Chapter 416

Dong, dong.

Inside the spacious passage, the sound of magnetic boots stepping on the floor tiles reverberated.

Boom... boom...

Here, one can faintly hear the intense artillery bombardment, explosions, or the commotion from large airborne units crashing or making emergency landings.

Looking around.

Rather than saying this place is a labyrinthine passage leading everywhere, it's more like a "square" with walls and a ceiling.

The average width is about four hundred meters; the road paved with marble tiles lies roughly a hundred meters below the ceiling inlaid with gold thread, and the side walls are adorned with exquisite murals, sculptures, artworks, and…

Having been forcibly stripped of their tau-steel armor, the loyalist corpses have long since corroded into skeletons.

Striding through the passage, Rog gripped Storm's Fang in his right hand, his left hand resting on the ornate gun holster at his waist, brow furrowed as he advanced toward the palace core while observing the loyalist corpses hanging on the side walls.

Without needing Spiritual Perception, Rog could sense that the palace interior was filled with resentment and hatred, clearly strong emotions left behind by the loyalists at their moment of death.

Although these loyalists have already received their father's redemption, and are now following the OriginalBody of Universe 03 outside, slaughtering those who once stabbed them in the back, fratricidal traitors, the fact of their death cannot be changed.

Even if the father were stronger, he could not make these loyalists "rise from the dead"...

However, Rog believes that with his father's Spiritual Energy, plus the top researchers Plague Doctor, Rebecca, Alekxia, and their main universe's technological strength, they should be able to forge a fleshly body for the heroic souls of Universe 03, thereby bypassing the so-called natural law and achieving a rebirth in another sense.

"Sir." At that moment, an Iron Fist Guard wearing a knight-style helmet and exclusive Terminator armor, with a white cloak draped on its back, came to Rog's side and reported in a low voice:

"Our legion's main force has already occupied the southeastern outskirts of the Terra palace; they are currently advancing from the surface toward the palace core region, while the first squad of the first company of the 4th and 5th battalions have chosen to enter the underground passage, using Centurion mechs to quickly rush to our position, and they should be able to join us soon."

"Very good." Rog nodded in agreement.

Looking closely at his side, there were merely over a hundred Iron Fist Guards equipped with exclusive armor and weapons, even with slight differences in decoration.

Each legion's Honor Guard of Umbrella numbers roughly between three hundred and twelve hundred, with the fewest being Angellon's gladiators and the most being Robert's Ever-Victorious Army.

But regardless of any numerical oddities, the Honor Guard are always the elite of the entire legion, and even of the whole universe; otherwise they could not earn the status of "bodyguard" and stand beside the OriginalBody.

Therefore, Rog's act of bringing only over a hundred guards into the passage is not blind overconfidence, but rather quite normal and a relatively safe choice.

The remaining guards, following his orders, pilot the more advanced Centurion VII mechs, assisting on the surface either their own or allied legions' headquarters.

And the commanders of the 4th and 5th battalions dispatched their first squads of Centurions to provide support, partly out of concern for their OriginalBody's safety, given that the palace interior is labyrinthine, chaotic forces have surged, and some of the darkest, most depraved corners might be beyond even the father's protection.

Although the legions of the main universe have never experienced an OriginalBody's downfall, having learned from the loyalists' encounter with the OriginalBody's death or disappearance in Universe 03—where morale collapsed and they suffered total annihilation—the two battalion commanders dispatched their most elite veterans and Centurions to provide support.

Furthermore, the two battalion commanders also know that their OriginalBody has been restrained for too long and can't wait to charge first into the palace interior, gradually breaking away from the main force of the Honor Iron Fist.

In such a situation, their OriginalBody is highly likely to encounter an ambush, or face a fierce enemy assault…

But this is not a bad thing; on the contrary, to the two battalion commanders, this situation is one of the ways for their headquarters to quickly earn merit!

Rog, having inferred the battalion commanders' true purpose from the report, also did not choose to refuse the support offered by the 4th and 5th battalions.

Indeed, following him makes it easy to earn merit; if his Honor Iron Fist outperforms Sparta and the Clearers in killing and annihilating the enemy, he'll have face, so why not?

After advancing a moment.

Rog and his party then arrived at a passage junction, where three branching paths lay for him to choose.

