"As the Emperor's envoy, it is only right that I lead the charge."
Disregarding the advice of numerous high-ranking military officers, Alex insisted on participating in the airborne operation and serving as the spearhead unit.
As the command for the ground offensive was issued, thousands of drop pods streaked across the sky like meteors, leaving bright trails.
Gunships and Valkyrie fighters, their engines roaring, roared through the flying daemonic tide composed of Hell Drakes and Screamer Killers.
"Open fire," the pilot shouted.
The heavy multi-barreled bolt guns mounted on the wings began to spin, unleashing a dense barrage of bullets.
The thermal melta beam arrays and laser emitters on the aircraft's back fired beams of light, shattering the attacking Daemons.
Relying on their formidable firepower, the airborne forces forcibly cleared a path for the ground troops.
Upon reaching the surface, the warriors quickly leaped from the moving gunships or fighters.
Afterward, the gunships and fighters ascended, continuing to provide cover and fire support for the landing forces.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Heavy drop pods crashed to the ground like meteorites, creating deafening sounds.
The ground developed burning craters from the impact, and spiderweb-like cracks extended in all directions from the drop pods' centers.
Alex had originally been aboard a Stormbird.
After entering the atmosphere, he leaped directly from the cabin, soaring through the air using his wings, engaging in aerial combat with the Daemons.
He wielded the Holy Judgement Blade in one hand and the Staff of Divine Retribution in the other, like a war angel from mythology, leaving only slaughter in his wake.
101kan.com, fully typed, no errors.
Brilliant light enveloped Alex's body, making him appear like a golden sun rapidly moving across the treacherous and ever-changing sky.
Three Screamer Killers flew towards Alex, intending to use their sharp fangs and horns to disembowel and shred the Emperor's Saint.
Screamer Killers resembled shimmering flying sharks, possessing lamprey-like mouths with sharp fangs capable of easily biting through steel.
They rode on magical currents, soaring through the air like birds.
In the Tzeentchian Daemon army, Screamer Killers were typically used as aerial assault units, employing low-altitude gliding tactics to hunt enemies and sweep across the battlefield.
Alex, with his agile movements, dodged the attacks of the three Screamer Killers.
He also swung his sword, slaying one of them, while the other two were heavily wounded by the lightning he unleashed, causing them to plummet to the ground.
One of the Screamer Killers landed directly in front of Tenjiro, who had just emerged from a landed drop pod.
"Wow! A flying Screamer Killer! I wonder if it can be a mount pet…."
After slaying a blocking Daemon, Tenjiro took out a Beast Taming Controller and used it on the injured Screamer Killer.
As soon as the Beast Taming Controller touched the Screamer Killer, sharp neural probes automatically extended, plunging violently into the Tzeentchian Daemon beast's flesh.
It even moved across the Screamer Killer's body, searching for its neural center and releasing special mental waves, intending to control it.
The Screamer Killer, already severely wounded by Alex, let out painful wails, its massive body twisting and rolling frantically.
However, the Beast Taming Controller remained firmly embedded in its flesh; no matter how much the Screamer Killer struggled, it was futile.
"Progress has reached 50%, it looks like there's hope."
Looking at the progress bar displayed on his HUD panel, Tenjiro's face showed excitement.
If he could capture a Screamer Killer as a pet, wouldn't that be incredibly cool?
Those guys would surely be green with envy.
However, when the progress reached seventy percent, the Beast Taming Controller exploded with a 'bang,' scattering fire and electrical sparks.
The Screamer Killer twitched a few times, then went still, completely dead.
"Damn it, what a false alarm. I'm going to give the MC Dynasty a bad review when I get back. The quality is so poor, it even exploded!"
"By the way, why can't I capture Tzeentchian Daemon beasts??"
Tenjiro looked at the scrapped Beast Taming Controller and the dead Screamer Killer, feeling somewhat disappointed.
How great would it be if he could capture Tzeentchian Daemon beasts?
Fateweaver Kairos, at a glance, would be an excellent SSSSS-grade supreme mount.
Just then, a strange howling sound echoed.
Tenjiro turned his head to follow the sound and found a Flamers charging towards him.
Even by Chaos standards, Tzeentchian Flamers could definitely be called bizarre.
Typically, they resembled melted candles, with tube-shaped bodies randomly growing various terrifying and grotesque faces on their surfaces.
Their lower bodies resembled Mushroom caps, allowing them to propel themselves with unique arcane magic, making their movements comical yet extremely threatening.
The Flamers spewed colorful Warpfire, intending to burn Tenjiro to ashes.
