This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 197 Khorne: What have you been up to behind my back again? (4.6k)

Impek Galaxy.

The Impek Galaxy is much more active now than when Chaos first invaded.

Initially, it was just a mission by the Mantis Warriors to liberate a planet ravaged by the Zerg swarm. However, shortly after the extermination operation began, they discovered traces of Chaos corruption.

In the past few weeks, the initial stages of the war have progressed smoothly, with the Mantis Warriors having completed the clearing of major cities and miraculously achieving zero casualties.

However, despite the elimination of the cult members, order within the city has yet to be restored.

Even more disturbing is the emergence of Chaos Space Marines, as if the entire planet were being corrupted by some unseen force.

The Man-Eating Shark Legion subsequently arrived in this galaxy.

The war should have ended at this moment.

Thanks to the technical support of the Mechanicus, the Fleet of the Manhunter Chapter is far more powerful than that of ordinary chapters, not to mention the Chaos Chapters which are short of supplies.

If victory is achieved in the Void War, the outcome of the Surface War is predictable.

However, a strange, chaotic magic shrouded the entire planet, distorting and banishing any attack from space, making orbital bombardment and global deployment impossible.

The Manta Rays ultimately chose to cooperate with the Mantis Warriors, holding onto Ansel, a key city in the southern part of the planet. From there, they launched several raids in an attempt to delay Chaos' reinforcements and gather intelligence in the hope of destroying the enemy's ritual core.

But as intelligence accumulated, the situation gradually became clearer, yet it also became increasingly despairing.

The dense array of chaos portals, the ever-expanding warbands, and the increasing number of demons all indicate that this planet may be beyond saving.

"The Tiberius Brothers".

Privately, Hessen Neotra, the chapter leader of the Mantis Warriors, requested a meeting with Tiberius.

He stood in front of the tactical sand table in the temporary command post, gazing at the figure that almost encompassed most of his field of vision.

The chapter commander was frighteningly strong; Neotra often felt as if he were talking to a Dreadnought.

"How long will it take for reinforcements to arrive?"

As a chapter that is not known for its operations and suffers from a relatively serious genetic disease, the Mantis Warriors' deployment and organization closely conform to the teachings of the Astartes Codex, strictly adhere to the standard structure of ten companies, and the chapter command group, apothecary, armory and fleet are all in normal configuration.

However, the remoteness of their star system and the long-term scarcity of resources meant that they had almost never been able to engage in combat at full strength throughout their long history, and the shortage of heavy vehicles made every large-scale operation extremely difficult.

The warband's strength is slowly dwindling due to the ongoing genetic disease. Each company rarely receives a full replenishment, damaged armor remains unrepaired, and fallen soldiers go unrepaired. The Mantis Warriors are gradually sliding towards the brink of collapse.

In order to survive, they concentrated their limited resources and production capacity on equipment that best suited their tactical style—lightweight and swift weapons that perfectly supported their expertise in harassment and guerrilla warfare.

Over time, this became their instinct. When faced with a powerful enemy, they tended to avoid direct confrontation and instead use trickery and speed to maneuver.

Perhaps their recent harassment has enraged the Chaos Warband, as the enemy has launched several attacks on the city, resulting in significant casualties on both sides.

If the Shark Squad hadn't brought a large amount of weaponry and equipment support, they probably would have already chosen to leave and notify the Ultramarines to deploy the Extinction Order.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, three weeks."

Tiberius replied, "If reinforcements do not arrive within three weeks, we will withdraw."

Having traveled a long way, he was familiar with the efficiency of Romulus and his men, not to mention the presence of Kahulangi's alien advisor, whose communication with the Dawn Fleet within the star sector was also very stable.

Moreover, they can handle the opponent's offensive. The Man-Eating Sharks are quite familiar with the strategy and tactics. In addition, with the modification of all the original Space Marines, although they are outnumbered, they can still maintain their advantage on the defensive end.

"it is good."

There were no unnecessary questions or pointless arguments.

Neotra indicated that he understood and was prepared to return to the base to relay the message to his brothers in the chapter.

After all, cannibals have short mouths.

The number of Mantis Warriors far exceeded that of the Mantis Warriors, and they brought large quantities of power armor and weapon supplies. Furthermore, Tiberius, as the commander, had extremely rich battlefield experience. In strategic decision-making, Neotra had to respect the other side's opinion.

And to be honest, Neotra always felt a strange unease when facing Tiberius, like prey encountering its predator.

This unease evolved into awe during the other party's polite conversation.

Stroking his brand-new Unyielding Terminator armor, his gaze fell on the shark warriors. The sharks remained quietly in their areas, some motionless like statues, while others knelt on the ground, using sophisticated tools to replace the teeth on their chainsaws, their movements skilled and focused.

