Who Fights Whom

Xenos, piloting the gunship away, suddenly turned his head.

An explosion sounded from behind the gunship.

In his field of vision, the top of the Command Vehicle was blown askew by something, its entire upper half tilting to the left.

The Command Vehicle, propelled by inertia, continued forward for dozens of meters before slowly coming to a halt.

No more orders were being transmitted from within.

Reinforcements from the Manros armored units were rushing from the underground barracks near the plains.

More fighter squadrons, as if waiting for this very moment, flew in just as the anti-aircraft weapons mounted on the Command Vehicle fell silent.

"We've won," Xenos muttered to himself, maneuvering the gunship to turn back.

Inside the Command Vehicle.

The Chapter Master of the Mercy Emissaries, leading one hundred men of the First Company, stopped before a sea of flames.

The radiation permeating the air caused static to fill their tactical visors.

"Is he dead?"

Someone asked over the comms channel.

But in the next second, a figure emerged from the flames.

The Ironclad Power Armor bore not a single trace of scorching.

Even the red cloak covering the right half of his body was untouched by the fire.

Upon the cloak, golden lines forming a pattern flowed. Within the pattern, an Ironclad Terminator, worshipped by the people, transformed into a person clad in this armor, raising a battle-axe and warhammer over countless corpses.

The Chapter Master frowned and looked back at the hundred men he had brought.

These were the elites of the Chapter, all clad in Terminator Tactical Dreadnought armor.

Though not the Ironclad model, though not ancient armor, the Chapter Master felt that even an Ironclad Terminator shouldn't possess such defensive capabilities.

All of them were on high alert, raising their weapons or gripping their warhammers, warily staring ahead.

Lu Jin walked out of the flames, stopping twenty-two meters away from the Space Marines.

He slowly raised his head, clasped his hands together, and crossed his two weapons before his legs.

The pose was akin to a warrior in prayer.

But in reality, there was no prayer; Lu Jin was simply dazed by the blast.

He had just been blown away, then tossed again by the explosion from the reactor room, and finally crashed onto the current level.

Anyone would be stunned after such an experience.

"It seems the Fierce Angels, under their new Chapter Master, have completely turned heretical and become slaves to the great enemy, Chaos."

The Chapter Master scrutinized Lu Jin's armor.

On the armor's surface, countless miniature skulls formed an off-white decorative layer.

Although the Chapter Master and all the Space Marines behind him had skull-like ornaments—a symbol of pure humanity in the Imperium's culture—the decorations on Lu Jin's armor appeared to them as evidence of Chaos corruption.

"Weren't the Fierce Angels lured into a trap and forced into the Maelstrom?"

Lu Jin lowered his head and looked at them.

The Chapter Master visibly faltered: "You don't even know your own Chapter's past?"

In Lu Jin's subsequent silence, the Chapter Master recounted the past of the Fierce Angels.

"You slaughtered two Imperial worlds!"

"You killed billions of mortals!"

"An Inquisitor was dispatched by the Imperial Inquisition to pursue you, and you resisted. After the Ragefang was disabled by our spy, you gathered in the Hall of Honor, holding mortal crew members hostage to threaten us into stopping."

"Then we eliminated you, just as you chose to charge into battle and kill after the Inquisitor took your crew hostage, we did the same!"

Hearing this, Lu Jin remained standing in place.

The Chapter Master, however, asked in a deep voice: "We heard your story during our investigation on Manros... Now, I ask you, why do you believe we deserve to die? Why do you believe the Fierce Angels are the side you should be fighting for?"

A gunship broke through the gap created by the explosion.

Fourteen veterans leaped out of the cabin.

Xenos flew the gunship away again.

"You guys spouted the same nonsense to us back then! You bunch of dog-spawn!"

Kao stepped forward, pointing at the Chapter Master of the Mercy Emissaries, and roared.

"We were taken by Inquisitor Bena's sister to investigate the massacre, and then we encountered you. You joined us halfway, under the guise of assisting the investigation. When the investigation yielded results, you said you wanted to discuss it with us, and then you lured us to the surface, slaughtering ninety-nine percent of our men!"

"All the Chapters cursed for their founding back then included you Mercy Emissaries!"

"Your master, that damned dog of an Inquisitor, he incited most Chapters, including the Black Dragons, to rebellion, branded the Lamenters as suspects, and forced them into a penitent crusade!"

"Your dog master even went to Badab back in the day, indirectly causing the Badab Uprising, and Huron defected from the Imperium to Chaos..."

Hearing this, Lu Jin abruptly turned his head to look at Kao: "What's this Inquisitor's name? Could it be Xiaochuan?"

Kao was about to continue his tirade.

The Chapter Master of the Mercy Emissaries suddenly chuckled.

It was an awkward but polite smile.

Beneath his helmet, a long, slender, dark purple tongue extended from the Chapter Master's mouth, licking his lips.

