Chapter 270: Golden Garuda Helps Stir Up a Storm

Ferrera led the Fulao, charging toward the warship.

After advancing two kilometers, Ferrera suddenly signaled the driver to stop.

The open-top Fulao command vehicle halted; his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked into the sky.

In Ferrera's Aetheric Sight, it lacked any luster.

【Not a biological entity, some kind of machine?】

Ferrera shouted into his communicator: "Biochemical Masters, Aether Lightning, take down the thing in the sky spying on us!"

To unleash the power of their Ether Spells, the Fulao Aether Masters all rode in open-top vehicles.

Over a dozen Biochemical Aether Masters immediately raised their staves, and psychic lightning converged in the air.

The lightning, initially the thickness of a finger, grew thicker and thicker, turning into an Electric Dragon as thick as a Fulao.

The Electric Dragon tore through the sky, striking the gray and yellow mechanical construct in the air.

The Mechanical Eagle, trailing black smoke, crashed to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

Ferrera waved his hand, and the driver started the command vehicle to continue forward.

The "Iron Hands" battle line.

Beside Dukaien, the Techmarine who had earned the title of Iron Father spoke:

"I have lost my Garuda; the Fulao's psychic lightning exceeded its reaction speed, and it had no chance to evade."

"The Garuda's energy core was melted and overloaded by the psychic lightning; it cannot be repaired after the battle."

Dukaien nodded and asked Gabriel on the other side: "Can your Golden Garuda provide me with the intelligence the Garuda failed to obtain?"

"I will try my best," Gabriel said cautiously, observing and recording while at Dukaien's side.

He had already understood that "Storm and Hammer" was a tactical system that appeared simple but was actually extremely complex and precise, based on the consideration of numerous factors.

The degree to which the Auxilia acted as the "Storm" to draw in the enemy, the control of the Auxilia's endurance, and when to commit the Iron Hands to reinforce the defense.

The timing of committing the Astartes "Hammer," and the command of the highly mechanized assault forces deployed.

Even logistics had precise considerations, such as ensuring supply plans during high-speed assaults and the planning of attack positions to target points.

The mastery of the mechanized forces' ability to push forward after launching an attack, as well as fire configuration and advance fire preparation.

"Storm and Hammer" also involved multi-dimensional, three-dimensional considerations, ranging from the planning of aerial interdiction and cover by gunships above, to the rapid clearing coordinated by Astartes units and vehicles below.

This required long-term training and evaluation; Dukaien conducted highly mechanized tactical training for the Solagu Iron Hands, and he would also consider the campaign's resolve, as well as the commander's own willpower and execution.

According to Dukaien, these were all developed and evolved from the tactical systems of the Terra Albia war clans.

He developed this tactic in actual combat, and after the return of Lord Ferrus Manus, the requirements for battlefield factors and calculations increased significantly.

The past "Storm and Hammer" considered all parameters of one's own side in an all-around, multi-layered way, but the situation of the enemy remained at a general level of control.

Although there were generally no mistakes, Lord Manus proposed higher standards.

Every type of enemy unit, their numbers, the weapons used, their logistical status...

Manus hoped his commanders would master every factor of the enemy and perform perfect calculations; he emphasized the use of equipment like the Auspex.

The Garuda was also valued, and in this first battle after renaming to "Iron Hands," it was hoped that his philosophy could be realized.

But the Fulao's Ether Spells caused the Garuda's reconnaissance activities to be destroyed just as they began.

Gabriel switched his helmet's operating interface, and the panel turned gold.

The Iron Hands connected directly to the Garuda through implants.

Gabriel did not adopt this method; he developed a new display system and uploaded it to the "Order Shadow" helmet system.

Although it did not receive feedback in real-time like the Iron Hands, its applicability was broader.

Gabriel hoped to mass-produce Golden Garudas in the future and popularize them to the "Order Shadow" company, or even squad level.

Above the Fulao's ranks, ten thousand meters high, the Golden Garuda looked downward.

Compared to a regular Garuda, the Golden Garuda had a wider reconnaissance range and could conduct reconnaissance at higher altitudes.

On the golden interface in front of Gabriel, a holographic image of the Fulao ranks appeared, and he said quickly:

"Second vehicle, eight Fulao Aether Masters; based on the lightning and flame symbols on their robes, it is estimated that there are four of the Biochemical type and four of the Flame type psychics."

【Hmm... it's not as convenient as automatic classification and rating by eyepiece sensors; improvements are needed.】

Gabriel reported to Dukaien while recording battlefield feedback so that improvements could be made after the battle.

"..."

After Ferrera ordered the metal eagle spying on them to be shot down, he continued forward; after several hundred meters, he felt something was wrong again and looked up into the sky.

He glanced, found nothing, and withdrew his gaze.

The command vehicle drove forward another hundred meters, and Ferrera looked up again, gazing into the sky.

He always felt that a pair of eyes was spying on him, and he shouted loudly.

"Psychokinetic Masters, scan the high altitude!"

Dozens of Psychokinetic Aether Masters released psychokinetic power that spread into the sky.

Ten-odd seconds later, the Psychokinetic Master in the third vehicle spoke:

"Lord Ferrera, there is a mechanical eagle in the sky, a golden mechanical eagle."

"Pull it down for me," Ferrera shouted loudly.

"I can't, it's too high, about ten thousand meters from the ground."

"Biochemical Masters!" Ferrera was helpless and could only demand the Biochemical Aether Masters who had just shot down the metal eagle.

"We can't hit it either, it's too high."

Hearing this, Ferrera could only give up helplessly; he issued an order: "Full speed ahead!"

The Fulao driver, as a psychic race, felt the terrifying flames leaping on Ferrera and immediately floored the accelerator.

