"What did you guys talk about?"
Zigman asked Bai Lang on the way back.
"Nothing much, Inquisitor Rostov mainly talked to us about the Blackstone Device."
Zigman didn't hide anything and revealed the contents of the secret meeting.
"While investigating the theft and illegal trade of Blackstone, he accidentally discovered that Despoiler Abaddon wanted to use the Blackstone Device to expand the Great Rift."
"And his next target is the fortress world of Hydefral."
"As long as this fortress world falls, the borders of the three nearby star systems will be in danger."
"In addition, it will open a path from the Eye of Terror to Reality."
Don't Eat Beef frowned, a thoughtful expression on his face,
"Could it be the Crimson Path that the unlucky Professor Kayang promoted?"
Zigman nodded,
"It is the Crimson Path that starts from the Eye of Terror and extends to Reality."
"It can allow the demon army to drive straight in, directly threaten Reality, and destroy the Human Empire."
"If this plan succeeds, the threat it poses will be more terrifying than the Horus Heresy of the past."
"Humanity will no longer be able to escape the dark fate of being enslaved by the gods."
The Crimson Path was a vicious conspiracy devised by Abaddon to destroy the Human Empire.
Even before the first Black Crusade began, the Despoiler was already planning this matter.
Horus's failure taught Abaddon a lesson.
If there was no stable rear, time and victory would not be on their side.
If they had truly controlled half of the Human Empire at the beginning, their chances of winning would have been much greater, and they would have been more at ease.
Horus did indeed severely weaken the loyalists at the beginning of the rebellion.
But the loyalists recovered too quickly, especially Guilliman.
By the later stages, they, as the rebels, had lost their advantage.
If they continued to delay, they would undoubtedly lose.
From the day he formed the Black Legion and vowed revenge on the Emperor,
Abaddon secretly warned himself never to repeat Horus's mistakes.
Thus, he spent ten thousand years, launching thirteen Black Crusades one after another.
First, he destroyed the Blackstone Obelisks at key nodes, weakening the barrier between Reality and Immaterium.
Finally, he achieved his goal in one fell swoop, gathering a large army and destroying Cadia Fortress at all costs.
With the shattering of Cadia, the Eye of Terror expanded, tearing the galaxy apart, forming the Great Rift, and dividing the vast Human Empire into two.
It must be said that this was an ingenious plan that completely reversed the situation.
This move almost buried the Human Empire alive.
If Guilliman hadn't revived, the Human Empire could truly have been laid to rest in a coffin.
Of course, if the Crimson Path succeeds, even with Guilliman in command, the Human Empire would still have to lie in a coffin.
Countless demons can surge towards Reality along the Crimson Path,
No matter how many troops humanity deploys to Reality, they will be exhausted by the demons.
"So what are we going to do?" Bai Lang asked curiously.
Zigman answered his question as he walked.
"Inquisitor Rostov tracked down that those Chaos traitors had collected a lot of Blackstone and installed them into some kind of device."
"This device can tear the veil between Reality and the Warp; they are like a small knife, wanting to cut through the galaxy along the Great Rift."
"Inquisitor Rostov speculates that there are many such devices, and what we need to deal with is the Blackstone Device that is about to invade the fortress world of Hydefral."
"The Hunter Demon Battle Group will coordinate with the Inquisition and the Indomitus Crusade fleet to stop that Blackstone machine, uncover its secrets, and crush Abaddon's conspiracy."
"Another long-term mission." Don't Eat Beef reached out and stroked his chin, looking thoughtful,
"It seems this mission will also take a long time."
"Finding the ruins of the Old Ones and uncovering the conspiracy behind the Blackstone Device. Both missions sound like huge undertakings." Bai Lang nodded in agreement.
Zigman looked at Bai Lang and Don't Eat Beef, expressing his opinion.
"In my opinion, it's actually a good thing."
"Two long-term missions, no matter which one, will have a huge impact on the future of the Human Empire. If we can successfully complete them, we are guaranteed to get an eagle medal."
"Do you remember the battle of Syntilla? At that time, we were the least favored. But that time, we were the most determined, winning the MVP and becoming famous for a time."
"Now, compared to other player organizations, we are at a disadvantage. Many newly formed Warbands have caught up with us."
"The Soulless path is indeed more difficult than other advancement routes,"
"Due to the existence of the Soulless field, NPCs are very resistant to us. Except for those groups that deal with demons, other NPCs don't want to be with us."
"These two long-term missions are our chance to turn things around. If we can get two golden eagle medals at the same time, the Hunter Demon Battle Group will become the most shining star on the player Warband leaderboard."
