An ODST (Helljumper) silently approached the right side of the church, securing a breaching charge tightly against its thick wall.
Meanwhile, the two squad captains led their ODST and Elite veterans to position themselves against the walls on either side of the detonation point. Weapons ready, they waited with tense anticipation for the moment the assault would begin.
"Eywa lehìyu, zong livu nga'."
(Great Eywa, please protect us.)
"Eywa lehìyu, ngaliv kllkxem ayhumon sì ayliyutongu."
(Omnipotent Lord, help us slaughter the humans and the lizard people.)
Inside the church, the Na'vi praying fervently were completely oblivious to the danger closing in outside.
In fact, the entire village remained unaware that over thirty ODST and Elite veterans had silently surrounded them.
Without Eywa's consciousness acting as their "eyes," the Na'vi had lost the ability to use Pandora's ecosystem to sense their enemies.
Their reliance on "natural forces" had left them blind to the impending threat of the "sky people."
Furthermore, the Na'vi could no longer tame the four-winged dragons as easily as they once could.
This lack of air units rendered their aerial presence negligible, far less than what they'd managed during the conflict with the RDA.
Outside the church, tension and anticipation built among the attackers.
With each second of the countdown, the ODST and Elite veterans grew more eager to see what lay hidden within the church.
If the "evidence" proved conclusive, they would finally have justification to unleash their full force without hesitation.
At last, as the breaching charge's timer reached zero—
Boom—!!!
A thunderous explosion shattered the silence of the village.
Fire and debris burst forth, and the church's wall caved inward in an instant, sending dust and rubble flying in all directions.
"??!!"
"Fìtseng, pehem?!"
(What's happening?!)
"Fìtseng, txoa fìtsenge?!"
(What happened to this place?!)
The Na'vi in the village, startled by the sudden blast, froze in shock. Dropping whatever they were doing, they looked toward the explosion, confusion and fear etched on their faces.
But within moments, realization dawned upon them—the only ones capable of causing such destruction were their mortal enemies, the "sky people" and the "lizard people."
As soon as the breaching charge went off, the two captains and more than a dozen ODST and Elite veterans surged into action.
Leading the charge, the captains were the first to plunge through the smoke-filled gap, followed by their squads, moving swiftly and methodically.
Four members stayed outside, securing the breached entrance in a fan-shaped formation to ensure a safe perimeter and provide cover fire or an exit route if needed.
The dense smoke from the explosion engulfed the church's interior, severely reducing visibility.
But for the ODST and Elite veterans equipped with advanced visual augmentation systems, the smoke served as an unexpected advantage, adding another layer of cover.
Their systems automatically activated pulse scanners, instantly mapping out the interior layout and tracking any movement.
On their helmet screens, outlines of chairs, statues, and fleeing Na'vi were rendered with precision, cutting through the smoke to reveal the church's configuration with remarkable clarity.
The ODST captain scrutinized the real-time imagery, his sharp eyes swiftly locking onto the positions and movements of every Na'vi in the building.
Inside the church, the Na'vi gathered for prayer were predominantly elderly, draped in traditional woven jungle garments. They were hunched, frail, and slow-moving.
It was clear that those allowed to remain in this "sacred" place during the day were respected elders of the tribe.
Yet, what caught the captain's attention wasn't the identity of the Na'vi—it was the eerie blue glow emanating throughout the church.
The glow filled every corner, dark and cold, floating in the air with an unsettling presence.
Its primary sources seemed to be the strange, glowing Na'vi candles scattered around. Unlike typical flames, these burned a peculiar deep blue.
But the captain's instincts told him the candles were merely distractions. The true source of the light was the massive, twisted statue at the front of the church.
As the smoke began to clear, the captain's helmet display detailed the statue's grotesque features.
It was a bizarre and abhorrent figure, with no symmetrical structure to its body.
The statue seemed to be a grotesque amalgamation of multiple creatures, with an animalistic head, antenna-like appendages, and a massive torso that incorporated unidentifiable limbs.
Some parts of the statue appeared disturbingly lifelike, as if made of actual flesh, sending chills down the spines of anyone who looked at it.
The faint glow it emitted appeared to be the true source of the church's unnatural blue light. Its ominous design evoked thoughts of blasphemy and chaos, hinting that it might not simply be an object of worship but a manifestation of some Warp-born malevolent entity.
As the captain processed the scene before him, his expression shifted from grim focus to a barely-contained frenzy.
