Chapter 417

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

The upper-level position of the spiral staircase had long been soaked in smoke and blood mist.

The high-ground terrain should have been a natural defensive advantage, with heavy fire pouring down the staircase slope to harvest charging enemies in swathes.

But when the opponent was a demon from the Warp, this advantage was largely negated.

The flesh hounds in the front row completely ignored the "laser flashlights" used by the infantrymen.

Even with their abdominal cavities smashed and intestines dragging behind them, they could still run wild driven by bloodthirsty instinct.

As long as one broke through a gap in the barrage and pounced into the infantry formation, it would be a bloody massacre.

Dagger-like fangs easily bit through the neck armor of mass-produced armor, scalding fresh blood splattered along the canine teeth, and screams often stopped halfway.

Swarms of rot flies in mid-air hovered buzzing under the suppression of spirit energy barriers, each dive bringing a cloud of poison mist.

The Purge Plague Bishops responsible for maintaining the swarm's Shadow had veins bulging on their foreheads, purple blood dripping from the corners of their lips.

Nurgle's corrupting power was seeping in through the gaps in the barrier, and for every second they held on, spirit energy consumption rose.

Even more troublesome were the Hellwalkers of the Lord of Lust.

These seductive demons, hermaphroditic in the upper body and bestial in the lower, did not take the front staircase at all.

They moved swiftly along the pitted rock walls like pale purple ghostly shadows.

Taking advantage of the gap when the front-line flesh hounds drew fire, they could always slip into the rear of the position from the most unexpected angles.

When the poisoned blade grazed their throat, the victim could even smell a cloying fragrance before falling in hallucination and ultimate "pleasure."

"Gap on the left wing! Plug it!"

A company commander of the Vanguard Army roared, raised his chain sword, and split a flesh hound that lunged at him diagonally from shoulder to half, blood splattering all over his mask.

Already no fewer than ten soldier corpses lay at his feet, all slain by surprise attacks from Lord of Lust demons, dying in strange fashions.

The defensive line was like a dike repeatedly beaten by the tide, each demon charge taking a bite out of it.

The soldiers retreated step by step stepping on their comrades' corpses, their gun barrels heating up, magazines changed one after another, but the demons below seemed endless.

The Warp Rift continued to surge, with new demons constantly stepping into reality.

Lin En stood on the command platform at the highest point, always watching the tactical terminal, his expression calm, showing no ripple.

He of course knew Luna definitely would not just surrender.

From the start of purging the Underground Second Floor and the Outer Perimeter of the Chen Bing Boundary, he had never expected the vanguard troops to take down Luna directly.

In two hours, his troop deployment orders never stopped, and the Vanguard Army's heavy armored troops were continuously gathering here along the underground passage.

"Adult, the Heavy Armored First Battalion has arrived at the Second Layer Connection Point; the passage is narrow and passage is blocked."

The armored troops commander's low growl came from the communication device, with the background of engine roaring and the harsh sound of metal friction.

"Blow it open." Lin En spoke concisely.

"I want heavy equipment on the position within three minutes."

"Obedience!"

Boom, boom, boom!!

Muffled explosion sounds came from above the staircase, more deafening than the demons' roars.

The dome of the entire Underground Third Floor kept dropping dust, and the rock walls at the Second and Third Layer Connection Point collapsed with a bang under the power of powerful explosives.

The maze entrance that originally only allowed three people to walk side by side was forcibly widened into a huge gap over ten meters wide.

Before the rubble and smoke dust had cleared, the clear sound of heavy metal tracks crushing over rubble came.

Leading the charge was precisely the Iron Guard Heavy Armored Troops from Middle City; these vehicles independently developed by Middle City craftsmen had formidable firepower.

The first Iron Dragon Flame-spewing Armored Vehicle roared onto the position.

It was covered all over with thick steel plates, the dual heavy flamethrowers installed at the front raised their cannon mouths, and as the driver pressed the launch button, a fire tongue of Tiberium several meters wide suddenly surged out!

