Chapter 383: Battle of Steel

The Red Corsairs' steps were like a nightmare that crushed everything. The tracks of heavy tanks flattened the bumpy and cratered land. The bodies of the dead Imperial Guards were randomly filled in the trenches. The ground was covered with broken flesh and discarded weapons and armor. The traces of death filled the high-quality air of the upper nest with a bloody smell, and were finally absorbed by the air circulation system and liquid circulation system that worked all the time.

The flesh and blood of the bones returned to the soil, but there were no plants to consume those nutrients. This piece of soil would turn into a completely dead land. In the future, only those who came to mourn the unknown soldiers and the sacrificed people would kindly offer prayers for them, begging their souls to be among the top of the long list of the Emperor's thousands of believers.

If there is anything different about this land of death, it is that five lonely heads in the central area of ​​the trench are hung on the edge of the trench by wooden spikes, like a clumsy altar, and a part of the broken armor outlines a rough eight-pointed star.

The long Land Raider tracks on the ground expressed the traitorous Space Marines. The time used by those villains to break through this line of defense was beyond imagination, just less than five hours.

Now there is only death, silence, and blood on this soil. A legion of the loyalists of the Empire was annihilated, and half of the artillery regiment, with a total strength of more than 20,000 people, has now turned into dead dust, but it did not attack the Space Marines at all, but only consumed most of the mortal servants, and those cheap things are more than water for the traitor Space Marines.

Those consumables will be replenished soon, but it still takes some time, but the heavy firepower of the Imperial Guard has been injured. Before the redeployment and officer dispatch, the heavy artillery prelude will no longer exist.

Hundreds of heavy tanks stepped on the soil, and the soft and moist soil could not hinder their way. The next ten kilometers can be completed in less than half an hour, and then another bloody massacre awaits them, and they enjoy it all.

Oneus Praid was looking forward to those battle lines. He had heard about the bravery and strength of the Skadi people, from the strategy of defeating the Red Pirates in the forest world to subduing the entire star zone in the void. He had seen too many lords who were pretentious, especially mortal lords, but Skadi and Alanbair made him excited, and he wanted to trample those honors under his feet like conquering women.

He is now a powerful war commander and the vanguard of the Red Pirates. He also has mastered many secrets, and he believes that he will become a dark lord in the future, truly mastering thousands of Astartes and conquering one side.

For this, he has traveled thousands of light years and spent several years. Now all his grand plans are missing, ten kilometers, ten kilometers of soft soil, ten kilometers of bloody war. He felt like he was at the peak of foreplay, his heartbeat accelerated, dopamine continued, and his multiple hearts were constantly beating. He licked the corners of his mouth, as if what was in front of him was not a battlefield, but a very beautiful woman.

And his brother also felt his emotions. The Red Pirate Champion walking beside the vehicle couldn't help asking. "What, do you still want to enjoy women?" Although they are not real brothers, the close combat and the belief in the gods have made them have a weak emotional empathy with each other.

The social interaction of the Astartes is not as silent and emotionless as mortals see. Their designs from the Emperor allow those warriors to clearly feel what their fighting brothers think and feel through their armor.

Oneus Praid explained his ideas and great plans slowly, and the champion listened with relish. He is also a warrior with a hot heart. If his, this man's great plan is feasible, he also knows that many brothers are dissatisfied with Huron.

Although the Blackheart King is powerful, great, smart and charming, he has been running around because of the pressure from the Skadi people during this period, and even sold his soul to the gods. The champion previously admired the Blackheart King's strong courage in treating the Astartes as equals to the gods.

But after being influenced by what he saw and heard again and again, when he believed in Khorne and gained power, such behavior became ridiculous. Now he sold his soul and kowtowed to the gods, but he was unwilling to admit that he served the gods. It was ambiguous and he felt that it was meaningless. Now Oneus Praid had ambition and ability, so he also wanted to try it. Good birds choose trees to roost.

But he did not say his hesitation. Things were not really over yet, but just the beginning. They still had a long time to prepare and their long lives to squander. The gods and the emperor gave them the gift of this powerful body, which was enough for them to enjoy in this life and it was still endless.

