It was precisely because of the anti-gravity design of these new vehicles that they could ignore rough terrain, and lava and water were no longer obstacles to their advance, allowing Space Marine to advance and maneuver faster and more flexibly than ever before.
"Speed" was the prerequisite for the second phase of the plan to be implemented.
The Iron Knights, driving their brand-new vehicles, used the laser rippers or plasma eradicators mounted on them to slaughter all demons and heretic Traitors who dared to appear within their sight.
Demon Engines blocking the way were also destroyed with a single shot from the twin-linked giant accelerator cannons mounted on the turrets, while Nurgle's Demon Army flies circling in the toxic mist sprayed their highly poisonous bodily fluids from their mouthparts, attempting to halt the advancing Astraeus Super-heavy Tanks through corrosion.
The demons' previously invincible venom seemed so ridiculous in front of the layered void shields equipped on the vehicles, and the counter-barrage they received was so fierce.
Repulsor vehicles followed behind the Astraeus Super-heavy Tanks, providing fire support for the leading heavy hitters and eliminating any stragglers who had escaped the initial assault.
Some large demons tried to stop the vehicles like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, but before they could even get close, they found an invisible energy fighting them.
This was an additional effect brought by anti-gravity technology; the gravitational energy colliding between the anti-gravity chassis and the ground would spread outwards along the gap between the chassis and the ground, impacting nearby demons.
As the vehicles inevitably drew closer, some of these demons were forced away, or trapped in place unable to escape, and were directly sucked under the vehicles, turning into blood and bone dust under the colliding gravitational energy.
Mortal forces, just to keep up with the Space Marine responsible for the combat, needed to push the horsepower of their Chimeras and Leman Russ to the maximum.
At each strategic point, a regiment would be left behind to garrison and defend, ensuring that the Space Marine' retreat route would not be cut off.
Victory or defeat hinged on this; this was a one-time opportunity, and Ventris was already on the front lines; he was an excellent commander and an even more legendary warrior.
Uriel Ventris, born in an underground Hive World on Calth, had his ancestor, Lucian Ventris, a hero of the Ultramarines Chapter, as his idol since childhood.
Eventually, he achieved his goal and became an Ultramarines recruit.
Moreover, he was not a conventional person; some of his battle-brothers even questioned Uriel's oath to the Codex Astartes, but he still went his own way, because he saw the advantages of non-Codex methods.
It was precisely these characteristics that made him the Gaius of the Ultramarines, but later, it was also this independent streak that led to him being exiled by the Chapter Master to undertake a "Penitent Crusade" alone; fortunately, his loyal companion, Sergeant Pasanius Lysane, voluntarily joined his crusade.
Their mission was to find the "Iron Within," where Chaos Space Marine were forged, and in the process, they stumbled into the depths of the Eye of Terror and were captured and taken to Medrengard, the homeworld of the traitorous Iron Warriors Legion.
There, they did not give up resistance, successfully escaped, and cooperated with the local resistance guerrillas to continuously attack the Iron Warriors.
However, due to the disparity in strength, they were captured again by Warpsmith Honsou and forcibly thrust into a "Demonculaba," an evil creation modified with female organs that could transform ordinary youths into Chaos Space Marine, which was also the objective of their crusade.
Even when facing desperate circumstances, Ventris continued to seek a way out; he succeeded, destroying Honsou's fortress and followers by releasing a captured Khorne Demon Prince.
After escaping, they were arrested by the Grey Knights during their return to the Imperium of Man; these Grey Knights, the Imperium's most skilled demon hunters, suspected them of being corrupted by Chaos.
After enduring arduous physical, mental, and spiritual trials, it was confirmed that they had not been corrupted by Chaos during the Medrengard incident, so the Grey Knights released them; due to the tyrannical rule of the local planetary governor, a psyker sought revenge on the governor by possessing a Space Marine.
