Chapter 266 This is a ritual
The Master Chief is deep in the ruins of a cathedral near the area he lost his life to regain, and he luckily finds a small wing that remains untouched.
The triptych in stained glass was still intact, and the ceremonial candles stood on their bases as if waiting for a priest to light them, which the Chief saw as a sign and chose to conduct his worship here. .
Now his left hand has been completely replaced by a temporary prosthetic body. Such disabilities are rare among Space Marines. Superman's metabolism allows them to repair many losses that are irreparable for mortals. But when it comes to Space Marines, When faced with the suffering of being disabled, fearlessness and death are their normal choices.
A medical cold compress could have saved his body, but the subsequent raid on the Chaos Wizard made the wound worse again. He had to face the cutting surgery proposed by the pharmacist and this metal limb that he was not used to.
Fortunately, he survived. The war only lasted three days, and his eyes miraculously recovered. Although many important structures were destroyed, the maximum help from the pharmacist was only 60% of normal times. Vision is still adequate in most cases.
People in this era are always praying for forgiveness and mercy, hoping that the Emperor can put them out of the sea of suffering, but now it seems that the Emperor will only use his busy schedule for the Empire, so everyone thinks that the Emperor is cold and rational, Ruthless and great, it is an honor to be favored by him.
Just a little bit of miracle and reality can trigger a frightening chain reaction, and in this religious age, it's hard to judge the reality value of that kind of madness.
The same is true. Being favored makes the sergeant commander very confused. The silver sun in the sky looks down upon the empire, the god of war in golden armor, the father of the empire, the mentor of mankind or a powerful leader. His gentleness makes this The soldier managed to survive.
But he didn't understand that the emotion it brought was not the complex gratitude or piety that people think of in their hearts, but a sense of responsibility.
He inserted the Falcon Blade into the soil, knelt on the ground, and gently pressed his head against the hilt of the sword. He had been kneeling here for more than two hours like a penitent. This was the first thing he did after he recovered. .
He didn't want to re-communicate with the emperor, nor did he pray for powerful power. He just thought calmly, thinking about everything about his life and future, and also thinking about his hatred for himself and the heretics.
He was ashamed to commit those hopeless actions in the previous moments and at the end of his life. He was forged for the prosperity of the empire, and every nerve unit in him should think about how to devote himself to the empire!
He was ashamed that his desire to survive had driven him to lose his composure, and he subconsciously thought about whether he could optimize those things more. Although many situations seemed overwhelming, this experience made him particularly frightened.
It turns out that he is so powerless and afraid of death. When the darkness that belongs to him comes, he does not have any holiness and honor in his mind, but lives on...
It had never occurred to him that his fate was in the hands of someone other than the Emperor, and he found himself scrutinizing his every thought, action and word.
But now, he was so close to the Emperor, at least the Emperor's appearance in the mortal world, and the solemn expression of the Lord of Mankind in the paintings that survived the war made his thoughts become peaceful.
Eventually, he gathered his thoughts and fell into a meditative state, in which he dissected every scrap of information he had collected, analyzing it from every angle.
Now the Master Chief opened his eyes and raised his head, strong determination showing on his noble face.
"Thank you for your guidance, Emperor," he intoned. "Thank you for your clarity, Primarch, I will never fail you again."
He stood up, and his bones and body were cracking. The feeling that his body and head were no longer connected was terrifying, but the Master Chief didn't care. This had nothing to do with his superhuman abilities, but at this moment he could no longer He doesn't stick to the slogan of living toward death, but now he has truly died.
An hour later, the Master Chief held his war meeting in the cathedral's lower narthex, a dilapidated hall with rain dripping on the ruined windows and falling through broken holes in the ceiling high above.
The water turned into dirty mist and drifted in the air. The pain brought by the heretics to the city has not dissipated, and the fly that has adapted to those toxins and relied on corpses to become fat lingers in the still air, and its eyes have changed. It was bright red, as if it wanted to taste the flesh and blood of a living person, but when it flew in front of the space warriors, the loyal mortal servants quickly smashed the bug to pieces with ubiquitous tools, leaving behind it on the dark Gothic bricks of the church. Brown stains.
