Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 276 The Psionicist (Thirteenth Update)
Dorio and Pila were like tigers among sheep.

Dorio's every punch and kick carries deadly power and an explosive burning effect. Cultists struck by her are either killed or maimed, often leaving them engulfed in flames that are difficult to extinguish.

Pila skillfully maneuvers along the edge of the battlefield, using his upgraded flamethrower to clear out hordes of enemies, or employing his long arms for precise strikes and grappling, snapping enemy necks.

The bailiffs' explosive rifles also provided a steady barrage of fire, filling in the gaps in the firepower network.

The battle was almost entirely a one-sided massacre.

Although the cultists were fanatical, their resistance was futile in the face of overwhelming firepower and technological superiority.

Their rudimentary weapons posed no real threat to Mann's squad; their flesh and blood were like paper in the face of explosives, plasma, and promethium flames.

Within a minute or two, most of the cultists in the hall had fallen, leaving only a few to put up a stubborn resistance or try to hide.

"Looks like it'll be over soon." Sheriff Atkins changed to a new magazine, his tone more relaxed. "It's going even better than expected."

Mann nodded slightly, it seemed the core part of the mission was about to be completed.

However, just as he was about to order the final cleaning, something unexpected happened!
Right at the edge of the scorched crater left after the altar was vaporized by the plasma cannon, a figure that had been huddled in the shadows and ignored by everyone suddenly let out a shrill scream that was not human!

He was a very young-looking boy from the city, dressed in tattered clothes and as thin as a rake.

But at this moment, his body is undergoing a terrible change.

His eyes were completely filled with a murky energy that emitted a faint red glow, and it seemed as if countless worms were crawling under his skin, with bulging blood vessels that appeared ominous purplish-black.

A visible, air-distorting energy wave suddenly spread outwards from him!
"A psionicist!!" Sheriff Atkins exclaimed in shock, his voice filled with horror. "Watch out! It's an unregistered psionicist!"

But the warning was too late.

The invisible psionic shockwave slammed into the bailiffs at the front like a heavy hammer!
"Ugh!"

The two bailiffs were struck as if by an invisible battering ram, thrown backward, their heavy armor slamming into the metal pipes behind them with a sickening cracking sound, and they fell unconscious on the spot.

The other two bailiffs, though barely able to stand, also clutched their heads in pain, their noses bleeding profusely, clearly suffering severe psychological trauma.

The sudden attack instantly disrupted the formation of the bailiff squad.

The psionic boy seemed to be in even more pain and even more ferocious after unleashing that attack.

He raised his hands, and murky red energy gathered in his palms, forming two unstable, crackling energy balls, which were about to be thrown at the chaotic bailiff squad!
At that distance and with that energy intensity, if it hits, the remaining bailiffs would likely be in grave danger.

At this critical moment!
Valerie's neural responses transcended conscious thought. Faced with the sudden outbreak of a psionic crisis and the imminent annihilation of the marshal squad, a powerful response command erupted from the core of her mind like a biological instinct, instantly triggering the S.A.W.S. neuroaccelerator prosthetic implanted deep within her spine and motor cortex.

Om-!
A strange buzzing sound did not come from the outside, but rather from the ultra-high-speed electrical signals surging through Valerie's own nervous system, which were instantly synchronized to the reaction core of the Iron Guard prototype through deep neural connections.

In Valerie's view, time seemed to suddenly stand still—or more accurately, the dark red Iron Guard prototype's movements accelerated to an unbelievable degree!

The Iron Guard, who was originally in a half-crouch shooting position, left a trail of afterimages with his massive body. With an agility completely disproportionate to his heavy weight, he suddenly took two large steps to the side. His heavy metal feet slammed into the ground with a dull thud, blocking the way between the injured bailiffs and the psionicists!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that even the berserk psionicist couldn't fully react before a thick wall of steel appeared in front of his target!

"Bang! Bang!" Two unstable orbs of psionic energy slammed into the Iron Guard's frontal armor, unleashing blinding red flashes and violent energy turbulence.

The ceramic steel and composite layers on the armor plating groaned under the energy impact, but ultimately withstood the attack, leaving only two charred marks and some minor cracks.

"What?!" Sheriff Atkins and the surviving bailiffs stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

The speed that the power armor just unleashed completely exceeded their understanding of this kind of heavy equipment!

Almost at the same time that Iron Guard blocked the attack, Mann also reacted.

Without the slightest hesitation, he didn't even fully raise the incendiary gun on his left arm, but relied solely on the powerful fire control system and neural connection to complete the aiming and firing while moving!
"laugh--!"

The low, thermal beam shot out again, accurately striking the psionic boy who had just unleashed his attack and was in a brief state of shock.

There were no screams, and not even much struggle.

The boy's body was ignited from within the moment he was hit, and the murky red psionic light was covered by an even hotter and purer destructive energy.

He was like a lit human-shaped candle, burning and expanding violently in less than a second, then turning into a small pile of flying, sparkling ashes, completely dissipating into the air.

Only a small scorch mark left on the spot and the lingering smell of ozone mixed with the stench of burnt flesh in the air prove that he once existed.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

All that remained was the crackling of the promethium flame and the painful groans of the injured bailiff.
-
After a brief silence, the team immediately resumed its operations.

"Check for casualties! Guard the perimeter!" Mann's voice broke the silence.

Dorio and Pila quickly stepped forward to check on the bailiffs who had been knocked away by the psionic shock.

One person suffered a broken rib and possible internal organ damage, while the other had a fractured skull and was in critical condition but was still alive.

The other two bailiffs, who were also mentally traumatized, were still able to move with difficulty, though they were dizzy and disoriented.

Sheriff Atkins looked extremely grim, partly because of the casualties among his men, and partly because of the lingering fear.

If it weren't for the Iron Guard's incredibly quick reaction and Mann's precise follow-up shot, his squad would likely have been wiped out here today.

"Call medical support immediately! Evacuate the wounded first!" he yelled into the communicator, then turned to Mann, his tone complex, "...Thank you for your timely assistance. If it weren't for you..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the gratitude in his eyes and a hint of undisguised shock were evident.

He looked at the Iron Guard that had just unleashed astonishing speed, and then at Mann's explosive weapon that easily turned psionicists to ashes. He gained a new and deeper understanding of this team under the command of the "Explorer Sage".

This is far more than just a well-equipped mercenary group; their combat effectiveness and reaction speed have exceeded the scope of conventional military units.

(End of this chapter)