This is a habit that stems from a long history of scarcity.

Mantis Warriors also have them.

All Mantis warriors maintain their war equipment with a unique reverence that surpasses even that of most Space Marines.

Manta Rays and Mantis Warriors have reclaimed several Empire Worlds, but this chapter still remains an enigma to him.

They fight like blades in the shadows—quiet, precise, and deadly. During battle, no sound is uttered except for the rustling of their armor, and they always achieve their strategic objectives with minimal cost.

It's hard to imagine that such abundant supplies could nurture such a battle group.

Neotra frowned slightly.

Logically speaking, soldiers with near-unlimited resources often become dependent on firepower and even arrogant.

But the man-eating sharks are different; they still maintain an almost demanding efficiency, as if some kind of hunger instinct is still imprinted in their bones.

"Kahulangi, do you find the enemy's style somewhat familiar?"

Tiberius ignored the departing Mantis Warrior and turned to ask the Think Tank Chief.

"You mean the army under Lord Arthur's command?"

Kahulangi was still discussing the Chaos's conspiracy with the Prophet.

"Yes."

Tiberius nodded.

As the first chapter to encounter the four Primarchs, the Manhunter's pragmatic approach led them to forge an extraordinary bond with the Dawnwings.

Unlike other chapters that are constrained by cultural traditions or honor codes, the Sharks adhere to only two ironclad rules: loyalty to humanity and never touching chaos.

Apart from that, they almost indifferently dismissed all other superfluous considerations.

As long as supplies and manpower can be secured, they will not impose cruel blood taxes, and are even willing to pay a certain price to protect the human inhabitants of a star sector.

For the man-eating shark, violence is never out of bloodlust or tradition, but a necessary choice under harsh reality, devoid of any personal color.

It's like a pure and emotionless blade, entirely dependent on how the user wields it.

Because they had long been outside the imperial archives and were not even officially recorded, they became the most ideal subjects for tactical experiments.

After Arthur took over the Dark Angels, a series of covert military exercises were conducted with the cooperation of the Manhunter, and they were well aware of secrets that many chapters were unaware of.

Currently, the man-eating shark's technical sergeants are undergoing training at Steelwing.

In the future, the Maneater will gradually break free from the shackles of the Cult of Mechanics, and the "Grey Tax" will be levied on the Dawnwings.

Tiberius could clearly sense that the four Primarchs were consciously exploring entirely new military architectures in an attempt to break the Mechanicus's monopoly on knowledge.

The only thing that puzzled him was that the Great Sage Caul, as the representative of the Mechanicus, had no reaction to this at all, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"indeed."

The face beneath the skull mask showed a thoughtful expression as Kahulangi recalled something.

"Dark Angel?"
-
"Pale nomads?"

Inside a fortress shrouded in chaos, Baylor gazed at the battle report, his brow furrowing.

They had dealt with these Raven Sons quite a bit back then, after all, after the World Eater was handed over to Angron, they became Horus's first assault force.

"Your tactics have been figured out."

Agatha made an exaggerated orchid-finger gesture with his bloated body, his fingertips stirring the murky air.

"It's absolutely disgusting."

His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of the intestines, sticky and damp.

"Any more nonsense to say? If not, I'm leaving." A wisp of pale green poisonous mist drifted out from his side, slowly moving towards Baylor and Seraphax, but was deflected the moment it touched the psionic shield, turning into a few wisps of smoke that dissipated.

The source of the poisonous fog was a Death Guard warrior whose dark green power armor, ravaged by millennia of decay, was now barely clinging to his swollen, mutated body like a cracked eggshell, with pale yellow pus seeping from the gaps.

Agatha's eyes were filled with undisguised disgust.

Not long ago, they were fighting to the death in the Eye of Fear over a boatload of pure water, but now, they are forced to stand in the same hall because of their respective masters' orders.

it's good now.

He lowered his head and vigorously rubbed his decaying body with a balm made from rendered fat. He then picked up a skull and rubbed the grime off the armor plates, but the lingering stench of decay still lingered.

No amount of water will help.

"."

The Death Guard merely glanced at the other party indifferently, without showing any anger.

He has already completed his sacrifice, so there's no need for him to provoke these perverts anymore.

The Flawless Lords War Gang has at least six lords who are constantly fighting against Chaos or the Empire. Their attendance rate is exceptionally high, and they die in droves, yet they never seem to be destroyed.

Nobody knows exactly how many of these freaks there are, no matter how many you kill.

"Agatochka".

Seraphus, with half his face ablaze with eerie blue flames, voiced his doubts.

"If you hadn't gone off to do your disgusting 'performance art' halfway through the battle, the situation wouldn't have turned out this way."

"Oh my~" Agatha cupped her face in her hands, twisting her body in ecstasy.

