The Iron Hands Legion advanced on multiple fronts towards the city center, sweeping away the xenos with an iron-like momentum.
At the same time, deep within the front, a psychic storm capable of turning the tide of battle was brewing.
Thirteen 'Beta' class Psyker Masters, clad in ancient saint rune robes and bearing the title of 'Master', having undergone rigorous training, now stood in a circle.
Doom Slayers guarded them, and psychic light gathered in their hands.
The Masters chanted obscure incantations, their wills united, jointly guiding the violent Warp energy, transforming it into an invisible psychic barrier that pressed down heavily on the xenos city.
To prevent any accidents, Blazkowicz ordered the establishment of a psychic barrier, aimed at completely severing psychic communication inside and outside the city, cutting off xenos psychic transmissions.
Although most Ganas Worms had lost their resistance due to inhaling bio-agents, extreme caution was still necessary to prevent unforeseen circumstances.
As the Psyker Masters exerted their full power, all the psychic runes on the ground lit up, and the wills of the thirteen Psyker Masters transformed into a psychic barrier, 'capping' the xenos city from above.
A transparent hemispherical dome descended, completely severing outward psychic communication, and signaling the start of the Nur Legion's attack!
The combined Legion set out, advancing towards the xenos city, clearing out the Ganas Worms, and giving the infected brethren the final mercy of total annihilation.
Doom Slayers and Sentinels, they commanded the Auxiliary Army Legions, using superhuman wisdom to analyze the battlefield situation and make decisions.
And the Mortal Auxiliary Army, tested by blood and fire, erupted with outstanding combat power, advancing at an unhurried pace with the support of an information platform.
One hundred thousand Nur Auxiliary Army personnel directly operated two hundred and fifty thousand automated mechs for frontal assaults, while backup mechs executed automated orders, and four-legged robots dragged worm hosts out of residential buildings, gathering them for incineration.
The enemies were Shapers whose physical functions were no different from ordinary humans; the Auxiliary Army's offensive was overwhelming, continuously destroying resisting enemies.
Against bunkers, other cover, or enemy defensive points, only a single mark was needed, and the coordinated fire platforms immediately unleashed heavy firepower on the target.
Under the multi-cooperative advancement mechanism, few enemies were killed head-on; if one squad found enemies in front, another squad would flank to the rear or side, combined with automated mechs, sweeping through like a breeze through fallen leaves.
'Too powerful!' Ferrus, who was constantly monitoring the front, couldn't help but exclaim internally.
The combat effectiveness of the Nur Auxiliary Army impressed him; in large-scale Legion operations, their actions were highly efficient, and the overall coordination of the Legion was extremely high.
Detect and destroy!
Following behind the Auxiliary Army were self-propelled artillery pieces, automatically moving into the enemy's shield range with friendly forces, firing according to beacon guidance and priority.
Along the advance routes of his brother's combined Legion, there was rarely prolonged fire engagement; skirmishes were often brief and intense, quickly ending with precise fire support.
There was no traditional urban warfare stalemate; the moment enemy forces were detected, artillery shells were already flying in from suitable angles, destroying the enemies. Blazkowicz arrived on the ground, teleporting directly into the command bunker, his expression grim as he stared at the holographic image, wary of any potential surprises.
'The troops are advancing underground into the city,' he said in a deep voice, pointing at the underground transport entrances on the holographic map. 'Utilize the xenos' underground transport lines to disperse all units.'
'The Legion's objective must be clear: eliminate enemy combatants; those who lose resistance will be handed over to automated mechs.'
'Xenos that can move and respond to psychic communication are priority targets for elimination.'
The battle was progressing smoothly, yet Blazkowicz felt no ease; the true mastermind had yet to appear, and only the lower-tier worm individuals and human husks had been eliminated.
A more comprehensive offensive must be launched to eliminate more active humans, preventing them from becoming sacrificial individuals.
At his command, the Auxiliary Army quickly organized assault teams and entered the underground transport system.
These extensive transport networks, built by the xenos, now served as the human army's best transportation system.
Technical personnel hacked into the transport system, restarting systems that had been shut down by high-level orders, and began dispatching underground trains, allowing assault and infiltration units to take rail transport to various parts of the city.
On the other side of the city, the Iron Hands rushed underground; Tech-Marines made contact with friendly forces and began a full-scale invasion. The two Primarchs, sharing a tacit understanding, chose the most efficient courses of action almost simultaneously, aiming to eliminate the xenos faster.
