The Great War Begins

"Confirmed destruction of 40 Rak'Gol warships, dozens damaged, and all first-wave void mines expended," Styx reported, compiling data from battlefield scans of destroyed enemy vessels.

"Excellent." Sandman was very satisfied with this report. The element of surprise with the void mines had yielded significant results before either side could open fire, proving at least that the Raven Guard's efforts had not been in vain.

Soon, the Rak'Gol forces demonstrated why the Dark Angels' report had suggested their technology was superior to the Imperium's.

Rak'Gol warships opened their bays, and countless drones swarmed out like a hive. Immediately, the Rak'Gol fleet's scale on the Imperium's tactical projection increased by more than tenfold.

"Similar to Eldar holo-fields?" Sandman mused, looking at the numerous simulated warship signals suddenly appearing on the Servitor's display.

"Second wave of void mines depleted. Most of what we hit were decoys." In just a few seconds...

"The Thinker Array needs time to analyze these signals," Styx reported to Sandman.

"No need for such trouble." Sandman pulled out a data cable from behind him and connected it to Styx's Thinker Array.

"A very interesting signal simulation pattern. I've found traces of Eldar technology within it, surpassing the Adeptus Mechanicus's level. No wonder it took minutes to decipher." Sandman spoke as he worked to break the Rak'Gol Xenos's signal simulation device. In just ten seconds, all the false targets vanished in batches, and the main body of the Rak'Gol fleet reappeared within the Imperium of Man's Servitor array.

"Void minefield expended," Styx reported the latest situation.

"Such a powerful holographic projection field." Sandman couldn't help but marvel at the formidable technology of the Rak'Gol Xenos. The void mine's programming was utterly incapable of distinguishing between real and false signals.

Aside from the initial surprise attack, the second and third waves of void mines combined did not achieve the same results as the first wave.

After the Rak'Gol fleet passed through the minefield, everyone finally witnessed the formidable array formed by their fleet.

With that War Moon at its core, thousands of warships formed concentric rings, surrounded by numerous drone clusters, creating an incredibly tight defensive network. The sheer scale of the fleet formation put immense pressure on all commanding officers.

"What are you looking at?!" Sandman felt the Rak'Gol fleet in the distance. Rak'Gol Prime, which he had marked as leaning towards the psychic side, was overlooking the entire battlefield with a gaze filled with malice and indescribable intent. Psychic shockwaves, laced with destructive and brutal energy and twisted mental power, surged towards the Imperium like a tide. Sandman even sensed a hint of contempt within them.

The sheer power of its mental energy, even with Void Shields and psychic defense matrices in place, put immense pressure on the mortals on the battlefield. The entity seemed to be searching for weaknesses in the Imperium's defenses, leisurely assessing how to tear through this formidable line as quickly as possible.

After a mere moment, it felt a power far greater than its own scanning of the enemy shatter its mental energy.

"What are you looking at?!" The three words, filled with provocation, slammed into its mind.

Immediately, a tiny warship surged out from the Imperium's prepared formation, positioning itself before the Rak'Gol Prime's combat cluster.

The warship, over 20 kilometers long, was like an ant before the Rak'Gol Prime. Yet, the aura emanating from it directly overwhelmed the combined aura of the thousands of Rak'Gol warships in their massive formation.

"Is this how the Rak'Gol Supreme raises you? Are you good at fighting? What good is being good at fighting? When you're out here, you need influence, you need connections! Turn around and join me now, and it's not too late!" Sandman's words, amplified by psychic energy, were transmitted to the Rak'Gol without mercy.

The Rak'Gol War Moon looked intimidating, and indeed it was. On a mortal level, the Rak'Gol's War Moons were incredibly powerful entities. But to Sandman, who was prepared to reveal his existence, this entity was simply a bloated fatty, strengthened solely by consuming the psychic energy of various intelligent species.

Even though the Rak'Gol Supreme had likely refined that mental energy and psychic power, the traces were still too obvious. The Rak'Gol War Moon was like an enemy in a cultivation novel who forcibly boosted their cultivation level with elixirs. When dealing with cannon fodder, they would naturally be unstoppable.

"Arrogant human ape! You know nothing of power!" A furious psychic wave directly reached Sandman's ears.

"Hmph, good advice is wasted on deaf ears!" Sandman transmitted this final warning to the Rak'Gol, and then the warships of both sides entered firing range.

