Full-coverage power armor, auto-targeting shoulder cannons, auxiliary combat systems, drone collaborative operations, the ability to call for global bombardment within fifteen minutes, and even orbital strikes.
This was the standard equipment for the reformed Imperium of Man's Astra Militarum, integrating air, space, and ground warfare.
So, when these Astra Militarum appeared on the battlefield,
Corrinth and the other auxiliary forces were all shocked, disbelieving, feeling like they were dreaming.
This was not the Imperium of Man they knew at all.
These guys should be using crude weapons and armor, foolishly charging at them, and then being easily slaughtered by them.
Why?
Why?
Why were these guys' weapons and equipment so good, and their tactics so scientific and advanced?
Compared to these landing Astra Militarum, the armor and weapons given to them by the T'au Empire seemed so crude.
"No!!" Corrinth shouted, "It's all fake, it must all be fake."
He couldn't accept it.
The appearance of these Astra Militarum completely shattered the sense of superiority he had so painstakingly built up.
Why couldn't the Imperium of Man remain like a decaying corpse? That way, he could tell himself that joining the T'au Empire was the right choice.
Now, the Imperium of Man had shown a more scientific and rational side than the T'au Empire, making him feel like a clown.
Corrinth kept firing, wanting to vent the malice in his heart through killing.
However, the pulse beams he fired were blocked by shimmering shields, unable to even touch the opponent's armor.
This made Corrinth resent the Imperium even more. He cursed incessantly, hoping the Emperor would die immediately, the Imperium of Man would disintegrate and collapse, and be completely swallowed by the Chaos Gods.
Those who believed in the Emperor should suffer forever and then be replaced by the advanced and scientific T'au Empire.
They couldn't possibly have such advanced technological equipment.
Unfortunately, Corrinth's curses and doubts were meaningless. If a few curses from him could cause the Emperor to die, the Chaos Gods would probably beg him to ascend to godhood, becoming another being on par with them.
Initially, Corrinth's side still had a firepower advantage, as they were numerous and had the assistance of gunboats and Fire Caste warriors in battlesuits.
But as time passed, more and more Imperial troops landed.
Hundreds of mechs were deployed to the ground, causing devastating damage to the T'au Empire's side.
These mechs were different from the Imperium's past Knights and Titans; they were lighter, faster, and could fly close to the ground like Riptide battlesuits.
With the deployment of mechs, the T'au Empire's side completely lost its firepower advantage.
Dense artillery fire rained down on Corrinth's defensive line, explosions ringing out ceaselessly, forcing them to keep their heads down and not dare to expose their positions rashly.
"Retreat, retreat."
The commander's voice sounded in the comm channel, followed by several shouts of, "For the Emperor! For Mankind!"
This caused Corrinth and the other auxiliary forces' expressions to change drastically.
Apparently, the Imperium of Man had invaded their comm channel.
It was worth noting that they used to be proud of the communicators provided by the T'au Empire, believing that the Imperium of Man could never eavesdrop on their confidential conversations.
But now, the enemy could not only eavesdrop but also seize control, which was terrifying.
"Retreat first." Corrinth led his heavily battered squad in retreat.
It was worth noting that they had not suffered many casualties when attacking the Hive City of Algre World, yet now, having just engaged the Imperial reinforcements, they had suffered heavy losses.
The Imperium of Man's reinforcements were achieving victory with overwhelming superiority.
Everyone could see that the T'au Empire was heading for defeat.
"Retreat to the second defensive line." Karl Va, a member of the Fire Caste, constantly shouted over the comms, telling his compatriots to abandon the breached outer defensive line and retreat to the second line.
WARNING: ENEMY APPROACHING
A warning from the Observer Drone appeared on Karl Va's screen.
He operated it, switching to the drone's observation view. The gradually rising perspective gave him a panoramic view of the battlefield.
The T'au Empire's defensive line was collapsing, with bodies everywhere.
The wrecks of Hammerhead tanks and Devilfish troop carriers lay in smoking craters.
The enemy was advancing rapidly, attempting to cut off the retreating T'au Empire forces.
"First Squad, go support Sector B02, so that the troops there can retreat smoothly."
