Chapter 8: Awakening Psychic Powers
Gunfire echoed throughout the lower decks. The plasma flames ejected by the Firebats were simply not something mere flesh and blood could pass through.
"Emperor Above! Traitors, feel the Emperor's wrath!" a soldier in CMC-660 armor shouted excitedly, swearing it was the best equipment he had ever used in his life.
The only downside was that he always felt there was an indescribable stinky smell when wearing this suit…
That was due to the Firebat suit's special thermal insulation layer, which also absorbed the user's sweat while providing insulation.
But compared to the power of the equipment, this minor negative effect was completely ignored! What was a little stink?
The Poxwalkers, heedless of their own lives, charged forward like moths to a flame, only to be reduced to ash in the inferno.
The Marines, meanwhile, picked off the more heavily mutated individuals within the horde.
As the battle progressed, the Enforcers and soldiers became increasingly familiar with their new gear.
They even began to utilize their original equipment to further enhance their combat capabilities.
The combat suits allowed them to more easily wield heavy, sturdy boarding shields, and the increased strength granted by the suits let them hurl melta bombs and various other thrown explosives an impressive distance.
Compared to the bayonets on the C-14s, they preferred to equip themselves with chainswords.
Wielding a chainsword while wearing a combat suit, they could easily cut two or three enemies in half at the waist.
The combat effectiveness of the ordinary soldiers had received an epic enhancement.
The tide of battle had decisively turned in favor of the Imperial forces.
"Five-man teams! Cover each other, search for survivors, don't miss a single corner! Notify the logistics team and Priests to take over this area!" Damon commanded.
The squads began to spread out, their mission to clear out all mutated individuals.
The soldiers in combat suits moved quickly. Locked doors were kicked open, and anything related to Chaos was incinerated.
They did indeed find some individuals in certain rooms who had not completely lost their sanity, but having already been touched by Chaos, they still did not escape the fate of death.
Lucan also saw the entire battle through Damon's perspective. It really felt like playing Darktide, only the soldiers equipped with combat suits were far more efficient in their slaughter.
Even if they weren't all at the level of the "Four Little Strong Ones," they were close, and there were a hundred such soldiers.
Seeing his Psy-crystal balance reach 3000, Lucan felt like he'd struck it rich.
This was enough for him to build several more Barracks. A Factory required 50,000 Psy-crystals, and a Starport needed 100,000; he still had a long way to go to save up for those.
However, the Factory could produce Titan-class weapons like the Thor, and the Starport could even build Battlecruisers capable of direct warp jumps. Faced with such creations, these Psy-crystal requirements didn't seem so outrageous after all.
The large influx of Psy-crystals also caused some changes in Lucan's body.
Lucan tentatively threw a punch, and it actually created a sound like tearing air. As he closed his eyes, he once again saw his projection in the Warp.
It was this black-hole-like presence that purified the Warp energy he obtained through killing.
And as this black hole devoured more and more Warp energy, Lucan discovered he could also mobilize that purified energy.
Lucan opened his eyes, which now shone with a thunderous light. Psychic energy surged within his body. His five senses instantly expanded to cover everything within a one-kilometer radius; all things were under his perception.
At this moment, the voidship was traveling through the Warp. Without the barrier of realspace to break through, this further amplified Lucan's power.
Moreover, this psychic energy had already had its negative aspects removed and would not place any burden on the user.
And in his psychic sight, he could even see Damon and the other soldiers he had summoned. Previously, he could only summon shop units to his immediate vicinity, but now he could project himself to the location of his summoned soldiers.
"I understand now… After loading StarCraft and transmigrating to this world, I've become like a Xel'Naga in the Warhammer universe. My Warp projection is equivalent to a Xel'Naga's true form in the Void, and this physical body is my avatar in the material universe.
Just like Amon, the fallen Xel'Naga in StarCraft 2, needed to kill the Protoss who worshipped him to sustain his energy, I kill those who have Warp energy within them.
If I continue to grow, is there a chance I could become a god?
I have a feeling that once I completely resolve the corruption on this voidship, my strength will increase significantly!"
