Yet another Rangdan Overlord was dead.
The psychic echo radiated through the star system, casting an inescapable shadow over the hearts of the Rangdan forces still resisting.
Doubt bloomed from within, leading many warriors to quietly ask themselves: Could the Rangdan Empire truly still emerge victorious?
Fifteen years of stalemate had seemed to wear down humanity's fresh forces, but in truth, their own losses were equally staggering.
What had appeared to be a balanced situation turned sharply downward the moment humanity launched its proactive offensive.
Three Rangdan Overlords died on Planet V, slain by the human Primarchs. That system-wide broadcast—a spectacle of pure despair for the Rangdan—was scorched into the very souls of their species like a inescapable nightmare.
To secure their flanks, hundreds of thousands of elite Rangdan warriors had been buried alongside Planet V as collateral!
Ominous rumors swept across the void: the Overlords of the Desperate Heavens and the Wandering Heavens had fallen. The supply star system they guarded had suffered a surprise raid by the Space Wolves, causing their most crucial logistical hub to fall and severing their supply guarantees.
Though the news was suppressed and frontline forces were strictly forbidden from speaking of it, the diminishing daily rations only confirmed the truth of the event.
Furthermore, the logistical supply lines were far from peaceful; a ghost unit of humans relentlessly harassed them, making it nearly impossible to forward rear supplies to the front lines.
Anxiety and dread crawled over their hearts like venomous leeches, draining what little courage they had left.
"NO—!!!"
In the command hall of Planet VIII, Blazkowicz shook the filthy blood from his shotgun just as a roar erupted.
That roar was filled with grief and fury, descending from the Immaterium and echoing throughout the entire J-11 system!
Blazkowicz heard the mournful reverberation, his face utterly impassive as he retracted the blade on his left arm with a sharp clack.
He had never cared about offending a specific individual or god, nor did he fear threats or retribution.
"Matter Annihilator successfully deployed," Astelan stepped forward, his black armor spattered with fresh blood.
Looking across the hall, the Rangdan Guard inside had been completely purged. A glowing device roughly three meters tall—the size of a heavy cabinet—had already begun operating.
"It is time to leave," Blazkowicz walked up to Selene, his tone peaceful and friendly, as if he were not the same man who had just executed an enemy commander.
Selene nodded, his impression of his brother deepening once more as he spoke with a sense of urgency: "Let us proceed according to the tactical plan."
He cast a glance at the device and quickly moved to Blazkowicz's side, preparing to teleport away from this filthy place reeking of alien filth.
The Matter Annihilator was the final link in the assault strategy.
Once activated, it would release its internal antimatter to annihilate against the positive matter of the real universe, generating colossal amounts of energy. Expanding outward from its epicenter, everything within a thousand-kilometer radius would be erased.
This measure was also designed to prevent unexpected variables, ensuring the Rangdan could not act out of desperation and blow up Planet VIII themselves.
Teleportation light flashed once more. The warriors enveloped in the dimensional field vanished from the darkened hall into beams of light.
The cabinet of the Matter Annihilator slowly slid open, releasing an eerie, unnatural hue. Bound by a forcefield, high-energy particles pulsed restlessly inside—eager and impatient, as if fully aware of their purpose.
Creeeak—
The moment Blazkowicz stepped onto the command hall floor, coming face-to-face with the towering Vulkan once again, an excruciating groaning sound reached his ears, causing him to instinctively shake his head.
The entire hall was tilting as an unusual drag force asserted itself.
The matter annihilation had already begun. Quiet at first, its impact on reality was undeniably real.
At the core of the Rangdan continental fortress, a massive void appeared without warning, erasing everything within its bounds. It was shockingly abrupt; the edges of the void were impossibly smooth, as if carved away by a razor-sharp blade, leaving a thousand-kilometer-wide hemispherical pit.
With such a massive loss of mass, the planet's axis shifted, triggering tectonic plate movements across the human base.
"Brother, you need to see this," Vulkan stepped forward, his dark face extraordinarily grave as he pointed toward the sky to signal a change in conditions.
Blazkowicz and Selene looked up to see the pyramidal dome of the command hall sliding open, exposing the starry void to their gaze.
With their physical sight, both could clearly see countless warships slaughtering one another in space, the brilliance of energy beams obscuring the faint light of distant stars.
Yet that was not the main focus.
The infinitely vast starscape was currently twisting and swelling, as if something on the other side of the veil was tearing at and crushing the real universe. Mottled, chaotic colors replaced the void of space, continually shifting and warping.
Deeper within the darkness, a colossal hand seemed to be churning the void, causing the stars to swirl like wet oil paint.
Then, an all-encompassing golden radiance ignited, sweeping in from the distance to soothe the night sky, driving the twisting force away.
"YOU HAVE OVERSTEPPED!"
