Guided by the dim lights, Colonel Bokant finally came face-to-face with the Chapter Master of this mysterious Chapter.
Contrary to his expectations, what he saw was not a stern, towering Astartes. Instead, it was a delicate-looking, even somewhat cute and graceful young girl.
At that moment, Lion King was studying the map in her hands, a voice in her mind constantly updating her on the exact locations of enemy forces. She had already marked every trace of the enemy on the map, including the Chaos Astartes that had just been air-dropped.
"Who is this?" Colonel Bokant asked, directing the question to the Knight Commander at his side.
The Knight Commander, however, simply tapped the Mortal's shoulder with a finger, reminding him:
"You don't need to know who she is. You only need to know that she is our Chapter Master. Don't ask too many questions; knowing too much won't do you any good."
The overwhelming presence of authority forced the Colonel into silence. He even felt that he should have consulted an Astropath to read the Emperor's Tarot before leaving today. First, he had been beaten by a bunch of Chaos tin cans, and now the Loyalist Faction actually had a young girl serving as their Chapter Master? At times, he wondered if Chaos had corrupted him—but all signs indicated he was still loyal to the Emperor.
"Sit down!"
Lion King didn't reprimand the Mortal for his rashness; besides, her own situation was complicated. Though she had lost her original body, the new abilities she had gained allowed her to command the battlefield with ease. Whether it was her newly awakened Subspace instincts or the ability to view the battlefield from a third-person overhead perspective, these powers were extraordinary.
If she had possessed these abilities back then, Lion King could have easily slaughtered all the Fallen Angels. If she couldn't, she'd simply blow them up—and indeed, her home world had once been destroyed.
A cup of rich Recaf was placed beside the Colonel; Lion King wanted the Commander to refresh himself so they could discuss the upcoming battle plan.
When the Colonel picked up the coffee, he was shocked by the enemy markings on the map. Since he had just been rotated off the front lines, logically, this Space Marine Chapter Master shouldn't have known the specific details of the battlefield. Yet Lion King had marked every friendly and enemy unit on the sand table, knowing exactly which units were moving and which were attacking.
"Are you a Psyker?" the Colonel wondered. He concocted a reasonable explanation in his mind: perhaps the reason this young girl was allowed to be the Chapter Master was due to this ability—being able to know battlefield information in real time and mark the status of enemies. Such 'cheat-like' command capabilities certainly qualified her as a leader and could save countless Battle-Brothers from unnecessary losses.
"Don't ask what shouldn't be asked! I brought you here only to reorganize your troops. After that, follow my orders!"
"Many of your men have fled in rout from the front lines! Their morale is low… I doubt they can even participate in the coming battle!"
Lion King fixed her gaze on the Commander before her; she didn't consider him heroic just because he had lost an arm. In a battle of this scale, missing limbs were common. Sometimes, even retreating in urgent tactical situations could be seen as disloyalty.
Setting down his coffee, the Colonel saluted the girl before him.
"Rest assured, Excellency! The 473rd Regiment of the Armageddon Steel Legion are warriors absolutely loyal to the Emperor! Your arrival has greatly boosted their morale. In the coming battle, they will complete their mission, fighting to the death without retreat!"
"Mhm," Lion King nodded indifferently. Though the Armageddon Steel Legion was considered top-tier in the current Imperium, their quality still lagged slightly behind the Solar Auxilia—not in discipline, but in physical constitution. During the Great Crusade, the vast majority of Solar Auxilia were augmented humans, essentially equivalent to Tempestus Scions. Even against Chaos Astartes, they wouldn't be defeated immediately.
"Listen! I need your men to occupy the two high towers inside the Hive City. My people will hold the front, and your task is to defend the flanks. Leave the traitorous World Eaters to us, and those damned heretic traitors to you!"
Lion King tapped the table seriously, moving the pieces for both sides. She updated the sand table in real time, following the voice in her mind. Whenever enemy units increased, she would take a red fruit from a nearby plate and place it on the chessboard as a stand-in. Most of the chessboard was covered in enemy red dots, while her own forces occupied only a small portion. The disparity in troop strength was vast; the number of marked Chaos Astartes was staggering.
"Yes, I guarantee the mission will be completed!"
The Colonel didn't think the task overly difficult. With the Loyalist Faction's Angels of the Imperium holding the front, the Steel Legion simply holding the flanks would be manageable. Even if a few Chaos tin cans slipped through, they could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. There was a clear gap in military professionalism between Chaos forces and the Loyalists; bloodlust often caused Daemons and Mortals to lose themselves in the fray, making them vulnerable to disciplined units.
Thus, a solid Hive City defense line was established. The Deathwing Company, along with Mortal auxiliaries, built an indestructible iron wall. Heavy weapons were placed on nearly every street, explosives packed into every gutter. On the two high towers, anti-air weapons were deployed, and several functional orbital weapons fired continuously into the sky.
This firepower couldn't destroy Chaos warships, but it prevented direct drops into the Hive City. A thin Void Shield protected the city; unless the ground forces were eliminated, the orbital warships could not breach the city. Only low-velocity Cyclonic Torpedoes could destroy the planet, otherwise the Hive City had to be ground down slowly.