Although in games and online chats Lucan had often spouted lines about loyalty to the God-Emperor, as a man of common background, he couldn't bring himself to instantly believe in a god. And the God-Emperor wouldn't respond to false faith; such belief wasn't something that granted blessings just by being spoken aloud.
Since he couldn't count on the God-Emperor right now, Lucan figured he'd better rely on himself.
Accelerating the quelling of the riot, Lucan already felt as if he was about to awaken a new ability, though his current power was still insufficient.
Within a one-kilometer radius centered on himself, Lucan could clearly perceive the movements, expressions, and even words of everyone.
Just as Lucan was studying how to use this power, Damon's voice came through the vox system.
"Commander! They're killing the survivors! Many of them still retain human consciousness, and the Medics could heal their injuries, but they're still being burned alive! I can't stop them."
Hearing Damon's words, Lucan could only sigh. Although he also found it somewhat cruel, he knew the soldiers weren't wrong in their actions.
"Damon, you don't yet understand this world," Lucan explained. "Those corrupted individuals might still be salvageable, but the price to pay is too great, and there's no way to find such methods on this voidship.
Instead of letting them suffer and become breeding grounds for Warp corruption, it's better for them to accept death while they can still be considered human. They have their faith; if they die as humans, their souls still have a chance to reach the Golden Throne. If they completely transform into worshippers of Chaos, their souls might be taken by the Ruinous Powers after death!
Don't interfere in what these soldiers are doing. This is experience bought with blood and tears."
"Alright… I understand… Commander, the battle has made significant progress!
We've preliminarily dealt with the enemy in Cargo Bays A through B. The assaults of those mindless creatures were nothing to speak of. The logistics team has also begun establishing a staging area and supply point here. I have to say, those Priests and Acolytes really know their stuff. Ever since they started chanting a bunch of words I don't understand and performing complex rituals, the airborne contagion here really seems to have diminished!"
"Don't let your guard down, Damon. More equipment and ammunition are already on their way down. Listen more to the advice of the soldiers from this world; Chaos is more tenacious than you can imagine. I don't believe the enemy this time will only consist of these Poxwalkers. This world also has psykers, and those who worship Chaos are adept at using that power!"
Hearing that the enemy could also use psychic powers, Damon became serious. In the StarCraft universe, his old boss Raynor's flame, Kerrigan, was a powerful psyker… he knew firsthand the destructive capability of such individuals.
"I understand! The vox picked up survivors still resisting in the next sector. A Priest there said he has important intelligence. He mentioned the original Rogue Trader, but before he could continue, the vox was cut off by some kind of interference!!"
"The original Rogue Trader? Damon, find a way to rescue them. The Rogue Trader heading to the lower decks is suspicious in every way; we need that intelligence."
"We're already making preparations!"
With that, Damon closed the communication channel.
"Alright, boys, leave the cleanup to the guys behind us! Check your weapons and ammo! There are still people waiting for us to rescue them!"
"Yes, sir!"
And as the loyalist forces continued their advance, within a chapel in the cargo district, at least a thousand surviving shipwrights were holding out.
They defended themselves within the chapel, praying ceaselessly before an icon of the God-Emperor.
Chapels of the Ecclesiarchy were spread throughout every deck of the voidship. No one would cut corners on a chapel dedicated to the God-Emperor; they were built strong and large, always garrisoned by soldiers maintaining order.
Ecclesiarchy Priests would also take 24-hour shifts in the chapels, spreading the faith of the God-Emperor and counseling the shipwrights who continuously lived and worked in the oppressive environment.
Compared to the soldiers on the upper decks, the people of the lower decks had a greater need for faith to keep them from being corrupted.
"Priest… can those madmen really not break in? The great Rogue Trader will come to save us, right?!"
"Of course! The God-Emperor protects us. Those traitors will all suffer the most terrible punishment. Do you see? The fact that the deadly toxic fog is being kept out is the best proof! Moreover, the vox is operational again; the Rogue Trader's soldiers are heading here to rescue us! If we just hold on a little longer, all of us will be fine!
Come, let us pray together to the statue of the God-Emperor. He will protect us!"
And at that moment, the chapel, with the ever-increasing prayers, began to faintly glow with a golden light, repelling the surrounding toxic fog.
(End of Chapter)