Chapter 85: Potential Weaknesses Induced by Keen Perception

The Ogryns brandished clubs, hammers, and other weapons, launching an attack on the enemy.

In their simple minds, the bigger one was, the more powerful one was; the hundreds of largest Ogryns, who held hammers and lived in the center of the camp, charged toward the most conspicuous Ninglu.

The Primarch raised his left arm, aimed at the head of a charging Ogryn, and pulled the trigger.

Conventional propellant pushed the bolter round out of the chamber, and then the rocket propellant ignited to propel the bolter round.

The hardened diamond warhead, which ensured the warhead penetrated most armor before exploding, easily pierced the Ogryn's helmetless, large head as if shooting into tofu.

With a bang, the fuse detonated, and a small portion of the Ogryn's torso vanished with a thud, as if swallowed by a Monster in one bite.

At the same time, fifteen Ogryns charged toward Ninglu.

The Primarch drew his Power Sword from his waist with his right hand and activated the Energy Field Generator; he did not use his strength, but instead demonstrated efficient killing techniques to his progeny.

Ninglu executed fifteen thrusts in an instant, following Article 16 of the "Osber-Waya".

The Order Shadows, who inherited the keen perception of their Gene-Father, captured his movements.

Every one of Ninglu's strikes pierced an Ogryn's throat, and they seemed to have a moment of realization.

More Ogryns surged toward Ninglu; in their simple minds, as long as there were enough of them, they could kill a giant who was taller than them.

Ninglu did not feel any pressure from the elite Ogryns, and no one even gave him a chance to test the extraordinary ability of the "Briber".

While slaughtering the Ogryns, he cast his attention toward the warriors of the Fourth Company to observe their condition.

A moment later, the Primarch's brow began to furrow; he discovered something was wrong.

Ninglu focused his attention on the squad guarding the outer perimeter of the Macharius Heavy Tank on the far left.

The Primarch discovered that after they fired four rounds with their Bolter Pistols, corpses of Ogryns lay all around, blood stained the earth, and the smell of blood wafted through the air.

Ninglu noticed that the eyes of the ten members of the squad were beginning to brim with a blood-red hue.

He focused his attention on one warrior and immediately discovered that his pupils were dilating bit by bit, with the blood-red color gradually seeping into his eyes.

His nose twitched as he sniffed the scent of blood in the air, and a look of longing appeared on his face.

His ears trembled in rhythm with the roar of the Chainsword, the frequency gradually becoming synchronized.

【Is this... the negative effect caused by keen perception?】

Ninglu could not help but form a conjecture, and his thoughts flew along with it.

【The Eleventh Legion had all its records erased; it must have committed a grave error.

I have not yet discovered any genetic defects in the Legion, so the root cause likely stems from the consequences of keen perception.

Combining this with what I have witnessed, a deduction can be made: as the slaughter progresses, the warriors of the Eleventh Legion, because of their keen perception, stimulate their desire to kill as weapons of slaughter, and they become increasingly unable to control it.】

Ninglu spread his perception again, focusing on the entire squad.

Immediately, his "Warp Vision" discovered that their desire to kill was entangled and influencing one another.

Just like resonant musical notes, they amplified each other as they vibrated, becoming increasingly intense.

Seeing this scene, the Primarch had an epiphany.

【Keen perception is not just toward the environment and the enemy, but also toward one's battle-brothers nearby.

Feeling the desire to kill from the brothers around oneself, one's own bloodlust will also become stronger and stronger.

The desire to kill of the entire squad will gradually grow stronger!】

Just as he realized this, the Reaver he was watching suddenly let out an excited roar; he broke away from the squad and charged toward the nearest Ogryn.

A flash of disappointment crossed Ninglu's eyes, while at the same time, he confirmed his judgment.

【It is highly likely that it was precisely because of this keen perception that the original Eleventh Primarch and the Legion were influenced by something and fell, ultimately suffering punishment.】

Just as Ninglu was deep in thought, more and more Legion warriors broke away from their squads and began bloodthirsty slaughters to satisfy their own desires.

In an instant, the entire company turned into scattered sand, each fighting their own battle.

The Primarch felt disappointed in the willpower of his progeny, but Ninglu would not give up on them.

He let out an earth-shattering, angry roar toward the sky; the Sequence 8 extraordinary ability "Angry Howl" did not stun the Astartes, who possessed superhuman physical constitutions, but it did briefly shake the brains of the Order Shadows, temporarily diluting their bloodlust.

Ninglu's majestic voice rang out on the communication channel: "Control yourselves; do not be controlled by the desire to kill."

His voice echoed in the helmet of every Order Shadow, and the Reaver he was watching regained clarity in his eyes the instant before he collided with an Ogryn.

The Primarch's dim gaze suddenly brightened; the Order Shadows, who did not have the advantage in strength, did not meet the Ogryn's attack head-on.

Even though the desire for battle overwhelmed their reason, the Gene-Father's previous admonition took effect at the last moment, and the Order Shadows instinctively captured the exposed weakness of the Ogryn.

He raised his right arm, twisted it violently, and slashed at the armpit exposed after the Ogryn swung its club.

The roaring chainsword spun and slashed into the Ogryn's armpit, swept across its neck, and emerged from the other shoulder.

Ninglu nodded slightly in satisfaction; he saw even more that his sergeant had not abandoned his reckless subordinate, but instead commanded the other eight Reavers to charge up from both sides, forming a new combat formation.

Besides Ninglu, when Adams led the honor guard to launch an attack, he was also observing the battle.

He discovered that the company had changed.

In the past, the Reapers could only maintain unity in battle at the start of the fight.

Afterward, as the slaughter progressed, the Reapers' desire to kill would eventually overwhelm their reason.

The Reapers would break away from the squad and begin bloodthirsty slaughters.

Most wars ended with no targets left to kill, and the battles the Reapers participated in never had prisoners.

They were the Emperor's angels of Death, the slaughtering knives of Horus.

However, everything had changed now; the Gene-Father's command was like a strap tightened around their heads.

It was also like a beacon, blooming in their hearts; not a single Order Shadow wanted to disappoint the Primarch.

This allowed the Order Shadows to maintain a shred of reason at all times, and they began to re-establish coordination.

The Scorpion Tail squad was the first to begin tacit coordination; two Reavers used their Bolter Pistols alternately, one facing front-left, the other facing front-right.

They covered each other, attracting and blocking the Ogryns' attacks.

The members of the squad would launch attacks from both sides.

The Ogryns' dull brains had not yet reacted; they did not even have the chance to launch an attack on the Scorpion Squad before they were killed.

Sergeants of other squads nearby, upon seeing the simple and effective tactics of the Scorpion Squad, also began to imitate them.

A moment later, the entire Fourth Company had restored order.

Adams regained control of the company, and he issued orders in a loud voice.

"Poison Scorpion Squad, maneuver to three o'clock."

"Wasp Squad, one o'clock direction, draw out the enemy."

"..."

The Fourth Company, having restored order, ended the battle efficiently.

Ninglu looked at his gene-sons and said approvingly.

"My children, you make me feel proud; I have seen a gratifying transformation in you."

The Order Shadows heard the Gene-Father's words and felt an invisible power infuse their bodies; they felt that they were different.

While the Fourth Company was clearing the battlefield, Ninglu found a food source in the camp.

(End of this chapter)