Chaos Warband: The Defense of Ozrax

Above the cathedral.

It seemed as if the Emperor's whispers could be heard.

The resurrected army.

Was following the governor's orders.

The steel factories.

Were about to close their great mouths that devoured and spat out ore.

The great governor.

Had already stood before his people.

Upon the city walls.

Cisrain's body stood like that of a giant. Beneath his cold expression, none of his former amiability remained. Wrapped in steel, every sharp edge of his form was turned toward the enemy.

The earth drew a deep breath.

Preparing for the cruel war to come.

The gale roared and whipped the banners.

Lending strength to the governor and humanity's supreme courage.

For the governor!

For humanity!

Humanity above all!

Humanity above all!

A resounding battle cry rose from behind him.

Fear was humanity's nature. Courage was humanity's battle hymn.

When the body reached its limits, the will led one through the encirclement and slaughter.

Humanity above all!

The electronic voice came through the communications radar.

Cisrain raised his head and looked toward the deep starry sky.

"Governor, the enemy has arrived!"

Oceanic Planet.

It was a planet with relatively favorable climate conditions, located in the orbit of the fifth planet in this star system. It was accompanied by a nearby terrestrial satellite, while the sixth and seventh planets possessed immense energy reserves, including large quantities of natural gas and a certain rare energy resource that could be mined.

As a key member of the Fire Caste's new generation of trainees, Tarian had a chance to enter the council formed by the worlds of the five great families. He had always taken pride in being a disciple of the legendary commander Qingxi. His senior sister, Commander Shadowsun, and his senior brother, Commander Farsight, had both created miracles of war.

They had also both answered the summons of the Ethereal Council and become legendary figures recorded in textbooks.

Yet he had failed during this expedition, taking only a tiny gateway star system.

It was his shame, and a stain he had brought upon his teacher Qingxi.

"After taking this star system, I'll return and undergo the trials again."

"I still have many shortcomings."

"Commander, failure is normal. No one is born a tactician. Even Commander Shadowsun once made mistakes that caused unnecessary losses. Only by learning from failure and reviewing and summarizing after battle can one defeat the enemy in the next battle. This is also what Commander Shadowsun has always followed, the teachings of Commander Qingxi."

To advance from trainee to commander in the Tau Empire, one had to undergo numerous trials.

Only after completing those trials could one obtain the corresponding rank and the qualifications to lead troops.

His senior brother and sister had both been tactical geniuses seen perhaps once in a century during their trials.

"You're right. I was too concerned with gains and losses. I overestimated myself and underestimated the enemy. My arrogance caused all of this. I took everything for granted."

"Even against the weakest enemy, we should send infiltration teams in first to investigate. Only after we have fully gathered intelligence should we act. Just like this planet—if I had sent an infiltration team first rather than directly deploying my warriors, then perhaps, with orbital bombardment, we could have taken this planet swiftly. And I was too impatient for victory. I always wanted to defeat the enemy quickly and surpass my senior brother and sister. But war requires patience. I need to remain calm."

"But it's all right. We've taken this planet, and we can use it as a foundation while waiting for an opportunity to retake that planet."

After reviewing his actions, Tarian realized that all his problems had stemmed from his inability to remain patient and his excessive eagerness for quick success. The solution was simple: as long as he maintained a calm state of mind and absolute clarity of thought, his wisdom and tactics could be fully brought to bear.

Tarian took several deep breaths.

His state of mind settled.

He could now guarantee that, if faced with that situation again, he would perform far better.

Because he had already seen his own advantages, as well as the enemy's weaknesses.

The enemy was not as powerful as he had imagined.

He simply had not performed well enough.

"Commander, unknown vessels approaching." The advanced Drone moved before Tarian, then activated the projected stellar combat map in front of him. Outside the planet they were about to take, unknown vessels appeared, flashing red as they rushed toward them.

"Magnify the surveillance feed!"

"Magnifying unknown fleet."

The image of the unknown fleet continued to enlarge.

Only then did Tarian clearly see what the enemy looked like.

Just a very small fleet?

Only—

This fleet did not resemble their own vessels, nor did it resemble any fleet affiliated with the Tau Empire.

While he was still considering it.

The advanced Drone warned him.

"Commander, they have launched several objects resembling drop pods. They are flying toward us."

"Raise the shields and activate anti-air protocols. Send a warning at the same time." Tarian became more cautious.

Without knowing whether the other party was hostile, raising the shields first was the safer choice.

Yet the instant his orders were issued, the advanced Drone reported the enemy's movements one after another.

"Commander, shields have been activated. The warship shields are still forming. A warning has been issued to the intruders, but they have not stopped."

"Commander, their drop pods have suddenly accelerated. Issuing a second warning."

"Commander, their drop pods have fired plasma flames. Anti-air protocols have activated automatically."

"Commander, enemy speed has increased again. Opening fire. One shot down. Two shot down. Three shot down."

Scorching plasma flames of extreme temperature spewed wrathful fire, raising the temperature of the drop pods to an absurd level that could practically boil people alive. The Emperor's Angels risked being shot down by the Tau Empire's intelligent support systems as they charged recklessly into the forbidden zone around the space warships before the Tau Empire's shields had fully formed.

The drop pods around them were continuously shattered and exploded.

Yet the Space Marines inside remained expressionless, staring fixedly at their target.

Of the eighteen drop pods, only the three central ones needed to enter successfully.

"Prepare for impact!"

Bzzzz!

Scorching plasma fusion flames seared the battleship's restricted deck, burning a massive hole through the warship's toughest outer layer.

The drop pods plunged diagonally into the entire warship.

They embedded deeply within the melted opening.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

The violent impacts instantly destroyed the compartments on the battleship's deck. The blistering heat vaporized the Fire Caste warriors resting within the cabins.

"Commander, the enemy attack has struck the port-side compartment."

"Emergency retrieval of interior warship footage in progress."

Crackle.

Shorted circuits caused parts of the footage to vanish.

But they still saw those steel-clad "beasts" emerge from the molten metal.

The red glow in the power armor's eye lenses seemed to pierce through the screen and stare directly at Tarian in the command room.

The previous defeat nearly made Tarian lose his head again.

"Those iron cans from that primitive planet again."

I've already come all the way here, and they're still chasing after me!

"..."

Carcharodons: Please provide supplies.

Quartermaster Department: Please tighten your belts.

Carcharodons: Please provide belts.