"Ninth Squad, abandon the planned retreat route; it's already cut off. You'll be walking into a trap."
Karl Va continuously issued commands, calmly directing the various squads to withdraw.
Boom!
A missile, trailing a fiery plume, struck, instantly destroying the ascending drone.
Karl Va's screen flickered for a moment, then went black, completely losing vision.
"Damn humans."
Karl Va cursed under his breath. He tried to connect to other drones to regain battlefield vision but heard his companion next to him shouting about danger.
This Fire Caste commander looked up and saw a group of heavily armored Space Marines flying towards them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out continuously, and the surrounding Fire Caste warriors were being killed by the Space Marines descending from the sky.
"Disperse." Karl Va ordered, telling the Fire Caste warriors to use cover to evade the enemy's suppressing fire.
"Blood for the Emperor! Skulls for the Throne!"
Wrist Bro, having landed, roared, his chainsword tearing through the body of a Fire Caste warrior, followed by a second, then a third…
"Bastard, I'm your enemy!"
Karl Va roared, charging at Wrist Bro, attempting to stop him from slaughtering his comrades.
"In the name of the Greater Good, for the sake of all!"
Karl Va's conviction was unwavering, but the next second, he was literally cleaved in half by Wrist Bro.
The entire process was fluid, without a hint of hesitation.
Wrist Bro didn't even know he had killed a commander; he just saw a number jump on his kill count, and then it was gone.
Karl Va lay on the charred battlefield, only his upper body remaining; his lower body had flown off somewhere.
His battlesuit's warning alarm blared continuously, indicating that his life was rapidly ebbing away.
"For the Greater…"
Before his last words were finished, the human who had struck him down shouted again, "For the Greater Good!"
Karl Va's eyes widened, first in surprise, then in anger. He realized the other party was mocking the Greater Good.
He crawled towards his weapon, which had fallen nearby, wanting to continue fighting, to show the other party with his actions that the Greater Good could not be insulted.
But before he could reach his weapon, he died.
From beginning to end, Wrist Bro did not spare the Fire Caste commander a glance, instead immersing himself in the slaughter.
His favorite part of playing Warhammer 0L was the hack-and-slash segment.
The T'au Empire's defensive line continued to shrink.
Just as they had once effortlessly destroyed the Imperial defenders' lines on Algre World,
Now, these Imperial reinforcements were effortlessly destroying their lines.
Humans who had betrayed the Imperium, auxiliary races like the Kroot and Vespid, and the T'au themselves, all suffered mass slaughter. Bodies were everywhere, and the pungent smell of blood permeated the air.
The remaining T'au Empire residents fled into a fortress enveloped by a shield. However, the Imperium's assault was so swift that they surrounded the fortress, used concentrated artillery fire to disable the shield, and then used meltaguns to turn the fortress gate into a pile of molten slag.
Corrinth was also here. As the Players rushed in, he fired continuously, trying to stop them.
But such firepower couldn't even break their shields.
"Xenos, all deserve to die!" Wrist Bro shouted, ignoring the ordinary people who were firing, and charged towards the Fire Caste warriors in battlesuits, "In the name of the Greater Good, I bestow upon you a death of despair!"
His voice was so loud that everyone inside the fortress heard it.
This was undoubtedly a great mockery, killing Fire Caste warriors in the name of the Greater Good.
The Fire Caste warriors fired at Wrist Bro and the other Players.
They wore the most advanced battlesuits, and for a long time, they had defeated many Space Marines with them.
However, this time, they failed to replicate their past glorious achievements.
The next second, a roaring chain-axe cleaved through the first Fire Caste warrior, followed by the second, then the third.
Wrist Bro slaughtered all the Fire Caste warriors in his sight as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.
Several Kroot attempted to stop him. Unlike the Fire Caste warriors, who were not good at close combat, the Kroot had excellent close combat abilities and strong physical prowess.
But facing a group of Fourth Scourge, they had no chance of winning.
They were quickly cut down, turning into piles of rotten meat.
"No!!" Corrinth, witnessing this scene, completely despaired and fell to his knees.
So many Fire Caste warriors couldn't even defeat one Space Marine; this battle was unwinnable.
