Chapter 51: The Holy Sword in the Lake
On the planet Lota Bone, over three million Alpha Legion Imperial soldiers wage war across its surface. Thousands of gunships and aircraft, transport planes, bombers, and reconnaissance craft dominate the skies.
Air forces unleash cascading missile strikes, bombarding the evil alien cult structures scattered across the ground.
Long-range missiles pierce the upper atmosphere and strike the alien core sacrificial building with devastating force, erupting into fragments whose shock waves radiate across thousands of meters.
Evil priests and their servants vanish. The filth and bloody rituals they harbored disintegrate in flame.
In a sprawling city resembling an ancient dynasty's architecture, alien and human forces clash in fierce engagement. Smoke billows everywhere. Dozens of floating alien islands hang suspended in the sky, their energy barriers deflecting human missile attacks.
From the capital's above-ground structures, tens of thousands of blood-red demons pour forth into the city streets. They slaughter even the terrified alien civilians in their path, leaving trails of carnage in their wake.
The demon army surges forward with bloodlust and savage fury. Tank bombardments prove ineffective. Squadrons of Astronautical soldiers are torn to shreds in moments.
The Astral Army eliminates only a small number of demons before the daemonic horde crashes into a tank regiment. Their blood-forged swords pierce armor plating effortlessly.
Their demonic appearance and terrifying power shake the Astronautical Army's resolve. Missiles and artillery shells cannot halt the daemon advance.
Behind the front lines stand enormous mechanical Titans, colossal humanoid war machines, accompanied by advanced tanks bearing electromagnetic cannons, and legions of technical priests outfitted with cutting-edge weaponry.
The entire legion's armaments flow from Mechanicus forges, so advanced technology among their ranks is unsurprising.
The mechanical legions sweep through the chaos of the Astral Army, moving to confront the charging daemon swarm. A fierce battle erupted, cutting-edge mechanical technology against raw daemonic power.
The two forces clash with relentless intensity. Frequent explosions and deafening roars shake the ground. Mechs are cloven in two by massive demons. To the surrounding Imperial soldiers, the battle resembles an ancient myth made manifest.
The Space Marine legions, armed with powerful heavy weapons, mount difficult resistance until reinforcement arrives.
Company Commander Skol leads five hundred Astartes in gunships toward the engagement zone. All the Space Marines, clad in formidable power armor and bearing explosive weapons and power swords, charge forward to meet the daemonic onslaught.
A barrage of explosive gunfire cuts through the weaker demons instantly.
Company Commander Skol engages a blood-red daemon standing two to three meters tall in fierce combat, wielding a power sword wreathed in energy. After several exchanges, his blade claims the creature's life. Other Space Marines fight with extraordinary valor, halting the assault of tens of thousands of demons through sheer martial prowess.
Surrounding Astronautical soldiers cheer at the Space Marines' incredible display of courage. Elite squads deploy ion weapons to eliminate weaker daemon spawn.
Countless missiles launch from the sky toward the capital. The floating island's energy shield shatters swiftly.
Smoke and fire engulf the entire city. Bombardment and explosions consume it. Within less than an hour, the alien dynasty's capital lies in ruins.
The great battle continues, and Omega observes it through the 3D tactical display systems in orbit above the planet.
The demons prove far more formidable than the Astral Army. Standard laser weapons achieve a limited effect against them. High-energy weapons, such as ion guns wielded by elite forces, prove substantially more effective.
Space Marines dispatch ordinary demons with ease. Daemon armies lacking sufficient leadership can overcome Space Marines only through overwhelming numerical advantage.
Omega has encountered these blood-red demons numerous times throughout the Calicus Sector. Such creatures typically manifest on worlds steeped in blood-worship, where alien cults preach that only warfare and sacrifice can appease their gods.
These dark god cults practice extremely bloody, inhumane rituals.
Lota Bone exemplifies this pattern. Though the aliens dwelling here are warlike by nature, warfare remains a contest of organisms and weaponry.
