Dominic's coma was not long.
Twenty-eight minutes later, Dominic opened his eyes to the sound of a loud communication alarm.
He lay in his captain's rest room, his charred military uniform had been changed, and his wounds were treated with medicine.
There was no excruciating pain that I had expected, only a faint soreness and numbness deep in my muscles, as if I had just gone through a high-intensity weight training session, far from being a serious injury.
He knew in his heart that the Machine Spirit had shown mercy.
If it were anyone else struck by the Machine Spirit's Thunder for that long, they would have been reduced to a pile of charred remains long ago.
"General, you're awake?" Karen, who was guarding outside the door, came in immediately upon hearing the noise, his face still showing lingering anxiety.
"Urgent report from the ground: something's happened in Midtown."
Dominic threw off the covers and stood up, letting the orderly help him change into his brand-new major general's uniform, while quickly glancing at the battle report.
Every word on the paper weighs a ton.
The ritual at the nine recruitment camps went out of control, and flesh-and-blood Aberrant burst forth from the ground, covering several kilometers of Warp Domain.
The Sons of Thousand Sons Chapter has arrived, led by a high-ranking wizard of the Thousand Sons, with countless Rubric Marines, Scarab Occult Terminators, and demon servants of the Four Gods under his command.
Bishop Jensen's garrison suffered repeated defeats, and the first line of defense had fallen. The Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Legion of the Iron Guard had suffered more than half their casualties and were desperately resisting by relying on the buildings in the city.
The Thousand Sons.
The Fifteenth Rebel Legion, the Wizard Legion.
Dominic's fingers tightened suddenly, crumpling the battle report.
An even more troublesome and elusive adversary than Death Guard has descended upon Brevis.
What could possibly be so compelling about this remote, borderland planet that would draw such traitors?
"Immediately connect to the Governor's Office's encrypted channel." He strode towards the command console, his voice hoarse from just waking up.
"Receive Lady Isolde."
The communication was established quickly, Isolde's calm face appeared on the screen.
The person in charge of the Governor's Mansion stood in the command room on the top floor of the Governor's Mansion, with a dense array of tactical light screens behind him. His eyes were bloodshot, but he showed no sign of panic.
"Major General Dominic," Isolde spoke first.
"We have received news of the crisis on the Gemstone."
" The Machine Spirit crisis has been resolved." Dominic cut to the chase without beating around the bush.
"I can deploy the Tithe Fleet to provide orbital fire support for the ground."
He stared directly at the woman on the screen, his tone heavy:
"Lady Isolde, listen to my advice."
"Some things can be given up, but preserving Brevis is the most important thing."
Isolde on the other side of the screen was silent for a second.
She certainly understood Dominic's implied meaning.
She knew perfectly well what orbital bombing meant.
Once the spear of light falls, the area it covers will be completely razed to the ground. The civilians who could not evacuate in time, the remaining industrial facilities, and the Chaos army will all be reduced to ashes.
The cost was devastating.
Midtown is the industrial heart of Brevis, home to hundreds of millions of people; abandoning it would result in incalculable losses.
But she knew even better that Dominic wasn't exaggerating.
The Thousand Sons is no ordinary Chaos Warband; it has high-ranking wizards at its helm and is empowered by Warp Domain.
If they gain a foothold, it won't just be Midtown that expands; the entire planet Brevis will become a new playground for the Four Gods' Great Game.
"I understand." Isolde took a deep breath, his voice so calm it betrayed no emotion.
"I will immediately organize the evacuation of personnel from the core area and demarcate the bombing coordinates."
"The coordinates will be synchronized to the Gemstone in ten minutes."
"No problem." Dominic nodded slightly.
With communications cut off, a somber atmosphere filled the command center.
Everyone knew that issuing this order meant countless lives would be reduced to dust by the orbital light spears.
In the dark forty-first year, making choices was the norm.
There were no sacrifices too great to be accepted; nor were there betrayals too minor to be forgiven.
Meanwhile, on the third basement level of Saint Garus Castle.
The roar of artillery fire mingled with the howls of demons, sending dust plumes into the air.
Lynn stood on the high command platform, his gaze passing over the layers of firefighting lines and landing on the arrogant figure beside the Warp Rift.
Luna floated to the side of the Gate of Calamity, her sorcery staff raised high, its eerie blue magical light continuously illuminating the demon army.
Watching the human defenders retreat step by step, she laughed maniacally, her voice beneath the mask sharp as fingernails scraping against glass:
"Do you see that, Kerry? This is the power of Chaos! Your painstakingly built Brevis will ultimately be reduced to dust by the might of the Lord of Change!"
Her voice, amplified by magic, echoed across half the battlefield, her triumph palpable.
Lynn looked at her smug expression, chuckled softly, and shook his head.
"Idiot."
His voice was very soft, completely inaudible amidst the gunfire, but it carried an undisguised sarcasm.
Luna still thought this was her victory, and that the Gate of Calamity was her biggest trump card.
Little did she know that the nine altars she had painstakingly built and the Warp Rift she had torn open would ultimately only pave the way for the Thousand Sons.
Atia and his Thousand Sons War Gang descended upon the Midtown, their energy fluctuations detectable across most of the city.
That vast and eerie aura of witchcraft was far beyond what Luna, a half-baked champion wizard, could match.
In truth, Luna's skills are so limited that she's not even worthy of carrying the shoes of Thousand Sons high-ranking wizard.
Once Atia defeats Brevis, the first person he'll probably settle scores with is that foolish and arrogant "traitor."
All that hard work and planning over half a year turned out to be nothing more than a waste of time and effort.
What else could you be but an idiot?
"The energy of the Gate of Calamity is waning."
Rena's voice echoed in my consciousness, carrying the calmness characteristic of the Tyranids:
" Luna's power can't hold up such a large rift. In at most another hour, the Warp gate will close completely."
"The remaining demonic forces, with the Vanguard and the Plague Cleansing Cult working together, are enough to wipe them out."
Lynn nodded.
Luna is no longer a threat.
The real threat lies in Midtown.
The Thousand Sons, high-ranking wizards, and that Warp Domain capable of distorting reality.
This is the real enemy that can shake Brevis's foundation.
"Let's move out and regroup towards Midtown."
Lynn turned and walked off the command platform, but after taking only two steps, his brows furrowed suddenly.
The communication channel was filled with crackling static; the real-time contact that had been maintained with the reserve forces on the perimeter had been completely severed at some point.
" Rena, what's the situation on the outside?"
"The reinforcement route has been cut off." Rena's tone became more serious.
"All external access points to Saint Garus Castle have been blocked by an unknown force."
"Just ten minutes ago, a large number of Chaos Cultist poured out from the noble territories of the Uptown and silently surrounded the entire castle."
"The believers are a diverse group, bearing the marks of all four gods, yet they cooperate seamlessly without being subordinate to any one of them."
Lynn stopped in his tracks.
They are independent of each other, and their four divine marks are mixed, yet they can act in unison.
" Chaos Undivided."