Tenjiro summoned a psychic shield, blocking the flames, then used his staff as a melee weapon, swinging it to smash the opponent.
Whoosh!
A loud whooshing sound filled the air.
With just one strike, the staff in Tenjiro's hand broke the Flamer in half at the waist, causing it to let out painful wails.
"You dare provoke even me, 'Melee Gandalf'? You're practically courting death!"
After complaining, Tenjiro raised his foot and stomped down hard, crushing the head of the Tzeentchian Flamer.
After dealing with the Tzeentchian Flamer, Tenjiro loudly shouted slogans like 'For the Lord of Change' and 'In the name of destiny, I bestow punishment upon you,' as he charged into the colorful, constantly howling Daemon tide.
In the name of Tzeentch, he massacred the Tzeentchian Daemon army.
...
Boom!
A terrifying explosion ripped through the sky.
A Valkyrie fighter was destroyed by a high-ranking Tzeentchian Flamer riding a chariot,
its burning wreckage scattering in all directions.
Alex flapped his wings and charged towards the Tzeentchian chariot, burning with arcane light, to avenge the fallen Imperial soldiers.
The Staff of Divine Retribution in his hand condensed dazzling electricity.
Upon nearing the chariot, the end of the Staff of Divine Retribution suddenly erupted with wild bolts of lightning, streaking across the sky, incredibly bright.
In an instant, the rampant lightning destroyed the chariot, incinerating the nearby Daemons, causing them all to plummet to the ground.
"Do not waste time, Saint. Daemons are inexhaustible."
"Destroying the altars and ending the ritual is the only way to end this war."
The voice of Eldar Prophet Kasareth echoed in Alex's mind.
Following his guidance, Alex looked towards the end of the horizon, where nine magnificent altars were spewing brilliant light.
Each altar had nine Chaos Sorcerers presiding over it.
They chanted incantations older than humanity's origin, leveraging the power of the Warp.
Ninefold cunning weaves the net of fate,
Ninefold illusion constructs the boundary of reality,
Ninefold conspiracy brews the bloody chess game,
Ninefold curse corrodes the iron will,
Ninefold calculation foresees myriad possibilities,
Ninefold destiny intertwines chains of causality,
Ninefold transformation reshapes the essence of matter,
Ninefold sacrifice irrigates the flower of Chaos,
Ninefold blessing nurtures the dawn of the end.
Tzeentch's power, through the ritual, continuously poured into Reality.
Nine Warp rifts spanned the space around the altars, and surging ethereal tides swept out, forming a tumultuous storm.
"Those must be the anchor points."
Alex wanted to fly over but was firmly held back by the surging tide of Daemons.
As soon as he slew one group with his sword, more Daemons filled the void, preventing Alex from breaking free.
"Cortana, issue a mission to the Players, telling them to prioritize destroying the altars."
"Oh, and this time, in addition to the regular rewards, add some armor fragments as special rewards."
Alex conversed with Cortana in his mind while swinging his heavy staff, smashing the heads of Tzeentchian Sorcerers riding on Tzeentchian Discs.
After acquiring the Armor of Kingly Glory, once used by Sanguinius, his old armor became obsolete, but it had never been disposed of.
Taking advantage of this mission, he decided to break it into pieces and release some fragments to gauge the market.
If the effect was good, hehe, then he would have special rewards for future missions.
These little Players would surely be reeled in by the rare 'Enhanced Fragments' (Strengthening Fragments - 'Reinforcement Fragments') like hungry fish.
"Understood, Cortana will take care of it immediately, Master."
Cortana always prioritized Alex's instructions.
Shortly after the call ended, Players participating in the airborne operation received a new mission.
[Mission: Destroy the Tzeentchian Cultist Ritual.
Tzeentch's minions are performing an evil ritual, leveraging the power of the Warp. Please stop them.
Mission Objective: Destroy nine altars.
Basic Reward: 85,000 Contribution Points, 7,000 Honor Points, 25,000 Faith Points.
Commission Reward: Final reward will be assessed based on kill count or mission contribution.
Special Reward: Guide's Armor Shard (This shard can be integrated into armor or shields to increase defense and add special attributes).
Warmaster and Titus were fighting in the demonic tide.
They had started another challenge to see who could hunt the most demons.
So far, their kill counts were neck and neck, making it difficult to determine a winner.
"Your growth rate is truly astonishing. In my hundreds of years of service, I have never seen such an outstanding and potential warrior as you."
Titus showered him with praise, full of admiration for Warmaster.
He raised his bolter and shattered a blue Daemon of Fear.
Then he swung his chainsword, splitting the two splitting Sulphur Daemons, causing them to vanish into thin air.
