A steel-forged behemoth, laden with cargo, roared along the tracks, arriving at the port's loading and unloading area.
Industrial Servitors and workers driving SCV operation mechs moved material boxes from the train's freight cars,
transporting them to waiting trucks, which then carried the material boxes to large vessels docked at the port.
The unloaded train swiftly departed, leaving its position for the next fully loaded train.
Large quantities of military supplies were transported from the ground and space factories.
In addition to the massive supplies, countless soldiers were also being continuously transported to the port by train.
They were all uniformly clad in exoskeleton armor and carried drones.
Pierce and Harry were also among the departing troops.
The exoskeletons they wore had the emblem of their respective legions painted on their shoulders, and a consistent double-headed eagle pattern on their chests.
They no longer had the despondency from when they first arrived, but were instead full of anticipation.
To be honest, since they joined the army, they had never seen such abundant firepower configurations.
In addition to receiving brand new equipment,
they would also receive support from a large number of tanks, artillery, missile vehicles, and aerial vehicles; the firepower configuration could be described as luxurious.
"We must make those idiots pay the price."
"Let their brains splatter across the ground."
"Not a single one can be spared, absolutely not a single one."
The soldiers clamored one after another, eager to immediately rush to Las Forge World and engage the enemy.
The previous battles had been too frustrating for them, and too many brothers had died.
Now that they had good equipment, it was absolutely unacceptable not to make the enemy bleed heavily.
Considering the possibility of Xenos appearing on the battlefield,
Alex arranged for the Deathwatch Kill Team that Titus was in to be on the Imperial Glory, so that he could consult with them at any time.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Players successively sparred with these Deathwatch veterans.
Especially Titus, known as the God Chosen Old K, challengers came in an endless stream.
Without exception, all challenging Players were defeated.
The one who lasted the longest was Warmaster; most of his combat skills had reached mastery or grandmaster level.
As for the two-handed sword, he was just a little short of reaching the Hall of Fame level.
This Hall of Fame level is considered a rare master in the galaxy; challenging top existences like Yvraine is not an issue.
"Your talent is very good. If you are given some more time, I am afraid I would not be your opponent."
Titus gave Warmaster a very high evaluation,
stating directly that the other party would definitely surpass him in the future.
After dealing with another round of challenges and exhausting the contribution points in the God Chosen's hands, the few veterans of the Kill Team finally got a breather.
When the Living Saint told them to collect contribution points from the Players who came to spar, they were full of confusion.
It was just sparring, why did they need to collect contribution points?
Now they understood why.
Collecting contribution points was purely for their protection.
These God Chosen were too energetic; as long as they had free time, they would train.
If it were free, these God Chosen could challenge for 24 Terra hours a day.
"This intensity is even greater than when I train." Beren stretched his sore arm, "These contribution points can earn tens of thousands a day, but I don't know what they can be used for!"
"You can give the God Chosen tasks." Darius chuckled, "I'll show you. As long as you publish a task and give some contribution point rewards, a God Chosen will accept the task."
"For example, take my weapon for maintenance."
Darius edited on the data-slate.
Not long after confirming the release, a God Chosen ran over excitedly and took Darius's chainsword for maintenance.
"This works?" Beren's eyes widened.
"In the future, take them on missions. As long as you give enough contribution points, they'll carry satchel charges and board Tyranids / Tyranid Hive Ships without even blinking." Darius chuckled.
"I've learned a lot." Beren nodded.
"Look quickly, there are Astartes outside." Celtic called the members of the Kill Team to the viewport.
Titus walked over. Through the viewport, he saw the Astartes forming a square formation.
Thirteen rows, thirteen columns in a square formation, each formation estimated to have one hundred and sixty-nine people.
Thirteen formations made up one regiment, and there were a total of three regiments.
At this time, they were all assembled in the open area of the port, waiting to board the ships.
"There must be over six thousand Astartes! My goodness!" Olfa exclaimed in amazement.
