This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 140: Steel decays, but stone remains! (5.8k)

"Steel decays, but stone remains!"

A loud roar erupted from the demon host's mouth, resounding across the bridge of the 'Dark Steel' battle barge.

I don't know if it was a coincidence, but the war cry spread from the sound array system and extended all the way to the bottom deck. Even the void rats that survived by gnawing on flesh and blood scraps were trembling at this war-filled roar.

"Shut your damn mouth!"

The Iron Guard's voice resounded like thunder in the bridge, and his fist, packed with violent force, slammed fiercely into the still-roaring demon host.

With a dull explosion, the demon host's head shattered instantly, and black blood and rotten flesh splattered everywhere, splashing on the guard's Terminator armor, making a sizzling corrosion sound and gnawing off part of the paint surface.

Since engaging in battle with the False Emperor's troops, the behavior of these demon hosts has become increasingly bizarre. Their actions have become extremely dull, false information has spread like a plague, and their reactions have become incredibly slow.

And now. Now is even more
"Steel decays, but stone remains!"

The battle cry kept echoing in the guard's mind, like a blunt knife, repeatedly cutting his sanity, making his fists loosen and tighten, tighten and loosen, and making a crackling sound between his knuckles.

Angry, furious.

Countless emotions that would drive an ordinary person to become a god of killing raged in his mind.

He could even feel the enslaved demons in those demon engines chuckling softly and the engine furnaces roaring happily.

"The false emperor's lackeys are working their evil magic again."

Beside the guard officer, the Iron Executioner stared indifferently at the smashed demon host.

He looked around through the eyepiece, his eyes, which had long been corroded by demonic power, flashed with scarlet light. His armor was covered with traces of ancient battles, and every scratch told of endless killing and betrayal.

"Please exercise restraint, Officer."

The Execution Master spoke slowly, his voice filled with unquestionable authority.

"I don't want Idris to come back without seeing his lieutenant."

The guard's breathing was heavy, and his chest heaved violently, but he finally nodded and slowly unclenched his fists.

Seeing this, the Executioner nodded slightly at him, and then stood still like a sculpture.

Although they accepted the power bestowed by the Chaos Gods, the Iron Warriors always believed that this power was just a tool for them to fight against the False Emperor.

The Master Executioners allow Chaos Space Marines who have accepted Daemon power to exist within their ranks, and do not hesitate to use Daemon power, but they will never tolerate any member who has been seduced by Daemon and lost his mind.

The demon dwells in his eyes, allowing him to see into the soul of every enemy, seeing lies and corruption therein.

"We are steel, inside and out!"

The guard officer growled, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

"Yes, we are steel."

The demon host whose upper body was beaten off was not completely dead. Its lower body was still wriggling, swinging its slimy colon, and the pipes made intermittent sounds as they opened and closed again and again, as if trying to complete the ridiculous drama.

"I have no fear, no emotion, no loyalty, no honor, no Primarch—ah, Iron Warriors, feel less than an iron-ringed machine…"

Phew!

"enough!"

The guard officer roared angrily and reached out to grab the damn body and throw it into outer space.

But someone was one step ahead of him.

The Master of Execution stepped forward, his steps heavy and powerful, each step causing the deck of the bridge to tremble slightly. His eyes, which had long since turned into horns due to the demonic infestation, stared through the eyepiece at the manipulated puppet.

Then he raised his foot and stomped down hard.

With a sickening cracking sound, the demon host's body was completely crushed, turning into a pool of minced meat that merged with the bridge deck. Black blood flowed slowly, emitting a pungent stench.

The Executioner retracted his foot and glanced coldly at the wreckage beneath his feet.

He turned around and grabbed the head of a mortal servant:

"How long will it take for the enemy to board the ship?"

The skull was bearing the pressure, and the bones were creaking under the heavy load.

There was a deafening crackle in my eardrums, and then the world fell silent.

"grown ups--"

The mortal servant's voice was weak and trembling, blood oozed from the corner of his mouth and dripped down his chin to the ground. His eyes, bulging due to the sudden increase in intracranial pressure, were filled with fear and despair, but he still tried to maintain his final respect.

"I do not know."

He answered with difficulty, his voice almost drowned by the blood foam in his throat.

He couldn't even see through the observation window, so how could he possibly know the enemy's movements?
The Iron Warriors' ships followed Perturabo's tradition, with all portholes sealed. Only through auspex and special observation windows could they directly peek into the outside world.