As the deep invasion began, the entire city erupted, with fierce gunfire echoing on every street, every corner, and every building.
Space Marine boltguns, Nur Auxiliary Army electromagnetic rifles, Shaper automatic weapons—all these distinct gunshots mingled, tearing at each other.
Just two hours after the offensive began, the outer population was completely cleared, all areas beyond the fifth ring of the megacity were controlled, and troops crossed the fifth ring road to coordinate with assault teams, attacking the fifth city circle from both within and without.
The planet trembled under the human attack; others in the city who could not deploy shields in time were annihilated by voidship orbital strikes. The battleship's lance batteries never ceased fire, continuously extending their reach, incinerating the surface repeatedly and delivering destruction to the city's underground spaces.
The xenos capital was trampled by ground forces, countless worms reduced to ashes, mercilessly slaughtered by humans.
Just then!
As fierce fighting raged in the fifth city circle, an unusual roar, a dark sound like grinding teeth, pierced through the intense roar of gunfire.
'Sir! New enemies have appeared!'
'Primarch! New enemies have appeared!'
Two reports reached different command centers, announcing the appearance of new enemies on the battlefield.
Blazkowicz and Ferrus, though kilometers apart, remained calm, simply nodding to acknowledge the information.
As the reports came in, images of the enemies appeared on the holographic display: transparent bodies with terrifying oral appendages, the 'Fathers' that devoured human husks deep underground to provide nourishment for the 'Mothers'.
'Predicted to be intermediate individuals of the species, responsible for resource collection, possessing some combat capability, but with a low threat level.'
Sophia immediately provided a prediction, delivering the calculated conclusion and reporting the threat index to the commander.
Blazkowicz nodded slightly; his assistant's analysis was reasonable, neither overestimating nor underestimating.
The bugs appearing on the front line were not the so-called 'Fathers', but merely similar intermediate individuals.
Because beneath every city, there were numerous similar bugs, hiding in dark corners to feed, then regurgitating to the 'Mother' they were paired with.
The true 'Parents' hid in the shadows, observing the battlefield situation, plotting how to counter the human army.
Blazkowicz then said, 'Send an intelligence analysis to friendly forces, and be sure to warn them about the worm's attack methods.'
Ferrus soon received his brother's intelligence; the digital life's calculation results were similar to his own conjectures, but more scientific and rigorous.
His eyes lowered, and he said to the messenger, 'Notify front-line troops to prioritize eliminating the individuals friendly forces refer to as 'worm False Fathers'.'
The two Primarchs did not join the battle; the current bugs posed no threat, merely cannon fodder for the enemy's probing attacks.
Indeed, masses of pale, translucent bugs appeared, their bodies, composed of thousands of worms, writhing and rolling, yet not daring to advance a single step.
A hazy glow enveloped their bodies, psychic energy blocking the penetration of bio-agents, ensuring their mobility.
'Hiss~ Hiss~'
The False Father's lamprey-like mouthparts hissed, and protruding filaments from the edges of its oral cavity sprayed out, entangling auxiliary vehicles that couldn't dodge in time, dragging them into its mouth to chew.
But the next moment, dozens of red laser beams from the Mortal Auxiliary Army converged, instantly vaporizing the False Father's main body, and the worms it carried burst open on the ground!
Bullets despise carbon-based life!
Any carbon-based life is fragile before bullets; even Space Marines without power armor would be riddled with holes by laser rifles.
How could the seemingly ferocious and terrifying worm False Father, with its weak insect body, withstand bullets?
They could only feast on unarmed humans in dark corners; when facing a well-trained army, they were nothing more than a wriggling meat target.
A ferocious appearance can scare people, but it cannot scare lasers and bullets.
In the struggle for the city's Fifth Ring Road, the appearance of the worm False Fathers had no effect whatsoever, unable to resist the human offensive.
On the Denurian front, the moment a worm False Father appeared, the automated mechs' high-pressure lasers instantly pierced it, reducing it to a mass of unconscious rotten meat .
If the Mortal Auxiliary Army could deal with them, let alone the Space Marines, a single precise burst killed the xenos.
Throughout the vast galaxy, in the Great Crusade initiated by the Imperium of Man, xenos unable to kill Space Marines were not even afforded the dignity of being recorded in human history.
The worms' weaknesses were laid bare: they could not resist bullets, could not kill Space Marines, and struggled to contend with the Mortal Auxiliary Army in direct combat.
Their most direct threat to humanity was their vast numbers and silent assimilation and replacement.
