BOOM!
With a heaven-shaking explosion, the massive Emperor Titan strode forward. Its enormous Void Shield took over for Zhou Ye, who had been holding the line. The massive volcano cannons began to gather a dazzling light.
Then, everyone saw a brilliant flash.
A direct path was blasted open before them. The Warlord Titan accompanying the Emperor Titan also fired a volley from its volcano cannon.
"WAAAGH!!!"
At that moment, a deafening roar echoed from the horizon. A colossal entity slowly rose to its feet at the edge of their vision.
A Super Gargant.
The Ork equivalent of an Emperor Titan. This warband was clearly no simple mob. Zhou Ye let out a deep sigh.
"Excellent. Am I fighting the War of the Beast now? All I want to do is farm..."
Looking at the enormous contraption, Zhou Ye couldn't help but sigh again. Of course, this couldn't be the real War of the Beast; at most, it was a mini-version. But the problem was...
"Fine, we'll call it an extension of the plan. This is also part of the plan... FULGRIM, GET THE HELL OUT HERE!!!"
Just then, an ancient Contemptor Dreadnought strode forward, his rage so immense that even Asmodai trembled.
"You're here too!!!"
Seeing the other Contemptor Dreadnought, Aldrich called out a greeting. The latter showed a flicker of surprise. He truly didn't know the identities of the other Contemptor Dreadnoughts in the Star of Trailblaze Chapter.
"You actually survived? How did you end up in a Dreadnought?"
"..."
For a moment, the scene fell silent. A bead of cold sweat trickled down the foreheads of Asmodai and the others.
"REPENT! ALL OF YOU, REPENT!!!"
Aldrich, who had just calmed down, once again charged forward like a World Eater with his Butcher's Nails fully engaged, leaving Rylanor staring dumbfounded.
"What's wrong with Aldrich? Isn't he a Dark Angel? Why does he act like a World Eater with his Butcher's Nails firing? And why did you let him charge with a squad of... War Hounds??"
"That is a secret, Ancient."
Asmodai's body trembled as he spoke.
"Your Dark Angels culture is truly messed up. What happened to him?" Rylanor glanced at Asmodai, completely unimpressed. "Don't play your little secret games with me, you brat."
"Ancient, he was blown into a Dreadnought by an Ordinatus cannon that the Lion gifted to Perturabo."
Just then, Ashira, who was standing by Zhou Ye's side, quietly relayed the information through their private comms channel. He had been with Zhou Ye for a long time, and Zhou Ye had told him some of the little stories about these Dreadnoughts.
"Cough, cough..."
Hearing this, Rylanor let out a dry cough. He thought his own fate was tragic enough, but why was there always someone more miserable than him? In that moment, he felt a strange sense of relief.
Without another word, he led the Emperor's Children and charged forward.
"May this journey lead us to the stars! May the glory of mankind endure forever!"
With a resounding war cry, the newborn sons of the Phoenix joined the battle.
"What a glorious moment this is!!!" Asmodai couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. A Titan legion, led by a Primarch, was charging into a tide of Orks that could level mountains and fill seas.
And Zhou Ye's punishment had worked. After putting on the black armor, Asmodai felt his mind was clearer than ever. The words "Fallen Angel" had vanished from his thoughts. For once, he wasn't thinking about causing any trouble.
---o---
On the other side of the massive Space Hulk, Fulgrim, who was in the middle of bisecting an Ork, suddenly froze.
A look of disbelief crossed his twisted, desiccated face. He felt an aura that was achingly familiar. Or rather, not just one aura, but many, many...
"Father, there are too many Orks!" Lucius couldn't help but remind him. They were completely bogged down. Their Chaos Space Marines and Slaaneshi daemons were tied up; these Greenskins seemed to be empowered by a hint of Khornate energy.
"Wait, that's an Ork war machine, a Super Gargant..."
"Activate the Daemon Engines."
Taking a deep breath at the sight of the colossal figure, Fulgrim gave the command.
One after another, roaring engines descended from the sky. Countless Hell Knights charged out, launching a frenzied assault on the Greenskins.
One should not underestimate Hell Knights. These things had once destroyed an Emperor Titan named Praeco Deictus. Of course, this had something to do with the writers' daily flights of fancy, but their combat prowess was not to be underestimated.
"But it's not enough..." Fulgrim roared.
A light flashed around him, and his twisted form appeared once more.
"Father, this body won't be able to withstand it!" Lucius said anxiously, seeing the reaction of Fulgrim's host. This was a special body he had acquired from Fabius Bile; no other vessel could withstand Fulgrim's forced possession.
In his heart, Lucius felt a little resentment toward his gene-father. Look at Mortarion; with a single order, he could truly muster a legion of Great Crusade proportions. And you? You disappeared for ten thousand years, and we couldn't even find you.
"It matters not. I can feel the aura of my brother. The one in whom the Prince of Pleasure is so interested. I will make him pay."
Fulgrim gritted his teeth, and a brilliant pink-purple light erupted from him. The Four-Armed Emperor... his great serpentine form appeared once more.
At the same time, on the other side of the Ork tide, Zhou Ye and Rylanor both froze.
"FULGRIM!!!"
"Calm down. Right now, our common enemy is this horde of Greenskins," Zhou Ye said immediately. He could feel Fulgrim's aura. It was far weaker than Mortarion's. It was clear that, unlike Mortarion, he did not have the unlimited support of Nurgle. And more importantly, this was likely not his true body.
Besides, the core of this Space Hulk was an Ork Battle Moon. The number of Greenskins was simply staggering. Looking at the massive Super Gargant in the distance, along with several other Gargants and a swarm of Grot Tanks, it was obvious.
