The Adeptus Mechanicus fleet’s cannon fire continued to pound the rebel warships. Their shields ran under overload, the generators spitting electric sparks from time to time with crackling snaps.
The modified servants loaded and fired with mechanical efficiency, tireless, forming a stark contrast with the exhaustion of the unaugmented crew.
The Adeptus Mechanicus warships stopped at nothing to prevent the Chaos fleet from hunting down the Ark Mechanicus.
And yet, the disparity in firepower between the two sides was simply too great.
The Saint’s Benediction had its main bridge torn apart by a torpedo salvo from the Vengeful Spirit, and finally detonated, every crewman aboard perishing.
The Cerberus died in a roar, trading fire with a Chaos grand cruiser twice its size. Ferocious cannon fire ripped open its hull, until the final salvo broke its spine.
The Pinnacle of the Void had its targeting and power systems crippled. Its captain ordered the warship to accelerate at full speed and ram the cruiser Blood Torment, successfully detonating the enemy’s drive engines. Both ships perished together.
The Alpha Zion was boarded by Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion, and every crewman aboard was slaughtered.
After activating a teleportation jammer, one Tech-Priest detonated the energy reactor, taking those Chaos traitors with him to death.
One after another, the ships of the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet went dark, or exploded in the radiance of plasma.
The captains used their own sacrifices to win the Ark Mechanicus a chance to repair its Gellar field.
However, the terrifying firepower and maneuvering speed of the Vengeful Spirit rendered those sacrifices meaningless.
Under Abaddon’s command, the Vengeful Spirit tore through the defensive line the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet had forged with sacrifice, charging straight toward the Ark Mechanicus where Cawl was located.
[Route 124: escape probability 0.245%…………]
[Route 125: escape probability 0.254%…………]
[…………]
Cawl continuously calculated routes, yet the probability of escaping alive was infinitesimal.
The despair of failure shrouded the Archmagos, driving him to calculate ever more frantically, trying to find a path to survival and complete his mission.
Cawl knew very well that Abaddon was pursuing so relentlessly because he had surely learned that Cawl possessed the Armor of Fate capable of reviving Roboute Guilliman.
Amarich, Celestine, Greyfax, Creed, and the others gathered on the bridge.
Unsurprisingly, they broke into an argument.
Celestine pointed out that they had to choose another path. Only in that way could they ensure the completion of their final mission.
Greyfax accused Celestine of being a heretic, believing that she was attempting to lead everyone into Chaos.
In order to persuade the others to support Celestine, Cawl revealed the news that there was a Necron control device inside Greyfax’s body.
This made Amarich and Creed harbor doubts toward the Inquisitor, and they took Celestine’s side.
Greyfax was furious over this, but there was nothing she could do.
Celestine stated that the prophecy she had seen indicated they could go to the ice moon Klairas, where another road would await them.
Cawl chose to accept this suggestion.
The process of heading to the ice moon Klairas was not smooth.
The Ark Mechanicus was forced to engage the Vengeful Spirit, and the two giant ships exchanged cannon fire for more than an hour.
Both sides suffered damage, but the Ark Mechanicus was in far worse condition.
When the two sides entered Klairas’s low orbit, the Ark Mechanicus’s void shields were completely crippled, turning it into a lamb awaiting slaughter.
“Go and seize that precious cargo for me.”
Abaddon issued the order to the Black Legion, sending the elite warriors under his command to carry out a boarding mission and seize the precious cargo in Cawl’s hands.
The era of the Primarchs had already ended.
He would never allow a Primarch to be resurrected and ruin his grand designs.
…………
The primary command bridge of the Ark Mechanicus.
The boarding alarms continued to echo, and reports of the interception systems being breached came one after another.
“We must abandon the ark.”
Cawl made the rational judgment at once, transferring command authority of the ark to a Tech-Priest beside him.
“Delay them at all costs.”
“Mission accepted and categorized as the highest-priority option.” The Tech-Priest nodded.
Under such circumstances, remaining behind on the ark meant certain death.
But out of cold binary programming and loyalty to the Omnissiah, the many crew members silently accepted their fate.
Cawl walked out of the bridge and headed toward the stasis chamber where the cargo was sealed. At the same time, he called Celestine, Greyfax, and the others, requesting that they come to protect him.
He also contacted Creed.
