An untimely purple progress bar appeared in Zeke's field of vision.
At first, Zeke thought it was the Health Bar of the Warlord Titan.
That was until the word [RAID] appeared in bold letters above the bar.
What the hell? Isn't this supposed to appear when Illagers attack a Village?
Why would this thing show up here?!
On the distant Tyrok Fields, a blinding crimson fireball bloomed.
Looking down from the snowy peak, countless debris spiraled upward from the point of the explosion.
It wasn't just Zeke who was confused; the Cadian soldiers were equally stunned. The radio traffic dissolved into chaos.
"What happened? Damn it, can someone tell me what's going on?"
"It's traitors! The Volscani have betrayed us! They've been corrupted by Chaos!"
"Damn it! Protect the Planetary Governor! Priority one: protect the Governor! All mobile units, rally to Headquarters!"
The tears and smile that had just appeared on Dance's face vanished, replaced by an expression of utter bewilderment and helplessness.
But that wasn't even the worst of it.
In the sky, beneath the Eye of Terror, countless meteors lit up.
They were Drop Pods, numbering beyond count, tearing through the Cadian atmosphere and hurtling toward the planet.
Zeke's memory was triggered.
If he remembered correctly, this betrayal raid launched by the Volscani regiments directly led to the death of the acting Cadian Planetary Governor.
It also paved the way for the legendary Lord Castellan, Ursarkar Creed.
It was cruel, but it was an opportunity—a precious chance to make contact with the future Supreme Commander of Cadia.
Suddenly, a Drop Pod seemed to grow eyes, aiming straight for him.
Zeke grabbed the stupefied Dance.
There were two wooden boats. Zeke squeezed into the lead boat with the Cow, while Dance jumped into the other.
BOOM!
The Drop Pod, glowing red-hot from atmospheric friction, slammed into the snowy slope just ten meters behind them.
The intense heat instantly melted a massive amount of snow, sending up a dense cloud of white steam.
One of the pod doors was kicked open from the inside with brutal force—CLANG!
A terrifying figure stepped out slowly from the hatch with heavy, thudding steps.
[Death Guard (Harbinger)]
[HP: 150/150, Defense: 30]
A Plague Marine. He belonged to the Death Guard Legion, specifically the 1st Company Harbingers under Typhus.
His physique was even bulkier than a standard Space Marine. Swollen flesh squeezed out from the joints of his armor; in some places, the meat had fused with the ceramite, dripping pus continuously.
The Death Guard insignia on his pauldron, once a symbol of honor, was now completely covered by a writhing, proliferating fungal mat.
I'm fighting a Chaos Space Marine? For real?
Zeke sucked in a breath of cold air. I don't even have enchanted Diamond Armor yet. How is this any different from fighting a Warden naked?
"Vile beast... An existence that denies the Grandfather's grace... By the Grandfather's will, kill it!"
The Death Guard looked at Zeke... or rather, at Cow behind Zeke.
Oh, he's not after me. Zeke turned his head to look at Cow sitting behind him. They stared at each other.
"He called you a 'vile beast.' Do you have any thoughts on that?"
Cow responded with a long, confused "Moooo."
Right, considering your brain is filled only with thoughts of wheat, you wouldn't have an opinion.
Zeke turned back to the Chaos Space Marine.
"Go, Dance!" Zeke shouted. He pushed hard against the rock wall and managed to scoop up some of the water source blocks, preventing the enemy from using his water slide.
You want to kill my Cow? Not a chance.
The two wooden boats, caught by the turbulent current, shot off the edge of the cliff and plunged into the rapids below.
Weightlessness seized Zeke. Water sprayed over his face, and the rock walls on either side turned into blurred gray shadows rushing upward.
"Moooo—oooo—"
From the boat behind, Cow's cry was stretched by the fall, turning into a comical tremolo.
At the edge of the cliff above, the Death Guard watched his targets fleeing below. Without hesitation, he took a step forward and jumped.
"No way... he can keep up with this?"
Zeke looked up, his face distorted by the rushing wind.
After falling for a distance, the Death Guard jammed his hand directly into the cliff face. Under his immense strength, the solid rock was penetrated as easily as tofu.
Using his hand anchored in the rock as a pivot, he kicked off the cliff wall with his legs, launching himself further down.
Stab, kick, drop. Repeat.
Seeming to find this too slow, after a few repetitions, the Death Guard adjusted his posture.
Feet planted on the cliff face, he began to sprint down the near-60-degree slope in a display that defied physics.
Seeing the Death Guard getting closer, Zeke rummaged through his backpack for something useful and pulled out [Snowballs].
Let's try this. He grabbed a snowball, turned around, and hurled it at the Death Guard above.
Three snowballs smashed into the Death Guard's chest plate in rapid succession, exploding into small patches of white.
Both of them paused for a second.
The Death Guard's Ceramite Power Armor has Knockback Resistance similar to Netherite Armor.
The snowballs not only failed to knock him back but actually enraged him.
The Death Guard raised a hand, brushed off the bits of snow, and let out a low growl of offense. His descent speed increased.
Mid-sprint, he raised a massive gun and aimed it at Zeke... or rather, at Cow behind him!
A large glob of bubbling, dark green slime hit the wooden boat.
A searing, burning pain washed over them. Zeke looked down to see his status bar flooding with notifications:
[Zombie Plague I], [Poison III], [Slowness II], [Weakness I], [Nausea I]...
Over a dozen negative status icons lit up at once.
Ah. Is that it?
Zeke pulled out a Bucket of Milk, threw his head back, and chugged it down—glug, glug, glug.
He then poured a large mouthful into the terrified Cow's mouth, clearing the bit of venom that had splashed onto it.
Zeke smacked his lips. Looking at his now-clean status bar, he felt a ridiculous sense of relief.
One must understand that the Death Guard's most prized tactic is relying on the power of plagues to imperceptibly infiltrate the enemy and disintegrate them from within.
Pervasive, incurable, and utterly terrifying.
But Zeke's action completely ignited the Death Guard's fury.
"To blaspheme the Grandfather's gift... Unforgivable!"
The Death Guard reached behind his back and drew a Manreaper Scythe.
More angry, more insane, disregarding everything, he vowed to cut down the person before him.
Seeing the Death Guard blinded by rage and charging headlong, Zeke reached into his backpack.
He placed Cobblestone on the sliding path just behind him.
A block of rock appeared out of thin air. The Death Guard, eyes fixed only on his prey, didn't anticipate this move at all.
Bam! He slammed face-first into the cobblestone block.
His momentum arrested, he stumbled. Though uninjured, his speed dropped drastically.
He swung the Manreaper, cleaving the obstruction. The stone shattered into powder, but immediately, more blocks of cobblestone appeared in his path.
The Death Guard hacked furiously; Zeke placed blocks frantically.
I have 6 stacks of Cobblestone. I don't believe you can chop faster than I can place!
The cobblestone was continuously reduced to dust under the scythe.
But new obstacles always appeared at the critical moment, perfectly blocking the path, disrupting the Death Guard's rhythm, and forcing him to constantly decelerate.
The Death Guard possessed terrifying strength and speed, yet he was rendered inch-perfectly slow by the endless supply of cobblestone.
Accelerated by the water current, the wooden boat moved faster and faster, gradually leaving the roaring monster behind.
Zeke found a moment to look back. The terrifying figure that had been in hot pursuit was now just a small dot.
"Phew..." Zeke exhaled a long breath and patted the still-trembling Cow.
"Safe for now."