the current de facto rulers of the Necron Charakura Dynasty, was also a powerful Cryptek.
It had been several months since he lost contact with the sleeper Cryptek from Neruovkov, who should have already arrived within the dynasty's borders.
Unlike those Necrons who were indifferent to the passage of time, The Restless One was exceptionally sensitive and attentive to it.
He clearly didn't know yet that the Cryptek had the misfortune of running into Trazyn and was subsequently tossed into another universe by Gu Yuan along with him. "I need to respond; I cannot leave Neruovkov alone—"
The mission of that Cryptek, who was supposed to return and report, wasn't just about bringing back the technological data stolen from Neruovkov.
It concerned that important planet, Neruovkov, and The Restless One's subsequent plan—a plan that would allow him to completely seize control of the Charakura Dynasty.
Several of The Restless One's thought matrices provided solutions.
His massive frame swept through the tomb's corridors, where rows of sarcophagi emitted a faint green glow.
An endless mechanical army was awakening.
But this was merely the tip of the iceberg for the Charakura Dynasty.
Strong as The Restless One was, the Council of Crypteks that currently controlled the Charakura Dynasty had no shortage of beings who were his equals.
To break this deadlock and monopolize the power of the entire dynasty, The Restless One would do whatever it took.
"The faction currently occupying Neruovkov—"
The Restless One accessed his memory core.
"The Union? A newly risen human separatist faction? No matter, I shall crush them."
Since the Cryptek had gone missing, The Restless One no longer wished to wait. Instead, he planned to directly dispatch troops to occupy the vital planet of Neruovkov.
"Awaken, my future subjects—"
The Restless One was merely a Cryptek, not an Overlord or Phaeron who could directly mobilize the dynasty's military forces.
He and the other Crypteks had simply found ways to bypass the dynasty's automated defense mechanisms and steal authorization.
Every Cryptek of Charakura wanted to become the sole and supreme Phaeron, defeating all other competitors.
Before long, The Restless One received communications from several other Crypteks.
"Hamanet, we have noticed you are mobilizing the dynasty's forces without authorization. This is a prohibited act."
"The Charakura Dynasty's forces are already sparse. Large-scale troop movements will lead to unnecessary waste and might even startle those slumbering fellows."
The Cryptek's tone was accusatory.
The Restless One responded calmly.
"One of my subordinate Crypteks disappeared on a remote Tomb World in the southwestern Pacific Segmentum. That place has been occupied and defiled by wretched humans."
"For the glory of the Necrons, we ought to purge those inferior creatures."
The words sounded grand, but the Crypteks were not nobles; they didn't buy into this talk of flags and honor at all.
"Ridiculous. This is a meaningless waste of resources. Restless One, you should cease your actions immediately."
One Cryptek sneered, making no attempt to hide his disdain for Hamanet.
No emotional fluctuations could be seen on the latter's metallic visage.
"We have survived in the shadows between the three Great Dynasties for too long. Is this not the perfect opportunity to expand outward?"
"Or is it that even if one of you successfully usurps the position of Phaeron, you are content to be the ruler of a miniature dynasty?"
Hamanet knew what his colleagues valued most.
"Those occupying Neruovkov are but a group of weak humans. Our army can wipe them out in an instant. Not only that, we can use this opportunity to further push into the southwestern Pacific Segmentum instead of continuing to be squeezed between the three Great Dynasties."
""
"Hmph, this is nothing but your sophistry!"
Some Crypteks weren't swayed by this rhetoric.
"If you truly have such foresight, why not hand over control of the troops to all of us together!"
Other Crypteks felt that what Hamanet said was indeed reasonable. As for military power, not every Cryptek wanted to take on that hot potato; they all had a mountain of their own matters to handle.
They were either searching for ways to steal more of the dynasty's authority, or dissecting and studying the humans who scurried around the galaxy, or conducting other research projects.
"Then let us hold the sacred voting ritual!"
