What could be manlier than riding a combat torpedo straight into a boarding action?
Probably nothing.
As the Night Lords hurled themselves at the enemy with the resolve to die if necessary, whatever last scraps of regret might have lingered in their hearts vanished the instant they were about to crash into the target.
Looking at their acting commander standing at the very front, and at the battle barge rushing closer and closer, only a single thought remained in their minds:
Hell yes! If this works, then even dying will have been worth it!
The friendly craft still struggling to approach the Hand of Fate were all stunned when they saw eight figures riding torpedoes, streaking past them and charging directly at the enemy. A moment later, they all snapped to attention and saluted.
Even the mortal pilots could not help but tear up.
These were heroes of the Imperium!
"Squad members, report your status!" Bruce shouted, standing atop his torpedo and staring fixedly at the target ship now looming clearly ahead.
At this point, Bruce's killing intent was overwhelming. It was not only because he wanted to personally cut Erebus down—it was also because he had no intention of losing his game with the Lion.
No matter what, I have to be the first one to kill Erebus!
"All normal!" the assault team answered one after another.
"Good! Brace for impact!"
As he spoke, the torpedoes reached that strange atmosphere surrounding the Hand of Fate, and from that point on, the laws of the material universe abruptly ceased to apply.
The torpedoes, which had been hurtling forward at terrifying speed just moments ago, suddenly slowed to a crawl, like snails creeping along. That was why the other assault teams had been unable to board no matter how hard they tried.
Damn it, this bastard's cheating! Erebus, is your whole family tree just you alone?!
Sensing the distance between himself and the Hand of Fate starting to widen, Bruce cursed inwardly. But very soon, that anger turned into real power.
His eyes widened.
He suddenly realized he was speeding up again. Instinctively, he glanced downward toward his crotch.
O mighty Emperor, grant me strength! Help me slaughter the servants of Chaos!
In an instant, Bruce and the torpedo became a blade, slicing smoothly through that bizarre domain as if it were nothing more than butter—and accelerating all the while.
At the moment they were about to collide with the Hand of Fate's side hull, Bruce activated the Barrier Ball.
The torpedo's nose struck the armored plating, and the resulting explosion was so violent it felt as if the entire star system shook with it.
The Hand of Fate's speed dropped once again, and the strange field surrounding it weakened. For a brief moment, the laws of realspace gained the upper hand.
"ER-E-BUS!"
Bursting through the breach in the hull, Bruce expertly triggered his jump pack. Once inside the ship, he rapidly adjusted to the internal gravity and stabilized himself.
Then the attacks came.
The Chaos cultists who had hastily formed a defensive line were terrified, but they still opened fire on the intruder.
To Bruce, mortal gunfire was little more than a joke. He easily dodged the incoming beams and solid rounds alike.
Their shooting also gave away their positions.
He charged straight toward the line, and as the web of hostile fire thickened, Bruce drew a plasma pistol and returned fire at the source of the shots.
In the pitch-black corridor, arcs of blazing plasma and enemy gunfire crisscrossed through the air. But every flash from Bruce's pistol was followed by a burst of brilliant light, then by the agonized screams of men dying in the splash of the explosion.
"Where is Erebus?!"
Once he got close enough to their formation, Bruce jumped straight into the middle of it. His lightning claws snapped out in the same instant, tearing loose a storm of blood and gore.
Quite a few shots struck him at that distance, but against his power armor, they might as well have been tickling.
With no Astartes present to stop him, Bruce plunging into that crowd was like a lion diving into a chicken coop—one swipe, and an entire swath of enemies died. Even the scattered return fire posed no real threat.
In less than three seconds, Bruce wiped out the entire defensive line by himself.
Forty, maybe fifty men. By all rights, that many defenders should have been able to hold for at least half an hour, maybe several. But unfortunately for them, their opponent was an Astartes possessed of murderous determination.
"Answer me, heretic! Where is Erebus?!"
Bruce seized a mortal officer whose face was covered in Chaos sigils and snarled the question at him.
A bald head, scriptures carved all over his body, obvious signs of mutation—Bruce loathed this type of thing to the core.
If not for the remnants of reason still restraining him, he would have crushed the man's skull immediately.
"Lackey… of the false god…"
Crunch.
Bruce said nothing more. He crushed the stubborn officer in one hand, then flung the corpse aside.
Staring down the dark corridor ahead, he did not wait for the rest of the squad. He intended to push forward alone.
After all, the friendly forces were still outside. At its core, the Hand of Fate was only a battle barge. Once his allies boarded and linked up with him, taking the ship would only be a matter of time.
With that thought in mind, Bruce accelerated again, breaking into a full sprint.
At that moment, he was a small tank with the roar of a war engine behind it, his metal boots hammering against the deck like the tolling of a death knell.
And at the very same time Bruce was carving his way alone into the Hand of Fate, every allied ship outside received the same message:
The augurs had detected Bruce's signal within the target vessel.
Bruce Wayne had achieved first boarding.
The news instantly sent the Night Lords contingent into a frenzy. The Astartes who saw the signal burst into cheers for the Acting Commander's greatness.
Too strong! He actually boarded the Hand of Fate first!
But where there was joy, there was also alarm.
The moment Krulu learned the news, she nearly lost control. Under normal circumstances, the honor of first boarding was something worthy of praise and celebration.
But that was the Acting Commander in there!
If he died on the Hand of Fate, then she would be the first one blamed for it. If the primarch did not kill her, it would be a miracle.
"Where's the teleport lock?! Why hasn't it been set yet?!" Krulu roared, on the verge of tearing someone apart.
If this dragged on any longer, they might end up doing nothing but retrieving the Acting Commander's corpse.
And then someone else would be retrieving hers.
At the same time, the Invincible Reason was having much the same reaction.
When the Lion saw that Bruce had already achieved first boarding, her initial thought was exactly what she would have expected of the man she had taken a liking to. But then a sense of crisis immediately followed.
So you hate losing to me that much, Bruce? Hmph. You maddening little thing.
"Why isn't the teleport lock ready yet?!" The Lion's patience finally snapped, and she crushed a corner of the armrest in her grip.
Since Bruce had already taken the lead in the early stage, then she would have to win somewhere else!
"F-forgive me, my lord… the Warp energies around the target are too unstable. We simply can't lock on…"
"Prepare a transport! We board directly!"
The Lion rose as she gave the order, slinging the Lion Sword across her back. The weapon was almost the same height as she was. Then she took the Lion Helm from a waiting servitor and locked it into place.
"We must reach that battle barge before Bruce—no, before the Night Lords kill Erebus! This concerns the honor of our Legion!"
"For the Emperor, we must prevail!"
"Yes!"
"For the Emperor!"
The Dark Angels roared their reply.
In that moment, the Lion's competitive spirit had been fully ignited. No matter what, she had to win this wager.
Not just to beat Bruce, but to prove that the Dark Angels stood above the Night Lords.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 80
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 74
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 48
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 50
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 47
Uma Musume: From Beginner 42
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