"I had no choice~ The Lord of Pleasure is summoning me~"

He blinked and added in a sweet voice.

"And also~ you should call her Ms. Agata~"

"."

Baylor felt nauseous.

Honestly, even the Death Guard, who had turned into a walking human-shaped pile of excrement, didn't find this androgynous pervert as disgusting as him.

“And you, Freys, I should emphasize that the enemy fortress has a dense network of promethium pipes. You should have led the troops through it quickly instead of corrupting those useless plague zombies on the outskirts of the city.”

“The loving Father loves every living being, and it is our duty to lead them to the realm of the loving Father.”

Freys replied seriously that when it came to his KPIs, he would absolutely not compromise.

Moreover, his subordinates had all gone to offer sacrifices. If he were absent and the blessing was taken by his brothers, he might be replaced by some "ambitious" plague warrior one day, thus turning the tables on his superiors.

The father was very generous, but his children were also quite demanding.

"Alas, he is more trouble than he's worth."

Agatha snorted, resentful that this guy had stolen his offering.

Freys's decaying organs in his abdominal cavity suddenly contracted violently, spurting out a stream of yellowish-green pus.

"You still dare to bring up the matter of success?"

His rotting vocal cords erupted with a deafening roar.

"If it weren't for you, I would have already completed the sacrifice to the water source and gone to the planet that my loving father needed me to go to, instead of being banished here with you, a brainless idiot, to listen to those nonsensical orders and to smell your stench."

Why are you yelling so loudly?

Agatha screamed and jumped away, but was still splattered with pus.

His meticulously manicured nails were instantly covered in sticky liquid, which enraged him.

"I am going to kill you!"

The sounds of clattering and clanging echoed through the hall, as disgusting pus and a strange fragrance gradually filled the meeting room.

Damn~
A piece of silk, covered in an unknown sticky substance, clung limply to the psionic shield, slowly sliding down and leaving a murky trail on the surface of the energy barrier.

"."

Baylor expressionlessly put away the tactical data panel and turned to look at Seraph.

The thought of leading this group of gods to fight against the Dark Angels or the Primarch's forces filled him with despair.

You sacrificed those mysterious mineral deposits to activate a teleportation spell, and what kind of junk did you find?

What a mob.

With three times the manpower and the blessing of Chaos Magic, even with equipment disadvantages, they still couldn't even take down two understrength warbands.

These veterans are practically dogs now.

"You shouldn't have had any expectations of chaos in the first place."

Fabius Bayer stood at a distance, silently watching the farce unfold.

It's clear that both Nurgle and Slaanesh are paying attention to the Primarch.

However, according to my cheap old man, the Four Gods suffered a huge loss recently and can only rely on these Chaos Space Marines for the time being.

"I think you've had enough of Abaddon's lesson."

He came here at Forgrim's request.

After all, no matter how unhappy he was, this Fallen Primarch was indeed his greatest protector. Without him, he would have to live a life of wandering for a long time.

As for his father, although he is very interested in reality, he is a believer in Sinhalese. Those who know, know. He acts on a whim and is currently playing with his new toy. Who knows when he will remember to get down to business.

And the issue of the number of troops under his command
The deal between Fabius and Chaos Warmaster Abaddon has already been completed.

After obtaining a sufficient amount of genetic seeds, Abaddon "generously" sent over all the troublemakers and unruly affiliated warbands within the Black Legion.

Of course, the words spoken on the surface are quite persuasive—

In this process, the Chaos Warlord fully utilized his deceptive skills to convince them that this was a 'good place' where they could sacrifice more souls and gain more attention.

As for the warlords' ships and the remaining members, the Great Raiders naturally accepted them without hesitation.

Abaddon had no idea what the Four Gods were up to, and he remained skeptical about the new Primarchs, but he needed to focus on developing his power for now.

Fabius watched the Chaos Lords arguing incessantly in the hall, his fingers unconsciously stroking the scalpel.

These fools will never understand that they were merely pawns discarded by Abaddon to purge dissidents, and were destined to be used by the evil god to achieve his goals.

"I will no longer have even the slightest illusion about them."

Therafax's psionic flames pulsed violently across half his face, his fingers unconsciously gripping the hilt of his power sword, wishing he could tear this Primitive monster to pieces immediately.

But what stands before me is nothing but an empty shell, a puppet being remotely controlled.

Since Fabius returned from his studies in Comoros, this mad genetic sorcerer has become increasingly difficult to eradicate.

The burning psychic eye stared at the body, now merely a projection of consciousness, and Sierra Fax asked in a deep voice:
"Are you so sure they'll come?"

He had not initially anticipated Fabius's support.

"of course."

Fabius looked at the burning flames, and a mocking smile crept onto his lips.

"Someone has already seen it."

And there's also the cunning and cunning.

(End of this chapter)