Bang!
To reach the target faster, the dark-gold, luxuriously appointed assault craft accelerated even further.
It even smashed straight through the obstacles in its path.
Those were stone-slab structures older than the Imperium itself, covered in ancient script.
Under the tremor of firelight, they collapsed completely.
"The Emperor above…"
A soldier stationed within the Palace-fortress stared at the passing vessel and the fallen sacred relic ruins, unease rising in his heart.
It felt like an omen of some approaching catastrophe.
…
Bang, bang, bang!
Amid the roaring noise, blazing heat and fumes surged upward, and the engines of heavy vehicles continued to rumble. Faint screams could even be heard.
Inside the Holy Terra Convalescent Sanctuary, the Infernal Sauna District remained just as lively as ever.
The Savior's heavy electronic sacred music grew even more impassioned, to the point that it nearly drowned out the roar of the engines.
"Hold fast!"
"We are the unshakable bedrock of the Imperium!"
The warriors of the Imperial Fists Third Battle Company were immersed in all manner of hellish challenge programs, tempering body and will in the harshest way possible.
Earlier, they had competed against the Ultramarines. The two sides had ended evenly matched, which left them quite dissatisfied, and they had agreed to settle it properly next time.
These burly warriors of the battle company had decided to train even harder to improve their tolerance.
In their eyes, there was only the hunger for victory, stronger bodies, and even more unbreakable willpower.
Bzzzt~
The flames in the area suddenly dimmed. Various alloy machines slowly ground to a halt as someone urgently shut down the engines of the mechanical facilities.
"Training is over."
The blood-bruised figure of Third Company Captain Galadon appeared before them. He had clearly just finished his own round of training as well.
He stared at the men and loudly announced, "Our gene-father has issued an emergency order.
"All warriors not currently on assignment are to cease all activity immediately and proceed to the Imperial Palace at top speed!"
"By the Savior, has that exalted one come under attack?!"
Hearing that, the Imperial Fists warriors endured the pain, hurriedly struggled to their feet, and assembled, their faces filled with confusion and worry.
After all, this was Holy Terra, one of the most heavily defended regions in the entire Imperium. How could it possibly have come under enemy attack, and to the point that even off-duty warriors were being called up?
Even during the Apocalypse War, the warriors recuperating in the sanctuary had not been mobilized. That alone showed how serious the matter was.
Of course, the "gene-father" Galadon referred to was the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, the Imperial Fists' second father, and the foster father who favored them most.
As for their true gene-father, Rogal Dorn, Lord of the Mountain Bastion, he had vanished ten thousand years ago and existed only in Legion discipline, teachings, and legend.
Aside from the most steadfast supporters such as the Bastion Wardens, that figure was, to many warriors, not nearly as close and familiar as the Savior.
In fact, that was true enough. Many new Imperial Fists recruits had been created using the Savior's blank gene-seed.
At the very least, most of their genes came from the Savior.
That ensured that if extreme conflict ever broke out, a considerable portion of the warriors would still view matters from the Savior's standpoint rather than turn blade against him.
"That was not a combat order. We are only being told to reach the designated area. Beyond that, there are no further demands.
"But no matter what has happened, the only thing we can do is obey the order!" Galadon saw the concern in the warriors' eyes and explained.
His stern face remained utterly resolute as he gave the command: "Move as a group to the sanctuary flight platform and board!"
The Savior's order did not demand war. Its core was speed. Swiftness.
Then they would get there as fast as possible. Everything else came second.
The Third Company was the Imperial Fists unit closest to the Savior. They had to arrive first.
The captain himself did not seem overly worried. The Savior was in the Palace, surrounded by countless defenses and bodyguards, with the Custodian Guard present as well.
He only needed to carry out the order.
Very soon, the burly Imperial Fists warriors, bare-chested and staggering, ran toward the flight platform.
It was difficult going.
These warriors had already exhausted themselves in the hellish training projects just now. The fact that they could still get up at all was proof enough of their iron will.
On top of that, they were covered in bruises to varying degrees, looking thoroughly battered, and there was no time to head to the armory to don armor or do anything else.
Those were the ones still capable of movement.
As for the unlucky men who had all but lost mobility from the intensity of the training, they could only wait for the next Thunderhawk gunship.
