Chapter 438

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

In this dark age, glory, for a naval officer of noble birth, is indeed everything.

The James Tong had long since ceased to be cold metal; it was his honor, his foundation, his life.

Persuasion held no meaning anymore.

"I will go prepare the Guard Company for you." Karen lowered his head, voice hoarse.

"The Celestial Lion Armor and your weapons, I will personally go inspect them."

"Go." Dominic nodded, looking back at the holographic projection.

"Have the Bodyguards stand by at the Second Assembly Point."

"Also, notify all defensive lines in the rear to delay for time at all costs, even if they have to fill it with lives, they must drag down their footsteps."

"Yes."

Karen turned and strode out of the command cabin.

Dominic stood alone before the command console, fingers lightly stroking the clan's coat of arms engraving on his chest.

The cold touch of metal transmitted from his fingertips, his gaze gradually sharpening.

The fatigue and helplessness from a moment ago receded like a tide, replaced by the cold severity of a warrior about to march onto the battlefield.

Death Guard.

He silently recited this term in his heart.

Then let it come.

……

And on the other side of the defensive line, the situation developed just as Dominic worried, the Plague Army's snowball rolling larger and larger.

After breaking through the First Line of Defense, Phelps hardly paused his footsteps.

The Zombie Army advanced forward wrapped around the newly fallen garrison corpses; those soldiers who had just died in battle had not yet cooled.

Under the effect of the Plague they shakily stood up, muddleheadedly joining the attacking ranks.

One line of defense after another was breached in succession.

With each breach, the Plague Army's scale grew by a fraction.

The original eight thousand Waa'gh, after successively swallowing the garrisons of several defensive lines, saw their numbers skyrocket all the way to thirty thousand.

Corrupted Plague Vehicles also increased from the initial few dozen to over a hundred, including even a few confiscated Sentinel Mecha and Tanks.

Their firepower and Green Skin Defense were stronger than light vehicles by more than a whole tier.

Even more terrifying, as Warp Energy concentration continuously rose, higher-grade corruption products began to appear.

Plague Bearers, those monsters with bodies more massive and bloated than ordinary Waa'gh, their bellies filled with corrosive pus and Plague Spore.

Wherever they walked they spread pestilence; once blown up it was a range Plague explosion.

And Chaos Eggs born of fusion mutation under the catalysis of Warp Energy, they madly attacked everything Alive.

There were also smaller Plague Demons, like humming Plague Swarms, spreading through ventilation pipes, leaving no survivors in their wake.

Phelps walked at the very front of the great army, the deck beneath his feet emitting a faint groan under his weight.

He didn't even need to personally Strike; just leading the Plague Warriors to bore through the most Solid node of each defensive line, the rest the Plague and Zombie Army would complete for him.

Almost effortlessly.

When he led the great army to crush past the final Outer Defense Line, turning into a wide circular corridor.

A massive bronze door, engraved with the Mechanicus Holy Emblem and Runes, appeared Not Far Ahead.

Mechanicus Temple.

The heart of the James Tong.

Phelps halted his steps, raised his head, turbid Gaze falling upon that great door.

The Machine Spirit on the door sensed the approach of Chaos, emitting a low angry Humming, the entire door Trembling slightly, the Holy Emblem flashing warning Red Light.

Finally arrived.

As long as he breaks through this final defensive line before him, he can Contact that exciting...... Fleet's Deepest Part.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but Smile lightly.

Unlike the previous few hastily erected temporary fortifications, this defensive line could be called orderly.

Twelve Sentinel Mecha arranged in a wedge formation at the very front of the Position, twin-linked laser cannon cold Cannon Mouths pointing straight at the corridor Entrance.

Twenty-odd Leman Russ Tanks and Chimera Armored Vehicles deployed in staggered formation, Warhammer 40000 and grenade launcher firepoints stacked layer upon layer, weaving an airtight fire net.

In the center of the Position stood several red-robed Mechanical Priests, the servo-arms in their hands gleaming with cold metal light, constantly Debugging the fire control Array Formation on the Position.

Only there were no State Religion Pastors.

No golden Faith Spiritual Light, no loudly chanted hymns.

The entire defensive line was purely stacked with mechanical firepower, like an abandoned Steel Fortress, exuding a reckless, desperate desolation.

"Given up?"

Behind Phelps, a Plague Warrior spoke in a muffled voice, his voice carrying the gurgling sound of surging Corruption Flesh.

"Only natural." Phelps's voice was hoarse and calm, like stating a fact that could not be more obvious.

"A Mortal's will is fragile to begin with."

"Watching three defensive lines collapse before his eyes, watching his comrades fall in droves and turn into Waa'ghs, psychological collapse, poor decision-making — nothing more normal."

