Liberating Taran Mainly Depended on Their Own Strength

Segmentum Tempestus, Taran System.

The Golden Fleet leaped to outside the orbit of the gas giant planet Malad.

For any fleet, the real-world Anchor for Warp jump will be chosen at the edge of the star system to avoid being damaged by the star system as soon as it returns to the world.

However, the Golden Fleet's understanding of Taran, accumulated through countless jumps and massive amounts of data, far surpasses that of any Imperium power.

They chose a real-world location close to the boundary of the binary star system of Taran and Malad.

On the Throne bridge of the Eagle's Talon, the command the Throne is held, with the Rogue Trader Sangre leaning against it.

"Assess the surrounding situation."

Despite having devised a plan for coordinated operations with three other Imperium powers, the liberation of Taran was primarily achieved through their own efforts.

Corvus Corax is a Primarch, but the XIX Legion's fleet is currently the smallest of the four factions, with only about two thousand Raven Guard participating in the war, which is one-tenth of the "Imperial Fists" and one-twenty-fifth of the mixed Astartes led by Wilshire.

Alexis Pollux's fleet was the most powerful, one-fifth the size of the Imperial Fists at its peak, but still inferior to the Iron Warriors.

Wilshire led numerous Astartes, but they came from various Chapter.

The arrogant Dark Angels outnumbered even the Shadow of Order, so how could they possibly obey the command of this "Shadow of Order's" Second Legion?

Sangre had heard that Lion El'Jonson believed that he, as the First Primarch, should rightfully serve as Warmaster, and that Horus Lupercal and Nimrod were his potential rivals.

Even if the Dark Angels and the Shadow of Order side by side, it is merely a forced choice due to a leaderless situation.

"Sir, the scan is complete, and the results have been sent to the holographic image."

The voice of the Auspex master came through the Rogue Trader's Communication Bead, Sangre immediately stood up.

She gazed at the holographic strategy table, where golden runes were embedded in the shadows of Malad, concealed by the gas giant planet.

One hundred arrows composed of earthen-yellow runes immediately caught Sangre's attention, and she raised her hand and tapped them lightly.

The sharp "arrow tip" rapidly magnified; it was the large battleship Hammer of Terra, whose Lance, launched from its bow, heralded the prelude to the Battle of Taran.

The massive warships fired at each other with Lance, the intersecting, scorching beams tearing molten red wounds into the armored hulls of both sides.

The Imperium of Man's military force turned against itself, the same force that had enabled Imperium to trample the Milky Way under its feet during the Great Crusade.

In just four minutes, more than fifty warships from both sides disappeared from the holographic image; they were originally enough to conquer the entire galaxy.

More and more Imperial Fists warships leaped out of the Warp, their engines gleaming with plasma light.

As always, the Iron Warriors formed a wedge formation, unleashing overwhelming and sustained power to strike the Imperial Fists.

Leading the way were the capital ships, followed closely by hundreds of escort ships, Gunship, and a massive assault carrier.

Sangre's eyes narrowed. The Imperial Fists fleet had formed a massive and ever-changing overall formation, with each ship and each squadron facing each other in a complex pattern.

[Pollux's formation may seem to relinquish the initiative, but it is actually the best option for a fleet at a disadvantage.]

His goal was to prevent the Iron Warriors from attacking a stationary fleet, while allowing the Imperial Fists to strike enemies from all directions.

The dozens of warships on the perimeter withstood the Iron Warriors' fierce barrage, their Void Shield being torn from their hulls.

"Um?"

Sangre kept a close eye on the dozen or so warships that were fleeing. Had he guessed wrong?

[The Imperial Fists's rock-solid discipline shattered at the very start of the battle?]

The Iron Warriors' fleet pursued relentlessly, unleashing Macro-cannon fire, filling the void battlefield with intense flames.

Sangre's eyes widened as the Imperial Fists fleet launched a counterattack from the Iron Warriors' vulnerable edge.

The Lance fired fiercely, and a barrage of torpedoes destroyed more than forty Iron Warriors warships.

The Iron Warriors responded with a relentless advance, their tight formation broken apart by the Imperial Fists warships that were "scattering and fleeing".

Sangre nodded, her gaze following the warships that were luring the enemy. As soon as they escaped the range of the Iron Warriors' firepower, they immediately made an arc turn, completing the maneuver with high thrust.

Only through the captain's superb skills and hard-earned experience can a ship survive such extreme maneuvers.

Sure enough, this was Pollux's tactic. He created an illusion of panic and confusion, relying on strict coordination and prior planning to divide the Iron Warriors' fleet and concentrate firepower on those stumbling and damaged warships.

Such precise adjustments are difficult even for the Astartes to coordinate, especially against an opponent who is Iron Warriors skilled in firepower.

Pollux must have trained for a long time.

As Sangre pondered, lines of red runes began to flicker along the edges of the holographic image.

She turned her head to look, and there stood a forbidden weapon that had been rarely used since the "Great Crusade": Vortex Warhead and negatively attenuated phosphorus.

Fire-net bombs, lightning bacteriophage torpedoes, and explosive internal explosion bombs.

These weapons, meant only for Xenos that threaten humanity's survival, are now being used to kill a former brother legion.

Hellish light tainted the void, ships were destroyed instantly upon impact, and millions of crew members were Charred flames.

Nightmarish rage tore both sides to indistinguishable pieces, and countless people suffocated to death in the void.

The losses of "Imperial Fists" and "Iron Warriors" began to rise sharply, with the number of casualties doubling every second.

The Imperial Fists's attack methods were constantly changing; sometimes it would retreat and dodge, and sometimes it would close in on the Iron Warriors.

They launched whirlwind attacks in a constantly evolving, yet controlled, manner of rage.

The damaged Iron Warriors capital ships were forced to slow down or break up their formations to pursue the fleeing Imperial Fists warships.

The Great Star Fleet dispersed into several secondary fleets, which in turn caused the escort fleet to lose control.

[The numerical advantage of the Iron Warriors is diminishing, while the Imperial Fists is closing the gap.]

Sangre's eyes blazed with fire; there was hope for Taran.

Beep----

A piercing buzzing sound rang out, and Sangre raised her hand to press the Communication Bead.

"Sir, the scan has just revealed a warship lurking in the asteroid belt."

"I suspect it's the Iron Warriors' fleet; they've pinpointed our location."

[We've been discovered. The Iron Warriors see us as a surprise attack force?]

Sangre immediately switched to the command channel and issued orders.

"Action!"

The reactors of every warship in the Golden Fleet ignited simultaneously.

The warships accelerated forward, Malad's gravity, like a slingshot, hurled the golden fleet toward Taran.

"Interception encountered!"

A rapid alarm sounded.

Gray runes suddenly appeared on the holographic image, heading towards the high-speed charging Golden Fleet.