Hamanet's staff slammed against the blackstone floor.
The Cryptek Association followed the iron rule of majority vote, but these Crypteks, each with their own ulterior motives, almost never reached a unified consensus on anything. It was rare for their opinions to align perfectly.
"Then let us vote! I demand that The Restless One immediately stop awakening the army and return those already awakened to stasis."
The Cryptek most opposed to Hamanet immediately agreed to the vote and proposed a demand completely contrary to Hamanet's proposal.
The other Crypteks also agreed to the voting plan and submitted their own requirements at the same time.
Originally, almost all the Crypteks thought this would end up like before—failing to reach a conclusion due to lack of consensus.
But unexpectedly, one of the Crypteks who had remained silent all along actually cast a vote in favor of Hamanet's actions.
Once a choice was made, it could not be retracted. A majority had been reached.
Hamanet secretly smiled.
As a Cryptek who valued efficiency and time above all, and who insisted on doing almost everything himself, he had long ago used various means to control certain Crypteks within the council specifically for such critical moments.
"For the glory of the Council and the Dynasty! I shall lead the troops forth to crush those tiny vermin who defile our race's territory!"
Hamanet the Restless spread his arms, and countless metal sarcophagi around him erupted with eerie green light.
Metal skeletons stepped out of the sarcophagi one by one, kneeling on the ground as if having an audience with their Phaeron.
"Restless One! You had better do as you say! If you make any other shameful moves, the Council will punish you!"
The Cryptek most opposed to Hamanet threw out a few harsh words before ending the communication.
The other Crypteks also left the communication channel, each with their own hidden agendas.
These fellows were all planning how to use this opportunity to expand their own power.
But Hamanet didn't care about them.
As long as he could successfully complete this mission and occupy Neruovkov, he would truly become the Phaeron of Charakura! He might even become the Overlord of the entire Pacific Segmentum!
The number of Necron forces from the Charakula Dynasty awakened by The Restless One was not particularly large.
Although Hamanet did not care for the opinions of the other Tomb crypteks, he had to consider whether a large-scale awakening would disturb the Dynasty's Overlords or the Phaeron who were still in their long slumber.
Once these individuals were accidentally awakened, even The Restless One would find it difficult to withstand the wrath of so many nobles, not to mention that the matter might even reach other dynasties.
Ultimately, a small fleet consisting of over a dozen Necron Tomb Ships of various sizes assembled in orbit above the Tomb World.
dirge-class raiders, Shroud-class Light Cruisers, Scythe-class light cruisers, and a Harvester ship as the flagship—
Though the scale was not large, with the Necrons' near-magical technological weaponry, this small fleet was enough to easily destroy any ordinary Hive City world.
In fact, in the year 998 of the 41st Millennium, five Shroud-class Light Cruisers had once infiltrated one of the hearts of the Imperium of Man: Mars, the home world of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
This was enough to demonstrate just how reality-defying the technology mounted on Necron warships was—
Additionally, the dozen or so warships were loaded with many tesseract labyrinths and Tomb Portals. Once these tomb structures were deployed to a planet's surface, they could instantly teleport in a massive legion of immortal Necrons.
Commanding such an army, Hamanet was full of confidence. In his eyes, the tiny insects occupying Nelvokov could not possibly be his match.
"Restless One! We will be watching your every move!"
Until the moment the fleet was about to depart, some of the Tomb crypteks who opposed Hamanet were still shouting their protests.
Hamanet ignored them, simply ordering the fleet into inertialess drive, sailing toward the Sabbath Star Cluster in the southwestern part of the not-too-distant Pacific Segmentum.
The Enosis system lay on the edge of the Sabbath Star Cluster, and it was also the outermost reach of the Universal Union's current sphere of influence.
To defend against the Ork fleets that occasionally invaded from the Ork Empire in the northern Pacific Segmentum, the two Hive City worlds in the Enosis system had been converted into Fortress Worlds by the Universal Union long ago.