At the "Iron Hands" battle line, Dukaien obtained all the intelligence he wanted to know from Gabriel and said admiringly.

"The information obtained by the Golden Garuda is too detailed, more detailed than the intelligence provided by any reconnaissance aircraft or Divination Array."

"Storm General, is there anything else you wish to know?" Gabriel asked.

"No, I have already obtained everything I need."

The Storm General immediately adjusted the military deployment, and Gabriel began to conduct further tests on the Golden Garuda.

In the Fulao troop, Ferrera suddenly looked up toward the sky.

He discovered with fury that the peeper, which was previously impossible to see, now showed as a golden speck of light.

"Provocation!"

Flames danced in his eyes, "Can it be attacked now?"

"No!"

The answer left Ferrera frustrated, "Despicable humans, only knowing how to play little tricks."

Subsequently, Ferrera watched that golden speck of light grow larger, until he could clearly see the Golden Mechanical Eagle, at which point the Psychokinetic Aether Master reported that the Golden Mechanical Eagle had entered their attack range.

"Attack! Shoot it down for me!" Ferrera said viciously, raising his hand to fire a fireball into the sky.

Upon landing, the Psychokinetic Aether Masters gathered their psychic energy together to unleash "Mechanical Influence" on the Golden Mechanical Eagle.

The psychokinetic energy converged into a psychic web, shooting toward the Golden Mechanical Eagle.

When the psychokinetic web was a thousand meters away from the Golden Mechanical Eagle, its golden wings flapped, and in an instant, it flew over a hundred meters away.

The Golden Garuda did not have an embedded Aether-reading Divination device, but through its eyes, Gabriel saw the movements of the Fulao psychics and deduced that they had used psychic spells.

Subsequently, Gabriel maneuvered the Golden Garuda to continue descending.

This was both to test its limits and to exhaust the Fulao's psychic energy.

Rational psychics would not draw upon psychic energy without limit; once it exceeded their range of control, it would trigger catastrophic consequences.

When the Golden Garuda was one thousand meters from the ground, Gabriel began to find it difficult to dodge the psychic attacks.

The Fulao psychics were in groups of three or five, gathering psychic energy to launch wave after wave of attacks at the Golden Garuda.

A red alarm rune suddenly lit up on Gabriel's interface, and a bolt of psychic lightning struck the Golden Garuda.

Gabriel noted the damage data, then maneuvered the Golden Garuda to dive.

"Mechanical Influence" weakened the Living Metal, while lightning and fireballs smashed into the Garuda.

Ferrera watched the metal eagle overhead, its body surface turning from gold to pitch black, and finally revealed a smile.

He raised his staff, preparing to use a charged strike to shoot down the detestable metal creation.

Before he could launch his attack, the blackened Mechanical Eagle suddenly opened its mouth, and a Blazing Melt Stream spewed onto the fourth vehicle.

The Mind Aether Masters did not have time to react or raise their Psychic Shields before they were swallowed by the Blazing Melt Stream.

"Damn it!" Before the battle had even begun, eight Aether Masters coordinating the battle were lost; Ferrera was burning with rage, raising his hand to release psychic flames toward the Mechanical Eagle.

After maneuvering the Golden Garuda to launch the attack, Gabriel had just intended to steer it to escape when he suddenly lost the signal.

【Overestimated the defensive power of the Living Metal, underestimated the power of the Fulao psychics' Aether Spells.】

Gabriel silently recorded: 【Except for the mechanical capabilities, all tests have been completed.

Based on the feedback, we can attempt to manufacture a Garuda belonging to our "Order Shadow".

But I do not have the ability to manufacture Living Metal; I have not discovered this Xenos technology on Medusa, so the performance of the newly manufactured Garuda will have a certain degree of degradation.

Although better than the performance of the Iron Hands, it is inferior to the Golden Garuda manufactured by the Xenos.】

An hour later, the furious Ferrera led his troop to launch an attack on the defensive line constructed by the Auxilia.

To bolster the morale of the Auxilia, Storm General Amadeus Ducaine sat in command of the line.

He wore thick Mark I Thunder Power Armor and shouted before the lines made contact: "Raise the Storm!"

Ducaine's tactical intent at this stage was to give the enemy enough reason to make them take the initiative to attack, thereby allowing himself to gain the initiative.

Ferrera held a psychic staff in his right hand and a Fulao Boliren in his left.

He waved his staff, pointing at the Auxilia line: "Ether!"

The Aether Masters raised their psychic staffs and launched an attack on the Auxilia.

Psychic flames erupted with a bang, swallowing a dozen Auxilia.

"Psychic." Ducaine whispered.

He raised his bolter, aimed at the Xenos psychic, and fired a bolt.

The Aether Master raised a Psychic Shield, and invisible ripples stirred amidst the booming sound.

The second bolt pierced the Psychic Shield and tore the psychic's head to shreds.

"Storm!"

The morale of the Auxilia was greatly boosted, and they launched an attack on the Xenos.

The Aether Masters immediately released psychic lightning in the direction from which the bolts were fired.

Crackling lightning fell in the direction where Ducaine was located.

Several Auxilia soldiers had blood spraying from their mouths and noses, their corpses charred black.

Ducaine was numbed all over by the electricity, but his superhuman physique allowed him to still hold on.

He let out a low roar, raised his bolter, and continued to launch attacks at the Aether Masters.

Ducaine's pitch-black armor was charred, but he did not stop attacking; with a calm expression, he used a bolt to shoot and kill another Aether Master.

The Storm General remained calm in the face of danger, and the Auxilia followed him to launch an attack on the Fulao Warriors.

(End of chapter)