Chapter 385

Blood sacrifice to the Blood God! Skull offering to the Skull Throne!

For the Emperor! For humanity!

On the platform, the two sides of different faiths shouted, but the Astate's metallic battle cry was far louder than the battle sisters' voices.

Lady Xisi Ya, holding an old-fashioned chainsaw sword in her left hand and single-handedly wielding a human-scale boltgun in her right, realized that all pre‑deployed plans had completely failed; even executing a suicide bait mission could not let the young children and civilians escape, so she actively moved toward the World Devourer charging at her, whose physique had swollen to about 2.6 meters.

"Ka! Ka!" Bolt shells ejected from the chamber.

Boom! Boom! The explosive bolts, just as they were about to strike the Devourer's ceramite armor, were deflected by an invisible spiritual energy stance and detonated early.

"Hahaha, I'll skin you alive!" Xisi Ya's "weak" attack only further aroused the Devourer's love of torment, and it deliberately slowed its speed so that mortals could keep up.

All that could be seen was Xisi Ya, wearing powered armor that barely reached 1.85 or 1.86 meters, coming into close contact with the 2.6‑meter‑tall Devourer.

Hum~~ Clang!!

When the high‑speed chains of the Chain Sword and Chain Saw clashed, they emitted a piercing metallic screech.

Thunk—Crack!!

However, at the instant of their clash, the Chain Sword—having received no spiritual energy boost and no "divine spirit" blessing—was easily cleaved in two; immediately after, the Chain Saw's force undiminished, it swept down in a follow‑up chop.

With a "Sizzle!", the fearless Lady Xisi Ya was cleaved straight down the middle by the Devourer, split into two halves.

Blood spurted forth.

At the same time, the elder Battle Sisters died in droves.

Elder though they were, the Battle Sisters—including Xisi Ya—had never seen real combat, relying solely on faith to meet the enemy head‑on.

Unfortunately, the Emperor whom the Battle Sisters worshipped might be unable to "watch over" this place, or perhaps for some other reason, He gave them hardly any aid at all.

!!

"Damn it!!"

Seeing their mentor‑like mother figure Xisi Ya cut down so easily, Walutina's eyes turned blood‑red; she brandished her power sword, ready to lead the sisters in one final charge of their lives.

However…

Boom—rumble! Boom—rumble!

One after another, Astate‑exclusive drop pods and individual drop pods screamed down from the sky, passing precisely through the eight‑hundred‑meter‑wide gate before slamming onto the platform.

???!!!

Furthermore, this unexpected turn of events indirectly interrupted Walutina and her comrades' suicidal move, while also plunging the Devourers into confusion, causing the fierce battle to appear to pause temporarily.

On Walutina's side, despair grew ever stronger, for she had heard from the veteran Battle Sisters like Xisi Ya that the arrival of drop pods meant more fallen giants would appear.

We couldn't win anyway, and now reinforcements show up??

As for the Devourers' side, they were utterly bewildered.

First, they had not requested, and indeed could not possibly request, support from the fleet.

Second, although these drop pods resemble their legion in paint, symbols, and outward shape, the details still differ significantly, especially the term "Clearcutter," and the individual drop pods…

The Devourers simply don't have this type of drop pod at all! So what's coming is definitely not reinforcements—it's the enemy!

When the fallen Astate, with their unhuman brains, quickly analyzed the current subtle and bizarre situation, all the drop pods suddenly flung open their doors.

All that could be seen inside the dimly lit large drop pod were numerous dark‑red "eyes" flashing.

Next, a group of Astate appeared, their armor painted gray‑blue and white like the Devourers', but their plates were the more advanced Thor's Hammer Mark V ceramite, bulkier than the Devourers'; they leisurely stepped out of the drop pods and entered everyone's view.

They are the Clearcutters who share the same OriginalBody as the Devourers, and even their combat style is extremely similar—of course, this refers to the Devourers' fighting style before their fall.

At the instant the Clearcutters left the drop pod…

Rat‑tat‑tat!!!

The 75‑mm and 1.0‑caliber bolt rifles and heavy bolters sprayed fire in a mad sweep.

Ree—whoosh!!

Plasma shoulder cannons and handheld heavy plasma guns also continued to spew hot plasma blasts of various sizes.

The battle situation was completely reversed.

The Clearcutters did not charge forward while shouting as they usually did; instead, they efficiently opened fire directly.