He had seen such scenes too many times.

From the Great Crusade to the Horus Heresy, and then to the Chaos Expedition, those Imperial warriors who boasted of their fortitude would, in the face of the Father's Plague, ultimately become slaves to fear.

Without the support of faith, a defensive line built purely of steel is nothing but a slightly thicker sheet of paper, pierced with a single poke.

"Advance, crush them."

Phelps pointed his Warhammer forward, and the command spread through the entire army via the Plague Network.

Thirty thousand Plague Zombies emitted hoarse low growls, surging forward like a turbid tide of rotting flesh.

Over a hundred Plague Vehicles roared behind them on both sides, rusty barrels raised, dark-green Corruption Shells screaming through the air as they smashed into the Imperial positions.

In an instant, the entire passage was filled with the roar of cannon fire.

The Imperial garrison's firepower erupted first.

The Sentinel Mecha's light beams formed a red net of light, precisely sweeping across the charging Waa'gh horde; each beam could pierce several rotting bodies, leaving charred hollows.

The tanks' main cannons boomed in succession, high-explosive shells blasting balls of flesh-and-blood mire into the zombie tide, shrapnel flying everywhere, tearing the surrounding Waa'ghs to pieces.

The volume of fire from pure mechanical forces was far more stable and violent than that of mixed troops.

The Plague Zombies' charge was forcibly halted three hundred meters from the position, falling in swathes like harvested wheat.

The Plague Vehicles' counterattack soon followed.

Corruption Shells struck the Armor Vehicles, splashing large patches of dark-green poison; the metal armor hissed as it corroded, emitting pungent white smoke.

But after the poison splashed into the position, the expected scene of the plague spreading rapidly did not appear.

The soldiers splashed by the poison merely screamed as they fell, their muscles rotting at the wound.

But they did not instantly blacken and swell as before, nor did they shakily rise within tens of seconds to become Waa'ghs.

The plague was as if something had gripped its throat, remaining only on the level of physical corrosion, long unable to erupt on the level of the soul.

"Hmm?"

Phelps frowned slightly.

He could feel that the plague germs in the air seemed to have struck an invisible barrier, their activity suppressed to the extreme.

The Rust Plague's corrosive effect on machinery was also greatly reduced; the Sentinel Mecha's armor took several Corruption Shells, only rusting on the surface.

It did not rapidly undergo flesh growth and completely lose control as before.

Something was wrong.

The thought had just surfaced when he suppressed it.

Perhaps the Machine Spirits around the Temple were strong, possessing innate Subspace Resistance, or perhaps the enemy had sprayed purification agents in advance.

After all, it was merely a mortal's petty trick; it could not last long.

Once it wore off, it would still be a massacre.

He no longer dwelt on the stalemate of long-range exchanges.

No matter how fierce the mechanical forces' firepower, close combat was their shortcoming.

As long as the Death Guard broke into the position and breached the enemy's fire nodes, these cold iron knots would sooner or later become the Father's nourishment.

"Warriors, charge with me."

Phelps growled lowly, and twenty-two Plague Warriors simultaneously activated their thrusters, their heavy Green Skin Bodies leaping over the zombie tide.

Like twenty-two tanks, they slammed straight into the central node of the Imperial defensive line.

As long as they tore open this gap, the Temple would be within their grasp.

Just as they charged out of the zombie tide, less than thirty meters from the position, the alloy dome above suddenly emitted a piercing tearing sound.

"Boom!!"

Large patches of rusted metal plates crashed down, smoke dust and sparks flying everywhere.

Seven tall figures clad in pure white precision Terminator Power Armor descended, accompanied by seven Silent Sisters in gold armor and plain robes.

They leapt down from the maintenance mezzanine above, landing steadily between the Plague Warriors and the Imperial defensive line.

The surface of the white Terminator Combat Armor was smooth as a mirror, with the Coat of Arms of the Wen Turia Clan engraved on the chest armor.

The twin-linked Boltgun in his main hand was already in a ready-to-fire state, while the Power Claw in his deputy hand glowed with an ice-cold blue Force Field.

The leader stood especially straight; his helmet mask slowly rose, revealing Dominic's stern face, his hair red as fire and eyes blue, his gaze sharp as a blade.

Beside him, the seven Silent Sisters wore Warden Armor, half their faces covered by face masks, revealing only the upper half of their faces.

They carried no weapons, merely standing silently, yet a faint silver Force Field invisible to ordinary people spread around them.

Like a basin of ice water, extinguishing all restless Warp Energy in the air.

The Lion Terminator Squad, Silent Sisters.

The strongest individual combat power aboard the James Tong, all present here.