"This… where's your mother?"
[Up to here, remember our website, Taiwan Novel Network—super easy to use and extremely comprehensive.]
Lion jumped up and struck the other's head; in the past, he wouldn't have even needed to jump.
At this moment, all Lion felt was anger. Were these still the soldiers he had led? How could they casually blurt out such an important secret?
"What did you just call me?"
"Lord Lion!"
"Wrong answer!"
Another elbow strike; even a Deathwing veteran clad in Terminator power armor was nearly sent flying.
"Don't call me Lion for now!"
"This is a secret of the First Legion. Until I revert, none of you are to reveal my identity!"
"Especially to the Space Wolves. If anyone dares speak a single word of this, you all die today!"
Richard noticed that the Lion, who had charged forward like a boar moments ago, had actually paused to lecture his 'cubs' because of this secret.
No wonder the First Legion was so obsessed with secrecy; clearly, it was tied to the Lion's own education. As everyone knew, the First Legion kept no secrets… because anyone who knew them ended up dead.
Moreover, each gene-seed inherited part of the Primarch's personality, and evidently… the Chapter's trait of keeping secrets to the death had been established from the very beginning.
Lion lectured his cubs for a while before allowing the main force to advance.
If this had happened in the Inner Circle, the Deathwing Grand Master would have already given this dimwitted fellow a thorough 'lesson.'
"Sigh!"
The Lion on the chessboard let out a faint sigh. Following the guidance of the will in her mind, she arrived at a blood-red altar.
Profane runes covered the area, and skulls of all kinds were piled high like mountains. The only scent was blood—whether from Mortals or other species—all piled here as offerings for the summoning ritual.
Clearly, this site was meant to summon a Great Daemon, and the massive Great Daemon before them was about to crawl out from a Subspace rift.
"It's time to end this!"
A Khorne Daemon named Skarbrand roared, attempting to emerge from the Chaos rift.
However, as soon as it poked its head out, a pair of slender, jade-like feet stepped on it.
Despite the Mortal form being petite, the leg strength unleashed surpassed the limits of the physical universe.
"Back to your Subspace!"
"The planets my Father fought for are no place for your insolence!"
With a crack…
The Khorne Daemon that had just entered the real universe was crushed. It didn't even have a chance to fully materialize before being banished back.
"No!"
A pair of blood-red giant hands tried to shred the person before them, but the Lion, wielding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, casually blocked the attacks.
None of the Terminators behind her stepped forward; seeing her ease, they knew their Primarch didn't need assistance.
"Very good!"
"It seems this altar is their Subspace node!"
"All of you, clear out the remaining daemons!"
"Ban them all, and leave no Mortals corrupted by Chaos alive—kill them all!"
"Yes!"
The Terminator veterans, coordinating with the Lion, acted with swift efficiency. What should have been a defensive battle turned into a breakout, then an offensive.
Richard was still clutching a predator tank, but before he could deploy it, the battle was almost over.
[Successfully held for one day. Reward of 500 Ant-Ox Cans has been issued.]
[Resources have been stored in your warehouse. Extract now?]
"No, no, no!"
Watching the Hive City descend into night, Richard shook his head at the system prompt. What kind of joke is this? If I take these cans out, I have nowhere to store them.
If the Ant-Oxs hatched at home, the entire residential area would be destroyed. Domestic security forces would have a nightmare—these aren't just 500 cans, but 500 armored monsters!
Even if the eggs inside hatched accidentally, it wouldn't take long before the neighborhood was wiped out. Living creatures that could tank a bolter round… with Blue Star's current light weaponry, nothing could stop them.
[Cans stored in your warehouse. You can extract them via the chessboard when needed.]
Seeing an extra item slot appear under the chessboard's pocket, Richard finally relaxed. As long as he didn't have to handle these cans directly, he avoided a massive headache.
"Phew… holding out for a day isn't that hard!"
"I still have over 300 deployment points unused… just by sending Terminator veterans, I've won this battle!"
"Defending Soladis Hive City isn't that difficult either!"
"Let's see what enemy troops appear next!"
Fiddling with the chess pieces, Richard was eager to see the next stage of the campaign.
Meanwhile… in orbit, the World Eaters' warship, having broken the Imperial Navy's blockade, anchored in low orbit. Its 8-kilometer-long hull blocked most sunlight.
