The Aum Shield's helmet continuously flashed red with high-threat targets, and Louise immediately raised her Hellgun and pulled the trigger.
A fallen gunner screamed and fell from the wreckage of the train, but more enemies approached the Hellspawns' position, and intense crossfire erupted between the two sides, with the sound of grenade explosions echoing through the tunnel.
"+Push!+" Valina put all her strength into it, pushing hard with both legs.
Hiss—the bionic arm began to emit steam.
Valina suddenly felt the pressure lighten considerably.
"[By the Emperor's lungs.]" She looked at Horatio, deeply astonished.
With one iron hand, the young man slowly lifted the entire piece of wreckage like a jack.
Bang!
"Ugh!" A stray bullet hit Valina in the back, and although it didn't penetrate her armor, the arm supporting the wreckage trembled, causing the middle of the wreckage to fracture due to uneven force, and the overhead train frame remnants swayed precariously.
Seeing the sharp edge about to smash into the unfortunate man, Horatio grabbed Harvey's back armor and violently flung him away, with such force that Harvey rolled clumsily twice on the ground.
"[+Whew—whew—Tha...+"] Harvey sat on the ground, panting heavily, looking at the sharp iron rod stuck in the ground, his heart still pounding.
If Horatio hadn't pulled him out, that fractured edge would now be piercing his vulnerable neck.
"[+Fight with all your might, Sergeant Major+"] Horatio threw out a command, immediately picked up his Hellgun, and began firing at the enemies.
' +Soulfire: 35 / 40+'
' +Soulfire: 36 / 40+'
' +Soulfire: 37 / 40+'
He mercilessly reaped the lives and Soulfire of the Fallen.
Beep beep beep—beep beep!
"Grenade!"
A grenade, held in hand for a few seconds, was thrown towards the Hellspawns. Horatio leaped forward and slammed it with his iron hand.
Bang!
The grenade was smacked back like a tennis ball, exploding into a mist of blood above the heads of the Fallen.
' +Soulfire: 40 / 40+'
[It's full. Now activate the last skill in the first sequence.]
' +Activating Psyker Harmonization…+'
[Psyker…it is both a blessing and a curse.]
The psyker energy was black and purple, said to be the color of the Warp.
Horatio watched as the psyker energy contained within the bionic arm gradually filled the grooves on his arm, forming beautiful patterns.
[As long as it doesn't exceed the threshold, it should be fine. After all, it's just using the bionic arm as a tool for psyker abilities.]
' +Initiating Phase Two+'
The'skill tree' was peeled back like a glossy obsidian, revealing the first skill of the second layer.
' +Hand of Command: Gains team unit guidance ability and bird's-eye view. Team unit line of sight can provide bird's-eye view to the bionic arm wielder+'
[This sounds like a skill for commanding chess pieces on a tabletop, with unexplored areas covered by a fog of war. But I'm afraid I'll have to wait until this skill is activated to see its specific manifestation.]
"It's the guys coming to wipe us out, we can't hold them! Release the walking dead!"
Before the words finished, Horatio shot down the renegade Foreman.
"[+Go, don't let them get near the gate!+"] Horatio shouted, advancing alternately with Louise.
The Hellspawns advanced steadily, their exquisite marksmanship ignoring the obstruction of darkness, precisely incinerating the scum who betrayed the Imperium into charred corpses with scorching laser fire.
Whew—
"Rest in peace."
Lydos rushed to the gate, pulled the trigger, and the flamethrower spewed raging flames, incinerating all the walking dead behind the gate.
"[+Whew~ My goodness, hey, you've got some serious skills, Horatio. Otherwise, we'd have been piled up by these walking dead. Not bad, not bad, keep it up!+"]
David Beatty let out a long sigh of relief, reaching for his helmet, as if this were just another drill.
"[+Even if you've been vaccinated, I don't recommend taking off your helmet. If you get infected with anything, we have the right to shoot you on sight.+"] Horatio glared at him, deliberately intimidating him with a grim tone.
David Beatty froze in fear, quickly letting go.
After walking a short distance, the Hellspawns reached the purification chamber. Reaching this point meant they were not far from the central life support chamber.
