In this dark age, glory was indeed everything to a naval officer of noble birth.
The Gemstone is no longer just cold metal; it is his honor, his foundation, his life.
There's no point in trying to dissuade them anymore.
"I'll go prepare your personal guard." Karen lowered her head, her voice hoarse.
"I will personally inspect the Celestial Lions Armor and your weapons."
"Go ahead." Dominic nodded and looked back at the holographic projection.
"Have the guards stand by at assembly point number two."
"Furthermore, notify all rear defense lines to delay them at all costs, even if it means sacrificing lives, to halt their advance."
"Yes."
Karen turned and quickly left the command center.
Dominic stood alone in front of the command platform, his fingers gently stroking the family crest engraved on his chest.
The cold metallic touch traveled from his fingertips, and his gaze gradually sharpened.
The weariness and helplessness of that moment receded like the tide, replaced by the cold resolve of a soldier about to head to the battlefield.
Death Guard.
He silently repeated the word in his mind.
Let's go then.
On the other side of the defensive line, the situation was developing exactly as Dominic had feared: the snowball of the plague was growing larger and larger.
After breaking through the first line of defense, Phelps barely stopped.
The army of zombies, carrying the bodies of newly fallen defenders, continued their advance; the soldiers who had just died were not yet cold.
Staggering to his feet under the influence of the plague, he joined the attacking force, bewildered and confused.
One defensive line after another was breached.
With each breakthrough, the plague army grew larger.
The original eight thousand zombies, after devouring the defenders of several lines of defense, swelled to thirty thousand.
The number of corrupted plague vehicles has increased from a few dozen at the beginning to more than a hundred, including several captured Sentinel Walker and tanks.
Their firepower and defense are far superior to those of light vehicles.
Even more frightening is that as the concentration of the Warp plague continues to increase, more advanced forms of corruption begin to appear.
Plaguebearer are monsters that are much larger and more bloated than ordinary zombies, their bellies filled with corrosive pus and plague spores.
Wherever it goes, it spreads disease; once it's destroyed, it causes a widespread plague outbreak.
Still fueled by Warp energy, the mutated and fused Chaos Spawn frantically attacked everything alive.
There were also smaller plague demons, like buzzing swarms of plague insects, spreading along the ventilation ducts, leaving no survivors in their wake.
Phelps walked at the very front of the army, the deck beneath his feet groaning slightly under his weight.
He didn't even need to take action himself; he only needed to lead the Plague Marine to break through the strongest points of each defensive line, and the plague and the army of zombies would take care of the rest.
It was almost effortless.
As he led his army through the last outer defensive line and turned into a wide circular corridor.
A massive brass gate, engraved with the emblems and runes of the Adeptus Mechanicus, appeared not far from him.
Machine God.
The heart of the Gemstone.
Phelps stopped, looked up, and his cloudy gaze fell on the door.
The Machine Spirit on the door sensed the approach of Chaos and emitted a low, angry hum, causing the entire door to tremble slightly, and the holy emblem to flash a wary red light.
We've finally arrived.
Once we break through this last line of defense, we can reach that exciting... deepest part of the fleet.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Unlike the previous hastily erected temporary fortifications, this defensive line was remarkably well-organized.
Twelve Sentinel Walker were arranged in a wedge shape at the forefront of the position, their twin-mounted laser cannons pointing coldly at the entrance to the passage.
More than twenty Leman Russ Russ and Chimera Armoured Vehicle were lined up in a staggered formation, with Heavy Bolter and grenade launchers stacked layer upon layer, forming an impenetrable net of fire.
In the center of the position stood several red-robed Tech-Priest, their servo arms gleaming with a cold metallic light as they continuously adjusted the fire control array on the position.
There were no Ministorum Priest.
There was no golden aura of faith, nor any loudly chanted hymns.
The entire defensive line was built entirely of mechanical firepower, resembling an abandoned steel fortress, exuding a sense of despondency and resignation.
Have you given up?
Behind Phelps, a Plague Marine spoke in a muffled voice, his voice carrying the gurgling sound of putrid fluid.
"Of course." Phelps ' voice was hoarse and calm, as if stating a very simple fact.
"The will of mortals is inherently fragile."
"Watching three lines of defense crumble before your eyes, seeing your comrades fall one after another and turn into zombies, it's only natural to have a mental breakdown and make poor decisions."
He had seen this kind of scene far too many times.