Even the Lion, cleaning up on the ground, looked up and saw the World Eaters' ship.
"What the hell is this!"
The surrounding Terminator veterans had spotted the heretical warship. They raised their weapons, ready for the assault.
The Lion stood hands on hips, gazing at the hull, where skulls and icons faintly appeared. Chaos corruption had left the ship restless.
Although it lacked Nurgle-like writhing tentacles… crimson blood constantly dripped from orbit to the surface.
Splash!
The massive warship caused a blood rain—war's curtain had risen, marking the conflict's escalation.
Khorne valued unit composition; though mostly melee, suitable ranged units existed. The World Eaters Legion filled gaps left by the Khorne Daemons.
As they boarded drop pods to land… an even more brutal battle began.
"Fight for Angron! Glory to the Blood God!"
The first World Eater Astartes shouted, reigniting the Chaos assault. They pushed forward with more cultists than before, and the army composition balanced with the addition of the World Eaters. Bloodletters, World Eaters, Skull Cannons, even Chaos Dreadnoughts formed a coordinated offensive line. Their firepower and melee prowess left most Mortal legions in despair.
On the outskirts… the Armageddon 473rd Steel Legion, tasked with garrisoning the Hive World's defenses, collapsed instantly under the sudden strike.
Pain and screams filled the lines; weapons failed against these 'iron cans.' Even well-equipped, fearless troops couldn't shake the World Eaters. Sturdy Sentinel walkers and Leman Russ tanks fell to agile Astartes. Armageddon's Mortals, renowned for armor, still couldn't stop the assault.
Slow tanks were isolated, surrounded, and torn apart by the agile Astartes. Defensive lines that once seemed impregnable collapsed. The final command bunker also drew special attention from the Chaos forces.
Colonel Bokant, leading emergency evacuation, lost an arm. Medics applied a simple bandage and painkiller, then loaded him onto a Chimera transport. Many 'grunts' became expendable, stalling the enemy with Lasguns. Despite the brutality, the Steel Legion did not retreat, even at 70% casualties—they were steel through and through.
"Oh, damn it!"
"Those bastards dropped from orbit!"
"If not for them, I could have held longer!"
Colonel Bokant cursed, his arm severed by a World Eater's power sword. His loyal guards sacrificed themselves for his escape. That World Eater, in a killing frenzy, ignored him, attacking subordinates instead. Surviving seemed like the only good news amid heavy losses and equipment destruction.
Looking at corpses across the streets, the Colonel frowned. Hive City had been almost wiped out.
"What's happening inside the Hive City?"
"Has it already fallen?"
"What are the Adeptus Arbites and Departmento Munitorum doing?"
The lieutenant hurried to explain: "Maybe they didn't have time! This battle was sudden; even legendary daemons appeared! Those tales from Rogue Traders are true!"
Bokant, undaunted, gazed at the spire piercing the clouds.
"If it's true, then it's true. So what?"
"Our mission is to hold the line and protect the Emperor's territory!"
"If we fail, we must move to the core, overload the Hive City, and blow it up!"
The lieutenant's mouth hung open—destroy the entire Hive City? But failure meant ensuring it didn't fall to the enemy.
The advancing team halted. Someone—or something—blocked their path.
Clutching his shoulder, enduring phantom pain, Bokant approached.
What he saw shocked him: battle-hardened Astartes veterans, Terminator veterans from the First Legion, none green recruits. Hundreds of battles had forged them.
"Could they have known we'd garrison here?"
"This is wonderful."
"Perhaps we're saved, or at least can hold out longer!"
Mortal troops alone couldn't beat the traitors, but with Loyalist Angels, anything was possible.
"You command these troops, yes?"
"Hmm, very good. You weren't scared like those cowards!"
"Come with us! Our Chapter Master will meet you! He'll discuss battle plans and verify your loyalty to the Emperor!"
The Deathwing Master accepted the Aquila salute. Even with one arm, Bokant respected the etiquette.
"Praise the God-Emperor!"
"Praise the Emperor!"
Though only one word differed, the meanings were worlds apart—one walking among men in 30k, the other seated on the Golden Throne. In the Empire, both were valid.
After all, the Emperor himself insisted he was not a god.
"If you want to read 5 advance Chapter.
Please Visit: https://www.patreon.com/c/Dinos2_0"