Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 135 This is not what I wanted!
Horus spoke clearly. He used a very short time to explain the necessity of the amphibious operation.

Without deploying the planetary shield, the fleet's firepower will be ineffective.

Astartes are essential for the ground conquest of planets, and heavy equipment such as Titan tanks are indispensable.

The fleet's sole purpose is to ensure orbital safety and prevent landing forces from being subjected to enemy orbital attacks.

Horus quickly got into the swing of things in a relatively minor landing operation. He was an outstanding commander with keen insight into defensive weaknesses and had plenty of combat experience.

The Human Alliance's core world defenses are impenetrable, with comprehensive anti-ship and anti-landing firepower, which is their reliance on to dare to resist the Empire.

Doom and Ruth sat beside Horus, watching intently as Horus broke the deadlock and opened up attack routes.

They cherished this learning opportunity and didn't miss any details.

“I hate attacking the human world,” Horus said, his hands moving swiftly, his tone tinged with regret as he continued to communicate with his brother. “Not only do we have to deal with strange and outdated technologies, but we also have to find ways to wipe out our fellow humans.”

"We are of the same kind, yet we attack each other."

Horus spoke with regret, but not insincerely, revealing his true feelings.

On the Great Expedition, he eliminated many aliens and destroyed many human worlds.

"Unity and unification is a great cause, and sacrifice is inevitable."

Doom spoke slowly, giving a formulaic explanation, cloaking death and bloodshed in the guise of justice and ideals.

He knew very well that those whitewashing narratives about war were merely attempts to make death sound better.

The platform of honor is built with blood, every brick and stone is a sacrificed skeleton, and profit is the gift of death.

He understood even more clearly that war was a manifestation of plunder and a last resort in conflict.

Ruth remained silent, listening to his brothers' conversation without comment; to him, the Emperor's orders were everything.

His soul and body flowed with a wolf-like loyalty.

In battle and conquest, all it takes is the emperor's command for Ruth to lead his pack into battle.

What sacrifices and great deeds? Ruth doesn't think too much about it; obeying orders is his instinct and his mission.

Horus said no more, and the fleet dropped decoys onto the planet, moving away from the orbit of land-based firepower.

His probing involved intense artillery fire, testing for weaknesses in the enemy's firepower.

The fleet released a large number of low-speed decoys that penetrated the void shield, forcing the enemy's anti-aircraft fire to retaliate.

Soon, on the planet below the fleet, various types of firepower returned fire, shooting down the slow-moving decoys.

While the results appeared impressive, the first wave of probing actually exposed most of their firing positions.

"Knowing it was a desperate struggle, and that the sturdy shell would eventually be breached, they still chose to hold on and try to resist."

"Power and interests are driving them toward madness."

Ruth shook his head slightly, the wolf mane under his cheeks swaying gently, his deep voice revealing his disdain for ignorance.

"We are the sons of the emperor, born with supreme power. We don't need to strive for it; power and benefits will naturally come to us."

Doom saw things very clearly, pointing out the difference between Primarchs and mortals: "Mortals need power and crave every bit of benefit."

"The initial starting point is the basic human desire: to survive, and then to survive better."

"These are beyond reproach; after all, they are biological instincts."

Horus nodded, agreeing with Doom's point of view: "We do not possess such divine power, and are merely one of the masses."

Rus did not refute, but crossed his arms and watched the battle unfold, no longer disturbing Horus's control of the situation.

After the first wave of probing, Horus discovered vulnerabilities, finding numerous gaps in the anti-aircraft fire network.

The defense system meticulously calculated and painstakingly crafted by mortals throughout their lives is riddled with flaws in the eyes of the Primarch.

After a brief assessment, the Shadowmoon Wolf's orbital descent began.

The airdrop capsules descended from the orbit, falling one after another strictly according to the route calculated by Horus.

The first batch of airdrop pods penetrated the void shield and landed on the planet's surface, quickly establishing a landing zone outside the hive capital.

Tanks, planes, and Titans landed rapidly, forming a massive fire support force.

Working in conjunction with Astartes, they launched a swift attack to clear out the bunkers and defenses surrounding the city.

Doom remained silent, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Also known for its assault operations, the Shadowmoon Wolves, under the command of the Father of Genetics, are disciplined and have clear objectives.

Their coordination and unity far surpass that of war dogs, and their cooperation among themselves is exquisite.

The Warhound Legion is the embodiment of ferocity, charging through enemy lines with sheer bravery. If the enemy's will is resolute, they will suffer heavy casualties. The Shadowmoon Wolves, on the other hand, are clenched iron fists, striking the enemy's weaknesses to quickly crush them.