They were only a few days away from trampling this world with iron hooves, this steel-made void platform, this valuable core of the empire, and then they would fly away with the rewards of the Red Corsairs and achieve their own ambitions.

The two of them communicated with each other, and they had not spoken, but they had understood each other. This was how battle brothers were. Although they were not blood relatives, they were much better than blood relatives. When they acquiesced to each other, the champion pulled out his favorite tactical dagger from his waist and engraved it exquisitely with the tip of the knife, like a meticulous machine.

It was an ancient language that only people inside the Maelstrom could understand. It was written in a style different from Gothic. It was born out of the gray era when the Eldar ruled humans in that area, before the Emperor appeared, and humans were destroyed by the Iron Man and enslaved.

Its meaning was. [I am willing to be a shield]

He handed over the weapon he carried with him. As a Space Marine, promising such words meant that he was willing to bend, but he pressed the words with iron filings, pressed them solid with superhuman strength, and poured wet starch on them as a glue to make the words invisible.

"Brother, you will need it in the future."

Oneus Praid said. "I don't lack blades."

The champion replied. "This is not a knife, but a shield."

Oneus Praid replied. "If this is not humor, then I must accept it, and it will protect me, right?"

The champion spoke. "Of course."

The two of them understood each other and continued to move forward, and the Empire was ready. In a very short time, the 113th Armored Regiment of Flakesia and the 1st Armored Regiment of Pangia were waiting at a place with a raised hillside due to the former buildings.

Two hundred Lemanus tanks, Chimaera armored vehicles, Salamander tanks, and Rogaldorn tanks formed an armored array that attacked from top to bottom on the slope. Dozens of Lemanus and Rogaldorn, two main medium and heavy tanks named after the Primarch, were separated by their weight. Rogaldorn was responsible for absorbing damage with its thick armor, while Lemanus equipped with the Crusher cannon dealt heavy damage.

The Rogaldorn tank, a behemoth-like armored vehicle, had a huge muzzle that was very suitable for crushing the enemy's defenses and fixed positions. The heavy armor required a deep penetration to penetrate the core. It was the heavy armor of the Rogaldorn tank that made its defense match the name of the Primarch.

Those heavy giants fired at the flanks of the advancing legion from high above. The cannons of the Lemanus Crusher and Rogal Dorn tanks turned into earth-shaking cannons and penetrated the flanks of the Land Raiders. Several tanks burst into flames uncontrollably. Dozens of Space Marines immediately jumped out of the cockpits and vehicle windows. The red tanks rushed to the right out of control, and only stopped after intercepting several companions' vehicles and hitting several Space Marines.

The Imperial Guard's preemptive strike was very effective. The second shot was also faster than most people imagined. These two well-trained armored legions were as tacit as brothers. The Chimera armored vehicles also continuously transported supplies and infantry, providing them with manpower and material resources. There were even crudely processed fortifications in front of the tanks.

This time, the Space Marines were caught off guard. Even Oneus Praid did not expect that the Imperial Guards could ignore the heavy losses on the front line so quickly, and at the same time quickly prepare the armored forces to flank them on the hillside.

The second salvo came, the powerful firepower of the Destroyer cannon was enough to overturn light vehicles with just the aftermath, and the Space Marines were blown to pieces. At the same time, the ability of Rogal Dorn's Suppressor heavy cannon was far beyond the Space Marines' expectations, and even the heaviest Land Marauder could be penetrated instantly.

They kept a considerable distance between them, so that the infantry could not rely on assault backpacks or melta weapons for assistance. Even the Space Marines could only witness this chaotic war, but a small number of Space Marines equipped with anti-tank missiles raised their weapons. Their range was sufficient and their accuracy was good.

After the whizzing sound, several missiles flew away, and after hitting the outer armor of the Rogal Dorn tank, there was no news. Although this heavy tank was slower than the Lemanus, it had powerful armor, and the defense of the engineering troops protected its flanks. Even the armor-piercing missiles of the Space Marines could hardly meet the penetration depth of its destruction.

