Warhammer: Expedition to the Multiverse from 30k

However, some warships were unable to stop the crazy Clocktower, which pushed its void shield at nearly the speed of light to continue hitting the largest and oldest orbital dock, the Cosveridian Anchor Point, and tore apart and annihilated this huge metal creation with a diameter of 300 kilometers.

Everything that came into contact with the void shield was annihilated, the huge superstructure frame broke, the nine-kilometer-long Hatred's engine was pierced, the reactor consumed six thousand lives in the explosion, and more than thirty thousand engineers died in the aftermath of the explosion.

The cargo ships parked on the orbital platform were torn apart, and the cargo and containers loaded on forty-nine cargo ships and one hundred and sixty-eight small barges were thrown into the atmosphere. They rolled and burst into blue friction fire under the pull of the planet's gravity.

The biggest victim, the Soul of Connor, suffered a series of explosions in its reactor and ammunition depot, causing most of the ship to evaporate and disappear, while the remaining part, along with the dock structure, smashed into the world below.

There were shattered warships everywhere, and the dock, with its gravity failing, was falling into the atmosphere along with everything on it. The dock was doomed, and there was nothing that could stop it from crashing into Calth.

The remains of the Clocktower protected by the void shield were sprinting forward. It could no longer be called a ship, but more like a huge and extremely dangerous piece of space junk. It tore apart the miracle created by Calth and dragged at least dozens of warships to hell with it.

It all happened so fast, in just a breath.

There was no sound in the silent universe. All people could only see the continuous dazzling explosion light spreading and gushing wildly, and then they could feel the fear and helplessness from the bottom of their hearts.

Today is the day of destruction for Calth.

Chapter 13 The First Betrayal

Nikona Sharokin was walking on the lower deck of the cruiser Samothrace.

Most of the empire's warships have huge redundant spaces. These kilometers-long ships are like cities floating in the void, with countless dark and damp underground pipes.

In these dark places, the mortal servants and crew members on the ships live from generation to generation, forming a strange but balanced ecosystem with various mutants and alien creatures.

And at this moment, from these shadows where no light can be seen, the true Lord of Shadows arrived.

Nikonna traveled through the complex maze-like pipe deck at a speed that was unattainable by mortals. He seemed to be born to blend with the shadows. While moving at high speed, even the quietest footsteps were completely obliterated by the background noise of the environment.

He was somewhat surprised to realize the magic of this new power armor on his body. Its servo system was truly silent, even like a walking black hole, swallowing up all noise.

In the darkness, he swept past several mortal servants passing by like a crow from the underworld. Bloodstains slowly emerged from their vital parts, and the genetic detection nerves obtained the required memories from the blood.

"The stench of the Word Bearers, corruption and depravity, the deepest curse of the Warp."

The Raven Sons will never forget the smell of their old enemies, nor will they forget the killing of the blasphemous beings who called themselves the Sons of the Blessed by their father Corax.

Anger and hatred intertwined and burned into ashes in Nikonna's heart.

He entered an ethereal state, transformed into a shadow, and sneaked to his true destination.

The cruiser's main cabin observation deck.

In the shadows, he finally saw a Word Bearers Astartes walking, wearing the common Mark IV Extreme Power Armor, the dark scarlet paint covering the past gunmetal gray, and black paint covering the former squad badges and markings.

Nikona's instinctive fighting reaction was suppressed by Superman's will, and the surging adrenaline was calmed. At this distance, there was no possibility of him missing. Only one explosive shell was enough to tear the enemy's fragile helmet goggles, or penetrate the more fragile armor at the joints.

In addition, what surprised him was that next to the Word Bearers sergeant stood a tall Ultramarines wearing a blue and gold painted Archon-type power armor that was polished to a sleek shine.

Did the Ultramarines betray along with the Word Bearers?

Nikonna thought silently, but he did not jump to any conclusion.

"Lucil," the Word Bearer warrior opened his arms in a warm welcome. "My brother."

"Chor." The Ultramarines responded with equal eagerness. They hugged each other, and their bodies in heavy power armor made clanging sounds.

Nikona saw the whole touching scene of the reunion of old friends.