When a pink Daemon of Fear from Tzeentch's demonic army was killed, it would explode with a 'bang,' giving birth to two blue Daemons of Fear.
When a blue Daemon of Fear was killed, it would also 'bang,' giving birth to two Sulphur Daemons that looked like two balls of fire.
All of them needed to be killed to count as one kill.
"That's because I have an amazing Guide; his name is Demetrian Titus."
Warmaster punched a pouncing Tzeentchian Beast, then used the sword in his hand to block another demon's attack, and then smoothly cut it down.
"Studious, powerful, humble, you possess all the virtues required by the Astartes Codex."
"How wonderful it would be if you were an Ultramarines." Titus expressed some regret.
"Can't an Imperial Fists be your brother?" Warmaster asked back, turning his head.
"A like-minded spirit is more trustworthy than so-called shared blood."
"Hahaha." Titus laughed heartily, then said in a serious tone, "You are absolutely right. A like-minded spirit is more trustworthy than so-called shared blood."
"From today onwards, you are my brother, even though you are His God Chosen, and I am merely a wanderer forgotten by my Warband."
If other Players were here, they would definitely be as sour as someone who had eaten eight pounds of lemons, cursing that this game must have a dark side, because everyone else was a Player, why was it so easy for Warmaster to gain favor?
First, Star Realm Knights, Black Templars, and now Titus.
This guy is a succubus, isn't he?!
Wherever he goes, he can unlock hidden favor with NPCs.
Could it be that Rogal Dorn, that stubborn Primarch's gene-seed, also has a charm bonus?
Back then, I didn't see that stubborn rock having any popularity!
"Brotherhood is not about origin or status, Titus."
"A brother is a brother. No matter what, you are my most trusted brother."
Warmaster shouted in response after killing a demon.
Titus smiled, feeling his blood surge.
The bond between brothers is always precious.
"Oh, right." Warmaster chuckled, "Titus, we're brothers now, can you do me a favor?"
"What favor?" Titus asked.
"When you return to the Ultramarines Warband, can you give me an exclusive holy relic mission?"
Warmaster looked expectant.
Who doesn't know that the Ultramarines have many good things and are incredibly rich?
"The request isn't high; just give me your Primarch's used sword or armor as a reward."
Titus: "..."
I treat you as a brother, and you want to plunder my Warband's holy relics!
Give back my recent emotion, you God Chosen bastard!
Calgar even treats the Primarch's used tables, chairs, and benches as holy relics, not allowing others to touch them casually.
And you actually want the Primarch's weapon and armor!
If I help you now, I'll be kicked out of the Warband by an enraged Calgar later!
After killing a Tzeentchian archer, Warmaster continued, "Oh, right, I might be going to Reality for a mission sometime soon. Do you have anything you want me to convey to your Primarch?"
"Although my status isn't high, I can still deliver a message to the Primarch."
"After all, you've been away for so long, and you were taken away by the Inquisition. Returning so rashly might attract unwarranted suspicion."
"With the Primarch's approval, returning to the Ultramarines Warband would be much smoother, and you wouldn't be suspected by those with ill intentions."
Titus's eyes widened slightly.
Considering things so thoroughly for him, this person truly regards him as a brother!
Seeing Warmaster's sincere gaze, Titus's heart wavered a little.
God Chosen always like to collect all sorts of random things, just like Green Skin boys like to collect teeth and scrap.
The other party might genuinely like collecting holy relics and have no other intentions.
What's wrong with giving him a Warband holy relic for such a good brother who thinks so much for him?!
Warmaster didn't notice Titus's emotional changes.
Right after asking if the other party wanted to send a message, a new mission popped up.
"Destroy the altars? There's even an armor shard; this reward is quite novel."
Warmaster checked the mission details.
It marked the locations of nine altars.
Clearly, they were the key to ending this battle.
Destroying them would yield a large amount of war points and generous rewards.
"Brothers, rally to my position; we're going to do a mission."
Warmaster called out in the Warband channel, gathering the Player team to head towards the nine altars.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield,
"For the glory of Hogwarts, brothers!"
Old Thirteen had just slapped a Tzeentchian Beast away, and then amazing magical energy gathered in his palm.
With a wave of his hand, he unleashed several terrifying bolts of lightning, sending the demons in front of him flying.
"Oh my great Lord of Change!"
"Is this a reskinned Magnus?"
A Tzeentchian sorcerer, seeing this, showed an expression of doubting life.
He would rather believe Magnus had betrayed the Lord of Change than believe this was an Ogryn.
Ogryn can only count to seven; this is an iron rule of the universe, which even the mighty power of the Warp cannot change.