"Boss said it well." Bai Lang kept nodding.
"Awesome, you've got me all fired up, I even want to summon a small demon and beat it up." Don't Eat Beef clenched his fists and threw a few punches at the air.
"It's a pity the Imperial Glory isn't here, otherwise I'd definitely go into the Menagerie and beat up those Warp creatures." Bai Lang agreed with Don't Eat Beef.
"Alright, stop thinking about beating up those demons to vent, let's go back and prepare for battle." Zigman said.
"Also, don't talk so much to NPCs; there might be traitors within The Third Fleet."
"Once the news leaks, the enemy is very likely to change their strategy, or not show up at all."
Bai Lang shrugged, "Uh, even if we wanted to say something, those NPCs wouldn't understand."
"I've noticed something, and that is, whenever something important is involved, what those NPCs hear are strange whispers, unable to comprehend the meaning."
"So, there's no need to worry about us leaking secrets at all."
Zigman nodded, "You're right, but it's still better to be careful. No matter what, this mission is related to whether we can get the eagle medal??"
"As one of the founding Warbands of the Warhammer OL game, it would be really embarrassing if we couldn't get an eagle medal."
"Don't worry, boss. We can definitely get the eagle medal." Don't Eat Beef patted his chest and promised.
......
After determining the action plan, the Third Crusade Fleet quickly moved.
Cassandra is a very talented commander,
She divided the fleet into different battle groups,
These battle groups were further divided into different task forces, simultaneously heading to different battlefields,
Supporting local defenders, cutting off Chaos armies, and putting the enemy in a difficult situation where they were attacked from all sides and isolated.
In the past, communication was the Human Empire's biggest drawback.
Psionic communication was inefficient and easily tampered with,
But with the deployment of the lighthouse network, this problem has been resolved.
Different ships can communicate instantly through the lighthouse network, share intelligence, and receive orders from superiors.
The command layer can exchange information in real-time and quickly change their strategies based on the enemy's movements.
The communication network tightly connected all warships, making them a single entity.
It is no exaggeration to say that communication efficiency can determine the victory of a battle.
On the battlefield, the strength of an army does not solely depend on the number of troops,
It also depends on how well the command layer can utilize the power of an army,
And the speed of troop deployment is an important measure.
As the saying goes, speed is paramount in warfare,
The side with information and mobility advantages can toy with their opponents like dogs.
Of course, with the help of the Warp, the Chaos army naturally wouldn't be so embarrassed, but it was enough for the Human Empire army to seize the initiative.
Cassandra, as the Fleet Commander, led the Hephaestus Battle Group to meet the enemy head-on, delaying the advance of the Slaughter Expeditionary Force.
The other battle groups took the opportunity to prune the branches of the Slaughter Expeditionary Force, leaving them isolated and helpless.
Asagaai led the Saint Ast Battle Group, following Inquisitor Rostov's orders, acting together,
The Hunter Demon Battle Group also received a mission issued by Cassandra,
The Fleet Commander hoped they could coordinate with the Saint Ast Battle Group to track the Blackstone Device and crush the Chaos conspiracy.
Traitors who turned to Chaos were never fools;
On the contrary, they were very intelligent and knew how to assess the situation.
The Blackstone Device was installed on mobile space hulks, drifting out of sight of the Human Empire fleet.
Before this operation, Commander Asagaai and Inquisitor Rostov had also tried to pursue the enemy,
However, as soon as the enemy sensed a threat, they would quickly escape into the Warp, leaving the Human Empire fleet alone and bewildered in the void.
After several failures, Inquisitor Rostov created an alien device that could help navigators locate the Blackstone Device.
The cost of using this device, however, was the navigator's life.
A mid-level navigator named Skoloros Everhard Family accepted this suicide mission,
His conditions were that the Human Empire would clear his name, and he requested that his remains be placed in his navigator family's cemetery.
Skoloros was a navigator, and also a person with slight mutations.
He had an extra joint on his finger and a fleshy growth with a human face on his neck.
According to the Inquisition's standards, Skoloros was a Mutants who had to be purged,
But considering his value as a navigator, he was pardoned.
However, he was permanently stripped of the right to procreate by the Everhard Family, who also regarded him as a jinx, constantly making things difficult for him and humiliating him, eventually even selling him as a commodity.
Skoloros's only wish in this life was for his body and name to enter the Everhard Family's cemetery and family registry,
That way, it would be a great humiliation and revenge for those family members who once looked down on him.
"Skoloros Everhard Family, I promise to clear your name. When you complete this mission, you will be an Imperial hero."
Inquisitor Rostov agreed to the navigator's request.