Most Warbands typically have a strength of around a thousand, with four to five hundred in reserve.
But now, the Living Saint's forces alone have over six thousand Astartes in regular formation; if you count the reserves, what kind of scale would that be?
"I have never seen an Astartes force of this scale assemble." Beren said, "Nor have I ever heard when the Imperium allowed Warbands to expand."
"This is treating the Astartes Codex as thin air." Darius said.
Titus frowned. Over six thousand Astartes would be enough to sweep this Sector.
"Could this be to start another Great Crusade and build a Second Imperium?!"
Titus secretly mused.
Fortunately, Alex didn't hear Titus's words, otherwise he would definitely tell him that even if an Imperium were to be built, it would only be the Third Imperium,
because someone else had already built the Second Imperium, and it was his Primarch father.
"Look, why is there an Ogryn in the team?" Beren pointed to another spot.
"Damn it, why is there an Ogryn among the God Chosen??"
"Why is this Ogryn holding a force staff? Could it be that he can use psychic powers??"
Titus looked over, and his mouth immediately twitched.
He originally thought that after so many shocks, he would no longer be surprised,
but when he saw an Ogryn holding a force staff and wearing heavy armor appear before him, his eyes still widened.
When the other party casually released arcane light, his jaw seemed to be dislocated, and he couldn't close it.
His companions next to him were also like this.
Having fought in the galaxy for so many years, what strange things hadn't they seen?
But this was truly something they had never seen.
"I feel like I haven't woken up yet. I actually saw an Ogryn casting psychic powers? Is this universe insane?" Beren said.
"This is neither Emperor's Cannon Fodder nor scientific at all!!" Darius complained.
...
The Players who were to participate in the war continuously arrived from Yatoma World.
After the last batch of Players and supplies arrived, Alex ordered the official departure.
The loud sound of war horns echoed across the surface and sky.
Under the gaze of countless civilians, the magnificent punitive fleet set sail.
The fleet cleared all supplies from the ports, shipyards, and factory warehouses, and also took away a large number of troops.
The once bustling port suddenly became much quieter.
The fleet arrived at Mandeville Point, where it opened a Warp entrance and headed to Las Forge World.
...
Las Forge World.
Void factories, weapon platforms, orbital platforms, and research institutes were spread throughout the entire star system.
The loyalist and rebel forces were intertwined like dog teeth, fighting in various parts of the Forge World.
Three planets burned fiercely in the flames of war; the black smoke was clearly visible even from the void.
After the Colin Family rebelled, the rebels hidden in Las Forge World quickly seized control of Las Forge World.
Dark corruption had long been rooted in this Forge World,
but those in power were oblivious, only focusing their attention on conflicts with other factions and neglecting internal issues.
Ultimately, they were easily overthrown and executed by the rebels.
Their bodies were hung above the Forge World factories, serving as a warning to those who dared to resist.
With the high-ranking officials wiped out, the lower levels had no idea what had happened.
This was why the loyalists were initially weak.
But as time passed, some charismatic loyalist leaders emerged.
After the news of Sintilla Hive World's recapture arrived, they led the loyalists, whose morale had recovered, to gradually stabilize the situation.
This infuriated the rebels, who continuously gathered troops from various places, intending to use their absolute numerical superiority to crush the loyalists.
The Saint Hao Factory was located in the void, with a huge disc-shaped megastructure at its center. Seven giant cable-like pipes connected the surrounding stations and factories.
Between the pipes, giant cables were also interconnected, forming a complex network.
Stations and small factories transported initially processed parts through the cable-like pipes to the core, where they were then assembled or stored.
The giant machines inside the factory rumbled, and the air was filled with a strong scent of incense.
Buzzing filters continuously pumped carbon dioxide and argon into the factory fortress, poorly imitating the atmosphere of Mars.
The massive, six-meter-tall Adeptus Mechanicus, Galamond, led his Skitarii through the overloaded factory assembly lines.
Countless slaves were working on the assembly lines under the supervision of Servitors.
