Chapter 1347: Bloody Battle on Chengjia Star (1)

In the trenches of the first line of defense, the casualty rate of the Krieg soldiers is skyrocketing.

The Scything Talons of the Hormagaunts, the Bio-guns of the Termagants, the Bio-Plasma of the Biovores, the Boneswords of the Tyranid Warriors, the aerial strafing of the Gargoyles, and the subterranean assaults of the Raveners—every combat method of the Zerg is harvesting lives.

A Krieg Gunner was struck by the Bio-Plasma of a Biovore; his upper body vaporized instantly, while his lower body remained standing in the trench for two seconds before collapsing.

The assistant gunner beside him did not pause, immediately taking over the Gunner's position to continue firing.

In another section of the trench, three Tyranid Warriors led a group of Hormagaunts to break through a gap in the defense line.

A three-man squad of Dusk Raiders rushed up to plug the gap; one was severely wounded, while the other two forced the Tyranid Warriors back.

The severely wounded Dusk Raider warrior lay in a pool of blood, his left leg severed below the knee, yet he continued to fire his Bolter until the last magazine was spent.

147's respirator was shattered halfway through the battle, revealing a pale, gaunt face.

His expression did not change in the slightest; he simply raised his Chainsword and walked toward a Tyranid Warrior that had just broken through the line.

The Bonesword of that Tyranid Warrior was still hung with the mangled flesh of a Krieg soldier.

147 did not pause, nor did he scream.

The moment for his Loyalty to the Emperor to be realized had arrived; at this instant, he felt the attack speed of these Aliens slow down significantly.

The Tyranid Warrior charged at him, its Bonesword raised high.

147 did not dodge, but instead charged forward to meet it, using his final strength to thrust his Chainsword toward the Tyranid Warrior's throat.

The Tyranid Warrior's Bonesword simultaneously pierced his chest.

Oh Emperor, let me remove the blasphemy before me before I depart.

But in the end, things went against his wishes.

The next second, 147 was cleaved in two.

Seeing their commander fall, the Krieg soldiers watched as an officer took over the command position and issued an order.

"Hold the line!"

The soldiers responded to the Zerg charge with even more intense firepower.

The high ground of corpses was leveled layer by layer by the Krieg's firepower, but the number of Zerg never decreased.

Nuochaqigan had been fighting continuously for several hours on the eastern section of the first defense line.

His golden Power Armor was covered in insect blood and mud, and his Guardian Spear had pierced the bodies of one Zerg after another.

He had held the most dangerous gap in the eastern section alone for at least several hours, with Krieg soldiers providing fire support behind him.

A Krieg officer ran over.

"Lord Adeptus Custodes, a Hive Tyrant has appeared on the western section!"

Nuochaqigan turned to look toward the western section.

In the distance, a creature twice the size of a Tyranid Warrior was moving through the swarm.

The Hive Tyrant, the ground commander of the Tyranid Zerg, stood over three meters tall; its four Scything Talons were thicker and longer than those of a Tyranid Warrior, its entire body was covered in thick, heavy carapace, and its head featured a pair of massive compound eyes and thick antennae.

It was a vital link in the Zerg Neural Node; killing it could temporarily disrupt the coordination of the Zerg in this area.

"I will go."

Mortarion's voice sounded over the Communication Device.

The appearance of the Hive Tyrant caused the pressure on the western defense line to increase sharply.

Under its coordination, the Zerg's offensive became more orderly: Hormagaunts charged from the front, Termagants suppressed from the flanks, and Biovores bombarded the bunkers with precision.

The Krieg soldiers' defense line began to waver at the weak points identified by the Hive Tyrant, and five of the Dusk Raiders' Space Marines had already fallen, yet they were still unable to get close to it.

Mortarion passed through the reserve position behind the first defense line, and the Krieg officers stepped aside as they saw him.

He walked onto the trench of the first defense line and headed toward the western section along the trench.

The Krieg soldiers saw him.

They did not cheer or shout; they simply fired more fiercely.

When Mortarion reached the western section, the Hive Tyrant was using its Scything Talons to cleave open a bunker.

Its Bonesword was thicker and longer than that of a Tyranid Warrior; with one strike, the concrete wall of the bunker was sliced open like tofu.

The Krieg soldiers inside fired outward from the gap, their laser beams striking the Hive Tyrant's carapace and leaving only shallow scorch marks.