From the Great Crusade to the Horus Heresy, and then to the Chaos Crusade, those self-proclaimed steadfast Imperium warriors ultimately succumbed to fear in the face of their Grandfather's plague.
Without the support of faith, a defense line built purely of steel is nothing more than a slightly thicker piece of paper, easily torn apart.
"Advance, crush them."
Phelps pointed his warhammer forward, and the order spread throughout the army via the plague network.
Thirty thousand Plague Zombie let out low, hoarse growls, surging forward like a turbid tide of rotting flesh.
Hundreds of plague vehicles roared in on both sides, their corroded cannons raised, and dark green, corrupted shells slammed into the Imperium positions with a piercing whistle.
In an instant, the entire passage was filled with the roar of artillery fire.
The Imperium defenders opened fire first.
The Sentinel Walker ' laser beams formed a red net, precisely sweeping across the charging horde of zombies. Each beam pierced through several rotting bodies, leaving charred holes.
The tank's main gun roared continuously, high-explosive shells blasting through the horde of zombies, creating clumps of blood and flesh, shrapnel flying everywhere and tearing the surrounding zombies to shreds.
The projection output of purely mechanical firepower is far more stable and devastating than that of mixed forces.
The Plague Zombie ' charge was abruptly halted 300 meters from the position, falling in droves like harvested wheat stalks.
The plague vehicles' counterattack also quickly followed.
Corrosive shells slammed into the armored vehicle, splashing out large amounts of dark green venom. The metal armor hissed and crackled as it corroded, emitting pungent white smoke.
However, the anticipated rapid spread of the plague did not occur after the venom splashed onto the battlefield.
The soldiers splashed with the venom simply screamed and collapsed, their wounds festering and rotting.
However, it did not turn black and swell instantly like before, nor did it stagger to its feet and turn into a zombie within tens of seconds.
The epidemic seemed to be choked by something, remaining only at the level of physical decay, and failing to erupt at the level of the soul.
"Um?"
Phelps frowned slightly.
He could feel that the plague germs in the air had hit an invisible barrier, and their activity was suppressed to the extreme.
The Rust Plague's corrosive effect on machinery was also greatly reduced; even after the Sentinel Walker's armor was hit by several corrosive bombs, only the surface layer rusted.
It didn't grow flesh and blood as rapidly as before, nor did it completely spiral out of control.
Something's not right.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suppressed it.
Perhaps it was because the Machine Spirit surrounding the Machine God were powerful and possessed inherent Warp resistance, or perhaps the opponent had sprayed a purifying agent beforehand.
Ultimately, these are just petty tricks of ordinary people; they won't last long.
Once it's posted, it'll still be a massacre.
He no longer dwelled on the stalemate of long-range firefights.
No matter how powerful the firepower of mechanized units is, close combat remains their weakness.
As long as the Death Guard break through the enemy's lines of fire, these cold, hard iron lumps will eventually become nourishment for the Grandfather.
"Soldiers, charge with me!"
With a low growl, Phelps commanded the twenty-two Plague Marine to activate their thrusters simultaneously, their heavy bodies surging over the horde of zombies.
Like twenty-two tanks, they crashed straight into the central node of the Imperium defense line.
Once this breach is made, the Machine God will be ours for the taking.
Just as they broke through the horde of zombies and were less than thirty meters from their position, the alloy dome above them suddenly emitted a piercing tearing sound.
"Boom!!"
Large slabs of rusted metal crashed down, sending dust and Mars flying.
Seven tall figures clad in pure white, meticulously Terminator Armour were accompanied by seven Sisters of Silence in golden armor and plain robes.
He leaped down from the upper maintenance mezzanine and landed steadily between the Plague Marine and the Imperium defenses.
The white Terminator armor had a mirror-like finish, and the chest plate was engraved with the crest of the Ventria family.
The twin-barreled Boltgun in the main hand was ready to fire, while the Power Claw in the secondary hand emitted a cold blue force field.
The leader was particularly tall and imposing. His helmet visor slowly rose, revealing Dominic's cold and handsome face, with fiery red, tousled hair and blue eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife.
The seven Sisters of Silence beside him were clad in Vratine Armour, with half of their faces covered by visors, revealing only the upper half.
They carried no weapons, but stood quietly, their bodies emanating a faint silver force field invisible to ordinary people.
Like a pool of ice water, it extinguished all the restless Warp energy in the air.
The Celestial Lions Terminator Squad, Sisters of Silence.
The strongest individual combatants on the Gemstone are all here.