Players, led by Zigman, watched the plot unfold while silently praising the official game developers.
Even a navigator going to his death was given such a story,
It showed that the official developers were truly dedicated to making this game.
......
The Saint Ast Battle Group moved out,
Plunging into the surging Warp currents.
Skoloros was placed in the chief seat of the navigation room,
A machine forged from Blackstone Brightsteel was placed before him,
The malevolence contained within the metal machine was harming his soul.
Skoloros's eyes were fixed on the machine's display, his thoughts jumping with the light dots that flickered across it,
His vertical eye on his forehead, his Warp Eye, looked towards the splendid Immaterium.
Endless vortices churned, constantly expanding and contracting in all directions.
From a certain angle, Immaterium was breathtakingly beautiful, but behind this beauty lay a deadly danger.
Underneath the brilliant light lurked astonishing malice, enough to harm the souls of ordinary people.
Under the dual assault of the mysterious machinery and Immaterium, Skoloss felt an incomparably intense pain.
His entire body was hot, his heart ached, his throat was red, and he occasionally let out a mournful cry,
but he still persisted in performing his duty.
Zigman, White Wolf, Don't Eat Beef, and several other Soulless players guarded outside the navigation room,
using their Soulless Field to prevent the influx of Warp power and avoid losing control.
Inquisitor Rostov stood before Skoloss, guiding the poor navigator.
"Combine your soul with this machine, then search for the cyst folder between Reality and the Warp."
"That thing will wander where the celestial and material realms merge. It is hard and strange, belonging to neither world."
"The power of this machine is immense, you must be quick, find that target before your life is burned out by it."
"......"
Skoloss struggled to steady his mind amidst the pain, drawing strength from several lower-ranking navigators beside him to sustain himself and complete the task.
Under the guidance of Inquisitor Rostov, Skoloss found the trace left by the Blackstone Device.
It was a black line, like blood in water, attracting the soulless.
They gathered near the black line, emitting hungry howls.
"I see it!!"
Skoloss's voice was filled with pain, and streaks of crimson patterns appeared on his skin.
The machine was devouring his body and soul, and terrible heat accumulated within him.
Skoloss's Warp Eye tracked along the black line.
The surging energy generated by the dissipation of matter churned the Warp, making the storm even more dangerous.
Finally, he saw that thing.
Through the shattered curtain, Skoloss saw the dark Reality space and the flickering stars.
A hellish crimson light was streaking across the material realm.
Inside the light was an ancient space hulk.
Behind it, it dragged a giant asteroid with a stone engine mounted on it.
Countless illusions appeared, attempting to interfere with Skoloss's mind.
Coiled snakes, rolling blood, screaming piles of corpses, and roaring thugs.
The various illusions were unpredictable, each carrying deep malice.
Skoloss concentrated, seeing through the disguise, wanting to glimpse the true form of that machine.
At the same time, his body burned under the supernatural heat, his flesh and bones separating, turning into hard carbon.
The sacrifice was rewarded; Skoloss saw what the machine looked like.
It was a strange engine, possessing eight blade-shaped Blackstone spires,
arranged around a central point, forming an evil Chaos eight-pointed star.
Half of it was in the Warp, and half in Reality space,
dragged forward by the hulk that radiated astonishing malice.
It rotated at high speed, cutting and disintegrating the surface of Reality space, allowing the Warp to spill out.
"Locked on. Move immediately."
Skoloss stared intently at the engine.
And the malice emanating from that engine clung tightly to Skoloss, pulling at his soul like a vortex.
Skoloss's life was rapidly fading, his body dissipating at a visible rate.
"Migrating to the physical universe."
The Navigator Chief, who had been on standby, opened the communicator and announced to the entire fleet.
Skoloss's soul was dissipating.
In the last moments of his life, his life replayed quickly like a revolving lantern.
He was born into Everhard Family, possessing a Third Eye from birth, capable of directly seeing the Warp, making him the best candidate for a navigator.
However, he was born with a mutation,
no matter how good his talent, he was discriminated against.
"You are destined to be a traitor. Letting you live will only tarnish the family's honor."
His father loathed him, resorting to beatings and curses at the slightest displeasure.
His mother also did not love him, viewing him as a disgrace and a harbinger of disaster.
If not for his outstanding navigation talent, which made Skoloss very valuable, he would certainly not have grown up.
As an adult, Skoloss was treated by his family as an expensive commodity and hastily sold off, fearing he would bring disaster to the family.
"I am not a traitor. I am loyal to the Emperor."
Skoloss used his last strength to speak, giving a final judgment on his life.