The stained glass creaked underfoot as the Master Chief, along with the Fourth Company Commander, the Tech Sergeant, the Pharmacist, and their senior NCOs gathered. The two Dreadnought battle brothers, the company's most precious ancestors, were also present. This was the most powerful mobilization of the Empire's dedicated people on the battlefield.
The Master Chief's many honors and this operation have allowed him to gain respect based on the faith and illustrious military exploits of the Chapter. Although he is slightly superior to the master, among the Space Marines, the brothers are actually almost on the same level, and it is only their personal abilities that lead to them. There are distinctions in command and combat, and each brother is vital.
The Space Marines are small in size, highly dense in composition, and very united while their combat power is concentrated. Therefore, they form a combat power that exceeds the number of people of the same size. As they call each other, after the Superman surgery is completed, they are physically extremely close brothers.
The Master Chief pointed his finger to his chest and said. "These two hearts were once stagnant. Those who brought them back were brothers and loyalists to the Empire. Those who stopped them were heretics, ignorant people who abused witchcraft and warp energy and were dissatisfied."
"Dear Imperial Soldiers," the Master Chief called. "We suffered at the hands of heretical invaders, but that is over now, we will defeat them in the name of the Emperor and ensure that every trace of their filth is purged from this world."
Several of his sergeants banged their fists on their breastplates in salute, while one Dauntless Brother roared with a near-explosion, shouting "Yes, yes!" with his grating machine
The person who was put into the coffin due to death was forced to sleep by the technical sergeant after a rough habituation. The anger was preserved before it was completely dissipated. Over time, his hatred for many aliens and heretics began to ferment, like a jar that made people unable to Acceptable, wine filled with rage or murder.
"The Emperor is with us, Master Chief, what are your specific plans?" the Fourth Company Commander asked.
"They believe in the Four Gods. We are very sure that those filthy people, based on the current war situation, bombed the city with viruses and strengthened their psychic powers. According to my inference, the Lord of Plague is this army The core, then they represent what those cultists essentially need to provide.”
The Dreadnaught MechaWarrior is well-informed, he said immediately. "A pious offering," he said with disgust. "They tortured the planet and its inhabitants like a man lighting a candle in the Imperial shrine."
"Yes, so they need the Astropath as the core of the sacrifice, the carrier of the Emperor's great power. No matter how weak it is, it is a real light. At the same time, the Astropath is also the foundation to ensure that this world is isolated and helpless."
"Then, they are like this..." the company commander muttered. "There is only one possibility!"
"You said they want to summon demons?!" the pharmacist yelled, and his fuss was not excessive. In the vast borders of the empire and the time it lasted for thousands of years, there were only a handful of demon invasions, and each success brought another A pretty bad situation.
"No, I'm not sure, what they are longing for, maybe the devil." The Master Chief said, "Or some other evil that a sound mind cannot imagine. In any case, the Astropath will be the last sacrifice. It seems that It is logical that the blood of the heart will seal the contract.”
"In the name of the throne!" said the fearless mecha brother. "If this is true then heretics are using the entire world as their sacrificial altar. The consequences of such a huge ritual will undoubtedly be catastrophic."
"That's right," said the company commander. "Now you understand why we cannot continue to engage in a war of attrition against an enemy like this. That is exactly the kind of war they want."
"We must resolve the battle quickly and decisively, and eliminate them before they can use the souls of the Empire's subjects to complete their lives."
"I ask again," said the pharmacist. "What should we do? Our impulsiveness has almost caused us to fail. If it weren't for the Master Chief's self-sacrifice, we wouldn't even be able to take down this astronomical fortress. Their numbers are greater than ours, even if there are Imperial subjects joining our troops."< br>
"Our losses during the attack were considerable, and even with the Baptismal Fire supporting us, I think there was a huge amount of pressure on us to defeat this enemy."
"Don't deny the suffering, we will overcome it. The problem is not this. During this period, I received the support of the locals, the Loander Heavy Infantry Regiment, the 44th Regiment. They are good at local combat and have a lot of information about their former strongholds. "The Master Chief said.
"And they gave me information that in the old city area there is a place to dissipate heat for the heavy light spear, to be precise, its battery."