This was the front line against the boundless darkness of the Warhammer World, shielding the Universal Union's core territories in the rear from large-scale attacks.
Naturally, one of the Universal Union's main fleets was stationed in the system to serve as its space-faring force.
The Wormholes on the two planets further granted an unparalleled ability to project ground forces onto the battlefield.
Even within the entire Pacific Segmentum, Enosis was considered one of the most formidable fortresses.
"Reporting to Command, this is Recon Ship No. 4. Patrol complete, no anomalies found. Transmitting full data set now."
At the edge of the system, an Unyielding-class Heavy Frigate was communicating with the Command Center established on the Fortress World behind it.
They had just finished a mission involving three patrol circuits along the ecliptic plane at the system's edge, concluding one work cycle.
The sailors on board had done this many times over the past few years and were naturally well-versed in it, yet no one showed even the slightest hint of slackness.
Everyone knew their mission was vital; if a hostile fleet invaded the system, they would be the first to discover the target and could quickly relay intelligence back to Command to formulate a suitable battle plan and minimize casualties.
"This is Command. Data received. A new recon ship is being dispatched. You are cleared to return to the Starport for rest and refit after the handover."
"Copy that. Out."
Only then did the sailors on the ship breathe a sigh of relief.
Long periods of high-intensity patrolling were mentally exhausting. Therefore, after each recon ship completed a round of patrol duties, the sailors on board could return to the Starport to rest for about a week.
"Six hours until mission handover! Everyone, stay sharp!"
The captain broadcasted to the nearly one hundred crew members on board using the ship's intercom system.
Due to the extensive use of automated systems, the Unyielding-class Heavy Frigate required very few crew members, with only about ninety-odd people under normal conditions.
However, despite the captain's words and the sailors remaining at their posts, their minds couldn't help but wander to how they would spend their upcoming week of rest.
No one expected any emergencies to occur in these last six hours.
The Orks had recently been beaten soundly by the system's defenders and had fled; it would take them a long time to return.
The Primal Zerg breeding belts deployed by the Universal Union outside the Sabbath Star Cluster had also sent back no reports of being under attack.
It was just another ordinary day, or so it seemed to most of the sailors.
What they did not yet know was that in the void outside the system, a terrifying enemy was already approaching—
On the bridge, the operator responsible for the radar scanning system was staring boredly at the screen.
In truth, on this highly automated ship, the workload for each sailor was not heavy; they only needed to perform manual maintenance on equipment or handle minor issues that the smart systems could not resolve on their own.
To further enhance the scouting capabilities of this Unyielding-class Heavy Frigate, the Universal Union's engineering and research departments had installed many of the most cutting-edge scanning systems on it.
From basic radar to photon irradiation, it could be said that within a scanning range large enough to cover the distance between the Earth and the Sun, even a meteorite with a diameter of only a few dozen centimeters would be detected.
Of course, there was a price: to fit such precise and massive scanning instruments, the engineering department had removed the Unyielding-class frigate's original and only electromagnetic accelerator cannon. The entire ship was built almost entirely for scouting and patrol missions, with its firepower consisting only of a few missile launchers and point-defense cannons.
"I wonder what there is to do back there this time. I feel like I've played through all the entertainment programs at the Starport."
The staff were chatting, just like any discussion before a normal shift ended.
But soon, someone noticed something was wrong.
A sharp-eyed staff member suddenly frowned and pointed at the screen on the instrument.
"Is there something going on with that thing?"
It was what the Universal Union research department called the most advanced Psionic scanning system.
It was said to be a hybrid of technology provided as a gesture of friendship by the Tech-Priests on Ata-Median, who were currently cooperating with the Universal Union, and the Universal Union's own various biochemical technologies.
This instrument could emit a massive-scale, weak psionic signal and use it to detect life signals possessing even the slightest soul.
