Despair? Fear?
Those feelings might hit anyone else, but they don't stick to the players.
Death holds no terror for them. The sound of gunfire can't shake their resolve. Faced with the roar of heavy artillery, they aren't afraid; the danger only fuels their hunger for experience, victory, and loot.
They are a scourge, bringing nothing but despair to their foes.
As soon as the battle commenced, the players cheered and charged the enemy. Their fighting style was incredibly fierce. They charged headlong into enemy laser fire and bullets, their eyes void of the fear of death, filled only with the excitement and desire of the battlefield.
Faraday, having landed on the ground, watched this scene and began to seriously wonder if these so-called Saints were just greenskins wrapped in human skin.
The cultists and Plague Zombies in the outer city had suffered crippling casualties after the orbital bombardment. Under the fearless assault of the players, they quickly collapsed and fled in all directions, unable to mount any decent resistance.
The veteran players, encased in their exoskeleton armor, spearheaded the charge. Their shoulder-mounted machine guns spun, tearing apart any enemies who dared to poke their heads out from cover. Behind them, the new players followed up, responsible for cleaning up the remaining opposition.
"Man, this game is intense!" Daigo yelled, dropping cultists in the trenches with accurate laser fire. "Go straight to hell, minion of the Corpse King!"
A cultist suddenly burst from behind a barricade, a sharp knife in his hand and a crazed look on his face, lunging toward Daigo. Daigo sidestepped the attack, causing the cultist to miss and stumble. Daigo seized the opportunity, slamming the butt of his laser gun into the cultist's back, sending him sprawling. He then quickly pulled the trigger, finishing the enemy off.
"Daigo, were you in the military or something?" Garry asked, surprised by Daigo's smooth, practiced movements.
"Nope. Just regular work and plenty of practice," Daigo said casually.
"Let's team up," Garry suggested. "The beta testers are pulling way ahead right now. If we don't form a squad, we'll be playing catch-up forever."
"Team up?" Daigo pondered. "That's a great idea. How about this: you help me power-level first, and then I'll return the favor. Win-win."
Garry just stared.
"Screw it! Just pretend I never said anything."
"Don't worry, let's team up. When we log off, you can come visit my island, and I'll give you the full food and entertainment tour."
Garry rolled his eyes. "..."
On the other side of the battlefield, a group of fleeing rebel soldiers sought shelter in a half-collapsed ruin.
Boom!
A charred wall was violently breached, and the rebels froze in terror, seeing a five-meter-high exoskeleton armor appear in the gap.
"Ha! Ha! Death to those who betray the God-Emperor!" Rigby's booming voice echoed from the armor's speakers.
The circular saw mounted on the end of the robotic arm whirred to life, swinging into the group of cultists.
Flesh was torn apart in an instant, and bright red blood and viscera sprayed across the ground.
The rebel soldiers lucky enough to survive collapsed in fear, scrambling to get away from this vision of hell.
The multi-barrel laser installed on the other robotic arm rotated at high speed. The muzzle flashed, pouring out dense beams of light. In moments, the escaping rebels were cut down, their bodies riddled with smoking, charred wounds.
"Praise be to the Omnissiah!"
Rigby stalked toward a new target, continuing his slaughter. He was determined to turn these damned enemies into his personal experience packs, contribution points, and Faith values.
In a trench, Kras looked incredulous as his deputy reported, "We've lost. We have to pull out."
Just an hour ago, they had the absolute upper hand, with countless Plague Zombies and well-equipped cultists. They were close to completing the ritual and spreading the plague to the inner city, securing the planet for their loving Magos. And now, they were being decisively routed.
"What in the warp is going on?" Kras demanded.
"It's The Guide," the deputy replied, his voice laced with fear. "Rumor has it he's the Emperor's messenger, commanding a Gloriana-class battleship and a horde of fearless followers."
"Damn Corpse King minions!" Kras roared in fury.
"We must retreat and find a chance to regroup," the deputy urged.
Kras looked at the devastated battlefield and the fleeing cultists, and nodded grimly. "Pass the order to any troops we can contact: We're pulling back and regrouping."
Just as the deputy was about to relay the order, an excited voice rang out: "Hey, guys, we got a boss mob over here!"
"Taste my psychic energy!"
Kras and his deputy instinctively turned. They saw several crystals emitting a brilliant light flying toward them.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The men next to Kras didn't even have time to scream before their heads exploded.
Yuji, WrongHammer, Arm Man, and Turtle, all in exoskeleton armor, appeared above the trench.
Faced with the black muzzles of their guns, Kras and the remaining rebels chose to drop their weapons and surrender.
"This guy seems to be high-ranking, so he's gotta be worth a lot," Yuji observed, looking down at the kneeling Kras.
WrongHammer rubbed his chin. "I'd wager he's a serious big boss, yeah."
The Turtle laughed. "If the Warmaster knew about this, he'd be furious. He won't get a share of the big fish we caught."
Seeing the Imperial Glory's airborne troops unstoppable and the rebels defeated at every turn, the city's defenders seized the moment to launch a counterattack.
Boom! Boom!
The sound of heavy gunfire filled the air. Several heavy tanks rumbled over the rubble, firing at the rebels' last remaining strongpoints. Enemies and bunkers painted with Chaos symbols were blasted into fragments.
"Charge! Make those bastards pay with blood!"
"In the name of the Golden Throne, for honor, advance at double-time!" the Imperial officer shouted, urging his soldiers forward.
The rebels collapsed across the board, fleeing out of the hive. The wandering Plague Zombies were systematically wiped out. A few days later, the Imperial double-headed eagle flag once again flew over the streets of the outer city.
Demoralized, the rebels abandoned their weapons and armor along the way. They were completely driven out of the hive by the players and the loyalist army.
The news of the victory in the Outer City Battle brought great joy to the ragged refugees. This was the first good news they had heard in a long time. Many people spontaneously took to the streets to praise the God-Emperor, The Guide, and the Saints, as well as the brave Imperial soldiers.
After learning that the ground rebels were defeated, Daniel ordered the ship to head to new orbital coordinates, preparing to treat those retreating rebels and cultists to another round of orbital bombardment.
The Warmaster, who was serving as a diplomatic envoy, sent another message not long after the battle ended:
"Sir Guide, thanks to my status as a Saint and the Outer City victory, the people here were happy to share their hidden history with me, even allowing me to search the library freely."
"After some digging, I finally found information about the ancestor of the Valancius family."
"What the ancestor brought back is most likely a C'tan Shard."
"The exploratory fleet was completely destroyed in the Coronus Expanse because it ran into a Necron fleet that came to recover the C'tan fragments. A conflict broke out; the exploration fleet paid a heavy price to destroy the Necron fleet and managed to bring back the fragments."
"Currently, the C'tan Shard is most likely hidden in the tomb of the Valancius family ancestors."
The intelligence gathered by the Warmaster made Daniel's eyes widen.
A C'tan!
That's the oldest being in the galaxy, a participant in the War in Heaven, and the embodiment of the laws of the real universe. Even broken into fragments, it possesses unparalleled power. The ancestor of the Valancius family actually snatched one and sealed it in his own cemetery? Talk about a heaven-defying heist.
At this moment, a golden light curtain appeared before him.
**New Objective: C'tan Shard Retrieval
Mission: Obtain the C'tan Shard from the planet Atomal.
C'tan are ancient life forms in the real universe, possessing wisdom and power beyond imagination. If you can properly utilize this power and wisdom, it may bring you unexpected help.
Please find the C'tan Shard hidden on the planet Atomal and bring it to the Shrine of the Emperor.
Reward: A C'tan Shard with a blank past and unlimited growth potential.**