Enchanted Warrior

Loyalists began their counteroffensive with the help of the Rangers, and heavily wounded warriors rejoined the fight after rapid treatment from the Medic.

Gao Yi watched the battle's development from a shuttle hovering over the battlefield. This fight was no longer like the previous ones involving tens of thousands of soldiers.

Hundreds of thousands of Loyalists and Traitors were locked in an offensive and defensive battle around the entire Upper Hive.

But the Dynasty's collapse had been halted! The enemy was pinned down on their positions, unable to advance.

Only one direction made Gao Yi frown.

The communicator crackled with the tense roars of officers at all levels.

That direction was Pilgrim Square, where the Word Bearers and Daemon Engines were attacking.

"It's Chaos Space Marines! Focus fire! Focus fire on them now!! Marauder squad, lay down suppressive fire! Don't let them get close! Machine Gunners, switch to Armor-piercing Rounds!"

"Huh? Actual tin cans?!"

Loyalists and Traitors were locked in a seesaw battle at Pilgrim Square.

It was both unexpected and not. What made Gao Yi frown was that this time, unlike the game's start, there weren't just one—there were ten in total.

Heavy firepower from Loyalists and Daemon Engines exchanged blazing volleys on both sides of the square. As more fixed emplacements were repaired by SCVs, Daemon Engine after Daemon Engine was blown apart.

Chaos Cultists, driven mad, leaped from cover to charge—and didn't survive a single second.

The dense barrage made any charge nearly impossible for either side.

Yet even so, Gao Yi noticed his Rangers were still taking casualties.

He could see the fear in his Rangers' eyes when they spotted the Word Bearers.

The might of the Astartes was deeply ingrained in every Warhammer human's heart—why else would ordinary humans be called "mortals" while Astartes were called "angels"?

And these Traitor Astartes lived up to that reputation.

Their strength came not just from their Power Armour and weapons, but from their modified bodies and accumulated combat experience.

In terms of conviction, the Word Bearers were the cream of the Traitors.

Facing the Loyalist counterattack, they remained calm and composed, responding and fighting back.

The engagement distance was close—only a kilometer. For Astartes, that was a guaranteed hit. Their bolters could precisely target Ranger bodies, and being possessed by daemons gave them some resistance to physical weapons.

When they realized their bolters couldn't shatter the Rangers' Adamantium Combat Suits in one shot, they quickly changed tactics.

One by one, Rangers fell—hit only in the weakest spots: the tactical visors on their helmets and the joints.

A headshot was beyond even the Medic's help, and severed limbs couldn't be regenerated with a med-gun.

Even under such fire, the Word Bearers kept advancing, using the square's rubble to push forward.

But no matter how tough you are, my brothers are endless.

As other fronts stabilized, more and more Rangers converged on Pilgrim Square.

Trading 100 or even more Rangers for one of their lives was still a win for Gao Yi. Human lives were cheap here, and a Combat Suit wasn't worth as much to him as a veteran soldier.

"Veil, have the pilot land. Ian, I need you in the fight—your psychic powers can limit these traitors' advantages! My soldiers are taking heavy losses."

"Against Chaos, as an Inquisitor, I'll give it my all!"

The shuttle landed behind the lines.

Gao Yi, Veil, Damon, and Ian stepped out one by one. As Veil and Ian headed toward the front, Gao Yi spoke to the empty air beside him.

"Norris, circle around to the rear. Find a chance to take out a few Astartes."

"Understood!"

When the soldiers saw the Rogue Trader himself arrive on the battlefield, morale surged again.

"Servants of the God-Emperor, warriors of the Dynasty! Those Chaos Astartes aren't so fearsome! The God-Emperor's Protection is with us! For the Dynasty, kill these traitors!"

Gao Yi raised his bolter and opened fire.

The Word Bearers realized the gravity of the situation.

The human counterattack was intensifying. Their ten-man squad couldn't break through these humans' lines. What were those things so similar to Power Armour? They'd never seen that model before.

Were their Combat Suits nearly as tough as Power Armour?

They'd seen their targets' armour shattered, only for it to be repaired and firing at them again moments later.

They'd thought this was just a dying Rogue Trader's Dynasty Capital World—no Loyalist Astartes stationed, no elite Astra Militarum regiments, not a key Adeptus Mechanicus stronghold.

Yet in a conventional positional battle, they were pinned down. Breaking through with standard tactics was impossible.

One Word Bearer had even been disabled by concentrated fire from an entire Marauder squad.

Their ammunition reserves weren't enough for a prolonged trench fight.

At the front, Ian wrapped himself in a psychic shield. As an Inquisitor, he also carried a small force shield. He raised his psychic staff, lightning crackling from his hand—destructive psychic lightning arced toward a Word Bearer.

The sheer power showed Ian's psychic rank was far from low.

The rubble serving as cover was blasted apart.

Suddenly, the psychic energy pierced the Word Bearer's Power Armour, reaching his profane flesh. Though the power came from the Warp, it proved especially effective against those tainted by Chaos.

The first true casualty among the Word Bearers fell.

Ian's presence drew the attention of the other Word Bearers. Even an Astartes could not afford to underestimate a powerful Psyker.

They opened fire on him in unison, but the bolter rounds were stopped cold by his psychic shield and force deflection, unable to advance a single inch.

"My brothers, unleash the fury within! Let the power of the Dark Gods fully descend upon our bodies and utterly destroy the enemy ahead."

Three Enchanted Warriors among the Word Bearers exchanged glances.

The voices of the demons possessing them began to rise.

"Quick! Hand over control of the body! I sense the aura of psychic sorcery—I want to cut off his head and offer it to the great Blood God! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"

The other two Enchanted Warriors heard the demons' whispers in their minds as well.

In this moment of life and death, the demons began to override the Word Bearers' own consciousness, taking full control of their powerful physical forms.

The demons further eroded their bodies in the material world.

More and more demonic traits replaced what little remained of their human forms.

"Roar!"

With a bellow of boundless rage, all the Word Bearers surged from cover to provide fire support for the Enchanted Warriors. The Enchanted Warriors, now fully possessed by Khorne's demons, charged forward like madmen—their minds consumed by nothing but kill, kill, kill!

All the Chaos-worshipping traitors abandoned their cover as well, rushing out while the Enchanted Warriors drew the brunt of the firepower.

Once fully taken over by Khorne's demons, the Word Bearers' resistance to all ranged weapons increased dramatically.

They withstood the concentrated fire and crashed into the loyalist lines like a Leman Russ at full charge.

The pincer claws on their right hands could tear through even Adamantium Combat Suits, while the Chainaxes in their left hands easily cleaved men in two. One of the Enchanted Warriors had Ian, the Psyker, as his target.

"Use melee! Use fire! Ranged weapons are less effective against Khorne's demons!" Ian shouted to the soldiers.

Hearing Ian's warning, the Rangers and PDF drew their Chainswords and charged at the Enchanted Warriors.

Ian's voice also drew the attention of the Word Bearer who had been slaughtering.

His bloodthirsty, crazed eyes locked onto Ian.

"Psyker... I will offer your head to Him!"