allendalepharm Page 60
Page 60
Karasto did it; he successfully killed an alien, and whether it was due to luck or something else, it proved that he was now a qualified warrior.
But aside from easing his fear and letting him know that those green monsters that could kill sages could also be killed by him, this kind of thing could do nothing else.
The reason for this situation is quite simple, and can even be summarized in one sentence.
That is the first arrow that is burning.
As a Luna-class cruiser, the First Arrow's original owner had now lost control of ninety percent of the ship's area. Countless orcs roared in every corner of the ship, and red, horned monsters were frantically slaughtering everything in sight. The survivors organized their forces and desperately defended the warp engine, the Geller field device, and the bridge.
But just moments before leaping out of the warp, everything except the bridge fell. A massive chaos erupted the instant of the jump; Karasto watched helplessly as many people underwent indescribable changes in their bodies before being blown to the head by the arriving sage and her men.
Oh, God Emperor.
Despite the pain in his arm, Karasto aimed at a distant target and pulled the trigger once again.
The weapon in his hand faithfully carried out his will; arcs of electricity shot out, turning the orc who was swinging his greatsword at a corpse on the ground into a charred corpse just like the one before him.
He readjusted the gun and pulled the trigger. He could no longer hear the sage's cries behind him; that desperate electronic voice only added to his inner turmoil. At this moment, the former slave only wanted to pray to the God-Emperor, hoping for a miracle while also wanting to take one more enemy with him.
Unfortunately, Karasto did not witness any miracle until the orcs rushed right up to him.
The defensive line was torn apart, and the sage in charge of organizing the defense was ripped into a pile of metal and flesh fragments by several orcs. The massive mech was also smashed to pieces by bullets and hammers, lying powerless on the ground, its exposed steel body still trembling.
After holding out for a total of 113 Terra hours, the corridor leading to the bridge was finally breached by the orcs. Next, all they needed to do was break through the iron gate that had been sealed for so long, kill the people behind it, and on this ship, their only remaining enemies would be those red, horned monsters.
Oh, God Emperor.
Karasto watched in despair as the orcs drew ever closer. He knew he was going to die. After all, even the sage had fallen in battle, so how could a warrior who had been converted from a slave laborer possibly escape unscathed?
But before he died, he could do one last thing.
Gritting his teeth, Karasto raised his gun. He looked at the orc approaching him, at its ferocious face and massive body, and smelled the strong stench emanating from its gaping maw. Imitating the warriors who had died in battle, he roared out a single sentence.
"For the God Emperor!"
boom! ! !
The orcs suddenly stopped moving, not because of Karastor's firing, but because of a tall giant that suddenly appeared.
The giant wore massive, silver-white armor, and his hands bore a pair of claws crackling with blue arcs of electricity. He used one of these claws to pierce the orc from behind, the green heart hanging above the claw, still beating powerfully and slowly due to its oxygen-rich structure.
Without the slightest hesitation, the giant pulled his claws from the orc's body, and then transformed into a silver-white afterimage, rushing into the orc horde not far away.
In a world that Karasto could not see, the giant's claws became the scythe that Death used to reap lives, each swing taking away a vibrant alien life.
Tread.
The steel plate began to tremble. Karasto looked in the direction of the sound and saw several more silver-white giants appear.
Upon spotting the first silver-white giants, they immediately joined the battle. One of the giants wielded a gun as large as himself. Pulling the trigger, the gun unleashed a torrent of metallic energy, turning the orcs before them into flying carnage.
Karasto swallowed hard, staring in shock at the scene before him. Only when everything settled down and the orcs' roars gradually faded from his ears did he realize what had happened.
His prayers worked, and a miracle truly occurred.
The former slave worker raised his head, looked at the giant who had somehow appeared in front of him, and immediately knelt down.
"Praise be to the God-Emperor! Praise be to the Angel of Death!"
"Stand up, mortal! I am Astartes of the Star Claws, and I ask you now: do you know how to get to the hangar?"
“I know the adults there, but that place is like this now…”
"We'll talk about the specifics on the way. Now, lead the way for us. We need to get to the cabin right now."
"...Yes, sir."
Karasto looked at the horde of giants closing in on him, took a deep breath, and picked up a gun from the ground. It was then that he realized he was the sole survivor of the breached defenses.
A hint of sadness flickered across his face, but it was quickly replaced by determination. He strode forward, leading the way for these death angels of the God-Emperor.
－－－－－－－－
On the battle barge, Lin Qi looked at the holographic projection in front of him with a serious expression.
They made thorough preparations for the First Arrow, and within just half an hour, in addition to mobilizing a sufficient fleet, they also prepared a boarding plan.
Two boarding torpedoes carrying ten members of the Glory Guard dressed as Hades Terminators broke through first. One team was responsible for protecting any survivors they could find, while another team would open the hatch of the First Arrow hangar to help the rest of the crew successfully enter the ship.
More than a dozen Thunder Eagles were ready, and to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, Lin Qi even used his abilities to extract three gauntlet-shaped assault boats, a rarity in this day and age. In the event of an emergency, the three squads aboard would become a rapid strike force, providing swift support and attack.
Now, they are waiting for the squad that has advanced to the first arrowhead to send back good news.
Looking at the images transmitted back using the system on the Terminator, Lin Qi let out a long sigh of relief. So far, the only enemies the team had encountered were orcs; none of those disgusting warp filth had appeared.
This can be considered good news, since apart from the fact that there are too many orcs, with two hundred of them in a single corridor, there are no other problems.
But if it involves things from the warp...
It's hard to say for Lin Qi, and what the team sees next will determine whether he abandons the First Arrow and turns it into scrap metal, or rescues the survivors, gathers intelligence, and continues to provide support.
