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

Page 338

The drop pod avoided the Void Shield that the Iron Warriors had set up in Cardia, and its small size caused the missile array to ignore it. No… it wasn't necessarily because the target was too small, but the Iron Warriors' missile silos had indeed shown no reaction earlier.

Perturabo remained silent as the Iron Warriors began to assemble from within the millions of trenches. Knights stepped forward, Titans slammed heavily into the ground, and the engines of countless tanks and Stormbirds roared.

Vastor paused, a strange psionic light flashing across the craftsman's hammer it held.

+...It's alright.

The Lord of the Furnace spoke softly, but seemed somewhat hesitant.

This is... this is also part of fate, a backup plan.

We need Luojia; those who cherish the words have been entrusted with the authority to guide the power of faith, and the divine power requires them to descend.

Vashtor said, it was very persuasive.

+I will also lend you a hand, Lord of Steel. We can't delay any longer; the prelude shouldn't be too long, otherwise it will give them time to react. +

Peturabo glanced sideways, staring coldly at Vashtor.

How will you and the Word Bearers assist me?

Flames enveloped Vashtor, the cables writhing like living snakes, arcs of electricity flashing.

+I will bestow upon you the blessing of the Machine God; you will be favored by machines. +

As the Lord of the Furnace spoke, he extended his long, sharp claws and lightly touched the gun that Perturabo had casually placed on the workbench. An arc of electricity flashed, and the metal of the gun seemed to come alive, flashing with an eerie light. A rough iron chain appeared from an unknown place and wrapped around the gun.

Peturabo frowned undisguisedly, but Vashtor, focused on modifying the gun, didn't notice and continued enticingly,

+My power can be unleashed more easily through the Eye of Fear...we should be grateful for that.

Vastor hissed, "Here, it is no longer the fragile being that could only exert its power by being summoned in the physical universe. Now, it is powerful enough."

With the aid of the subspace, its power is sufficient to rival that of a false god on the physical side.

Even so, it cannot underestimate its opponent. Vashtor is unsure of Hades's true extent of power, or whether Hades or Vashtor is superior... Therefore, it needs more insurance.

"Vashtor said slowly, turning around and pacing slowly around Peturabo,"

+With a few rituals performed by the Word Bearers, I can gather my army here to fight alongside you.

That's why it has to be the Word Bearers, only those skilled in faith and religion can use the power of the Cardia, or the Thousand Sons familiar with psychic powers—but there are no more Thousand Sons, not even Ash.

Perturabo remained silent, staring at the gun, which, bound by chains, exuded a chaotic aura disliked by the Lord of Iron… It reminded him of the ships that had once been stained with rust.

In reality, Peturabo did not intend to open the Eye of Fear so hastily; he needed time and resources to deal with the monsters around him, but the Word Bearers breached their defenses too quickly.

You're very nervous.

Peturabo pointed out without hesitation,

[Those who are despised, what else have you left to say?]

Vashtor spread out one hand,

His abilities are terrifying—controlling machines, reaping souls; I think you've already witnessed it.

Peturabo's slightly mocking voice rang out.

[This is merely a way to restrain you; ranged firepower can completely circumvent these problems.]

Vashtor paused, the demigod staring silently at Peturabo, seemingly unaware of all this, still having an unclear understanding of the enemy.

Vashtor calculated that the Imperial army of the Eye of Terror currently only consisted of the Iron Hand, and time was still on their side.

It seems that Peturabo needs to face reality.

Vashtor remained silent, then its voice of compromise rang out.

You don't seem to need our help?

Peturabo stared at it with his arms crossed, tacitly acquiescing to Vashtor's words.

A steely crack appeared on Vashtor's face, and it gracefully spread its arms and bowed slightly.

+Then please, I look forward to your performance. But if things don't go well, please accept my power. Time for trial and error is limited, Lord of Iron. +

Also,

Vashtor said,

I need Luojia and Huaiyan to follow me.

Peturabo stared at Vashtor for a long time, then laughed.

[Luojia? Isn't he already your slave? Why ask me?]

Hades gazed into the distance and saw the figures of those steel warriors, and even the Titans.

In the airspace above him, the Silent Order's Thunderhawks circled, battling the Steel Warriors' air defense system, while the Silent Order's troops were also being deployed.

On the desolate continent, the silhouettes of wandering knights are vaguely discernible.

But that's not all. Hades, supporting his black scythe, stood still.

Crackling psionic energy emanated from beside him.

The earth trembled, and a divine machine descended upon the world.

Beside the unmoving Hades, the figure of the War General-level Psionic Titan suddenly appeared.

That's it, great!

Chapter 404 A Light Fight

Above the sky, a clear gray-white hue appeared, and amidst the clouds and mist, strangely fluctuating colored light watched over all things in the world.