A fleet detached from the Rak'Gol War Moon's array and broke formation, charging directly at Styx. Blasphemous weapons unleashed brilliant purple-black beams and various kinetic projectiles towards Sandman's flagship. The firepower, capable of easily destroying Styx, struck its Void Shield, which burned with black flames, yet not even a ripple appeared.

"Is this all you've got?" Sandman, clad in black adorned with death symbols, said with utter disdain.

At this moment, empowered by Sandman, Styx had long since transcended the realm of mortal warships. Its powerful shields rendered the Rak'Gol fleet's firepower utterly ineffective.

Then, Sandman made his move. This was the first time he had unleashed his full power before the Imperium.

"Gravitational wave anomaly!" The Rak'Gol fleet's sensors suddenly detected an anomaly in the galaxy's gravitational waves. In an instant, those Rak'Gol warships still attacking Styx vanished from the Raven Guard's Servitor array.

On their Servitor projections, a terrifying black hole had appeared out of nowhere within the Rak'Gol fleet. Under the immense gravity, from which even light could not escape, the fleet was instantly consumed.

In less than two seconds, the Rak'Gol fleet, along with the black hole, vanished from physical reality.

"You know nothing of power!" Sandman said indifferently, waving his hand as if brushing away a trivial speck of dust.

Then, Sandman extended his hand again, aiming at the warships surrounding the Rak'Gol War Moon. A miniature black hole instantly reappeared.

But in the next instant, a powerful psychic wave surged from Rak'Gol Prime. Warp energy instantly smoothed out the newly formed black hole.

"You are indeed a worthy opponent," Rak'Gol Prime's voice echoed across the entire battlefield, clearly heard by the Rak'Gol, the Imperium's Astartes, and even the mortals.

Then, all the warships surrounding the War Moon scattered. Rak'Gol Prime detached itself from its escort ships and flew off in another direction. Clearly, Rak'Gol Prime had issued a combat invitation.

"As you wish." Sandman ignored the departing escort ships. Since Rak'Gol Prime was eager to die, he wouldn't mind sending it on its way sooner.

Styx, burning with black flames, also moved towards the war buffer zone established by both sides. There was ample space for them to engage in combat. Neither side had brought ordinary warships; at this level of engagement, ordinary warships would have little effect.

Once both sides had moved a considerable distance away from the Imperium's defensive line, the Rak'Gol warships and the vessels of the Raven Guard and Death Guard began their engagement. Simultaneously, Rak'Gol Prime and Sandman, the two supreme combatants, commenced their formal battle.

Unlike the magnificent scenes of warships exchanging macro cannon fire, torpedoes, and lances, their engagement could only be described as metaphysical. The 500-kilometer-diameter War Moon was enveloped in a thick psychic shield, while Styx's minuscule hull pulsed with unparalleled, terrifying black flames. With every gesture, they easily distorted space and time.

The laws of physical reality were constantly being manipulated. Powerful forces occasionally pulverized entire asteroid belts into dust. As time passed, the entire buffer zone where they were located began to collapse. Even light could not escape. The warships' observation devices could no longer detect any visual data; only gravitational waves and quantum detectors vaguely sensed the fierce exchange of fire.

"Is this truly the power that mortals can unleash?" Both Mortarion and Korax felt their pride as Primarchs being ruthlessly trampled by these two terrifying entities. Every violent fluctuation in the gravitational wave readings felt like a slap across their faces. Mortarion, in particular, felt his first profound doubt about his own alchemy. While Korax had some idea of Sandman's strength, witnessing his full power still deeply shocked him.

"Mortarion, let's complete our mission first!" Korax reminded the somewhat distracted Mortarion.

"Mm." Mortarion responded gruffly to his brother, then refocused his entire mind on annihilating the Rak'Gol warships.

Their mission, besides defense, was to quickly defeat the Rak'Gol Xenos warships and then encircle Rak'Gol's second War Moon.

The war still had to continue. On the main battlefield, Rak'Gol's second War Moon was engaged in combat with the Imperium's first War Moon.

Unlike the metaphysical methods prevalent in Sandman's battlefield, the two War Moons on the defensive line appeared much more conventional. Although the destructive power of their weapons was immense, these were still forces achieved through technology and followed discernible patterns.