Chapter 971: They Are the True Founders

"Steady, Luosi."

Takusi responded in a low voice.

"Everyone, check your ammunition, charge your energy swords. Our orders are to clear this route and advance toward the Bridge. Remember, we are the 'Guardians', the Sharp Blade of the Star Alliance! Do not disgrace our glory!"

"For the Star Alliance!"

The team members gave a low response, their morale bolstered once more.

Their gray Power Armor was covered in dents left by bolters and scorch marks from Energy Weapons.

Takusi made a gesture, and the six "Guardians" moved into a tactical formation, entering the wide main corridor.

At the other end of the corridor, four crimson figures stood silently.

They were half a head shorter than Takusi, and one of them held a Power Halberd that emitted a crimson Energy Force Field.

No warnings, no nonsense.

The moment Takusi's squad stepped into the main corridor, the Blood Angel holding the Power Halberd slammed the butt of the halberd against the deck!

"For the blood of Sanguinius!"

The war cry exploded through the corridor.

The four Blood Angels charged forward simultaneously!

"Fire!"

Takusi pulled the trigger, and his "Armor Piercer" high-explosive Armor-Piercing Gun spat tongues of fire, sending specialized Armor-piercing Rounds toward the charging red warriors.

The other team members opened fire at the same time.

Two Blood Angel Space Marines holding Boarding Shields and Chainswords raised their shields, leading the charge.

The Power Halberd wielder swung his weapon, spinning it to precisely parry the Armor-Piercing Shells flying toward him!

The Armor-Piercing Shells struck the Energy Force Field of the Power Halberd, exploding in bursts of fire!

"This is impossible!"

The team's heavy weapons specialist, Bulumu, who was operating the Twin-linked Plasma Cannon, screamed in horror.

The Plasma blast had clearly hit a Blood Angel's Boarding Shield, melting a large hole in it, and even melting the shoulder armor of that Blood Angel Space Marine, but it failed to cause a fatal wound, and the opponent had already reached them!

"Melee! Prepare for contact!"

Takusi dropped his empty high-explosive Armor-Piercing Gun and drew the energy sword from his waist.

A deep blue blade flickered to life, emitting a hum.

Clang!

Takusi's energy sword collided with the halberd blade of the Blood Angel's Power Halberd wielder!

A tremendous force traveled from the hilt, numbing Takusi's arm and causing his Power Armor's Servo System to sound an overload warning.

Takusi strained to force his energy sword downward, looking for an opening to cut into the opponent's defense.

But the opponent flipped the Power Halberd, parrying the energy sword, and followed up with a powerful horizontal sweep aimed directly at Takusi's waist.

Takusi barely managed to turn sideways, blocking with the auxiliary shield on his arm armor.

Bang!

Takusi felt as if he had been struck by a battering ram, sliding backward several meters as his boots sparked against the deck.

The arm armor shield overloaded instantly.

A glance at the fighting around him made his heart turn cold.

Luosi was facing a Blood Angel Space Marine using a Chainsword; his energy sword slashed into the opponent's shoulder armor, cutting through successfully and sending up a wisp of white smoke.

But the Blood Angel Space Marine showed no signs of injury; with an upward swipe of the Chainsword, he tore open the armor on Luosi's abdomen, the saw teeth shredding the organs inside.

Luosi let out a short, sharp scream and collapsed to the ground.

Bulumu roared and fired his Plasma Cannon at point-blank range, finally melting through a Blood Angel Space Marine's chest plate, the searing Plasma carbonizing his internal organs.

Another Blood Angel smashed his helmet with a single punch, causing a spray of red, white, and gray matter.

Tragic! Utterly tragic!

The "Guardians'" energy swords could leave melted wounds on the Blood Angels' Power Armor, and their high-explosive Armor-Piercing Shells could also inflict some damage.

But they were facing even more powerful monsters!

A total crushing defeat in strength, speed, reaction, and equipment!

Takusi saw his deputy captain stab an energy sword into a Blood Angel Space Marine's thigh, but the opponent backhanded him with a Power Sword, severing his sword-wielding arm at the shoulder!

The deputy captain staggered back, only to be finished off by bolter fire, a large hole exploding in his chest.

Another team member was impaled by a Power Halberd and pinned to the bulkhead.

The last team member detonated all the high-explosive Hand Grenades on his person, being consumed by the explosion along with a Blood Angel Space Marine.

In the corridor, only Takusi remained with the Power Halberd wielder and two other Blood Angel Space Marines who had just finished off his teammates and were slowly closing in.

Takusi's energy sword began to flicker slightly due to unstable energy output.

His Power Armor was damaged in multiple places, and alarm sounds echoed inside his helmet.

They had lost, lost completely and utterly.

The so-called "Guardians", in the face of true war machines, could only inflict a certain amount of damage.

"For... Feng Qi..."

Takusi raised his energy sword and charged once more.

The Power Halberd wielder moved his arm, and the Power Halberd turned into a blur, striking first despite moving second, piercing through the Energy Core in the thickest part of Takusi's chest armor!

Takusi's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.

He looked at the massive weapon that had pierced his chest, the tip of the halberd protruding from his back.

With the Energy Core destroyed, the Power Armor lost all power and became incredibly heavy.

The Energy Sword slipped from his powerless hand, and the blade extinguished.

Darkness engulfed his consciousness.

"Heretic purged! Next area!"

Looking across the entire boarding battlefield.

The Blood Angels Space Marines firmly suppressed the "Guardian" in terms of individual strength.

Their strength was greater, their speed faster, and their combat experience was even richer.

Their endurance for pain, their indifference toward death, and that combat instinct engraved deep within their genes made them often able to achieve final victory in one-on-one or even one-against-many battles when facing the "Guardian."

The fleet artillery battle in the void had also not ceased.

The boarding operation that Norn had placed high hopes on did indeed bring the war into the rhythm he wanted, but the result was developing in the opposite direction of his expectations.

The Blood Angels proved with their actual actions that when it came to boarding battles, they were the true grandmasters.