The Twin-linked Lasguns on both sides of every mortar emplacement fired at once. Sixteen beams became threads in Nimrod's mind, and he moved like a dancer upon a spiderweb.
With the slightest turn of his body, he evaded several beams that would have struck him.
With a sudden dash, he avoided a covering volley.
"Fire! Give me everything you've fucking got!"
The commander of the Hive Spire guards, dressed in a scarlet uniform, shouted loudly.
Only this way could he overcome the fear in his heart and stop imagining that a god had descended to punish him for his sins.
Within the fortifications, tens of thousands of guns of every kind were aimed at the giant's silhouette.
Nimrod took a deep breath, drawing smoke and air into his lungs together.
His lungs expanded and contracted hundreds of times in an instant. The inhaled air spiraled faster, spun, compressed, and became the purest ultrasonic wave.
When the ultrasonic wave passed through the Primarch's superhuman organs—his vocal cords, throat, and more—and burst from his mouth, it did not weaken in the slightest. It was even slightly amplified.
"ROAR!"
The howl drowned out even the second barrage of mortar fire for an instant.
At the front of the fortifications, the defenders all heard an inhuman howl in their minds at once. Clutching their heads in agony, they promptly collapsed unconscious.
The defenders in the rear bled from their noses and mouths, their bodies swaying.
Even the defenders inside the metal bunkers, operating the Twin-linked Lasguns, saw stars and bled from their ears as a piercing buzz lingered in their hearing.
Nimrod sprang through the air. With a slight shift of his body, he steadied himself amid the explosive shockwaves.
Neither the smoke nor the thunderous blasts affected his senses. He noticed another convoy speeding toward him.
Nimrod immediately broke into a sprint, charging toward the nearest defensive tower.
With more than twenty meters still between them, he leaped fiercely, brought his legs together, and kicked at the joint where the mortar and fortifications had been cast together.
Howard, who had recovered from his dizziness thanks to the life-support systems of his Artificer Power Armor, had only just regained normal vision when he witnessed this shocking sight.
He shuddered. If Nimrod struck him with a single punch, even the armor the Adeptus Mechanicus Magi took such pride in, calling it a gift from the Omnissiah, could not withstand such an impact.
Howard realized that Boleslaw's era was about to end. He would become a meritorious servant of the new kingdom, reap enormous benefits in the coming reshuffle, and become a wise patriarch praised by House Finde for generations.
Excited, he switched to the command channel and issued orders to House Finde's armed personnel.
"Move out. Follow the battle plan and lock onto your respective targets."
"When you hear the order to fire, kill those scum from House Boleslaw with your weapons!"
The red-robed commander shouted harshly. Only after shooting five deserters dead with his Las-pistol did he barely manage to maintain the defenders' morale.
Just as the defensive line was on the verge of collapse, he saw the new head of House Finde arrive with his men to provide support.
"My lord, thank you for your timely aid. King Boleslaw will surely be pleased with your performance in this crisis."
Howard swept his gaze over his subordinates and saw that they had already blended into the defensive line according to the battle plan. The unsuspecting defenders welcomed their arrival.
He raised his left arm. As the Heavy Stubber fired, he issued an order over the communication channel. "Attack!"
Gunfire immediately erupted, and beams flashed.
As Nimrod swung a cannon barrel and smashed two Twin-linked Lasguns, he noticed the sudden development.
He instantly locked onto Howard's position and recognized his former temporary employer.
Nimrod immediately formed a suspicion. He strode toward Howard, casually swinging the cannon barrel as one defensive position after another collapsed, metal plates crushing the defenders inside into pulp.
Looking at Nimrod, Howard felt a mountain-like pressure far greater than anything he had sensed from the footage. He could understand why the defenders at the edge of his vision had lost all morale and scattered in flight.
He immediately dropped to one knee and, following the Vostonian form of oath-taking, solemnly pledged his loyalty to Nimrod.
"I, Howard Fender, swear upon my honor and bloodline."
According to the traditions of the Muskans of Vostonia, he had originally planned to offer his loyalty to the visiting King Boleslaw at the banquet held by the Nightfall Troupe.
At this moment, Howard had no lord to serve. Having violated neither noble honor nor any oath, he offered his loyalty to the true king.
"To Lord Nimrod, the new king of Tezwork, I offer my unconditional loyalty and obedience."
"I will fight for your glory and act according to your will!"
Nimrod stopped before Howard, and his majestic voice rang out.
"I accept your loyalty."
The guards of House Finde joined the ranks, further bolstering the gang's morale.
Nor were they alone. The nobles of the Upper Hive also saw that a god had descended, and that victory would surely be theirs.
Nimrod led the charge into the Hive Spire. He smashed through the gates and passed through the entrance hall, only to encounter determined resistance.
He noticed that although the mortals before him looked upon him with utter terror, they did not scatter and flee.
Nimrod knew that aside from the royal family, those within the Hive Spire belonged to vassal families that had served them for generations, their loyalty far surpassing that of feudal nobles.
Breaking the old rules through violence and establishing a new order was destined to be accompanied by bloodshed!
As the thought surfaced in his mind, he immediately felt his spirituality grow more lively.
He advanced with a hunter's stride. By the time he climbed the marble steps, he had left a Scarlet Path behind him.
Alarms tore through the sky and echoed throughout the Hive Spire.
For the first time in thousands of years, Boleslaw faced an attack by an outside enemy.
The nobles rushed toward the corridors with their private soldiers, attempting to repel the attack.
Nimrod climbed upward all the way. His speed of advance was his speed of attack.
Compared to the defensive positions he had encountered earlier, the resistance he now faced was much weaker.
Meanwhile, at the top of the Hive Spire, the Armor Baron nervously fitted King Boleslaw with his armor.
He had not worn this suit of armor for decades. Stuffing his bloated body into it was no easy task.
Beside him, the Minister of Diplomacy nervously reported to the king.
"Magos Kaminski has replied. He is gathering the Skitarii and estimates they will arrive in three hours and twenty-five minutes. He asks you to hold the Hive Spire."
"Damn it! Tell him I can't hold it for even an hour."
King Boleslaw stared at the Minister of Defense being rammed to death by the giant on the video screen and roared in terror.
A giant was climbing the spiraling marble staircase at incredible speed. With every blink, another floor of the Hive Spire fell.
The family's elite troops were no match for him. Corpses tumbled down in heaps.
Suddenly, the giant stopped before a man dressed in splendid robes.
King Boleslaw searched his memories before confirming that it was Estupinian. The only reason he remembered this collateral member of the family was because Estupinian served as the Fifth Arbiter.
Though greedy, Estupinian knew his place. Every month, every holiday, and whenever he gained anything, he offered gifts.
He also had a bit of cunning and had helped conceal matters that might have displeased the Tech-Priest.
Just as King Boleslaw remembered this adequate lackey, he saw the giant lift Estupinian up. A rumbling voice sounded.
"I should thank you. Without you, I would not have reached the Hive Spire this quickly."
Seeing Estupinian's neck twisted apart, King Boleslaw felt not the slightest pity. He only hated Estupinian's stupidity.
"Damn it, that stupid pig. Someone like him should only be recruited, never made an enemy."
"If I could recruit him, all of Vostonia would be mine."
"Damn it, why did we provoke him?"
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