Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 816 Boarding Battle Planet
Taraxin fought for humanity's cause, finally earning the opportunity for the World Engine to intervene and shatter the energy shield on the surface of the battle planet.

The world engine of the Necromancer has always been located on the edge of the Blackrock Rift space.

The overly active subspace energy within this region of space forces the Necromancer's World Engine to maintain a safe distance.

Even the World Engine itself has an extremely ancient resistance to this environment. After all, in their memory, once the subspace concentration increases to a certain critical point, it is extremely easy for green mushrooms and Eldar sprouts to grow.

This enormous undead creation is comparable to a planet, though it is much smaller than a battle planet the size of Saturn.

However, compared to human warships, they are still enormous and awe-inspiring.

Unlike the flamboyant battle planet, the World Engine exudes a deathly stillness unique to the space necromancers, resembling a tomb floating in the void.

A vast amount of black stone and living metal constitute the overall structure of the world engine, and the orbital halo radiating eerie green energy rotates endlessly, maintaining a powerful field shield.

More complex and powerful space necromancy weapon systems lie dormant within, awaiting awakening by their controllers.

"Activate the world engine and disable the shield of that battle planet."

"Apart from that, do nothing. These humans need to distinguish between what is important and what is not, and realize the huge power gap between them and us."

"From a strength standpoint, they are not worthy to sit at the same negotiating table as us."

"Even if Tarasin helps them, it will be of no use. The conflict between races is the most brutal thing, and it is not something that a mere overlord can interfere with."

Claudius gave his orders, and the Necromancer's quantum supercomputer began to operate.

One after another, eerie green halos spread out beneath the crowned general's feet, and the towering black stone obelisks released low-pitched pulses of light. Then, the main structure of the world engine began to unfold.

The World Engine emits an energy field that is completely opposite to that of the battle planet.

Its internal black stone array has been locked into anti-warp mode, constantly strengthening the veil within the cosmos to counteract the amplified warp black stone that has been reversed by the Orks.

The two diametrically opposed energy positions clashed with each other, instantly causing the subspace tides of the Black Rock Rift to surge and undulate.

The power of the subspace sometimes weakens and sometimes surges, and in human observation, various cosmic background readings are showing an incomprehensible chaotic fluctuation.

Everything seemed to be in chaos, with one after another Ork warships collapsing and bursting into brilliant flames.

The Ork on the Battle Planet were no different; their emotions grew increasingly agitated and restless with the rise and fall of warp forces, causing even the energy shields on the Battle Planet's surface to ripple.

The World Engine's weapon array then activated.

Endless energy was extracted from its core hypercube labyrinth, and after being transformed and amplified by the powerful technology of the space necromancers, it was transformed into a death ray that struck the battle planet.

The attack from the Necromancer was as violent as a supernova explosion, pushing the limits of human understanding to a whole new level, especially for those who had just witnessed the terrifying technology of humanity's dark age.

Compared to these ancient galactic overlords, the technology and weapons created during humanity's most insane era seem not so terrifying or powerful.

On Luther's bridge command platform, thousands of data screens reached their peak in an instant, as humans recorded this rare scene, not missing a single detail.

"Damn it, where does their energy come from?"

"Just in that instant, the World Engine released energy far exceeding the theoretical value. In our scientific system, no form of energy reaction can achieve this output power."

"None of them can achieve this, whether it's nuclear fusion, element decay, matter-antimatter annihilation, or dark matter."

"They can't possibly possess some kind of truly inexhaustible energy source, can they?"

Luther held his hands to his chest. He had already ordered the human fleet to prepare for the landing, and they would launch an orbital drop as soon as the battle planet was exposed to them.

It seems impossible to destroy a combat planet by simply relying on the power of a space navy, and the probability of success in using a star harvester to detonate a star is extremely low at present.

In situations like these, the best approach is to return to the most basic and fundamental choice.

To board the enemy and destroy them from within.

The World Engine's attack lasted for three seconds, and in those short three seconds, the battle planet suffered damage a hundred times greater than that caused by a human attack.

