Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 91 Saving Private Cicero (Part 2)
Stop, stop.

Casca took a deep breath.

"This is the demand of the Terra War Council. We, the Steel Hand, lack mercy towards civilians."

"As per Lady Philus's request, she has decided that I should correct this trend."

Seeing this, the Iron Hands stopped arguing.

A command from the Primarch cannot be ignored.

"So, based on my current requirements, could you prepare a contingency plan for our next attack on the main planet of Gadinar?"

Company Commander Santo nodded.

The plan was not complicated. First, the expeditionary fleet No. 52 would seize air superiority and end the Gadinars' air blockade of our remaining forces.

Based on this, and relying on the invincible firepower of the Iron Hand as cover, a large number of surface firepower units were deployed to the battlefield to occupy and gradually expand their base areas.

Then the invincible Philus personally descended upon the battlefield and shattered all the remaining enemies that had not yet been eliminated.

They eventually pushed the front line forward bit by bit and completed the occupation of the ruins.

Perhaps this place is not a ruin.

But who cares? In the end, it'll all be ruins anyway.

Unless the enemy surrenders faster than Philus advances.

"If the enemy manages to defend against our first wave of artillery fire and their losses are not too great, how should we adjust our strategy next?"

what?
Upon hearing this question, Company Commander Santo's eyes, hidden behind his MK2 helmet, seemed somewhat vacant.

"I mean contingency plans or something?"

No.

Humans cannot imagine things they have never seen.

The Iron Hands could not have imagined that the enemy could remain intact despite their overwhelming artillery fire.

Looking at their expressions, Kaska understood most of it.

"The Iron Hand will not fail."

“Philus wouldn’t either.”

Company Commander Santo's answer was full of confidence.

Really, friend?
So you mean, without any preparation, even if bombarding the enemy is useless, you'll still stick to the current order of operations. You're just going to let our senior charge into the enemy camp alone, and then watch her completely clueless?
Casca silently rubbed his forehead.

Compared to his senior, he seems to be more confused now.

broken.

This isn't helping; it's giving Iron Hands early childhood education.

"Perhaps. Now, the sons of the emperor have been integrated with the Iron Hand."

"Next, you will be in charge of preparing contingency plans for the Steel Hands' operations."

"The requirement is to align as closely as possible with Gardiner's operational needs and with the fighting style of our Third Corps."

"Everyone, are you confident you can do it?"

"Have!"

"Son of the Emperor, slay his father's enemies!"

The Iron Hands' brains are practically made of iron; it's incredibly difficult to change their way of thinking.

Casca decided to reconsider later.

Since things have come to this, let's save lives first.

Gardiner III.

As the main planet of Gadinar, this place has been embroiled in constant conflict ever since the negotiations between the Human Empire and the Gadinar Empire ended.

Perhaps the rulers of Gadinar wanted to gain more leverage through war, or perhaps they believed their pocket empire was powerful enough to seize the opportunity to control the human empire.

In short, once a war begins, it never ends, given that everyone has their own agenda.

According to the report from the Thousand Sons envoy Amal in the recent battle, the enemy's firepower may have been formidable, but the annihilation of Cicero's army was merely a result of being ambushed by the enemy using thermonuclear weapons.

They never imagined that the rulers of Gadinar would be so ruthless as to release nuclear bombs even if it meant turning their planet into a radioactive wasteland.

Having lost its surface-based weaponry, the 413th Expeditionary Fleet had no choice but to keep its ships suspended in space, facing off against Gardinar's ground forces.

One can't go up, and the other can't come down.

Stuck here.

Until the called-in fleet support arrived.

"Philus and the others have arrived."

In the clear sky, the iron-gray warship gradually came into everyone's view.

One of the legions with the most outstanding achievements in the Great Crusade, the Iron Hand Legion, has arrived in the Gadinal system to provide support.

Instead of the XII Expeditionary Fleet that Ultra Warrior Cicero most desired, which came from Roboute Guilliman, the father of genetics.

Because the latter is still on its way.

"It's all over."

