Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 262 Medusa's Cruel, Limited Competition

Medusa Galaxy, Medusa IV, Euranus Rock.

Storm General Amadeus Dukane, former commander of the Tenth Legion, and current Legion Commander.

His Mark I Thunder Armor was painted in the black of "Iron Hands," with iron chains made of black and white iron rings hanging down on both sides of his shoulder armor as decoration.

A string of iron nails ran from the back of his neck guard upwards to the back of his head, a symbol of his near-death experience, his passing of trials, and his becoming a member of the Soragu clan.

Ducaine was tempered by Medusa's competitive culture. After removing his armor, he emerged victorious in a series of brutal battles and became the chieftain of the Soragu clan.

After gaining the position of clan leader, Dukaine put on his new armor.

His cloak was a banner of the Soragu clan.

It was a banner woven from metal wire and heavy silk, decorated and weighted with large pieces of agate, black crystal and sapphire, and in the center was the silver symbol of the Soragu clan.

The Eulanus Mountains are a mountain range stretching hundreds of kilometers from north to south, composed of extremely hard, special diorite blocks.

Ducaine stood on the hillside, instilling the concept of war in his clan.

"Boys, we follow a high-speed combat system that balances focused attacks with comprehensive strikes..."

Gabriel, as one of the members recognized by Solagu, stood on the hillside, only ten meters away from Ducaine.

He had gotten used to Dukaine referring to the young warriors as "boys" or even "ladies."

In many legions, this would be considered a contemptuous manner by Astartes, but no one resented it; he loved to tease and mock any warrior.

Unlike the other harsh Iron Hands and the Ten Great War Clans, he would treat the young warriors undergoing transformation like children.

Ducaine would take care of them, train and nurture them; he was the only one in the entire Iron Hand and the Ten Great War Clans who would do so.

"Our mission with Medusa is to protect the entire sector, every system and outpost, and every resource point that can provide minerals."

"Like the diorite beneath my feet, it's a metamorphic crystal found only on the planet Medusa, and it's a high-value resource."

Gabriel's golden Garuda helped the Soragu clan find a rich vein of diorite, and he was given five tons of diorite as a gift.

He analyzed the diorite, which is a representative rock of holocrystalline intermediate plutonic rocks and one of the main rock types in granite.

After special processing, it forms a harder material called iron crystal, which is used by Iron Hand to replace stone.

After finishing today's group coaching session, Du Kaien said with a smile.

"Kids, dismissed, time to eat."

After speaking, Du Kane walked towards Gabriel and asked:
"Did Adams find a new location for the ruins?"

Adams had previously discovered two ancient sites, jointly developed by the Soragu clan and Gabriel.

He brought a large number of ancient technological relics to the Soragu clan, and his powerful combat strength and extraordinary command ability in defeating the legionary warriors who had joined other clans to compete for the relics were the reasons why he was able to quickly become the clan leader.

Dukaine now believes that no one is better at finding ancient ruins than the cold-blooded Death Lord.

"Adams has located the ruins, and further news will be available soon."

Upon hearing Gabriel's words, Dukaine burst into laughter.

“That’s great news,” he said, taking a plate from a servant and handing it to Gabriel. “After a hearty meal, we’ll set off and get our hands on all the good stuff.”

Gabriel took Medusa's large platter, which contained the local delicacy, black worms.

It's called a black worm, but it's actually a type of algae that only resembles a black worm after being deep-fried.

"Before coming to Medusa, I had never seen algae that could extract energy from the friction of atmospheric particles."

“This is Medusa,” Dukaine said proudly, “the one and only Medusa.”

After Ducaine and Gabriel finished eating the meat and black worms, he looked up at the sky.

“The boys told me that the annual Iron Month is coming soon, and today is a terrible day for Medusa.”

Gabriel's communication beeped. After listening to the message from Adams, he said to Ducaine:
"Then we should act immediately and defeat the monsters entrenched in the ruins."

"I don't think you want to fight when the Steel Moon arrives."

“Of course,” Du Kane shouted to the members of the Soragu clan, “Boys, get moving!” The massive steel workshop, over a hundred meters high, was filled with dozens of vehicles pulled by Yaruk Mountain, heading towards their destination.

The Yaruk Mountains are somewhere between giant leopards and primates, standing several meters tall with broad shoulders.

Its unusually long arms and strong body are covered with thick, black hair, and its head also has a mane.

Dozens of Soragu people pressed the starter button inside the vehicle one by one.

Flashes of electricity shone brightly as current struck Mount Yaruk.

Aruk Mountain, writhing in agony, let out an angry roar and charged forward at full speed.

The engines of the steel wagons roared as they drove around the outskirts of Mount Yaruk.

After the Soragu clan convoy had traveled ten kilometers, the red alarm runes on the screen in front of Du Kane began flashing wildly.

Gabriel looked at the identification rune; the convoy they had encountered had an emblem with outward-facing gears around its perimeter and a skull embedded in its center.

"Avignon!"

"Santo's kid Avignon".

Ducaine was deeply impressed by Gabriel Santo, the Father of Genetics, who treated all Iron Hands and Medusas equally, showing no favoritism towards anyone.

Santo was the only exception; he was Lord Manus's favorite subordinate and the first Medusa to undergo genetic modification.

"Storm and Hammer!"

Dukaine was already used to the Medusa's battles; when the two clans encountered each other, the first thing they would do was bombard each other with cannon fire.

Lord Manus encouraged this struggle, believing that competition was a driving force for Medusa's progress.

After he finished speaking, the steel wagons of the Avini clan opened fire first, their large-caliber cannons unleashing a barrage of bullets at the Solago convoy.

A shell, trailing a blinding flash, slammed into Mount Yaruk.

With a deafening roar, the enormous beast was blasted into a pool of blood mist.

Countless shells pounded against the steel carts, creating cracks in their surfaces.

After the Avignon clan's first round of shelling ceased, Ducaine gave the order.

"Let's unleash a storm!"

The Solago caravan unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, launching an attack on the Avignon caravan.

Standing to the side, Gabriel watched as a hundred shells blasted at the same steel wagon, sending the hundred-meter-long vehicle flying into the air.

He saw a section of the truck on fire, and a tall, strong figure burst through the door and struggled to climb out of the flames.

It was clearly an Astartes, a soldier of the Tenth Legion.

Gabriel frowned slightly, but did not speak.

Although I followed my Lord's instructions and learned about Medusa's culture, I still find it difficult to accept this cruel way of competing.

Lord Manus and our Lord share completely different ideologies; it's hard to imagine that our Lord would allow the Shadow of Order and the Vostronians to engage in such a brutal competition.
Gabriel forced himself to focus on Ducaine's tactics, and the steel wagons of the Soragu clan advanced one by one under his command.

The steel wagons unfolded, drawing fire, while other wagons seized the opportunity to launch their own attacks.

With meticulous calculations, Dukine ordered the steel wagon to quickly flank the second one before it was severely damaged while drawing fire.

[It's not "Storm and Hammer," but it seems to share some similar philosophy.]
Gabriel noted down the results of his observations on the data board.

The clash between the two powerful clan caravans lasted for ten rounds, with Ducaine's Solago gaining the upper hand.

The Avini clan's convoy was the first to show weakness, retreating under orderly artillery fire.

One unfortunate soldier from the Tenth Legion perished in the flames, along with ten Avini who had been eliminated in the competition for Medusa.

Dukaine did not order a pursuit; competition has its limits and must be kept within a reasonable range.

The team traveled another thirty kilometers and reached the target mountain range.

(End of this chapter)