Its surface energy shield became incredibly ethereal, as if it could crumble and disintegrate at any moment.

Even the air defense weapons that were still operating on the ground fell silent for a time, giving humans an excellent opportunity to parachute in.

Luther ordered the Dark Angels fleet to clear a reliable landing point on the battle planet using orbital bombardment.

If they were to be dropped without prior preparation, those brave Space Marines might end up directly above deadly Orc strongpoints, where they would be reduced to a pile of war debris.

Relying solely on Space Marines is certainly not enough; the surface of the battle planet is covered with numerous Orc heavy defensive fortresses, Orc armored forces, and even Titan units of the Ancient Titan level.

Even if the original Astartes is incredibly strong, most of the time it can only rely on its Infinite Engine to unleash its powers against opponents at the Knight-level.

Titan units were far beyond the capabilities of the Space Marines; even if they could be defeated, it would come at a bloody cost.

As the fleet's light spears fell, torrents of energy, like waterfalls reaching the heavens, tore through the thin atmosphere, instantly vaporizing all enemies within the impact zone.

They were like scorched scars burning the surface of the battle planet; countless orc foundries were destroyed in the bombing, and even more orc junk cities collapsed and burned.

Many orcs were howling in anger, but their defense system was overloaded by the world engine in a short period of time and would need some time to recover before it could go back online.

The Astartes orbital drop pods landed first, followed by a series of Thunderhawk gunships and the massive, roaring silhouettes of the Overlord gunships.

Thousands of Prototype Space Marines constructed fortifications within the landing zone and placed more jam-resistant teleportation beacons to guide tanks and super-heavy units from behind to land.

The phantom of the Tengu mechs descended from the sky. These amphibious vehicles, which had served in the Imperial Order for over a hundred years, had proven their strength and reliability countless times.

The Cult of Mechanics iterated and optimized the design of the original Tengu mech, creating Tengu mechs suitable for both Original Forged Space Marines and mortal pilots.

A large number of ordinary pilots with exceptional talent piloted the Tengu mechs, guarding the skies above the landing site.

They flew at high speed through the thick smoke, using the laser cannons on the nose and the missiles on the belly of their aircraft to precisely strike the Ork's temporarily disabled anti-aircraft firepower.

Although the Tengu mechs piloted by mortals are inferior to the standard models in terms of individual combat power, their sheer number makes up for this minor weakness.

Those Ork who were forced to use anti-aircraft artillery to resist were turned into a cloud of blood mist by the precise shots of the swift assassins flying through the air.

The Dark Angels' original Astartes used their airdrop pods as cover, while simultaneously constructing forward positions using existing materials on the ground.

The First Army served as the template for all Astartes' armies, and the positional tactics that the Fourth and Seventh Armies were so proud of were nothing more than easy tricks to them.

The warp forces on this battle planet are outrageously active, and the Dark Angels skillfully utilize their Infinite Engines to harness this power.

Magnetism became their medium of transport; a large number of orc metal artifacts were pulled directly from the ruins and then assembled together according to the most suitable structure.

Space Marines, wielding ultra-high-temperature flames, directly fused it together on-site, creating a reliable frontline shelter.

Meanwhile, the Space Marines equipped with the Phantom Cat's penetrating abilities and the Red Devil's teleportation abilities began to explore the map outwards from the landing point, marking dangerous targets directly on their combat support systems.

Whenever they marked an enemy, the Tengu mechs and armed gunboats roaming the sky would accurately unleash their firepower, bombing and destroying it completely.

Even the now-enhanced Orcs suffered heavy casualties under human firepower and were unable to mount an effective counterattack.

If the Ork can use their Waaagh energy to weaken the damage from artillery fire, it must be because the firepower wasn't strong enough.

The Dark Angels are the most elite killing machines of the human empire. Their perfect division of labor and cooperation maintain a perfect coordination in suppressing the orcs and bringing in reinforcements.

One after another, Emperor Venom Blade, Apocalypse Tank, and Sikaran Tank emerged from the teleportation beams. Under command, these heavy steel behemoths advanced in an orderly fashion toward the target firing position.