Ultimately, the psyker was killed by Ventris, Pasanius, and the Grey Knights; they appeased the vengeful psyker's grievances, overthrew Governor Barbeden, and enacted justice, after which they returned to Macragge.
But they were interrogated and tested by Chief Librarian Varro Tigurius of the Ultramarines to ensure they had not been corrupted during their time on Medrengard.
After confirming that neither Uriel nor Pasanius had been corrupted by Chaos, Uriel was reinstated as the Gaius of the Ultramarines to continue serving the Imperium.
(How is this any worse than the Second Company Commander?)
Lord Regent Guilliman valued Ventris as a flexible military commander who could think outside the Codex Astartes, which is why he felt confident sending him to support the complex situation on Thedan Forge World.
The Regent, ever since he awoke and understood the state of the Imperium, had been depressed; the Imperium was like this, and so were his "eldest sons."
How did his Ultramarines, who were both cultured and martial ten thousand years ago, become a bunch of brutes? If it weren't for the connection brought by the gene-seed, he would even doubt if they were his own.
The Chapter records showed no sign of cultural refinement, only martial prowess, and that too was the "martial" of individual combat, with battle records more exaggerated than the last; Guilliman wondered if he himself could return intact if he were to participate, let alone the successor Chapters that had been split off.
Seeing that Ventris was someone who could think, Guilliman specifically looked into his life story, and upon seeing it, he thought, "Well, he almost got killed by his own people." He was so angry that he wanted to beat Calgar then and there, but when he asked where Calgar was, the answer was that he was hospitalized after a one-on-one fight!
Guilliman: Who do they take after? Did the gene-seed cheat too?
...
While the Space Marine launched their offensive, the "Old Man Party" was also in action; they planned to follow behind the attacking forces, ostensibly to support the front line, but in reality, to secretly transport the reactor parts near the Warp Rift.
The first half of the operational route was fine, with troops stationed along the way and only scattered demons.
The difficulty was that to avoid the Space Marine, they had to carve out a path that could circumvent to the vicinity of the Warp Rift from a distance, and install their "trump card" near the Warp Rift.
This journey was destined to be extremely dangerous, and sacrifices were inevitable, but they were prepared to inherit the legacy of their fallen comrades.
"Move out! Maintain distance from the Space Marine!"
"Understood!"
The Old Man Party set out en masse.
...
Magos Lauster, the leader of the "Son Party," was now anxiously observing Nurgle's Demon Army, which was continuously pouring into the Great Foundry Temple from a breach in the city wall 3 kilometers ahead.
They were ultimately one step behind the demon army; they were only 3 kilometers away from reaching the last wall of the Great Foundry Temple.
But they still did not give up, whether it was to prevent the Great Foundry Temple, this landmark, from falling into the hands of Chaos, or to rescue Gamma and those who were still alive and resisting, they could not give up.
The reinforcements' assault never stopped, but these last 3 kilometers had been filled with demons rushing from the Warp Rift!
...
Inside the Great Foundry Temple, all the living were gathered in the largest building of this magnificent complex—the Central Hall.
Dense masses of Nurgle's Demon Army surrounded the hall's exterior impermeably; they swayed their bodies with pustules and decaying flesh, flicking their exposed tongues and intestines, swaying step by step, like a putrid yellow-green tide, crashing against the Central Hall wave after wave.
At the entrance of the Central Hall, the remaining Adeptus Ministorum formed neat firing lines, unleashing volley after volley, repelling the tide of demons rushing towards the gate.
Under the command of the nearby Skitarii Tech-Priests, the castellan robots fired with their ranged weapons and smashed any demons that broke through the firing net with their power fists.
Tech-Priests also joined the battle, attacking all enemies they could with their personal weapons.
Electric Monks praised the Source Power, their bodies wreathed in dazzling electrical light, unleashing their wrath against the demons in the form of lightning.
The binary canticles of the omnissiah intertwined with the demonic chants sung by Nurgle's demons on the battlefield; the wrath of the omnissiah clashed with Nurgle's evil power on the battlefield.
