Emperor's Bane

Chapter 145 Shadow Champion
[This is the last one. 】

The Shadow Champion of the Second Legion shielded his breath and existence, and integrated everything with the deepest color. His armor, his blade, and even his motionless pupils and eyes belonged to A black in its purest form, a veil that could make him disappear from the sight of any creature.

He lives in the shadows, he lurks in the shadows, he longs to be in the shadows, wherever he walks, there are shadows.

Now, this is the last one.

Before the next breath came, his figure had disappeared into the mist.

Like its sky, the barbaric land of Taxus [-] exudes a gray mist mixed with khaki, and when the shadows of hundreds of warships sway down from the sky, the originally poisonous sunlight When distorted into a mottled interlacing of light and darkness, combined with the bloody breath in the air and the sand kicked up by artillery fire and tracks, this already harsh and desolate world is completely covered up in a kind of in the filth of the sickening stomach.

This is the 180th and sixth Terra standard when the ground battle started, every trace of air above the Taxes desert has been completely occupied by the smell of blood and iron filings, and every heavy breath has become a kind of No less than the torture of swallowing poisonous gas, those breezes shuttled between the ruins and ruined walls did not bring refreshing clean air, only the viscous and painful moans of sweat in the distance, which matched Ran Dan's army constantly. footsteps.

The outermost fortresses and trenches have completely fallen, and the blood of the aliens has soaked every inch of land, every brick and every piece of iron filings, and the piles of corpses have become a high platform for the last charge. The Chinese army had to withdraw from these ruins which had no more strategic value.

And when the alien army broke through the outermost line of defense, they suddenly discovered that what they had to face was not so much the second line of defense, but rather, what they had to face was a city made purely of steel, bunkers, trenches, defenses, etc. The accumulation of force fields and dark firepower points requires endless flesh and blood to fill the steel city bit by bit.

The light of the giant void shield is still shining above most of the fortresses, it seems that this battle is not destined to end in an overly easy way.

The criss-crossing trenches and underground transportation network constitute the lifeline of the city. Tens of millions of permanent fortifications and artillery fortifications are stationed with the elite Imperial Auxiliary Army who have built it all by themselves and have been recharging their energy for several months. , They and Ran Dan's vanguard are constantly competing for the control of every street corner, every fortress and even every low wall, and behind them, there are countless armored and artillery bunkers and various man-made hills with the most The pure heavy firepower blocked the invaders' attack route, ensuring that each front could exert its maximum value.

The commanders of Ran Dan's army soon discovered that the seemingly weak outer line of defense was actually a trap, a trap that made them mistakenly believe that all the fortresses of the resisters could be pulled out one by one only by investing more troops , Diablo used no less than 20 blood to let the army of aliens break into this intricate killing city, like a giant deeply mired in a quagmire, unable to move.

The alien army had to find more ways. They were eager to seize the most important transportation hubs and strategic locations with armored clusters and low-altitude advantages. However, they stood tall in every target selected by Ran Dan. With one after another dark green figures, when these powerful warriors from Nocturne star pulled the trigger, it was the ultimate fate of every invader to turn into a charred corpse in the endless flames.

Of course, not all places are guarded by salamanders: there are only a few guards in some particularly important or hidden corners, and when the alien vanguard rushes up happily, they will find these Appearance of the opponent: wearing black armor, the sword wing logo, and the helmet is roughly hidden in the hood, only the scarlet eyes can be seen. The leading warrior is often wrapped in the iron cavalry-type Terminator armor, wielding a Tai Pull the Greatsword and Plasma Projector.

After all the more advanced tactics failed, the invaders could only choose methods from those ancient wars. The army was once again assembled and thrown into this endless meat grinder. In the void of purgatory, Ran Dan's transport fleet, against the terrifying firepower of the imperial fleet, dropped countless heavy weapons on the surface of Taxus [-]: every self-propelled artillery or armored vehicle belonging to the Alien Empire After being transported to the front line, more than five pieces of the same equipment were torn to pieces in the void together with the warships that carried them.

