Chapter 265: Medusa's Cruel Limited Competition

Medusa System, Medusa IV, Uranus Rock.

Storm General Amadeus Ducaine, former Legion Commander of the Tenth Legion, currently Legion Commander.

His Mark I Thunder Armor had been painted in the black of the Iron Hands, with iron chains made of black and white iron rings hanging from both sides of his pauldrons as decoration.

A row of iron studs extended from the back of his gorget up to the top of his occiput; it was the symbol of his having survived nine deaths and one life, passing the trials to become a member of the Solagu Clan.

Ducaine accepted the tempering of Medusa's competitive culture, and after taking off his armor, he emerged victorious in a series of battles that were considered cruel even for him, becoming the Patriarch of the Solagu Clan.

After obtaining the position of Patriarch, Ducaine put on his new armor.

His cloak was the banner of the Solagu Clan itself.

It was a banner woven from metallic threads and heavy silk, decorated and weighted with large pieces of agate, black crystal, and sapphire, with the silver emblem of the Solagu Clan embroidered in the center.

Uranus Rock is a mountain range stretching hundreds of kilometers from north to south, composed of ultra-hard, special diorite blocks.

Ducaine stood on the hillside, instilling his war philosophy into his clan.

"Lads, what we follow is a high-speed combat system that balances focus with all-out assault..."

Gabriel, as a member recognized by Solagu, stood on the hillside, only ten meters away from Ducaine.

He had already grown accustomed to Ducaine calling young Warriors "lads," or even "lasses."

In many Legions, this would be considered a contemptuous manner by Astartes, yet no one felt offended; he loved to tease and mock every Warrior.

He was different from the other harsh Iron Hands and the Ten Great War Clans; he would treat those young Warriors undergoing transformation as if they were children.

Ducaine would care for, train, and nurture them; he was the only one in the entire Iron Hands and the Ten Great War Clans who would do so.

"Our mission for Medusa is to guard the entire Sector, to guard every system and outpost, to guard every resource point that can provide minerals."

"Just like the diorite beneath my feet; it is a metamorphic crystal found only on the planet Medusa, and it is a high-value resource."

Gabriel's Golden Garuda helped the Solagu Clan find a rich diorite vein, and he was gifted five tons of diorite.

He analyzed the diorite, finding it to be a representative rock of holocrystalline neutral plutonic rock, and also one of the main rock types among granite stone materials.

After special processing, it forms a harder material called Iron Crystal, which is used by the Iron Hands to replace stone materials.

After Ducaine finished the daily group instruction, he said with a smile.

"Lads, dismissed, go eat."

After speaking, Ducaine walked toward Gabriel and asked:

"Has Adams found the location of the new ruins?"

Adams had previously found two ancient ruins, which the Solagu Clan and Gabriel developed jointly.

He brought a large number of ancient technological relics to the Solagu Clan, and in the process of defeating Junluanzhanshi from other clans who came to fight for the ruins, he displayed powerful combat strength and extraordinary command ability, which was the reason he could quickly become a clan leader.

Ducaine now believed that when it came to finding ancient ruins, no one was more adept than the cold Death Lord.

"Adams has locked onto the location of the ruins, and further news will arrive soon."

Hearing Gabriel say this, Ducaine laughed out loud.

"That is truly good news," he took a plate from an attendant and handed it to Gabriel, "Eat your fill, we set out and get our hands on the good stuff."

Gabriel took the large Medusan plate, which held the local delicacy known as Black Worm.

It was called Black Worm, but it was actually a type of algae; it just looked like a black worm after being deep-fried.

"Before coming to Medusa, I had never seen algae that could absorb energy from atmospheric particle friction."

"This is Medusa," Ducaine said proudly, "The one and only Medusa."

After Ducaine and Gabriel finished eating the meat and Black Worm, he looked up at the sky.

"The lads tell me that the annual Iron Moon is approaching; today is a terrifying day for Medusa."

The Communication Bead in Gabriel's ear beeped; after listening to the message sent by Adams, he said to Ducaine:

"Then we should act immediately to crush the Monster entrenched in the ruins."

