Chapter 199: Mecha Model - Fulgrim
In the Cadia region, the fleet, under Lorgar's command, carefully navigated between a dozen agricultural planets.
Lorgar looked at the piles of wheat, spinach, tomatoes, and peas stacked on the deck, then at the blood-stained figures around him, and then at the organic vegetables.
Lorgar. "..."
He seemed to hesitate, but Abaddon stepped forward first, saying with immense resolve, "We've brought back all the Gene-Seeds, and soon we'll be able to replenish our ranks! We just fell into their trap; they surely won't expect us to break out! Now is a good opportunity!"
Just as everyone else thought, the fleet sailed out of this agricultural area.
In the distant void, two colossal Ork Planets slowly appeared, like two giant Ork heads, constantly roaring at them. Not only that, a fleet slowly emerged from the direction of Cadia, with the Iron Hands' flagship, the Fist of Iron, at its center.
Ferrus's voice came through the communication channel. "Are you looking for him!"
As he spoke, Clone Fulgrim's figure appeared in the holographic projection, looking at Lucius and the Noise Marines in pain. "Surrender! You still have a chance. I will lead you to perfection once more!"
The moment they saw Fulgrim, their eyes widened in shock, and they murmured incessantly.
"Father! It's Father! Father has changed back!" one exclaimed.
"I want to find Father!" another cried.
Lorgar was equally shocked. Looking at Clone Fulgrim, he felt something was not quite right. How could someone who turned into a daemon change back? This was not real at all.
Just as Lorgar tried to shut down the holographic projection forcibly, the device remained unresponsive.
"Give up, Lorgar! Have you forgotten who installed all the communication arrays on your ship?" Ferrus's voice rang out again.
Clone Fulgrim looked at the other party with adoration, and the Cohors Nasicae and Noise Marines roared wildly in their hearts when they saw this scene.
This was definitely Father! These eyes could not be mistaken!
Thinking of this, they were about to leave. However, they were stopped by the Black Legion and the Word Bearers, who immediately shouted, "Our Father has returned to the Imperium! Then we must also return! Anyway, you are here for our Father, too. Since he doesn't want to leave, we should return to him!"
However, not every former Emperor's Children warrior wanted to return to Father's embrace. Lucius, for example, had flickering eyes and did not seem happy.
"Are you BLIND! He is not your Father! He is an impostor!" Lorgar frowned, looking at the other party. He had a feeling that the other party was fake.
"You just don't want us to leave, no way! We're going back to Father!" they shouted back.
The crowd pressed together in the corridor. Amidst the pushing and shoving, a Noise Marine's shoulder armor, due to some peculiar design with sharp spikes, accidentally swung, and a spike suddenly pierced the neck of a Black Legion warrior, emitting a horrifying puncturing sound. The Black Legion warrior grunted, clutching his neck as black and red liquid continuously seeped out.
In that instant, the tension in the air suddenly reached its peak. All the surrounding Black Legion warriors and Noise Marines froze, then looked at each other, their eyes burning with anger.
"That wasn't my intention, who told you to bump into me..." the Noise Marine began.
Before the Noise Marine could finish, the Black Legion warrior roared, "You actually attacked! Traitors!"
Then he swung a heavy punch at the Noise Marine's helmet.
This was like Mars falling into a haystack; both sides saw red instantly. A chaotic melee instantly erupted on the warship, with roars, curses, and the clashing of weapons interwoven.
The Noise Marines unleashed ear-splitting noise with their sonic weapons, making the surrounding air tremble violently. At the same time, the Black Legion warriors wielded chainswords and warhammers, mercilessly striking at the Noise Marines.
A Black Legion warrior furiously swung his chainsword, striking a Noise Marine's chest plate. As sparks flew, the Noise Marine's weapon unleashed high-frequency sonic waves, cracking the Black Legion warrior's helmet visor.
On the First of Iron Bridge...
At the same time, Clone Fulgrim, seeing this scene, became even more anxious. "Quick! I need to save them!" he pleaded.
Anger flickered in Fulgrim's eyes, and his voice echoed through the bridge like thunder.
"Don't get excited, you are still just a stand-in for now. You must pilot our mech later!" Ferrus's voice rang out again.
The light in Clone Fulgrim's eyes dimmed again, and he murmured bitterly in his heart. So I am just a stand-in, but even so, I will not give up! Francis said I would become real, and I will!
Following Ferrus's command, the warship's power core roared and accelerated to full speed, the massive Iron Hands fleet rapidly deploying in the void, cannons aimed at Lorgar's warship.
When the first flash of fire cut through the darkness, the battle erupted.
The Iron Hands fleet's cannons roared in unison, a curtain of death woven from blue-white laser and ion cannon beams, aimed directly at Lorgar's fleet. Lorgar's fleet was not to be outdone; the Chaos warships' massive cannons spewed crimson flames, striking the Iron Hands' ships with twisted energy trajectories.