He stared at the grotesque statue, fully convinced that the Na'vi had succumbed to the corrupting influence of the Warp.
This discovery confirmed that the Na'vi were heretics, fully justifying their eradication. It also meant the ODST and Elite veterans could unleash their full destructive might without hesitation.
After all, both the ODST and the Elites were combat extremists, itching for bloodshed.
Were it not for their rigorous study of the Codex Imperialis and the Emperor's psychic protection, the ODST and Elites themselves might have become ideal candidates for corruption by a Chaos God.
And now, with this grotesque, heretical statue as undeniable evidence, they had every reason to go all out. Nothing could excite them more.
The ODST captain raised his weapon, aiming at a Na'vi elder nearest to the statue. As he pulled the trigger, he shouted into the comm channel with unrestrained excitement:
"All units, open fire! Wipe out these heretic scum!!"
"Hurrah!!"
"Roar—!!"
The ODST and Elite veterans responded enthusiastically, locking onto their targets and unleashing a torrent of firepower.
The hum of plasma discharges and the sharp whine of Gauss projectiles filled the air, transforming the church into a storm of energy and destruction.
Blue plasma bolts and white tracer rounds streaked through the smoky interior, their impacts creating dazzling flashes and waves of energy. The church's ominous blue glow was snuffed out amidst the onslaught of weapon fire.
In moments, the church's twisted statue was reduced to rubble, its remains scattered amidst the dust and shrapnel.
For the ODST and Elites, the elderly Na'vi in the church were nothing more than slow-moving targets—walking trophies for commendations and bonuses.
To them, this operation was simply routine heretic extermination, devoid of mercy.
The Na'vi elders, disoriented by the explosion and blinded by smoke, were utterly helpless.
Within seconds, they were cut down by concentrated fire from Gauss rifles and plasma weapons.
The relentless barrage left the church eerily silent, the floor littered with the lifeless bodies of Na'vi elders.
Meanwhile, outside the church, the battle had also erupted.
Following the "open fire" command, the ODST and Elite veterans providing perimeter security launched a full-scale assault on the unsuspecting Na'vi villagers.
The ODST followed disciplined tactics, advancing in pairs with one providing suppressive fire while the other reloaded, maintaining a steady and aggressive combat rhythm.
The Elites, on the other hand, fought with their characteristic ferocity—
"Roar—! Roar—!!"
"Die, you scum!!"
"For the Empire! For our Lord!!"
Their deep growls and battle cries intermingled with the roar of Gauss and plasma fire, resonating throughout the village.
Under the cover of optical camouflage, the Elites moved like wraiths through the narrow streets and alleys, exuding an aura of deadly menace.
When their plasma weapons ran dry, the Elites discarded their spent batteries without hesitation, instead drawing energy swords from their belts.
Hum—hum—!
With a low hum, the sword hilts extended into sharp, glowing double-edged blades, radiating a blue sheen.
Swinging their energy swords with blinding speed, the Elites tore through the Na'vi, leaving only blue streaks in their wake—lethal arcs that turned the village into a waking nightmare.
For the Na'vi, the sight of these "floating" blue blades slicing through their kin with horrifying precision was nothing short of a nightmare.
Unable to counter the invisible attackers, the Na'vi flailed blindly with arrows and spears, their efforts futile against the deadly precision of the ODST and Elites.
By this point, the ODST and Elite veterans had abandoned all pretense of stealth. Their only goal now was the total annihilation of the heretics before them.
As the battle raged, updates reached the three hundred reinforcements stationed outside the village.
The grotesque statue within the church had been confirmed as Warp-tainted, irrefutable proof of the Na'vi's heresy.
With this evidence in hand, the reinforcements abandoned their original objectives and began converging on the village to support the two recon squads. Their mission was now clear: eliminate every Na'vi in the area and ensure a swift withdrawal to a safe distance after the operation.
At the same time, the Shadowmoon Wolf 2nd Company's fleet, monitoring the situation through the helmet-cam feeds of the ODST and Elite soldiers, witnessed the grotesque statue and the ominous blue glow of the church.
These unsettling images left no doubt that the Na'vi had fallen under the corrupting influence of the Warp.
The 2nd Company's commander, who had already returned to the flagship aboard a Thunderhawk gunship, immediately reported the findings to Horus. Following this, he issued an order for the fleet to execute a saturation bombardment on the core region of the City of the Sacred Tree.