"Hehehe..." he said with a laugh, "Actually, the massacre that occurred across two worlds was also our doing."

"A bunch of people who should have died but didn't," Lu Jin strode forward, weapon in hand. "The moment I saw you, I knew you were a pack of dogs. As expected, my 'should have died but didn't' radar never fails."

Speaking of his 'should have died but didn't' radar, Lu Jin raised his hand and tapped his helmet with the butt of his chainaxe.

Both sides lunged at each other simultaneously.

Just as heavy weapons like assault cannons in the hands of the Mercy Emissaries were about to open fire, the wall behind the Command Vehicle exploded.

A Fierce Angels gunship blasted a breach with missiles, and then Xenos, with his unparalleled piloting skills, maneuvered the gunship through the narrow opening.

He even used the jarring impact from passing through the breach to adjust the gunship's aim.

The autocannon unleashed a barrage of shells onto the enemies below.

After a furious bombardment, the gunship roared out of the Command Vehicle, and Lu Jin and the Fierce Angels seized the opportunity to close in on the enemy.

The Chapter Master's honor guard was cut in half the moment Lu Jin reached them, their severed torsos and armor falling to the ground simultaneously.

As for the Chapter Master himself, after having over a dozen of his men cut down, his weapon was shattered by a chainaxe that still carried immense momentum. In the blink of an eye, a power hammer swept up from below, smashing his body away.

The Fierce Angels coordinated with their Chapter Master.

The tactics they employed next were the same as during the ambush breakthrough.

Lu Jin weaved left and right like an unstoppable storm, tearing the enemy to shreds.

Under his onslaught, even superior numbers would suffer local disadvantages.

The Fierce Angels, skilled in close-quarters combat, followed in Lu Jin's wake, slaughtering the remaining enemies.

Xenos then piloted the gunship back, strafing the ground.

After a chaotic melee, the only survivor was the Chapter Master... his legs were even unknowningly taken by some ferocious Fierce Angel.

He could only lie on the ground, grab an assault cannon from beside a corpse, cradle it in his arms, and aim it at Lu Jin as he approached.

His vision showed ten Lu Jins but only two assault cannons... even the ghosting effect, now stained red with blood, offered no advantage.

The Fierce Angels executed the remaining Mercy Emissaries.

After another pass of strafing from the gunship, they glanced at the scattered remains on the ground and then walked towards Lu Jin, surrounding the Chapter Master behind him.

Lu Jin did not dodge the wavering muzzle of the gun, unsure who it was aimed at, nor did he immediately advance. Instead, he lowered his head in thought.

About a second later, he looked up and asked the Chapter Master, "I'm waiting to figure out how to finish you. What are you waiting for?"

"FINISH HIM!"

A voice echoed in Lu Jin's ears, as if urging him on: "Finish him!"

This voice, like the one that had previously urged him to kill the ship's crew, could not be suppressed by the Soulless, indicating it did not originate from the Warp but from within himself.

A feeling told Lu Jin that if he found a novel way to finish a powerful enemy, he would gain a little more strength after killing them.

His warhammer and battle axe were slung behind him.

The assault cannon was forcefully snatched from Lu Jin's grasp, then swung in a wide arc and smashed into the Chapter Master's face, sending over twenty teeth flying.

Lu Jin leaned in, forcing the Chapter Master's twisted face straight, then shoved the assault cannon fiercely into his mouth. He took a step back and kicked the assault cannon.

The Chapter Master was no longer biting the assault cannon; it was lodged in his face, just below his upper half.

Lu Jin's immense strength even drove the cannon's barrel into the wall behind the enemy's head.

Only then did Lu Jin unslung his warhammer, raise it high, and bring it down with immense force.

"A person who should have died but didn't..." Lu Jin raised his right hand, his voice booming, "Is dead!"

The Fierce Angels lowered their heads, silently reciting the names of their fallen battle-brothers who had been lured to their deaths, honoring their spirits.

But the Inquisitor was not dead. Like several companies of the Mercy Emissaries, he was not inside the Command Vehicle.

"Brothers..." Xenos suddenly spoke over the comms channel, "Go check outside the breach."

Lu Jin and the Fierce Angels immediately moved towards the breach.

Looking up, they saw over twenty warships in orbit.

Not from the Imperium, but from the Red Corsairs.

On one colossal vessel, over twenty kilometers long, the unmistakable black hand insignia of the Red Corsairs was clearly visible.

The massive ship angled towards the planet, unleashing a fine beam of light.

On the distant plains, a pillar of light shot up from the ground, and dozens of Mercy Emissaries tanks within the light column vanished instantly.

The armored conflict on the plains ended with the Imperium's retreat.

The remaining troops took refuge in the fortress behind the plains, defending on enemy territory.

Underground Command Center.