Rhino and Chimera troop carriers, loaded with mortal auxiliary troops, entered the battlefield. Their mission was to fill in the small, inconspicuous positions, connecting the whole structure like cement.

Ordinary people were not deployed on the most brutal battlefields. The intensity of the war had exceeded the limits of human capability. Even an armored regiment of ordinary auxiliary troops could only hold out for a fraction of a second.

The intensity of this war has exceeded humanity's definition of an apocalyptic war, comparable only to the climax of the Siege of Terra.

The Pacifier Cannon and the Petrified Lizard Cannon were positioned at the highest point on the battlefield by the mortal auxiliary forces.

These support artillery pieces, with ranges of tens or even hundreds of kilometers, are undoubtedly powerful weapons on the battlefield, capable of turning the tide of battle at crucial moments.

They always respond whenever frontline soldiers call for fire support.

A large number of Knight mechs and Dreadnought mechs belonging to the Steel Hand were also deployed to the battlefield.

Thanks to advancements in medical technology, many of the ancient warriors in Dark Angels who were originally confined to the sarcophagus have been given the right to perceive the world with their physical bodies once again.

If given a choice, most Space Marines would not choose to enter the Dreadnought; it is far too painful and torturous, and would awaken the suppressed fears of the Astartes far more effectively than death.

However, for the Iron Hand, this law is probably quite the opposite.

They prefer cold, precise, and powerful mechanical bodies to flesh and blood bodies that are prone to errors and damage.

When the mechanization of the human body reaches its limit, isn't it just about turning oneself into a fearless mech with its own thoughts?

Therefore, the Iron Hand possesses far more Dreadnoughts than the combined total of the other participating legions.

The Iron Hand also refused to allow Space Marines from other Legions to approach their Dreadnought sarcophagus.

Even though the original Space Marines of the Space Wolves had already sensed that there was absolutely no living creature in the Dreadnought, they still did not change their minds.

The AI-powered mechs belonging to the Tenth Legion appeared together with the Sentinel Iron Men. They replaced the mortal auxiliary troops in the most dangerous battlefields and were deployed on the outermost perimeter for defense and vigilance.

Within just over ten minutes, the vanguard forces of the four legions were deployed to the landing point on the battle planet and launched a multi-dimensional offensive as planned.

Luther delegated battlefield command to frontline commanders, while he himself remained aboard the New Caliban to coordinate the various parties.

The missions of each Astartes Legion are different.

Like the Steel Hand, their most important task is to organize heavy vehicles to form a steel torrent on the planet's surface, quickly striking the Ork army that hasn't had time to react.

At the same time, they will use powerful heavy artillery to annihilate key Ork targets.

The Space Marines of the Space Wolves, on the other hand, immediately dispersed upon landing, operating in small hunting squads to hunt down scattered Orks that large-scale forces could not handle.

Their primary targets are high-value individuals such as Ork nerds, Greenskin commissars, Shamans, and High Templars.

The reward for killing one orc shaman is greater than killing a thousand ordinary greenskins.

Thanks to their extensive experience fighting the Thousand Sons and the Warp Demons, the Space Wolves are particularly adept at dealing with enemies who like to use psionic energy.

Their incredibly keen sense of smell allows them to pinpoint key targets hidden among the beastmen.

According to the Fenris, each clan of Ork has a different odor, and Ork who use psionic ranged attacks have subtle differences from melee Ork.

The powerful rune priests of the Sixth Legion used Fenris' rune magic to cast a psionic shield on the Space Wolves, greatly reducing the psionic attacks from the Ork.

If it were an ordinary psionicist, on a planet like Battle Planet, where endless waaagh energy surges, they might not be able to mobilize their psionic power at all.

Their power comes from the warp, and in the midst of disturbances, they are unable to establish a stable connection with the warp.

However, rune priests are different; their greatest strength lies in their stability.

In particular, under Lothie's advocacy and guidance, the Rune Priest of Space Wolves and the Storm Prophet of White Scars once engaged in in-depth cooperation.

