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Page 313
“As I said, madam, it is my mission and duty to collect and preserve the history, artifacts and events of the Milky Way.”
What do you want to collect?
"Could it be—" Her keen senses alerted her to danger, "Me?"
"Of course—no."
Actually, he wanted Casgar more.
Who wouldn't want this?
The Endless One, Tarachin, wished he could immediately seal that Casca into the stasis field and then run back to his museum before anyone could react.
This is certainly a viable option, but it seems the only outcome would be being hunted to the ends of the earth by Chaos Warmaster Forgrim.
Scared.
"My other duty is to better collect the artifacts in the future and to stop those forces that attempt to destroy everything."
Take chaos, for example.
Even the Necromancers and Eldar would stand on the same side when facing Chaos.
Moreover, Kasgar will be the most crucial core element in the fight against Chaos in the future.
He couldn't catch it.
Main character storyline locked, cannot be captured!
This made Tarasin very sad.
......
But the work must continue.
"For example, the contents of that bet."
"You knew all of that?!"
"Of course, but that is not the focus of our discussion, madam."
"With all of Fugrim's fleets trapped in the warp, Philus, who was on the verge of victory, seemed to have forgotten that the Son of the Emperor still had a company floating outside of it."
"The second company, that is, me."
Aqua's expression seemed to soften a little: "What do you want to tell me? I don't know where you learned High Gothic, Alien, but I will always have reservations about your suggestions."
"Tell me, how can I defeat the Azure Crystal Alliance before the Primarchs do?"
“I don’t need your trust,” Tarasin replied, his tone still unhurried.
"You should put yourself in their shoes. Think about it from the perspective of the Azure Crystal Alliance. When you know a powerful fleet is hunting you down and seeking your destruction, why don't you just leave? Why don't you move to a safer place?"
"I don't know why?"
Thinking is not Aqua's forte; aside from combat, her proficiency in other areas seems to be no different from her cooking skills.
"Because they can't. They're trapped in this galaxy."
"Fuel. Their fleet needs fuel."
"Each acceleration of their escape requires a significant amount of energy from the Azure Crystal Alliance fleet. To traverse any distance, they need substantial amounts of fuel. The fleets in nearby star sectors that obey the world have not reported any major losses of transport convoys, so we must assume they can obtain fuel from other sources."
"It's on the planet Caroline, which is nearby. They must have hidden a solar energy collector somewhere on the corona. Their main core fleet is currently hiding on this planet, waiting to collect enough energy before continuing their advance."
Having said that, Tarachin mysteriously flicked his cloak behind him, then tore open a dark green rift in front of him as if by magic—a feat that was completely unimaginable—and stepped forward into it.
"Hey! Wait a minute!"
Aqua was about to step forward to intercept, but before she could react, the rift closed in front of her, as if nothing had ever happened.
Gazing at the empty room once again, Aqua silently gripped her sword tightly.
......
Phyllis Marus was very happy.
Just as if the warp was not only on her side, but also unleashed a powerful warp storm while Fugrim was still navigating through the warp.
And shortly thereafter, Company Commander Gabriel Santo reported his discovery to the Primarch—
It turns out that those damned Azure Crystal Alliance fleets are hiding on a nearby planet right now!
Once the enemy fleet is completely destroyed, the Azure Crystal Alliance, having lost all means of defense, will also lose all means of resistance.
Her victory was inevitable.
Under the sudden attack of the Steel Hand fleet, the explosion of the solar collector in orbit above the planet was as bright as the birth of a new star.
The scorching cloud of debris and the released potential energy spread for hundreds of kilometers, shattering the Azure Crystal Alliance warships that were close to the collector.
Nearly a thousand interstellar ships hovered above Carolis, each with its own complex trajectory. Dazzling cannon fire and torpedo trails crisscrossed the space between them.
Caught off guard, the Azure Crystal Alliance fleet was ultimately dragged into battle by the Steel Hand fleet. Like a wild beast trapped in a bay, protecting its cubs.
Fully armed warships of ancient design formed a perimeter around the solar collector, while smaller, faster escort ships attempted to break through the blockade of Imperial vessels and take their equipment with them from the battle.
But it was all in vain.
Under Philus's relentless bombardment, the mechanical army from the Steel Hand soon landed on the planet and began destruction and slaughter.
Those dead aliens from the Azure Crystal Alliance were muscular quadrupeds with ochre-colored skin and scales that resembled snake scales but were harder and more like chitin.
Some of its limbs have been reinforced with mechanical prosthetics, and its head has been elongated. It appears to have no eyes, and its mouth is a black ring of teeth filled with undulating tentacles.
A strange armature was fixed to its back and connected by a series of cables to its spine and many fingers and forelimbs.
Of course, there were other humans fighting alongside them, their twisted bodies immediately recognizable, despite the damage inflicted by the torpedoes.
Phyllis couldn't understand why humans would fight alongside the Xenomorphs. Although she could understand the purpose of the Xenomorphs' mechanical modifications, which were similar to the modifications she had seen in the palace on that initial outer planet.