"I think you would not want to fight when the Iron Moon arrives."

"Of course," Ducaine shouted to the members of the Solagu Clan: "Lads, move out!"

The iron-clad workshops over a hundred meters long, mixed with dozens of vehicles pulled by Yaruk Mountain, set off toward the destination.

The Yaruk Mountain's appearance was between a giant leopard and a primate; they stood several meters tall and had broad shoulders.

Their exceptionally long arms and strong bodies were covered in thick black fur, and their heads also had manes.

Dozens of Solagu people pressed the activation devices inside the vehicles one by one.

Arcs of electricity flashed, and the current struck the Yaruk Mountain directly.

In extreme pain, the Yaruk Mountain let out an angry roar and broke into a mad sprint.

The iron-clad workshop engines roared as they traveled on the outskirts of the Yaruk Mountain.

After the Solagu Clan convoy traveled ten kilometers, the red alarm runes on the screen in front of Ducaine flashed wildly.

Gabriel looked at the identification runes; the encountered convoy had a gear with outward-facing teeth as the outer edge of its emblem, with a skull embedded in the center.

"Avini!"

"The Avini of that lad Santo."

Ducaine had a very deep impression of Gabriel Santo; the Gene-Father treated all Iron Hands and Medusans equally and did not show any favoritism to anyone.

Only Santo was an exception; he was the subordinate most favored by Lord Manus, and he was the first Medusan to undergo genetic modification.

"Storm and Hammer!"

Ducaine was already accustomed to the strife of Medusa; when two clans encountered each other, the first greeting they exchanged was artillery fire.

Lord Manus encouraged this kind of strife; competition was the force that promoted the progress of Medusa.

After speaking, the iron-clad workshops of the Avini Clan opened fire first, and large-caliber artillery fired a dense barrage at the Solagu convoy.

A shell trailing blinding light slammed into a Yaruk Mountain.

With a boom, the giant beast was blown into a pool of blood mist.

Countless artillery shells smashed into the steel wagons, carving out cracks one after another.

After the first round of shelling from the Avini Clan ceased, Dukaien issued an order.

"Raise the Storm!"

The artillery of the Solagu caravan, having built up its momentum, roared and launched an attack on the Avini Clan's caravan.

Standing to the side, Gabriel watched as a hundred shells slammed into the same steel wagon, sending the hundred-meter-long vehicle flying into the air.

He saw a section of the wagon catch fire, and a tall, robust figure burst through the door, struggling to crawl out from the flames.

Clearly, that was an Astartes; he was a Warrior of the Tenth Legion.

Gabriel frowned slightly, but he did not speak.

【Although I follow my master's request to understand the culture of Medusa, I still find it difficult to approve of such a cruel method of competition.】

Lord Manus's philosophy is completely different from my master's; it is hard to imagine my master would allow the Order Shadow and the Vostonian to engage in such cruel competition.】

Gabriel forced himself to focus his attention on Dukaien's tactics; under his command, the steel wagons of the Solagu Clan moved forward one by one.

The steel wagons deployed to draw fire, while the other wagons seized the opportunity to launch attacks.

Dukaien calculated precisely, and before a steel wagon drawing fire could suffer heavy damage, he ordered it to quickly maneuver to the side, with a second one taking its place.

【It is not "Storm and Hammer," but it seems to share some of the same philosophy.】

Gabriel recorded the results of his observations on a Data Slate.

The exchange of fire between the two powerful clan caravans lasted for ten rounds, with the Solagu commanded by Dukaien gaining the upper hand.

The Avini Clan's caravan was the first to show weakness, retreating under organized shelling.

One unlucky Tenth Legion Warrior was buried in a sea of fire, and ten Avini clansmen also met their Death, eliminated in the competition on Medusa.

Dukaien did not order a pursuit; competition has its limits and must be kept within a reasonable range.

The convoy traveled another thirty kilometers and arrived at the target mountain range.

(End of chapter)