The deep exchange of psychic energy between the two different systems has led to the integration and complementarity of the systems, which has further enhanced the stability and reliability of these psychics.

Rune Priests can seal their psychic power within items such as amulets and weapons, releasing it only when needed.

Therefore, if you see Space Wolf Warriors on a chaotic battlefield wearing various beast fangs, runic amulets, and vest furs on their power armor, do not assume that they are engaging in primitive and backward religious superstition.

These things may seem mystical, but they really do work!

"Unfortunately, the Wolf King is not here."

"Otherwise, we'll definitely have to kill him right here!" Bjorn, the leader of the Space Wolves' First Company, responded to his fellow fighters with a long and loud wolf howl.

The howling of the space wolves on the battlefield created a scene of frenzied dancing among the wolves.

The wolves used their hunting skills to their fullest extent, employing tactics such as encirclement, division, and harassment to split the Orcs apart.

Under the howl of the Space Wolf, which contained a psionic shock, many orcish lunatics and shamans felt a strong sense of primal fear.

As more and more Ork people died at the hands of the wolves' chainsaws and power axes, this sense of fear began to spread like a plague.

Bjorn led the charge. This ancient warrior, who once followed Lemanrus to board the vengeful spirits and faced the Chaos Warmaster, became several times more powerful after the Primal Forging upgrade.

He gripped the chainsaw sword tightly and, relying on the kinetic energy stored in his armor, forcefully charged into the Ork tribe, cleaving the Ork warlord in two with extreme brutality.

In other places, a six-meter-tall orc warlord might already be able to rule over an entire planet of Orcs, becoming a high-ranking warlord.

But on Battle Planet, a holy land where Ork people are highly concentrated, even Ork people of this warlord level are a dime a dozen.

Warlords roam the land, heavily armored leaders are treated worse than dogs, and the big orcs are like ants that can't be killed off. This is the cruel reality of this battlefield.

No matter how many Orks you kill, more Greenskins will always come from all directions.

The underground of the battle planet is connected to the Waaagh portal, so the concept of manpower shortage simply does not exist for the orcs.

Human airborne troops can only suppress the number of Orks as much as possible, destroy more key nodes, and slow down the Ork replenishment rate.

The Dark Raven Guards deployed a large number of elite snipers on the battlefield.

These Astartes, lurking in the darkness, may be slightly less adept at direct assaults, but their killing speed is in no way inferior to that of the space wolves.

With the help of the Infinite Engine, these Primitive Raven Guardians are now able to literally blend into the shadows.

They were clad in camouflage cloaks, and each shot from their Gauss sniper rifles or sniper bomb rifles capable of firing antimatter annihilation rounds could take the life of at least one orc.

No Space Marine would dislike having Raven Guard snipers by their side to assist them in combat.

With at least these elite snipers from the 19th Legion present, those orc special forces lads and long-range snipers were slaughtered before they could even make their presence felt.

Through the links provided by Waaagh, Orcs can quickly transmit and share their brilliant inventions and unique ideas.

On the western front, Ork also established special operations teams that imitated humans, using their most elite Ork troops to harass human rear areas.

However, these elite orcs suffered an unprecedented defeat against the original Dark Raven Guard.

Many orc commanders and political commissars had their skulls blown off by antimatter warheads that appeared out of nowhere while they were directing the battle.

The immense energy generated by the annihilation of matter and antimatter not only tore apart the orcs' flesh but also transformed their sturdy bones into highly lethal shrapnel, causing widespread damage like anti-personnel mines.

The Ork, who were fighting fiercely on the battlefield, often heard no sound at all. Their commander behind them would explode into pieces with a thud, and the green-skinned orcs around them would also be covered with broken bones and fall to the ground howling in pain.

This was a devastating blow to the morale of the orcs; they were no longer afraid of their commanders being hacked to death by the enemy or blown up by artillery fire.

However, when faced with attacks they cannot comprehend, confusion and doubt arise from their impoverished minds and spread rapidly.

Orcs will instinctively wonder how powerful their enemy is, how they were able to kill them so miraculously.

