Chapter 537: The Istvan Massacre

"Is this the planet?" Horus stood in front of the battleship's control console, staring through the porthole at the sand-yellow planet below, his eyes revealing a hint of doubt and expectation.

"Yes, my lord. The enemy's forces have been lured to the surface of the planet as expected. According to the plan, we will launch orbital bombardment in five minutes." The officer replied respectfully and showed Horus the intelligence data on the tactical display screen.

Horus nodded slightly in approval. He walked back to the command seat of the Vengeful Spirit with resolute steps, sat down and continued to ask: "Where is Sanguinius's fleet now?"

Another officer quickly stepped forward to report: "Sir, the Red Tear has successfully completed the warp jump and is now leading the fleet. They will join the battle sequence soon."

Horus pondered for a moment and asked, "What about Lord Xerxes's Sand Sleeper? Has it set off as well?" Horus knew that the strength of each fleet was crucial to this battle, and he did not like to fight unprepared battles.

"Report to the lord, the Sand Lurker has set off and is expected to arrive at the battlefield within half a Terra hour." The officer replied in a firm tone.

Horus nodded with satisfaction. Then, he took a deep breath and issued an order: "Get all the warships ready. Anti-ground light spears and whirlwind torpedoes are on standby at all times. Once you receive the order, immediately launch a fierce attack on the planet Isstvan III."

"Yes, sir!" The subordinate officers who received the order acted quickly, conveyed the instructions and organized the warships into combat status.

The entire bridge was filled with a tense yet orderly atmosphere, as countless soldiers were concentrating on performing their tasks and making final preparations for the upcoming war.

Horus sat quietly in the command chair. As time passed, Horus became more and more excited. He was ready to meet the challenge. This bloody fireworks feast would be kicked off by their own hands...

"What's going on? Why are you all Denor people?" The second-generation angel Yunxi looked at his comrades around him in disbelief, with a strong sense of uneasiness and confusion in his heart.

At this moment, she felt extremely strange, as if the whole world had become strange.

"What Denor people? We received a notice from the Empire saying that we can achieve great things by coming to this battlefield, so we came here without hesitation." A soldier answered in confusion.

Yun Xi looked around, and wherever he looked, in addition to the young soldiers, there were many old and weak or underage soldiers. Their faces revealed confusion about the future and fear of war.

"How is this possible? What on earth does the empire want to do?" Yun Xi's thoughts were in chaos, and for a moment he was unable to comprehend the situation before him.

At this moment, a number of extremely huge warships suddenly appeared in the sky of the planet. They hovered in the air like steel monsters, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

"What is that? Is it our warship?" Countless soldiers stopped and looked up at the sky, with hope flashing in their eyes.

However, Yun Xi seemed to understand something in an instant. Her face turned as pale as paper, and she shouted to the soldiers in front of her: "Hide quickly!"

Before he finished speaking, a dazzling light descended from the sky, instantly illuminating the entire earth.

Immediately afterwards, millions of square kilometers of land were razed to the ground in the blink of an eye, and the raised dust covered the sky and made it difficult to breathe.

Yunxi widened his eyes and looked at the tragic scene in front of him, his heart filled with despair and anger.

She realized that this war was far more cruel and complicated than she had imagined, and that she and these innocent soldiers might just be pawns in this huge conspiracy.

Yunxi was engulfed by the billowing smoke and dust produced by the explosion, and the soldiers who had just talked to her were reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

"This is impossible..." Yun Xi muttered to herself in disbelief. Just a moment ago, she clearly saw that the beam of light was millions of kilometers away from her, but it could evaporate all her comrades around her in an instant!

"Yunxi, the Imperial Fleet has lost contact! They seem to have been attacked!" A second-generation angel staggered to Yunxi's side, said the last sentence with all his might, and then fell to the ground and died.

Before Yun Xi could come to his senses, beams of dazzling light began to fall from the sky one after another.

"What on earth is going on..." Yun Xi looked at the doomsday-like scene in front of him in horror. His legs went weak and he involuntarily knelt on the ground.

At this moment, he felt extremely desperate and helpless, as if the whole world was falling apart.

This doomsday scene took place on the planet Istvaan III, where several virus bombs were dropped on the surface of the planet.

The Life-Eating Virus stored in the virus bomb was completely released after it was dropped onto the surface of the planet. The horrific virus swept across the entire continent in an instant.

Countless soldiers tried to escape from the virus, but in the end they were turned into a pool of meat in pain.

"Keep attacking, don't stop!"

Warmaster Horus stood on the battleship and watched all this indifferently, while more and more troops of the Empire were rushing in through the warp jump.

"This is the Red Tear, we have arrived above Isstvan."

Next to the Spirit of Vengeance, another Queen of Glory-class battleship leaped out.

The Red Tear was originally built on the giant gas planet Jupiter. Its amazing craftsmanship and powerful weapon system made it one of the Emperor's most precious private fleets.

Over time, the Red Tear grew in fame, eventually becoming the flagship of the Blood Angels Legion.

Much of the interior of this magnificent vessel is taken up by Blood Angels artwork, majestic monuments, and ornate heraldry.

These decorations not only showcase the glorious history of the Corps, but are also a tribute to their bravery and fearlessness.

However, fate is always full of drama. During the Battle of Signus Prime, Athena Ducard, the captain of the Red Tear, encountered the terrible influence of the power of Chaos.

This evil presence gradually eroded her mind and forced her into madness.

Unable to control herself, Athena Ducard killed all the crew members on the bridge and destroyed key control systems.

The Red Tear, which had lost effective control, rushed straight to the surface like a wild horse.

During this thrilling collision, most of the crew members on board either died in the violent collision between the hull and the ground, or were swallowed up by the madness caused by chaos when they fell.

This tragic event dealt a heavy blow to the Blood Angels, but they remained undeterred.

Sanguinius then announced that the battle barge Covenant of Bhaal would replace the Red Tear as the new flagship of the Legion.

At the same time, the Red Tear was not abandoned. After hard work, it was repaired and cleverly converted into an indestructible ground fortress, continuing to fight to defend humanity.

However, like the rest of the Blood Angels fleet, it was lost in the Warp and accidentally came to Ultramar.

The Red Tear was repaired on Macragge and once again became the flagship of the Blood Angels.

So when the three Primarchs Sanguinius, Guilliman and Lion planned to break through the warp storm and advance towards Terra, the Red Tear was also the core of the Blood Angels fleet.