In the core world of the Tau Empire, the Temple Square was crowded with people, looking up at the image of the Supreme Aether projected in the sky.

This image was broadcast to every colonized planet, and his divine appearance appeared to every citizen of the Tau Empire.

The voice of the Supreme Ether resounded throughout the empire like a huge bell through the holographic communication network.

Each of his syllables was carefully modulated with psychic energy, penetrating directly into the soul of the listeners, leaving them shaken.

“My people!” The Supreme Ether opened his arms. In the holographic projection behind him, the image of the burning human fleet was particularly eye-catching.

"The iron hooves of mankind have ruthlessly stepped into our homes! They brutally slaughtered our compatriots, burned our cities, and tarnished the glory of the Greater Good!" The voice of the Supreme Ether was full of grief and anger, as if one could feel his gnashing hatred for mankind's atrocities.

His eyes were as sharp as torches as he scanned the camera, his pupils contracted into a dangerous thin line, revealing his inner determination and courage.

"However, this is not the end of the world - this is a test! It is a great opportunity for us to ascend!" The words of the Supreme Ether were like a torch, igniting the fighting spirit in people's hearts.

"Every Fire Clan warrior will become the Empire's strong shield to resist the enemy's attack! Every Qi Clan worker will become the Empire's sharp blade to cut the enemy's throat! Every Water Clan civilian will become the Empire's backer to support our defense line!"

In the square, tens of thousands of Titans were like a surging torrent. Their war cries were like thunder, shaking the entire world.

The Fire Clan warriors were all strong and powerful. They used their thick fists to pound on the hard breastplate, making crisp and loud impact sounds, as if they were demonstrating to the enemy.

The people of the Tu clan held up various tools. These tools, which were usually used for production and construction, now became weapons in their hands, symbolizing their determination and courage to defend their homeland. Even the Shui clan, who were always known for their gentleness, tore off their gorgeous clothes without hesitation, revealing the emergency armor lining, showing their firm will to fight.

In this passionate atmosphere, the Supreme Ether raised his arms high, and his voice was as loud as a bell: "From today on, all citizens of appropriate age will be enlisted in the reserve force! All factories will be converted to military production! All spacecraft will be equipped with weapons!"

His words were like lightning that cut through the sky, igniting the fire deep in the hearts of every Tau.

"For the eternal Greater Good—" the Supreme Ether shouted loudly.

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" Thunderous roars broke out from the crowd, and the roars gathered into a powerful force that soared into the sky.

"Glory! Glory! Glory!" Immediately afterwards, another equally heart-stirring shout rang out, echoing the previous one, interweaving into a passionate war song.

This roar was like a raging sea, instantly swallowing up the tail sound of the Supreme Ether, flooding the entire square, and even spreading throughout the entire Titanium world.

Shi'ra-3

The foundry was filled with the smell of metal and engine oil.

The young Qi clan worker Fa'Loen stood on the assembly line, his eyes fixed on the data tablet in his hand, which displayed some complex production data.

However, suddenly, as if he was irritated by something, he threw the data tablet to the ground.

Farron's fingers were covered with thick calluses from years of operating machinery, and these calluses were a testament to his years of hard work in the foundry.

In the holographic image, the human fleet is carrying out a ruthless bombing on a planet. The picture is played in a continuous loop, and the explosion, fire and destruction are shocking.

"Foreman! I want to sign up for the front line!" Farron's voice echoed in the factory, with uncontrollable excitement. His respirator sprayed a white mist because of the emotional fluctuations.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the welding gun next to him and vigorously carved his mark on the assembly line.

This mark represents his determination and courage.

At this moment, the clanging sound of tools hitting the ground suddenly rang out. Three hundred Qi clan workers simultaneously tore off the cuffs of their work clothes, revealing their blue reserve tattoos.

These tattoos were originally hidden under the cuffs, but now they shine with blue light as if the power has been released.

The workers acted quickly and decisively, without any hesitation.

