Bang!
The scorching bolt rifle poured forth the blessings of hell!
It was the wail of death, bullets propelled by Rockets, tearing apart the demonic defensive line with powerful kinetic energy!
In fact, those daemons who came from the Warp rift to the material universe were all minor imps, so the Astartes' advance was extremely fast, completely unimpeded!
Heavy footsteps, treading the death knell!
The sound of the bolt gun was the Emperor's fury!
Stepping over the shattered corpses of countless daemons, the Astartes tactical squad of over twenty men stormed into the planetary defense orbital facility, successfully rendezvousing with Jackal and the others.
Leon scanned the area briefly, then gave the order: "Tactical squads 4 and 5 are responsible for security alert and threat neutralization."
Then, Leon, with heavy steps, came before the trembling, somewhat terrified mortal resistance forces.
The lower-ranking local defense forces, upon seeing the Astartes, involuntarily knelt, their hands clasped over their chests, performing the Aquila salute to express their respect and reverence.
Jackal, on the other hand, was clearly more at ease; facing the high-ranking Astartes, he merely struck his heart with his right fist.
The reason was simple: Astartes... he had seen them many times on Catachan and Cadia, and the initial filter in his mind had pretty much worn off.
Leon immediately noticed the medal pinned to Jackal's chest—an Iron Aquila, only awarded to Imperial Guard soldiers who performed heroic deeds: "You are a retired Imperial Guard soldier?"
"Respected Battle-Brother, I served in the 175th Imperial Guard Regiment and participated in the Cadia campaign," Jackal reported his resume, a proud expression on his face.
Upon hearing "Cadia," Leon immediately showed a hint of respect; although it was through a helmet, his tone changed from its initial coldness to a much softer one: "I heard about that campaign, but unfortunately... we couldn't participate at the time."
"That's all in the past, Battle-Brother."
Jackal was slightly bitter; in his military career, the Cadia campaign was the most disastrous defeat.
Fortunately, Leon did not intend to press further, so he said: "I need to know the current situation of this world, including enemy intelligence and so on."
"No problem, respected Battle-Brother."
Jackal gathered his thoughts and quickly relayed all the known intelligence.
"So, there's only one settlement left?"
Leon frowned as he listened; although he had guessed before coming that the situation on this world was bad, it was truly rare to find it this bad.
How to describe it... usually, in such situations, it wouldn't be the Astartes' turn to act; it should be to find an Inquisitor, contact the Imperial Navy, and then, from orbit, unleash a few macro-cannon rounds or cyclonic torpedoes or something similar.
After all, the only valuable thing Roselle could offer was a few minerals, but even if this small profit were reclaimed from Chaos, it would likely barely cover the tithe.
For a Hive world like this, given the disposition of those in the Administratum, they would most likely opt for a permanent solution, a complete extermination being more convenient.
If it weren't for a critical rescue mission, Leon didn't even believe that reclaiming this world had any necessary value.
Shaking his head, he drove the distracting thoughts from his mind; ultimately, the mission priority was highest, the rest... for now, he put aside, and Leon turned to Jackal, his deep voice emanating through the helmet: "Have you seen this person?"
As he spoke, he activated the holographic projection on his arm, and a young, innocent face with brown hair and black eyes appeared before Jackal and the others.
"This... isn't this our captain?"
Ditz stole a glance, and upon seeing the face in the holographic image, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"You know him?"
Leon was somewhat surprised; he had thought the hardest part of this mission would be finding the target, but he didn't expect to encounter a pleasant surprise right upon arrival.
Jackal seemed to have guessed something; his expression was a bit strange, but he still truthfully said: "Yes, respected Battle-Brother, we know him, Alvan Merlin."
"That's right, where is he?"
Leon put away the holographic projection, nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice: "Quickly, take us to him."
Indeed, it wasn't the Imperial reinforcements... Although he had already guessed, seeing the Astartes' reaction, Jackal still couldn't help but feel a little downcast.
"What's wrong?"
Leon saw him standing still for a long time and thought there was a problem.
"Respected Battle-Brother, I have a question..." Jackal knew very well that questioning an Angel of the Emperor like this would most likely cause unnecessary trouble, but he still gritted his teeth and bravely asked: "You... are you here to save us?"
Leon wore his helmet, so his expression was unclear.
However, the sudden silence, mixed with a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere, and the red light from the helmet's auspex, all made the atmosphere much more solemn, even somewhat stern.
Sometimes, silence... is already the answer.
Jackal gave a self-deprecating laugh, returning to his usual cheeky demeanor, and waved his hand: "Hey, just pretend I farted, don't mind me, I'll take you to him right now."
With that, Jackal waved his hand, telling the remaining men of 3rd Company to follow: "Let's go, lads, fighting alongside an Angel of the Emperor is a great honor, so cheer up and don't disgrace our Roselle!"
Leon stood rooted to the spot, gazing at Jackal's retreating back, and let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh.
How could he not know the meaning behind Jackal's question?
But, although the Astartes were the Emperor's Angels, they were not omnipotent; there were still many times when they were powerless.
Ten thousand years ago, it was so; ten thousand years later, it is still so!
"Have the Thunderhawk Gunship stand by; once we find... find the target, we will evacuate immediately."
Emotion is emotion, and reason is reason.
Leon was a clear-headed man; no matter how much personal sympathy he felt, he had to prioritize the mission—this was the sacred doctrine a qualified Astartes must follow!
In the Ecclesiarchy Cathedral of the upper hive, Galarion watched with meaningful eyes the Astartes' position marked on the holographic map, a slight smile on his lips: "Respected Archmagos Rosales, I have bad news for you... a tactical squad of about thirty Astartes Battle-Brothers has landed on the world's surface, located in the edge region of the upper hive."
Soon, a holographic image appeared.
It was none other than the furious Rosales, who glared at Galarion, his voice clearly filled with anger: "Galarion, why are there Astartes on this world?!"
"Don't be so anxious, respected Archmagos Rosales," Galarion said calmly, unhurried: "A few mere Astartes, isn't that normal? Besides, only three tactical squads have landed, not an entire Chapter; there's no need to panic, everything is under control."
"It better be as you say, Galarion."
Rosales stared at him coldly, sneering: "I hope in the end, you don't mess things up yourself."
"How could that be? Please rest assured."
Galarion's lips curved into a sinister smile, and he said chillingly: "I just felt this play wasn't exciting enough."
Good, this is good!
Otherwise, all the surprises he had prepared would be for naught, wouldn't they? The more, the merrier!
Galarion closed his eyes, a slight smile on his lips.
He seemed to see the Crystal Labyrinth situated on the endless Rainbow Plateau, shifting with infinite colors, like weaving and painting, in the depths of mirrors where hope, pain, beautiful dreams, and nightmares intertwined, the great Lord of Change let out a soft laugh.