The armor was covered in dust and blood, and some parts of the power armor were even blasted apart with fragments and cracks. Chapter Master Cicero sat wearily among the bricks and rubble, even though the place was not suitable for the time being due to the radiation.

But what does it matter? He's a man who's about to die anyway.

The Tenth Legion shows no mercy.

Most of these remaining soldiers will likely be used as cannon fodder for the upcoming landing of the Tenth Army Corps, and will be wiped out by enemy or friendly fire.

It's no exaggeration to say that if he hadn't lost all of his Titan legions deployed on the ground, he might have had a slight chance of receiving aid from the enemy.

After all, Phyllis has a deep connection with the Martian Mechanicus, and compared to the lives of their own people, they would definitely do everything in their power to protect the Titan Legion.

But who told him he couldn't even save a single one?
"Commander! It's reinforcements!"

"Our reinforcements have arrived!"

The soldiers around him, also bearing the marks of battle, cheered him on.

"Yes, reinforcements have arrived, but the Tenth Legion will show us no mercy."

"Sigh, it's all over."

It wouldn't make a difference if we went out and killed a few more Gadinars now.

After all, they were about to be reduced to ashes by the gunfire from the steel hand—

"It's an airborne pod and landing craft!"

"Commander, we have reinforcements!"

what?
The Ultra Warrior looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression.

Really!
I don’t know if Philus suddenly changed her gender (actually, she did change her gender), but she actually sent reinforcements to help the remaining front-line troops before the first wave of artillery fire!
Is this really Philus's ship?
Or was it Guilliman, the father of his genes, who suddenly had the idea to paint the Makurag Glory black and gray?
"Chiko, can you contact the remaining forces of our Ultramarines?"

Operating the laser cannon from inside the landing craft, Casgar asked Amal, the Thousand Sons Think Tank, a question.

As a Space Marine who previously fought alongside the Ultramarines, his perception of the remaining forces will be more precise.

"Difficult to detect. We may need to land on the ground to obtain anything."

In the complex battlefield environment, the Ultramarines' ground forces had long lost contact with their surroundings.

The Ultramarines are now engaged in urban warfare with the enemy in the ruins after the nuclear explosion, and it is unknown how many Ultramarines are left.

It's even possible that the entire army could be wiped out.

"In that case, let's release the assembly signal after our troops have deployed."

In this large-scale battle, Casca carried his purple-gold shield and powered spear.

Of course, there was also a flaming pistol tucked into his waistband.

"Not bad equipment." As he boarded the landing craft, the Iron Hands members beside him practically swallowed hard as they said this.

This outfit is something everyone envies.

Not to mention the Iron Hand, which places the greatest emphasis on firepower and weaponry.

"What are these?"

As the landing craft Stormbird descended into the atmosphere, various flying objects from outside the craft gradually came into Casca's view.

They weren't very big, and their appearance was quite different from the Empire's current fighter jets.

But the number is just too many.

The sky was covered with countless flying machines, as dense as flies, which directly shrouded the sky in the sky blue of the Gadinal people's paint.

These aircraft were poorly manufactured, but their quantity made them a significant advantage.

The almost endless array of flying machines became the first line of defense against ground troops landing.

Even though Casca was firing laser cannons continuously, it was only a drop in the ocean.

"Unable to break through enemy blockade, requesting support."

Before he could send the message, more iron-gray aircraft descended from above at a speed faster than the Stormbirds.

They are automated flying mechs from the Steel Hand.

Or rather, they are autonomous flying mechs developed by Casca and implemented in the Steel Hand.

When this flying mech was first developed, although the inventor was Casca, his first version was not very user-friendly.

It will take continuous improvements from Philus and other Mechanicus sages to modify it and make it usable on the battlefield.

No matter how many aircraft Nagadinar had, they were still helpless against the unreasonable and massive swarm of automated flying machines from the Philus fleet.

With a series of dense explosions, the encirclement in the sky was cleared away in an instant, leaving only a few scattered aircraft still fighting with the automated soldiers.

boom!
Immediately afterwards, several orange-red beams of light descended from the sky, instantly turning countless military facilities on the ground into dust.

The precise, surgical strike from Primarch Philus landed instantly on the Gardinar aliens' proud surface air defense system.