If he had not experienced the heart-wrenching betrayal of his brother on Isstvan V, he would probably have been moved by the brotherhood shown by the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers.

After forty years, the Ultramarines, who once brought the destruction of the Perfect City to the Word Bearers, have once again established a brotherhood.

However, the Son of the Dark Raven, who was extremely sensitive to murderous intent, detected an almost inaudible movement from the most subtle body movements of the One with the Word.

The Word Bearer's hand always remained within a one-second reaction distance of the bolter.

Regarding all this, Nikonna just watched quietly, hiding in the shadows. Even the bird servants on the warship could not see the slightest bit of this uninvited guest.

The Ultramarines' hospitality towards their battle brothers was impeccable, and after a brief greeting, they provided their brothers with an exquisite meal.

The stomachs of the Astartes can adapt to almost any organic matter, even some metals are included in their diet. When necessary, they can eat the tableware along with the food to supplement the metal element.

But this is an obvious statement, representing the strong friendly attitude of the Ultramarines.

These Ultramarines, shaped into perfect men by their genetic father, Roboute Guilliman, still feel a trace of guilt for having burned the perfect city of the Word Bearers at the Emperor's command.

They tried their best to re-establish the bond between the two and prepare for the next cooperation.

"My battle brothers, why did you change the paint and markings of the power armor, and where did those engraved holy words go?" Finally, Lucier couldn't help but ask.

Could it be that after the burning of the Perfect City, these Word Bearers really cut ties with the past completely?

"In fact, we use a new appearance to commemorate the reshaping of our essence. The Word Bearers have been struggling to find their place in the universe. Unlike you Ultramarines, our road is more bumpy, even-"

Chul's voice paused, and then he uttered dangerous words that made Luciel tremble with fear.

"I spit on Lorgar, my gene-father. His mind is so fickle and unstable. Compared with the primarchs of the Imperial Fists, the Luna Wolves, the Iron Hands, and the Ultramarines, he has suffered so many defeats that we are ashamed to mention them."

Faced with the humiliation of his genetic father by the Word Bearers, Lucille was so shocked that he forgot to breathe.

He had never heard of an Astartes having such a bad attitude towards his genetic father, which could even be described as naked rebellion.

Even the Iron Lord of Olympia, who was able to issue the eleven-shot kill order, would not have such a rebellious offspring.

"Lies." Nikonna whispered to himself in the shadows.

"But fortunately, we awakened not too late. We found a brand new path, a path that leads directly to the highest heaven and shows us the original truth."

“I need to do something to show that I am also committed to this great goal.”

The attitude and words of the Word Bearers confused the Ultramarines. They did not quite understand what spiritual sustenance these cousins ​​had found. In the past, they worshipped the Emperor as the God-Emperor and used his will as the guide for everything.

And all of this is contrary to the imperial truth.

"In the battle of Isstvan, I learned some unique war skills that the Ultramarines lack." The Word Bearer stroked the wine glass on the table, quickly attracting Lucille's interest.

The Ultramarines are the legion that is best at learning. They will not hesitate to imitate the strengths of their brother legions and add their own characteristics. It is for this reason that in the eyes of many legions, the XIII Legion is a group of arrogant narcissists who do not know how to respect others.

"Excuse me, my gene-father is compiling a book on the ways of war: the Codex Astartes. Is there any war technique that is not in the Codex?"

Lucille raised his glass, somewhat confused. "I have never heard of a battle in the Isstvan system. When did this happen? Why didn't Lord Guilliman know about it?"

"It wasn't long, and the war is over. The empire paid a heavy price. The enemy this time is different from all the previous ones." Chul said with a smile, without any sadness on his face, which made Luciel feel a little uncomfortable.

"It is more terrible than the Battle of Randan, more horrifying than the Battle of Ullanor. The enemies of the empire have discovered the power of betrayal. It is not a tactic, nor a weapon, but a conceptual power. The deeper the betrayal, the stronger the power..."

The rational mindset of the Ultramarines could not comprehend what the Word Bearers meant by betrayal; it sounded like some kind of unfathomable witchcraft.

