Chapter 283: The Ritual Attack of the Dusk Raiders

The Fourteenth Legion landed on Stephenage II in accordance with Ninglu's orders.

After landing, the "Dusk Raiders" did not launch an attack immediately; they defended against the Andresian assault, waiting for the arrival of twilight.

Two Honor Guard members of the "Order Shadow," Alex of the Eighth Legion and Shikodelan of the Eleventh Legion, stood on the mountaintop, looking down.

They saw the Andresians' bizarre disc-shaped tanks launching an attack on the defensive line at the foot of the mountain.

The disc-shaped tanks rotated as they advanced, and four Andresian gunners, positioned at ninety-degree angles, operated the cannons in their hands, firing shells in turns.

The two Order Shadow members discovered that the strange design allowed the Andresians' cannons to fire continuously, but the caliber of the shells was only half that of Imperium tanks, and the power was far less.

"A flashy but impractical design; the Xenos tanks are far less of a threat than Imperium tanks," Shikodelan commented.

The Dusk Raiders, clad in grey power armor, launched a charge amidst the artillery fire under the leadership of the Second Company Captain.

The warriors in the front row held their Storm Shields high.

The Storm Shield is a more advanced and bulkier version of the Combat Shield, providing better defense.

At the same time, it is also much larger than a Combat Shield; the user must grasp it with their hand and cannot use two weapons as they can with a Combat Shield.

The Xenos' dense barrage of fire slammed into the shields, which flickered with blue energy, emitting crackling lightning.

Storm Shields can withstand melee and ranged attacks, enduring strikes from laser cannons and even super-heavy weapons.

The attacks from the Xenos' small cannons did not cause them any damage.

The Dusk Raiders held their Storm Shields like human tanks, crashing into the Andresians' bizarre circular tanks, the energy fields tearing through the tank armor.

The Dusk Raiders raised their Thunder Hammers and smashed them into the Xenos.

The Andresian tank line was torn apart by the Dusk Raiders the moment they engaged.

The tanks in the rear launched a barrage of fire at them.

The Dusk Raiders held their Storm Shields high.

The lightning sparked by the shells illuminated the entire area.

"Warrior" Alex discovered that the Dusk Raiders were excellent heavy infantry.

The warriors in the front row holding Storm Shields formed a tight line, and wave after wave of Xenos artillery strikes were all blocked by them.

The warriors in the rear followed closely behind them, placing themselves within the protection.

"They are all excellent heavy infantry, skilled at survival, and their defense is truly tenacious."

"Moreover, their stamina is very strong; from landing until now, they have blocked fifteen waves of Xenos assaults, yet their speed has not slowed in the slightest."

"But their mobility is insufficient; if they encountered Orcs, the Orc Dakka might seize the vulnerabilities on their flanks."

The "Warrior" gave his assessment of the Dusk Raiders, and Shikodelan nodded, acknowledging his evaluation.

"Although the 'Dusk Raiders' do not possess the armored firepower advantage of the 'Iron Hands,' they are also skilled at frontal combat."

"However, compared to the heavy infantry's way of fighting, the Gene-Father is more interested in how they utilize the timing of twilight."

The two Order Shadow members then walked side by side into the temporarily constructed command post.

Except for the Second Company Captain who was leading the warriors to block the Andresian attack, the other Company Captains were all in the camp.

"Lawyer" Shikodelan weighed his words, following the "Dusk Raiders'" habit of addressing one another: "I have heard that the Unbroken and the Storm Walkers..."

"Hmm, you should call them 'Iron Hands' now; you all come from Albia."

"The 'Dusk Raiders' and 'Storm and Hammer' named for you by the Emperor also originated from the art of war of the Albia tribes."

"Yes," replied First Captain Barasin, who was wearing grey armor and covered in battle medals.

"We formed this prototype when we conducted a vanguard assault during the 'Ironside Campaign' of the 'Unification War,' only at that time, the best time to launch an offensive had not yet been determined to be twilight."

Seventh Captain Tesuss glanced at the Power Sword hanging at Alex's waist; as the strongest combat Company Captain of the "Dusk Raiders," he could tell that the squad leader in black armor was an excellent warrior.

"Only through battle can one truly understand the Unbroken."

"You will follow me and join the battle together."

"Shikodelan, you follow Barasin."

Seeing Shikodelan nod, Alex said: "Lord Tesuss, I follow your will."

Barasin said to Shikodelan: "As Tesuss said, you follow me."

Subsequently, assuming the duties of Chief Captain, he looked at the holographic image in front of him and began to issue orders.

"Auger Matrix scan results show that this world is composed of numerous hive factories."

"..."

"Tesuss, your company is responsible for prioritizing the counterattack, tearing through the Xenos line, and then launching an attack on the largest Xenos factory marked as A."

Finally, Barasin said: "As always, the time to launch the offensive is at twilight."

After the Fourteenth Legion's war council, Shikodelan followed behind Barasin and walked back to the mountaintop, looking down.

He saw that the besieging Xenos were increasing in number; they were overwhelming, with no end in sight.