However, within the heavily blockaded Star Bay, the xenos species found it difficult to escape and spread infection to the Imperium of Man.
It was like a dangerous virus capable of infecting everyone, but contained within a sealed vessel, unable to cause any significant disturbance.
While the city war raged above, an eerie calm enveloped the areas beneath the city.
If one could scan through the entire planet, humanity would discover a terrifying truth: the world had been hollowed out, and the subsurface was entirely filled with silken, cocoon-like tunnels.
These tunnels branched in all directions, teeming with countless worm sub-entities, false fathers, and 'false mothers' carrying ovipositors. The underground scene was one of complete harmony, utterly devoid of the surface's commotion.
After numerous twists and turns, navigating through countless silken passages and labyrinthine tunnels, the Governor finally arrived before his parents.
He unzipped his cowl and knelt reverently within the cocoon chamber. The skin on his back split open from the midline, revealing his transparent worm body.
Here, he no longer needed to pretend to be human; he had returned to his true home!
"Great Father! Progenitor Mother!" He spoke no more, his neural tendrils connecting to the silken threads, expressing his soul's reverence through mental vibrations.
Before the prostrating Governor, two incredible worm entities appeared like gods descending to the world.
The Progenitor Mother was below, resembling a typical arthropod, her body long and slender. Within her transparent form, vibrant energy swirled, as if a universe was being born and extinguished inside her.
On either side of the Mother's body were pairs of neural antennae, neatly arranged, connecting to the cocoon chamber's silken threads, her will extending through these threads to all nests.
Her head, however, was a human face filled with maternal love, benevolent and beautiful, her eyes devoid of any blame, only the pure love of a mother for her child.
Upon the Progenitor Mother's back, the Great Father embraced her, their two tails intertwined, the root of life sowing within the Mother's body, jointly propagating countless offspring.
Above the Father's body were countless swirling eyeballs, exuding vibrant colors, capable of perceiving anything.
His head still featured a toothed maw, but within it, a human face had grown, embodying both majesty and tolerance, much like the stern yet all-supporting father figure in a human family.
They coupled uninhibitedly before their offspring, the root of life continuously sowing, and eggs surged forth like a tide, propagating new life.
The Governor was intoxicated; perceiving this scene, his mind was entranced by life.
For a millennium, his parents had embraced so intimately. It was through this eternal procreation that they gained wisdom, driving the worm race to seize humanity's living space.
Now, facing human invasion, his parents showed no panic; their confident demeanor clearly indicated they had a plan.
"My child~"
The Mother's words came through the neural tendrils, full of doting affection, with no hint of blaming the Governor.
"I am here, my beloved Mother." The Governor returned to the Mother's embrace, enveloped by maternal love, his consciousness feeling as if it were soaking in a warm spring, relaxing and comfortable.
"You need not panic," the Mother reassured her child, outlining the upcoming plan: "Infiltrating humanity is not urgent for now; your Father and I have new intentions."
She transmitted the plan into her child's mind using psychic power. The worm race would continue to survive according to the will of their Great Parents.
The Governor understood; the grand plan unfurled in his consciousness like a scroll.
The Father and Mother intended to abandon the surface. While humans bombed the surface, they would order their kin to seal all surface tunnels, no longer engaging humans in direct conflict.
After a brief war, the two creators of the race understood that the worms could not defeat the prepared humans on a direct battlefield.
The current strategy was to leverage the human cultural decisiveness of 'cutting off a tail to save the body,' paying a certain price to make humans believe the worms had been annihilated.
Once humans departed, the worms would return, infecting humans with even greater caution.
By then, it would be a natural progression. The surface humans who came to colonize would also possess Navigators, allowing the worms to travel freely in the void.
The Governor finished reviewing the mental blueprint and deemed the plan highly feasible.
To evade humans, the race had already sealed off twenty kilometers of surface tunnels, hiding deep underground where detectors struggled to reach, avoiding human purges.
The only remaining problem was how to convince humans that they had eliminated the worm main brain.
"You don't need to worry about that." Perhaps knowing his offspring's thoughts, the always-silent Father spoke. His voice was deep and hoarse, greatly encouraging the Governor.
"I have already created two bodies that will make humans believe we have appeared before them."
"Great Father!" The Governor prostrated himself, shouting in human language: "You are far-sighted! Under your guidance, our race is destined for the stars!"
Hearing such praise, the Father's stern face smiled, and the myriad sparkling eyes on his form uniformly showed compassion.