The Word Bearers were always obsessed with faith and sorcery, which was completely different from the Ultramarines.

"Yes, the power of [betrayal] destroyed three legions. The Randan aliens didn't do it, and the emperor of the green-skinned orcs didn't do it either. How hateful and how pathetic."

Nikonna's finger was already on the trigger, waiting for the Word Bearer to reveal his true face beneath his hypocritical mask.

Chapter 14 Swords facing each other

"[Treachery] is a conceptual force, part of a vast sacred ritual that transcends our existing philosophy of war and is outside the tactics of the Legiones Astartes."

"No one understands the power of betrayal except the Word Bearers. We have learned that lesson."

Choll looked around the hall, where the Ultramarines and Word Bearers gathered together to enjoy a feast.

“Suppose at this very moment, the Word Bearers suddenly launched a surprise attack on the Ultramarines, using bolter and plasma, chainswords and power swords, offering your blood to the Empyrean, and if you and I were to turn sword against sword.”

There seemed to be deep meaning in Chuoer's words, and his eyes were hard to describe, as if he wanted to make his old friend understand something, but it also seemed to be a deep mockery.

"My brother, I have to admit that this is an extremely vicious act." Lucille breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, this is not true. We have been immune to fear after superhuman transformation and training. However, this does not mean that we will not be horrified and shocked. We will inevitably be at a loss."

Lucille nodded very seriously. He had to admit that this was the part that the Father of Genes had overlooked. Enemies who believed that there was supernatural power in [betrayal] had to be dealt with.

"For the first time, I felt sorry for the tolerance and integrity of the Ultramarines. This was almost a naked statement, but he had no doubt at all."

Nikonna watched as the sergeant of the Thirteenth Legion seriously discussed the dangers of betrayal with the Word Bearers, but he did not think about a terrible fact: whether what the Word Bearers proposed was not just a hypothesis.

The atmosphere froze at this moment.

A chill from the highest heaven spread in the cabin, and Nikona felt that there seemed to be something watching what was about to happen.

"Can you understand me, my brother, my friend, my Luciel?"

Chul's voice rose and he straightened his back, hoping that his old friend would respond.

"Understand what? Perhaps you can explain it more clearly." Lu Xier asked.

"I was asked to join a new path. I needed to prove that I was truly committed to this great goal. I needed to..."

Solot Chor's eyes met Luciel's.

Luciel finally realized that if Chuol was forced to join a new path, he would inevitably have to abandon the old one.

He is not assuming or exploring.

[Betrayal] has arrived.

With superhuman reaction speed, he let go of the wine glass in his hand and reached for the bolt pistol at his waist at the maximum speed after decades of service. This was a completely honed instinctive reaction, and his consciousness seemed to still be immersed in an incredible freeze.

Choel's plasma pistol was aimed at Lusir. The weapon, which contained a miniature fusion core and was powered by hydrogen fuel, was activated and deadly plasma gushed out.

Nikona opened fire.

The silent bomb hit Chul's arm at such a close distance, shattering the protection of the extreme arm armor. The high temperature and fragments tore through the skin, black armor, dense muscles and bones that were as hard as alloy.

The plasma ball, as hot and violent as a star, deviated from its original trajectory. It should have completely vaporized Lucile's entire chest cavity, including the armor and plate-like ribs, as well as the two beating superhuman hearts.

Only half of his left arm was evaporated by the plasma. While his blood and muscles turned to ashes, the high temperature also burned and closed his aorta. The huge impact blew Lucile away.

His lower limbs shattered the tabletop, and the exploding fragments knocked the still-falling wine glass away, spilling the wine inside onto the deck.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

"Enemy attack!"

Lucille's painful voice was amplified by the helmet, exploding like thunder in the ears of the Extreme Warriors.

Losing an arm was not a serious trauma for the Extreme Marines. Even though the embers of plasma were burning his flesh and blood, the pain was not as great as the betrayal by his brother.

The Word Bearers betrayed them.

Lucier's men instinctively wanted to turn around, but the sudden loud noise and the sound of grenade launchers made the blood of these superhuman warriors boil instantly.