Chapter 217: "All the Better"

Anlei System lay two hundred light-years east of Cadia. Intelligence gathered by the Black Legion during the ongoing war suggested that the system's defenses were lax, its presence barely felt. It was not originally a target, but Abaddon now cared only about wreaking havoc on the material universe, tearing open warp rifts without regard to location.

When the Chaos fleet emerged from the Mandeville point, Abaddon, from his vantage on the *Vengeful Spirit*, noted with satisfaction that the system possessed no orbital defense platforms; only a single frigate stood in opposition. A lone Talon Navy frigate.

Without awaiting orders from Abaddon or Typhus, the ships in the fleet, harboring long-festering resentments toward the Talon Navy, launched into the attack. The Black Legion, Plague Fleet, and Red Corsairs' cruisers charged forward, unleashing a torrent of fire upon the lone frigate—macrocannons, laser lances, and torpedoes bombarded its shields relentlessly. The shield strained under the assault, glowing like an overtaxed lamp.

If only the *Vengeful Spirit*'s engines hadn't lost two thrusters, Abaddon would have ordered it into the fray as well. "Have the *Eternal Will* fire on the planet!" he commanded. "The rest, stay on the enemy ship. Destroy it!"

As the order left his lips, Typhus's image flickered to life before him. "That frigate is my prey. Pull your men back," Typhus demanded.

Abaddon scoffed at Typhus's presumption and turned his gaze back out the window. That hapless Talon frigate was now sandwiched between two Chaos cruisers. Its puny lances fired futilely in defense; the beams were thin and feeble. Even with its defensive turrets firing in unison, its output was laughable in comparison. The cruisers, with their broadside batteries trained on the frigate, pummeled it with a barrage that caused the frigate's shields to ripple and shudder. Soon, the shield broke, yet instead of being destroyed, the frigate jumped into the warp and vanished.

Abaddon allowed himself a satisfied smile, though a faint suspicion crept in. Why was there only one frigate in this system? Did Talon frigates operate alone?

"I recall you sent a fleet to probe Talon space some years back," Abaddon asked Typhus, his voice laden with meaning. "Surely, you learned something of their naval tactics…"

"They never returned," Typhus replied with a shrug. "Either deserters or dead. Not everyone is so keen on becoming cannon fodder."

Abaddon refrained from pressing further, his attention shifting to the weightier task at hand. The Blackstone Fortress had already taken aim at the system's fringe desert planet, a vortex cannon gathering warp energy in preparation. 

After ten seconds of waiting, however, the cannon remained silent. Simultaneously, several rifts suddenly appeared beside the desert planet.

Abaddon's brow furrowed as a sense of unease washed over him. The rifts continued to expand, and from each emerged a warship, slowly materializing. While within the rifts, these ships appeared to be composed of shifting lines, yet once they entered the material universe, they gradually assumed their true forms.

It was the Talon Navy.

Abaddon immediately recognized the lead battleship emerging from the largest rift—the very vessel that had pursued the *Vengeful Spirit* in the previous battle. The Talon fleet had received the frigate's message, prompting the main battleship unit to jump into Anlei from their strategic point.

One battleship, *Talon's Wrath*; seven cruisers; twelve destroyers; and twenty frigates. This wasn't the entirety of the fleet stationed at their strategic point; additional frigates and cruisers would arrive shortly.

*Talon's Wrath* had pre-charged its weapons before leaving the warp. Massive particle lances and torpedoes tore through the void, heading straight for the *Vengeful Spirit*. Meanwhile, the destroyers deployed a barrage of void mines.

The black cubes of these bombs crossed the warp in a blink, emerging in the midst of the Chaos fleet. Because the Chaos fleet had been concentrated in pursuit of the Talon frigate, every ship was packed tightly, giving the void mines a staggering 70 percent hit rate.

"Void mines!" Abaddon leapt to his feet. He had once heard Sorax describe these terrifying devices; they teleported into the heart of fleets and became one with the struck ship, rendering them impossible to dislodge before detonation.

Seeing the mines, Abaddon's heart skipped a beat. He frantically looked around, desperate to confirm that his flagship hadn't been struck.

One of his officers reported in haste, "The flagship is clear of void mines, my lord!"

"Excellent." Abaddon sank back into his throne, visibly relieved.

"However, the *Final End* has been struck by one," came the next report.

"All the better."

Abaddon recalled how, after the last battle, Typhus had stepped onto the bridge of the *Vengeful Spirit*, taken one look at the damaged port side, and a twisted, guttural laugh had echoed from beneath his helm. The universe had a way of balancing the scales…

Aboard *Final End*, Typhus stared at the black cube embedded in the bridge's pulsing, fleshy deck—one of the void mines Sorax had once described. Now it was fused into the bridge's very structure. The Plague Sorcerer and adjutants around him scrambled for solutions, their ideas ranging from implausible to absurd.

"Corrode it away!"

"There's no time to corrode it!"

With frustration mounting, it was Typhus himself who devised the most feasible plan. "Expel it!" he roared. "Tell the ship to expel it!"

The command was given, and *Final End* responded. The fleshy bridge floor writhed, ejecting the section where the void mine had lodged. Typhus watched intently as the device, replete with malice from its designer, was jettisoned from his sight.

The mine detonated just before it fully left the ship, tearing a gaping hole in the bridge. The ensuing shockwave hurled everyone on board, flinging Typhus forward to gaze through the ragged wound. He could now see to the ship's deepest decks, a full kilometer of destruction wrought in an instant.

"No!" he roared.