Their ability to detect targets was not recognized, so many original Dark Raven Guardians were surprised to find that their stealth was becoming more and more perfect and their hit rate was rising sharply.

It was as if... those green-skinned men were guiding them to fire.

This absurd situation even spread to the point that the Ork, who were on edge and trembling, would collapse on the spot and die instantly from massive bleeding upon hearing the faint cracking sound of a bomb slicing through the air.

They figured they were sure they were going to be hit, and that the only possible outcome of being hit was death.

No matter how realistic the simulation training, or even if combat experience is directly instilled into the minds of new recruits through dreams, nothing can compare to this kind of real, authentic warfare.

Many original and new blood have grown rapidly in this brutal war.

Their mortality rate is quite low. With the protection of the Hymn Pituitary and Belisarius Furnace, as well as the Wolverine healing factor implanted in the Infinite Engine, most injuries are unlikely to completely kill these extraordinary warriors.

The ever-emerging, powerful Orcs became their best sparring partners, using their own lives to improve the combat skills of the Proto-Forged Space Marines.

"Concentrate your firepower and attack those Ork psionic towers."

"Use molten metal bombs and antimatter bombs to destroy those damned black obelisks!"

Among the Dark Angels, a commander wearing the First Legion's signature winged helmet and black power armor was methodically directing his subordinates.

Even when facing an endless army of Orcs, there was no trace of panic or fear in his eyes; he seemed as relaxed and at ease as if he were heading to a grand banquet.

His name may not be as dazzling as that of Koswayne, Arajos, or others, but only those who truly know him understand how terrifying this dark angel is.

Astram, one of the oldest Space Marines, was even older than Lion King Ryan Johnson.

He was also a representative of the Terran race in the Dark Angels Legion. Long before Lion King Llane's incubation chamber was thrown into the galaxy by the warp storm, he followed the Lord of Man and suppressed the Thunder Warriors' rebellion.

Only a senior Dark Angel with such a special status and extremely high position could replace Commander-in-Chief Luther and personally command the Dark Angel Legion on the front line.

As the towering black stone obelisks crumbled and collapsed under the targeted attacks of the Dark Angels, Astram felt a surge of pleasure.

Lock onto the target, destroy the enemy, lock onto the target again, and repeat this cycle endlessly—it's all so perfectly coordinated.

Astland was proud, even so proud that he didn't fully agree with Ryan.

Deep down, Astran believed that Ryan was merely a superior sent by the Emperor to replace him, and that he was just a lucky guy.

If Ryan were not the Primarch, not the Emperor's biological son, then he would not have been stripped of his status as the Supreme Commander of the First Legion.

Towards the end of the Great Crusade, Astram, like Luther, was distrusted by Llane and exiled back to Caliban.

Astland had thought that this might be the end of his life, a quiet retirement in Caliban until death.

But Ryan suddenly returned, had a secret meeting with Luther, and Luther was subsequently reinstated, while Astram was also given a new lease on life.

"This is the true Dark Angels, the First Legion!"

"We are the Emperor's judgment, we are the Emperor's angels of extermination!"

The air was filled with a mixture of scalding gunpowder smoke and the stench of ozone produced by plasma ionization. These complex odors were filtered through the air intake grille of the power helmet and entered Astran's nostrils.

This ancient Space Marine loved the smell of the battlefield, which made him feel that he still had value and that he still held his honor in his hands.

The perfect coordination of the four Astartes legions has allowed humanity to gain a firm foothold at the landing point.

This brilliant transition even impressed General Crowned, the Necromancer from space who was secretly observing the battlefield.

"Terrifying combat awareness, terrifying organization and coordination."

"These carbon-based apes... no, these Space Marines are even more powerful than I expected."

"They have improved compared to what we observed more than a hundred years ago when they were embroiled in that civil war."

Claudius's arrogance had faded considerably, replaced by a hint of seriousness and a subtle sourness.

He understood that even if he personally commanded those space necromancers and immortals, this was the best he could achieve.