The unfinished civilian hovercrafts on the assembly line were roughly pushed over in their hands, and then the engine compartments were quickly converted into the energy cores of the pulse cannons.

"Convert the laser welder into a rifle!" Fa Lorn stood on the production line, his voice echoing in the noisy workshop like a thunder.

His eyes were filled with determination and enthusiasm that were impossible to ignore.

"Use the hydraulic arm to make a gun mount!" he continued to roar, with an impatient sense of urgency in his voice.

No one questioned his request, even though he was just an ordinary worker, but at this critical moment, people no longer cared about these things.

Under the shadow of death, the caste boundaries of the Tau Empire are being burned through by fear and anger.

Everyone knew they needed a weapon that could fend off their enemies, and Faroun's idea seemed like the only hope.

His words were like a fire, igniting the fighting spirit in people's hearts.

The workers began to get busy. They quickly disassembled the laser welder and reassembled it into a rifle with a peculiar shape.

The hydraulic arm was cleverly fixed under the gun body, forming a temporary gun mount.

During this tense process, no one spoke, only the sound of metal colliding and the friction of tools.

Everyone devoted their full attention to the work, because they knew that this was not just a weapon, but also the hope of their survival.

In a prisoner-of-war camp in the Homeworld, the human prisoner Redman was suffering unbearable torture. His body was tightly bound by the neural controller, and he was in so much pain that he finally fell to his knees.

In front of him stood the commander of the Tau Empire's auxiliary army, Sha'ves. The former farmer was now wearing a patchwork of XV8 armor, and his hooded goggles emitted a strange red light, revealing a sense of indifference and ruthlessness.

Sha'vis said to Redman in his awkward High Gothic: "Last chance, human. Join us, or watch your people be broken down into bio-batteries." His voice was cold and resolute, as if he didn't care about Redman's fate at all.

Redman raised his head with difficulty, spat out a mouthful of blood and phlegm at Xia Weiss, and cursed angrily: "Fuck you, the Supreme Good Dao!"

However, Xia Weiss was not angered by Redman's insults. He stood there quietly, looking at the captive in front of him expressionlessly.

Suddenly, his mechanical arm stretched out quickly and pierced Redman's temple like lightning.

The neural probe was inserted directly into Redman's cerebral cortex, instantly causing a violent convulsion.

Redman's body trembled as if he had been electrocuted. His pupils first dilated, then contracted sharply, and finally froze into the same blood red as Sha'vis.

"Welcome to the Greater Good." Xia Weiss said expressionlessly, while slowly pulling the probe in his hand out of Redman's body.

As the probe was pulled out, Redman's body seemed to be freed from some kind of restraint, and his originally stiff muscles gradually regained their elasticity.

His eyes slowly opened, their look was empty and confused, as if he had lost his self-awareness.

Under Xia Weiss's gaze, Redman stood up mechanically, his body swayed slightly, and then he walked straight towards the weapons rack with stiff steps.

Outside the barracks, three thousand human captives who had also been "transformed" were neatly arranged in a square formation.

Their bodies were in an unnaturally stiff state, and everyone's eyes had turned into a titanium-like pupil structure, revealing a sense of indifference and death.

These "transformed" human captives marched in unison, their movements were uniform, without the slightest individual characteristics.

They are like a group of programmed robots, acting exactly according to preset instructions, which is creepy.

………………

The Dark Angels flagship "Indomitable Truth"

Strategic Command Room

On the huge holographic projection, the map of the territory of the Tau Empire was displayed before the eyes. However, this area, which was supposed to be blue, was now covered by countless scarlet spots of light.

Each of these scarlet dots of light represents a mobilized colony.

They spread across the star map like burning flames, foreshadowing that a fierce war is about to break out.

And those flashing flight paths are like red lightning, cutting through the dark universe.

They represent enemy fleets gathering for a deadly assault on the Tau Empire.

Standing in front of the projection, Lion El'Jonson's figure looked particularly tall under the scarlet light.