At this moment, the Space Marines could only endure the artillery fire. They made the mistake of advancing rashly when the mortal supplies had not yet arrived. The distance of only ten kilometers has now become an overwhelming natural barrier in the Emperor's steel torrent.

Oneus Praid shouted angrily. "Where is the Scimitar?"

The crews who could still answer could only report their coordinates to appease the commander's anger, and their answers only angered the warriors, because the Scimitar super-heavy tanks they relied on most were unable to turn quickly due to the muddy soil to approach the war zone.

If this continues, their troops will suffer heavy losses, and the counterattack of the Marauder tanks will have little effect because Rogal Dorn's flanks are covered by adamantium-cast bunkers. Except for the good luck of hitting the inside of the barrel to ignite the ammunition, or hitting the observation window, causing the death of the crew, they have no more effective way to destroy the enemy's engine.

Those steel machine spirits blocked them with shells, which made Oneus Praid irritable and impatient. However, there was a way to solve this problem. Those tanks connected together like a wall, relying on the side of the slope to form a shooting surface from top to bottom, had extremely strong firepower, forcing those Space Marines to dodge and flee.

With the side armor tightly protected and being shot from a high position, the powerful armored forces of the Space Marines could only endure. They could hold on for so long because of the powerful armor of the Marauder tanks and the exaggerated morale of the Space Marines.

But if this continued, their grand plan would probably stop here, until Oneus Praid heard the voice of the champion.

"Brother, let me take a few elite squads with assault backpacks and a Marauder. We can break through the hillside, occupy that area, melt the obstructing works with hot melt bombs, and eliminate a few tanks to prepare time for the arrival of the Scimitar super heavy tank."

Onius Plaid couldn't help but ask. "You want to give orders in a critical situation? Those Imperial Guards are well prepared. I believe their number of guards will not be too bad. They also have Hydra anti-aircraft tanks that protect the firepower of heavy tanks as anti-infantry equipment. This time there is no chance of disaster!"

replied the champion. "But as a warrior, you should survive like this. You and I are the same kind of people, but what you want is not to charge into battle, but the essence of the beautiful existence of the battlefield, killing and madness."

"I believe in the skull and the throne. For that person and my own desires, those black holes that cannot be filled, the madness that continues to expand in the void in my heart, I will not stop here."

"Praise the gods, I have abandoned my trust in the Corpse Emperor. At this point, I no longer fear death. Even if my corpse dies, as long as the real universe is torn open in the subspace one day, I will die with my immortal body. Come back, that is my Lord’s promise to me, the dream of eternal war.”

"So, brother, I never wake up, now I'm not alive, and I'm not dead when I die, everything the gods have given me makes me despise those things, and you just have to remember that when your grand plan is complete, Show me my dagger to whoever you think is brave, and you will get a shield.”

The twisted friendship between these two brothers is disgusting, but the irony is that chaos cannot represent ruthlessness. When Onius Praid acquiesced in this matter, he let the champion call out his favorite warrior, just as he said , Victory will leave him with great honor in his long career, but failure will only return to his master, and his soul will continue to fight.

Onius Plaid even envied him a little. He was jealous of the gods and even feared them, but he had never seen anyone so pure that he was moved and envied.

He looked at the roaring cannons in the distance, the roar of the Imperial Guard, the Emperor's obstruction, and this cold, dark hive, all man-made things, and felt filled with hardship and hardship. He enjoyed everything and wanted to seize it. After all, now he feels that what he needs is not any great achievements, but a...faith like when he admired the original body and the Corpse Emperor when he was in the battle group.

He suddenly lowered his head and prayed to the gods who were paying attention to him, hoping that the man who enlightened him would come back, and then tell him how many wonderful secrets in this world have not yet been opened.

And in the void, in the underworld, in the subspace, in the supreme sky, the gods who need believers see the value in his huge desire, in that place where men and women are indistinguishable, sensual and sensual.

The eyes of an ancient and young cosmic god faintly glanced at the stupid and romantic man. Astartes looked so insignificant at the moment. Onius Plaid, an arrogant man, He looks so pious at this moment.

The funny thing is, loyalty, expulsion, confusion, recognition again, going round and round, Onius Plaid has reached his starting point again.