Hathor: Master of the Path of Destruction, Should Follow

I pledge allegiance to my Lord.

The Shining of Tizca, bridge.

Hathor glanced at Peouk and asked Ignis beside him.

Are you ready?

Ignis looked around, and the Divination Prism revealed omens of good and bad fortune.

The suspended Astrological Clock displays patterns of celestial movements.

A torrent of data surged across the Relief Pillar, overwhelming even the enhanced servants. Within the "Cult of Destruction," a group of Thousand Sons from the "Pavoni Cult" transmitted information with swift and agile thinking.

"Chief Librarian, thanks to your support, I have obtained all the resources I need."

Ignis said gratefully that he did not know why Lord Hathor had chosen him, but he would seize this opportunity to put into practice the ideals of Hathor and the entire sect.

Hathor looked at Ignis with scrutiny, wondering why Lord Nimrod valued Ignis so highly.

The "Cult of Destruction" is just one of many small groups within the "Thousand Sons," and Ignis is a newcomer to the sect.

But Lord Nimrod's will is paramount, and he must carry out the order.

Hathor flashed a perfect smile and recited the briefing he had just received, reminding Ignis.

"The Xenos's Artificial War Satellite possesses a massive number of drones and powerful weaponry," and the "Dark Angels" lost a Gloriana-class Battleship.

"My lord, firepower and defense cannot determine the outcome of a void battle," Ignis said confidently with a smile.

"Space warfare guided by the Path of Destruction is a perfect combination of mathematical conclusions and probability statistics, the key of which lies in a series of elegant numerological principles."

"By applying the conclusions of Arcane Calculus, one can manipulate the entire course of the battle."

"Furthermore, we have the support of the 10th Battalion of the 'Shadow of Order,' and Lord Ramsey is also willing to cooperate with my plan."

Hathor nodded; he had to trust Ignis, as Lord Nimrod had instructed.

"Execute your plan and win." The "Hypnotist's " eyes were deep as he quietly opened the digital door woven with the threads of fate, using "Psychological Suggestion" on Ignis.

Follow me, and you will gain more.

"Yes, Chief Librarian," Ignis replied excitedly, unaware of the surge in data flow that followed the fleet's warp into Warp.

Data shared by the "Shadow of Order" fleet: drone trajectories, propulsion vectors, yaw angles...

The data came in a torrent.

"Detailed, clear, and fast," Ignis exclaimed.

The Hypnotist's thoughts moved gently through Ignis's Mental Body like a large, soft hand.

Although the "psychological Psychological Suggestion" of a "Psychiatrist" has undergone a qualitative change, if the target has a strong mind, they can still detect or resist it.

He must be careful.

"Lord Nimrod's legion possesses Simulacrum Sanctum, capable of mobilizing the entire fleet's Auspex and other detection equipment to conduct a comprehensive scan of the enemy fleet."

"They cracked the Xenos's trail, the spoofing of Imperium warship readings."

The "Hypnotist" interprets the "Shadow of Order" and Lord Nimrod's fleet from a near-objective perspective, which is natural given his role as the link between the two sides and his background experience.

"Truly admirable, fighting alongside the 'Shadow of Order'," Ignis's eyes gleamed, "My Arcane Calculus will give me a ten-order-of-magic advantage over the Xenos."

As Ignis spoke, he spread his thoughts across the various layers of his Mindset, instantly Analysis numerous variables.

Unlike most Thousand Sons who push their Mindset to its highest level during battle, or a few like Hathor and Ahriman who switch their Mindset to best cope with the current situation, Ignis needs computational ability.

Simultaneously covering the first to sixth layers of Mindset, it dramatically increased Ignis's computing power.

His thoughts merged into the thought network of the "Pavoni Cult".

The "Hypnotist" quietly joined the group. After receiving the power bestowed upon him by Lord Nimrod, he made great progress in his mental abilities. His ability to Telepathy was no less than that of any of the Raptora Cult Masters, and his mind-reading skills even surpassed those of Apophis, the Temple Master.

He surpassed all the Thousand Sons in terms of influencing people's minds.

Within the "Pavoni Cult's" mental network, the "Hypnotist" uses "Psychological Suggestion":

"Work in concert with the 'Shadow of Order' to achieve victory."

The Hypnotist's suggestive words simultaneously touched upon his Third Fellowship and the 360 "Pavoni Cult" Thousand Sons of the "Cult of Destruction".

Ignis's thoughts, encompassing six layers of his Mindset, divided the star field of the Rosa System into nine hundred and sixteen quadrants.