However, it still cannot achieve perfection like humans.
A sense of unease welled up in Phyllis's heart. Was it jealousy?
No, this strange creature works, lives, and fights alongside pure-blooded humans, descendants of ancient Earthlings, and this behavior itself is repulsive.
But all of this will soon come to an end.
After wiping out the surface forces on the planet's surface with endless firepower.
Her gaze fell upon the Azure Crystal Alliance warship docked above near-Earth orbit.
It seems somewhat familiar.
She felt like she had encountered this scene before.
Was it the Battle of Gardiner?
She reminisced about the past.
At that moment, Aqua, the Second Company Commander of the Imperial Prince, appeared out of nowhere and stormed into the enemy camp...
--etc.
Aqua is the second company commander of the Imperial Prince!
At that very moment, Phyllis saw a drop pod, streaking into it like a meteor.
"Lady Philus, now it's my turn."
On her communication channel came the voice of Aqua Duna, the second company commander of the Emperor's Son.
Chapter 192 The Beginning of the War
......
A few days ago.
"But why did you tell me this?"
Gabriel asked the emperor's son before him with a puzzled look.
As the second company commander of the Sons of the Emperor's Legion, Aqua shouldn't be providing such crucial information to the Iron Hand Legion at such a critical moment.
The Azure Crystal Alliance members are currently hiding on the planet Carlos, in orbit around a planet that everyone thought was safe from search. The fleet is quietly completing its recharge.
Their commander and leader are on this ship. Whoever can capture this ship first will win this battle.
Whoever can keep Casca in their own legion.
“I need you to inform Philus of this, even though it sounds alarming, but I need you to do it.”
"Why? Aqua, you are clearly the second company commander of the Emperor's son, why did you do this?"
"Because this is my last chance."
In response to Gabriel Santo's question, Aqua's voice grew even lower: "Whether it's repaying Fugrim or Kasgar, this will be my last chance."
The Azure Crystal Alliance's flagship is currently undefended in the planet's near-Earth orbit. Only under these circumstances can Aqua have the opportunity to break through its defenses and successfully board the ship solo.
"Once the flagship returns to space, the outcome between the Primarchs will be entirely a matter of luck. I cannot guarantee that I can defeat the enemy faster than Philus when she boards the ship."
Luck might be on her side, but Aqua had no room to gamble anymore.
Kasgar is as important to the Sons of the Emperor as the Primarch; he plays a crucial role in the Legion's cohesion and future.
He must return to the Legion intact, or else, in his frenzy, Fugrim will only slide into an even deeper abyss.
She had to do it.
“Gabriel, I must complete the final push. As for the Azure Crystal Alliance’s ships lurking on Carolis, I need you to report to Philus now and request her to send troops immediately.”
"If possible, I would be even more grateful if you could find a way to hold off Philus while I charge toward the enemy flagship."
"If you can hold off Phyllis for a short while, she will know my determination when she sees me heading towards the energy zone, and then she will be unable to stop me."
Aqua is determined to accomplish what she failed to do last time—to cleave the energy core with a giant blade.
This could trigger a larger-scale explosion.
"But in that case, you would only perish together with the enemy's flagship in the explosion."
"Yes."
Aqua spoke casually, as if they weren't talking about her at all.
“I should have died in Gardinal; it was Casca who kept me alive until now.”
“It’s time for me to repay him again.”
......
Battle of Gardiner.
The same situation happened back then, just like it is now.
Phyllis clearly remembered that when their main force was tied down and unable to advance quickly, it was the same Emperor's Son, Second Company Commander Aqua Duna, who streaked across the sky like a shooting star, who charged into the enemy lines alone and almost sacrificed his own life to destroy the core of the enemy's defensive facilities.
But this time, no Casca was able to follow her into the enemy lines and rescue her.
The image of the emperor's son in the airdrop pod now seemed to transport her back to the past, when she was just like that—
and many more.
Now is not the time to be nostalgic; she is disrupting her own plans!
The voice in her head still told her that this was nothing more than a longing for the past, and the crucial point was the bet she was making with Fugrim—
Only the winner of this contest can possess the Casca wager, and Aqua, as the second company commander of the Emperor's son, is not on her side at this moment!
"No! Quick! Steel Hands! Prepare to board!"
She is the one who should be on high alert!
Dwelling too much on past camaraderie is meaningless sentimentality that will only hinder her progress.
As the Primarch of the Iron Hand Legion, she must discard these pathetic, weak emotions and become the embodiment of true rationality.
Fugrim's experience taught her how foolish a sentimental human could be—in desperation, she was eager to launch a surprise attack on the Azure Crystal Alliance, completely forgetting to consider where their main fleet might be hiding.
You've become so impatient just because you lost Kasgar... Fugrim, you really need a real lesson.
Such pathetic composure is utterly insufficient to make one an Imperial War General.
We must strike the enemy flagship before Aqua does!