His pupils were like the burning sun, reflecting the burning star map, revealing a coldness and determination.

The corners of his mouth slowly pulled into a cold arc, as if all this was within his expectations.

"Finally..." His voice was as deep as thunder, echoing in the command room and making people tremble.

His knuckles tapped lightly on the tactical table, making a dull metallic sound, as if sounding the death knell for the war.

“Finally took the bait.”

There was an indescribable sense of satisfaction in his words.

At this moment, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner of the command room.

The appearance of this figure was extremely strange. There was no light from the transmission beam, nor the sound of the hatch opening. It was as if he had been standing there, but had been hiding in the darkness and no one had noticed.

"The identity of our spy has been confirmed."

Alpha. Or rather, a Space Marine who calls himself Alpha.

His voice was as calm as if he was reporting the weather. His armor bore no legion insignia, and its paint changed with the light and shadow, sometimes dark green like the Dark Angels, sometimes gray-blue like the Tau Auxilia.

"He successfully instigated a riot at the Kshi'ra-3 foundry, and now the entire colony's industrial facilities have been converted to military production."

Ryan didn't look back, but just nodded slightly.

“Other penetration points?”

"Seventeen major industrial worlds, thirty-four military hubs." The Alpha Warrior's voice was filled with inhuman precision. "All mobilization numbers will reach their peak within 72 hours."

The red dots on the projection suddenly flashed violently, connecting into a network of death.

All the forces of the Tau Empire are being directed towards several preset destruction coordinates.

Ryan walked towards the observation window, and outside the window was the burning planet of Ka'Shien. The Dark Angels' fleet was still patrolling in orbit, and the artillery fire occasionally lit up the dark void, clearing the last resistance forces on the surface.

"Do you know why I chose you, Alpharius?"

The warrior in the shadows was silent for a moment.

“Because we are everywhere.”

"That's right..." Ryan smiled.

Across the Tau Empire's communications network, an encrypted message is spreading wildly.

[All fleets assemble towards the Kshi'la system]

[The main force of humanity will attack the core world in 48 hours]

[Defend the Greater Good to the Death]

Each message ends with a code specific to the Highest Ether - a perfect replica of the forgery.

In orbit around War'ren-Prime, a Tau squadron suddenly changed course.

"Direct orders received from Ether!" the navigation officer reported excitedly, "We are going to ambush at Kshi'la!"

The fleet commander looked at the assembly coordinates marked on the star map and felt that something was wrong - it was too open and not suitable for an ambush.

But the code doesn't lie, and after a brief confirmation, the commander gave the order.

“Full speed ahead!”

Ryan returned to the holographic table and ran his finger over several key galaxies.

"Tell Perturabo I want him to deploy orbital defense platforms at Kshi'la."

"Tell Sanguinius that his fleet is on standby at War'ren Pass."

"Tell……"

He paused suddenly and looked at the Alpha Warrior in the shadows.

“Are your people ready?”

The warrior's armor rippled, instantly changing into the livery of a Tau Fire Caste officer.

“We are everywhere.”

When his figure disappeared again, it seemed as if no one had ever been in the command room.

Lion stood alone in front of the star map, watching the power of the Tau Empire rushing towards the death trap set by the enemy like moths to a flame. His fingertips unconsciously stroked the hilt of the Lion Sword, feeling the ancient Caliban runes on it.

What an irony - the Tau Empire thought it was defending its homeland, but it didn't know that every step was calculated by the Dark Angels. Those incited civilians, those misled fleets, those fanatical warriors...

They are just prey.

"Report!" The communications officer suddenly shouted, "The main fleet of the Tau Empire has entered the Kshi'la gravitational circle!"

Ryan's mouth finally formed a real smile.

That smile dropped the temperature in the entire command room by several degrees.

"Initiate 'Extermination Order' protocol."

His voice was very soft, but it echoed like a death knell in the depths of every soldier's soul.

“Leave no one behind.”