And now there's an Ogryn with a normal brain who can use psychic powers!
This is completely unscientific, and not Tzeentchian at all!
Before the Tzeentchian sorcerer could figure out what was going on, a stray projectile suddenly struck, blowing his head off.
The headless corpse twitched on the ground for a moment before completely losing its life.
"Quick, destroy the altars; those things give high points."
Old Thirteen hadn't noticed the sorcerer at all.
He gathered the Hogwarts Battle Group Players and advanced towards the altars.
Under the efforts of the rebels and numerous xenos, the area around the altars had been transformed into a terrifying purgatory.
Millions of Emperor's Cannon Fodder had been executed in horrific ways.
Countless crosses or stakes stood on the surface.
Suffering victims, their bodies covered in blasphemous runes, were bound to them.
Blood flowed from their wounds, forming blasphemous Chaos arrays on the ground.
As the Players approached, the dead twisted frantically, letting out loud wails.
The blood-soaked ground exploded, like fountains spewing blood-soaked earth.
Terrifying whispers emanated from underground, as if the surface of Malz World had become an endless purgatory.
Azure, brown, and purplish-red twisted tentacles writhed in the cracks of the cobblestones.
Alluring dark eyes gazed from bulbous growths amidst colorful crystals, which were as sharp as power weapons.
Advancing Imperial Heroes and Players had to destroy those tentacles and eyeballs first, or they would be killed by them.
Swarms of colorful demons, with tentacles and limbs flailing, laughed loudly, hurling Warp energy in the form of lightning and fire at the Players and Imperial Heroes.
Massive Soul Grinders, bathed in non-material steam, drove their bodies forged of evil iron, charging towards vehicles bearing the double-headed eagle insignia, overturning them and tearing them into scrap metal.
Gunships and Valkyrie lowered their altitude and began strafing the ground.
In the sky above, warships with precise targeting began to unleash the Emperor's wrath.
Terrifying artillery fire made the earth tremble, and rising Mushroom clouds carried countless demons to their destruction.
All Imperial forces had prioritized destroying the altars and were trying to support the ground troops.
"In the Emperor's name, quick, to the altars!"
Zigman and other Soulless Players shouted.
The Soulless field around them dispelled the demons' aura and psychic powers, weakening them.
Players from other Warbands seized the opportunity to hack and slash at the demons, forcefully carving a path to the altar amidst the surging tide of daemons.
"Children of the Curse."
The demons shrieked and lunged at the Soulless, intending to overwhelm them with their endless numbers.
"Feel the might of the omnissiah, you little demons!"
Little Fatty shouted, directing the brothers of the Hammer and Sickle Battle Group to provide fire support for the Demon Hunter Battle Group.
Although there was an MVP competition between different Warbands,
the calculation of mission contribution was very complex.
It wasn't just about achieving the final objective to get rewards;
providing assistance to allies and opening up paths also earned substantial war points.
If, for the sake of war points or MVP, one ignored the plight of allies or even deliberately worsened their situation,
not only would war points be deducted, but they would also lose the qualification to participate in large-scale battles, or even be banned and permanently blacklisted.
The Zaku mecha group ran from a distance, each step shaking the ground.
They opened fire in unison.
Their building-sized cannons unleashed unimaginable firepower.
The dazzling beams were as bright as a stellar explosion.
Countless demons were reduced to dust the moment they came into contact with the scorching beams.
Meanwhile, on the Tzeentch demon army's side, one colossal Lord of Change after another appeared.
They shrieked, unleashing waves of fel energy to prevent Players and Imperial heroes from approaching the altar.
The Warmaster, leading the Emperor Niuma Battle Group's Players, defeated a Lord of Change.
They approached one of the nine altars.
As they planned to destroy this altar, Mara Bass, the master of the Menagerie, entered the Reality through the power of the ritual.
As Fateweaver Kairos's capable subordinate, Mara Bass's power far surpassed that of an ordinary Lord of Change.
The moment he appeared, he unleashed a surging tide of demonic energy.
Except for the Warmaster and the God Chosen Titus, everyone else was swept away by that tide, forced to move away from the altar.
"I'm convinced, I got swept away as soon as I got close, what's the point of fighting?!"
"This kind of high-end game can only be played by Grey Knights!"
"Call Woldaes immediately to come over."
"... ... ... ..."
The Players complained while continuing to fight the surging demons.
After regaining their footing, they regrouped and charged again towards the altar's location.
The Warmaster and Titus exchanged glances, then jointly launched an attack on Mara Bass.
However, the demons were endless, constantly surging forward, blocking Mara Bass's path.