"lie."

The executioner's voice was icy cold, as if it came from the abyss.

His palm suddenly tightened, and with a crisp sound of bones breaking, the servant's head was instantly crushed, and blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, staining his armor red.

wow-

The servant's headless body fell limply to the ground with a dull thud.

Several servants quickly stepped forward and dragged the body away skillfully, as if this scene was already commonplace.

The executioner shook his palm, shaking off the bloody and fleshy debris. His movements were calm and cold, as if he had just crushed an insignificant insect. He stepped towards his comrades, and the joints of his armor made a low humming sound.

"How long will it take for the enemy to board the ship?"

he asked.

"Four minutes and thirty-two seconds."

The Iron Warrior answered seriously, without a trace of fluctuation in his tone. His eyes were fixed on the data from the auspicious instrument, and his fingers slid quickly on the console, calculating the distance and speed of the enemy.

The Execution Master nodded with satisfaction, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the bridge. The tip of his horn flickered with a pale blue light, as if he could see through everyone's soul.

"The enemy is the Imperial Fists?"

He continued to ask.

"Black Templar, Crimson Fist, Executioner."

The Iron Warrior continued.

"Descendants of Sigismund, Pollux, and Lann."

The corners of the executioner's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a hint of sardonic smile. Those former enemies have turned to dust, his opponents have changed one after another, but he still stands.

He glanced at the image of the enemy ship displayed on the auspicious instrument, and then growled:
"Crash into it."

There was undeniable determination in his voice.

"Those are two Glorious Queens, and an endless stream of escort fleets."

The Iron Warrior responded calmly, a hint of warning in his tone.

Even during the Great Crusade, such scenes were extremely rare, and they were no longer the Iron Warriors of the Great Crusade.

Lord Perturabo abandoned almost all of the Iron Warriors, leaving them with only the new and randomly updated Tridents and a handful of the Primarch's guards - the Iron Ring Robots.

Former Warsmith of the First Battalion of the Iron Warriors and one of the Tridents during the Great Crusade, Frex was abandoned by Lord Perturabo because he was not considered to be suitable.

Now he could only be taken in by a Chaos Lord, let alone others.

Because of his extraordinary "dealing" skills, Idris managed to gather a large team of nearly 3,000 people. They searched the galaxy for the most precious materials for Perturabo in an attempt to win the favor of the Primarch again.

Yet even their warband, a formidable force among the Iron Warriors, was not strong enough to oppose such a massive fleet.

According to the unspoken rules within the warband, they should now abandon their colleagues who are still on the surface and evacuate quickly.

Because even under the Iron Warriors warband, there are few planets with the ability to build ships, and the annihilation of the fleet means the destruction of the warband.

As for my colleagues on the surface—

Good luck to them.

If you can gather sacrifices, complete the ritual, and open the portal in a short period of time, you might still have a chance to escape.

"Crash into it!"

The Executioner's voice boomed like thunder across the bridge, his eyes bloodshot, as if burning with endless rage. He slammed his fist down on the control console, denting the metal surface instantly and emitting a harsh buzzing sound.

If they choose to escape from this battle today, they will never be able to raise their heads in the galaxy.

Naval warfare has never been the Iron Warriors' strong suit. Furthermore, the disparity in strength between the two sides is so great that even the Chosen One himself would be unable to turn the tide of battle.

If you want to win big with a small investment, the only way is to board the ship.

Bring the battle to the interior of the enemy ship in the most brutal and direct way.

The Executioner felt incredibly lucid. He knew clearly that if he chose to retreat at this moment, he would face true death, not only the destruction of his body but also the complete collapse of his honor and dignity.

Okay, I’m addicted.

Even after being eroded by the power of the Warp for many years, the Iron Warriors still have that stubborn spirit of not giving up flowing in their bones.

The Iron Warrior shrugged, a hint of helplessness showing on his face hidden by the visor.

He quickly maneuvered the battleship to adjust its position, and silently arranged a shuttle for himself. His movements were calm and precise, as if he had long been accustomed to this life-and-death situation.

This warband no longer needs undercover agents. "Master La's skills are truly profound."

Romulus stood on the command deck of the flagship, his eyes sweeping across the chaotic formation of the enemy ships, and couldn't help but sigh. He knew what happened on the enemy ships and what Ramses had done.

This trick may not work on some weirdos who don't care about honor, such as the white shark.