It seemed they only wanted to slaughter the Devourers outright, and couldn't be bothered to engage in the usual one‑on‑one melee, hacking and slashing.

The Clearcutters behaved this way because the Devourers were utterly unworthy of life, and certainly unworthy of sharing the same OriginalBody and similar paint scheme.

They must die!

As for the Devourers who had provoked the Clearcutters, they fell in swaths just like the Battle Sisters and ordinary soldiers when facing them, their bodies fused with armor unable to withstand the explosions and shattering, the scene becoming extremely bloody.

Yes, the Battle Sisters' and ordinary soldiers' personal weapons could do nothing against the Devourers.

Indeed, they bore the Blessing of evil gods and demons, making their already superhuman physiques even stronger.

But they faced foes who specialized in slaughtering all manner of monsters and wielded "normal"‑caliber bolt firearms and heavy artillery, and the operators of those weapons were either the Umbrella Astate or full‑fledged members of the Clearcutter legion.

Compared with faith and Blessing?

The Clearcutters owe absolute loyalty to their Father, and "Old Dad" will shield them.

Compared with physique and gear?

The Umbrella Astate require twenty‑five procedures, and in speed, strength, and even "stability" they surpass the Human Empire's Astate.

As for equipment, there's no need for a detailed comparison—with Umbrella's tech backing, they basically crush both the new and old Human Empire in every respect.

Back when the Sparta reserves faced the elite Black Gangs, they could take on three or four at once, while the Black Gangs that met the Sparta regulars were simply hammered to pieces.

Now, with the Clearcutters' rage maxed out, who cares whether the Devourers have demonic blessings?

See them, smash them! Leave no survivors!

A mist of blood instantly spread, and shreds of flesh and debris rained down across the entire platform.

As for the "soldiers" who jumped out of those individual drop pods, they were HellParatroopers wearing gray‑blue and white armor and wielding high‑powered laser weapons.

All that could be seen was a squad of paratroopers who, the moment they left the drop pod, began to assemble.

Afterward, a squad leader with red-painted left shoulder armor raised his left hand forward; having received a clear order, two paratroopers with small missile launchers mounted on the right rear of their armor immediately knelt on one knee, deployed the launcher's front and rear protective covers, and used the mechanical arm to adjust to the optimal angle.

Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

Six micro-missiles trailed thin white exhaust flames and, at extreme speed, rushed toward the three Devourers whose armor had suffered severe mutation.

Although the three Devourers locked onto by the missiles could, with their reaction speed, barely dodge a direct hit, they could not escape the blast radius produced when the missiles detonated mid‑air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Accompanied by the sudden rise of six micro‑'blue suns' about ten meters in diameter, plus a deafening explosion and violent shockwave, those three Devourers, who had not expected it nor reacted to what was happening, were already… 'devoured'.

No remains left.

The flesh of those blessed by the evil god and demon, when struck directly by the 'blue sun,' was vaporized and evaporated, leaving not a trace of residue—equivalent to physical erasure.

As for the Devourers' already‑fallen souls?

Then that's not the HellParatroopers' concern; these battle‑crazy fellows only kill, but with their lord, Chairman Sui, present, the fallen Astate souls will surely have a rough time.

One minute.

Just one minute.

A Clearance squad, plus three HellParatrooper companies belonging to the legions, arrived at the platform, and the battle ended in just one minute.

Valentina and the others who had watched the entire battle were utterly dumbfounded, their brains nearly shut down—this…

What the hell is going on?!!!

Why are there two batches of giants? And who are those ordinary humans also wearing powered armor?

Most astonishing of all, the Devourers that had utterly crushed them, when placed before another group of giants and ordinary humans, proved so feeble as to be unable to withstand a single blow.

As for the giants, that's expected—but who would have thought ordinary humans would be just as formidable?

In fact, during the earlier ground battle on Dianka, the Kreig unit tasked with escorting the evacuation convoy was wiped out; the main cause was a surprise attack by elite veterans of the Black Warband, compounded by the lack of time to equip heavy weapons, so they had no choice but to use their bodies and the fusion reactors of their dedicated powered armor as makeshift 'single‑use nuclear grenades'.

Having learned this lesson, in the auxiliary forces of the five expedition legions, almost every company and every platoon was equipped with heavy weapons, including. 50‑caliber new‑type Gauss machine guns capable of piercing the frontal armor of siege tanks, or 60mm caliber fusion‑powered plasma, laser, or melt guns.