As the Ganas Worms plotted their golden cicada shedding its shell strategy, the surface war progressed smoothly. The Legion had advanced to the city's second ring, nearing the administrative center.
The battle grew increasingly fierce. No human hosts were seen on the battlefield, only false fathers and false mothers, using their flesh and blood to resist human attacks.
Unfortunately, they lacked ranged firearms, and their biological weapons could not withstand bolter fire and artillery.
In the command center, Blazkowicz's expression grew graver. He was waiting for the true enemy to appear.
The Legion's offensive was unusually smooth, encountering little strong resistance. The Silkworms' frenzied counterattacks seemed like the last desperation of a dying race.
They showed no fear of death, as if protecting some vital existence, risking their lives and refusing to yield to human bolter fire.
"Artillery barrage, extend," Blazkowicz's eyes gleamed coldly as he marked a location on the holographic map, "destroy the worm administrative center." He never believed that an ambitious race would possess only such limited resources, or that the alien leader would simply surrender.
As the Primarch's order was given, various heavy artillery pieces targeted the city center, unleashing the wrath of the God of War upon the aliens' weak defenses.
The shield generators had long been breached, the alien metropolis lay open, allowing artillery and missiles to strike directly into the city's heartland.
~Boom~rumble
Thousands of cannons fired simultaneously! Supersonic shells shrieked through the atmosphere, roaring as they slammed into humanity's enemies!
~Boom~rumble
Another massive artillery barrage. The Iron Hands Legion's thousands of cannons roared in unison, unleashing their fury upon the aliens.
The ground trembled, explosions surged like a tsunami. Inside their Space Marine power armor, they could still acutely feel the vibrations from the intense shelling, affecting their vocal cords and eardrums.
The Mortal Auxiliary Army knelt, lowering their bodies and opening their mouths to prevent their eardrums from being shattered by the sonic boom of the concentrated bombardment.
Under this scale of bombardment, no carbon-based life form could survive; only extraordinary life forms endured.
The entire city was eerily silent, devoid of worm screeches or wails. They had been blasted to smithereens, their bodies buried in rubble and debris.
A sound of painful sobbing emanated from the ruins, a grief so profound that even the mortals who heard it couldn't help but shed tears.
"Alpha-level psychic fluctuation detected!" Sophia reported immediately. The holographic map showed a psychic barrier appearing in the city center, protecting a few buildings from the bombardment.
Blazkowicz knew what he had been waiting for had appeared. He raised his left arm, drawing his shield from a dimensional space, preparing to head to the battlefield. "Brother," a holographic communication popped up, revealing Ferrus's stern, square face, who, with a slight smile, extended an invitation: "Care for a trip?"
Seeing him fully armed, a firepower backpack on his back, and the Forgebreaker in his Iron Hands, ready for a slaughter, Blazkowicz smiled and unclipped the super shotgun from his waist.
His eyes narrowed, and he said with a murderous glint: "Wouldn't miss it for the world!"
At the foremost front line, the warriors had set up a teleportation beacon. The two Sons of the Emperor, accompanied by the glow of teleportation, stepped onto the front-line battlefield.
Beside Ferrus was his Primarch Guard, one hundred hand-picked Morlock Terminators representing the Legion's highest combat power.
They bore the Legion's Iron Hands emblem on their right shoulder plates and a four-legged symbol on their left, their steps heavy, carrying various customized weapons, guarding the Primarchs' flanks.
Blazkowicz's retinue was much smaller, entering with twenty Doom Slayers and twenty Custodian Guards. Though fewer in number, their combat power was no less formidable.
The black-armored warriors were silent, quietly igniting the dimensional blades in their hands, activating their composite shoulder cannons, and forming a defensive formation.
Leading them was Obelisk, a towering figure with the Mark of Blazkowicz on his left shoulder, the traditional sentinel Gladius on his right, and the Lightning Aquila on his chest, symbolizing his participation in the Unification Wars.
The golden-armored warriors were the most dazzling. They wielded long halberds personally bestowed by the Emperor. Custodian Guard Captain Odysseus carried the Aquila banner, his red cape strikingly vibrant, and his greatsword, Monrach, crackled with lightning.
The mortals knelt; having witnessed such a sight in their lifetime, they would have no regrets.
Those legendary warriors, surrounding the god-like Sons of the Emperor, launched an assault against humanity's enemies.
The men who bled but did not weep, now shed hot tears on the battlefield. At this moment, even death was worth it!
Blazkowicz and Ferrus exchanged glances, gripping their weapons, and said in unison: "Annihilate them all!"