However, the corruption nearby was severe; the fungal growth covering the chamber walls had begun to sprout disgusting, slimy tentacles. Communication with outside the ship was heavily disrupted by psyker interference, and the horn-shaped communication array could only communicate with another team within the ship.
Without external guidance, the Hellspawns had to rely on their own judgment.
"[+Stay alert+"] Horatio said.
The Aum Shield's scanning optic framed a figure leaning against the wall in the darkness, the reflection of its silver power armor very eye-catching.
"[+It's a Battle Sisters+"] Louise went forward to inspect.
"[+She's dead. The enemy might be nearby, stay vigilant.+"] Horatio said, standing beside Louise.
Clearly, this holy Battle Sisters had already returned to the Golden Throne.
Her abdomen was forcibly torn open, intestines and organs spilling out. Even blessed armor could not withstand such intense Nurgle corruption. The exposed skin around the wound had begun to develop blisters, and soon eyes would sprout there, perhaps even transforming her into a grotesque and hideous walking dead monster.
[What caused such a large laceration…?] Horatio pondered the source of the wound, which was likely the enemy he would soon face.
Suddenly, everyone heard BANG! BANG! gunshots.
"[+That's the sound of a bolter firing. The Sisters should be just ahead.+"] Harvey said.
[Is the Sisters' bolter sound usually this muffled?] Horatio frowned.
Uncertain, combined with this terrible fatal wound, he decided to take another look.
' +Activating: Precognition Shard+'
' +Energy: 4 / 7+'
' +Psyker: 5 / 7+'
' +Corruption: 2 / 7+'
' +Soulfire: 34 / 40+'
"False Emperor's handmaiden! How dare you refuse the blessings of the Plague Father! Die!" A huge, corpulent, rust-covered, cyst-ridden, one-eyed green figure stomped on the magnificent silver armor, defiling the holy fleur-de-lis pattern. The fat one raised a filthy, ancient Bolter and pulled the trigger.
[Death Guard Plague Marine…did he crash in with the plague ship?]
Horatio frowned deeply.
That plague ship might be a Trojan horse, waiting for victims to emerge from the Mandeville Point.
[What to do? That's a stinky can, a Chaos Space Marine. How are we supposed to deal with him…]
Horatio, with a tingling scalp, pondered a countermeasure.
Chaos Space Marines not only possess superhuman senses, but also receive additional blessings from the Warp's malevolent gods.
And Death Guard Plague Marines are even tougher, extremely durable, difficult to kill with ordinary weapons, making them the most resilient of the Chaos Space Marines.
What's worse, they come with the 'blessings' of the Grandfather. Whether hit by them or hitting them, one will be covered in plague filth, and it's highly likely to be incurable, leading only to a slow death.
It was like fighting a tiger that had just burst out of a septic tank.
Fortunately, however, this stinky can seemed to be guarding the life support chamber and had not pursued them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bolter was still firing, but this time the sound was not as heavy as before.
"[+The sound went left, we need to change direction.+"] Horatio called out to his teammates.
If they followed the initial gunshots, everyone would run head-on into that stinky can.
"[+Looks like they're in trouble. Time to show our Naval spirit!+"] David Beatty's tone was cheerful, clearly unaware of what they were about to face.
"[+And they're in big trouble.+"] Horatio's tone was not optimistic, envying David Beatty's optimism.
Horatio quickly analyzed the situation ahead in his mind. The Battle Sisterss had suffered a heavy blow from the Death Guard Plague Marine, and the survivors were retreating, seemingly pursued by renegades and walking dead.
Next, the Hellspawns first needed to help the Sisters deal with their pursuers, then, through the Sisters, let their teammates know what they were facing, and then figure out a way to collectively kill that foul 'plague pig' so they could purify the life support chamber.
The mission difficulty had exceeded expectations; a slight misstep could lead to total annihilation.
The power of mortals and demigods was ultimately different. To win the battle and survive, everyone had to unite and do their utmost.
"[+Burn her body. The Daughter of the Emperor must not be defiled.+"]
Whew—
Flames blazed, purifying the confined room, and the Hellspawns continued their advance. These young loyal sons would be the last hope for the Daughters of the Emperor.
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