The Gabbro, carrying Chapter Master Shi Dong and others, entered the battle, but instead of joining other forces, they chose to launch a surprise attack from another side of the Necron army.
Although Alex decided to use this trump card, he instinctively hoped to conceal the existence of this Primaris Astartes force.
After all, Primaris Astartes were still a sensitive topic within the Imperium, especially with the Great Rift not yet fully open; any rumors about Primaris warriors could attract unnecessary attention and scrutiny.
However, overall, as long as the two sides did not actively communicate, the problem was not significant.
Chapter Master Shi Dong and his forces had a distinct paint scheme compared to Sergeant Yarn and the un-Primaris Astartes, making it difficult to identify two Astartes forces with completely different paint schemes as belonging to the same Chapter without close inspection.
Chapter Master Shi Dong and his forces used a black and white quartered paint scheme, while Sergeant Yarn and his forces used a full silver-gray paint scheme; the difference between the two was quite obvious.
(Chapter Master Shi Dong)
(Sergeant Yarn)
Despite this, Alex still took necessary precautions to avoid suspicion.
He knew that even with different paint schemes, too much contact and interaction could still raise doubts.
Therefore, he specifically instructed Chapter Master Shi Dong and his forces to attack from the enemy's rear, avoiding direct contact with the Imperial forces on the front lines.
Furthermore, launching an attack from the enemy's rear was itself an effective strike method, and it could also cut off the Necrons' continuous reinforcements, making it a very practical tactic.
In summary, after Chapter Master Shi Dong led the Primaris Ash Knights into battle, the ground combat on Rostov II was no longer in much doubt.
On the front lines, the Defense Force, reinforced by two thousand Sisters of Battle, reorganized their offensive.
Under the fire support of two light cruisers, the main attacking force, composed of five Defense Force regiments and two Astra Militarum regiments, launched a counterattack against the Necron army.
The zealous faith and powerful firepower of the Sisters of Battle injected new vitality into the Imperial Army, and the Necron army's defensive lines began to crumble.
At the same time, Chapter Master Shi Dong's forces swiftly destroyed the Necrons' warp gates and warp beacons on the planet, cutting off the enemy's reinforcement routes.
This action not only greatly weakened the Necron army's combat strength but also created favorable conditions for the counterattack on the front lines.
After completing their mission, they quickly withdrew without contacting any Imperial forces.
The entire operation was clean and swift, like a ghost unit, appearing and disappearing without a trace.
Aside from Alex and Gutierrez, no one knew of the existence of this Primaris Ash Knights force.
Although Titus and the other Astartes also noticed the unusual activity behind enemy lines, they tacitly chose to remain silent.
Regarding the destruction of the Necron warp gates and warp beacons behind enemy lines, Titus and others certainly had some thoughts and conjectures.
But for various reasons, they chose to remain silent.
And after the ground combat ended, the fleet battle in space also drew to a close.
With the addition of the 32nd Forge Ship to the battle, the Rostov side finally gained a numerical advantage in combat power.
The 32nd Forge Ship was not only equipped with Nova Cannons but was also better able to withstand the recoil and side effects of firing Nova Cannons than Donia's Forge Ship.
The power of a Nova Cannon is immense; for smaller vessels, firing it often causes a complete power outage throughout the ship and can even lead to structural damage to the hull.
But for cruiser-class vessels, firing a Nova Cannon mostly requires enduring the immense recoil generated when firing a shell at sub-light speed.
The 32nd Forge Ship's design specifically reinforced its hull structure and energy distribution system, enabling it to complete Nova Cannon firing and reloading in a short time.
This efficient strike capability undoubtedly put immense pressure on the Space Necron Fleet.
During the engagement, the 32nd Forge Ship fired three Nova Cannon shots, each accurately hitting its target.
Two Shroud-class light cruisers were directly sunk, turning into debris in space; another Scythe Class harvester was heavily damaged, losing most of its combat capability.
The Space Necron Fleet's formation began to show disarray, and Alex keenly seized this opportunity.
He did not miss this crucial moment and decisively ordered a stasis field bomb carried on the Black Ship to be launched into the Space Necron Fleet's formation.
The stasis field bomb detonated within the enemy fleet, instantly releasing a powerful stasis field that drastically slowed down the entire Space Necron Fleet, with several warships almost completely halted in place.
"Now! Focus fire!" Alex's voice echoed through the entire fleet via the communicator.
The seven cruisers unleashed their full firepower, Macro cannons, lances, and torpedoes firing in unison, a dense barrage of fire pouring down like a storm upon the Space Necron Fleet.
Under such fierce firepower, not a single Space Necron warship was able to escape.
Shroud-class light cruisers shattered under the bombardment of Macro cannons, Scythe Class harvesters lost power from lance penetrations, and were finally completely destroyed by torpedoes.
When the last Space Necron warship turned to ashes in an explosion, the entire battlefield fell into a brief silence.
Alex stood on the Black Ship's bridge, looking out at the space filled with fire and wreckage through the viewport, yet he felt no sense of relief.
Although this battle was won, the threat of the Necrons hung like a Sword of Damocles, making him feel uneasy, as if he had thorns in his back.
"Report battle damage," Alex's voice sounded through the communicator, with a hint of fatigue.
"Black Ship lightly damaged, energy shields overloaded, but hull structure intact," the Executive Officer on the bridge was the first to report the Black Ship's condition.
"The Ash Knights' strike cruiser is heavily damaged and needs to return to the Starport for repairs," the Ash Knights' strike cruiser was the second to report its status.
This ship had been following behind the Black Ship, but its Void Shield was not as resilient as the Black Ship's, so it sustained excessive damage during the battle, with several Void Shield overloads forcing it to rely on the hull's inherent defensive capabilities to withstand enemy fire.
But fortunately, it held up; currently, it is only moderately damaged and has not lost combat capability.
"The Forge Ship is in good condition; the Nova Cannon system needs cooling, but other functions are normal." As the last Forge Ship to join the battle, it sustained the least damage.
Aside from taking a lot of hits while stationary during Nova Cannon firing, it did not suffer much damage.
In contrast, the other cruisers sustained injuries of varying degrees, from moderate to minor damage.
Although all were between moderate and minor damage, they clearly all needed to enter port for repairs.
Listening to the reports from each ship, Alex nodded.
Although the fleet had paid a considerable price, these losses were acceptable compared to the achievement of completely destroying the Space Necron Fleet.
"All fleet, return to the Starport for rest and recuperation," Alex gave his final order.
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