...
Cowardly · Needs to pee · Gamma (O ∆ O)
Hold on! Hold on! Hold on, my sphincter! You can do it! Ganbatte!
When he was led out of the isolation ward, Gamma guessed that the city wall was probably about to fall, and indeed, it turned out as he expected; shortly after he stayed in the Central Hall, he saw people rushing in from various areas of the Great Foundry Temple.
He didn't presumptuously ask this and that; when he arrived, he had already noticed that he was the only one in the entire isolation zone, so where did all those people suspected of corruption on the battlefield go? The truth was self-evident.
At this time, he should just stay put and not cause trouble for his dear father; this was a son's duty.
Gamma: Having a Archmagos for a father is truly wonderful; this "father" I call him is from the bottom of my heart; if the plan succeeds, I'll see how he performs later…
While fulfilling his duty as a good son, he was also waiting, waiting for that Traitor to come find him.
He couldn't be sure if what the demon told him was true; he needed to judge the truth by the attitude of the person the demon spoke of towards him before taking the next step.
Zola Arnim, is it really you?
Zola Arnim, who had been fighting demons diligently until the moment the city wall was breached, appeared distraught, but felt relieved inside.
It's over! It's finally over! Do you know what I've been through lately? I haven't worked this hard since becoming a Priest! Now, all I have to do is hand this weapon to the possessed Gamma, and everything will be over soon!
As one of the last people to enter the Central Hall, the first thing Zola did was to look for Gamma.
With the help of his bionic eye's detection function, he quickly spotted Gamma, alone, deep within the hall.
There he is! Good, no one around, less contact means less chance of exposure, truly a cunning demon.
Zola was very satisfied with the demon's behavior; he liked smart demons!
The traitor Zola slowly and imperceptibly edged closer to Gamma.
He was not in a hurry; everything was under control, with the plan only one step away from completion. The demons attacking outside would not enter the hall without receiving his signal. Everything happening now was merely a performance arranged by him and the Plague Preacher.
As long as Archmagos Will, this hidden danger, was eliminated, this world would be theirs for the taking.
At the same time, in the deepest part of the central hall, Archmagos Will remained alone, meticulously checking for any possible oversight, ensuring that the creation before him could flawlessly fulfill its mission—to destroy the entire Great Foundry Temple.
This was a high-yield atomic weapon; since its creation, destruction had been its synonym.
It was not the most powerful weapon in Archmagos Will's hands, but it was the most suitable. If it weren't for the existence of the allied forces, the Archmagos would have prepared a Whirlwind torpedo.
That would have incinerated the planet's atmosphere into a vacuum, leaving behind only barren bedrock.
"I hope we don't have to use it."
He had already received news from the allied forces, learning that the counterattack had begun and reinforcements were close at hand. However, Nurgle's Demon Army was even closer to them. Now, only resistance could secure a slim chance of survival.
After completing his preparations, the Archmagos intended to go up and meet Gamma, to meet the people who were still alive. Then, if things became irreversible, he would return here to dedicate his final loyalty to humanity, to the Imperium, to the Regent, to the Omnissiah, and to the Omnissiah.
...
The Old Man Party's personnel had been reduced by more than half since their departure, but the morale of those remaining remained high.
They were very close to their destination, even able to hear the roar of Space Marine clashing with demons.
The nearby demons had also been drawn to the battle at the Warp Rift, leaving nothing to obstruct them further.
The arduous march was finally nearing its end. As long as the reactor was assembled, the remaining people could not only preserve their assets but also receive super-multiplied rewards.
The only unpleasant part was that too many people had died, but none of that mattered. Fortune favors the bold, and without their sacrifice and contribution, this team would have collapsed long ago, never achieving such high morale.
...
Thedan, as a forge of humanity, does not experience rain. But on the battlefield at the Tedan Warp Rift, a rotten and plague-ridden storm swirled around the mountain-like body of the Great Demon, spreading Nurgle's plague to every corner of the battlefield through the rain.