"An anti-ship light spear? There is only one place in the world with that thing..." The company commander's mind flashed back to the places he had not conquered before. Although he could attribute the responsibility to the Master Chief's risk of death, he knew that only 50 interstellar The soldiers couldn't take anything.
"Yes, that passage can reach the underground of the anti-orbital fortress. We only need to find a way to lift the ground to sneak inside and close the void shield. At the same time, the Imperial Guard can also bomb the opposite side with the Earth-Shaking Cannon we captured. As long as the Space Marines They can serve as frontline personnel to withstand the enemy's initial attack and attract the attention of large forces, while a small number of elite soldiers can sneak into the enemy's interior to carry out destruction," the Master Chief emphasized.
"According to standard Terran days, the Dreadnought Mecha cannot pass through the pipelines connecting the entire city, then." The technical sergeant calculated.
"72 hours..." He reported an accurate number, with zeros and integers, 72 hours on a standard Terra day. This is the time that the peripheral troops need to bear, and during this period, they will do their best to contain the enemy's attack...
The fearless mecha warrior said. "It's not easy, but we've seen it harder."
"Living towards death is in line with our will." The Master Chief naturally began to plan for a stealth operation, but the fourth company commander suddenly interrupted his actions.
"What, do you think you can hold such an important position now? Give me your team and I'll go."
The Master Chief replied subconsciously. "But you are the commander!"
The company commander replied. "You have shown your greatness and responsibility, and proved your will to victory. Now, you are also the commander. Secondly, don't you have a clear account with that mortal heretic general?"
The Master Chief glanced at his arm for a moment. "I..."
"I'll go. Needless to say, what you need is revenge on the frontal battlefield, with blows, honor, and command." The company commander has changed a lot during this time. Some people even think he has become gentle, but many people don't realize it. His feelings for his brothers have always existed. On the contrary, it is because of Skadi's experience that he can show his emotions so directly now, which also makes the veteran more charming.
The Emperor is on top. The Master Chief looked at the cracked rotten wood seat and turned on his communicator.
"The 154th Loander Infantry Regiment, the 44th Loander Heavy Infantry Regiment, in the name of the Emperor, I, the Destruction Eagle Chapter, Brother Astartes, non-commissioned officer, as acting commander temporarily dispatch you to participate in Loan German Defense War, can you obey the call? ”
"Are you ready to serve the Emperor?"
The radio answered quickly. "It's always been like this, my lord, it's always been like this!" That was the answer of Captain Czech and the colonel of the infantry regiment. They have always been like this, because Loander will never fall!
"Excellent. What I'm asking you to do will not be easy, Captain, but it must be done. You are to mobilize all your remaining forces and conduct a diversionary attack with the main force before we launch our assault. Lure them out and do whatever you can to divert them. Hold most of their troops.”
"That will cost us dearly, my lord," Jeske said. "Many of my soldiers are either sick or wounded, our ammunition reserves are low, and if the enemy responds in large numbers, we will not be able to withstand their wrath for long."
"I understand," he replied. "While your forces engage the enemy, we will quickly move into position and seize the fortress's shield generators, which will render them defenseless against bombardment and allow you to expose them to bombardment. ”
"Yes, my lord."
The Master Chief heard something in the Captain's voice, maybe it was courage, maybe it was cowardice, but the victory here was too important. As long as the people of Loander did their duty in the name of the Emperor, that would be it. What really matters.
"Sergeant," he said. "How visible is the enemy on our oracle?"
"Still interfering," the sergeant replied. "And in theory, they can hide themselves just like they did during high-altitude reconnaissance before, but we have sightings of scout teams in areas where the enemy has mobilized to confirm that after the Astropathic Fortress War, the traitors appear to have tightened their presence near the ground. Blockade around the Orbital Fortress ”
The Master Chief nodded, then spoke to Czech's channel again.
"Captain Jesik, prepare your troops to launch an attack in 6 hours from Standard Terran Time. Secondly, Company Commander, I wish you good military luck!"
"Understood, brother," the company commander said easily, raising his hand in salute.
Be prepared for everything, the Master Chief muttered silently. "Then be prepared, brothers, we will enter the battle again, and this time, failure or failure." (End of Chapter)