A cold wind whistled past.

The roar of armored vehicles tore through the continent, and the tracks crushed the sand with a crunching sound. On the vast desert, a long line of deep iron, stretching as far as the eye could see, was slowly advancing. Layers of thin sand were raised, and the yellowish-brown steel was covered with dust. The steel warriors moved swiftly without slowing down in the slightest.

The sound of wind breaking came from high above. The sharp blades of the Stormbird's wings tore through the sky, revealing the blurry silhouettes of countless airships against the gray sky. Looking into the distance, the small black and gray dots stretched endlessly into the distance.

The sand and gravel trembled, then were violently shaken up. The massive steel machine passed by, and on the layers of dark gray, there was not a trace of the original Titan Legion's banners—they were corroded, then erased, and finally, the greedy Steel Lord affixed them to his own legion's banners. These belonged to the Titan family of the Steel Legion.

The knights' massive figures appeared so tiny at the Titan's feet as they nimbly weaved through the shadows of the divine machines, providing support to the steel giant.

Hades stood silently on the small rocky slope in front of the Black Stone Obelisk, frowning as he took stock of Perturabo's forces. At the same time, the bird servant scan data of the Silent Order's Thunderhawks flowed smoothly into Hades' mind.

Surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Based on previous estimates of the Iron Warrior fleet, Hades estimated that at least 80,000 Iron Warriors, along with countless armored units and Stormbird units, were stationed on this planet.

Hades frowned as he watched the figures steadily advancing.

No, something's wrong.

Hades pondered that the rebels' advance was too synchronized. In the world of sound and radio waves, this army was completely silent, almost like an army of the dead. No one gave any commands, but everyone moved as if it had been planned.

Hades originally planned to launch an electronic war first and cut off the enemy's communications, but the strange scene at this moment gave him a different idea.

At least on a physical level, Hades detected no signal whatsoever; the other side didn't need communication...

We need to get up close to find out what happened.

Hades thought, but their first task was to withstand the initial barrage of fire from the Iron Warriors. He could already hear the slow rotation of the artillery arrays and the raging energy gathering.

The advancing army also slowed down, the long armored units began raising their gun barrels, data was being calculated, and they were aiming—

Hades timed it perfectly. He first ordered the reconnaissance Thunderhawks circling in the airspace to urgently avoid this area. Although the opposing air force consisted of Stormbirds, while the Silent Order had more advanced Thunderhawks, these small birds were clearly no match for the sheer number of Iron Warriors.

Thunderhawk disappeared from Hades' sight, leaving air superiority over this area temporarily vacant. If Hades didn't fill the gap, the Iron Warrior's Stormbirds would take over.

But now, Perturabo won't send the Stormbirds, Hades knows this very well, because he knows the Iron Lord is about to unleash a massive, sweeping attack.

Hades took a few deep breaths, and pale green arcs of electricity appeared with his breath, crackling like tiny static electricity, but they were too far away—Petulabo skillfully maintained a sufficient distance, seemingly aware that distance would weaken Hades' power.

Hades pondered. The Black Stone Obelisks occupied by the Order of Silence were located at the junction of a sandy desert and a low hill. Within the sandy desert, there were three Black Stone Obelisks standing alone, arranged in a triangle. Behind the low hill, however, there was no trace of these alien buildings.

But no matter where you look, you can see the army of steel warriors from a distance. The army closest to Hades is the armored company on the sandy desert. The sharp color of steel stopped not far from the black stone obelisk in the desert, which is closest to Hades.

The good news is that the Iron Warriors who previously camped at the Black Stone Obelisk left them trenches for refuge. The trenches are dark and deep, made by the Iron Warriors, and look very sturdy.

Hades smiled, briefly recalling his past collaboration with the Iron Warrior, Trident. He wondered if Dentiok had managed to break away from the Iron Warriors in time. Hades remembered that in the original story, Perturabo banished the valiant Iron Warrior to another battlefield, thus saving Dentiok from certain death.

Hades glanced at the trenches embedded deep within the Blackstone obelisks. The Titan's strong left arm hung down beside him, and Hades silently stepped onto it, where the shadowy left hand, unique to the psionic Titan, reflected the faint sunlight.

He now has two psionic titans and a squad of ghost knights. Apart from the necessary soulless warriors guarding the Blackrock Obelisk, Hades has not ordered many soulless warriors down.

The Titan stood upright in silence, its massive steel body trembling slightly. Hades casually tapped its shoulder, and a dull sound rang out, as if sensing something. The Alpha-class psionic being forcibly imprisoned within the psionic Titan seemed to tremble slightly.