Turning his head, Lin Qi saw Horus, who looked completely at ease, and couldn't help but speak.
"Aren't you worried? These are your offspring. If something happens to them, they'll all be gone."
"What's the use of worrying? Besides, you should know the old Terra proverb, 'Treat your soldiers like children, but use them like mud.'"
Lin Qi's lips twitched slightly. Of course he knew what that meant, but when the decision actually fell on his own shoulders, he still felt a sense of unease.
"You must remember that this world is very different from where you used to live. In this world, war is always raging, and no one can escape it."
Horus spoke, and said thus.
"And even in your world, not everywhere is peaceful. You must accept sacrifices in order to save this empire and the fate of humanity; this is a path we must take."
Lin Qi closed his eyes and remained silent for a while. When he opened them again, his eyes were much more determined.
"I understand."
"That's good. The team is moving very fast. Who is their leader? His combat skills are excellent; he's a promising young man."
“Asford, you should know.”
"That offspring with psychic abilities? I remember you wanted to choose him as our governor when he's no longer around."
"That's true, but let's observe him for a while longer. I think he's more suited to be a warrior than a machine confined to an office."
Lynch said this, while Horus chuckled and then fell silent. They watched the squad advance, with orcs surging towards them like a tide, but without exception, they were all mercilessly turned into piles of bloody remains.
The mortal who had been brought in to guide them stayed with the group the whole time, constantly helping them find the correct route. After thirty-eight minutes, the team successfully arrived at a corridor, and at the end of the corridor, behind a large steel door, lay the cabin of the First Arrow.
The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe, leading Lin Qi to believe that because they had arrived in the material universe, all the warp demons on the ship had now disappeared.
But the next moment, accompanied by an angry roar, he realized he had been overthinking things.
"Blood sacrifice to the blood god! Skull sacrifice to the skull throne!"
Crimson monsters appeared, wielding greatswords engulfed in flames. They glared at the squad before charging forward.
Chapter 80 Demon, Traitor, Courage (7000)
Asford was the first to realize something was wrong.
The hangar doors were right in front of him, but the leader of the assault team stopped in his tracks. He looked at the ground, at the still-warm blood left behind, which the analysis system in his helmet indicated was still intact. His normally smooth brows furrowed instantly.
“Something’s not right,” he whispered, his voice echoing through the team’s communication channel. “Something must have happened here that we don’t know about.”
“A battle,” Abedo, one of the squad members, said. “Look at the bloodstains on the ground. The signs of a battle were clearly left not long ago, but why haven’t we seen a single corpse?”
The channel fell silent; clearly, everyone was beginning to ponder the problem. They didn't believe this was something the surviving humans on the ship could accomplish. They were already struggling to defend the bridge, let alone send people to the hangar to clear out the orcs and dispose of their corpses.
Then, there's only one possibility left.
Asford took a deep breath, his expression turning serious. Before the official assault, Lynch had personally approached the assault team members and told them about another being on the ship besides humans and orcs.
demon.
The warrior of Star Claws pondered the word; it wasn't the first time he'd heard it. He had some prior knowledge of it, but compared to the information he'd received before in the three Terras, that knowledge was still somewhat lacking.
Asford exhaled the air he had just inhaled, went to the mortal guide they had found, raised his head and gestured for the guide to open the hangar door.
On the way, the other party told Asford that the sage in charge of the ship had granted access before his death. As long as it's registered in the system's database, one can use their biometric information to open any door on the ship.
The mortal guide obediently stepped forward and placed his palm on the palm print lock of the hangar door. As the green scanning light began to flash, the hangar door slowly opened to both sides, revealing the empty space behind it.
Asford took a step forward, preparing to lead his team inside to open the final hatch. But at that moment, several images suddenly flashed through his mind.
Each image exists for only a fleeting moment, giving the impression of an illusion. However, each image is etched deep into memory, and if one is willing to recall it, every detail within the image can be clearly seen.
Asford stopped again, his body beginning to tremble slightly. His teammates immediately noticed his abnormality, and Abedo stepped forward, placing one hand on Asford's broad, silver-white shoulder armor.
"Brother, what's wrong...?"
"They're coming."
Asford's voice began to echo on the channel once again, but it sounded as if his teeth were chattering.
"Who? Who's coming?"
“They…blood-red demons…and…those traitors.”
Asford's body suddenly stopped trembling, and at that moment, beneath his helmet, his once calm face was filled with intense hatred.
He turned around and activated the force field on his lightning claws. His four teammates didn't say anything after seeing his actions; after all, his previous words already spoke volumes.
After all, Asford was a psionicist, and psionicists can always see things that normal people cannot.
“Kalasto,” Asford called out the mortal’s name. “Could you open the hangar door yourself?”
Karasto looked at the angels who had already turned away. Although he didn't know why they were so wary of the desolate corridor, he gritted his teeth and nodded firmly.
“I can do it, sir.”
"Very good, then we need you to open the hatch. Now, go!"
Karasto watched the angel's retreating figure. After a brief three seconds, he turned around and ran towards the hangar door, which had been opened a crack wide enough for mortals to pass through.
Just five seconds after he entered the hangar, a series of rapid footsteps began to approach. At that moment, all the steel plates on the corridor floor began to tremble.
Asford watched as the mark of purity on the shoulder armor of his companion began to burn, turning into ashes in a fleeting moment.
“It’s coming,” Asford said in a deep voice. “Get ready.”
As soon as they finished speaking, the team heard a tremendous roar. This roar reminded them of the sound a wild beast roaming the Badab desert made when it was fighting, the sound two gladiators wrestling in the underground arena of the hive, and the sound warriors making when they charged into enemy lines on the planet's battlefield.
These are the screams of slaughter, the roars of battle, the howls of demons.