Zeke used Flight Mode to return to Trazyn's side, holding a Spyglass in his hand as he looked down at the battlefield below.
The Dreadclaw Drop Pods crashed down, their built-in storm bolters firing indiscriminately at the surroundings to clear a landing zone for their passengers.
The Iron Warriors emerged. Their armor was cold iron-gray, mottled with the scars of countless battles.
Silent and efficient, like living machines, the Iron Warriors completed their combat formation deployment the moment they hit the ground.
Two warriors took the flanks to suppress, while four wielding bolters formed a wedge and surged forward.
With unified steps, they began their advance toward Refinery No. 1.
Steady and entrenched, they moved like a massive steamroller, crushing all obstacles in their path.
The first to engage them were the Cadian Troops and the Skitarii Rangers of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The Cadians relied on the fortifications built around the plant's perimeter to mount a defense.
Volleys of lasgun fire wove through the air, joined by the plasma weapons of the Skitarii.
However, the gap in strength was a chasm.
Bolter rounds easily tore through cover, blasting the Cadian soldiers behind them—along with their courage—into fragments.
The battle line shrank back, step by step.
The Cadian soldiers fought bravely, but against the iron tide, a dam built of mortal flesh and blood was simply not enough.
Sitting in the rear, Krom Gat watched the battlefield situation through a tactical screen and frowned.
Where are the Space Wolves? Why hadn't those barking Fenrisian curs appeared on the frontal battlefield?
And the speed of the advance—according to his calculations, against these mortals and Skitarii, the Iron Warriors should have pierced through rapidly.
The actual advance was significantly slower than he had anticipated. The resilience of the Cadian resistance was abnormally high.
The battle was gridlocked within the fortifications.
–
With the boom of a close-range bolter shot, half of a Cadian veteran's body was blown away.
"Quick, drink this!" His companion pried open the injured veteran's mouth and poured a Potion of Healing into it.
"That thing is too weak!" The sergeant beside them snatched the healing potion away and replaced it with an Enchanted Golden Apple.
Lord Castellan Creed's military budget: -10,000.
"Don't be stingy with them!"
The sergeant cursed as he shoved the Golden Apple into the dying veteran's mouth.
As the Golden Apple was consumed, the Cadian soldier—who was missing half his body and hanging by a thread—was forcibly dragged back from the brink of death.
He looked around blankly as a gun was shoved into his hands. "Stop daydreaming! Keep defending!"
Miracle after miracle occurred, greatly boosting the morale of all Cadian soldiers.
"Did you see that? Not even death can harvest us!"
"Cadians! Hold the line!"
Morale was soaring. With no fear of the consequences, they fought with even greater bravery.
Why is their morale getting higher the more we fight?
"Damn it..." Krom Gat cursed under his breath.
He had never seen mortals whose morale didn't drop upon seeing Astartes, but instead rose higher.
Something was definitely wrong.
Just as Krom Gat was trying to analyze the situation, a green glass bottle appeared out of thin air about thirty meters to his rear-right flank.
It fell toward a squad of Iron Warriors.
"Enemy attack, three o'clock!" A warning immediately rang out over the vox channel.
The Iron Warriors turned their muzzles the instant the glass bottle appeared.
Their ballistic trajectory not only covered the area from which the bottle came but also shattered the bottle in mid-air.
Simultaneously, their bodies rolled away, distancing themselves from the potential splash zone. The Poison Potion failed to hit.
Krom Gat's face was livid. Where was the attacker?
None of their standard detection methods had revealed the lurker.
Invisibility Potions combined with Poison Potions? Truly a dirty tactic with no bottom line.
High above, Zeke watched the rear through his Spyglass.
The invisible squad was lurking and flanking in the backlines.
They not only relayed real-time information but also threw debuff potions at critical moments to disrupt the enemy's rhythm.
This forced the Iron Warriors to divert a portion of their attention to deal with these unseen flies.
The battle fell into a tug-of-war. The Iron Warriors were being whittled down, as were the Cadians, but thanks to Zeke's powerful logistics, the Cadians were in much better shape than the Iron Warriors.
–
The decisive force finally made its grand entrance. Wolf Lord Bloodhowl had received the location of the enemy Iron Warrior leader from the invisible squad.
Leading his squad, Bloodhowl charged out of Refinery No. 1 like a pack of wild wolves galloping across the plains.
To catch the bandits, first catch their king. The Cadians and Skitarii had created enough of an advantage; now, they intended to take the offensive.
Speed II, Strength II—the effects of the potions manifested with even greater power in the bodies of Space Marines.
Wolf Lord Bloodhowl had never felt so wonderful; he felt power surging from every fiber of his being.
He moved.
Five Wolf Guards followed close behind Bloodhowl like five streaks of silver-gray lightning.
They swept past burning wreckage, leaped over trenches, and wove through the hail of bullets at incredible speeds.
The Swiftness Potion brought not only speed but also a significant enhancement to neural reaction times.
Knowing the direction, they charged forward with indomitable will.
Bloodhowl's squad moved as if entering an uninhabited land, appearing near Krom Gat's command point.
"They actually delivered themselves to me?" Krom Gat, who had been frustrated by the stalemate on the front lines, suddenly realized the Space Wolves had appeared right in front of him.
Numbers: Two to one.
Environment: This was his temporary command point, possessing pre-set cover and firing points.
The advantage is mine. As long as he eliminated this group of Astartes, the others weren't worth mentioning.
Krom Gat was overjoyed.
"Arrogant Fenrisian curs!" Krom Gat taunted. "Your recklessness ends here!"
The five Wolf Guards needed no orders. As Bloodhowl moved, they scattered with telepathic coordination, actively intercepting the charging Iron Warrior bodyguards.
In the center of the clearing, Bloodhowl and Krom Gat, two battle-hardened commanders, faced off.
In the middle of their battle, Krom Gat watched as Bloodhowl suddenly held up a shiny, round object.