Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

Page 742

"I hope we'll have the chance to meet again someday."

The Krut's rough voice was like rocks scraping across the earth, and the profound meaning it contained seemed to make the two Tau shiver. But there was no need to linger. The best opportunity to leave was fleeting. If they could not escape in this moment, the human Empire fleet that had infiltrated would catch up with them.

"See you again if we are destined."

Ether said, his words fading into the long corridor behind him, where rows of tall buildings cast silhouettes in the sunlight—a scene of prosperity and peace, yet they were about to abandon them once more.

The rest is up to Yingyang.

They will drift again.

Until the day of liberation.

....................................

Before the aftershocks of the explosion had subsided, thick smoke billowed from the wreckage of the first defensive wall, scorching past the bone helmets and rising toward the falling sky.

The bright white arcs of psionic electricity dissipated, frost climbed the ground, and a lone figure stood not far from the defensive wall. The Supreme Commander's white eyes pierced through the surroundings as he wrapped his arm around the giant scythe and calmly mixed potions with his hands.

Shake it three times, then let go.

Snapped!

The crisp, light sound, choked amidst the deafening bombardment and engine roar, was so hard to ignore, like the raised claw of a demon, instantly billowing white mist and exhaling the breath of withered bones!

Through the eerie smoke, pairs of white eyes lit up, the combat goggles activated in fog mode, and the demons hidden in the smoke were now ravenously hungry, as the Pale Lord was summoning his minions.

On the other hand, beyond the towering, enhanced Tidal Wall of the Tau race before them—

The array of attacking gunboats left trails of dust on the hills, while giant schools of rays cast unsettling shadows across the hills. Countless flying fish were gathering, and support formations of machine bees swarmed in like locusts.

Further along the horizon, a group of mechs the size of knights flashed past the exploding light on the horizon. Among the gunboats and missile boats that assisted them, the tall mechs were aiming—waiting for the army in the sky to send coordinates so that their gaze could pierce through the eerie white mist.

On the tidal barrier, the turrets had already taken aim, but remained silent and hesitant to attack amidst the swarm of bees surrounding them—perhaps they were waiting for the moment their target would be exposed.

Facing an almost entirely deployed Tau army, Mortarian's force was actually slightly outnumbered.

But the Primarch didn't say much; Death simply stood there calmly—seemingly unafraid of the devastating missiles being launched from the other side.

Let's have some fun.

Mortarian did not turn around, but behind him, deafening bells and hymns suddenly rang out.

However, I promised to let them come first.

The charge horn sounded, but it possessed a ferocity and fervor far exceeding that of the Death Guard. Crimson and black banners fluttered in the wind, and violent lightning, as if summoning heavenly thunder, struck the earth. Amidst binary prayers, the Titan and Knight forces were deployed.

"For Om Messiah! Praise be to Hades!!!"

Ignoring the noise of the Mechanicus members, the issue of long-range firepower... Mortalian thought calmly. He did have some idea of ​​it, and hadn't originally intended to bring too many.

After all, the logistics forces were too slow, but there was no other way; Hades had built too many Titans and Knights.

At the feet of these behemoths, the long-range firepower such as the Lion-tailed Scorpion missile vehicle was somewhat inadequate, even though Mortarion had brought quite a few missile vehicles, all of which were the Hades Selected Mod. Just look at the surging green light at the muzzle of those cannons.

As the Titans and Knights secured absolute airspace control, Thunderhawks and Stormbirds emerged from the clouds in the sky, with the massive modified Valkyrie slowly following behind the flock of birds as drones were deployed.

The Mechanicus, who had been relentlessly looting and plundering behind the Death Guard, finally stepped onto the battlefield. Although Mortarion had previously allowed them to participate, the Death Guard would always be the main force on the front lines.

This is an excellent opportunity to hone the new recruits.

Mortarian understood this perfectly.

Then, Death looked up again, certain that his gas had reached its destination. The psionic-enhanced gas easily passed through the energy defenses of the Tidal Barrier, even though he believed the Tau had improved their defenses against his gas.

But it was all in vain. The only one in the entire galaxy who could fight Mortarion against his poison gas was the one simmering soup in the garden.

Death seeped into the defenses, its withered hand landing on the mechs, followed by a hissing sound of corrosion, like a potion being simmered.

Mortarian lowered his eyes, seemingly saddened by the impending end of his vacation. Once this planet was conquered, everything would fall into place.