Moreover, the prerequisite for him to do this was the powerful computing ability of the Space Necromancer Commander, which allowed him to perfectly control those low-level warrior units.

Commanding space necromancers in combat is essentially no different from manipulating strings of data in a computer game and ordering them to fight.

At least for Claudius, this was certainly the case.

Space necromancers can exert 100% of their power in war, but they cannot exert 120% of their power like humans; they do not have the potential to bring about change.

Even in General Dai Guan's heart, he had to admit that his command ability might be slightly inferior to that of human commanders.

Because their targets are a group of flesh-and-blood individuals with their own independent thinking who are extremely prone to making mistakes, rather than undead soldiers who only know how to obey orders.

Of course, Claudius would never admit this; his status and position dictated that no doubts could ever be leveled against him.

The battle planet's energy shield had not yet recovered when the World Engine's ferocious, charged attack completely shattered its circulation system.

Once a complete cyclical system is severely damaged, it will inevitably require a lot of time and resources to repair.

If a tree has its branches pruned, it will regenerate quickly, but if its trunk is cut off, it may never be able to regenerate.

Luther also cautiously directed the human fleet, launching preventative attacks on the energy shields of the battle planet.

He also feared that if the damned shield were to be restored, the airborne troops dropped onto the surface of the battle planet would become isolated and helpless casualties.

Furthermore, the space fleet is actively responding to the bombing requests from the ground. Whenever they encounter a tough orc fortress, the Steel Hands will call in orbital bombardment to completely resolve the problem.

With this highly efficient air, space, and land-based coordinated attack, a massive steel torrent paired with elite light infantry, and the support of the Titan Legion's suppressive strikes, the encirclement of the green-skinned orcs is gradually crumbling.

The corpses of the fallen orcs even blocked the road for reinforcements, making it increasingly difficult to provide support.

Meanwhile, in the underground core fortress of the battle planet, four Orc warlords, each about twelve meters tall, had gathered together.

Each of them is a powerful orc comparable to Bloodhowl Zak; among humans, they are known as "Beasts."

Every beast is qualified to command an orc legion, acting on the will of their emperor, to destroy all human defenses wherever they go, and to trample the entire human world.

However, as the pressure from the space undead and humans increased, they realized that continuing to disperse would inevitably lead to their defeat one by one.

So they chose to concentrate their forces, gathering most of their troops on this battle planet, preparing for a large-scale decisive battle.

"Those humans are breaking through our defenses. Their goal is clear: to come for us, and secondly, to completely destroy my battle planet."

"It was a wild beast," a deep voice said.

"Humans are not the key; the key is those space monsters that are eyeing us covetously."

"These damned metal skeletons are waiting for us and humans to weaken each other, then they will launch an attack and kill both of us at once."

"The only outcome of allying with space necromancers is that they will be abandoned once they lose their usefulness."

The beasts shared their thoughts, growling softly as they vented their rage.

In addition to communicating through language, they are also able to communicate directly and efficiently through synesthetic communication using the energy of waaagh.

This behavior is similar to how humans use body language to aid in expression when speaking; both are forms of stronger emotional expression.

We now have two goals:

"First, slaughter all the humans who dare to set foot on the battle planet. We must use a heavy price to let all humans know the consequences of challenging the Orcs."

"Secondly, we must teach those space undead a lesson and show them that even though we are now weak, we have not forgotten our past hatred."

"What if our strength is insufficient to accomplish both objectives simultaneously?" a wild beast countered.

“Then let’s prioritize the second point. Our hatred for the space undead is far deeper than our hatred for humanity!” The largest and most prestigious beast made its choice.

"In that case, let's activate our hidden battle planets in other star systems and use the Waaagh Gate to teleport to the vicinity of the World Engine."

"Even if it means losing all our battle planets, we'll take down that damned world engine!"

The beasts quickly reached a consensus: one beast would remain on the battle planet to oversee operations, while the others would return to their respective battle planets through the Waaagh Gate.

They will show the world the blood and courage of the orcs, even at the cost of their own destruction!
(End of this chapter)