The Bizarre Adventure of the Warhammer Guard

The blinding white light receded like the tide, and the cold stone walls replaced the familiar bulkheads. The scent of engine oil and incense filled the air.

Elpis opened his eyes, a silvery light seemingly swirling within them. At this moment, all members of the expedition team had been safely teleported to the expedition chamber of the Imperial Palace's secret base, their bodies flickering with faint remnants of energy.

"I'm back," Leon murmured to himself.

He glanced around, his muscles instinctively relaxing. For some reason, being in the palace always gave Lyon a strange sense of security. Compared to the battles outside, his intuition told him clearly that he was safer in the palace.

But he refused. He became a policeman to help others, followed the Imperial Guard to save more innocent people, and became the Astartes of the Empire to protect others.

He had to do this, until his death.

Beside her, the slender Nova, though feeling unwell, still curiously looked around; this was her first time setting foot in this place.

Various gold carvings are scattered throughout the room, and a scarlet carpet extends from their feet to the golden door.

In each corner of the enormous room stood a golden candlestick, its candles burning continuously, emitting an orange glow that dispelled the darkness of the room.

Drawing on her own experience as a noblewoman, Nova could clearly perceive that these sculptures were not only of great artistic value but also imbued with an ancient historical atmosphere. Every single item here was enough to cause a sensation in the former Federation.

"Machine servant." Elpis's voice rang out in the empty, secret room.

At the entrance, the loyal servant, who had been on standby, didn't hesitate. Upon receiving the command, it instantly activated and opened the golden gate. Then, the anti-gravity device emitted a soft hum, hovering in mid-air and floating in front of Elpis.

Tell me the time.

"My lord, welcome back once again," the synthesized voice of the servant said intermittently, "You have been gone for 1398 years, 243 days and 20 hours."

Nearly fourteen centuries have passed, less than a month in the StarCraft universe, while in the Warhammer universe time has been measured in millennia.

Elpis showed no emotion beneath his visor. Without lingering, he ordered his servants to move the equipment to the experimental center and sent the others to the expedition base for rest.

Then, he stepped out of the secret chamber, preparing to head to the core area of ​​the palace. But as he walked down the corridor, a wave of extreme despair and frenzy crashed against the solid foundation of the palace, faintly permeating his superhuman senses.

He immediately changed direction and headed straight for the observation tower outside the palace.

The Imperial Guard colleagues he encountered along the way nodded to him, a few mechanical priests bowed to show their respect, and the mortal slaves outside the palace knelt down, placed their hands on their chests, made the Imperial Eagle salute to him, and muttered incantations.

Upon entering the observation tower, Elpis saw several pale-faced recorders almost collapsing to the ground in front of the giant crystal screen.

Without needing their reports or monitoring the live feed on the screen, Elpis's gaze pierced through the thick armored glass and reached towards the sky.

There, a "moon" had appeared.

A massive, rough-hewn satellite covered with all sorts of menacing cannons hangs in the sky above Terra; it is the orcs' "Battle Moon".

The Orcish War Moon, crudely modified from a satellite, hovers prominently in near-Earth orbit around Holy Terra, like a festering tumor.

These green-skinned orcs were severely weakened by the mighty Lord of Man and his offspring during the glorious era of the Great Crusade, and even their capital city, Ulanor, was filled with the Empire's double-headed eagle banners.

Now, thousands of years later, these hideous alien creatures, half-plant and half-animal, dare to hang their filthy creations above the throne world.

it's a shame!

Elpis gripped his weapon tightly; he hadn't expected to face another "Siege of Terra" defense. Those incompetent high lords, in just over a decade, had reduced the mighty human empire to this state.

The shadows cast by the battle moon were clearly visible, and the people of Terra could see these alien creations as soon as they looked up, putting them under immense psychological pressure.

Elpis stood before the arched floor-to-ceiling window of the observation tower, the Spear of Luna at his side, its end striking the exquisite floor with a dull thud.

Sensing the Imperial Guards' wrath, the slouched recorders lowered their heads even further, almost blending into the cold ground.

Ignoring them, Elpis quickly activated the Thinker array built into his power armor, and as a member of the Imperial Guard, directly accessed the Empire's highest-level information database to review Imperial news from that period.

It turns out that not long ago, the Imperial Navy suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Temple Port, barely managing to destroy one of the Orcs' battle moons.

However, a new battle moon suddenly teleported over Terra, and the entire Imperial Navy was no longer able to launch a counterattack.

The Imperial Fist Chapter, which was originally stationed in Terra, was almost entirely wiped out in the battle against the Chromium due to the High Lord's arrogance.

Currently, the other Astartes Chapters, Imperial Navy, and Astronautical Forces scattered throughout the galaxy are unable to quickly reach Terra to provide support due to their vast distances.

In desperation, the two high lords, the pope of the Imperial State Church, and the representative of the merchant fleet came up with a crazy plan.

They incited the uninformed people of Terra to take up arms and participate in a "holy war," launching suicide attacks on the Orcs' battle moon.

These ordinary people, who had dedicated their lives to the empire, dressed in coarse linen and carrying the empire's double-headed eagle banner, rode in various civilian ships provided by the merchant fleet, shouting prayers as they frantically rushed toward the Battle Moon.

Their weapons were wooden sticks, steel forks, and rudimentary laser guns; their protective gear consisted of wooden boards painted with the emblem of their state religion.

In addition, a small number of Imperial Navy and Ministry of Justice bailiffs provided cover and support.

Initially, this suicidal charge actually yielded some results, with millions of fanatical civilians successfully landing on the Battle Moon, temporarily suppressing the orcish offensive.

However, the orcs manipulated the battle moon, suddenly tearing the surface apart and instantly devouring all the surviving "Holy War Army".

All of the human empire's offensives ended in failure.

The wreckage of countless fleet ships floated around the battle moon like dust, and most of the defense platforms in orbit were also paralyzed. Scattered energy beams hit the battle moon's thick armor, splashing up negligible sparks.

Just then, the battle moon strangely stopped attacking and hovered silently, as if it were brewing something.

"My lord," a clerk kneeling on the ground glanced at the communication screen, his voice trembling, "the orcs have sent a message... requesting negotiations."

"Negotiation?" Elpis's lips curled into a cold smile. These aliens, whose minds were filled only with "Waaagh," who knew only war and destruction, actually knew how to negotiate?

There was no response. He turned abruptly and walked toward the High Lords' Council Hall.