Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 573

Chapter 571, Death 1,000 Meters

Away. “We’re still… still… still… 1,000 meters… straight-line distance

from the protozoan chamber…” Lefort, who had been following Martins, spoke in a staccato voice.

Martins, having just withdrawn from the front lines, stared at the Heroic Elves officer.

Meeting his gaze, Lefort’s face showed a hint of anxiety.

“I… we’ve been… interrupted. The Governor’s… transmission… can’t… move quickly.”

At this point, he twitched as if electrified.

After a few seconds, he returned to normal and gave Martins a wry smile. “The connection’s broken. We can’t receive any more information. I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Martins nodded slightly.

He looked back ahead.

His battle comrades had just slaughtered another group of enemies who had actively attacked them.

This had been the norm for quite some time.

It was impossible to count how many enemies the regiment had eliminated along the way, but the enemy was like a tide, impossible to kill them all. Instead, they were increasing in number.

And increasingly elite.

After passing the Triple Archway, initially, it was just ordinary elite Skitarii and modified servitors who came to block the advance. However, as they approached the Protozoan Chamber, the troops coming to block the Phoenixes became increasingly numerous and elite.

The latest wave, in terms of troop quality, surpassed even the Triple Archway battle, and was significantly larger in number, with the support of numerous conventional troops, making the Phoenixes’ battle extremely difficult.

Of the eight hundred warriors who participated in the battle, fewer than six hundred remained.

Furthermore, nearly a hundred of them were seriously injured and unable to move.

This was a considerable burden, but they persevered. Fifty battle-brothers were specifically assigned to protect and transport the seriously injured amidst the raging fire—towing them in small automated personnel carriers.

Despite this, they had reached their mission location.

The Protozoan Chamber was only a thousand meters away, and they were now on the same floor.

They could even see the tightly sealed steel gate from the horizon.

However, standing in their way was also a most elite force.

As the leader of the entire Ark Fleet, Sage Dubo was naturally extremely concerned about his own safety.

Furthermore, the chamber housing and imprisoning the Neurozoa was a crucial part of the ship.

Combined, these two factors guaranteed the Skitarii’s utmost defense.

The space was small, and it was impossible to cram tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops into it. If

quantity wasn’t enough, quality was the answer.

The Basilisk mechas were fragile little characters here. The most striking thing were the dozens of Colossi mechas stationed around the protozoa chamber. Each one was roughly the size of a Space Marine Dreadnought, wielding a thunder hammer and a massive shield. Their combat capabilities were not to be underestimated.

With their immense power, even a Space Marine Terminator Heavy Shield Warrior would likely be unable to withstand a Colossi’s hammer.

And these Colossi mechas were merely large and conspicuous.

The strongest elements within this cluster of defenders were, in fact, the smaller ones.

Battle Priests, Lightning Priests, Iron Hero Mechas—handcrafted, ultra-elite versions…

As soon as Martins led his troops here, the enemy launched an offensive.

There were no probing attempts, no hesitation, just a head-on confrontation of sheer strength.

Fancy tactics wouldn’t work at this moment. The space was narrow, the mission was urgent—this was a strategic issue. The Space Marines’ firepower, no matter how powerful or fierce, couldn’t match the top-tier Mechas, and a long-range engagement would be a sure loss.

Only by enduring casualties and closing the battle to close combat could they achieve their goal.

The Phoenixes hoped to employ teleportation, similar to the previous attack on the Triple Arch, to send their most elite Terminators directly into the enemy lines.

But this time, teleportation failed.

As expected,

the psychic communication between Heroic Officers Lefort and Gu Hang was interrupted, and it was only natural that their teleportation would be disrupted.

They had no choice but to charge headfirst.

The price was horrific.

Even Martins himself only reached the enemy lines after his small shield generator was shattered.

However, as the two sides closed the distance, the battle finally swung towards the Space Marines.

The collective charge of hundreds of Space Marines, especially the most elite among them, still disrupted the defenders’ positions.

Most long-range firepower was ineffective.

The mass-produced versions of the Iron Heroes were merely impressive, their numbers being dwarfed in a real fight; the refined versions could at best hold their own against normal Terminator Space Marines.

But the ones they faced were more than just ordinary Space Marines.

The elite Phoenixes were still slaughtering the Iron Heroes with remarkable speed.

And the Colossi, capable of striking a decisive blow against the Phoenixes, were inevitably lacking in agility.

Several Colossi had already fallen on the battlefield.

The fastest-falling Colossi were targeted by Phoenixes wielding phaser blades.

Their incredibly thick armor was rendered powerless by the phaser blades.

The Battle Priests, however, presented a more difficult challenge.

These were high-ranking members of the Mechanicum, at least above the level of a Mechanicus, even Engine Prophets. They had harnessed their full technical prowess to transform their bodies for combat.

These true mechanics were not mass-produced, not even modeled. Each one was uniquely individual, employing a wide variety of abilities.

Some of them had their modified bodies fully charged with firepower, and at close range, they would bombard with all their might, disregarding their own safety and the injuries to their allies.

Some transformed themselves into bodies of almost pure energy, flashing high-energy arcs.

Some transformed themselves into super-close-range killing machines, making up for their lack of skill with technology. Their eight legs allowed them to move flexibly in any direction. Their multiple cutting and hammering weapons surrounded them, requiring no skill at all; as long as they got close enough, they could inflict damage.

Some even possessed multiple abilities simultaneously…

which meant that energy shields were of little use in close combat, otherwise they wouldn’t lack them.

Honestly, these things were the real cause of the greatest trouble.

The Phoenixes were locked in a difficult fight.

But Martins, the Chapter Master, was unable to manage the overall battle situation.

An elite squad, led by him, rushed straight towards the steel gate.

————

There is one more chapter to come.

(End of this chapter)