Lu Jin, who had just returned, met with the reinforcements.

Upon entering the command center, Lu Jin found all the mortals deathly silent.

The resistance marshal who had previously commanded the war lay dead on the ground, along with two officers nearby. The remaining officers, filled with fear, gripped their guns tightly, aiming at the uninvited guests before them.

"Leader of the Fierce Angels warband."

Among the uninvited guests, a Space Marine clad in black armor approached Lu Jin.

Lu Jin looked closely; it was a Justaerin Terminator, a personal guard of Abaddon, the Chaos Lord of the Black Legion.

"I represent Huron," the Space Marine, who should have been Abaddon's subordinate, said in a deep voice. "His order is to perform a ritual on Manros, to summon a Warp storm to blockade enemy supply lines and allow the original strategic plan to be executed."

Lu Jin glanced at the corpses beside him, then looked at the person before him. "You are Abaddon's people..."

"I represent the Chaos Lord in the Maelstrom, and then I represent Huron. Do you have a problem?"

The other party drew a sword shimmering with black light and asked coldly.

Lu Jin stared at the helmet.

"The ritual they are performing will sacrifice everyone!" an officer shouted from behind Lu Jin. "We refused, and then we were..."

"Silence!" the warrior, representing both Abaddon and Huron, snapped. He then said to Lu Jin, "I know you Red Corsairs don't execute orders as cleanly as we do. Can you understand a threat? If you don't..."

The chainsword roared.

A right leg flew off.

The Justaerin Terminator knelt in a daze. Before he could even process why the person before him had done this, his head was crushed by a hammer that filled his vision.

"Reinforcements..." Lu Jin turned to the mortal officers. "No, new enemies... Tell the underground barracks not to let them in. If they come down to attack us, then fight them too!"

A moment later.

The fleet in orbit began bombarding the surface of Manros.

But it had no effect beyond blasting some mountains.

When the fleet executing the orbital bombardment had first arrived in the Manros system, they had seen no warships remaining in orbit.

They could only see the Imperium forces engaged in armored combat on the ground with the locals.

The fleet's commander assumed the Imperial fleet had fled the system.

The plague-ridden environment was dangerous enough for anyone, and any army arriving here would engage in armored combat.

Therefore, with the Imperial fleet not remaining in Manros, slowly bombarding from orbit, seizing underground facilities when an opportunity arose, and then dragging everyone out for sacrifice was the best decision.

But this orbital bombardment ended less than ten minutes later.

Because the Imperial fleet had arrived.

Over a hundred warships entered the Manros system.

This Imperial fleet had two flagships.

Inside one of the flagships, a Space Marine clad in unusually shaped Terminator armor stood before the viewport, gazing down at the entire planet.

On his pauldrons, the bull's head insignia still shone brightly in the dim light.

"Don't let them perform sacrifices on Manros, or we'll be treated like dogs by Huron again!"

The Inquisitor howled from behind the Space Marine.

And in the second flagship.

A large Space Marine also gazed down at Manros.

On his pauldrons, the shark insignia was clearly visible.

"The people on this planet... might be useful for blood tithes," he said.

The Imperial fleet was not the only unexpected arrival after the initial uninvited guests.

Another fleet emerged from the edge of the system – the Red Corsairs' reinforcement fleet.

Huron's flagship sailed at the front.

Inside the command deck.

Huron, fully armed, walked through the airlock. As all the Space Marines looked at him and bowed their heads, clearing a path, he approached the strategic holographic display.

"I will turn Manros into a meat grinder!"

A blue Daemon with two heads strode onto the command deck behind Huron.

The Daemon cackled as it spoke:

"Yes, yes, the enemy has been led into a fatal trap by me. I have enlightened the Psionics among them, allowing them to glimpse the future after the ritual's success and the ensuing storm. They must either choose to fight to the death on Manros, or be completely sealed off at the edge of the Maelstrom after the storm, unable to reach the Cadian front."

"Wrong, wrong, don't listen to my other head, it's deceiving you!"

New information was transmitted to the command deck.

Huron noticed that the color used to mark the Manros defenders on the strategic display had changed from green to red.

This meant they had become the enemy.

Huron could guess the reason with his eyes closed.

The envoy sent by Abaddon must have wanted to sacrifice the locals, and Lu Jin surely killed him.

Huron wished that guy dead.

However, Lu Jin and the Manros people being locked in a fight with each other was undoubtedly a problem.

Before the Thirteenth Black Crusade officially began, a war took place in the Maelstrom region as a prelude.

Lu Jin would later recall this moment, unsure if this war was caused by the butterfly effect of his transmigration, or if a war was always meant to happen here, concealed by the Thirteenth Black Crusade.

All he knew was that, within the series of wars known as the "Battle of the Maelstrom," the conflict on Manros was called--

[Manros Meat Grinder]