Nauseating plants radiated outwards from the Great Demon like waves, impeding and entangling every Space Marine who attempted to approach and attack him.
The chainswords in the hands of the battle-brothers were constantly swinging, and if their actions to cut down these plants were even slightly slow, more plants would entangle them, attempting to "drown" the Space Marine in a tide of vegetation.
"Inquisitor Griffin, what's the plan to get close to it now?" Ventris asked the Inquisitor. At this point, only this expert in combating demons could solve their problem.
Inquisitor Griffin shook his head with a solemn expression, saying, "There's only one way: a frontal assault."
Upon receiving the definitive answer, Ventris showed no signs of disappointment. His inquiry was merely to seek any potentially safer and more reliable methods.
He immediately made deployments according to his plan, instructing remote artillery to conduct tiered bombardments at specified locations and times, from near to far.
He would personally lead a team in vehicles, staying close to the line of fire, and pushing forward by following the artillery, utilizing the brief window when the plants were destroyed by bombardment and had not yet recovered.
The breakthrough plan was extremely dangerous. Whether it was the rear artillery responsible for clearing the path or Ventris and his team pushing forward in vehicles, even a slight miscoordination would result in Ventris and his team either being engulfed by the plants or being obliterated by their own artillery.
But no one objected. They were the Imperium's Space Marine, the Emperor's Angels of Death. Death was their mission, and it was also their glory.
...
Outside the Great Foundry Temple hall, Plague Prophet Vik was commanding Nurgle's Demon Army to cooperate with the traitor Zola's act. He had already received news of the Warp Rift being attacked, and he found the struggles of these Corpse Emperor's dogs, these false god's faithful, as laughable as ants.
The current Vik was not the failed apprentice he once was. He was a Plague Preacher, a person blessed by father, a person who had touched the true nature of the world. The power of Rain Father was not something that the false demigods spoken of by those ignorant commoners could shake; they were merely biochemical constructs made by the Corpse Emperor.
Even the Death Guard warbands who had accepted father's grace now looked at him with a mix of reverence and jealousy.
The Plague Preacher, deep down, held those Death Guard in utter disdain. They only coveted father's mighty power and did not understand that mercy, generosity, and universal love were the true essence of father's greatness.
"They are merely dogs of power."
When Plague Prophet Vik spoke his evaluation of those Chaos Space Marine to his beloved family, Rainfather Rotigus, Rainfather's laughter even echoed through the Warp Rift to father's garden.
While gazing at the distant war and playfully teasing the Nurgling playing beside him, Vik silently mused:
This world is destined to belong to the great father. Offering it to him is not to gain anything from father; it is merely to express my reverence for father.
...
He's here!
Gamma noticed Magos Zola, who had already arrived not far from him. The two had just exchanged a silent glance, but it looked more like their gazes had coincidentally met, and neither expressed anything.
traitor Zola: Hmm, the disguise is flawless. Time to give him the item.
Gamma, playing the role of "Gamma" authentically, successfully fooled the traitor with his excellent "acting."
Now, Gamma intended to give Zola some hints to further confirm the veracity of the information obtained from the demon. He discreetly winked at Zola.
Gamma (ಡ ω ಡ)
traitor Zola: Hiss... What kind of expression is that? Has he not fully accustomed to occupying the body yet?
Gamma: His body stiffened for a second. Is something amiss?
The traitor Zola was afraid of exposing the demon. The situation was excellent now, and he couldn't afford to mess up at the last minute. So he quickly walked to Gamma's side and whispered:
"Take this, and find an opportunity to act after I leave."
Gamma: You're admitting it already? You're being a bit insulting, you know? Do you know how many plans I came up with to confirm you were a traitor?
"Don't make that strange expression again! You haven't fully accustomed to his body yet. Just be expressionless!"
"After you succeed, send us a message through this machine."
"..."