This decision served multiple purposes: completing the subtly implied task of "cleansing the Na'vi" handed down by Horus, and more importantly, preventing the potential occurrence of a Chaos summoning ritual.
The commander understood the dire consequences if the Warp-corrupted Na'vi, driven to desperation, attempted to summon a daemon from the Warp. Such an event could trigger a catastrophic Chaos incursion, devastating the entire planet of Pandora.
While the Na'vi themselves were expendable, allowing a full-scale Chaos incursion to unfold was not an option.
The stakes were too high—Pandora's population had grown to over sixty million, and any Chaos-related disaster could easily replicate or surpass the horrors of the New Mombasa Incident.
Soon enough—
Whoosh—whoosh—!!!
Several brilliant streaks of light descended from the sky, piercing through the clouds. These were tungsten-steel rods launched by the fleet's electromagnetic railguns.
Traveling at incredible speeds with immense kinetic energy, the projectiles seemed to materialize out of thin air in the sights of soldiers and Na'vi alike.
The massive needle-shaped tungsten rods struck the core of the City of the Sacred Tree with devastating precision, obliterating everything in their path and causing the ground to quake violently.
The first target was the colossal Sacred Tree itself, standing over two kilometers tall and serving as a symbol of the Na'vi's civilization.
The tungsten rods pierced through the Sacred Tree's thick trunk, ripping through its crown and shattering its body into countless fragments.
In an instant, branches and leaves cascaded to the ground like a collapsing waterfall. The trunk exploded into flying shards, scattering in every direction.
Countless Na'vi, caught in the blast radius, were instantly obliterated—reduced to nothing but fragments of flesh and bone before they could even register what was happening.
Boom—BOOM—!!!
A series of deafening explosions followed, shaking the earth like a tsunami. Shockwaves rippled outward, kicking up massive clouds of dust and debris, creating an apocalyptic scene of destruction.
The Sacred Tree, once a symbol of life and unity for the Na'vi, was reduced to a shattered ruin in mere moments.
As the shockwaves began to approach the outermost village where the ODST and Elite veterans were still engaged in combat, they quickly shifted to a full retreat.
The soldiers moved rapidly toward designated safe zones, their combat discipline allowing them to withdraw in an orderly yet urgent fashion.
Meanwhile, the ODST squad leader inside the church made a point to secure a certain "book" found within the building.
Understanding the dangers of interacting with Warp-tainted objects, the captain resisted any urge to examine its contents. Instead, he sealed the book in a secure containment unit, intending to hand it over to the 2nd Company commander for proper handling.
As the troops retreated, the reinforcements converging on the village took up defensive positions to ensure their comrades' safe withdrawal.
Overhead, the fleet maintained its bombardment, continuing to rain destruction upon the City of the Sacred Tree.
The remaining Na'vi, scattered and demoralized, could do little to resist. Their primitive weapons and tactics were utterly ineffective against the precision firepower and tactical expertise of the Imperial forces.
Within minutes, the battle had devolved into a one-sided slaughter.
The once-thriving village and its inhabitants were reduced to little more than ash and rubble, their screams of defiance and despair drowned out by the unrelenting roar of Gauss rifles, plasma fire, and the distant thunder of orbital strikes.
As the surviving Imperial forces regrouped at their extraction point, the scene behind them was one of utter devastation.
The Sacred Tree, along with the surrounding Na'vi settlements, had been utterly annihilated.
The mission was a complete success—clear evidence of the Na'vi's heresy had been obtained, and the suspected Chaos corruption had been purged with overwhelming force.
Yet, even as they prepared to leave Pandora, the soldiers couldn't help but feel a lingering unease.
The grotesque statue, the eerie blue glow, and the book sealed away in the squad leader's containment unit all hinted at a deeper and more sinister truth.
Had the Na'vi merely fallen victim to the Warp's influence, or was something far more insidious at play?
For now, those questions would have to wait.
As the last of the ODST and Elite veterans boarded their dropships, the fleet above Pandora adjusted its position, preparing to leave orbit and report their findings.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Company commander, aboard the flagship, began reviewing the data collected during the mission. His gaze lingered on the footage of the statue, its twisted form burned into his memory.
He knew this was not the end of Pandora's story.
Somewhere, deep within the jungles of the planet, forces beyond comprehension still lingered—waiting, watching, and preparing to strike.
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