Everything is just right.

"Philus's computational abilities."

He also had some shortcomings, which is why the Iron Ten Legion's individual combat tactics were weak, and why no super space soldiers like Sigismund or Abaddon emerged during the Great Crusade.

Because Philus handled all the battles by herself.

From developing new weapons and conducting long-range artillery strikes to clearing away debris on the ground, the main force relies entirely on Philus's calculation and combat capabilities.

From then on, with the assistance of flying mechs and long-range artillery, they regained control of the skies.

The Stormbirds' landing will no longer be hindered by anything.

"What a terrifying war machine."

Kasga couldn't help but sigh.

"Under the command of the Mother of Steel, the Iron Tenth Legion was invincible."

"Company Commander Santo said to Casga with a hint of pride."

Even though Phyllis was extremely strict with them, everything was handled by the Primarch himself, which is why the Iron Hand's abilities have become so powerful.

The Mother of Steel, Philosopher, is invincible, absolutely invincible.

They are invincible!

No one could stop Philus and her Iron Ten Legion.

Although they might be considered junior students of Wa, they certainly have the right to be proud.

"But friends from the Steel Hand, have you ever thought about something?"

"What will you do if Phyllis is gone one day?"

Silence fell once again upon hearing this.

"We won't—"

“Of course I know you are determined to protect your Primarch,” Kasgar interrupted, “but in any case, we should try to think about the possibilities of the future.”

"Because we can never predict what will happen in the future."

Kasgar sighed softly, sensing the Stormbirds gradually descending to the ground.

"We've arrived. Get ready, it's time for us to go down."

With a dull thud, the hatch on the back of the Stormbird opened, and dozens of Space Marines rushed out.

They chose to land in the suburbs of the satellite city where the Ultramarines had once fought.

After being struck by thermonuclear weapons, there might still be survivors in this relatively remote location.

"Teams one through ten will guard the landing zone and construct defensive facilities as originally planned."

"The rest of the teams, disperse and search the surrounding area. Be careful."

The Space Marines, having landed on the ground, immediately dispersed like water, following their previous squad divisions.

As Santo's heavy steps treaded the land strewn with smoke and ruins, a pair of eyes lurking in the shadows fixed their gaze on him.

That was the assassin caste from the Gadinar Empire.

Gardiner assigns people to their caste before they are born and performs corresponding genetic modifications.

The Assassin caste, within the warrior caste, undergoes genetic modifications that include a host of enhancements that make them more sensitive, quicker to react, and more explosive.

Holding a poisoned dagger, he rushed towards Company Commander Santo.

when!
His full-force attack only produced a burst of sparks at the point of impact with the armor.

His first attack missed, and he was instantly captured by Santona's speed, which was inconsistent with his heavy armor.

At that very moment, he let out a strange smile.

Its body expanded rapidly, like a balloon about to burst.

Warriors who have undergone special assassin gene modification, the modifications made by the Gadinar people are not so simple.

He activated the self-destruct program inherent in his body.

Bang!
With a loud explosion, he was completely enveloped in a gray-green toxic fumes.

When the smoke and dust cleared, only Santo and his towering armored figure remained standing in the same spot.

Unscathed.

Iron Cavalry Terminator Armor.

A small-scale internal beta version from the Steel Hand.

As the legion with the closest ties to the Cult of Mechanics, the Steel Hand was also getting its hands on this new gadget for the first time, and the company commander was naturally excited to put it to use on the battlefield.

And its effects are immediate.

Terminator is so useful!
"The Gadinar people probably can't even break through my defenses."

The company commander muttered to himself with a hint of smug satisfaction, while the miniature Thinker array on his shoulder continued to search for nearby survivors.

Well, just as Cicero reported.

Aside from thermonuclear weapons, the Gadinars were nothing special.

boom!
The next instant, he saw the walls of the satellite city beside him blasted into dust by a Titan-sized Gadinal quadruped machine.

Then, their eyes met.

"Cicero!"

"I--"

He was shouting a word in Medusa, but judging from his tone and the context, he was probably cursing.

(End of this chapter)