Shikodelan checked the display interface of his eyepiece, and the data captured by the Auspex showed on the tactical network that the Andresians had deployed over ten thousand disc-shaped tanks.

Like a tide, they launched wave after wave of offensives against the mountain peak.

But the Second Company maintained their defensive line intact in the face of the assault; whenever a grey-armored warrior holding a Storm Shield fell, another Dusk Raider immediately took their place.

The Second Company launched charges with regularity, destroying hundreds of tanks each time.

Shikodelan calculated silently: 【The Second Company is resisting the Andresians' armored force head-on, and the defensive line has never been breached.

The number of casualties does not exceed one hundred and forty; they are excellent defensive heavy infantry, and only our Third Legion could do better.

Well, if it were the Third Legion, they would have already crushed the enemy line.】

"Warrior" Alex, who was in the Seventh Company of the "Dusk Raiders," looked around, watching the grey-armored warriors orderly conducting battle preparations.

They held bolters in their left hands and Ritual Bells in their right, moving slowly and at a steady pace along the bolter casings, meticulously performing the maintenance ritual.

The Order Shadow discovered that they ignored the battle below the mountain, seemingly completely focused on the maintenance ritual to avoid angering the Machine Spirit.

The "Warrior" could not help but feel an extra bit of recognition for the grey-armored warriors; he confirmed that the Dusk Raiders did not just treat the bolter as a weapon, and their maintenance ritual made even him marvel.

The Warrior had never seen anyone so immersed in weapon maintenance; even he, who prided himself on treating his weapons as part of his own body, was amazed by it.

The Warrior withdrew his gaze, took out a cleaning cloth, poured Vostonian-pattern firearm holy oil onto it, and carefully wiped the bolter once more.

Afterwards, he used Vostonian-pattern weapon holy oil to clean the hilt of his Power Sword.

As Alex performed his second repetitive cleaning since the day he received the weapon, Shikodelan was immersed in the state of the Lawyer, thinking deeply about the behavior of the Dusk Raiders.

【The Dusk Raiders value ritual more than any other Legion; their preparations are more ritualistic.

In every battle, they tend to launch attacks at the time of twilight.

It is impossible to understand why they are so persistent now; if a full-scale counterattack were launched now, should it not also be able to tear through the Andresian defensive line?】

A moment later, he reached some conclusions.

【Firstly, this tactic effectively consumes the enemy's strength and spirit.

Secondly, it forms a habitual behavior; the Dusk Raiders derive strength from this ritualistic conduct.

Finally, it should be that they do indeed effectively utilize the light during the transition between light and darkness; this point will have to wait until the battle begins to be confirmed through observation.】

While Shikodelan was deep in thought, the Master of the Forge of the Twilight Striker walked to the side of Chief Captain Barasin.

"The results of the detection instruments, verified through fourteen rounds, confirm that twilight will descend on time in seven minutes."

The Order Shadow looked up at the sky, gazing at the setting sun.

【About right.】

Shikodelan silently set a countdown reminder on his eyepiece to verify it later.

He heard Barasin issue the order: "Set the countdown, launch the attack on time."

The shared tactical network updated the countdown setting, which began to flow rapidly from four minutes and fifty-nine seconds.

Shikodelan noticed that the grey-armored Warriors moved almost simultaneously, orderly heading to the assembly points of each company and each squad.

At three minutes to the countdown, they arrived at the assembly points and took their positions.

At two minutes to the countdown, the Andresians launched another round of charges.

At one minute to the countdown, the Second Company Warriors repelled the Xenos attack, but not a single Warrior from other companies acted, nor did anyone provide them with fire support.

The Lawyer frowned slightly, thinking to himself.

【This... is too rigid, not flexible enough.

If the enemy utilizes this habitual thinking to conduct targeted strikes, it will cause no small amount of losses.】

When Shikodelan thought of this, he suddenly felt a slight melting sensation within his body.

The countdown reached zero, and the timing reminder designed by Shikodelan sounded with a beep.

The Order Shadow glanced at the sky; the light disappeared completely at this exact moment, turning into Darkness.

【So punctual!】

While he was thinking, the roar of bolters erupted.

Shikodelan looked down; the grey-armored Warriors launched their attack at the same moment.

Like a dam releasing a flood, a dense rain of bullets covered the sky and earth, firing toward the Andresians.

Alex, together with the Seventh Company, launched a charge toward the enemy.

He keenly noticed that at this moment of light-to-dark transition, the Andresian firepower experienced a momentary pause.

Immediately encountering the explosive attack of the Dusk Raiders, they were caught off guard in an instant, and their battle line collapsed instantly.

On the mountain peak, Shikodelan overlooked the entire situation, seeing it more comprehensively.

【It is much as I expected; the previous defensive battle of the Dusk Raiders exhausted the enemy.

They seized the moment of the light-to-dark transition, launching concentrated firepower at the enemy line the instant the enemy's physiology adapted.

Only Astartes, who possess low-light vision and can launch rapid strikes, could seize this opportunity.】

He thought again: 【Although effective, it seems more like a ritual attack; the Dusk Raiders launch attacks at specific points in time using the methods they believe in.】

(End of chapter)