The Aether Fleet altered its course.
Yuki stared intently at the star map. It displayed two incoming enemy forces: the Ultramarines and reinforcements from the Tau Empire, approaching from the front and rear in a pincer maneuver. There was no doubt the entire sector would be turned into a sea of fire, but that was normal. Which war in the Warhammer world didn't turn the battlefield into an inferno?
There were no particularly complex tactics involved. At such close range in the vast emptiness of space, the battle for all three parties was a simple matter of mutual bombardment. However, at Yuki's firm insistence, the Aether Fleet took the initiative to launch an attack specifically against the Imperium of Man.
Yuki's reasoning was simple: when facing two enemies simultaneously, one must concentrate strength to eliminate one first. The Ultramarines were far from home; their strength should be slightly inferior to the Tau forces—right?
Macro-cannons, lance batteries, and void shields. Bio-plasma cannons, bio-electromagnetic cannons, and biological void shields.
To be honest, Yuki felt the weaponry of both sides was much the same; it was just that one utilized miraculous physical technology while the other used miraculous biotechnology.
In the first round of naval broadsides, the biological fleet held the advantage in numbers, shattering the void shields of several warships, but there was no time to press the assault further. In the second round, more Ultramarine vessels joined the fray, and all sides sustained certain casualties.
Yuki was losing his patience. He knew naval warfare in the Warhammer world was extremely archaic, but he hadn't expected it to be this primitive. Was the intensity even comparable to naval battles from the Napoleonic Wars? Probably not.
Yuno, on the other hand, was quite excited. "Battle! Fire the cannons! Kill, kill, kill!"
Yuki didn't know what to say anymore. He could only watch quietly as the bio-fleet and the Ultramarines engaged in frantic mutual shelling. It was truly boring.
Colossal cannons and heavy warships naturally possessed a unique aesthetic, and Yuki liked the idea of heavy guns roaring across an ocean where it was either you blast me to bits or I do the same to you. But this kind of combat in space was simply tedious. There were no ocean waves, no smell of gunpowder, and no swaying hulls; one could only see their own ships firing at some unknown enemy.
Yuki didn't like this. "Let's go, Yuno. Let's find some real fun."
As the two fleets drew closer, the next stage began: the much-anticipated boarding action.
Yuki prepared his armor, allowing his carapace to grow fully over his body. Barring any accidents, this would be a major battle. He had already locked onto his target. Yuki had been in the Warhammer world for a long time and had seen many strange and even awe-inspiring things alongside Yuno, but when the Honor of Macragge truly appeared before him, he still couldn't help but exhale: "It's so damn big."
A super-warship over ten kilometers long, a true Gloriana-class battleship—a mobile giant fortress. A single macro-cannon broadside was enough to crush any enemy. Compared to her, even the biological ships of the Tyranids looked like tiny insects.
"She's beautiful."
"That is something I definitely cannot pretend I didn't hear," Yuno interjected.
Yuki continued to mutter to himself. "If I could have a ship like the Honor of Macragge as a partner, I'd even be willing to go on an adventure in the Warp."
"If you keep this up, I'll exert every effort to destroy it."
Yuki pulled his attention back and took a deep breath, the bone blades in his hands growing sharper. "Alright, I was just joking, Yuno. Let's have a long-overdue shipboard adventure."
The fleets opened fire once more. This time, in addition to the mutual exchange of macro-cannon shells and bio-plasma, a vast number of boarding craft were launched. Both the Ultramarines and the Tyranids had very clear objectives: enter the interior of the enemy ship the moment the void shields failed, then find a way to sabotage the propulsion or shield systems.
Accompanied by a series of jolts, Yuki and Yuno successfully broke into the lower decks of the Honor of Macragge. They were greeted by a countless hail of bolter rounds and las-fire from the lower-deck ratings. The Honor of Macragge lived up to its reputation as the Ultramarines' flagship; even the sailors on the bottom decks possessed such high combat discipline.
Yuki flicked his fingers, and several Tyranid organisms lunged at the crew according to his instructions. Before the Space Marines arrived, these ordinary mortal soldiers had no way to resist the elite Tyranid units Yuki had brought with him.
"We might have to face the entirety of the Ultramarines' elite."
"What, are you scared?"
"You're asking if the Great Devourer would be afraid? Laughable."
Without further talk, Yuki and Yuno rushed toward the upper decks. The internal structure of the Honor of Macragge was exceptionally complex, filled with vents, corridors, and small paths created by years of neglect. Yuki and Yuno didn't bother with complex navigation. Since they needed to reach the upper decks, they simply went straight up, punching through layer after layer of steel plating.
"This feels like a very unconventional date."
"If you're willing to personally present Calgar's heart to me, I wouldn't mind treating this trip as a date."
"Calgar's heart? That's no simple request. But in that case, let me see if I can actually kill a significant figure."
As they spoke, Space Marine reinforcements finally arrived. They were warriors of the Ultramarines Second Company. The moment they saw Yuki and Yuno, they attacked without hesitation. Bolter shells bounced off the Hive Guard standing in front of Yuki and Yuno.
"Actually, I quite like these blue tin cans."
"Then should I be glad you died once back then?"
"You could say that."
Finally, when they broke through the Ultramarine defenses and reached the upper decks of the Honor of Macragge, the Honor Guard and Calgar were already waiting in formation. In addition to the standard Space Marines, Tigurius and several Company Captains were also present.
In the current situation, the Ultramarines had gathered a rare concentration of warriors—Dreadnoughts were awakened, and tanks were deployed. In terms of numbers, Yuki and Yuno were at an absolute disadvantage. But in terms of quality, the two were by no means inferior.
"Go deal with Calgar and the Honor Guard. Leave the rest to me."
Yuki nodded, then charged toward Calgar through a storm of bolter fire. Calgar wound up both fists, and Yuki threw both of his fists as if playing a game.
Their fists collided. Crack!
Yuki's arms were shattered instantly, but Calgar's body was also forced back. The Honor Guard surged forward, swinging their power swords.
"Trying to attack while my arms are broken?"
Several massive Tyranid scything appendages erupted from Yuki's stumps, directly impaling several Honor Guards who had drawn close.
"Xenos! You must pay the price!"
"Chapter Master Calgar, I do have a name. If you don't mind, you can call me Yuki."