Finally, when the blood had condensed into a gurgling stream, the ancient god of war once again started his roar. Tens of thousands of artillery were thrown into this war at one time, and the human empire did not The inferior counterattack launched an unprecedented artillery battle. These heavy firepower that had appeared on the battlefield hundreds of thousands of years ago were consumed like the most ordinary soldiers. Under the unshakable will of the two empires, the huge The fortress group in the city was corroded little by little by endless artillery fire, and the vanguard supporting Randan seized one piece after another of complete wreckage and ruins.

But even in the ruins, the counterattack from humans never stopped.

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The sharp edge reflected by the black blade is the only light on his body that can illuminate these strange-shaped eyes.

It took less than one breath for the shadow champion to float all the way behind his last prey from the corner where he hid before, and in the remaining time of this breath, the sharp blade in his right hand cut through The strong neck armor of the aliens allowed their dirty blood to flow along the cracks in their own armor without even dropping a single drop.

His sharp blade pierced the alien's trachea and flesh, dissolving the original wail into a hissing air, and his other hand was not idle: his left hand was armed with a set of special claws When he woke up, it was as if slender raindrops had fallen from the slits of the window onto the floor of the room. His sharp claws pierced through the tiniest crack in the armor, and instantly enlarged the wound several times, making it sharper. The metal twisted the alien heart, lungs, intestines and other organs - if these dirty things were really organs, they were all twisted into a mess before they were completely given up.

It was a mighty Randan warrior, its face covered with scars: only such a thorough attack could secure its kill.

So, before his next breath came, the shadow champion's footsteps had drifted to another place, a place that could not be traced by any vision.

A precise, obscure, and unremarkable hunt was completed in an instant, and even the flickering daylight did not cast the shadow of the hunter, even if an Astartes witnessed the hunt. Throughout the whole process, he would only doubt his senses in astonishment.

Happiness did not emerge from the shadow champion's heart, because he had already abandoned these emotions and the desire for honor in a bloody night, and he embraced the most familiar shadow again. Only the timer and the The symbols on the counter are constantly flashing, reminding him of the progress of the task.

This is the 180th and sixth hour of the war, and it is also the No. 11 working cycle of the shadow champion: since he was sent to this ruin, he has used every ten Terran standard hours as a cycle to summarize his results with the mistakes made.

In this reincarnation, he has harvested a hundred victories, no more, no less. Compared with the first few times, his efficiency has dropped significantly: Ran Dan is the most terrifying opponent in the galaxy. The speed of progress in the war was beyond imagination. When the reputation of hunters rose in these ruins, it was rare to see Ran Dan soldiers in groups of twos and threes, and more of them were armed with armored vehicles. The battle group at the core is rampaging among the ruins where the gunshots keep ringing.

Maybe, it's time to go back.

It took the shadow champion a moment to complete his idea, and then disappeared into the wind again. He moved forward in a corner that no Randan people could see in a way that was close to [floating]. The armor did not splash a speck of dust, nor did it leave the slightest footprint.

Before the next gust of wind blew, he had successfully floated through three abandoned defense lines. Groups of Randan troops and battle groups passed by his shadow, and he stared lazily at the These advancing and bleeding opponents recognize some of the never-before-seen sights:

Some of Ran Dan's soldiers are really too short, their exposed fangs are not even fully grown, showing a kind of immaturity suitable for aliens, their scarlet eyes are constantly flickering, and a raging fire is burning inside.

And others, even on the ugly and distorted faces that are one of the best in the galaxy, you can clearly see the winding ravines. The waists of these aliens are far less straight than those Ran Dan warriors he killed. Their eyes were either indifferent almost to death, or trembling like their hands.

In the past, such a [warrior] would not appear in Ran Dan's army.

Thinking this way, he crossed the front line of the battle between the two armies, and the sound of gunfire one after another was always accompanied by his steps. The position he started from had been abandoned, and he found a new position 32 kilometers away. Find the salamander who is in charge of guarding the place.

"You came back just in time."

The person in charge of guarding this position is a typical son of Vulcan: tall, fierce face, thick voice gave everyone a natural sense of trust.

