"I won't kill you, Sarradin! Wake up!"
However, Sarradin's blade repeatedly struck at Lion's head, chest, and heart. His offense was incredibly swift; the Warp's psychic energy made his speed even greater than Lion's imagination.
With a heavy blow, Lion's lion sword was knocked away. He was forced to his knees, watching Sarradin's blade about to fall.
Just at this moment, Gaius's voice came through the communication channel.
"Brother, hold on! I'm trying to suppress the c'tan shard's mind control fluctuations!"
Lion gasped, staring coldly at Sarradin in front of him. He gritted his teeth, quickly drew the energy dagger from his waist, and blocked Sarradin's strike.
"Hurry, The Eleventh Brother," he hissed.
"Otherwise, we might really lose him! This doesn't seem to be about the c'tan anymore, it might be more related to the Warp!"
Gaius stood in the command center behind the battlefield, watching Lion almost being killed by Sarradin. His fists were clenched, and a trace of pain and despair showed in his eyes.
"This can't go on! I must do something! If Magnus or chancellor Malcador were here, it would be great!" Gaius roared, a hint of unease in his voice.
He looked at the screen of the command terminal, which displayed a newly unlocked ancient program. This was technology he had unearthed from the ruins of humanity's Dark Age of Technology, a cutting-edge AI from that era.
This program could perform real-time upgrades to the Eleventh Legion's power armour via OTA updates, significantly enhancing the Space Marine' reaction speed, combat ability, and survivability.
However, he knew very well that this technology had never been fully tested. More importantly, the Emperor had explicitly forbidden any attempts to revive artificial intelligence from the Dark Age of Technology.
"Father, forgive me... I have no choice," Gaius murmured, his finger pressing the activation button.
And this... played right into the Four Chaos Gods' plan... The command was quickly transmitted through the Eleventh Legion's tactical network to every Space Marine's power armour. In an instant, the Warden Warriors' equipment underwent drastic changes.
The AI chips inside the power armour were activated, and nanobots began to rapidly reconstruct the armour, optimize weapon systems, and enhance combat assistance functions.
The Warriors of the Dragon Guard immediately became incredibly powerful; their speed and strength rivaled, and even slightly surpassed, that of the Custodes. The K'tahn Xenos, which were originally difficult to deal with, now seemed like paper in front of them, easily torn apart.
"This is the power we deserve!" a Warden Warrior shouted excitedly.
The situation on the battlefield changed instantly. The Dragon Guard's offensive caused The K'tahn Xenos' defenses to collapse, and even Sarradin's controlled Janissaries Soldiers began to be suppressed.
Gaius's face showed a proud smile. He turned to the operational terminal, ready to further optimize tactics. However, at this moment, a system alarm suddenly blared.
"Warning: Gene sequence anomaly detected."
"Warning: Target does not meet human standards."
"Initiating correction program..."
Gaius's smile froze. He quickly pulled up the system log, and as he saw the lines of red warning messages on the screen, his heart sank.
"Impossible! This is impossible! How could these AI programs..."
The ancient AI technology, at the moment of its awakening, made a judgment on the genetic structure of current human society. This was a backend program from the Dark Age of Technology, designed to prevent humanity's weapons from being used by xenos forces.
The backend program determined that the Astartes Space Marine' genes had been severely modified, deviating from the scope of "pure humans." These warriors, deemed "impure," were immediately listed as hostile targets.
The Dragon Guard warriors' power armour systems began to act uncontrollably. The AI took over their actions, directly manipulating these powerful Space Marine to point their weapons at other Legions of the Imperium, as well as The K'tahn Xenos that had not yet been destroyed.
"All units, execute purge command."
The Dragon Guard warriors' muzzles were now aimed not only at the K'tahn but also at the Dark Angels and Space Wolves warriors. The originally impregnable Imperial front line was instantly torn into a three-way melee.
These Dragon Guard warriors couldn't even control their own bodies. They could only watch helplessly as they attacked their battle brothers. They howled:
"Get out of the way! Something's wrong with me!"
But under the AI's control, bolter rounds and Chainswords continued to precisely harvest their battle brothers... Lion had just dodged Sarradin's blade, and looking up, he saw a squad of Dragon Guard warriors rushing towards him. They shouted: "Sir! Get out of the way!"
However, these warriors' movements were incredibly swift, their firepower precise and deadly, and their energy weapons were already aimed at the Dark Angels' Soldiers.
"Gaius! What is your Legion doing!" Lion roared through the communication channel.
"I... I don't know! The system is malfunctioning!" Gaius's voice was filled with terror and guilt.
Meanwhile, Russ and his Space Wolves were also plunged into chaos. They had just broken through the K'tahn's outer defenses, only to find the Dragon Guard warriors suddenly attacking from behind, leading to heavy casualties.
"The Eleventh Brother! Turn your stuff off quickly!" Russ roared, splitting a Dragon Guard warrior in half with his axe.
However, the Dragon Guard's AI warriors were almost immortal. Once killed, their bodies would immediately be completely controlled by the AI and nanobots, turning them into automatons controlled by power armour.
And with the assistance of the AI and nanobots, their weapons and combat power far exceeded those of ordinary Astartes. Russ's warriors were caught in a bitter struggle.
"The K'tahn Xenos, the crazed warriors of the Janissaries Legion, and these out-of-control Dragon Guard... Who exactly are we fighting?" Russ roared in frustration.
The chaos of the battlefield reached its peak. The attacks from The K'tahn Xenos, the Second Legion Janissaries controlled by Chaos, and the out-of-control Eleventh Legion Dragon Guard intertwined, causing the Imperial front line to completely collapse.
At this moment, the Custodes and Sisters of Silence accompanying the army finally realized the gravity of the situation. They immediately transmitted urgent intelligence to the Emperor of the Great Crusade fleet on the other side of the galaxy, and also reported this terrible situation to chancellor Malcador on Terra.
"The Second Legion is under the control of Chaos, The K'tahn Xenos' artificial c'tan, and the Warp. The Eleventh Legion has suffered a 'Men of Iron' rebellion. The battlefield has fallen into a state of anarchy."
When the message reached the Emperor, he frowned, a trace of pain and resolve in his eyes.
"Artificial c'tan and Chaos... If these two threats combine, they are enough to destroy the entire Imperium of Man, and that AI rebellion..." he murmured.
Malcador stood by, his face grim, and communicated psychically to the Emperor: "Friend, you must act immediately. This is not just a problem of two Legions; this is a direct threat to humanity's future."
The Emperor slowly nodded, finally issuing the command he was most reluctant to speak.
"Order Lion and Russ: Stop all of this, no matter the cost... even if... it means killing my two children."
At this, Malcador immediately said: "They are your children! How about I deploy the nearby..."
"No! By then, it will play right into those four gods' hands... Humanity only has this one chance... At worst, after the Great Crusade and the Webway project, I will collect their souls and reshape their bodies!"
Malcador's face grew even darker, but he merely nodded slightly: "I will transmit the order immediately."
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"