The crimson flames poured down the staircase slope like a burning waterfall smashing into the demon horde.

The Bleeding Ghosts and Plague Bearers charging up were instantly swallowed by the sea of fire, their bright red leather armor and rotting flesh charred and carbonized at high temperature, emitting sizzling burning sounds.

The holy oil powder mixed in the Tiberium made the flames glow with a faint golden radiance; once it landed on a demon, it became a persistent poison, and no matter how they rolled and slapped, they could not extinguish it.

Following closely were rows of shotgun cannon positions.

The infantry pushed wheeled gun carriages into place quickly, leveled the cannon mouths, and at the commander's order, the barrage instantly covered the middle section of the staircase.

Dense shells and shrapnel poured down like a rainstorm, blowing groups of blue Fear Demons into smoke and scattering, and tearing the leaping Nurgle spirits into fragments.

The second echelon demon infantry, preparing to expand their victory along the staircase, ran head-on into this steel barrage, instantly thrown into chaos, screaming as they rolled down the slope.

The ground trembled accordingly.

Three Cold Peak Super Heavy Tanks slowly drove through the gap, their heavy tracks making the ground groan under the unbearable weight.

They were the strongest products of the Middle City Arsenal, with widened chassis and main cannons replaced by large-caliber siege giant cannons.

Originally used for Nest Capital urban warfare, they were now equally adept at clearing demons.

"Target: cluster below the rift, high explosive incendiary shells, volley fire!"

Boom boom boom!

Three dull thuds merged into one, shells trailing tail flames smashed into the densest area of the demons.

The explosion's firelight instantly swallowed most of the Lower Hall, and the shockwave sent Khorne Believers and plague toads flying everywhere.

Scorching flames spread along the ground, and even the energy overflowing from the Subspace Rift was burned into distortion.

Even some demons that poked their heads out were swept back into the sea of fire before they could even see the world clearly.

The demon tide that had been pressing forward step by step was actually smashed back by this sudden heavy firepower.

The stair slope was paved with the charred remains of believers, and the rotten stench in the air was suppressed by the breath of smoke and flame.

The Vanguard Soldiers watched as their own Iron Beasts appeared one by one.

A trace of joy finally appeared on their tense faces, and they roared as they steadied the line once more.

And Lin En also took the opportunity to step down from the Command Platform, his gray-blue uniform flickering light and dark in the firelight.

He walked to the very front of the position, ignoring the gravel and stray bullets flying past him, his gaze sweeping over face after face stained with blood yet still resolute.

"Soldiers!" His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every soldier's ears through the Global Communication Channel, overriding the cannon fire and the demons' roars.

"Look at the land beneath your feet, this is Brevis's heart, the home of the hundreds of millions of civilians behind us."

"That damn Regent King betrayed the Emperor, turned to Chaos, she opened the Warp Gate, wanting demons to tear apart our kin, to rot our homeland."

"But she was wrong."

Lin En raised his hand, pointing at the turbulent sea of fire and demon remains below, his words filled with resolve and glory:

"The Emperor's gaze has never left us."

"Holy Flame can burn away plague, explosive shells can tear apart evil, not a single inch of land beneath our feet is for Warp scum to run wild on!"

"Today we stand here, hold this stairway, that is guarding Upper City's lights, guarding Middle City's fireworks, guarding the tens of millions of ordinary people in Bottom City still struggling to survive."

"Tell me, are you willing to let demons step over your corpses to slaughter unarmed kin?!"

"Unwilling!!" A mountain-shaking, sea-roaring roar blasted open in an instant.

Soldiers beat their chest armor, raised their rifles, fanatical fighting intent burning in their eyes.

"For the Emperor!"

"For Brevis!"

The roars rose wave upon wave, the morale that had been low due to casualties was pushed to its peak at this moment.

Heavy firepower roared again, explosive shells, flames, cannon shells intertwined into a dense, airtight rampaging wind, pinning the demon charge dead in the lower half of the stairway.