When slaves collapsed from exhaustion, they would be whipped by Servitors until they stood up or were directly beaten to death.
The bloody corpses would be mercilessly dragged away for waste recycling.
Missing positions would be filled by new slaves.
More than two-thirds of the Las Forge World's original tens of billions of residents were reduced to factory slaves.
The factory had enough slaves for replacements.
At all costs, large quantities of war materiel were being continuously produced, including some intelligence-controlled mechs and destructive war weapons strictly forbidden by the Imperium.
On the other side of the factory, countless nutrient tanks stood, cultivating twisted and terrifying biological weapons.
Faintly, one could still discern a trace of human appearance on these twisted creatures.
Evidently, the rebels had mixed human genes with alien species' genes, solely to obtain stronger killing weapons.
The Adeptus Mechanicus regulations and Imperial laws had lost their hold over Galamond, the renegade Adeptus Mechanicus.
He flagrantly used dark technology to forge his own dark legions, solely to completely conquer this world.
Passing through a magnificent gate, Galamond arrived at a grand control room.
It displayed the situation of the entire Las Forge World, marking over a thousand battlefields currently engaged in combat.
Not long ago, they had just launched a large-scale offensive, but it was once again thwarted by the loyalists.
Galamond began operating a control console.
Moments later, holographic projections of representatives from various factions appeared in the room.
They were respectively: Wes, the representative of the reinforcements sent by rebellious worlds like Mars;
Ms. Bossy, the representative of the Eternal Conglomerate;
Elo, the representative of the Jagged Question Mark;
In addition, there were also representatives from cults or pirate groups such as the Pale Horde, the Height Pilgrims, and the Void Jackals.
The Colin Family's rebellion, to bolster their influence, had drawn in all available forces.
To gain more benefits, these factions also chose to follow the Colin Family and resist the Imperium together.
These factions had all received Galamond's promise: if Las could be taken, he would clear out the Forge World's material reserves as repayment to them.
This promise deeply moved them.
They successively committed their living forces to the Las Forge World, supporting Galamond, intending to utterly defeat the loyalists and collect their rewards.
However, the new round of offensives launched not long ago ended in failure again.
The loyalists were too stubborn.
"Intelligence from spies lurking in Syntilla reports that the decaying Imperium's loyalists are gathering forces, intending to seize the Las World."
Galamond surveyed the numerous representatives.
"Many fleeing Imperial armies have gathered under their command. If the loyalists take this opportunity to counterattack, we are highly likely to lose the Las Forge World."
The Emperor 'Living Saint's' rallying power was terrifying, and his command ability was strong.
If he launched an attack, the probability of the Las Forge World holding out was minuscule.
"The Eternal Conglomerate can continue to increase aid. My masters have also promised to come and help you at critical moments. The price is that upon success, you must use artificial womb technology to provide my masters with enough slaves."
Ms. Bossy of the Eternal Conglomerate spoke first.
Galamond evaluated it using his logic module; it was a profitable trade.
It merely involved providing a large population for the other party to consume and enslave.
"The transaction is acceptable."
"New aid is on the way. I hope the Adeptus Mechanicus does not forget his previous promise," Wes said. "Several worlds have already scoured for all able-bodied young adults."
"Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be young adults. Even younger ones, the Adeptus Mechanicus wouldn't refuse. After all, children over ten can be made into servitors to be used as cannon fodder," Ms. Bossy said with a hand over her mouth, chuckling.
"We will discuss this matter," Wes promised, showing no emotion whatsoever.
It was as if they were not deciding the lives and deaths of hundreds of millions of humans, but rather ownerless weeds by the roadside.
Representatives from other factions also made promises to further increase their support for the Las Forge World, but in return, Galamond would need to provide more rewards afterward.
Galamond nodded and agreed to all of them.
He was completely unconcerned about the terrible debt these promises would incur for the Las Forge World.
Finally, only the Colin Family had not yet stated their position.