"A squad of hunters from the Second Legion has just arrived at my position and is making final repairs here. They are about to pass through the ruins ahead to carry out a mission."

The shadow champion was silent for a moment.

Just a moment.

Then, he spoke, and the voice was an unimaginable soft sound for an Astartes warrior, like fine paper gently stroking the snow-white sand.

"where are they?"

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"In the outermost A-13 area, there is a giant void shield engine, which is directly connected to other engines in several large areas around it."

"In the previous battle, the A-13 area was abandoned in a planned way, but now there is intelligence that the engine was not completely destroyed during the retreat, Ran Dan's army is trying to repair it, and through It puts electronic waste codes into other running engines, which will greatly damage this void shield above our heads, so their actions must be stopped."

The shadow champion looked at the slightly rough tactical projection in front of him, and then at the combat brother who was explaining to him: He had heard of him, he had heard of this man named Hector, with his strong physical fitness and inconceivable The new star of the Legion is known for its growth rate.

He thought of his team, if it wasn't for the warp storm, he wouldn't be alone.

The shadow champion spoke.

"Only your team was sent to complete this mission?"

Hector shook his head.

"There are more than 47 teams that will carry out this task together in different directions. Our team has another task to carry out at the same time: we will pass through the J-[-] area, where there is still a fortress that has not fallen, and we will go there to pick up the survivors. Let’s complete this task together.”

The shadow champion thought for a while, and then nodded. Under normal circumstances, he is a person who cherishes words like gold.

"Count me."

"No problem at all."

Hector smiled, and at this moment, Kairon walked into the room in a hurry. He had just been in charge of counting the quantity of the last batch of supplies.

The ancient warrior of the legion patted the dust on his armor, and his eyes focused on the shadow champion almost immediately. He was silent, his eyes were on the black armor and those unique simple patterns. Shuttle back and forth, when he spoke, he said an affirmative sentence.

"Ezio."

Shadow Champion: Ezio, he nodded first, then saluted the old man of the Legion.

The ancient soldier of the legion returned the salute while moving his nose, as if he was sniffing something carefully, then he frowned.

"Which Ezio are you?"

The shadow champion raised three fingers, which made Kairon stunned for a moment, and his voice became a little lonely.

"What about the previous one?"

"Russmoor, Greenskin."

The shadow champion's hoarse voice echoed in the room, which caused the ancient warriors of the legion to fall into a brief moment of sadness, but he recovered after a few breaths, urging to hurry up and start their mission.

And when the Second Legion squad, which had become five members, bid farewell to the salamanders who were in charge of guarding the place, and disappeared into the ruins under the sound of artillery fire covered by friendly troops, Hector grabbed a gap and used Private contact channel to ask your own teacher.

"What is Ezio?"

"One title, one inheritance."

The sound of the wind slapped on the faces of everyone in the team, bringing the continuous artillery fire from a distance and the breath of fresh flesh and blood.

The shadow champion didn't move with them, he was a few positions ahead, letting his afterimage lead the hunter team.

"Inheritance of the Fourth Fleet? This is also part of the cause in the shadows."

"Well, the factions working in the dark have been in the Legion for more than a century, and their own system is very complete: there are five Lords of Shadow, each of them symbolizes a direction, five The sum of the directions is [Cause in the Shadow], and the strongest Shadow Lord will have a seat in the parliament and be in charge of the Bright Moon Ring."

"And those who are only a little lower than the shadow lord are the shadow champions. Each champion has a unique title. When the successor inherits the position of the champion, he will inherit this title, and if Without a suitable successor, the position of champion will remain vacant until someone is recognized and appreciated by more than half of the Lords of Shadow."

"Ezio, is one of them."

"Shadow champion..."

Hector's eyes flickered, and he whispered the name softly. In the entire team, he was the only one who could clearly see the afterimage of the shadow champion, so he rushed to the forefront as always, leading his battle Bros.

"Are they always this alone?"

The laughter of the ancient warrior came from the ear.

"Other shadow champions may not be like this, but Ezio is indeed always alone. He has such strength and character."

"Such a fate."

(End of this chapter)