And now, this instrument was emitting an inexplicable, faint yellow glow.
"Strange..."
The sailors gathered around the instruments, watching the yellow light blinking on the screen.
According to the instruction manual, this Psionic instrument should emit a green light if it detected biological signals, and a dangerous red light if it detected biological signals containing Chaos energy.
But this light, which was somewhere in between the two, left the sailors somewhat confused.
"Report the situation to the captain first!"
The Boatswain dispersed the crowd and sent everyone back to their respective posts.
The captain, who had been talking with the engineers in the engine room at the rear of the ship, also received this message.
Without any hesitation, the captain immediately rushed to the bridge, while simultaneously connecting his RIG System to the broadcast and ordering everyone on the ship to prepare for battle in a serious tone.
"Isn't this a bit of an overreaction? No anomaly reports have come back from the outer sectors—"
The deputy beside him spoke up hesitantly; few people wanted to encounter any situation so shortly before their return for leave.
"Foolish!"
The captain barked a rebuke as he hurried along.
"Behind us is a planet with ten billion people! We must maintain the utmost vigilance regarding any anomaly! If an accident occurs, we will be the sinners of the entire Union!"
Quickly returning to his command seat, the captain immediately issued a series of orders.
"Open a micro-Wormhole and report the situation back to the main planet, Enosis.
Turn on all scanning arrays to full power, ignite the ship's engines to 3% of the speed of light, and maneuver with our current position as the core. Locate the source of the anomaly signal as best as possible.
Weapons Officer online immediately, missile launchers enter pre-launch state—"
Every command was transmitted quickly and methodically.
Everyone set aside their relaxed state of mind and entered a state of combat readiness.
Since the Unyielding-class Heavy Frigate was inherently small, the total output power of its energy engines was naturally not very high.
Turning on so many devices at once even carried the risk of damaging the energy engines, but at this moment, the captain could not care less.
His eyes were fixed on the screen in front of him and the pitch-black starry sky outside the porthole.
For some reason, a feeling like being a prey animal being watched surfaced in the captain's heart.
But all the scanning equipment, except for the device that used psionic power, failed to detect any targets.
It was as if a ghost were wandering around the ship.
As the minutes and seconds passed, the pressure on everyone on board gradually increased.
Some also wondered if there was a problem with the Psionic instrument and if the captain was simply overreacting.
"A message from the main planet, Enosis!"
"Speak!"
"Command requires us to immediately—"
Before the messenger could finish his sentence, abrupt ghostly green lightning appeared on both sides of the ship.
In the next instant, the lightning crashed into the armor on both sides.
The only bit of luck was that the Unyielding-class Heavy Frigate was equipped with a shield generator. The azure energy shield was barely resisting the bombardment of the Gauss Lightning, but even so, the entire hull continued to shake incessantly.
On the bridge, in the corridors, and in the cabins, the expressions of everyone on board changed abruptly.
There was no doubt that they were under attack!
But everyone on the ship was also a veteran who had undergone countless training sessions and battle hardening; even when facing an unknown enemy, they still chose to stand fast at their posts.
"Increase engine output! Maneuver!"
The captain quickly snapped out of the shock of being attacked and issued new orders.
"Shield durability is dropping rapidly. Estimated shield failure in twenty seconds!"
"The radar array cannot detect any targets. We cannot return fire!"
One piece of bad news after another arrived; even the ship's engines were being attacked by Gauss Lightning.
Even as the ship continued to accelerate until it broke ten percent, then twenty percent of the speed of light, the ghostly green lightning still followed them like a shadow.
While enduring the attack, the captain finally recognized these signature Gauss arcs.
"Immediately notify the main planet, Enosis. The enemy is attacking! It's the Necrons!"
"Yes, sir!"
At the same time, the captain's brain was also working at high speed.
Given the current situation, it was already impossible for the ship to return to Enosis; the Necrons' technology clearly far surpassed theirs.
