Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 697

Chapter 695: Death of the Overlord, Battle of Rheaduches (10)

The Hive Overlord was struck once again by Mjolnir, with full force hitting him on the head!

This blow was immense, only slightly less powerful than the previous charge from the Black Cross Champion.

Several teeth flew from its mouth; an eyeball was blown out; the entire solid shell of its skull was slightly deformed.

However, this damage was still not fatal.

The Hive Overlord, dazed by the blow, was immediately attacked by Leroy and another champion. However, it was still able to wield its four massive blades, forcing them back.

The third champion swung his Mjolnir again, intending to strike again.

This time, he was too aggressive.

Seeing the Hive Overlord’s dire condition, he attempted to take advantage of his weakness, but a tail spike arrived much faster than expected.

The champion, unable to dodge the hammer, was pierced through the chest by the tail spike.

Space Marines are resilient, but their resilience depends on the enemy they face. A bullet or a knife that destroys the heart or lungs is certainly a serious injury, but a Space Marine with two hearts and three lungs rarely dies instantly. They often retain their combat effectiveness for a considerable period, and even with proper treatment from apothecaries after battle, it’s common for them to survive and return to battle.

But facing a Hive Overlord’s tail piercing is a different story. The moment the armor and body are pierced simultaneously, an explosive force pulverizes the Space Marine’s entire torso within the armor into a slushy mess.

The Thunder Hammer dropped helplessly to the ground. Leroy,

his eyes wide with rage, took a step forward, leaping across the distance he had been forced back. His Holy Sword slashed down from above, severing the tail that hadn’t yet been withdrawn.

Blood gushed from the severed wound, and the Hive Overlord roared, ready to launch a counterattack against Leroy.

Once again, Leroy was forced to single-handedly counter four serrated bone blades.

But this time, the situation was much more favorable. Leroy sensed that the Hive Overlord’s attack was noticeably less ferocious than at the beginning.

The heavy bleeding caused by the complete severing of its tail, the shattering of its chitinous armor on its back, and the resulting damage to its internal skeleton, combined with the dizziness and confusion from the blow to its head… these combined forces had reduced the Hive Overlord’s combat effectiveness to its peak.

While the pressure remained intense, it wasn’t as suffocating and devastating as it had been at the beginning

, facing imminent defeat. The remaining Black Cross Champion, seizing an opportunity during the clash of swords, stabbed the Hive Overlord in the back with his power sword.

The Hive Overlord turned to strike him, but Leroy charged again, severing the Hive Overlord’s arm at the cost of piercing its thickest shoulder armor. With

one hand cut off, the Hive Overlord’s combat effectiveness was further reduced.

Although he turned sideways, using one blade to counter the Black Cross Champion and two to counter Leroy, giving the human no chance to evade him from behind, he was also showing signs of weakness, no longer as formidable as before.

If this continued, Leroy would likely seize an opportunity later, perhaps slaying him with a single strike or even severing his arm.

However, Leroy suddenly felt a strong sense of danger!

He abruptly abandoned his attack and retreated, only to see the ground suddenly collapse where he had been standing, and a snake-worm burst forth.

If he didn’t dodge, he would be in for a nasty disaster.

But the snake-worm alone wasn’t enough. A second after it emerged, it was killed by a precise sniper bolt from a distance.

The snake-worm was considered the Zerg’s elite fighter, but in a battle of this magnitude, it was simply too vulnerable to being killed with a long-range weapon.

But it didn’t matter; the snake-worm was just a tunneler. The Executioner Tyrants that leaped out immediately after the Snakes were the key players.

They were considered the top creatures of the Hive’s army—top in the conventional sense. They were roughly the same tier as the Hive Tyrants, differing only in that the Hive Tyrants were warrior commanders, while the Executioner Tyrants were specialized, agile versions of the top hunters. While

their direct combat effectiveness was somewhat inferior to the Hive Tyrants, they were more agile, faster, and more cunning, with a combination of stealth and ambush traits and preferences. In a true battle, it was hard to say which was more formidable.