Behind the main force of Imperial Fists, there were still some warriors trying their best to keep up, swaying as they ran, looking as though they might collapse at any second.
The worse-off ones did not even make it out of the district.
Those burly Imperial Fists had legs trembling like noodles. After only a few steps, they pitched to the ground.
They could only struggle forward, inching and wriggling across the floor.
"Damn it, I never should've trained legs today!" one Imperial Fists warrior muttered while wriggling across the ground, his eyes already damp.
But even if he died, he was going to reach the target area.
That was an order.
The bizarre sight of these bare-chested Imperial Fists lurching forward and crawling across the ground in twisted shapes also drew the attention of other off-duty Space Marines.
They simply could not understand why these usually meticulous, stone-like sons of the Imperium had suddenly become like this.
On the beach.
A certain sunbathing commander of the Blood Angels sat up and looked toward the Imperial Fists warriors.
He slowly turned his head, took a long pull from a coconut, and said thoughtfully,
"Could this be some new type of training? Exhausting themselves completely, pushing the body to its limit, and then going on a forced march to stimulate their potential?
"They really are Dorn's sons. Working this hard. The Imperium is going to depend on young men like these…"
Dante sighed with emotion, then lay back down again.
These past years, all he had done was take leave after leave. His main task was simply to accompany the Savior in eating, drinking, and having fun.
Only when an apocalyptic war broke out would he serve as a vanguard in battle and go out to kill.
For someone as gloriously idle as him, dying on the battlefield meant retirement. If he survived, he came back and kept relaxing.
That kind of life was practically paradise.
"Praise the Savior…"
Dante muttered as he drifted drowsily back to sleep.
No one knew how much time passed before he suddenly jolted awake, bloodthirsty light flashing in his eyes as anger surged up as well.
Just now, this commander of the Blood Angels had received a supreme alert signal.
It was an irregular, hard-to-trace emergency signal that only a tiny number of the Imperium's highest-ranking figures were qualified to send.
And the supreme alert carried only one meaning: one of the Imperium's supreme figures was in danger.
To preserve continuity, the New Imperium had retained the tradition of the supreme alert, but it had also added new content.
The Savior had also been placed under the protection scope of the supreme alert.
Now that he had received that signal, it meant either the Emperor or the Savior was in danger!
As the supreme alert spread outward, unrest broke out within the convalescent sanctuary. The Space Marines all began moving.
Dante sprang up and sprinted for the armory to suit up, faster than anyone else.
Neither the Emperor nor Savior Majesty could be allowed to come to harm. Otherwise, how was he supposed to keep lounging around afterward?
Those xenos, heretics, and renegades had gone completely mad. Clearly, they wanted to die!
At the same time, the defensive forces of Holy Terra also received that unfamiliar supreme alert signal.
In an instant, Terra's planetary defense system went to the highest level of alert, beginning scans of every region where an enemy might appear.
Countless gun batteries rose and began preheating, ready at any moment to bring thunderous destruction down upon xenos, heretics, and traitors.
Mountain Bastion Sanctuary.
In the sacred district, dust fell in sheets. The ancient mechanical communications array was vibrating.
Its alarms blared violently.
The mottled sound-array emitted a shrill tone.
The Primarch of the Imperial Fists had returned and issued a command to his most loyal guardians:
Hold the wall!
Clack, clack, clack.
Heavy footsteps rang out as the Bastion Wardens, who had guarded the holy ground for ten thousand years and had never left even after the Phalanx had been dismantled, began to move.
Like one mobile stone wall after another.
This disciplined force, more resilient than bedrock itself, would head for the Palace to carry out the will of the Lord of the Mountain Bastion!
With the sudden transmissions from both the Savior and the Lord of the Mountain Bastion, along with the spread of the supreme alert signal, the situation had become tense without anyone quite realizing it.
The spearpoint of a violent clash had taken shape.
Commanders sent warnings and inquiries to the Departmento Munitorum and the intelligence branches.
While trying to determine what was happening, they also rapidly dispatched wave after wave of elite armed forces toward the Palace district.
Thunderhawks and assault craft streamed toward the Palace in dark swarms, bristling with force.
Once the alert had been triggered, they had to rush to the throne's defense at once!
…
More than ten minutes earlier, at the Iron Warriors Legion construction zone.
Buildings were collapsing.
Piercing alarms wailed.