Then, his body turned to ash and dissipated into the air.
"Praise be to you, Skoloss. Your duty is done. May you find peace in the embrace of the Emperor."
Inquisitor Rostov performed an aquila salute to Skoloss's remains.
......
The Saint Ast Battle Group entered the Reality.
Numerous Warbands quickly ignited their Reality engines and reformed their formations,
the engines at the stern spewing azure plasma glow, rushing towards their target.
The enemy had only one ship, dragging a giant asteroid behind it,
with the Blackstone Device installed on it. Bird omen scans showed no other weapons on it.
Hundreds of Warbands against one Warband, the advantage is with us!
Standing on the Bridge, Asagaai, who was commanding the battle, had a smile on her face.
"All Warbands fire!"
"Torpedos and lances fired simultaneously, covering eight thousand meters. Warbands tilt left, prepare for macro cannon broadside."
"Increase reactor output, increase speed, absolutely cannot let the enemy escape."
"All Warbands follow, maintain formation."
Asagaai kept giving orders.
However, her smile did not last long.
The first wave of Helios-class torpedoes and large lances quickly landed on the space hulk and the asteroid behind it.
The lances were the fastest; they hit the target without any obstruction.
However, they achieved no results, simply disappearing into thin air.
The torpedoes, carrying heavy atomic fusion warheads, exploded just before contact, producing a light as bright as the sun.
The dazzling blue-white light turned everything in the starry sky into a monotonous black and white.
However, it still caused no damage.
The space hulk and the asteroid simply withstood a broadside from the Saint Ast Battle Group without a scratch.
Asagaai's eyes widened.
Many officials on the Bridge were also in the same state.
This broadside from the Saint Ast Battle Group was enough to turn a planet into a dead world, yet it didn't even scratch the enemy.
Zigman and the other players were also dumbfounded.
The Warp isn't that powerful, is it?!
Is there still any science left??
But then again, the Warp indeed doesn't follow science.
"That ship and the asteroid are protected by the power of the Warp."
Inquisitor Rostov said,
"We must first destroy the Blackstone Device on the asteroid before we can destroy that ship."
Before the Imperial side could discuss a new tactic, the augur chief issued a warning.
"Commander, I'm detecting multiple targets detaching from the asteroid's orbit. They... they..."
"Be clear," Asagaai said.
"They don't look like ships. I'm trying to get clearer readings," the augur chief replied.
"Transfer the visual feed," Asagaai said.
Several large screens adorned with golden double-headed eagles descended from the ceiling, and images of the void appeared on the displays.
There were no ships in the image, but countless monsters.
Some flapped their wings; there was no air in the void, but they still flew, like birds soaring in the atmosphere.
Other monsters rode chariots, dragged by battle beasts burning with flames.
They emitted low roars that made the void rumble.
Still others were on all fours, galloping towards the Saint Ast Battle Group's position.
The number of demons was infinite, like a surging tide.
Their existence mocked the laws of the Reality universe, and also mocked the non-existent physics.
"Damn it," Asagaai cursed, then shut down the image to prevent innocent crew members from being further corrupted.
"Issue a fleet-wide announcement. All armed crew, garrison forces, and Space Marines prepare to receive boarders."
"If we don't destroy the Blackstone Device on the asteroid, it will be very difficult for us to win. The Blackstone Device allows those demons to thrive in the Reality universe," Rostov said. "I need an elite force to go with me."
"That's too dangerous; it's very likely a trap," Asagaai said.
"Even if it is, I will jump in," Rostov said. "I will report this to the Fleet Commander, Cassandra."
"No matter what sacrifice we have to make, we must stop the enemy and crush their conspiracy."
After Rostov convinced Asagaai, he established communication with Cassandra using the lighthouse network.
Upon learning of the Inquisitor's decision, she did not appear surprised, as if she had already expected it, and instead brought up another matter.
"You've been an Inquisitor of Xenos for so long, you must have collected quite a few good things, right?"
Rostov: "......"
"Is the Fleet Commander planning to inherit my legacy?"
Cassandra sneered,
"You're thinking too much, Inquisitor. I just don't want to pay for your life."
"Bring the God Chosen. If there's anything to sacrifice, let them do it."
"Also, remember to share your legacy as a reward for the God Chosen."
"If you're too stingy, they won't work hard for you."
As Cassandra's words fell, Rostov received a message.
[Third Indomitus Crusade Fleet Commander - Cassandra Vanlerkus invites you to join the God Chosen mission system]
[You can seek help from the God Chosen by issuing reward missions]
Rostov: "......"
Things seemed to be getting a bit strange.