183: Iron Wall War Begins

The Iron Wall Star Cluster is not a naturally formed complex sector, but a war labyrinth deliberately shaped on the edge of the Far East Star Sector by the Human Federation using Necron Phase Technology and environmental modification tech after annexing parts of the Sotek Dynasty's territory.

Countless metallic asteroids of varying sizes are fixed in specific orbits by phase anchors, forming layers of physical barriers. Hidden batteries, automated minefields, gravity traps, and overlapping reality stabilization fields and temporal anchor weakening zones deployed by Imprisonment-class platforms are densely packed within.

This is a slaughterhouse meticulously arranged by the Far East Conqueror Fleet, a giant beartrap prepared by the Human Federation for the main counter-attacking force of the Empire.

When Guilliman's massive fleet, carrying the prestige of recapturing the Indomitable Fortress, cautiously but firmly sailed into the outskirts of the Iron Wall Star Cluster, they immediately felt an omnipresent malice.

Auspexes suffered strong interference, navigation beacons flickered in and out, and the fleet had to reduce speed, carefully forming a tight defensive formation to avoid getting lost or separated among the complex obstacles.

"Multiple directional energy signals detected! It's the Human Federation fleet! They're coming out from behind the obstacles!" the Imperial Fleet's scout officer shouted hoarsely.

From behind those twisted metallic asteroids and the shadowed gaps between them, countless dark-gold ship silhouettes emerged like ghosts. They did not form a traditional line of battle but acted in small formations, relying on the complex environment to launch swift penetrations, harassment, and volleys from unexpected angles. The firepower of the new adjudicator-class battleship was precise and lethal, with Conceptual Resonance Shells specifically designed for the weaknesses of Imperial ship void shields scoring frequent hits.

Meanwhile, the fast assault ships equipped with temporal alloy coatings were like slippery fish, weaving through obstacles at high speeds and harassing the flanks and rear of the Imperial Fleet with dense light fire.

"Don't let them lead you by the nose!" Guilliman commanded calmly from the macragges honour. "Maintain formation! Concentrate fire and clear those large obstacles they use as cover one by one! Codex, lead the right wing and suppress the enemy harassment fleet in that direction! Ultramarines First Company, prepare for boarding actions to seize the largest defense platform!"

As the orders were issued, the Imperial Fleet displayed astonishing discipline and resilience.

After the initial chaos, they quickly steadied their ground, blasting open several channels with powerful firepower and beginning to systematically clear the Human Federation's pre-set positions.

Astartes boarding craft were like golden lightning, forcibly landing on several key defense platforms and engaging in bloody boarding actions with the defending Purifier units.

The battle quickly reached a fever pitch. Dark-gold energy beams and the glowing trajectories of Imperial macro-cannons intertwined frantically in space, and the light of explosions rose one after another, painting the cold metal wreckage in brilliant yet lethal colors.

Ships from both sides turned into burning wreckage during the intense exchange of fire. The Human Federation caused heavy losses to the Imperial Fleet by relying on the terrain and the advantage of the first move, but the Imperial Fleet's numerical advantage and the extraordinary combat capability of the Astartes were gradually turning the tide.

"Report! The 'Will of Indomitability' battleship on the left wing has been targeted by concentrated enemy fire; shields are overloaded, and the hull is severely damaged!"

"Report! The third Imprisonment platform has been seized by the Imperial Astartes; its reality stabilization field is down, disrupting our lines!"

"Report! New jump signals detected behind the Imperial Fleet, medium scale, suspected reinforcements!"

Battle reports were constantly sent back to the keystone. Han Zhe watched the battlefield hologram calmly, having long anticipated the Empire's tenacity and combat strength.

"It's time," he whispered, ordering all pre-set spacetime mines in the core area of the Iron Wall Star Cluster to detonate. He also ordered the hidden Annihilator-class carrier groups to deploy Logic Pollution Spores and Neural Interference Clouds into the core of the Imperial Fleet.

"Order the Far East Conqueror main reserves to strike from Channels 7 and 9 of the Iron Wall Star Cluster, cutting off the connection between the Imperial Fleet's left wing and the main force."

"Additionally," a cold glint flashed in Han Zhe's eyes, "connect to the abyssal scythe fleet. Lei Huan, execute the backstab plan."

"Understood!"

Having been on standby in the Extragalactic region for a long time, the hyperspatial jump engines of the ten eternal-class titan ship in the abyssal scythe fleet emitted a piercing shriek as they began a collective jump.

Their target was not the Iron Wall Star Cluster battlefield, but the relatively empty, most important logistical hub and troop assembly system in the Imperial Far East Star Sector behind Guilliman's fleet: Holy Blood Port.

Just as the battle in the Iron Wall Star Cluster was at its peak and the Imperial Fleet's attention was firmly held, the abyssal scythe fleet appeared like death gods leaping from hell, without warning, in the outer orbits of the Holy Blood Port system! The defensive forces here had long been diverted to the front lines, leaving only some old orbital defense platforms and a small number of remaining ships.

"For the Human Federation, purify!" Governor Lei Huan's command was concise and cold.

A dark-gold torrent of destruction instantly submerged Holy Blood Port. Orbital platforms turned into fragments in silent explosions, remaining ships were torn apart like paper, and the main starports, supply depots, Barracks, and even the towering Ecclesiarchy cathedral on the planet's surface were turned into a sea of fire under the dense orbital bombardment.

In just a few hours, Holy Blood Port, the logistical heart supporting the Imperial Far East war effort, was completely destroyed by the Human Federation in the most brutal manner, becoming a death graveyard floating with wreckage and corpses.

Almost simultaneously, at the Iron Wall Star Cluster battlefield, pre-set spacetime mines detonated in multiple locations within the Imperial Fleet's formation, causing brief temporal disorder and fleet coordination chaos.

The Logic Pollution Spores deployed by the Annihilator-class carriers were not biological weapons but nanomachines carrying complex paradoxes and erroneous instructions; they invaded the data cores of Imperial ships, causing system failures. The Neural Interference Clouds targeted the crew, creating auditory and visual hallucinations and a decline in judgment.

Although these methods could not decide the battle, they were enough to exacerbate the Imperial Fleet's confusion at a critical moment. Meanwhile, the Human Federation's hidden main reserves took the opportunity to strike, successfully separating an important flotilla on the Imperial Fleet's left wing from the main force, leaving it surrounded.