That meant an intruder had broken into this important massive worksite, and with obvious malicious intent.
"Stop him!"
Frix stared at the towering figure rampaging like a wild beast after smashing apart the concrete pilings, and his fury only grew.
He roared, "Intruder, cease your treasonous actions immediately, or you will be sentenced to death!"
That being had actually damaged the nearly completed foundation. That would affect the construction schedule.
The Iron Warriors had fought hard to secure such a vital major project. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong!
Very soon, two engineering machines over ten meters tall blocked the intruder's path, while Iron Warriors pursuing from behind closed in as well.
They dared not use heavy firepower in this critical Warp-facility foundation zone. They could only try to intercept with vehicles and seize the target.
Otherwise, he might continue tearing up the site.
Yet the strength of that being was terrifying. He lifted a massive black stone and hurled it, smashing one engineering machine on the spot, while the second was pinned beneath the wreckage of its fallen ally.
Unable to move.
This colossal worksite, spanning thousands of square kilometers and occupying two mountain peaks, descended into chaos.
That figure used the terrain to rampage through the site. No one could stop him, and even the detection systems struggled to pin down his location.
More destruction followed, with roaring impacts without end.
Even the mechanical leg of a multi-armed engineering Titan was destroyed by some unknown method, toppling it with a thunderous crash.
"Savior, my equipment! That was a top-grade engineering Titan fresh off the production line. It cost more than the junk they use on the battlefield!"
Frix was too shocked even for anger. His heart was spasming. Those expensive engineering machines were the most valuable assets in the Legion.
Those of them who handled combat engineering lived by those machines. They were more precious than weapons.
Even worse, because of the chaos, some of the site's facilities were already throwing out Warp-charged sparks and arcs of energy.
Something had clearly gone wrong.
"Move aside, move aside! Protect the worksite and the engineering machinery first. Stabilize the area!"
This Warsmith was nervous and heartsick to the extreme. He realized they could not let an intense clash break out on the site, or the losses would only worsen.
Most importantly, the Warp equipment could not be allowed to malfunction. That would be a major accident, one that would be investigated with absolute severity afterward.
It might even cause an irreparable catastrophe!
The Iron Warriors became constrained, like rats afraid to break porcelain, and no longer dared to pursue too aggressively.
After receiving the order, they hurried to maneuver the engineering machines out of danger or raise formation shields to protect the relevant facilities and sectors.
But some of the vital heavy machinery could not be moved so easily, and those machines lay directly along the intruder's path of advance. That made matters extremely troublesome.
Those were priceless Imperial assets, relic-grade facilities built by the Mechanicus at tremendous expense.
And they did not belong to the Iron Warriors.
More importantly, they were tied directly to the success or failure of this secret Warp engineering project.
"Form a defense!"
Frix's scalp was tingling.
He charged desperately toward the heavy machinery sector, and the other elite warriors did the same.
They gathered together and formed a human wall in front of the heavy machinery, prepared to die to protect that costly Imperial property.
Whether Warsmith or ordinary Iron Warrior, every one of them knew they absolutely could not allow a heretical renegade to destroy the heavy Warp equipment.
The Iron Warriors had effectively fronted the cost for this massive project. If those expensive heavy devices were destroyed, and compensation were added on top of it all…
Their Legion's engineering corps would go bankrupt on the spot, poor enough to have to pawn their trousers. They might even face severe scrutiny from the Inquisition.
Afterward, their gene-father Perturabo would never forgive such failure, and would very likely hang those responsible.
From a certain point of view, this was also one of the ways the Imperium kept the Iron Warriors Legion under control.
Boom, boom, boom!
A cascading wall of explosions tore apart the heavens, Warp-energy flashing.
Several hundred-ton transport vehicles were overturned like toys. A blackstone machine was split clean in two by a single blade, while shattered stone blasted outward like shrapnel.
That was not a man. It was an ancient beast walking on two legs, its charge bringing the terror of death itself.
It was suffocating.
The Iron Warriors did not know what kind of being that wall-like figure was, nor could they make out his appearance.
They only knew that his strength was at least at the level of a Primarch, or even beyond.
Under such a horrific assault, they might all die.
Gradually, battle-cries rose and became more and more impassioned and unified:
"From iron comes strength, from strength comes will!"
