The Ultramarines' Secret

Nikanna's sword flashed in the darkness, its disintegration field tearing apart its eye-like organs, provoking another furious outburst from the demon. The power sword continued to cut downwards, then spun around and severed the sharp beak that had killed an Ultramarine.

This dangerous weapon could kill a fully armed warrior, even though it looked like a simple bone organ.

Hill followed closely, his electro-longsword stabbing into the demon's exposed throat, revealing pale pink flesh and translucent bone. This monstrosity also possessed bio-like organs.

The demon roared, its injuries growing heavier. If it suffered a fatal wound, its material world shell would be unable to withstand the Warp's power, and it would be banished back to the chaotic ocean.

The two of them continued to distract the demon, preventing it from focusing entirely on a single Space Marine. As its body was completely sliced apart, a large number of mortal soldiers and fallen Space Marines slid out from within.

Their faces were unrecognizable, half-melted by corrosive digestive fluids, leaving only faintly discernible bones and metal armor.

No one would want to be eaten by a demon; it would be more terrifying than death. Their souls would not dissipate but would continue to be tormented by the Warp's abominations.

"Bolters are roaring, its vitality is rapidly declining. It hisses and uses its long tail to swat away those annoying attacks, already showing signs of wanting to flee."

"The demon has high intelligence, it wants to run! Stop it!"

Hill's anti-demon tactics were continuously being refined. Through practical combat, more of his conjectures were being confirmed.

Demons were more susceptible to damage from metal weapons like swords, and fire had a decent killing effect on them. Their bodies had no obvious weak points, and their vitality far surpassed any alien enemy encountered before.

However, they were not invincible. As long as enough damage was inflicted, they could still be killed—or rather, banished.

The demon's escape speed was incredibly fast, slithering forward like a snake, and it soon fled into another compartment.

But this was exactly what Hill had hoped for. He and the Ultramarines beside him took out all their grenades and tossed them in before the compartment door closed.

Everyone immediately dropped to the ground. A violent thunderstorm erupted within the sealed compartment. The high temperature and shockwave released by the high-energy grenades almost blew the door open, spewing molten iron and flames from the gaps. The demon that had fled inside, however, turned to ashes.

"Sufficient firepower, this isn't difficult. Even demons cannot escape death."

Hill noted this last point, then transmitted the summarized key points via radio communication to all Ultramarines and mortal soldiers within the ship who could receive the signal.

"Do not fear, they are merely a new type of enemy, and now we have a plan to deal with them."

"Do not fear, they should fear our courage."

"We are the Emperor's Angels, we are the Primarchs' heirs, we are the Sons of Vengeance!"

A clear battle cry echoed in the ears of every loyalist. Under his inspiration and call, more and more people joined in with their own battle cries.

The Ultramarines regained their brave and fearless demeanor, their morale surging with fierce excitement.

The demon's veil of mystery was being peeled back layer by layer. Hill's voice guided everyone, dispelling their fear.

"A qualified leader," Marius remarked amidst the crowd, unable to help himself.

The shipboard combat team led by Hill and Nikanna was rapidly expanding in numbers. They had consecutively killed over a dozen grotesque demons, and their combat experience against demons was constantly accumulating.

A single Ultramarine would find it difficult to deal with these bizarre Warp creatures. Their strength, speed, and even their special abilities like venom posed a fatal threat to the Adeptus Astartes.

But this was not an insurmountable barrier. Relying on teamwork, the Ultramarines could even kill enemies without taking damage, completely banishing them from the material world.

The Ultramarines might not be flexible due to their doctrines and training, but once they entered the rhythm of war, they would unleash the greatest power of all the Adeptus Astartes legions.

After only a few coordinated efforts, these veteran soldiers had mastered how to fight in concert and how to deal targeted attacks to the demons.

This meant a sharp increase in combat efficiency, and the Ultramarines were reclaiming the warship from the enemy.

The safety hatch opened before the Ultramarines, followed closely by the blast shield. The Glory of Macragge's auxiliary bridge appeared before them. The Glory of Macragge could not have only one bridge, and after the main bridge went offline, this auxiliary bridge took over.

The control towers and workstations within the compartment began to activate, and the automated command system started to restore control over the entire warship. Tech-sergeants and mortal officers worked side-by-side, their figures moving busily within the bridge.

Gage held the third keycard, excluding the Primarch and the Captain. Among the personnel present, the captain of the Sacred Salamander, Homid, was undoubtedly the best candidate for the new captain. He had been shoved into a life pod by his adjutant before his own ship was destroyed and was subsequently captured by the flagship.

He handed the keycard to this experienced and decorated captain, who would replace the fallen Zedorff in commanding the entire flagship.

There was no possibility of the new captain refusing. The Thirteenth Legion fleet was in crisis, and any personal reasons were incredibly insignificant.

"I am ready, Chapter Master," the new captain replied in a voice as cold as machinery.

Homid, Marius, and the senior tech-priests approached the main console. After undergoing keycard verification and gene-sequencing, Homid's biological information was recorded into the flagship's Thinker System.

Through the link of neural impulses, the new captain felt the sacred machine spirit of the Glory of Macragge. This great entity was mourning the loss of the Primarch and the previous captain.

There was not much time for grief; he had to pull himself together.

He did his best to soothe the machine spirit, sharing its pain and sorrow, convincing it with his sincerity. Then, under Marius's command, he activated the scanner array.

"I need to know the situation outside the warship. How many enemies are surrounding the flagship, wanting to desecrate this holy vessel."

What the Chapter Master did not say aloud was that he wanted to know if the Primarch was still alive.

But he could not voice it. Not everyone knew the Primarch's whereabouts, and if the Gene-Father had truly died, and this news reached the majority, it would be a true catastrophe for the Thirteenth Legion.

With the Gene-Prime fallen, all Ultramarines would fall into a state of true, unceasing berserk fury, and their rage would cloud their minds, leading to their deaths in battle.

At least until the war was over, Marius Gage had to keep the secret strictly.

Even if he was judged by his brothers later, even if he was cursed by his brothers, he had to keep the secret.

The warship was restarting, and astronomical amounts of data were being processed by the Thinker System. Soon, the captain reported several anomalous locations, suspected boarding attacks by the Word Bearers.