The Tenacious Warriors of Mordian

A dark mass of fighter jets took off from the ships of the Third Legion, entered the atmosphere, and engaged in aerial combat with the colorful Mordian fighters.

Because they live in perpetual darkness, the Mordian are generally gloomy in nature.

The scarcity of resources and the dim lighting cast a somber and oppressive atmosphere over the entire Mordian.

In contrast, weapons, equipment, and everyday items are much brighter, a way for the Mordian to please themselves.

The Mordian were well-trained; their fancy fighter jets, flown in neat formation, met the black fighter jets.

Jenkinson of the 33rd Regiment of the Solar Auxilia pushed down the control stick, Aquila Claw swooped down, the roar of its engine echoing in the air.

As the flash of the shell streaked across the nose of the Storm Claw, an automatic rune Flash Step on Jenkinson's helmet: Side-mounted Lascannon locked on and ready to fire.

Jenkinson pulled the trigger, and the colorful enemy plane immediately burst into a burst of intense flames.

Behind the helmet, his cold, gray eyes narrowed.

He was the Aquila Claw, without hesitation or indecisiveness.

Fighter jets swept past amidst explosions and flashes of fire, the heat scorching the silver chassis of the Aquila Fury.

Although the air battle had only just begun, Jenkinson, who had accompanied the Eleventh Legion in battles across more than a dozen worlds, was already able to conclude that the Mordian were well-trained.

He pulled up rapidly while rolling to the right.

The Aquila Claw tilted to the right, rushing towards the gap in the air between the oncoming enemy aircraft—an exceptionally narrow gap.

The Aquila Claw swiftly pierced through the gap by only a few centimeters, without hesitation.

After the Aquila Claw climbed to a safe distance, Jenkinson finally caught his breath. His "Girl" had a performance advantage over the enemy aircraft.

Jenkinson glanced at the tactical display screen and instantly activated a status report.

A signal flickers on the screen every second, and with each flicker, a fighter jet crashes; the battle is swift and brutal.

Mordian used a tight formation to compensate for the performance gap in his fighter jets.

"Reorganize and dive again."

The company commander's cold order rang out over the Communicator. Jenkinson pushed the control lever and merged into the attack formation.

"Dive!"

Following the company commander's order, Jenkinson floored the accelerator, and the burning Promethium gave the Aquila Claw powerful momentum.

The fighter jets in the Eagle Strike Squadron, like a flock of eagles, swooped down on their prey.

Tracer rounds swept across the wings of the Aquila Fury, but Jenkinson did not take his eyes off the flight path; a confirmation message Flash Step on his helmet display.

The Autocannon roared and fired a barrage of shells at the colorful fighter jets.

Runes flashed, and Jenkinson proudly pulled the lever, achieving five victories.

As each colorful fighter jet streaks into the darkness, another will fill the gap in the formation.

"Stubborn, but brave and resilient."

Jenkinson was furious at the enemy's tenacious resistance, but also acknowledged that they were excellent pilots.

The aerial balance maintained by the Mordian at great cost was ruthlessly destroyed after Astartes' Gunship were deployed into the battle.

With speeds far exceeding those of ordinary humans, the Shadow of Order shifted control levers and pulled triggers, shooting down enemy aircraft one after another.

Subsequently, the four companies of the Third Legion, which were part of the first wave of attacks, quickly completed their ground deployment using landing ships and Gunship.

The Shadow of Order descended the landing deck, gathered beside the tanks, and then pounced on the targets marked inside their helmets for each company.

The Second Company encountered resistance a dozen kilometers north of the Pyramid- shaped Hive City of Vanandra. The Mordian displayed their ingenuity in their bunkers and trenches, building a crisscrossing defensive network.

The Mordian, dressed in colorful military uniforms, lay prone on the ground, watching the black-armored Warrior rapidly approach.

Their bodies were enormous, yet they marched at a rapid pace, their movements perfectly synchronized, like surging black waves.

They marched and landed simultaneously, the vibrations from their march merging into a torrent of steel that crashed against their own lines.

The approach of the superhuman Warrior instilled fear in the Mordian Warrior. Their arms, gripping their weapons, tensed instinctively, and they waited anxiously for their commander to give the order to fire.

Finally, before the Mordian could attack, the Eleventh Legion's tanks opened fire.

The black tank's Machine Spirit roared in fury, hurling shells at the Mordian.