"Whew—"
After letting out a long breath, he looked at the Psionic scanner.
"Turn the warship around and head toward the position shown by that machine."
"But, Captain, we've already scanned that area a dozen times and found nothing—"
"Do it!"
"Yes, sir!"
The crew members were solemn, clearly understanding the captain's plan.
The ship's engines went to full power, completely ignoring the bombardment of the surrounding Gauss Lightning as it charged headlong toward the location marked by the Psionic scanner.
"Lightning attack frequency is rising! The shield has shattered! The outer armor is under attack!"
"Outer armor damaged, the second layer of armor and structural integrity are taking damage—"
The entire Unyielding-class Heavy Frigate was enveloped in a lightning storm, but its speed did not decrease in the slightest.
"Keep accelerating! Ram them!!! Fire all missiles at the target location!"
"For the Universal Union!!!"
The crew members' eyes were resolute as they shouted in unison.
In almost the next instant, the violent Gauss Lightning tore through the last of the ship's structure, blasting into every corridor and every cabin.
The engines began to catch fire and explode; the ship's speed was slowing down.
But the massive inertia still supported its forward movement.
His eyes stared fixedly at the signal on the Psionic scanner that began to change position.
The captain personally controlled the ship's course until he and the crew on the bridge were torn apart by the lightning.
The massive wreckage, burning with the air inside the ship, did not lose its kinetic energy. As if tearing through a curtain, it slammed into a Shroud-class Light Cruiser that had been in an almost absolute stealth state.
A violent explosion erupted instantly. Even the warship armor of the Necrons, constructed of living metal, could hardly withstand this earth-shaking suicide attack.
Raging flames poured into the pitch-black cabin, scorching everything. Those mechanical bodies, whether in slumber or active, were instantly melted and then teleported back to the Reanimation Protocol core on the ship.
The five-hundred-meter-long Unyielding-class Heavy Frigate was like a dagger, thrusting straight into the already slender and elegant midsection of the Shroud-class Light Cruiser, snapping it in half!
The arrogant Hamanet the Unresting paid his first price for his underestimation of the enemy.
One of the only five Shroud-class Light Cruisers was lost before even officially entering the star system.
In the meantime, Hamanet's metal face was twisting, his mind matrix simulating the emotion of anger.
In the surrounding starry sky, all the Necron warships stopped cloaking and revealed themselves one after another.
"Crush all the humans in the star system! Leave none alive! Thoroughly cleanse all life in the Sabbath Star Cluster!
Wipe out this so-called 'Union'!"
On the capital planet of Enosis, the Universal Union's operational command center established there was currently in a state of slight chaos.
Even though everyone here was a battle-hardened veteran—mid-level officers and generals who had personally commanded armies in combat—no one could have predicted the sudden arrival of the Necron fleet.
Not only that, but shortly after receiving the message sent back by the scout ship, an even worse situation emerged.
"We've lost the signal from the scout ship!"
The entire command center fell silent for a few seconds before everyone became even busier than before.
In this situation, losing a signal was equivalent to the destruction of the ship and the death of all hands.
However, the scout ship had fulfilled its duty. They successfully informed the capital planet of the enemy's arrival, allowing the Commanders in the command center to mobilize troops, gather defensive forces as much as possible, and have the space fleet quickly coordinate with ground anti-aircraft fire to form a battle line.
Enosis was already one of the northernmost fortresses in the Universal Union's territory. The total force stationed here numbered over ten million, and there were many Wormholes on the planet's surface and even underground, allowing reinforcements to be called in from other Union planets at any time.
The Commander-in-Chief stationed here was also the Grand Marshal of the Universal Union's Northern Defense Line.
This person was a native of the Warhammer World, originally a PDF Commander on a planet within the Sabbath Star Cluster, who was later discovered and heavily promoted by the Universal Union.