These Executioner Tyrants lunged at Leruva with a frenzied rage. While

their momentum was certainly formidable, Leruva was a top-tier expert, no ordinary champion. However, within a few moments, the Executioner Tyrants were slain by the Holy Leader Sword.

However, their goal had been achieved.

Leruva was, at least for a moment, held back.

After he dispatched the blockers, he saw the Hive Overlord actually retreating!

The cunning Hive Overlord wasn’t one to fight to the death. Seeing the situation was dire, a retreat offered no psychological pressure.

Furthermore, it might even be able to jump back into the incubation pool. In a short while, the wounds and broken limbs could be urgently repaired.

By then, all previous efforts would be wasted.

Not only did Leroy realize this, but so could the other Black Cross Champion.

He rushed forward, attempting to intervene.

But just as Leroy had slain the Executioner Tyrant, the Hive Overlord also slew the Black Cross Champion.

However, he was slower than Leroy, so by the time Leroy reached him, his battle-brother had barely expired, leaving the Overlord with barely a moment to draw his blade.

Another battle-brother had fallen tragically, but Leroy was too consumed by grief. Seizing this opportunity, he slashed another of the Overlord’s arms with his Holy Sword. Immediately, swift sword strikes swirled toward the Hive Overlord without pause.

The Overlord repeatedly tried to force Leroy back, but to no avail.

Marshal Black Cross fought tooth and nail to prevent him from escaping.

The Hive Overlord didn’t experience fear, but its cold-blooded mind still concluded that retreat was the best option. So, after a confrontation, it recklessly continued its flight, even exposing its back.

Leroy, of course, wouldn’t miss this opportunity and strode in pursuit. But in a flash, the Overlord half-turned, a bone blade already in its reverse grip, thrusting backward.

A sudden counterattack!

Leroy, overly pursued, found it difficult to evade.

But in a split second, he made up his mind. Not only did he not retreat, but his steps became even more resolute!

The bone blade pierced his abdomen, and a huge force exploded in his body, trying to destroy his organs from within; but his sword had already fallen, cutting off his arm.

The Hive Overlord hadn’t anticipated Leroy’s resoluteness. With

no other means of ending Leroy’s attack, it could only turn completely around and hastily raise its last arm to block, only to be slashed off again.

However, the two struggles had brought them extremely close, almost face-to-face.

The Hive Overlord opened its maw wide, biting down on Leroy’s head, which was within reach. A

single bite would have engulfed the Marshal’s head, ripping it off.

However, at the crucial moment, Leroy tilted his head slightly, limiting his maw to the junction of his shoulder and neck.

Despite the thick shoulder armor protecting it, the sharp teeth pierced through it, and he could feel the left side of his neck being torn off.

A fatal wound.

But at that moment, the Holy Leader’s sword slashed upward in a half-moon arc, completely severing the Hive Overlord’s head from his neck.

Leroy, his vision blackening, collapsed to the ground, unable to hold on.

But what finally gave him peace of mind was the hive overlord, its limbs, forearms, tail, and   head severed, collapsing to the ground with a crash.

When Leroy opened his eyes again, he found himself completely paralyzed.

It wasn’t that he felt restrained, but rather that he couldn’t feel any of his limbs below his chin, and therefore couldn’t move.

Even his jaw seemed to be gone.

He could sense that he was completely submerged in the nutrient solution. Through the transparent hood of the incubator, he could see a group of men in Mechanicus robes bustling about outside.

The Mechanicus priests noticed his awakening and exchanged a few words. Some turned away, presumably to report to their superiors, while others entered some commands at a nearby control panel.

Leroy felt a numbness in the back of his head, as if electricity had been connected. Then, he seemed to be able to speak again.

Of course, he couldn’t speak like a normal human, as his vocal cords were gone.

The sound came from an artificial organ connected to his rear end. Neural commands were converted into electrical signals, which were then transmitted through a speaker next to the petri dish. This also provided neural feedback to his brain, allowing him to hear his own words.

External sounds were also heard in a similar way.

“Marshal Leroy, can you hear me?”

“Yes.” Although a little uncomfortable, he had mastered the art of speaking.

