Medusa's Cruel Limited Competition

Medusa System, Medusa IV, Uranus Rock.

Storm General Amad DuCaine, former commander of the 10th Legion, and current Legion Commander.

His Mk I Thunder Armor was painted in the black of "Iron Hands," with iron chains made of Iron Circle and white Iron Circle hanging down on both sides of his shoulder armor as decoration.

A string of iron nails ran from the back of his neck guard upwards to the back of his head, a symbol of his near-death experience, his passing of trials, and his becoming a member of the Clan Soragu.

DuCaine was tempered by Medusa's competitive culture. After removing his armor, he emerged victorious in a series of brutal battles and became the chieftain of the Clan Soragu.

After assuming the position of clan leader, DuCaine donned his new armor.

His cloak was a banner of the Clan Soragu.

It was a banner woven from metal threads and heavy silk, decorated and weighted with large pieces of agate, black crystal, and sapphire, with the silver emblem of the Clan Soragu at its center.

The Uranus Rock are a mountain range stretching hundreds of kilometers from north to south, composed of extremely hard, special Diorite.

DuCaine stood on the hillside, instilling the concept of war in his clan.

"Guys, we follow a high-speed combat system that balances focused attacks with comprehensive strikes..."

Gabriel, as one of the members recognized by Solagu, stood on the hillside, only ten meters away from DuCaine.

He had gotten used to DuCaine referring to the young Warrior as "boys" or even "ladies."

In many legions, this would be considered a contemptuous manner by Astartes, but no one resented it; he loved to tease and mock any Warrior.

Unlike the other harsh Iron Hands and the Ten Great War Clans, he would treat the young Warrior undergoing transformation like children.

DuCaine would take care of them, train them, and nurture them; he was the only one in the entire Iron Hands and the Ten Great War Clans who would do so.

"Our mission with Medusa is to protect the entire sector, every system and outpost, and every resource point that can provide minerals."

"Like the Diorite beneath my feet, it's a metamorphic crystal found only on Medusa, a resource of immense value."

Gabriel's Golden Garuda helped the Clan Soragu find a rich vein of Diorite, and he was given five tons of Diorite as a gift.

He analyzed the Diorite, which is a representative rock of holocrystalline intermediate plutonic rocks and one of the main rock types in granite.

After special processing, it forms a harder material called Iron Crystal, which is used by Iron Hands to replace stone.

After concluding today's group coaching session, DuCaine said with a smile.

"Kids, dismissed, time to eat."

After speaking, DuCaine walked towards Gabriel and asked:

"Did Adams find a new location for the ruins?"

Adams had previously discovered two ancient sites, jointly developed by the Clan Soragu and Gabriel.

He brought a large number of ancient technological relics to the Clan Soragu, and his powerful combat strength and extraordinary command ability in defeating the legionary Warrior who had joined other clans to compete for the relics were the reasons why he was able to quickly become the clan leader.

DuCaine now believes that no one is better at finding ancient ruins than the cold-blooded Death Lord.

"Adams has pinpointed the location of the ruins; further news will arrive soon."

Upon hearing Gabriel's words, DuCaine burst into laughter.

"That's great news!" He took a plate from a servant and handed it to Gabriel. "Let's have a good meal, then set off and get our hands on all the good stuff."

Gabriel took Medusa's large platter, which contained the local delicacy, Black Worm.

It's called "Black Worm," but it's actually a type of algae that only resembles Black Worm after being deep-fried.

"Before coming to Medusa, I had never seen algae that could extract energy from the friction of atmospheric particles."

"This is Medusa," DuCaine said proudly, "The one and only Medusa."

After DuCaine and Gabriel finished eating the meat and black Norn Queen, he looked up at the sky.

"The boys told me that the annual Month of Iron is coming soon, and today is a terrifying day for Medusa."

Gabriel's Communication Bead beeped. After listening to the message from Adams, he said to DuCaine:

"Then we should act immediately and defeat the monsters entrenched in the ruins."

"I imagine you don't want to fight during the Month of Iron."

"Of course," DuCaine shouted to the members of the Clan Soragu, "Boys, get moving!"

Iron Carriage, over 100 meters high, was filled with dozens of vehicles pulled by Yarukshan, heading towards their destination.

The Yarukshan are somewhere between giant leopards and primates, standing several meters tall with broad shoulders.

Its unusually long arms and strong body are covered with thick, black hair, and it also has a mane on its head.

Dozens of Solagu pressed the start button inside the vehicle one by one.

Arcs of electricity flashed, the current striking Yarukshan.

Yarukshan, writhing in agony, let out an angry roar and charged forward at full speed.

The engines of the Iron Carriage roared as they drove around the outskirts of Yarukshan.

After the Clan Soragu convoy had traveled ten kilometers, the red alarm runes on the screen in front of DuCaine began flashing wildly.

Gabriel looked at the identification rune; the convoy they had encountered had an emblem surrounded by outward-facing gears, with a skull embedded in the center.

"Avini!"

"Santor's kid, Avini."

DuCaine was deeply impressed by Gabriel Santor, the Primarch, who treated all Iron Hands Medusan equally, showing no favoritism towards anyone.

Santor was the only exception; he was Lord Manus's favorite subordinate and the first Medusan to undergo genetic modification.

"Storm and Hammer!"

DuCaine was already used to Medusa's battles; when the two clans encountered each other, the first thing they would do was bombard each other with cannon fire.

Lord Manus encouraged this struggle, believing that competition was a driving force for Medusa's progress.

After he finished speaking, the Iron Carriage of the Clan Avernii opened fire first, their large-caliber cannons unleashing a barrage of bullets at the Solagu convoy.

A shell, trailing a blinding flash, slammed into Yarukshan.

With a deafening roar, the enormous beast was blasted into a cloud of blood mist.

Countless shells pounded against the Iron Carriage, creating cracks in their surfaces.

After the Clan Avernii's first round of shelling ceased, DuCaine gave the order.

"Let's unleash a storm!"

The Solagu caravan unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, launching an attack on the Clan Avernii caravan.

Standing to the side, Gabriel watched as a hundred shells slammed into the same Iron Carriage, sending the hundred-meter-long vehicle flying into the air.

He saw a section of the truck on fire, and a tall, strong figure burst through the door and struggled to crawl out of the flames.

He was clearly an Astartes, a Warrior of the 10th Legion.

Gabriel frowned slightly, but remained silent.

Although I followed my Lord's instructions and learned about Medusa's culture, I still find it difficult to accept this cruel way of competing.

Lord Manus and our Lord share completely different ideologies; it's hard to imagine that our Lord would allow the Shadow of Order and the Vostonians to engage in such a brutal competition.

Gabriel forced himself to focus on DuCaine's tactics, and the Iron Carriage of the Clan Soragu advanced one by one under his command.

The Iron Carriage deployed, drawing fire, while other wagons seized the opportunity to launch their own attacks.

With meticulous calculations, DuCaine ordered the Iron Carriage to quickly flank the second one before it was severely damaged while drawing fire.

[It's not "Storm and Hammer," but it seems to share some similar philosophy.]

Gabriel recorded his observations on the Data Slate.

The clash between the two powerful clan caravans lasted for ten rounds, with DuCaine's Solagu gaining the upper hand.

The Clan Avernii's convoy was the first to show weakness, retreating under orderly artillery fire.

One unfortunate Warrior from the 10th Legion perished in the flames, along with ten Avini tribesmen who had been eliminated in the competition for Medusa.

DuCaine did not order a pursuit; competition has its limits and must be kept within a reasonable range.

The team traveled another thirty kilometers and reached the target mountain range.