At this moment, a group of ragged resistance fighters rushed into the fortress before the Imperial regulars.
"For the Emperor!"
"Kill the traitors!"
"Don't let a single one escape!"
They shouted slogans, their eyes filled with hatred.
The T'au Empire and these traitors had killed their family and comrades; now, they only wanted an eye for an eye.
Only the dead were qualified to forgive these people, and what they had to do was send these traitors and xenos to meet the dead.
But they did not immediately kill these traitors and xenos; instead, they planned a public execution.
Corrinth was thus captured alive.
The previously captured Planetary Governor was also rescued.
He looked much older.
During these days, he had been tormented by the T'au.
They had constantly tried to force him to submit, to abandon his loyalty to the Emperor, and to swear allegiance to the T'au Empire.
The Planetary Governor had remained silent and had not eaten, showing his loyalty to the Emperor through his silence.
When the T'au Empire was completely defeated,
He walked out of the T'au Empire's indoctrination center, breathing fresh air again, and couldn't help but be moved to tears.
Waiting for the dust of war to settle, the T'au Empire's army was completely annihilated.
Even those who by chance survived became prisoners.
The Planetary Governor saw Corrinth, and this time, it was his turn to smile.
"Hahaha, it seems our situations have swapped."
"I vaguely remember how smug you were back then; it's a world of difference from now."
"Lies! Everything about the Imperium is a lie!" Corrinth shouted at the Planetary Governor, "You will only suffer more by continuing to be loyal to that corpse."
"And if you follow what you call the Greater Good, will you not suffer?" The Planetary Governor looked at Corrinth.
"Living in the T'au Empire is a hundred, a thousand times better than living in the Imperium. This is ironclad proof. Your winning this war doesn't count for much; it's just pathetic proof of barbarism triumphing over civilization."
3
Hearing Corrinth's words, the Planetary Governor looked at him with pity.
"Think with your head for a moment: why does every race you know eventually sacrifice everything for war?"
"Because they don't have the Greater Good," Corrinth said. "As long as the Greater Good spreads throughout the galaxy, all races can coexist peacefully."
"When the Greater Good spreads throughout the galaxy, the T'au Empire will surely be a worse existence than the Imperium of Man," the Planetary Governor said calmly.
"Faith in the Emperor fills our lives with hardship, but when you see those terrifying unseen entities, you will know that zealous faith is the only means humanity has to fight them."
"Either be consumed by the dark hell, or be consumed by the Emperor; there is no other choice."
"You know nothing of the trials humanity must endure, yet you stubbornly believe you hold the truth, uniting with xenos to persecute your own kind."
"No matter how bad the Imperium of Man is, at least it is still striving to protect human interests and create opportunities for humanity to survive."
"Do you think those blue-skinned aliens will truly accept you? When they realize that you will bring those evil things upon them, they will absolutely be the first to eliminate you."
"To protect the survival of their race, they will even systematically exterminate you."
"You're lying!" Corrinth shouted.
"Then believe I'm lying; at least you'll feel better until you see hell after death." The Planetary Governor stopped wasting words. He had only said those things to repay the other party's past humiliation.
His family possessed many ancient texts, recording the historical changes of the Imperium of Man and some dark legends.
It was precisely because of this that he could maintain his unwavering loyalty to the Emperor.
Only His protection could allow humanity to survive in this dark universe.
Corrinth cursed the Imperium, the Emperor, and the Planetary Governor until his death.
It was only when he was executed and his soul dragged into a roaring hell that he realized the Planetary Governor had not deceived him.
Souls with devout faith flew towards the sun suspended above hell, to be with the Emperor they believed in.
But those who had forsaken the Emperor could only sink into an endless sea of blood.
In the sea of blood, countless terrifying demons gnawed at his soul, constantly pursuing him.
He would suffer in the Warp forever.
After retaking Algre World and submitting their mission,
The Emperor Niuma Battle Group did not stop.
Instead, they continued to advance to the next world in need of reinforcement.
They had to thwart the T'au Empire's Nem'yar Atoll Crusade and prevent them from further encroaching on Imperial territory.
In the Emperor's name, the T'au Empire must pay for their acts of aggression.