Waaagh!!!

As the Stormbird squadron streaked across the sky above the Hive City, Fourth Company Captain Gawain immediately realized what had transpired here.

A nuclear detonation—and one triggered simultaneously from multiple points within the hive, or else it would have been impossible to reduce a structure of such magnitude into a semi-buried ruin. As he stepped onto the wreckage, the residual radiation detected by his Power Armor confirmed Gawain's hypothesis.

However, a greater question arose: why a nuclear blast?

As a veteran of civil engineering, Gawain, though he disliked building bunkers, was quite fond of the civilian architecture throughout human history and knew just how sturdy the hives passed down from the Old Night Era were.

According to his Gene-Father, they had once fought against maddened Abominable Intelligence aboard a Titan, which meant this Hive City had fallen during an era of madness even older than the Old Night.

Given the human technology of that time, there were entirely more efficient ways to conduct a demolition rather than using such primitive, low-yield nuclear bombs in a series.

"Therefore, the only explanation is that it was a last resort; the one who chose to self-destruct had no choice but to use nuclear bombs to take the enemy down with them."

As this was the Second Legion's first military mission, every Space Marine wanted to perform well in front of their Gene-Father. Mordred did not pretend to know what he didn't; he handed full command over to Goff, as he still needed time to learn.

As Gawain's hypothesis was transmitted through the internal comms, Goff immediately ordered the Stormbird's high-powered onboard sensors to scan the ruins.

Soon, dense clusters of high-energy red dots filled the Holographic Projection, synchronized before the eyes of Mordred, who was clad in an oversized suit of Ironclad Terminator Armor.

"Father?"

"Why are you looking at me? Right now, I am just a grunt; you are the commander! Act boldly and let me see your capabilities."

"Rest assured, Father, I will not let you down." Goff felt his resolve harden; it wasn't just the others who wanted to prove themselves—he did, too.

Out of caution, the vanguard squad did not act rashly. Instead, they called for Engineers to set up drills on the outer wall of the Hive City, preparing to use meltas to clear a path and toss in a few probes first.

As the plasma melta began to operate, the Adamantium that composed the Hive City's structure turned into boiling steam, gradually exposing the Metal Skeleton buried beneath the shell.

As time passed, a square hole large enough for a knight to enter was cut through, and several Servitor Skulls were tossed inside.

With the help of the Servitor Skulls' visual modules, the group saw the interior of the Hive City, which had been sealed for at least four thousand years. As expected, there were no living creatures inside, only Metal Skeletons intertwined with human remains.

Just as the Servitor Skulls were preparing to Continue Deeper, an anomaly occurred, and a stuttering, harsh electronic sound rang out.

[Foreign intrusion detected, requesting connection to central %￥...]

[Mainframe unresponsive, data array lost, requesting security support, %￥#...& Third Emergency Protocol activated]

[Visitors, please depart voluntarily. In the event of property disputes, please report to the company core. Dahl Tech is at your service.]

Accompanied by a piercing alarm, those robots that had seemed like discarded wrecks awakened once more. Dangerous Red Light flickered within structures resembling human eyes, and they charged at the group like zombies.

There was no need for stealth anymore. The roar of Bolters erupted instantly. Not giving these monsters a chance to lash out, the Atlas, having already set up positions at the breach, immediately began delivering firepower.

Lasers, bolts, and deadly, scorching plasma flew out, directly obliterating the first batch of awakened machines.

The oxidized and corroded Sentinels could not withstand this barrage of fire. After testing the enemy's strength, the Space Marines, who had long been unable to restrain themselves, began a reckless charge—including Mordred, who viewed himself as a Hero Unit.

"All forces advance, clear the target area, and protect the Auxilia as they establish a forward outpost."

Goff commanded.

"Acknowledged, Commander!"

The warriors in Terminator Armor began their charge, using Ion Shields and heavy armor to act as cover for their brothers. The remaining soldiers dispersed to advance. Even though they had never acted in unison before, the Atlas, who had returned from studying at various legions, were no weaklings.

The Space Marines' superb combat instincts allowed each of them to find the most suitable position without needing orders, and their exaggerated physical fitness and reaction speeds were the best guarantee for battle.

Boom! Boom!

Metal debris flew high into the air, crashed heavily to the ground, and was finally trampled into fragments by war boots.

The moment the explosions ceased, high-speed rotating chainswords stabbed into the torsos of the Sentinels, splitting the enemies in two amidst a spray of sparks.

"Continue Deeper. Auxilia, take over the cleared area and deploy knights for heavy weapon support."

Perhaps because of their small numbers, or perhaps due to the habits formed while studying at the Thirteenth Legion, Goff's command style was characterized by steady, methodical progress, wave after wave like the tide.

While remaining methodical, Goff was also flexible. He dispatched heavy units to attack from multiple points, using a swift, fierce assault to divide the battlefield, then seized the opportunity to deliver a killing blow and complete the localized annihilation.

Through the internal network, Mordred could see the exact position of every offspring. Combined with Goff's battlefield command, he began to learn this craft at a rapid pace.

Mordred did not possess so-called omniscience, and the enemies he would face in the future would not be mere savages of the plains. Upon realizing that he was already the ruler of a planet, a sense of responsibility he had never felt before began to weigh on him.

Guided by simple values, Mordred believed that since they called him Father and addressed him as Legion Commander, he had an obligation to bring them a better future.

Mordred advanced in silence, the sound of massive mechanical forces gathering echoing in his ears.

He raised his palm, signaling his offspring behind him to halt.

Soon, several shells whistled through the air, blasting the wall and the Sentinels behind it into slag. The architecture shattered for unknown reasons, revealing a vast space behind it.

As a lush green field emerged, Mordred and his honor guard vanished, evading the Sentinels' lethal volley, which caused the mechanical guardians' logic circuits to pause momentarily.

But Mordred would not explain. He swung his Greatsword, and the decaying steel heads turned into fragments, rolling across the ground under the illumination of muzzle flashes.

Said Correctly by the Yellow Skins—although he was essentially a Chimera, this did not mean he was a complete failure. He was omnipotent, and so were his Atlas.

"When the heavens fall, my name shall be seen. We hold up the firmament; we are Atlas."

"Boys, follow me and charge! Crush them!"

The connection rooted in their blood made every warrior feel exhilarated. Under the inspiration of their Gene-Father, the wildness within their hearts was unleashed, and a strange, indescribable power surged within each of them.

Mordred felt himself growing stronger, and the facts bore this out. His speed grew faster and faster, his spatial jumps became more proficient, and every swing of his greatsword caused the enemies before him to explode into pieces—there were even cool, emerald-green electric arcs appearing on the blade.

Not only that, but every Atlas felt the influx of power, to the point where the internal comms were filled with various howls and screams, shouting, "This is power!!!"

But soon, they were not satisfied with this. Driven by their wildness, some Space Marines whose armor flickered with green light began to howl loudly amidst the ruins:

Waaagh!!!

Waaagh!!!

Mordred: Hmm (＃°Д°) This isn't right, is it?