For now, they needed a temporary alliance with Chaos to deal with these Greenskins first.
Rylanor understood the situation, but it filled him with a sense of frustration and madness. He actually had to join forces with Chaos, even if it was a very loose alliance.
Zhou Ye could only shrug helplessly. Warhammer is magical, isn't it?
"FIRE ON THAT THING!!!"
At Zhou Ye's command, the Emperor Titan and the Warlord Titan once again released a dazzling light, and another massive volley was unleashed, smashing directly into the Super Gargant.
Unfortunately, while the Orks lacked Void Shields, they had something no less effective: the protection of the Waaagh! field.
In the next moment, a devastating barrage of their own firepower was returned, shaking the entire area.
---o---
BOOM!!!
As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer. Under the exchange of fire from both sides, the entire Space Hulk trembled violently.
So...
"Ugh..."
Aslot smashed a Purestrain Genestealer to pieces with a single punch of his power claw, just as a violent tremor ran through the deck. It was the earthquake caused by the Emperor Titan's main cannon being deflected by a shield and carving a terrifying scar into the ground.
"I know this feeling... it's our Lord's Emperor Titan!!!"
Feeling the extremely familiar tremor and the unique scent of scorched metal, Aslot was struck by a sense of déjà vu. Our Lord was leading everyone in a charge on this Space Hulk.
And he had been left behind. Again. Why was it 'again'...
It was only then that he realized his livery was no longer the black and gold of the Star of Trailblaze, but the bright yellow of the Lamenters. He knew that without the Lord's approval, these Lamenters would never have dared to change his paint scheme.
In that instant...
"NO!!!"
Teary-Eyed Cat Head, Blood Angels version, activated!!!
Aslot's entire being was consumed by the image of a teary-eyed cat head. He felt like a stray cat, abandoned and alone.
"Ancient, calm down!" Mario immediately tried to comfort him. He was all too familiar with this feeling of abandonment. "Our Lord truly hasn't abandoned us! After this battle is over, we will also go to New Tillius for resupply! We Lamenters are unloved and unwanted anyway, so we'll definitely be following Our Lord from now on!"
"Our Lord was just trying to maintain secrecy..." Mario's voice trailed off as he shrank back, glancing at the non-Lamenters behind him and his own Chapter Master, Malakim, who had temporarily stepped down, and the intensely curious gazes of his battle-brothers.
Mario wanted to slap himself. This venerable Ancient had only been temporarily assigned to them. Zhou Ye's original order was just for him to watch over these new recruits. They would never have dared to change the Ancient's livery. It was only on this Space Hulk, as part of our Lord's plan, that they had done so.
"Don't say another word..." Aslot waved his hand sorrowfully, then crushed a Purestrain Genestealer to pulp. Another artillery barrage sent two Tzaangors and a Khornate Bloodletter back to their blasphemous masters.
"We must rejoin our Lord at once! They must be in the middle of a fantastic battle!!!"
With that, Aslot once again demonstrated a speed that rivaled a White Scar, charging forward on his two mechanical legs. He was used to this by now...
"..."
Nearby, Metaurus and Chris both looked at the slightly unhinged Dreadnought with constipated expressions. Chris's sense of déjà vu was growing stronger. Everything was getting more and more abstract, thanks to Magos 010 Omega. For example, to this day, they still couldn't understand why the Flesh Tearers had eaten that... stuff. Of course, they had some guesses, but Chris felt it was enough. Prying any further would be impolite.
"Here is a brief report on the Black Rage."
At that moment, Chris's apprentice handed him a hastily written report. With so many Astartes and a legion of Storm Troopers advancing together, these true elite mortals of the Imperium, who could even face Greater Daemons, Chris had a rare moment of leisure. The Red Thirst, he didn't know about. But the Black Rage wasn't a huge secret. After all, the curse originated from a most glorious battle, and the Blood Angels' gene-father had died in the most glorious way possible.
So, while the Black Rage was a secret, it wasn't a catastrophic one if it got out. He figured the Flesh Tearers must have been having a problem with the Black Rage. If not that, what else could it be? He had his people investigate. The following was a testimony from a member of the Death Company.
"He said he was fighting Horus, and then, somehow, Horus turned into Horus-Shit. He punched him, the stench was overwhelming, and then he woke up... As expected of a product from Magos 010 Omega. Does the stench of this stuff work on a spiritual level?"
Chris couldn't help but marvel as he read the report. He didn't notice, however, that the corner of the small priestess's mouth, who was maintaining the faith barrier for their entire army, twitched noticeably.
Her name was Aiswei'er. She was born on an Ecclesiarchy world, her parents being among the highest echelons of the Ministorum. Her birth was legendary. A Warp storm had forced her mother to give birth to her in the Immaterium. Giving birth in the Warp was not a good thing. From the moment of her birth, she was practically a stillborn. Her parents, with their devout faith, had managed to keep a breath of life in her for seventy-seven days until their ship exited the Warp near Holy Terra.
Her parents, carrying her life-support capsule, had spent four days pulling strings to reach the gates of the Imperial Palace, where they prayed for their daughter. Finally, on the eighty-eighth day, the baby girl let out her first cry. The Great Bell of Terra tolled thirteen times for her.
That day, the golden-armored guardians of the Palace personally formed a cordon to escort her away from the swarming pilgrims. That day, people said they had witnessed the advent of a Living Saint.
From then on, Aiswei'er grew up in the most sacred schola on Terra. As she grew older, she would always receive guidance from the void. It was this guidance that had led her to this star system. And by a strange coincidence, the ship she was on was drawn into this Space Hulk, where she came to meet the Angels of the Emperor.
---o---