A magnificent voice boomed. Two immense wills ground against each other, making the starscape tremble beneath their collision. The veil of reality shattered like brittle glass, crisp cracks spreading along the tear.
"Overstepped?!" Under the gaze of countless entities, a distorted voice shrieked in rage: "To watch my thralls be exterminated by you?!"
The Lord of Humanity and the Supreme Overlord—two great entities warring in the Warp—had descended upon the real universe.
With the consecutive deaths of the Rangdan Overlords, the Supreme Overlord could no longer endure the losses and sought to break the rules of engagement. It sought to unleash supreme power to overturn the failing tide on the physical battlefield.
Yet the Lord of Humanity would never allow His opponent to free a hand to reverse the Imperial momentum.
Hearing the accusation, the Emperor offered no verbal response, letting His actions speak for Him. A grand will whipped up a tempest in the Warp, sweeping toward the demigod to engage in another round of psychic contest.
"AAARGH!!!"
An enraged howl filled with unwillingness echoed out as the Supreme Overlord was forced to relinquish its grip on the material universe, turning once more to face the Emperor's assault.
As the ruinous power receded, the starscape returned to tranquility.
The system-wide battlefield fell dead silent. Countless living beings trembled beneath the magnificent pressure, their throats bobbing as they swallowed nervously. The shadow of death had nearly destroyed everything!
Inside the command hall on Planet VIII, Vulkan's throat felt dry. Shaking his head with lingering dread, he raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his bald head.
Selene was equally pale. As higher lifeforms, they understood better than anyone what had just transpired. Had the Emperor not intervened, the boundless fury of the Rangdan Supreme Overlord would have crushed the entire star system to dust!
Such supreme, absolute power sent shivers through the mind even from a distance.
Blazkowicz, however, felt no pressure. Stepping up to the sandtable, he said: "The Salamanders can launch a full-scale assault now."
The destruction of the Rangdan continental fortress's core zone had plunged their forward units into utter chaos—it was the prime moment to strike.
Roused by his brother's reminder, Vulkan's face hardened as he issued orders with supreme authority: "Salamanders Legion, launch a full-line offensive against the Rangdan fortress!"
Opportunity waits for no one!
The Lord of Dragons knew that the ultimate window to reclaim World VIII was now firmly in the Salamanders' hands.
With the core zone destroyed, the eastern hemisphere's defensive shields failed, bringing down the long-awaited orbital bombardment.
The Flame Wrought unleashed its full firepower. Lance batteries and macro-cannons took turns pounding the surface, the orbital strikes acting like an eraser as they wiped the Rangdan fortress clean off the map.
[The Salamanders Legion purges Planet VIII. Ground firepower coordinates with the void fleet, securing complete control over the sector.]
[Next Action: The Legion leaves behind garrison forces while the main body reinforces Planet IX, coordinating with the Iron Hands to liberate the world.]
Holographic text flickered coldly, yet excitement bled through the lines—Ferrus's thrill passed through alongside the headquarters' directives.
As supreme commander, he understood the flow of the battle better than anyone.
The fragments of Planet V threatened Planet VI from the rear, holding absolute geographical dominance. Now that Planet VIII was under human control, the supply route to reinforce Planet VII was fully open, granting the main battlefield an overwhelming advantage.
Next, with the Salamanders and Iron Hands joining forces, Planet IX was as good as taken.
The current battlefield situation was clearer than it had ever been.
The Rangdan Empire had lost immense numbers of troops and commanders; its remaining forces could neither reinforce nor defend, let alone launch a proactive offensive.
The existence of Planet IX was the final point of contention between the two sides!
"I will head to Planet IX with the Salamanders," Blazkowicz said before the sandtable, as if speaking to the empty air.
[UNNECESSARY!]
A suggestion from Ferrus arrived via digital transmission: [Brother, you possess full operational autonomy; I cannot command your actions.]
[However, I suggest you proceed to Planet VII to assist the Dark Angels Legion. They are facing a brutal battle.]
[We have ample forces to launch a two-pronged offensive. The Rangdan suffer a massive deficit in manpower and cannot concentrate superior forces against us.]
Blazkowicz's dark eyes reflected the green holographic light as he simulated the strategic situation in his mind.
A few seconds later, he nodded and said: "Very well. After a brief refit, I will reinforce the First Legion."
[UNITED AS ONE, OUR VICTORY IS INEVITABLE!]
Ferrus's text burned with impassioned fervor—defensive victory was within arm's reach.
"I'm coming with you!" Selene's clear voice sounded out as he took a few quick steps to Blazkowicz's side, eager to join the war effort.
Blazkowicz smiled slightly and asked: "Are you not going to take command of your Legion?"
Selene nodded solemnly, a deep consideration lingering in the depths of his eyes: "For now, I have no such plans."