Above the chessboard, Richard had been observing the battle for some time. It was the second day. Chaos had gathered another large army to assault the Hive City defense line. Richard had done his best to deploy defenses for the pieces. Even if they could fight automatically, he adjusted their positions to ensure nothing went wrong.
At this point, Richard understood how he was commanding the pieces. He realized he could control the subconscious of certain pieces, making them believe they were making correct decisions themselves. He felt more like one of the Chaos Gods—perhaps even more abstract than them—because they couldn't influence the real universe as he could. The so-called Veil of Subspace didn't exist for him; he only needed to win this game.
"Mhm!"
Looking at the rock-solid defense line, Richard nodded in satisfaction. He could control Lion King's units, but not the Mortal units. Fortunately, these Mortals were reliable—they weren't disobedient trash of the Astra Militarum. If they had been, it would have been easier to let Lion King take them out. After all, "pig-like" teammates were potential liabilities in battle.
The atmosphere on the chessboard grew tense as gunfire and cannon blasts echoed along the defense line. The shriek of Skull Cannons even reached Richard's ears. On this small chessboard, a magnificent battle of offense and defense unfolded.
"Soldiers! The Emperor's reinforcements have arrived! The Angels of the Imperium will aid us!"
"Defend our home! We cannot let the Hive City fall!"
Seeing the Loyalist Terminators, the Mortal soldiers were filled with confidence. As long as the Terminators remained, the defense line would hold. The arrival of the Angels gave them hope; they were no longer facing Chaos tin cans in despair.
"For the Emperor!"
"Loyalty!"
Political Commissars organized the soldiers without many words, preparing them for combat. Every unit ahead was an enemy; there were no allies left.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A crowd of Mortal refugees surged forward, wailing, as if fleeing the Blood God's wrath. They were met not with comfort, but with bullets. Even a few Chaos cultists among the refugees posed a risk. The suffering Mortals became fodder between the Imperial army and the Blood God's host, sacrifices on the battlefield.
Richard sighed. He couldn't save them—the defense line couldn't move. Behind these Mortals were World Eaters Astartes, enjoying the thrill of slaughter and driving the Mortals forward to waste Loyalist ammunition. Once the Mortals became the backdrop, the armies clashed head-on.
A massive barrage erupted from both sides, so loud it irritated Richard.
"As expected of 40k—this battlefield is far more magnificent than Warhammer Fantasy!"
"If only Greenskins were added for a free-for-all—it would be truly chaotic!"
Earlier, Richard had seen some Greenskins in the jungle, though they had no unified leader yet. Perhaps he could drop them in later to create real chaos.
The battle had lasted only two hours, yet corpses already piled high. The Hive City's outer defenses became a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood, strengthening Khorne's power. Seeing Khorne spawn troops from thin air again, Richard groaned. The fewer enemies, the stronger they grew! Soon, a Khorne Daemon might appear.
His concern was justified. As the battle continued, the Blood God's army grew more complex. Chaos Spawn appeared, and some Khorne units, after a killing spree, underwent Daemonic Ascension rituals. Failures became Chaos Spawn, which Khorne drove forward as part of his host. Gaps appeared on both sides as bizarre monsters charged Mortal positions.
The rock-solid line became a meat grinder. Even reinforcements could not stop Khorne's army from tearing the line apart.
"Hold your ground! Not one step back! Disobey, and you'll be executed on the spot! Hold the final line!"
Colonel Bokant shouted through a megaphone, his voice reaching nearly every soldier. Yet blood-crazed World Eaters still threatened the line. Mortal weapons struggled against the tin cans, and heavy weapons couldn't move to target them.
"Damn it!"
Even the Colonel wanted to join the fight, but at that moment, a teleporting Terminator squad used Lightning Claws to pierce the leaping World Eaters. They lifted and tossed them aside like rabbits, then used Assault Cannons to clear the enemies, ordering Mortals through built-in vox-grilles to hold positions.
"Are these the Angels of the Imperium?"
"The gap between Mortals and Angels is enormous!"
The Colonel had never seen an Astartes before. He had only heard of their combat abilities at the Schola Progenium, initially thinking the lecturers exaggerated. Seeing them in action, he realized the lecturers had been conservative. These units could sprint at eighty kilometers per hour, rolling to dodge shells, predicting attacks, and effortlessly eliminating Chaos World Eaters. Killing them was like slaughtering chickens.
"Ah, indeed, the gap in quality is huge! If I weren't careful, my home would have been raided!"
Lion King rested her head, bored as she watched the sand table shift. The Knight Commander moved the pieces; she only issued orders to track battlefield information.
[Lion King: Stop nagging… I'm not a child. I know how to fight!]
[You're making noise. I am your Primarch; I can handle a minor skirmish!]
"Mhm?"
Richard realized something strange: the chessboard transmitted Lion King's inner thoughts. No wonder he could command her—she already saw him as the God-Emperor.
"Interesting…"
Richard wondered if he should chat with her. He hadn't tried chatting with the pieces yet.
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