The Shadow of Order prioritized attacking the bunkers, and shells slammed into the Mordian's meticulously constructed defenses.

The fortress, a work of art, was engulfed by the explosion, Astartes launched their attack under the cover of dust and fire.

The smoke screen had no effect on the Shadow of Order, who relied on their tactical helmets and superhuman senses to lock onto enemies and launch swift and precise strikes.

The experienced Astartes commanders gave the order to raise their arms to shield their vulnerable Eyepiece.

The commanders of Mordian had no choice but to issue the attack order.

Countless blazing beams of light and bullets shot out from Mordian's lines, striking the Mark II Power Armor, leaving only speckled marks on the black armor.

Only two unlucky ones were struck through their Eyepiece by stray bullets, ricochets, or deflected beams of light, and fell to the ground.

The Shadow of Order pressed on relentlessly, charging Mordian the Mordian lines and launching a merciless attack.

The Bolter roared and tore the enemy apart.

The Chainsword roared and thundered, and the Mordian were shredded into a bloody pulp.

The Power Sword flashed with blue light, its Disruption Field tearing people apart.

Mikhailovsky charged into the trench like a human tank, raising his left arm and firing his Bolt Pistol.

The bomb roared, piercing the enemy's chest and abdomen, leaving a bloody hole.

He raised his Power Sword and slashed at the defensive cannon, tearing it into pieces with the Disruption Field.

The Second Company Captain was advancing with unstoppable momentum, noticed that as the smoke from the tank explosions dissipated, the resilient Mordian also found a defensive strategy.

Under orders from their commanders, they launched an attack on the Astartes in groups of several dozen.

The Shadow of Order, relying on their superhuman senses and agility, evaded most attacks, wielding their weapons to slash and knock down ammunition.

However, some Warrior in the Second Company were killed when their Eyepiece were shattered by concentrated fire.

"Tanks advance, provide cover."

A black, armored torrent rumbled into the Mordian lines.

The Malcador Heavy Tank slammed violently into the bunker.

However, the bunkers slowed them down considerably, and they eventually got stuck in the trench.

The Mordian Artillery Array seized the opportunity and launched an artillery barrage against the tanks of the Eleventh Legion.

When the first Malcador Heavy Tank was destroyed, his Brainy Cat leaped to his side.

Mikhailovsky issued commands to his Brainy Cat via the new link.

"Weapon Curse!"

The brown-furred, cat-like creature raised its paw, and an invisible wave spread outwards, causing the weapons of dozens of Mordian around it to malfunction, such as trigger corrosion and energy dissipation.

Meanwhile, the Second Company Captain, whose analytical abilities had been Brainy Cat, instantly devised a tactic and issued orders.

"Assault team, artillery!"

Although the proportion of Reaver Squad has been significantly reduced, the elites in each Chapter have been transformed into assault squads carrying Jump Pack.

Hundreds of squad members took to the air, their jet exhaust streaking across the sky, before crashing into the Mordian Artillery Array, destroying enemy firepower with shells and melee weapons.

The Second Company, led by Mikhailovsky, made steady progress, but through the runes in his tactical helmet, he realized that the Mordian were more resilient and better at trench warfare than any enemy he had encountered before.

[Indeed, as Lord Bukayo said, the Mordian's resilience and ability to construct fortifications meant that even Astartes would suffer losses in urban warfare against them.]

Company commanders like Mikhailovsky, through the brutal trench warfare, recognized the capabilities of the Mordian. Following the Dark Lord's orders, they did not launch a rapid advance but steadily cleared the lines, drawing the reinforcements of the Four Emperors in the capital.

On the orbit, Samir kept a close eye on the ground battle; he was unwilling to obey Bukayo House Arshavin's orders.

The First Company Captain decided to launch a swift offensive and kill the Four Emperors while they were mobilizing their troops in Vanandra.

He wanted to achieve the greatest victory in Mordian, to win a more glorious result Bukayo, and to prove to his father and all the Shadow of Order that he was the one who should be the lord of the Third Legion.

Samir was confident in mobilizing the Warrior of the First Company, who were originally his men when he was the Third Company Captain Commander. They were veterans from Terra, the Reapers.

The entire First Company had only one member of the Court of the Black Duke, and he was just a captain.

Samir's long-awaited opportunity has finally arrived; the fully powered Scanner Array detects a dense signal indicating a large gathering of enemies.

The First Company Captain immediately led the Honor Guard toward the Drop Pod.