The Warlord-class Psionic Titan belongs to the Order of the Ominous. The stingy Macado eventually allocated two to the Order of Silence. Each one is powered by three psionicists and piloted by a male Untouchable. Yes, before the Order of Silence was established, female Untouchables were incorporated into the Silent Sisters, while male Untouchables were secretly trained by the Empire to be the pilots of these behemoths.

However... the Warlord-class Psionic Titan that Hades is currently riding on does not have a Soulless pilot among its crew.

A pale green arc of electricity lit up the scene, and silvery-white droplets silently flowed over the nutrient tank imprisoning the psionicist. The pilot of this behemoth was now on the outside of its cockpit, and Hades was directing it to aim at the armored cluster in the distance.

The dark gray lines were reflected in Hades's black eyes.

Did Perturabo think he would retreat into the trenches to avoid battle? No, no, no, no. Since Perturabo was the builder of these trenches, Hades was certain that the Lord of Steel knew exactly how many shells would be needed to completely destroy them.

Although the Silent Order also possessed an advanced close-in defense system, Hades believed that the temporarily deployed system was still insufficient to counter oversaturation bombardment.

So... for Hades, the choice he needs to make is quite obvious.

The engines roared, and in a very short time, Hades' troops were warmed up to their optimal condition.

Hades smiled. Peturab, who only knew how to stick to one place and seek stability and accuracy, probably never imagined what Hades would choose to do.

Based on conventional thinking, Peturab would only assume that Hades would use the fortified trenches to lead his troops to defend the stronghold they had just captured.

This is why... why his army is still too close to Hades.

Perturabo was cautious; he knew to stay away from Hades, but he was also arrogant enough to think that distance would stop Hades' scythe.

The Lord of Steel believed that Hades would never risk challenging the Iron Warriors' long front with a small army, especially without any reserves—it would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

But he underestimated Hades, who only needed to hold out until the Iron Hand arrived.

The grayish-white mist drifted listlessly, and a faint smell of gunpowder wafted past my nose.

Hades gripped his scythe, and brought the bottom of the scythe down, producing a long, resonant horn-like sound.

In an instant, the black blade charged toward the steel line.

At the same time, tens of thousands of shells whistled as they hurtled into the air, creating a giant spiderweb of black lines in the sky.

--------

In the strategy room behind the front line, Peturabo suddenly stood up and angrily "stared" at the front line.

What are they going to do? What are they doing?!

They...they want to die here?!

The cannons roared, earth and rocks flew, and scorching flames violently struck the earth, but the knights' steps did not falter for a moment. As if they knew in advance where each cannonball would land, the cannonballs accurately flew over the deep craters created by the explosions.

The eerie Titan fearlessly strode forward, its Void Shield glowing with bright white ripples two meters from the Titan's machine gun. Unlike a knight who could nimbly dodge, the Titan charged directly into the firepower, the shells hitting it straight in and exploding into scattered flames on the white screen.

Unbeknownst to him, Peturabo had already gritted his teeth and fired, bombing, bombing!

The Titan's Void Shield Reactor has a limit; once the opponent's shield energy is depleted, an effective attack can be launched... Alternatively, the Iron Warriors would need to deploy armor powerful enough to rival the enemy's eerie Titan.

Behind the armored lines, the giant figure, originally intended as a long-range fire support platform, began to advance slowly.

The smoke from the first main bombardment began to dissipate, but Peturabo never wasted any opportunity. The faster-loading artillery had already begun the transition bombardment. However, after enduring the first round of artillery bombardment, he realized that the Iron Warriors also needed to adjust their trajectory and began to change their movement routes. The speed of the charging column even increased!

how come!

Perturabo stared intently at the images transmitted from the front. Not a single knight had fallen behind. The eerie silver-white metal covering the cratered and blackened areas of the battlefield seemed to writhe slowly like a living thing.

What kind of witchcraft is this...?

Perturabo wondered when his father had hidden such a strange being among his men. Compared to the Cursed One, the psionic tricks Magnus had once shown Perturabo seemed almost endearing.

But this wasn't the time for him to ponder these things. Peturab adjusted the angle of the turret, his eyes blazing with anger. Since the indirect fire hadn't taken out the enemy...

The Silent Order is about to enter the direct fire range of the Iron Warriors; at that time, the Iron Warriors' armored forces will give them a surprise—

A scorching, foul-smelling wind lashed at Hades high above, his eyes unblinking as the Titans beneath him raced and lurched violently.

They were about to enter the direct fire range of the armored forces—in other words, the Iron Warriors had entered the firing range of the Silent Order, which was charging in a wedge formation.

"emission."

Hades spoke, and at the same time, an ominous light emanated from the left arm of the Ominous-class psionic titan.