Corax went to attack another military base on the ground, while Mortarion went directly to the military fortress where Shadow Sun was located. According to observation, most of the military forces on the surface of this planet were gathered here.

All he needed to do was sever Yingyang's head and then, through the blood of the alien race, shut down the central intelligence of all military bases on the planet.

To Death's great regret, the Tau are not a race that produces many high-strength individual fighters, although their firepower may indeed be a headache for Death—but the good news is that Hades has packed this expeditionary force with a sufficient number of missiles and troops.

Before this, Mortarian was still somewhat puzzled as to why he didn't need to bring too many heavily armed troops. Facing a small alien nation, it was clearly a bit extravagant. But now, Mortarian believed that Hades was right.

Hades is clearly right—who else could be right, perhaps the Emperor?

Against the highly mobile and long-range firepower-rich Tau, you'd better have a fire support force capable of countering them.

【So……】

Mortarian said calmly that the drones and bees in the sky had already engaged in battle. After a sharp screech filled with greenery, the bee swarm instantly tore open a huge gaping hole.

Before this, Mortarion never left the battlefield. There was nothing on the battlefield worth fighting for him personally. Usually, a single Vox was enough to cut through a battlefield.

Death waited patiently, languidly, for the Tau to send out their true battle masters.

Subsequently, Mortarian realized that the Tau did not exist.

He felt a rare sense of annoyance at being fooled; the battle Death had long awaited was now a pure contest of command.

It would be better to replace him with Guilliman. Guilliman would be someone who enjoys sitting at the table fiddling with chess pieces, while Mortarion prefers to personally tear open the enemy's throat with his scythe.

At least let him fight one match, right? It can't be that after this campaign, Mortarion's biggest activity will be fighting Conrad.

Moreover, the army they were facing had already been tormented by Conrad, and to the Primarch's amazement, the accuracy of the main Tau forces here was even worse than that of the defenders they had faced before.

But—but what's in front of you is the enemy's true main force.

Okay, okay—I'll go first.

The withered skeleton spoke, and then the giant insect spread its wings and charged into the tidal barrier with unstoppable force!

"charge!"

Behind Mortarion, Vox, who had been left far behind, immediately gave the order to charge. At the same time, the sages fired cannons of praise into the air with fervor and joy, following their great Pale Lord! Titans, charge!

----------

【? 】

Conrad hissed, as if his lungs were being blown out of control, clutching his bleeding abdomen and staring at the Titan goddess before him with a puzzled expression.

In stark contrast to the disheveled Conrad, the goddess Tiva was so majestic and awe-inspiring, with 108 weapons appearing between her thousand hands, and a hazy pale blue halo reflecting her gentleness and strength on her face.

The newly born Warp Goddess was clearly well-prepared and made the necessary determination for this moment. Her two largest hands held a sword in one and a shield in the other, ready for battle.

This is my final warning to you, aliens: leave this land, for you are desecrating it.

What the heck...?

Conrad spoke softly, as if talking to himself. The Primarch, covered in filth, seemed to be instinctively shocked, like a wild beast lurking beside its prey. Conrad sized up the goddess Tivar.

Are you afraid, invader? Leave now and I might spare your life.

The goddess Tiwa swallowed hard. As a convergence of the consciousness of many races, she was still very much like a projection of her followers. She stood barefoot on the smoke of battle, her sword tip pointing at the evil beast.

This is so strange.

After circling one and a third of a circle, Conrad arrived at his answer, and the Lord of Midnight let out a strange, eerie shriek.

Even Makado has never looked this strange, how did you even grow up?!

The next moment, before the Titania could react, a dark figure leaped up, its lightning claws aimed straight for its throat!

Let me take a closer look at you!

Conrad laughed!

+?! +

--------

Hang in there, hang in there, damn it, hang in there!

Shadow Sun slid down from the command platform, coughing incessantly. With its mech damaged, the aftershocks of the explosion and the poison gas were simultaneously eroding the already frail body of the Tau race.

It looked up and saw the Manta swarm, which was enough to cover one-thirtieth of the planet's airspace, being shot down by the Titans, which were like giant warriors of the human race. The explosions, like ball lightning, rang out in the air like firecrackers, and after each flash of green light, a swarm of machine bee corpses fell from the sky like a landslide.

On the ground, the human Lion-tailed Scorpions' artillery fire roared as if it were free. Before the smoke had even cleared, the next missile cleaved through the tail of the previous one. Why didn't their missile vehicles even overheat?!

