Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 928

Chapter 920: Take a few more traitors to hell

As the crackle of gunfire echoed through the crypt, Talsa could already see the coffin with his own eyes.

Seeing it in person was even more unsettling than seeing it through a holographic image.

Every human present felt a hatred, as if born of genetic instinct, driving them towards the coffin.

Before Talsa could command his troops to attack, a communication signal came through.

It was from Commander-in-Chief Martins.

“I have received your latest report. Keep an eye on that ‘thing’ and don’t let the traitors get it!”

“Yes, sir!”

Talsa replied firmly.

Was he truly confident?

No, he wasn’t.

He could already see the enemy’s formation.

The Chaos traitors were, as he had expected, quite outnumbered. The human defenses were undoubtedly under immense pressure; it was only a matter of time before they collapsed. But with the Alliance soldiers’ tenacious will, the Army Division, despite being completely outnumbered and aided by fewer than thirty Space Marines, withstood the onslaught of Chaos Rebels and Chaos Space Marines tenfold.

Even if their fate was inevitable, at least they hadn’t collapsed yet. They wouldn’t let too many enemies in. The Chaos traitors, using special operations as their base, had only sent in a single special forces squad.

However, this special forces squad was formidable. Tulsa alone witnessed over thirty Chaos Space Marines clad in traitor power armor. Among them, the most formidable were the three Chaos Dreadnoughts. They were the ones who blew through the cathedral wall, and they were also the greatest obstacle in the battle. Eliminating these three Dreadnoughts would undoubtedly cost them a fortune.

Fortunately, the dozen or so Chaos Sorcerers, also quite formidable among the enemy, seemed unavailable for the time being. They were surrounding the coffin, engaging in some unknown, but clearly ominous, activity.

As for the few remaining armed Chaos cultists, the Tulsa ignored them.

Just thirty Chaos Space Marines and three Corrupted Dreadnoughts were no match for them.

Objectively speaking, the odds of victory were roughly 80-20, with only two on their side, no more.

Yet, he remained resolute in his response to the commander-in-chief. It wasn’t because he had a chance of victory, but rather because he had already made up his mind to risk his life.

He was determined to complete the mission, even if it meant sacrificing himself and all his battle-brothers to death.

And if even that didn’t accomplish the mission, it would at least mean that he and his brothers had given their all and could have a clear conscience.

With this mindset, he ordered the attack.

However, despite his determination, he wasn’t foolish. He wouldn’t rush in and claim glory by sacrificing all his brothers.

He remembered his mission: to prevent the enemy from obtaining the target item, not to annihilate them completely.

He decided to try to hold the line.

The remaining half-dozen infantry companies set up their weapons.

Though they were mere mortal soldiers, Tulsa had to utilize every available force.

Only after their preparations were complete did the Space Marines launch their attacks.

They emerged from corners and cover, and began firing inward with bolters and plasma cannons. Their targets were all focused on the Chaos Sorcerers.

Tulsa could see that their actions were key to obtaining the “object” within the coffin. Attacking them, while not directly fatal, would at least hinder their effectiveness.

This proved to be true.

Although the psychic shield appeared, blocking many of their attacks, one plasma beam still pierced the shield and killed a Chaos Sorcerer. The dark red chain connecting the Sorcerer to the coffin suddenly snapped, and the coffin suddenly cracked. A translucent hand emerged from within, its fingers entwined with purple-blue data streams.

The Chaos wizards grew visibly nervous, their chants intensifying. Tulsa could even see veins bulging on their foreheads.

It worked!

Tulsa was about to order a greater attack, but the enemy wouldn’t let them continue.

The Chaos enemy’s firepower also covered the area.

Some Bamboo Lizard Warriors were injured, while others were suppressed and unable to emerge.

The only pressure they could put on the Chaos wizards was the initial volley.

But the Chaos enemy didn’t want to risk giving them any more opportunities.

Three Dreadnoughts moved, accompanied by a dozen Chaos Space Marines, pressing towards Salta and the others. The remaining twenty or so Chaos Space Marines, armed with their weapons, continued to lay down suppressive fire.

The assault was a success.

The Chaos rebels had indeed suppressed the Bamboo Lizard Warriors, and the three Dreadnoughts were quite resilient. The occasional bolters and plasma beams fired by Tulsa and the others were no real threat to them, nor did they easily bypass them to effectively strike the accompanying Chaos Space Marines. Even a single missile launch from a single individual missile created a massive shockwave in the confined space. But when the smoke and dust cleared, three Dreadnoughts were revealed, sweeping through the half-collapsed passageway, continuing their advance with only a wisp of dust lingering on their bodies.

A barrage of super-heavy explosives—perhaps even artillery shells—launched from the Dreadnoughts, shattering the corner bunker and shattering a Banyan Lizard warrior who hadn’t managed to move.

Tulsa sighed.

This was exactly what he had anticipated, but the three corrupted Dreadnoughts, charging forward with such overwhelming force, still presented a daunting challenge.

The longed-for scene of a single individual anti-armor missile blasting the Dreadnoughts failed to materialize, and Tulsa could only continue to follow his original plan.

The three Dreadnoughts, accompanied by their Chaos Space Marines, were already approaching.

As they emerged from the corner, the mortal soldiers ambushed on either side opened fire fiercely!

Of course, mortal forces possess weapons capable of harming Space Marines and even Dreadnoughts. Mounted heavy bolters, plasma cannons, and even melta bombs in the hands of soldiers are all deadly weapons.

These weapons, regardless of their wield, inflict the same devastating damage as long as they are successfully fired and hit.