“Try to awaken that nameless warrior. We need every fighter we have to buy time for the evacuation.”
“I’ll do it at once.”
Having received the instruction, Creed did not hesitate in the slightest. He took his honor guard and headed straight for Dutch’s location.
When they arrived, the other party still remained in a sleeping posture.
Creed performed the sign of the aquila and said in a sincere tone, “Nameless angel of the Emperor, those Chaos warriors have entered the ark. We need your help.”
Immediately after, under the astonished gazes of the others, light shone from the eyes of the silent warrior, and he awakened from his slumber.
Dutch’s memories were still stopped at the moment when he had chosen to skip the plot time.
To him, it had only been the blink of an eye.
Creed had come running over to tell him that the Ark Mechanicus had been boarded, and that the situation was critically urgent.
[Mission: Buy time for Archmagos Cawl and the others to evacuate.
Due to the intervention of the gods, the Ark Mechanicus’s Gellar field has been damaged and cannot enter the warp, causing the precious cargo carried by Cawl and the others to fall into danger. The enemy has boarded the Ark Mechanicus. Someone must go and stop them, allowing Cawl and the others to evacuate safely.
Reward: 800 experience points, 800 points, Reputation +40, Bamboo-Copter *1]
“For the Emperor, for the Green Green Grassland.”
Dutch casually shouted a couple of lines, then bounded off toward the mission location.
…………
Boom!!
A Dreadclaw landing craft smashed through the alloy gates of boarding deck B-7 and crashed into the deck.
The terrifying impact from the collision sent the crew members on the deck flying. A few unlucky ones died on the spot.
Nearby Cadian squads, Skitarii, and armed servitors rushed over swiftly.
They set up weapons at every key vantage point, their muzzles aimed at the Dreadclaw landing pod.
The moment the hatch opened, they would unleash mad fire and strangle the landing Chaos foe.
However, in the next second, the shadows of the defenders changed.
Demonic hounds with scarlet eyes stepped out from the shadows one after another, pouncing on the defending soldiers and tearing at them madly.
Taking advantage of the chaos among the Imperial defenders, the Dreadclaw’s hatch opened, and the Chaos Space Marines inside surged out. They raised bolters blessed by the Dark Gods and opened fire on the Imperial defense forces.
The terrifying bolt rounds instantly tore apart the bodies of the defending soldiers. Even the heavily augmented Skitarii could not withstand the traitors’ firepower.
In only moments, the Imperial forces stationed on landing deck B-7 were slaughtered to the last. Black machine oil and crimson blood mixed together, flowing across the ground.
An injured Tech-Priest crawled across the floor with difficulty, trying to find somewhere safe to hide.
A great foot of mingled flesh and steel stepped onto the Tech-Priest’s back. No matter how he struggled, he could not move in the slightest.
“Pitiful and ignorant thing.”
“The lackeys of the Corpse-Emperor grow weaker by the day. This ship belongs to us now.”
As a Possessed warrior, Litara looked down at the Tech-Priest beneath his foot, his face filled with mockery.
Summoning daemon-hounds with shadows and throwing the defenders’ deployment into chaos had been his masterpiece.
Possessed warriors were fusions of Chaos Space Marines and daemons, used to demonstrate their loyalty to the Chaos Gods—or to obtain power beyond imagination.
“Traitor, let that Tech-Priest go.”
A loud shout rang out. Litara turned his head and saw a warrior wearing unpainted battle-plate, holding a chainsword and a shotgun.
“Only one man? Perfect. I’ll use you to feed my precious one.”
“Watch as your flesh and soul are gnawed away until nothing remains. This is not an honor just anyone can possess.”
Litara released the daemon possessing him, intending to devour this reckless lackey of the Corpse-Emperor before him.
A mass of black mist filled with extreme malice, roiling like boiling water, appeared out of thin air.
It had twisted features, and its gaping mouth let out a bizarre shriek that made people’s eardrums ache.
The instant it appeared, it pounced fiercely toward Dutch.
Bang!!
Dutch pulled the trigger at the black mist the daemon had transformed into.
With only one shot, the daemon let out a miserable scream.
The second shot successfully blasted the daemon’s soul apart, dispersing it into the air.
“No!! Ah…………”
Litara, as a Possessed warrior, cried out in despair, his voice filled with unbearable pain.