In the battle of long-range firepower, which had always been a source of pride for the Tau race, the long-range firepower was completely defeated. What made Shadow Sun even more desperate was that it could vaguely sense that the enemy's intelligent computing power was even superior to their own.

If even ranged and aerial attacks can't stop the enemy, what else can they fight back with?!

So, by close combat?!

Yingyang coughed, and the screen showed the Fire Clan core being strangled by the Death Guard. The enemy's melee and ranged firepower coordinated perfectly, no less than that of the Tau Clan.

The Krut people had already taken the opportunity to leave, and unfortunately, the situation was even more dire in the military bases far from Shadow Sun. Too many civilians slowed down the efficiency there, and the morale of the troops was low.

Despite Yingyang's best efforts to unite them.

But faced with the true cruelty of the Milky Way, they still frantically dodge away like newborn children.

Shadow Sun could sense the poisonous gas becoming increasingly concentrated. Suddenly, the Tau race looked up in a certain direction—it seemed to have heard the scream of the Tauwa goddess.

Could it be that that being wasn't killed either?!

This is utterly absurd. How could an enemy force, severely wounded in an ambush, possibly fight a Warp God? What exactly did the Imperial Empire send to deal with them?

Yingyang struggled to get up, the poisonous gas corroding its flesh, but it still managed to stand up thanks to its strong willpower. It needed to hold on until the very last moment, it didn't care... everything could be sacrificed, as long as it could hold the rear...

Its pupils suddenly blurred for a moment. It heard footsteps. The giant insect was calm and unhurried, slowly probing its tentacles into the intricate interior of the base, as if searching for something.

It's looking for me.

Shadow Sun realized this with dread.

But this also means that the enemy's supreme leader has finally arrived at the trap.

Shadow Sun forced itself to swallow its fear. It turned to look at the command screen, where the program had been initiated, and more ships were emerging from the ruins of the space station.

Shadowsun ultimately decided to stake its fate on the fleet that the human empire had initially destroyed so easily. The arrogant humans would not realize the cruelty Shadowsun intended to do; they would overlook these small ships.

"For the Greater Good."

As Yingyang murmured, the air crew on the transport ships started the engines, bringing them close enough to the atmosphere to land—so that they, laden with devastating missiles, easily crashed into the planet's embrace.

The entire planet is a trap.

A smaller, more elite army has already departed, and the main force of the Tau Empire will indeed perish here, using an entire priceless planet as bait—but in the meantime, they will exchange it for the annihilation of the enemy.

At the same time, all self-destruct programs connected to the central system were activated, and the areas beneath all enemy bases under heavy attack were hollowed out by swarms of machine bees and then filled with bombs.

As long as this sliver of hope is secured... Shadow Sun gasped for breath. The human empire, having suffered a net loss, would likely spare the remaining weak and insignificant Tau race. The allure of war lies in the fact that the gains must outweigh the losses; otherwise, war would not be initiated.

Yingyang is willing to take the risk.

Not only that, the goddess Tiwa promised it that this explosion would disrupt the warp here, and Tiwa would take the opportunity to form a warp barrier to hinder the Empire's further advance.

【found it. 】

A hoarse and deep voice suddenly pulled Yingyang back to reality. The moment it saw the monster, Yingyang recoiled sharply, almost falling over, but it managed to stay upright.

He looked disappointed.

Yingyang realized this.

The pale, insect-and-human hybrid stood silently watching it, its giant scythe hanging down, showing no intention of raising it immediately.

His shadow loomed over Yingyang.

【…】

Under immense pressure, Yingyang could no longer contain its breakdown and burst out laughing.

"monster,"

It speaks frankly, yet it is also self-destructive.

“Cruel monsters—tell me how long you’ve traveled to get to where you are today?”

【long time.】

The Bone-White Demon spoke calmly, seemingly unconcerned about the impending explosion—wasn't he terrified?! Even if he could escape, his army on the ground would be doomed!

“You, you are not afraid.”

Yingyang swallowed hard, feeling its life force rapidly draining away. Its vision blurred, and it realized that the enemy was killing it in some strange way.

"Aren't you even afraid of the power to destroy an entire planet? Do you think you can stop all of this with that mysterious power?!"

Shadow Sun roared in despair, its voice so weak and hopeless. It was not afraid of death, but it was so sad that even its final self-destruction was seen as absurd and ridiculous by the enemy.