Mortarion leaped out of the trench and landed ten meters behind the Hive Tyrant.

The Hive Tyrant seemed to sense the threat; it turned around, its compound eyes fixed on this pale figure.

The surrounding Tyrant Guard attempted to Intercept, but were swept aside by a swing of Mortarion's Great Scythe, their bodies simultaneously severed in two.

The Hive Tyrant let out a low hiss, its four Scything Talons unfolding simultaneously, its Bonesword aimed at Mortarion.

Its antennae twitched rapidly, seemingly summoning reinforcements, but the surrounding Zerg were already being held fast by the Dusk Raiders Space Marines.

Mortarion continued to walk forward.

His pace was steady and unhurried, each step landing in the bloody mud with a dull thud.

The Hive Tyrant initiated a charge, its Bonesword descending.

Mortarion dodged to the side, his Great Scythe sweeping upward from below, the blade grazing the Hive Tyrant's flank.

The carapace shattered, and insect blood gushed out.

The Hive Tyrant did not stop; another Scything Talon swept across, but Mortarion jumped to dodge, turned in mid-air, and brought his power scythe down on the Hive Tyrant's shoulder, shearing off a piece of carapace along with a spine.

The Hive Tyrant roared, its attacks becoming even more savage.

Its four Scything Talons descended simultaneously from different angles.

Mortarion stepped forward to meet it, his power scythe spinning before him to parry two Scything Talons, his body leaning forward to dodge the third, while his left-hand Chainsword stabbed into the joint of the fourth.

The Hive Tyrant's body lost its balance, tilting to the left.

Mortarion's power scythe swung down once more, this time striking the Hive Tyrant's neck.

The blade cut into the carapace, into the flesh, and into the bone. The Hive Tyrant's head tilted to one side, and insect blood surged out like a fountain.

Its body twitched violently, its four Scything Talons flailed about wildly for a few moments, and then it hung limply.

The Hive Tyrant crashed to the ground with a boom, causing the earth to shake.

Its compound eyes were still open, but they had already lost their luster.

Mortarion stood up straight, insect blood dripping from his Great Scythe.

His pale Power Armor was splattered with insect blood; he glanced at the carcass of the massive beast, then turned and walked back along the trench.

The Krieg soldiers witnessed this scene.

They had seen the entire process of Mortarion killing the Hive Tyrant single-handedly.

No one cheered, no one shouted.

But their firing became more precise and more intense.

The Zerg had lost their command unit, and their offensive began to show signs of chaos, with its density decreasing.

After the Hive Tyrant was killed, the pressure on the Western Defense Line dropped sharply.

But the main force of the Zerg did not retreat; they merely slowed their offensive for the time being.

A new Hive Tyrant was still in the rear, mobilizing more troops through the Hive Mind.

Mortarion returned to the high platform of the third line of defense.

He stood before the Holographic Star Map, watching the entire battlefield.

Although the blue lines of the first line of defense were being layered over by red light dots, they had never broken.

The casualty rate of the Krieg soldiers had already exceeded forty percent, the Dusk Raiders had lost over thirty men, and there was quite a bit of filth on Nuochaqigan's Armor.

"Father, the Zerg are regrouping their offensive."

The Adjutant pointed at the light dots on the star map.

Mortarion nodded.

"They will come again. Have the reserves reinforce the first line of defense. Ammunition, medical supplies, and troops—send everything up. Do not let the Cadian artillery on the second line of defense stop."

The Adjutant relayed the order.

Mortarion pressed the Communication Device.

"Nuochaqigan, report."

Nuochaqigan's voice came through the Communication Device, accompanied by the sounds of combat.

"The Eastern Defense Line is secure, the Western Defense Line is stable, the Alien have not broken through, but I need ammunition."

Mortarion said.

"Ammunition is already on the way."

Mortarion released the Communication Device and looked at the star map.

The sky of Chengjia Star was obscured by firelight and smoke, making it impossible to distinguish day from night.

The sounds of gunfire, explosions, and the shrill cries of the Zerg never ceased, but the Human defense line still stood firm.

The Krieg soldiers fired, reloaded, and filled gaps in the trenches; no one retreated.

The Space Marines of the Dusk Raiders stood before their positions, piling up the corpses of the Zerg; no one fell back.

Nuochaqigan stood at the very front of the Eastern Defense Line, the insect blood and mud on his golden Power Armor mixed together.