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Chapter 983, The Siege of Terra (Part 2)
The city wall beneath Zhao Zian's feet trembled, the dull thuds of Khorne's followers violently striking the alloy gate with engineering hammers. Each impact felt like a thud on his taut heartstrings.

As the commander of the third gate regiment of the outer 'Anvil' defense zone of Terra Palace, he had never seen such a crazy crowd—no, it was no longer a crowd, but a crimson storm carrying steel and flesh!

More than twenty times their number of enemies, mixed with a large number of traitors clad in uniforms that should have been golden but were now stained with blood, were surging toward this narrow defensive point like a tidal wave.

"Artillery! Cover the assault line! Shotguns! Shoot those climbing demon bastards!"

His voice was hoarse from shouting into the helmet's built-in communicator.

His response was a fiery orange ball rising from behind the city walls. Heavy mortar shells, whistling sharply, crashed into the charging tide, tearing apart and scattering bodies along with crimson dust. Twin-mounted storm-blast machine guns, positioned behind the battlements, spewed deadly waterfalls of metal, sweeping away berserkers attempting to scale the makeshift siege ladders. Limbs, torn pieces, and scorching metal fragments rained down at the foot of the walls. The hum of plasma cannon arrays charging was exceptionally clear in the chaos; the next second, several blinding blue-white beams slashed across the ground, leaving molten trenches and vaporized torsos.

The defenders on the city walls had ample defensive firepower.

Especially considering that his force was just an ordinary guard regiment of only three thousand men, yet it was able to unleash such powerful firepower, it was inextricably linked to the incredibly abundant defensive firepower on the walls of Terra Palace.

This is merely the outermost part of the long outer wall of Terra Palace, a wall stretching over ten thousand kilometers, forming a cluster of fortresses of varying sizes. And the place they are guarding is just an inconspicuous spot within this long outer defensive line.

The terrain here is inherently easy to defend and difficult to attack. There is only a small doorway, which is made to resemble an alloy gate. The terrain outside is rugged and not a major road, but merely a small path among the mountains.

Yet, in this very place, a considerable number of enemies launched a fierce attack.

Originally, only one company under Zhao Zi'an's command was stationed here—not permanently, but just the company's key patrol area.

After receiving intelligence that the enemy had launched a fierce attack, Zhao Zian led his troops to reinforce the area.

Initially, there were two companies, but as the enemy's numbers increased, Zhao Zi'an had no choice but to reinforce them. Now, he has brought all the troops at his disposal.

Although this area is insignificant from the perspective of the outer defense line of Holy Terra, the enemy's forces are simply too large and abundant, allowing them to squander manpower as much as possible and launch a fierce attack on an unimportant place.

But our side is not to be outdone.

Even in such an unimportant place, the palace walls and alloy gates were still very thick and tall; every so often there was a turret equipped with powerful firepower; behind the walls there was a special armory with plenty of weapons and ammunition.

In addition, the terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack, which makes it difficult for the enemy to deploy their superior forces in the narrow mountain roads; if they deploy too many troops, they are easily wiped out by the overwhelming firepower.

Overall, the defending side has a comprehensive advantage in all types of combat conditions.

Taking advantage of the terrain and the city's strong firepower, Zhao Zian's company carried out a frenzied massacre of the attacking enemy.

Limbs and fragments were scattered everywhere, making the battlefield look like a one-sided massacre—at least in the early stages of the battle.

But as time went on, things began to change.

The torrent of Khorasan believers never stops; for every one who falls, a larger and more fanatical force rises to fill the void.

Their crimson eyes gleamed with an inhuman light amidst the smoke, as they roared meaningless battle cries or blasphemous praises to the Blood God, completely ignoring the deadly casualties.

The deafening sounds of bomb gun fire, the hissing of energy weapons, the roar of exploding shells, the screams of the dying, and the blasphemous war cries of the enemy mingled into a continuous shockwave that could tear your eardrums apart.

Zhao Zian felt his teeth aching from the intense vibrations.

A chaotic warrior, under heavy fire, fearlessly approached a position not far from the city wall. Although he was quickly discovered and blasted to pieces by heavy fire, before dying, he forcefully hurled an anti-armor grenade with corrosive spikes onto the top of the city wall, where it exploded in mid-air.

A powerful shockwave and fragments of a highly toxic grenade swept across the area.