The crisscrossing firepower in the void formed a dazzling sea of light. Each explosion bloomed into a brilliant fireball in the dark sea of stars. The ships of both sides gradually closed in; shattered wreckage floated in the void, and problems that could not be solved by artillery fire would be resolved by close-quarters combat.
Ferrus, wielding a grav-gun, led the Iron Hands directly into the fray, roaring, "Lorgar, get out here! You traitor!"
Then, as he tore open the bulkhead, Black Legion warriors swarmed out like a tide, countless bolters spitting fire.
Seeing this scene, all the Iron Hands warriors hid behind Ferrus, listening to the crackling sound of bullets hitting Ferrus's body. As the smoke and dust cleared, apart from some dents on his Cataphractii Terminator armour, his exposed arms and head were completely unharmed.
The Black Legion warriors. "..."
They had never seen such hard armour and a person! They clearly saw his head hit by a bolt round directly, yet he was completely fine, simply not a primarch!
When they clearly saw his arm already raised, the grav-gun's trigger had already been pressed.
It's over!
Instantly, the Black Legion warriors at the forefront, before they could even let out a battle cry, felt their bodies being pulled and crushed by an irresistible force. Their armour began to deform, and their bones emitted a terrifying crunch.
The next moment, a dozen warriors, like crushed pulp, within the grav-gun's range, turned into a pile of twisted metal and flesh, completely losing their human form.
Ferrus's face was devoid of expression, only murmuring coldly, "This is the consequence of betraying the Imperium!"
He put down the grav-gun and was about to continue advancing when a dark figure burst through the battlefield's smoke and charged at him.
"Lord Ferrus! The age of Primarchs is over! Next is the age of me, Abaddon the Despoiler!" Abaddon bellowed.
Abaddon's voice thundered across the battlefield.
However, Ferrus's response was direct. He stood firm, his silver iron fists brimming with power, and swung instantly. The fist, with a wind-tearing whoosh, accurately struck the charging daemon sword.
Unfortunately, Ferrus's strength was immense. He struck Abaddon's chest directly with the daemon sword, his armour emitting a grating metallic tearing sound, and the tremendous force sent him flying backward.
Abaddon crashed into a pile of distant wreckage like a meteor, raising a shower of sparks and smoke.
Ferrus looked at the scratches on his fist and nodded. "Indeed, not bad! I remember you, one of Horus's three kings."
He turned toward the command deck. Then he turned and charged towards the bridge.
Below, on the defensive satellite...
At the same time, many warships were burning and plummeting towards the horizon. The wreckage of the warships streaked across the sky like meteors, leaving fiery trails.
Just as the warship was about to disintegrate completely, a large number of drop pods were rapidly launched, falling onto the nearest defensive satellite. These massive and cumbersome metal capsules spewed high-temperature propulsion flames, like a rain of steel falling from the sky.
Each drop pod passed through the atmosphere in flames, burning fiercely and emitting a piercing shriek. As the drop pods approached the ground, massive anti-gravity decelerators activated, spewing powerful air currents to reduce impact.
But even so, the moment each drop pod hit the ground, it still caused a deafening roar. Dirt and rubble were thrown several metres high, and the entire surface seemed to tremble.
A large number of Black Legion warriors emerged, warhammers and chainswords emitting a low growl in their hands. They were followed by Word Bearers warriors, exuding the stench of the Warp, their armour covered in blasphemous runes, constantly chanting soul-corrupting prayers that twisted the surroundings and summoned Chaos entities.
Gigantic hellbeasts roared out, their limbs like blades of steel, tearing through the air with every swing. Massive Defiler Daemon Engines followed closely behind, the evil fusion of machine and flesh emitting a deafening clatter, their muzzles spewing fire, frantically unleashing Chaos's destructive energy on the distant positions.
Facing such a terrifying threat, the Cadian Shock Troops guarding this place did not flinch. Their generals quickly issued commands, and the defensive positions sprang to life. Machine gun turrets and anti-aircraft artillery fired wildly, a dense hail of bullets sweeping across like a steel storm, attempting to block this tide of Chaos.
A massive form descended through the smoke. At the same time, Iron Hands warriors also descended, but everyone was shocked when they saw that purple mech.
Its body was massive, its surface a patchwork of purple metal plates and twisted networks of flesh. Six arms were like thick mechanical limbs, each ending differently—some embedded with giant saw-like blades, some extending void shield fields, and others spewing searing flames.
Eight legs were covered in spikes. Each step crushed the ground beneath it, agile like a spider, yet exuding an eerie stillness.
"Roar!" it bellowed.
It roared as it charged towards the front line, its voice a mix of metallic grinding and a daemon's fury. The mechanical skeleton on its back spewed scorching steam, and its crimson eyes emitted dazzling light. Green liquid constantly seeped from the junction of flesh and metal.
Just as the Cadian warriors were about to attack this monster, the Iron Hands warriors shouted in time, "This is an Imperial mech!"
The Cadian Shock Troops, Black Legion, and Word Bearers all froze. "???"
[End of Chapter]