To have risen to such a position within the Universal Union hierarchy, this Marshal's strength was naturally beyond doubt, perhaps second only to Dugaer, who was currently leading a fleet to crusade against the Bad Blood in the "alien vs. predator" world.
At this moment, the Marshal was rapidly issuing orders to various units on the Enosis capital planet, while also directly contacting the Universal Union's headquarters, Avarax, via Wormhole.
"This is the Enosis garrison. We are under attack by a Necron fleet of an unknown dynasty. Requesting immediate reinforcements!"
"
This emergency message was, of course, rapidly reported up through the layers, reaching Alexia's ears in less than two minutes.
Since Marcus was currently in another world supervising the fleet's progress in the crusade against the Bad Blood, all Union affairs in the Warhammer World were under Alexia's full responsibility.
With almost no hesitation, Alexia immediately exercised her highest authority and began mobilizing the vast majority of the forces the Universal Union could currently deploy.
The fleets originally deployed in the western part of the Sabbath Star Cluster, which were exploring the edges of the Milky Way, immediately began to fall back for defense.
Half of the fleets in the east, originally responsible for guarding against the Imperium of Man, also began heading north to reinforce Enosis.
Soon, a massive fleet composed of hundreds of warships split into two routes to provide aid.
But Alexia also knew very well that fleet reinforcements would take time.
Based on the speed of the warp drives or Shockpoint Engines widely equipped on Union warships, it would take more than a month to reach Enosis even if they pushed forward at full speed regardless of the consequences.
The urgent priority was still to dispatch ground troops to Enosis through the numerous Wormholes.
However, Alexia had her own concerns.
"The Necrons are a terrifying race."
Alexia often heard Marcus say this.
These metal skeletons had once slain the Old Ones and the C'tan, briefly ruling the entire galaxy.
For Necrons like these, destroying an entire planet was an easy feat.
If too many troops were deployed to the Enosis capital planet, it might cause the Necrons to directly use some kind of horrific weapon—
What to do?
Should she reduce troop deployment, preserve effective strength, and largely abandon Enosis until more forces could be gathered at a defensive line further back?
Or should she immediately commit a large number of troops, risk being attacked by planet-killing weapons, and engage the invading Necron fleet in a fierce battle first to weaken the enemy's effective strength?
A difficult choice lay before Alexia.
Furthermore, the extremely limited time did not allow her much room for thought.
"Whew—"
After letting out a long breath, Alexia made her choice.
"This is Avarax. Ground troops have been dispatched for support. All other warships in the northern defense line have gone to reinforce, and fleets have also been sent from the eastern and western defense lines.
You must hold out until the main reinforcement fleet arrives and strike hard at all enemies invading Union territory!
Make those metal skeletons pay the price!"
The officers in the command center on Enosis naturally didn't know the choice Alexia had faced.
Hearing that reinforcements were about to arrive, they were naturally overjoyed.
By this time, more than ten minutes had passed since the scout ship lost its signal.
And those Necron warships, which were no longer hiding their movements, finally entered the monitoring range of the reconnaissance satellites the Universal Union had placed within the star system.
Although these satellites were completely annihilated by Gauss Lightning almost instantly, the intelligence was still sent back to the command center.
"Signal confirmed, a total of thirteen targets! They are approaching the capital planet in an assault formation!"
"Tell the space fleet not to act rashly. They are to hold their positions in coordination with the orbital defense platforms and ground anti-aircraft fire."
The Marshal's voice was low but crystal clear.
"Strengthen the deployment of defensive forces to each Hive City, focusing on Wormholes, power facilities, military industrial facilities, and anti-aircraft positions.
Those metal skeletons are even more terrifying than the Tyranids and Orks. There must be no relaxation whatsoever."
"Yes!"
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
"In addition, step up the evacuation of civilians. Have all non-combat personnel evacuate through the underground Wormholes."
The Wormholes on Enosis were of two types. One was larger and generally distributed on the planet's surface for communication with other planets; they were large enough for Titan-class giant war machines to pass through, allowing for the deployment of large numbers of troops in a short time.
