Blood of Kaos

The Omnissiah's Archive.

This landmark building, located on the planet Kaos, was now completely devoid of its former splendor.

War had coated it in dust.

Its smooth walls, capable of reflecting specific light to create beautiful scenery, were now riddled with craters, bearing marks of burning and explosions.

A large number of surviving civilians, auxiliary forces, and Adeptus Mechanicus hujiaojun (protectorate army) had gathered after receiving signals from the transmitters. Relying on the thick underground shelters and Void Shield generators here, this area could be considered temporarily safe.

The reason for it being temporarily safe was that orbital bombardment had not yet reached this area, and the enemy Titans were bogged down in the quagmire of war.

The booming artillery fire did not cease for a moment. The assault from the Word Bearers and their mortal auxiliaries aimed to dislodge this stubborn nail, but they were being held back by the remnants of the Ultramarines who had gathered.

Thanks to precious advance warning, Ventanus had assembled approximately seven hundred battle-brothers. Their original company had suffered heavy losses under the Word Bearers' surprise attack, but a large number of Ultramarines still survived and were acting independently to block the enemy.

Currently, these Ultramarines had reformed into squads. Under the cover of their own artillery, they entered the city ruins, employing guerrilla tactics to exact revenge on the Word Bearers.

Being holed up in the Omnissiah's Archive was a dead end. Ventanus understood that only by engaging the enemy in mobile warfare could they avoid the consequences of being targeted and destroyed by heavy firepower and Titans.

Artillery fire had been relentlessly pursuing the squad led by Ventanus. Bolter rounds from heavy vehicles tore apart the warehouses and shops they were hiding in. Amidst the flying dust, the remaining factories and warehouses were engulfed in flames. The city was gradually turning into a complete battlefield ruin.

A squad of twenty Space Marines moved through concrete tunnels. In these dark places, there were bodies everywhere, most of them belonging to civilians.

Ordinary people were far too fragile in such a devastating battlefield.

These panicked crowds, caught in explosions and bombardments, instinctively hid in the tunnels seeking survival. However, in the face of those high-energy weapons, even the shockwaves were enough to drag them to their deaths.

Most of the bodies that died from the shockwaves had blood flowing from their noses and mouths. Gently touching their corpses caused them to sway as if they were water-filled cloth bags.

As for the bodies burned by flames or killed by the vacuum of air, their faces were filled with terror and pain. They had torn their own faces with their fingernails before death, dying in agony.

Ventanous silently looked at the deceased citizens of Kaos.

Among the corpses were many auxiliary soldiers, and even a few Ultramarines.

The cobalt-blue power armor, symbols of honor, was tattered. Some components had even fallen scattered in the blood and mud. Some bodies were cleaved in half, the remains of the warriors within subjected to unimaginable insult and desecration.

The Word Bearers had stripped them of their armor, flayed them, and used steel cables to bind them for blasphemous sacrificial rituals, or nailed them to pillars, carving curses into them with sharp blades.

Every Ultramarine had been tortured to death, and even those already dead were repeatedly tormented and desecrated.

"May your souls return to the Golden Throne, battle-brothers."

The Adeptus Astartes did not fear death, but the shameful Betrayal and desecration ignited immense fury.

Their actions not only insulted the very name of the Adeptus Astartes Legion but also distorted the truth and creed of the Imperium, completely losing their sense of morality as humans.

Ventanous wiped away the eight-pointed stars and other Chaos blasphemous symbols scrawled on the wall in blood. Witnessing these abominations from the Warp, he felt an instinctive, extreme disgust.

The fog of war enveloped the entire city. Ventanus understood it was the smoke from burning, mixed with the vast amount of water vaporized by energy weapons, forming a gelatinous mist.

Light was greatly obstructed and refracted, turning all light sources into hazy halos.

They passed through the tunnel and immediately encountered six Word Bearer warriors. As soon as they met, they engaged in fierce combat, amplified by their superhuman reaction speeds.

A bolter round fired from a steel gantry near a factory struck Brother Atani's helmet. Instantly, half of his head was destroyed by the bolter round, and his uncontrolled body fell powerlessly.

Ventanous shot several bolter rounds back in that direction. Hearing the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, the hidden sniper finally ceased.

Two Word Bearers in crimson armor flanked the Ultramarines from behind. However, their movements were spotted by several warriors. At extremely close range, both sides engaged in close-quarters combat.

An Ultramarine wielding a power hammer parried the opponent's chainsword and smashed it hard against the edge of the Word Bearer's chest plate, then threw him aside. The warrior rolled and stopped, his power armor damaged and twisted. His spine and ribs had been pulverized by the power weapon.

The assault cannon carried by the Ultramarines opened fire. This heavy weapon was normally mounted on vehicles, but it could also be used after disassembly. Its storm of fire tore through all obstructions, riddling the Word Bearer with holes.

The enemy had far more vehicles than the Ultramarines. In their hurried mobilization, the loyalists had to abandon their vehicles and heavy firepower. What they now faced was a Land Raider that charged out of the ruins.

The Land Raider slowly turned, its weapons all aimed and ready to fire.

The Ultramarines spread out, using the increased distance to reduce the damage from the shockwaves of the artillery fire. They attempted to penetrate its vulnerable parts with bolter rounds, but the effect was minimal.

They began to slowly retreat, shifting the battlefield into a warehouse. Bolter rounds flew back and forth, and the roaring engine of the massive vehicle grew louder.

Ventanous and his comrades planted high-energy explosives on the wall. With a roar, the entire building and the adjacent gantry crane collapsed, burying the Land Raider in the rubble.

However, such a war machine could not be easily contained. Its powerful engine pushed the steel behemoth out of the ruins. Its dark cannon barrel, controlled by the bird-shaped aiming device, targeted the Ultramarines.

Suddenly, in an instant, intense light pierced through the surrounding hazy environment. Superheated temperatures embraced the Land Raider, and scorching plasma cut through its heavy armor.

Molten alloy killed the vehicle's pilot, while flashing green laser beams penetrated the remaining Word Bearer power armor, killing these tenacious Adeptus Astartes.

A large number of Adeptus Mechanicus crusaders arrived. They were another friendly unit that had received the order to assemble.

Dozens of Holy Defense Army soldiers, highly modified and emitting terrifying radiation, appeared alongside a tall veteran.

Arluthserotyd, Kaos Protectorate detachment.

"Ventanous, Fourth Company Captain."

"We've been pursuing the Word Bearers. I only caught up after this unit encountered you," Arluthserotyd said. "Our firepower is strong, but our energy is limited. We need supplies."

"Follow me, and we'll leave through the breakout point. We have supplies," Ventanus decided immediately, opting to lead the Sacred Guard back to the Omnissiah's Archive stronghold.

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