Zhao Zian witnessed firsthand how grenade fragments struck several soldiers stationed there like hailstones, causing their power armor to clang and even tear and penetrate, with crimson blood mist visible to the naked eye.

This is a microcosm of the situation he faced.

The enemy was not a lamb to the slaughter. Even though they were being wiped out at a rapid pace, their ferocious fighting style continued to put pressure on the defending forces.

Regardless, this is a war, and our own soldiers will inevitably lose their lives due to various unforeseen circumstances. The enemy's up-firing positions at the foot of the mountain, though at a great disadvantage in attack and defense, are numerous and constantly replenished, so they can always maintain firepower density and always manage to hit their targets with one or two shots.

If the bombs hit the city walls, that would be fine; the walls of Terra Palace could certainly withstand the test. However, if they hit the battlements, the soldiers' bunkers might not be able to protect them.

Not to mention, some fixed firing positions will also be knocked out.

The only good news is that the equipment and ammunition in the arsenal seem inexhaustible—and even if they are used up, supplies from the rear will be easy to obtain.

The defenders in the siege of Terra Palace are currently most short of manpower. They have plenty of weapons and equipment, but no one is delivering them. If they want more, they'll have to send their own logistics company and truck drivers back to haul them away.

However, these cannot compensate for the losses at fixed firing points.

If those installed turrets are destroyed, repairing them is not something that can be easily done in war.

Every time such a fixed firing point was lost, and every time a few soldiers were killed in battle, Zhao Zian's heart would grow heavier.

That means he has fewer cards left in his hand.

Today, things seem to have reached a dead end.

The enemy seemed to have realized this as well, and they launched an unprecedentedly fierce offensive against the city walls and gates.

Zhao Zian's communication channel was filled with urgent calls from various military units.

Bad news of casualties and lost positions followed one after another.

"Commander! The C7 gun position was destroyed by the Chaos Space Marines who climbed up! We had no choice but to detonate the gunner's explosives. Those Chaos traitors were buried inside, but our 3rd Platoon of the 9th Company was also inside..."

"The wall in section D4 is cracking! They're ramming it with the Demon Engine!"

"The alloy gates are under attack! The siege demons are closing in! What are the artillerymen doing?!" Trouble is everywhere, and more people are needed to provide support everywhere.

But unfortunately, Zhao Zi'an had no one under his command.

Beneath the city walls, heavy logging rifles set up by traitors from the Sun Legion began to volley fire at the guards behind the crenellations, the dense barrage of armor-piercing shells sending sparks flying across the alloy walls. The guards could only cower behind their cover, unable to peek out. Meanwhile, the artillery battalion behind, operating the defensive firepower of the city walls and the regimental heavy firepower, was busy supporting other areas and had no time to attend to this situation.

Zhao Zian took a deep breath; he had no choice but to go himself. He picked up his explosive pistol, aimed at a traitorous army leader below who was setting up a rapid-fire cannon, and fired repeatedly, the explosives piercing several holes in the man's tattered armor.

After finally eliminating them, we suddenly saw that enemies had already climbed the city wall under cover!

"My Lord, protect me!" a young guard shouted, swinging his chainsaw down with all his might, severing the arm of a Khorne berserker wielding an axe as he braved a hail of bullets to climb the wall. But the next second, an enemy leaped up from another direction, pressed a bolt carrier against his helmet, and pulled the trigger. White skull fragments and red and white debris instantly splattered onto the charred alloy wall.

Zhao Zian turned and fired a shot, smashing his head to pieces.

He then continued firing downwards until he had emptied the ammunition.

He hid back in his bunker, took a deep breath, and reopened the communication link to headquarters.

After finally getting through, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "'Anvil' is in dire need of help! Repeat, the core of the 'Anvil' defense line, the Third Gate Regiment's defense zone, is under heavy attack from an enemy force more than twenty times its size, supported by Space Marines! More than half of the artillery positions have been lost! Casualties have reached 50%! Reinforcements are needed! Repeat, we urgently need reinforcements! Otherwise, the defense line will collapse!"

After a brief hiss of electricity, a weary but calm voice came through. It was the command liaison officer: "Commander Zhao, received. Multiple core nodes of the Imperial Palace are under heavy attack. The 'Diamond Wall,' 'Wailing Corridor,' and the outer ring of the 'Imperial Crown' are also in dire straits. Multiple Nurgle Plague Engines have been detected infiltrating. The division headquarters cannot spare any full-scale reserves. The division commander orders: Hold the line at all costs! Buy time for reinforcements to arrive! Your sacrifice will be remembered by the Emperor!"