If the Imperial forces were successfully expelled, the new master of the Calixis Sector would undoubtedly be the Colin Family.
The other factions all looked towards Urs Colin, who was wearing a naval uniform.
Urs's face bore arrogance, as if the Colin Family had already become the noblest imperial family in the Calixis Sector.
He only slowly spoke when Galamond lowered his posture to seek the Colin Family's support.
"The Colin Family will naturally also support…"
Before he could finish, the projection was interrupted by a cacophony of noise.
Immediately after, Galamond heard Urs's low curse,
"Damn it, the Imperial loyalist fleet has arrived."
As his words fell, the faces of everyone participating in the meeting instantly changed dramatically.
"Prepare broadside cannons, lock onto enemy warships."
"Accelerate 50%, deploy our interceptor squadron."
"Launch missiles and torpedoes, cut off their movement path."
"Lance batteries charging…"
Dahai stood on the Bridge, calmly issuing commands.
After this period of training, he had obtained the Captain's Medal, qualifying him to command the Emperor Niuma Battle Group's Exemplar Saint Fist.
An enemy cruiser was destroyed by the Exemplar Saint Fist under his command.
Years of training and study were now proving their worth.
Although it wasn't a real ocean, there were many similarities between void combat and naval warfare, and many tactics he had learned could be applied.
"I never thought my first real combat would be in a game."
Whenever he thought of this, Dahai couldn't help but smile bitterly.
In Holy Terra (Earth/Reality), although he was a cruiser commander, he had only participated in exercises and never in actual combat.
Now, it could be said that his desires were thoroughly satisfied.
"Close in on the enemy, let's prepare for boarding, for the MVP," Tenjiro said from the side.
"Understood." Dahai nodded. He used his auxiliary brain to calculate the enemy ship's speed and firepower, looking for a suitable boarding opportunity and target.
"In approximately five minutes, there will be an opportunity to graze the enemy's Heaven's Fire Battleship. I will use a broadside salvo to open a small breach for you."
"Very good." Tenjiro nodded, then turned and left.
Dahai refocused his attention on the battlefield, a grin spreading across his face.
"Now, it's hunting time."
The Imperial Glory was the king of the void battlefield; no one could compare to it.
Wherever it went, there was only slaughter and death.
The shields of a Lunar-class cruiser marked as the Gorgon were destroyed by a lance strike.
It attempted to counterattack but was hit by a torpedo launched by the Imperial Glory.
With a flash and a silent explosion, it joined the array of debris.
The Imperial Glory passed over the scattered wreckage, firing at its next target.
It was like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, casually harvesting every target it saw.
"Let me be your opponent!"
Having just secured a kill, the rebel general commanding the Dawn's Light Battleship shouted.
He had set his sights on the Imperial Glory, intending to hunt it as his trophy of honor.
But very quickly, he paid the price for this foolish decision.
The Imperial Glory maneuvered at an angle he couldn't imagine, dodging the Dawn's Light Battleship's salvo and circling above it.
Then it plunged straight down, several consecutive lance strikes paralyzing the battleship's shields, and its sharp prow ramming the Dawn's Light in half.
Xia looked at the kill count +1, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The Imperial Glory was a bug; it could perform maneuvers other warships couldn't and possessed unimaginable firepower for a ship of its class.
To put it simply, it was an Astartes in power armor, wielding a bolter, facing a group of primitives armed with rocks.
Killing was easier than eating and drinking.
After continuous slaughter, the enemy fleet lost its first void defense line.
They retreated to their primary defense line, consisting mainly of weapon platforms, satellite fortresses, and orbital strongholds.
The enemy's firepower was fierce; a direct assault would incur a huge cost.
After weighing his options, Alex issued the boarding order, sending the Players and the newly formed Astartes Warband to capture the enemy's strongholds and fortresses.
The Warmaster, who had just received the order, was conveniently beside Titus. He immediately extended an invitation to him.
"Interested in fighting alongside me?"