“You’ve finally awakened… I’m sorry. The situation was critical, and we had to remove many parts of your body. But please believe that this was necessary to ensure your survival. Although the success rate was low, I’m glad to see you survive…”

Leroy interrupted the man’s continuous talk to ask the most pressing question: “How is the battle going?”

He had not yet lost his memory, and had not forgotten the last scene before waking up.

“The situation is quite complicated, so I can’t elaborate further. But at least you’re safe for now. Wait a moment, we’ve notified our superiors, and someone will be here to see you soon. Before that, let me explain your current condition and the various methods we used to save you.”

This member of the Mechanicum, seemingly a Grand Master, sounded enthusiastic, even excited.

For their team, rescuing Leroy, who had been sent to heaven, had been a tremendous effort, employing many unproven, extremely risky, and even quite forbidden methods.

But thankfully, they succeeded.

This was a truly remarkable case study, something they could use as a research topic and add to their resume when they ascended to the Sage of the Main Work.

Leroy listened in silence.

He didn’t understand or care for the many specific technical details the Grand Master kept mentioning.

However, he had a general understanding of his own physical condition.

As the Grand Master had said, most of his body was gone.

His jaw and the left side of his neck were completely destroyed and had to be amputated. A steel jaw was replaced, sewn to the back of his head and neck. The bitten-off left side of his neck was also replaced with an artificial blood vessel.

Only the right half of his thorax remained, with the left half removed, leaving only one lung and a heart.

His abdomen was completely removed.

The loss of his thorax and abdomen left his limbs, which should have been intact, without their connection to his torso. Only his left arm remained, and the rest had been amputated.

In other words, his original body was now reduced to the upper half of his head, the right side of his neck, the right side of his thorax, and his right hand.

Everything else was gone.

Could he still survive as a soldier like this?

Perhaps.

As he thought about this, he heard footsteps.

A Terminator wearing the Black Crusader livery and the marshal’s insignia entered, accompanied by several guards. Standing in front of the incubator, he removed his helmet and handed it to a nearby guard.

It was Leroy’s old friend, Marshal Xi Rui of the Fourth Fleet.

Xi Rui’s face was a complex mix of relief at his old friend’s survival and grief at witnessing his tragic condition.

“How’s the battle going?” Leroy asked the question that concerned him most.

“Victory,” Xi Rui replied affirmatively. “Your final assault was effective. After the Hive Overlord was decapitated, all Zerg units within RM008 were disabled, leaving the hive unprotected. The remaining troops planted the bombs and destroyed the hive. Your remaining guards recovered the bodies of many of your battle brethren, including you, and urgently called for several ships to return you to orbit.”

“Luckily, at least you made it through the interception net. You are now aboard the Allied flagship, the Jinguan. With the support of Commander-in-Chief Gu, several ruling bishops from the Aramita, Martian, and Mingyang sects formed an expert team and saved your life.”

RM008 had been Leroy’s original strategic target.

Hearing of its ultimate destruction, Leroy’s greatest worry was finally put to rest.

No matter how miserable he was now, at least, as Xi Rui had said, he had won the battle.

But the battle at that time wasn’t just limited to the hive.

“What about the front lines?”

“At least we didn’t lose.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your actions in killing the Hive Overlord actually had an impact on the front lines as well. Many Zerg units were disabled, and our forces inflicted heavy casualties during this phase. However, the most important Bio-Titans remained functional, delaying the attack until we could take over the remaining disabled Zerg.” “

But after suffering heavy casualties, they too retreated. Now, the ground battle continues. Commander-in-Chief Salilius and Chapter Master Martins have already descended to the surface with their respective forces. I was about to depart as well. If you had woken up a few hours later, I would have been there too.”

“Next, you should recuperate. The rest of the battle will be left to us.”

The term “recuperate” seemed rather outrageous to Leroy right now, but it was all Xi Rui could say.

“I’m going to get into the Dreadnought Iron Coffin. The surgery has to be quick, so maybe I can still make it to the next battle.”

The voice, relayed through the telegraph, was cold and emotionless, but Xi Rui could hear the resolve within.

—

Watched the finals, then rushed to finish the manuscript, and now…

a little disappointed…

Faker is truly admirable.

(End of this chapter)