The other type was buried deep underground at depths of hundreds or even thousands of meters. They were smaller and served as a backup for sudden emergencies. For example, right now, the civilians on Enosis needed to evacuate through these small Wormholes.
Fortunately, since the planet Enosis itself had been established by the Universal Union as a Fortress World, most of the inhabitants were soldiers or logistics personnel, and the number of civilians was not that large.
The entire Enosis capital planet was making all preparations in full swing, waiting for the Necron fleet to strike.
Meanwhile, finally, the first wave of ground reinforcements appeared in the Wormholes.
But the figures walking out were quite a surprise to the defenders on Enosis.
They were large groups of red-robed Skitarii of the Adeptus Mechanicus, their bodies full of mechanical augmentations, their robes bearing the special sigil of the Ata-Median Forge World.
Following them, Combat Servitors, Kastelan Robots, Kataphron Breachers, Kataphron Destroyers, Sydonian Dragoons, and various vehicles also appeared.
But these were just the appetizers.
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the magnificent Firebrand Titan Legion officially set foot on the soil of Enosis.
The attack from the Necrons was swift and stealthy.
A dozen tomb ships forged from living metal released wave after wave of Night Scythes, forming an overwhelming swarm that charged directly toward the Union Fleet guarding the skies above the main planet of Enosis.
The latter, of course, was not to be outdone and immediately deployed various types of space fighters to engage in a dogfight with the swarm of Night Scythes.
Within a mere minute of the initial contact, both sides had already suffered hundreds of fighter casualties.
The combat loss ratio shown in the reports appeared completely unacceptable to the Universal Union Commanders.
Often, Union fighters had to pay a price more than ten times greater to shoot down a single Night Scythe.
In the past, neither the suicide fighters of the Orks nor the bio-airships of the Tyranid Hive Fleet had ever inflicted such terrifying combat losses when fighting against the Universal Union.
One must know that all the fighters were manned by the Universal Union's finest pilots, and combined with the most advanced computer-aided systems currently available, they were capable of dominating the starfield.
Unfortunately, these methods appeared far too primitive to the Necrons piloting the Night Scythes.
The cores and matrices contained within their specially modified mechanical bodies were capable of calculating billions of combat strategies in a few milliseconds, easily dodging attacks directed at them—like dancers pirouetting amidst the flames of war, agile and lethal.
Only absolute saturation fire attacks could barely manage to strike the targets.
"Have all fighter squadrons tighten their formation and coordinate their attacks with the space station fortresses. Space Carriers No. 1 and No. 2 are to release all fighters from their hangars; Space Carriers No. 3 and No. 4 are to retreat to preserve our effective strength——"
The Marshal, who was closely monitoring the battlefield situation, immediately issued the order.
"Manually detonate all surrounding proximity mines and show those metal skeletons what we're made of!"
The Marshal had long since discovered that the space proximity mines, equipped with the Universal Union's most advanced sensors, were almost completely unable to detect the Night Scythes passing through their detection range, let alone automatically detonate to cause damage.
Although manual detonation would result in significant waste, now was not the time to worry about such things. the Universal Union garrison had to exhaust every possible method to inflict as much damage as possible on the Necron fleet.
"Yes!"
Proximity mines exploded one by one in the void, yet not a single sound could be heard.
The terrifying torrent of flames formed a grand and spectacular ring of fire, engulfing many Night Scythes and even tomb ships; it was clearly visible even from the planet's surface.
This made the hearts of the ground garrison sink. Taking advantage of this last opportunity, they began to dig trenches and construct fortifications faster, aiming one anti-aircraft weapon after another at the sky.
When the oxygen was exhausted and the flames completely vanished, the Necrons swept in once again like a tsunami.
Wave after wave of Night Scythes broke through layers of obstacles and descended rapidly toward the surface of the main planet of Enosis.
