Several of his Legionnaires picked up and understood the creation of Cursed Tools almost immediately, most of them did not. But, Sukuna already expected such a thing. The ability to create Cursed Tools was a rare ability that came easier and more naturally with others. Already, Sukuna noted, more than a few of the Devourers were tinkering with their arms and armor, turning their mundane tools into Cursed Tools. The others fumbled, but it was clear that they did not lack in motivation or will, simply talent. It was ironic, then, that those who very quickly learned to create Cursed Tools were those who were terrible at everything else – Legionnaires who'd not yet learned to open their Domain, those who were just barely passable with the usage of RCT, and those who were downright terrible in hand to hand combat, at least when compared to their peers.
Still, none of them created anything of note just yet, which was understandable. Progress was progress.
Yawning, Sukuna turned his attention back to the data pad that contained all the available information on the Orks, of which there was a staggering amount. Apparently, humanity had already been at war with the Orks even before the formation of the Imperium. They were hardy, warlike, and brutish beasts, constantly seeking war and violence and carnage. Their technology made little sense. They were very difficult to kill and the weakest among them held comparable physical prowess to an Astartes, growing even bigger and more powerful with every battle they participated in and, surprise-surprise, an Ork's entire life was battle. They were a much-hated foe. By Imperial calculations, Orks were, perhaps, the most numerous race in the entire Galaxy, their Greenskinned ilk spreading far and wide across the vastness of the cosmos.
And he was supposed to conquer an entire solar system that was filled with nothing but Orks.
Fun.
The fleet exited warp space, emerging at the edge of the Naraka System. The vastness of the cosmos spread out before them, stars twinkling in the cold void. Sukuna's flagship, which remained nameless, led the armada, its prow pointed towards the heart of the system. Around him, his fleet reformed, ships taking their positions, weapons ready, shields active. Idly, Sukuna wondered if he should've made a greater effort of familiarizing himself with each and every single vessel within his fleet, before shrugging and ultimately recognizing that, in terms of naval prowess, he was better off leaving things to Loktar.
Almost immediately, the sensors picked up the first signs of Ork presence. Ramshackle vessels of all sizes and shapes, bristling with crude but powerful weaponry, cluttered the space ahead. The Ork fleet was vast, a chaotic mass of ships that defied any sense of order or formation. Yet, despite their primitive appearance, Sukuna knew better than to underestimate them. Quite literally, the data pad warned that, while their tactics may appear crude, Orks were a far smarter than most commanders ever gave them credit for and underestimated the Greenskins at their own peril. Their wisdom and knowledge came instinctively, Sukuna figured, likely some form of network that connected each and every single Ork to each other, allowing for the passage of instinctive knowledge; such a thing, he knew, was possible using Cursed Energy. He'd seen it before.
There were, perhaps, hundreds of Ork vessels drifting around the system, many of them asleep. Hm... yeah, Sukuna had no idea what he was supposed to do in this situation. Luckily, he had just the guy for the job.
He turned to Captain Loktar Shahid. "Do your thing, man. I'm giving you full command over the fleet."
"Will you be performing boarding operations, Prince Sukuna?" The pale captain of his ship and now the commander of his fleet, asked.
Interesting. The King of Curses considered it for a moment. Boarding actions were something his troops were already trained to do and, in theory, Sukuna understood how and why it was supposed to be important. But, personally, it just seemed unnecessarily dangerous, especially when entire teams could get lost and just die without accomplishing anything. Not worth it, especially now that none of his Legionnaires had reached their full potential just yet; it'd be a terrible waste if any of them died prematurely. Fighting on the ground was another story and Sukuna very much intended to see them fighting against the Orks.
Oh, he'd have to use some of the more advanced weapons at some point, like the Men of Iron legions, to even the odds, but Sukuna was rather certain of the fact that, despite not having attained full mastery over themselves and their Cursed Techniques, his Legionnaires were ready to try and prove themselves in a ground war.
But, ultimately, he didn't care. The Devourers were old enough to decide for themselves.
Sukuna shrugged. "Nah, I'm going out for a walk. Coordinate with my legionnaires if they wanna do that; I don't care. I'm cutting down their ships myself. Don't worry. I won't get in your way."
"By your will, Prince Sukuna," Loktar bowed. "I will send word to the Tech-Priests to prepare your Void Suit."
Ever since the destruction of his original Power Armor on Morhogg, the Tech-Priests decided that, until they came up with a viable design, the best possible course of action was for Sukuna to not wear Power Armor at all; instead, the King of Curses would simply wear a very flexible set of clothes that could survive in most environments and adapt to sudden and stressful movements, which was how his Void Suit was born. It provided no real protection from attacks, Sukuna knew, but it was light and cool, and didn't break or tear as he moved.
He almost couldn't wait for them to design an actual suit of Power Armor that could withstand Cursed Augmentation. The Emperor's Power Armor, that ridiculous suit of gold, could probably do just that. Therefore, the technology already existed, but was simply kept a secret. Fair enough.
"Good man," Sukuna stood up from his throne and patted Loktar on the shoulder. "Have fun. And, try to keep my fleet intact when you're done. It's small enough as it is and Malcador's going to throw a fit if I have to requisition more ships. Also, I'm approving the use of the Black Wing Squadron."