HellParatroopers, being well‑funded and a special troop type favored by the OriginalBody and legion superiors, naturally have more choices in weaponry.

Previously, the six micro‑missiles fired by those two paratroopers carried low‑yield plasma warheads.

In other words, the about 2.1 million HellParatroopers of the five legions amount to three to six soldiers per combat battalion carrying nuclear weapons on their person.

As for the 500,000 Astate, they likewise possess a greater variety of explosive bolts, certain special ones matching the power of low‑yield plasma warheads.

However, under normal circumstances the Astate prefer. 75‑caliber standard explosive bolts, since ordinary foes cannot even stop a standard bolt.

By comparing the personal weapons of both sides, and given that Clearance and HellParatroopers can drop from the sky unhindered, it's easy to guess that the Clearance fleet will soon—or already has—taken control of planetary orbital authority.

At this moment.

HellParatroopers and Clearance troops are now going one by one to administer coup de grâce to the intact corpses, ensuring every Devourer is completely dead, all while ignoring the still‑dazed battle sisters and the civilians and ordinary soldiers who, having heard the outside quiet down, voluntarily left the various shuttles.

But it's not that they completely ignored them.

One sees a Clearance trooper of average Umbrella Astate height—2.6 meters—who had slung his power sword and bolt pistol back to his waist, after confirming no threat remained on the platform, stride forward toward Valentina and the others standing frozen near the hatch of the third shuttle.

"Sis… lady, what should we do?"

"Are those the giants loyal to the Emperor?"

"Oh Emperor above… they're truly magnificent…"

Watching the Clearance trooper draw nearer and ever more block out the light, like a looming mountain about to reach them, the sisters all came to their senses, their panicked tone asking their sole remaining pillar—none other than Valentina, who had just been made 'lady'.

Fortunately, Valentina's stress tolerance was decent; she immediately recalled all the legends and knowledge she had learned, then lowered her voice to the sisters beside her and said:

"First, don't rush; by convention we should perform a half‑kneeling salute, but… I've never heard of a Clearance legion, whether loyal or despicable traitors."

"So let's first try to negotiate with them; although they show no overt hostility, we cannot let our guard down."

"Yes." The sisters likewise replied in a low voice.

"Thud, thud."

At that moment, the battle sisters, averaging twenty‑four years old, seemed to hear nothing else—only the heavy footsteps of the Thor's Hammer magnetic boots, which came through unusually clear.

Soon the footsteps ceased abruptly; the sisters shifted from a level gaze to looking up, while the Clearance trooper kept his head lowered.

Both sides fell into a brief silence.

But this Clearance trooper then actively opened his helmet, revealing a somewhat disheveled head of long hair, bearing a weathered yet still handsome appearance.

He also constantly gave off the feeling of an ancient Roman gladiator.

Most importantly, the Clearance trooper's aura of authority without anger, combined with his lofty stance, filled even the sisters who were barely twenty—or even under twenty—with awe.

Even the most composed Valentina, forcing herself to speak, asked: "May I ask, are you loyal to the Emperor…

"No." Before Valentina could finish, the Clearance trooper immediately denied: "I owe allegiance to only one person—my father, the Lord of Mankind—and I am the Second Battle Company Commander of the 27th Battalion, Clearance Legion, Kalenkradanis; I'm glad to be able to help you."

Lord of Mankind?

Valentina and the sisters grew even more confused, wondering whether, according to past rules and regulations, they should classify Kalen and the Clearance as heretics…

Or perhaps we should just continue negotiating.

——————

…

Meanwhile.

Outside the atmosphere.

The Clearance Legion had already purged the Devourer fleet of Nuoxia IV (the system's fourth orbital planet).

Furthermore, orbital control over all Nuoxia planets was about to be seized by the Clearance Legion and the arriving UNSC fleet, except for Nuoxia III, the system's capital and most hospitable world, which was still putting up stubborn resistance.

Meanwhile, the Clearance homeworld, parked over 200,000 kilometers beyond Nuoxia, saw its warship Gladiator likewise embroiled in a fairly intense battle.

Because the Devourers' OriginalBody led a large contingent of guards and Terminator veterans to be teleported onto the surface of the Gladiator.

(End of chapter)