They care nothing for honor, and there are countless records of them fleeing from powerful enemies due to battle losses. Even if you point your finger at the Emperor and curse him, they will first deal with the blood and ash taxes, recruit a full 1,000 men, and then return to settle the score.

But the Iron Warriors are clearly not among them.

A battle cry, followed by a piece of rhetoric, and it goes straight to the point.

What was even worse was that Ramses used the loudspeaker in the subspace to let everyone, including the demons, hear the provocation.

If the Iron Warriors had fled without a fight today, or had been easily killed by the Sons of Dorne...

After that, the subspace will probably be filled with the legend that "the steel may decay, but the stone remains."

"Send a battle group forward, intercept the battle barge, and board it at the same time."

Romulus conveyed his orders to the fleet.

Just randomly picking a battle group shows how extravagant this expedition is.

Compared to worrying about the political affairs of the planets along the way and the future of the empire, Romulus truly felt that fighting was a pleasure.

Cool!
Grand Marshal Ledotus stared at the battle barge that suddenly broke out of the formation and headed straight for the Eternal Expedition, his brows slightly furrowed, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

He recognized the ship at a glance—it was the battle barge on which Romulus had singled out for boarding.

He immediately turned to look at Ramses, who had just been teleported to the bridge.

The think tank had his eyes closed, concentrating as if listening to some distant voice.

Noticing Ledotus's scorching gaze, Ramses slowly opened his eyes, a hint of psychic light remaining in his golden pupils.

"Have the Eternal Expedition approach, send out a teleportation beacon, and we'll proceed to board."

His voice was like music to the ears of the sons of Dorne.

Finally, his gaze fell on the bridge officers.

These people's hands had begun to tremble slightly and their faces were pale. They were obviously the unlucky ones who had lost the internal duel election.

If we can't win this battle, it will be a huge loss.

A trace of pity flashed in Ramses' eyes, and he added, "Everyone who wants to go can go. I will be responsible for the transportation. No one will be waited for after the deadline."

There was a hint of ease in his tone, as if he was talking about a celebration that was about to begin. After all, if they died, there was a one-stop service provided by the Golden Throne Curse. If they fought well, they could be marked and maybe even pulled out to fight again in the future.

Ok?
The "bridge officers" who were originally dejected, looking hopeless and preparing to bid farewell to the regiment and head to Cadia for an eternal expedition, suddenly had their eyes lit up, as if they were injected with vitality again.

The atmosphere of the entire bridge was instantly ignited, as if a ball of blazing flame was spreading in the air.

The flags held by the priests fluttered in the wind, and the runes on the flags flashed with golden light, as if responding to the fighting spirit of the people. The holy equipment in the hands of the champions also lit up, emitting a sacred light, as if cheering for the upcoming battle.

Everyone's name is reflected in their eyes, and the light seems to be announcing their glory and mission.

Let’s not talk about whether the person was killed or not, let’s just ask whether this jump helped me participate?

The surging fighting spirit could be felt in every breath, and Ledotus, who received a response, shouted:
"Did you hear that? Captain, let's pull the boat over!"

It takes no effort at all!
Ledodes excitedly grasped the champion black sword. Now he finally didn't have to worry about the issue of personnel allocation.

If the enemy makes the mistake first, they can get through once the transmission beacon is inserted, and then it will all depend on their own abilities.

The Grand Marshal watched as an Armageddon-class battlecruiser staggered out of the fleet and led a fleet to accurately cut off the Iron Warriors' subsequent support. Then two battlecruisers accompanied the Eternal Crusade and began to approach.

It was an Avenger-class battlecruiser that was extremely adept at close combat. The instantaneous burst of firepower, under the precise control of the Great Sage, quickly overloaded the battle barge's void shield, and then began to concentrate its attack on its rear engine.

The Iron Warriors were really crazy and were determined to get close to the Eternal Crusade. Even the standard counterattacks were just carried out in a rigid manner, and they rushed forward.

It was naturally impossible for the precious Queen of Glory to collide directly with a battle barge. The power system, which was considered advanced during the Great Crusade, quickly maneuvered and towed the more than 20-kilometer-long Eternal Expedition like a swimming fish, avoiding the battle barge that was attacking it directly.

The Son of Dorne's blazing eyes were fixed on the battle barge passing by on the left.

There is very little Chaos contamination on this battleship. Compared to those Chaos battleships with biomass glow, it presents a simple metallic color, just like the paint job of the Iron Warriors.