Automated Vessels, Malcador explained, once used by the Men of Iron to dominate naval battles – exceptionally swift and maneuverable, hundreds of small ships operating as a single unit, but each one capable of immense destruction. No other Legion, Malcador said, had access to the Black Wings simply because no one else was, ironically, trustworthy enough to make use of them. Sukuna still wasn't entirely sure why so much trust was placed on him, specifically and not someone like Horus. But, then again, he didn't particularly care.
Loktar's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded. "As you command, Prince Sukuna. I will make use of the Abominable Machines to the best of my ability."
"Good." Sukuna said, walking away and waving a hand. While Loktar had command over the ships, Sukuna himself had to be the one to authorize the activation of the bound Men of Iron. And, knowing the Tech-Priests, there would likely be a very long process that involved several sermons and prayers before the Men of Iron could be deployed. Best to have that started as soon as possible. "Have fun."
"All ships, prepare for combat," Loktar's voice echoed through the command deck, cold and commanding, mechanical in tone. "We'll show these brutes what true power is."
The first engagement began with a cacophony of explosions as the fleets clashed. Ork vessels rammed into Imperial ships with suicidal fervor, their weapons blazing. Sukuna's flagship fired its main batteries, beams of searing energy lancing out to carve through the Ork ships. Where the beams hit, Ork vessels exploded in showers of debris, but more kept coming, seemingly endless in number. The King of Curses watched it all unfold from his personal chambers as the servitors worked tirelessly to attach his Void Suit.
The Imperial fleet responded with precision. Coordinated strikes targeted the largest Ork ships, tearing through their hulls and reducing them to drifting wreckage. Even so, the smaller Ork ships swarmed like angry hornets, unleashing a torrent of firepower. They crashed into Imperial ships, their crude weapons causing significant damage. And then, the Black Wings were unleashed and the battle almost immediately took a sharp turn. The Orks were helpless against the automated vessels, Sukuna noted. They were outgunned and outmaneuvered, outmatched to such an extent that they were practically left stunned.
Hm, he should probably give his flagship a name soon.
But he wasn't very good with names. Bah, he'll let his Legionnaires come up with one and roll with it. Such things hardly mattered, honestly. Or, maybe they did and Sukuna just didn't care.
A few moments later and the Servitors were finished with the donning of his Void Suit – plain and matte black, shaped almost like a kimono that hugged his skin tightly, similar, perhaps, to the stuff worn by the Shinobi of Iga, except his Void Suit contained advanced bits of tech, one of which allowed him to breathe in outer space. It also had some kind of function allowed for limited mobility so he didn't drift aimlessly. And, of course, a means of teleporting back into his vessel if necessary.
He didn't need to breathe. It'd be terribly uncomfortable, but he didn't need to do it the same way he didn't need a heart; most the body's systems could be replicated with an incredibly advanced form of RCT that Sukuna figured very few were actually capable of. That said, he liked breathing, because not breathing was just... eh. So, the Void Suit was the welcome thing.
The Black Wings were a little too good at their job, Sukuna mused, leaving barely anything behind for him to cut up. That said, Malcador only gave him a single squadron of them and if they had one weakness it was that the Black Wings always stayed together, which meant they could be in all places at once and, if his reading of the sensors was at all accurate, then the Orks were trying to ram his flagship from behind. The cruisers and battleships wouldn't be able to react in time, caught up as they were with the Ork Vessels.
Sukuna counted three ships headed their way, each the size of cruisers, but seemingly only armed with close-range weapons. Odd.
The servitors retreated.
"Later," Sukuna grinned as the floor beneath him opened up, revealing the vastness of the cosmos.
And then, he fell right towards the Ork vessels that were most definitely planning on ramming his flagship. He couldn't allow that. The paint was still new. The vacuum led him surging onward. Grinning, Sukuna crashed right onto the front of the closest of the Ork Vessels. Upon contact, Sukuna immediately unleashed a rush of Dismantles, cutting apart the ship into pieces so tiny and so numerous that it the entirety of the vessel, however large it might've been, seemed to unravel into ribbons of metal, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Greenskins suddenly finding themselves adrift in the void.
Sukuna grinned as he willed forth the Flaming Arrow, filling it up with enough Cursed Energy to birth a Calamitous Curse, took aim, and shot it right into the hull of the second Ork Vessel, which promptly exploded into burning, flashing debris, the broken bodies of tens of thousands of dead Orks floating amidst the wreckage.
The third vessel was a little trickier, but Sukuna had an idea. He activated the thrusters of his Void Suit and surged forward, until he reached the third Ork Vessel. This one was a fair bit larger than the others, but no matter. Grinning, Sukuna ran forward until he reached what might've been the center of the vessel's exterior, before bringing his hands together, "Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine."
His domain encompassed three kilometers, almost fully encapsulating the Ork Vessel. And then, in a moment that lasted no longer than the blink of an eye, an innumerable number of Dismantles reduced the vessel to nothing.
AN: Chapter 28 is out on (Pat)reon!