Just as Rog was pondering which branch to take, sixty-four veterans of the 4th and 5th battalions piloting Centurion V mechs also arrived here using anti-gravity tech, joining up with Rog and his group.

Moreover, not only did reinforcements arrive, but the previously smooth "good times" also came to an end, because each branch opened a portal, releasing a large army of low- and mid-tier demons united together.

Know that any low- or mid-tier demon, placed before a civilization of low technological level—like early to mid-20th century humanity—would be akin to a deity.

At the same time, the Steel Warriors tasked with guarding this underground passage have mustered nearly ten thousand Chaos Astartes, plus uncountable numbers of mortal scum, employing all armored forces to form a steel torrent that surges toward Rog and his party through the three branches.

Seeing this…

"Hahaha!" Rog, delighted rather than worried, raised Storm's Fang, aiming at them as they fired dense bolt rounds, high-energy beams, violent bombardments, and Spiritual Shock, yet temporarily unable to pierce the diamond-shaped shield projected by the Centurion mechs of the traitors and demons, he couldn't help but laugh loudly:

"You little brats! Your merit has come!! Quick! Quick! Take care of them for me, more will come!!"

"Yes!"

Click-click-click!

Ree~whoosh!!

All the Iron Fists were also extremely excited, each pulling the triggers of their bolt guns, plasma cannons, Gauss cannons, and laser cannons, spreading out, preparing to first unleash a volley, then after the first magazine is exhausted, engage in a one-sided crushing melee with the traitors and demons.

Are low- and mid-tier demons any different from gods?

Their elite veterans and Honor Guard, if any one of them were sent to a lowly civilization's planet, would also be regarded as deities by the natives, right?

And they belong to the ranks of war gods!

But the Astartes of the main universe scoff at becoming gods; one of their main duties is to slay gods, so what right do a mere bunch of low- and mid-tier demons have to be arrogant?

Do they still think that the main universe's humanity, a hundred ninety years ago, needed to dispatch ten immature OriginalBodies to deal with a blood demon Griffith?!

Yet Rog, who laughed the loudest, deep down felt a hint of regret; he sensed a Spiritual Energy reaction from a fallen OriginalBody in this area, which led him to lead the guards deep alone, never expecting to encounter merely a bunch of petty scoundrels.

So he stood in place the whole time, watching the battle, choosing not to intervene or to compete with his subordinates for merit.

After the volley finished, the sixty-four 15-meter-tall Centurions lowered their heavy machine guns, took off the power swords and spears slung on their backs, then quickly closed the distance to the traitors and demons using anti-gravity tech, launching a slaughter from above.

Die! Die! Die! Hahaha!

These pitiful worms that no one pities!

For Rog! For father!

Immediately following the Centurions' charge into the enemy horde were the laughing, battle-crying Iron Fist Guard.

Not long after, the elite veterans and Honor Guard, after only four or five charges, had slaughtered all the traitors and demons within sight.

Moreover, in the clash, the Iron Fist side didn't borrow the father's protection at all, relying solely on their own skill, strength, and equipment to earn high-value merit.

However, Rog, standing at the rear of everyone, sensed a strong Spiritual Energy reaction from a large entity approaching from his right side.

?

Sensing this, Rog chose to trust his instinct to dodge, even though his right side was a wall.

Boom!!

When he had just finished sprinting forward and rendezvoused with his centurions and Iron Fist guard, a massive power hammer burst through, smashing the right‑hand wall and sweeping straight over the spot where Rog had been.

"Boom!!" The power hammer's force eased slightly, its head slamming into the left‑hand wall, but it did not pierce through, hanging on it.

"Rumble!" Then a silhouette about seven and a half meters tall barreled across, crashing the right‑hand wall into view of Rog and his party.

The figure was clad in a mobile‑fortress‑like super‑heavy armor, equipped with large‑caliber explosive, thermite, and plasma cannons, and a miniature missile launcher mounted above the left shoulder plate.

At the back of its head, a tangle of metal conduits linked to the armor, looking extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

Despite its twisted, grotesquely distorted face, it was clear that he was the fallen OriginalBody of the Steel Warrior, also the odd "father" and "mother" sibling Rog most wanted to meet—

Peturabo.

"Dong! Dong!"