Confronted by armies possessing superior technology and firepower, the aliens' natural ferocity becomes irrelevant. Even treasured swords prove useless against advanced armament.
After analyzing the legion's performance during the daemon assault and drawing certain conclusions, Omega smiled and spoke.
"Skol has acquitted himself admirably in this engagement. It appears I need not intervene further."
At that moment, a communication arrived: a squadron from another star system had conquered its target world and now prepared for subspace transit to fresh objectives.
After reporting intelligence to Imperial command, Omega turned his attention to the broader campaign across the sector.
Nine years of continuous warfare had nearly concluded. Only two or three subsectors remained unconquered across the entire region. At the current pace, the Legion could achieve total conquest within a year.
The battle on Lota Bone had progressed smoothly for more than ten days.
Twenty days later....
Because continuous missile bombardment had devastated Lota Bone's surface, destroying all territories controlled by the evil god priests across nearly thirty days of relentless strikes, the daemon priests could no longer sustain their summoning rituals.
Insufficient priests remained alive to perform the complex blood sacrifices required to bring forth large daemon armies.
With major daemon manifestations impossible, the planet fell completely under Alpha Legion control.
Omega piloted a gunship across the war-torn planetary surface.
Cities scattered throughout the world stood surrounded by vast primeval forests. Primitive mountain paths still wound through the canyons; the aliens here had not even developed road systems.
Beyond the ancient forest lay something extraordinary. A sacred and beautiful island, approximately one kilometer in circumference, rose within the center of a vast, crystalline lake. The island sang with birdsong and fragrant flowers, white birds circling through clean air.
The gunboat descended from the sky.
Omega emerged, clad in exquisite power armor of formidable make. He surveyed the landscape.
The island bore the unmistakable marks of ancient civilization, crumbling structures cloaked in ancient vines, their architecture testifying to extraordinary past glory.
Omega advanced with Rex. Within moments, he encountered Captain Skol and thirty Space Marines standing in formation.
Before them rose the ruins of an abandoned sacred temple; the vines that once choked these structures had been cleared away with deliberate care.
Brilliant sunlight streamed through gaps between withered plant growth and deteriorating stonework, casting an illuminating, almost holy radiance across the site.
Omega observed, nodded, and spoke.
"This is the sacred legendary site reported by Sergeant Hark of the Astronautical Army. Ancient legend claims a holy sword rests within this temple, one that confers kingship upon whoever claims it, bringing peace and prosperity to the entire world."
Company Commander Skol smiled with quiet certainty. Their arrival had indeed brought an end to chaos and evil in this world.
Therefore, whoever wielded this sword must emerge from their ranks. In Skol's judgment, only the Primarch possessed the worthiness to claim such a blade.
Yet in his heart, Skol believed even Primarchs proved unworthy of Omega, a man who had led them through the conquest of vast star systems and brought order to worlds drowning in blood.
Company Commander Skol spoke with certainty, his tone carrying the weight of conviction.
"Only the chosen one can draw the holy sword."
"Merely arriving on this island, I sense its extraordinary nature. It radiates peace and sanctity. The holy sword within is undoubtedly genuine!"
Rex interjected skeptically, his voice clipped and dismissive.
"At most, these are weapons left behind by this planet's ancient civilization, ultimately crafted through mechanical technology. Whatever the aliens call a 'holy sword' likely cannot compare to power swords forged by the Mechanicus."
Company Commander Skol offered no reply. Words could not challenge what he already knew. To him, Omega held sacred status.
Therefore, this holy sword should be drawn by Omega, a decision laden with symbolic weight, though Omega himself remained unaware of what Skol truly believed he represented.
Hearing their exchange, Omega glanced upward at the broken vines. Judging from their condition, Company Commander Skol and his warriors had recently cleared them.
When Omega inquired about when the defensive barrier had fallen, Skol nodded in confirmation.
"No one has been here before us," Company Commander Skol assured him.
[End of Chapter]
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