Chapter 70: Genestealers Guarding the Imperial Gate |
"For the Brass Lord!"
The mutant champion's roar shattered the rusted casing of the abandoned pipes. The xenos skulls hanging from his waist collided, rattling out a blasphemous requiem.
On his chest plate, a foul fusion of flesh and scrap metal, eight maws churning with magma erupted simultaneously. Sulfurous smoke wove a scarlet web among the symbols of Chaos, transforming the entire alleyway into a sacrificial ground for the Skull Lord.
Behind him, the Khorne cultists let out fiery roars, swearing to find the Chosen Champion hidden within the hive city for the Skull Lord.
"For the Four-Armed Emperor!"
The carapace scales of the Genestealer Killers refracted iridescent hues in the glare of burning promethium. The roar of their twin-linked bolters and the hum of their power glaives intertwined into a deadly hymn.
Behind them, the bald cultists cheered with fanatic zeal, swearing to carve out the right to survival for their comrades from the clutches of these heretical minions.
And upon this chaotic battlefield, where was humanity?
Everyone's gaze fell upon the background of this brutal melee.
They were dying with every passing second, like a fragile skiff caught between two crashing waves, constantly at risk of capsizing.
"...Genestealers Guarding the Imperial Gate..."
Karna sighed over the internal comms.
"Say no more."
Romulus felt like he was about to lose his mind.
The dark humor they used to joke about was now playing out right in front of them. In this very minute, the transmigrators truly understood what it meant to be unable to bear the sight of something.
Just look at the frontline battlefield, locked in an absolute bloodbath.
Romulus looked up, but immediately tore his gaze away as if pricked by a needle, covering his forehead with his hand.
Looking on the bright side, with two hyenas tearing at each other, the devourers and the marauders engaged in mutual slaughter, they could seize more opportunities in the chaos.
"I will confirm whether this planet is worth preserving as soon as possible."
Cawl was the first to tear himself away from the horrific footage.
By the standards of some fanatical Inquisitors, there was already no need to even attempt reclaiming this world.
"Archmagos, I need you to have the fleet constantly monitor the system for any gravitational anomalies."
Having made a preliminary assessment of the Genestealer numbers from the footage, Romulus pressed his comms bead and spoke.
"If we are going to establish a temporary stronghold on this planet, I fear more enemies are on the way."
The presence of fifth-generation purebloods on the battlefield indicated that the planet's infection had reached its terminal stage. Based on the information the transmigrators possessed, combined with the shadow already approaching in the Warp, the Tyranid swarm was imminent.
This so-called Genestealers Guarding the Imperial Gate was like taking out a loan. While you enjoyed the temporary benefits brought by these xenos, the debt collectors were already en route.
And the debt was everything on this entire planet.
"...Enemies from outside the galaxy?"
"Exactly."
Romulus replied, "Their numbers are colossal."
"...I understand. The fleet will stay clear of Pierred's satellite orbit and maintain real-time surveillance on the galactic edge."
After a microsecond of static screech, Cawl's voice rang out.
Romulus could not really understand binary cant, but he could faintly sense the Archmagos's frustration.
It was like finally achieving a breakthrough on a project you had been grinding on forever, only to find that every step forward was met with something trying to destroy your hard work. The difficulty kept ramping up with every move, as if the entire universe was conspiring against you.
Essentially, the universe just refused to let you succeed.
Under these circumstances, anyone who did not go entirely mad was a saint.
"Lord Romulus."
As Romulus finished assigning tasks to the various units, Arabella approached him directly.
"If you intend to unify the human forces on this planet, I believe we should try incorporating the power of the Ecclesiarchy."
The crisp clack of her armored boot heels striking the marble floor startled a recently dormant servo-skull awake.
"This planet?"
Romulus frowned slightly. Ripples of data flickered across his eyes, projecting the scene from the Imperial Vision onto the inside of his retinas.
In the upper hive city regions, the golden specks of light symbolizing the Imperial faithful were intermingling with the slowly dissipating shadows and the chaotic mess of the Warp.
That was the one drawback of a daemon's vision. Once the distance increased and the variety of targets grew, everything overlapped and blurred into a convoluted mass.
"Given the state of the Imperial nobility, I think you shouldn't get your hopes up, Arabella."
The servo-skull vented a hiss of high-pressure gas, as if letting out a sigh on behalf of its master.
"Steel arms our flesh, and faith arms our souls. If even they collapse..."
Arabella hesitated for a moment, her knuckles unconsciously rubbing against the rosary beads on her chest. The saintly relics sealed within the glass beads emitted a faint glow.
Finally, she spoke bluntly:
"I'm afraid this planet will lose the Emperor's divine protection."
"I understand."
Romulus nodded. In his mind, the fully constructed tactical holographic platform automatically raised a projection of the known sectors, marking the coordinates of the Ecclesiarchy cathedral in a pale yellow, prioritizing it just below Chaos and the Genestealers.
Just then, Arthur's voice suddenly rang out over the encrypted frequency exclusive to the transmigrators.
"Apologies."
He raised a hand to gesture.
"I found something else."
Arthur's voice barged into the comms channel, accompanied by the low roar of data processing. He was currently standing in a data storage sector packed to the brim with cogitators.
"Before we landed, these Genestealers were launching focused assaults on the Order of the Bloody Rose's reliquary sectors and conducting infiltration ops against multiple human communities. With the Genestealers currently in disarray, the pressure on those areas has eased. Reference materials suggest they possess considerable resistance capabilities."
Before finishing, he added another comment.
"Chaos is going to be incredibly difficult to deal with once they lose the Genestealers' suppression. If we don't want them wiped out by Chaos, we need to move fast."
"Wait, could you hear us talking just now?"
Romulus's hand hovered over the tactical sandbox that was still being compiled.
"Yeah."
Arthur's reply was succinct.
"Huh?"
"?"
Arthur tilted his head, the edges of his tactical visor flashing with a soft blue glow that feigned absolute innocence.
'What is my brother-in-arms so surprised about?'
"Didn't you give me the clearance? I have the authority to monitor every single one of you during the mission."
'So after I gave you clearance, you've actually been eavesdropping on us this whole time?'
Romulus's mouth twitched.
His unspoken complaint translated into a spasm from the servo-skull. The incense burner embedded within the cranium puffed out a cloud of gray mist symbolizing sheer helplessness, finally turning into a single sentence.
"Never mind."
Faced with his brother-in-arms' sheer professional competence, what else could Romulus be but happy?
"Alright then."
Arthur cut the comms, falling silent like a phantom.
Romulus lowered his head and resumed his work.
The extinguished lenses of his tactical visor reflected the data Arthur had just transmitted. It contained the details of his report, along with various video files that had already been categorized.