The Warmaster and Titus had no choice but to fight desperately, hacking and slashing at the demons, quickly falling into a bitter struggle of being outnumbered.
And at this moment,
a sharp whooshing sound came from the sky.
Alex, shining like the sun, broke free from the entanglement of the demonic tide and swooped down.
Mara Bass raised his staff, intending to chant an ancient incantation to stop the Emperor's Saint.
However, the next second, Alex was in front of him.
A sharp whooshing sound echoed.
The Heavenly Punishment Scepter, falling with gravitational potential energy, drew a graceful arc in the air and directly smashed into Mara Bass's head.
The heavy impact caused that enormous bird-like head to hit the ground with a 'boom,' making a dull sound and forming an astonishing deep pit.
A horrifying crack appeared on the scaled bird's head.
Scorching demonic blood sprayed out, and the moment it landed on the ground, a cluster of shimmering crystals grew.
A fierce battle erupted between the two sides.
Initially, they were evenly matched, neither gaining an advantage.
But Cortana and the Eldar Prophet Kasareth then joined the battle.
In the Menagerie, Mara Bass was already no match for this combination.
In the Reality, he naturally wasn't either.
Mara Bass was, as always, brutally beaten by the group.
Finally, the battle ended with Alex plunging the Holy Judgement Blade in his hand into his chest.
Golden light burst from Mara Bass's chest.
Countless cracks, centered around the wound caused by the Holy Judgement Blade, spread across his entire body.
Amidst painful shrieks, the colossal body of the Tzeentch Greater Daemon exploded into pink or blue fragments.
A terrifying psychic demonic tide erupted as Mara Bass was expelled, sweeping away all nearby demons and humans.
Immediately after, with a 'boom,' the first altar was destroyed by the Players.
The Warp Storm instantly weakened significantly.
Then came the second, third, and fourth altars.
Each time an altar was destroyed, the Warp Storm would be weakened.
By the time the eighth altar was destroyed, the demons could no longer maintain their forms, and physical laws began to regain dominance.
When the ninth altar was destroyed, the demons' bodies crumbled into dust with screams.
The power of Chaos receded like a tide, and the Void's Eye of Paradox collapsed as the altars were destroyed.
The Imperial fleet fighting the demonic tide felt an instant relief; the howling demons vanished into thin air.
Their eerie screams became like fading history, turning into ethereal echoes in the vast river of time.
The demonic flesh growing on warships and weapon platforms also trembled and died.
The malevolent eyes withered, fangs fell out, and all that remained was cold steel.
Everything ended as abruptly as it began.
"Counterattack, annihilate all traitors!" Xia shouted, pulling the fleet officers back from their shock.
The Imperial fleet began its counterattack.
Without the blessing of Chaos power, the rebel void forces became fragile and were torn to shreds, utterly annihilated.
The same happened to the ground rebels; Imperial forces began a large-scale landing, systematically clearing out every Hive City.
In just a few hours, the main rebel forces were annihilated.
... ... ... ...
After expelling the Tzeentch Greater Daemon,
the Eldar Prophet Kasareth, along with several Eldar compatriots, ventured deep into the Hive City of Malz World.
They brought back a peculiar glowing octagonal crystal.
"If the Warp wishes to influence the Reality, it must have an anchor."
"This glowing octagonal crystal is the anchor of the Menagerie; with it, no matter how Fateweaver Kairos hides the Menagerie, it can be easily found."
"Previously, I saw the God Chosen searching for various xenos to use as mounts; perhaps the exotic beasts in the Menagerie can satisfy them."
"Regarding how to contract those ancient exotic beasts with unique powers, we can also offer some advice and methods."
Kasareth handed the octagonal crystal to Alex.
At the same time, he also stated that the Eldar could provide knowledge on how to contract those peculiar exotic beasts.
... ... ... ... ... ...
Kairos, who was ambushed by the Harlequin Troupe during the retreat in the Battle of Luna and blasted deep into the Webway dimension with Magnus,
spent some effort to emerge from the intricate Webway.
Upon returning to the Crystal Labyrinth, he learned that Mara Bass had been defeated and was now forced to respawn.
The rebels in the Calixis Sector were completely wiped out by the Imperial loyalists, and the power of the Change Cult suffered an unprecedented blow.
The anchor of the Menagerie also fell into the hands of the Emperor's Saint.
A series of bad news made Kairos feel as if the sky had fallen.
How could his perfect plan, painstakingly formulated, go bankrupt after he had only been away for such a short time?
The Menagerie, which he had spent so much effort building, had become the backyard of those Emperor's minions!
This is too much bullying of a bird!