Even Rus nodded in agreement. Although he had a slight prejudice against Horus, he greatly admired his brother's legion for its bravery in battle.

The legion that possesses the original gene and has been led by him in battle for a long time is indeed formidable in combat.

The Shadowmoon Wolves advanced swiftly, quickly dismantling the outer defenses of the city and rapidly arriving at the city walls, ready to launch a siege.

They advanced rapidly and methodically, leveraging the advantages of their legion in their charge, and within a few hours they reached the city walls.

"My lord, a communication has come from the Human Federation; they are willing to renegotiate."

The communications array monitoring personnel removed their listening headphones and respectfully reported to the original entity.

"Humph."

Before Horus could respond, Rus snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with intense disdain.

Not to mention the Primarchs, even ordinary commanders know that the arrow is on the bowstring and must be released; there is no room for negotiation now.

The Space Marines on the ground yearn for conquest, mortals await their achievements, and the Mechanicus are eager to acquire Relic technology.

How do we stop at this moment?
The Primarch can intimidate everything, but the cost is too high and not worth considering.

From a strategic perspective, commanders will not stop; they must strike the enemy severely to make strategic deterrence a sharp sword.

To halt the attack now would be a betrayal of the warriors and an irresponsible act towards the Great Expedition.

If we stop the attack now, what will we do when we encounter wavering humans again on our journey?
They were the same, constantly pushing the empire's bottom line. If they couldn't reach an agreement, they would fight first; if they couldn't win, they would negotiate again.

In order to gain more benefits, they repeatedly oscillated between stubbornly holding their ground and surrendering.

If this continues, how will the imperial dignity be maintained?

“Tell them that from the moment the first bullet was fired, there was no possibility of further negotiation, and their only option was to surrender unconditionally.”

Horus did not look up, but stared at the holographic sand table, casually rejecting the peace talks request.

The battle continued inevitably, the hive shields flickered, and the Space Marines stormed the gates.

Seeing no hope for peace talks, the Human Alliance refused to surrender unconditionally. Those in power incited the city's inhabitants to scale the city walls and fight to the death.

With all kinds of defensive weapons firing at full power, and relying on shields and heavy firepower on the city walls, they actually managed to withstand the legion's offensive.

Regardless of casualties, wave after wave of defenders climbed the walls, their blood flowing like a waterfall, staining the walls crimson.

Despite their fearlessness, their attacks at every breakthrough point were thwarted.

The initial, overwhelming assault turned into a protracted battle, resulting in some casualties for the Shadowmoon Wolves.

Horus frowned, his fingers hesitated slightly, and then pointed to a new tactical command—Greyclaw.

On the global sand table, no change, however slight, can escape the focused attention of the genetic prototype.

Grayclaw tactics. Doom narrowed his eyes slightly; he didn't think the name was very good.

Gray represents ignorance, misfortune, and death; claws represent sharp blades and attack. The translation doesn't sound very appealing.

Doom didn't think much of it, only assuming that Horus was serious and preparing to unleash even more ruthless tactics.

What happened next made Doom's expression harden, and a surge of anger rose within him.

Horus issued the Grayclaw tactical order, and a new drop pod descended, from which emerged warriors different from the Shadowmoon Wolves.

They exuded a gloomy aura, wearing unpainted power armor that revealed a slightly faded bronze color.

The shoulder armor of these Space Marines is engraved with the ancient Roman numeral "XIX".

Doom, a member of the Nineteenth Legion, knew the gloomy warriors who had followed Horus since the beginning of the Great Crusade.

Their objective was clear: under the cover of Shadowmoon Wolves, they launched a fierce attack on the gates of the hive city.

Space Marines are powerful, clad in robust power armor and wielding ferocious explosive guns, but they are still flesh and blood, incomparable to real steel.

The hive's fixed firepower showed no mercy; turrets rained down, plasma beams and laser beams intertwining to form a deadly barrage.

The barrage descended upon the soldiers of the Nineteenth Legion, tearing through their power armor and causing heavy casualties within moments.

They continued relentlessly, braving the barrage of fire to penetrate the shields and get as close as possible to the city gate to place the molten metal bombs.

The Human Alliance's confidence came from the city's defenses, which were so tight that they quickly tore apart a hundred warriors, leaving them to fall before the city gates.

“This is not what I want.”

Doom's voice, like ancient ice, swept across the bridge of the Soul of Vengeance, sending chills down everyone's spines.

(End of this chapter)