To confirm the Great Foundry Temple's importance to the demons, Gamma risked a probe: "We don't have complete assurance."
Afraid that his previous question might arouse Zola's suspicion, he quickly added: "This body is too weak. To remain hidden, we can't twist and strengthen him with our power. Instead of assassination, it would be better if we directly killed him with our original power."
Zola wasn't truly suspicious of Gamma. How could a child be a match for three demons? His silence was purely because he found the question annoying. However, no plan is perfect, and anything can fail.
Considering the unpredictability of demons, Zola decided to warn them not to act on their own, to prevent the situation from escalating beyond repair. He warned the demon Gamma:
"You must not act on your own. Will must die suddenly; you cannot give him any chance to destroy the Great Foundry Temple!"
Gamma: It seems the demons weren't lying; their target is indeed the Great Foundry Temple.
From the demons, Gamma had already learned Zola's complete plan, but he could never be sure if the demons were lying. Now, with confirmation from the traitor's mouth, he was confident in his escape.
Let's go back to when Gamma interrogated the demon.
"You said all of this is Rainfather's plot? He wants to drag this world into the Warp?"
"Ah, yes, yes, Rainfather has always been father's second most beloved Great Unclean One. He has always been diligently scurrying between the mortal realm and father's divine domain, wanting to offer more souls and sacrifices to father, so he can push out Plaguefather and become father's most favored one. You stop first..."
"Shut up. If you say anything useless again, I'll accelerate..." Gamma chastised.
The demon, twisted and struggling, still unable to escape the "Egg of Gamma," said in a hurry, terrified: "No, no, don't!"
"And he succeeded?" Gamma continued to ask.
"Yes, but it was because Plaguefather Ku'gath made a mistake and angered father, receiving punishment, that Rainfather Rotigus succeeded."
"Oh, didn't you always say your master loved you the most? He still punishes you? Are you lying to me! I'm accelerating..."
"Don't accelerate! Plaguefather led the cursed one into the garden, causing a corner of father's garden to be completely burned down by the cursed one."
Gamma: The Plague Wars!
Gamma saw that the Nurgle demon was no longer very green from being drained and worried it would be gone before he finished questioning. Showing his true capitalist colors to the demon, he continued to press:
"Keep going, don't stop! What about the Plague Wars? What does that have to do with this?"
"Because at that time, the Blood God, the Lord of Change, and the Dark Prince, they disliked the impact of the Plague Wars, which made father even greater, so they jointly attacked the Scourge Stars."
Gamma nodded and said, "Hmm, typical Chaos move, continue!"
"Among the Four Gods, although father is the greatest, dealing with three at once was still somewhat exhausting. So he sent Plaguefather and the Daemon Prince Mortarion back to the Scourge Stars to help."
"Then?"
"As a result, Plaguefather became engrossed in the divine plague he was brewing."
"Hmm."
"Mortarion only wanted to kill his brother. He injected Plaguefather's divine plague into Guilliman's body, intending to kill him."
"But the power of the divine plague was too strong; it dragged Guilliman into father's garden. The cursed one possessed Guilliman and used his power to incinerate the garden."
"father was dealing with the Blood God and them at the time and couldn't intervene to stop the cursed one, which resulted in a portion of father's domain being completely burned down."
"That's why Plaguefather was punished, and his position as Chief Daemon was replaced by Rainfather."
"Please stop, I can't take it anymore!" the demon pleaded with Gamma.
Gamma: You think I don't want to? I don't want to drain you to death so quickly either!
At a time like this, he certainly couldn't show weakness. Gamma could only pretend he could control the eggshell. He said:
"Shut up! You dare to make demands of me? I'll accelerat—"
The demon cried out miserably, "No! Don't!"
... Gamma even felt a little soft-hearted hearing it.
"What does this have to do with Rotigus targeting this place? Speak quickly! I'll stop when you're done!"
Gamma: Hang in there, buddy.
The demon continued: "The desperate prayers of the hungry people here naturally attracted the attention of Rainfather, who is also known as the God of Harvest."