But the prerequisite is to be able to hit.

This is a major challenge.

While such weapons are portable enough for Space Marines, they are extremely difficult to operate in the hands of mortal soldiers. Furthermore, for mortal soldiers, bolters and plasma pistols simply overpower them. After all, they typically fight opponents of equal strength, so there’s no need to use such weapons. Forced use can be even more harmful to the enemy than to the enemy.

For safe and effective use, these powerful weapons are best positioned in fixed positions, firing from fixed angles.

This makes it difficult even for Space Marines to penetrate areas blocked by direct fire.

Well… that’s just the beginning.

The difficulty mortal soldiers face against elite opponents like Space Marines also manifests itself in another way.

Mortals’ reaction speed, aim, and mentality—all aspects of their abilities—are vastly inferior to those of “superhuman” Space Marines.

The moment a soldier pulls the trigger appears to a Space Marine as slow motion. They are perfectly capable of evading and neutralizing the shot.

Meanwhile, a Space Marine’s counterattack against a mortal soldier is often a single fatal strike.

The difference between the two sides is truly significant. On the battlefield, mortal troops, without specialized means, are often helpless against Space Marines, even with reliable weaponry.

However, the current situation presents a different scenario.

The Dreadnoughts and Space Marines had indeed seen the ambushing mortals and anticipated their intended fire.

However, dodging proved to be much more difficult. While

the Chaos Space Marines were relatively easy to deal with, the Dreadnoughts simply couldn’t evade in such a tight radius.

Of course, the Dreadnoughts also have their own unique characteristics.

Expecting a creature this size to dodge swiftly was unrealistic; but their lack of agility was rewarded with abundantly thick armor.

As three heavy bolter guns blazed and two plasma cannons opened fire, a single Dreadnought stood in front of the other Chaos units.

But that was precisely what the human soldiers intended to do. They ignored other targets and fired relentlessly at the Dreadnought.

The Dreadnought’s counterattack followed.

The human soldiers’ heavy weapons survived for less than eight seconds before they were completely destroyed.

But could eight seconds of close-range fire be enough to destroy a Dreadnought?

The truth proved otherwise.

Despite being riddled with wounds, it managed to stand tremblingly.

But what if the lizard warriors were to charge in?

Tulsa, who had just led his troops into hiding, now surged forward again.

The opportunity created by the sacrifices of the mortal soldiers must not be squandered.

The roaring dragon spawn opened fire ferociously. Tulsa was the fastest to charge, and four of his battle brothers joined him, melee weapons in hand, closing in on the enemy. While his brothers temporarily held off the enemy, Tulsa himself raised his Graviton Staff high, its tip blasting with a roar of thunder as it slammed into the Dreadnought’s support leg.

Even the mighty Dreadnought buckled under the blow.

He then delivered three more powerful blows, completely silencing the fallen Dreadnought.

By this point, only two of his four battle brothers remained.

Under the cover of their brothers firing from a distance, they quickly retreated.

Tulsa again brought up the rear, crushing the heads of two Chaos Space Marines. And, in the final act, under the barrage of fire from two more Dreadnoughts, he, clad in his Terminator armor, displayed incredible agility, dodging the deadly projectiles one by one and retreating to cover.

The Chaos traitors, shouting obscenities, gave chase, and a grueling chase ensued within the narrow, branching catacombs.

Despite their outbursts, the Chaos traitors were actually acting more cautiously.

The loss of a Dreadnought had alerted them. They didn’t want to be ambushed by heavy human firepower just around the corner.

Tulsa’s demonstrated combat prowess compelled them to take it seriously .

The enemy’s caution played into Tulsa’s hands. He

slowly drew the enemy back, delaying them. Even if they showed signs of retreating, he would counterattack, determined to hold them back.

Finally, what he had hoped for finally happened.

He heard the crackle of gunfire and violent explosions erupting not far away, in the direction of the coffin.

This was exactly what he had planned:

attack, disrupt the Chaos sorcerers, draw the enemy’s pursuit, destroy a Dreadnought at a reasonable cost, and then exploit the environment to engage the enemy. The more crucial goal was to secure the coffin’s location from another direction, led by another group of seven Primaris veterans, armed with high-explosive weaponry. They would exploit the complex passageways of the catacombs and, while the enemy’s main force was distracted, launch an attack.

But at the same time, he was becoming extremely nervous.

This was his last resort. Would it work?

The enemy still had remaining forces. Could his brothers complete their mission?

He heard even more intense explosions, which was good news. The more intense the fighting, the greater the disruption to the Chaos Traitors.

The main force of the Chaos Traitors pursuing them attempted to turn back, but were entangled by Tulsa’s forces.

However, the situation then took a turn for the worse.

Tulsa’s tactical visor revealed that the vital signs of the seven battle-brothers, specially marked for their mission, quickly vanished one by one.

They had all perished in battle.

Clearly, while the Chaos Sorcerers had been somewhat disrupted, it hadn’t been stopped.

In his despair, he also realized he was in deep trouble.

In order to tie up the enemy in front of them and prevent them from returning to support, they had already gotten too close to the enemy.

Now, they wanted to open up some distance again, but it was not so easy.

Those Chaos traitors were in no hurry to go back. Instead, they almost surrounded the Banyan Lizard Warriors, who were outnumbered by only ten people, and seemed to be determined to wipe them out here and there.

He sighed and shouted to his remaining fighting brothers:

“If this is our final fate, let us take a few more traitors to hell with us!”

————

I broke my promise yesterday…I didn’t finish writing the second chapter…

I will try harder today.

(End of this chapter)