Following the fallen OriginalBody out of the wall into the passage came a Steel Warrior squad likewise steeped in heavy‑metal style, bearing various rugged large‑caliber artillery and wielding massive hammers and shields.

However, these over‑four‑meter beings are in fact genuine "Iron Lumps", created by Peturabo using technology left from the Zero Three Universe, refined and upgraded for over two hundred years, possessing capabilities comparable to, or even surpassing, the chaotic Astate steel mechs—Iron Rings.

Moreover, these Iron Rings share a telepathic link with Peturabo and remain absolutely loyal, so in Peturabo's eyes the steel mechs far outclass the pitiful, spineless Steel Warriors.

It can be said that whether in Zero Three or the Main Universe, only the OriginalBody guard of the Steel Warrior Legion is not composed of Astate members, since the Steel Warrior OriginalBody fundamentally distrusts and undervalues its own offspring.

Just on this basis, when the combined main forces of Shadow Moon Grey Wolf, Sparta, and Glorious Iron Fist were charging forward in the ravine, a Glorious Iron Fist company commander once taunted, "Father doesn't love, mother doesn't care"…

It was thought to be a routine battle‑cry, a taunt to sap enemy morale, but after the Iron Fist company commander, inheriting Rog's sharp tongue, uttered those words, it dealt a deep blow to the Steel Warriors stationed in the ravine, because the OriginalBody truly cares nothing for them.

Thus in an instant, Glorious Iron Fist was utterly resented by the entire Steel Warrior Legion.

Consequently, Peturabo also wished to meet in person the Rog Doen counterpart whose chest had been smashed by his hammer—also a foul‑mouthed, cheeky Rog!

"Roar!!" The moment he burst from the hidden passage, Peturabo let out a beast‑like howl, his crimson‑glowing eyes fixed intently on the on‑guard Rog.

"Dong! Dong!" Nearly fifty Iron Rings, coordinated with their OriginalBody, formed a formation, pointing barrels, muzzles and missile bays at Glorious Iron Fist.

They did not unleash a volley of fire; clearly Peturabo wanted a round of verbal sparring before the showdown with Rog…

Although it has never won a "verbal duel" against Rog Doen, it still intends to pour its resentment onto the Rog from the Main Universe.

However…

Rog had no intention of a verbal battle; the moment Peturabo and the Iron Rings entered his view, he drew his dedicated handgun from the holster at his waist with his left hand, raised it, aimed, and without hesitation pulled the trigger.

"Ri~— whoosh!!"

Accompanied by a brief charge and burst, a glowing orange‑yellow plasma barrage burst forth, shooting straight at the Peturabo standing at the forefront.

?!

The towering fallen OriginalBody knows that the Main Universe's OriginalBodies are all shameless, but a clash between OriginalBodies should be a close‑range duel of weapons versus weapons, right?!

If Rog were to swing his Storm Fang and launch a surprise attack, Peturabo is confident he could easily dodge and counter, but the onslaught is a barrage?!

There was no time to shout insults or think, Peturabo instantly projected a Spiritual Energy shield while scrambling to evade.

But the faster plasma barrage easily melted through the Spiritual Energy shield; in other words, Spiritual Energy alone cannot effectively stop a barrage.

A single "Boom~!!" rang out as the barrage struck Peturabo's left arm, exploding instantly, the plasma spraying water‑like splashes in all directions.

Immediately, the left arm under attack was rapidly corroded, disintegrated, and collapsed by the plasma, instantly exposing rotted flesh, and the plasma, without holding back, instantly melted through Peturabo's skin.

?!

Sensing the threat of death, Peturabo instinctively raised his right hand, unfolded the power short sword attached to his right forearm, and without hesitation sliced off his left arm to prevent the plasma from corroding his entire body.

As for Rog's dedicated handgun, it is not an ordinary large‑caliber plasma cannon but a "nano handgun" designed and built by Wang Zhaofeng's team, incorporating a considerable degree of managerial technology.

As the name suggests, what was just fired was not plasma but a barrage infused with countless nanobugs.

An Easter‑egg chapter will upload a video.

If you can't access it, you can search on the small broken site for "Warhammer Animation Translation: Steel Warrior's Battle with the Empire's Fist, truly a child of Doen".

(End of chapter)