A chilling despair mixed with burning anger surged up Zhao Zian's throat.

There were no reinforcements, only "holding firm" and "sacrificing themselves".

"May the Emperor protect us!" he roared, cutting off the useless communications and instead connecting to the entire regiment's internal channel.

His gaze swept over the wreckage piled up beneath the city walls, constantly being covered by new, crazed bodies. His voice became unusually calm, yet carried a heavy weight.

"Command has made it clear that no reinforcements will arrive. This city gate beneath our feet is the first and most fortified barrier leading to the inner ring. The enemy wants to cross it to show off their blasphemous achievements to the Imperial Guards!"

"They're wrong!" He raised his voice sharply, almost vibrating the noise reduction system inside his power armor helmet. "They're facing the walls of the Emperor's palace! They're facing the guards of Terra's Royal Palace! Let their blood tell these fools that anyone who dares to covet the palace—will die! Even if we all perish here, we'll make these Khorne scum understand that every life they take will be paid for with ten, a hundred times theirs! Let's shed our last drop of blood for the Emperor, right now! Anvil! Unbreakable!"

The remaining guards roared in fury, their despair transforming into a desperate force: "Indestructible! For the Emperor!"

Despite being in dire straits, their morale remained high.

The Palace Guards, as mortal troops directly commanded by the Imperial Guard, receive almost the best training and the best equipment. They have a particularly high rate of adoption of feedback power armor and a sufficient supply of various weapons, making them an absolutely top-tier force even within the Astral Army.

Furthermore, they possess the courage to face death in dire circumstances.

The heavy weapons outside were precisely targeted and eliminated by the guarding artillery, yet the guards still held their ground on the city walls despite heavy casualties.

Even though the enemy had already charged up.

A squad of the strongest Khorne berserkers, clad in heavy armor stained with blood and flesh, braved the hail of bullets raining down from the walls to climb the city wall.

Close combat has begun.

The chainsaw sword roared, the power axe swung, and the bomb gun roared and sprayed at extremely close range, each collision of weapons sending up blinding sparks and fragments.

Blood splattered on the cold alloy floor, then trampled into black mud by countless military boots.

The guards were prepared to die. Even if they lost an arm or a leg, they would use their teeth and the grenade in their other hand to pounce on the enemy and roll down the city wall together.

Their will was so strong, but the fact remains that a breach was made in the city walls.

More enemies surged forward.

Those chaotic enemies, having expended so many lives, finally saw the dawn of victory and naturally refused to give up easily.

But Zhao Zian is not here.

He was on a more important battlefield.

Zhao Zian personally led his guards down the city wall and came to the inner alloy gate that was creaking from being hit.

With each slam of the battering ram driven by the demonic engine, the massive bolt emitted a piercing metallic groan. The thick door was now covered with terrifying dents, and wisps of scorching heat seeped in from the cracks.

The alloy gate, repeatedly melted through, collapsed inward with a deafening roar of metal tearing during its final, terrifying impact. As the heavy structure kicked up clouds of dust, Zhao Zian and his guards rushed forward without hesitation, like iron blocks thrown into a furnace.

The bombs fired at close range with a dense, rain-like sound, and the chainsaw sword clashed with the heavier axe, which was twisted with blasphemous runes. Each collision produced a blinding flash and metal fragments.

Zhao Zian's combat skills were superb. He killed three Khorne Chaos followers in succession, but his feedback power armor was covered with shocking dents and gaps, and a corner of his shoulder armor was cleaved off by a passing axe.

He saw a young soldier being struck by a Khorne follower, his chest cleaved open by a chainsaw axe, his internal organs instantly shredded and sprayed out; he saw another veteran detonate all the molten bombs hanging on his body, turning into a dazzling miniature sun in the densest area of ​​the enemy, instantly clearing a large area in front of him, only to have it quickly filled by even more frenzied enemies behind him.

The remaining guards surrounded their commander, forming a desperate but resolute circle.

Every second, someone falls. Every swing of the sword could be the end.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The previous chapter was posted in the wrong place... I asked the editor to block it.

I'll write another chapter tonight, replacing the content of that previous chapter.

(End of this chapter)