"Attack."
Eloil's voice rang out on the Bridge of the Forged Steel Inferno, devoid of emotion, like a cold command issued by a machine.
His mechanical eye flickered with dark red light as he gazed coldly through the vast viewing window at the Millennium World defense fleet still resisting them.
In his eyes, those warships were merely obstacles to be cleared away, those soldiers nothing more than ants to be crushed.
At the prow of the Ark Mechanicus, an unknown weapon slowly rose into position.
Its shape was bizarre and unfamiliar, unlike any weapon design known to the Imperium.
It consisted of several twisted metal tubes wound together, with a reactor embedded at its center that radiated an eerie green light. A liquid sheen flowed across the reactor's surface.
Thick cables and pipes connected to the weapon's base. The cables writhed like blood vessels, feeding some kind of dark green energy into the crystal.
As energy continued pouring into it, the crystal shone ever brighter. The surrounding air began to warp and tremble, emitting a low-frequency hum that pierced the vacuum and traveled through the Bridge's metal structure, setting everyone's teeth on edge.
"What is that?" On the Bridge of the Millennium Herald, an officer stared at the image of the Ark Mechanicus on the tactical screen and involuntarily voiced the question.
His gaze settled on the strangely shaped weapon, and a powerful sense of unease welled up inside him.
Its design defied every principle of weapons engineering he knew. It looked less like a cannon than the product of some unknown technology.
Just as everyone exchanged bewildered looks, the unknown weapon fired.
There was no flash, no thunderous report, no shell streaking through space.
Only an invisible Stress Wave radiated from the crystal, spreading outward like ripples in water,