At the stern of the battle barge, the power system, which had been mostly destroyed, was pushing the bloated behemoth to turn. The fragments that kept falling off due to the vibration and translation of the ship left a series of tracks, which looked like tiny stardust under the shining starlight.

The firepower configuration level of the Great Sage Cawl has always been accurate. Romulus also took the initiative to install automatic loading devices on each ship. As for the reason for convincing everyone, the Emperor's flagship, the Emperor's Dream, also uses an automatic loading system, which has been unanimously recognized by all veterans.

It's bizarre that after ten thousand years, naval warfare has degenerated into manual loading of ammunition.

On the Eternal Crusade, the sons of Dorne were sharpening their swords. At the front of their team was the Mountain Guard, holding boarding shields and wearing cavalry-style power armor.

The quality of the Thundercasts issued by the Emperor is acceptable, all of them are Primarch Guard level.

These elders, who have always passed on their experience to the younger generations in a calm manner in the past, are now like a recovering volcano.

The enemy is Idris who participated in the Siege of Terra, and our side is the Mountain Guard who participated in the Defense of Terra.

"."

Fafnir Lane, one of the commanders of the Mountain Guard and the first Chapter Master of the Executioners, gripped the double axes in his hands tightly.

It is their dereliction of duty to make these future generations ten thousand years from now have to face these enemies from ten thousand years ago.

And now-

Feeling a power in his body that was far more surging than ten thousand years ago, Lan took a deep breath and looked at Ramses who was preparing for the teleportation ceremony.

Fortunately, with the help of all the adults, they are able to resume their unfulfilled duties.

The Imperial warships had consciously stopped attacking the 'Dark Steel' to prevent accidental injuries to friendly forces.

"grown ups!"

Seeing the two ships completely separated, Lann couldn't help but urge them on.

They are more anxious than these juniors.

We let these people escape ten thousand years ago, and we can't let them go this time no matter what.

"very good."

He first threw a pile of rocks towards the predetermined marked locations, and found that the landing points were very accurate. Ramses immediately started his own operations.

The Eldar prophet is teaching Ramses step by step the technique of using psychic energy that can instantly project an entire legion to another area.

The traverser does not have to worry about the evil existence in the subspace, so he can use certain techniques simply and crudely.

"immediately."

Ramses calmly began to repeat the spell, and his psychic power, under the guidance of the prophet, modified reality in a precise manner.

"I have tried my best to select the landing spot for you. Please remain alert and follow Romulus's instructions."

"Yes!"

He was responded with a unified and fanatical roar.

"Very good, very energetic."

Ramses surveyed the subspace and activated the spell without hesitation.
-
"A lackey of Chaos! A traitor to humanity!"

Lann's voice boomed like thunder through the Iron Warriors' ship, his axe flashing with cold light, and every swing was accompanied by the tearing of metal and the breaking of bone.

The movement was swift and precise, like a roaring tiger, wantonly releasing its wild desire for war.

The axe pierced through the thick armor, cracked the enemy's skull, and then cut it in two.

Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, staining his armor red, but he didn't care. Lann's mind was extremely clear, and he calmly received the combat orders from Romulus. At the same time, he swung the axe again and cut off the head of another iron warrior.

"I am Fafnir Lane, traitors."

The figure moved forward courageously, like a god of war returning from ancient times.

"Come and meet the death that should have been prepared for you ten thousand years ago!"

Behind him, the executioner's warriors followed closely, their movements in unison, like a group of bloodthirsty hunters.

This scene could not help but make Ledotus feel envious.

The Crimson Fists have Dantioch, the Executioners have Lann, but the Black Templars do not have Sigismund.

It’s not that other elders are not capable of this. The return of every elder is a miracle that is equally important and should be cherished by them.

However, the absence of that legendary figure always makes people feel a little regretful.

What about Lord Arthur?
As Ledotus charged, a hint of doubt flashed through his mind. In the past, Arthur would never be reluctant to lead them in the charge.

But Romulus's subsequent orders quickly put his doubts aside. He swept his eyes across the battlefield, then quickly adjusted his direction and headed towards the warehouse area.

The elders need to settle their grudges, while they have to pursue victory.

As the Sons of Dorne spread out, the thunderous battle cry once again resounded throughout the ship.

"Steel decays, but stone remains!"

bump!
A punch shattered the sound array transmission device, and the guard officer roared:

"I will tear the mouths of these sons of Dorne!"

(End of this chapter)