"The sons of the Lord of Iron do not retreat. Protect the property of the Imperium!"
Frix drew a deep breath. There was not the slightest hint of retreat in him, nor in the other elite warriors.
They were warriors who did not fear death to begin with, men who stormed fortresses and charged into siege lines. Even against the killing firepower of a citadel wall, they would still advance.
Or rather, compared to death, these Iron Warriors feared failed engineering more. They feared punishment from the Savior and the Lord of Iron more. They feared losing the honor they had only just regained.
Standing at the very front of the formation, Frix raised his shield alongside the other warriors and brought up the force field, forming a wall of iron with flesh and blood.
They intended to stop that terrifying being head-on and protect the heavy Warp equipment behind them.
Bang!
The ancient beast struck like lightning. Frix felt a monstrous force crash into him and could only watch as his shield caved in and shattered.
Then he flew through the air alongside the warriors around him and smashed heavily into the ground, his vision twisting.
Filthy blood poured from his mouth. His internal organs had clearly taken serious damage.
"Damn… damn it!"
Frix felt as though his brain had turned to sludge. He struggled back to his feet, swaying.
The first thing he did was look toward the heavy equipment, worried that the Warp machinery had been destroyed and would leak Chaos energy.
Then, in his field of vision, a super-heavy drill vehicle suddenly slammed in from the side and sent the charging figure flying.
Salvation. Pure salvation!
That thought sprang unbidden into the Warsmith's mind. At last, he had a moment to react.
In truth, less than a minute had passed since the intruder began attacking.
Everything had happened so suddenly that they had been utterly caught off guard.
Who could have imagined that while the Iron Warriors were quietly carrying out construction, a powerful being at the Primarch level would suddenly appear to wreck the site and bully them like this?
He opened the channel to the Custodes.
The Iron Warriors' gear was all engineering equipment. It would be difficult for them to stop something at that level. They had to call for help immediately.
Frix roared as he sought aid from the Custodian patrol force:
"Custodes, get here now!
"Our construction site has come under a heretic renegade assault. Coordinates have been transmitted!"
As a Chaos warrior, he had never in his life so eagerly longed for the arrival of the Custodes. Every second on the site meant more losses!
"Renegade…"
Rogal Dorn's momentum did not lessen in the slightest. Bracing himself against a blackstone wall, he slowly rose, his body covered in thick, sticky filth.
He cast aside his ruined legendary power sword, got back up, and used his relic power fist to smash apart the heavy drill vehicle that had just knocked him flying.
He was angrier than he had ever been.
The Iron Warriors had actually attempted to set up dark Warp machinery within the Palace. What monstrously heretical, fatal conduct.
More importantly, he had seen the Savior's emblem on those machines and on the Iron Warriors' banners.
So it was true. Just like Horus, the Savior had entangled himself with Chaos heretics. He might even have deceived the Custodes while engineering some terrifying plot to destroy the Palace.
"Savior.
"You have betrayed the Imperium and failed the Emperor. I despise you. I will judge you, traitor that you are!"
Dorn swore loudly, then used a forbidden relic attack to destroy the towering Savior statue on the site.
Rumble!!!
The statue collapsed, crushing even more engineering machinery beneath it.
"No!"
Frix and the other Iron Warriors let out agonized cries as they stared at the wreckage.
Their guts had gone green with regret. Now the construction schedule was utterly ruined. All the up-front investment was lost, and there was no way they were recovering the final payment!
Yet the warning declaration from the Watcher, the Lord of the Mountain Bastion, and the destruction of the Savior statue had kicked the hornet's nest.
More disturbances immediately followed.
Perhaps under the interference of the Lord of the Mountain Bastion's relics, the destruction of the engineering machines had not allowed the relevant armed units to learn of the situation at once. But the Savior statue had been fitted with a special alarm system.
The moment the alarm for the destruction of the Savior statue went off, a large number of nearby armed forces rushed into action.
This was no ordinary act of heresy and treason anymore. It had to be crushed with overwhelming force!
In Dorn and the others' line of sight, the Savior's radiant banner of honor slowly rose, like a declaration of judgment.
"Savior Majesty…"
When Frix saw that banner of honor, his eyes reddened. A strange sense of grievance welled up inside him.
It almost felt as though some just and mighty lord had finally arrived.
"You must uphold justice for us!"
(End of Chapter)
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