The Night Scythes were not just fighters; they were also transport units capable of carrying and rapidly airdropping ground combat units such as Necron Warriors, Immortals, Deathmarks, and even Lychguard.
Furthermore, if three Night Scythes equipped with teleportation systems operated in unison, they could create an extremely dangerous and unstable hyper-dimensional tunnel out of thin air, allowing their units to teleport onto the battlefield.
Before the war began, the high command had distributed information regarding the vast majority of Necron combat units to every soldier, allowing them to better understand the opponents they would be facing.
Therefore, everyone knew that they absolutely could not let these Night Scythes enter the atmosphere so easily!
Anti-aircraft artillery and laser arrays raised their elevation angles, aiming at all the Night Scythes that had broken through the space defense line, and unleashed terrifying saturation fire.
The deafening sound of artillery fire resounded across every position, shaking every inch of land.
In the trenches and within the fortifications, all Union Soldiers gripped their steel rifles tightly, remaining alongside various units serving as cannon fodder and core forces, such as lickers, tyrants, nemesis, and xenomorphs.
Many people understood that this kind of anti-aircraft fire could not last long; ammunition would run out, gun barrels would overheat, and operators would grow weary.
Sooner or later, Necron forces would land on the surface, and the battle that would erupt then would be no less intense than the battlefield in space.
Unlike the solemn atmosphere in the Universal Union positions, the supporting Skitarii forces and Titan Legion from the Ata-Median Forge World presented a different picture.
These fanatical believers of the machine god were eager to dismantle and study the technological creations of the Necrons.
Therefore, unlike the defense-oriented Union troops, they were more inclined to take the initiative and attack.
In the sky within the atmosphere, various Archaeopteryx aircraft formed squadrons, constantly searching for traces of the Night Scythes, and once a target was discovered, they would swarm it.
On the ground, the Titan Legion units also aimed their Apocalypse missile launchers at the sky, their Void Shields flickering constantly as they defended against the Gauss Lightning arcs from the Night Scythes.
Upon seeing this, the Universal Union's Viking Fighters and Valkyrie Gunboats, after requesting orders from headquarters, also began to take the initiative, coordinating with their Adeptus Mechanicus allies to rapidly clear the Night Scythes within the atmosphere.
But this was ultimately just a delaying tactic; as the battlefield in space became increasingly white-hot, more and more Night Scythes, and even Necron Arks, broke through the defense lines and entered the atmosphere of Enosis.
In the end, the undying mechanical army still set foot on the land of Enosis.
The mechanical tide, though slow in its movement, was almost unstoppable as it surged toward all surrounding Union and Adeptus Mechanicus positions.
No matter how deafening the artillery fire was, the mechanical bodies of the Necrons would always slowly repair themselves, then climb back up to join their immortal phalanxes.
Engaging in battle with such an army would test the fighting spirit of every defender on the battlefield.
If an ordinary Planetary Defense Force had seen this formation, they would likely have suffered a collapse in morale on the spot and begun to rout.
However, the will of the garrison on Enosis was perhaps no less hard than the mechanical bodies of the Necrons.
The Tech-Priests shut down the consciousness of all the Skitarii, turning them into puppet soldiers under their own control, precisely deploying and micromanaging their forces as if playing a real-time strategy game.
As for the Universal Union, their biochemical cannon fodder and core units—lickers, tyrants, xenomorphs, and nemesis—were inherently fearless and emotionless, incapable of retreating.
And every soldier also possessed an incredibly tenacious iron will.
This was due in part to the long-standing cultural imprint of the Universal Union, and also to the credit of the "Constant Morale" effect granted by the system.
In short, the battle erupting on the surface, in the sky, and in space above Enosis would be a fight to the death.
soldiers in the positions looked up at the sky amidst the roar of artillery; in the space beyond their naked eyes, the true ship-to-ship battle was only just beginning.