"He's also the God of Harvest? What the hell?"
"The God of Rain and the God of Life are also him."
Can't you leave ordinary people a way out...?
"But this is a Forge World, it doesn't even rain here, and there isn't much life. Why would he have such a great interest?" Gamma quickly asked.
"Because the forces following father were severely damaged in the Scourge Stars. Rainfather wants them to recover their strength more quickly so they can continue to sacrifice more souls to father and expand father's influence in the mortal realm."
"With this Forge World, they can recover more quickly."
Gamma retorted disdainfully, "You're lying to me. Isn't he afraid the Imperium will just blow up this planet and make all his efforts for nothing?"
"I'll really accelerate and kill you, you know? Usefulness is your capital; without it, you're nothing! Understand?"
The demon was about to cry. No, he had been crying all along. To be honest, he wasn't believed. He wasn't a blue-feathered bird demon who liked to lie. The demon explained:
"As long as the ritual can be performed here, this planet can be dragged into the Warp. This way, it can not only avoid humans but also be transformed with father's power."
Gamma: Holy crap... there's that move too. No, wait, if it were that easy, wouldn't the Imperium's Exterminatus already be useless?
"Hmm? Is it that easy? Not to mention that Tedan is almost ruined, if it were that easy to drag a planet in, how many planets would be left in the galaxy!"
"Not easy, of course not easy. Even the Four Gods would not casually use such immense power."
"Then..."
"Rainfather paid a very heavy price for this, but for father, he was willing. Originally, it would have been very difficult for him to do, but this planet has been enveloped by extreme despair, and the veil between the mortal realm and the Warp has been greatly weakened. This gave him the opportunity."
"..."
Gamma didn't know what to say. The demons' biggest helper was humanity itself. How ironic...
The demon continued to explain: "Although this world is dilapidated, the foundation of the Forge World is still there and can be handed over to the Dark Adeptus Mechanicus for repair."
Gamma thought: I forgot about those Tech-priest. I heard they're best at combining magic and machinery, making machines move on their own. If they repair it, they don't even need to replace broken parts; they just stuff a demon inside, and it's fixed.
"So Rotigus wanted this world from the beginning. What does that have to do with killing Archmagos Will? Why is he afraid of him destroying this place?"
"He is the builder of this world, its first master. Only he can erase this world in a meaningful sense. No one else can do it."
Gamma: "Meaningful sense"? Is it that idealistic? Then won't I, the future second-generation, be quite low-status...
"How much power does Rotigus have left now?"
...the demon.
"Speak! If you don't, I'll accelerat—"
"Rainfather has been using his power to weaken the veil. Most of his power is used for this task."
"Isn't he afraid of being banished? Demon, tell me Rotigus's weakness, hand over your true name, and if you faithfully become my dog from now on, I'll spare your life."
Demon: Pure coercion, where's the enticement? This little human has no experience at all.
"Are you going to speak or not? I'm warning you, if you fall into my hands, you're in for a world of pain. You've noticed, haven't you? Here with me, no matter whose name you call, they can't hear you. Don't think I haven't noticed your little schemes!"
Demon: "..."
"I can wait, until you speak. But by then, if you don't even have the strength to speak, don't blame me."
"Mortals cannot approach Rainfather. As the God of Rain, he is surrounded by 'Nurgle's Deluge.' As the God of Life, he can make waves of plague-carrying plants appear around him. He is father's Chief Daemon, the most favored one. He has no weaknesses!"
"Oh, well, never mind then."
"I am willing to become your loyal dog."
"I don't want you."
"..."
"I am willing to offer..."
"I don't want you."
"You tricked me!"
"Yep, I did."
"Ahhh, I curse you!"
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening, the turtle is chanting scriptures."
"I..."
"No u."
...
What to do when you run head-on into the new Chief Daemon trying to boost his performance?
Brother Crow Gamma: Difficult? Then let's all not do anything!