Commands such as orientation correction, route adjustment, and firepower plans were delivered with breathtaking speed and clarity by members of the "Pavoni Cult" located throughout the warship, reaching all crew members and then the fleets of "Thousand Sons" and "Shadow of Order".

"Shining of Tizca, starboard maneuvering array, 49% thrust, sustained for 5.1 seconds, then port side compensation deployment."

In the instant Ignis's thoughts took flight, he simultaneously learned that the masters of the "Pyrae Cult" had dissipated heat and used the flames of the Great Ocean to enhance the power of the ship's bow Lance.

"Fire at 6:02, Ignis 1-9-4 fire plan."

Ignis has developed his own 358 unique firepower plans, incorporating his mastery of the Way of Destruction into them.

"..."

In a single second in the real world, Ignis was already devising a plan for the fleets of "Thousand Sons" and "Shadow of Order".

At the same time, his combat plan affected the entire warship, and after fifteen seconds and twenty-three seconds, it covered each of the warships of "Thousand Sons" and "Shadow of Order" respectively.

The red and black warships quickly dispersed.

The frigates and destroyers operated independently, with each warship flying to a different quadrant.

The main warships were arranged in groups of three to five, forming a well-formed formation.

The scene, imbued with mathematical beauty, almost moved Ignis to tears.

Hathor was also amazed by the beauty of the art, and Ignis foresaw the future development of the battle. Each of his commands was aimed at a different moment in the future, from six minutes and nine seconds to ten minutes and seven seconds.

The Xenos warship and drones were like Marionette on his strings.

Hathor suddenly understood why Lord Nimrod valued Ignis, this follower of the Path of Destruction, whose skill in space warfare was unmatched by any of the Thousand Sons.

[A superior commander of the void, a master of the path of destruction, should rightfully serve my lord.]

While Hathor was pondering, Ignis temporarily disconnected from the mental network and returned to the physical world to assess the situation.

Hathor went to the viewing window and tried to capture the artwork with his eyes.

The overwhelming swarms of Xenos aircraft passed by the warships, as if being pulled apart by an invisible hand.

Red and black warships weaved through the gaps, raining torpedoes at the surrounding drones.

The Macro-cannon, scattered across all quadrants, fired like dazzling fireworks.

The Lance, enveloped in Aether flames, detonated inside ships covered in spikes and flails.

In the first wave of engagement, the Combined Fleet lost only one slow-moving battleship, Xenos lost dozens of capital ships and tens of thousands of drones.

Hathor returned to the holographic strategic map, where Ignis repeatedly used the Path of Destruction to detect enemy movements in the ever-changing battle quadrants, constantly making tactical responses and macro-level decisions.

The combined fleet traversed the flames and energy vortexes of exploding warheads, the winding trails left by the exhaust flames weaving through the dark void.

Hathor withdrew his gaze from the enormous creature that had come into view, and keenly noticed a hint of worry mixed in with Ignis's swirling thoughts.

He asked Ignis, who had been in control of the battle, "Is there anything unexpected?"

"Simply put, the increase in the number of Xenos drones as the distance closes has exceeded my expectations," Ignis said.

"Slow down, maneuver within the surrounding quadrants, I trust your control," Hathor said sincerely with a perfect smile.

After a five-second silence, Ignis spoke.

"But the production capacity of Artificial War Satellite may exceed the supply capacity of Forge Deck and Transport Ship."

"Unfortunately, I cannot destroy Artificial War Satellite in the void."

"But I can open a passage and create an opportunity for boarding action."

Hathor nodded. "Make a plan. Ramsey and I will lead the team in a boarding maneuver."

While Hathor contacted Ramsey, Ignis quickly devised a new plan.

The plasma engines of destroyers ignited, shooting towards the Artificial War Satellite like arrows.

The swarm of drones immediately rushed over like a school of fish that had smelled food.

A blinding light burst forth in the void, the overloaded reactor resembling a burning miniature star.

Ignis stared silently at the void outside the viewing window, where clusters of flames bloomed.

"You've done more than enough," Hathor's perfectly magnetic voice rang out.

"We lost some destroyers," the Dark Angels, referring to the loss of a Gloriana-class Battleship and over a hundred capital ships.

Ignis nodded, his gaze returning to the holographic strategy table.

"Execute the surprise attack plan."

Black and red warships passed through the silent light, reaching the orbit of the Artificial War Satellite. Raindrops of light fell, sounding the horn of revenge.