I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 147 Charge! charge!
The orbital defense station's database, like a prisoner whose mouth has been pried open, revealed all its secrets. This vibrant planet is called "Sel Kerr" in the language of the Tau Empire.

Perhaps the name has some special meaning, but in the eyes of the Empire's War Council, it is just an alien nest that needs to be cleansed.

The cold, efficient command was quickly transmitted via encrypted communication to the bridge of the dying—the Space Marines of the Emperor's Scythe Chapter would be the first to set foot on the land of Selkel as the spearhead of the Emperor's wrath.

Following closely behind were the Legion of the Dead, who were among the first Astral Army to land.

"Bros!"

Upon receiving this message, Ghostface turned around almost immediately and shouted loudly to all the players on the bridge who were eagerly preparing for the upcoming landing battle. His voice, transmitted through wide-area communication, reached every corner of the warship and the ears of every soldier going to their deaths.

"We will be the 'first to set foot'! The first Astral Legion to set foot on this alien land, the first to confront the ground forces of the Tau Empire!" He spread his arms wide. "Regardless of the outcome, our legion, our names, will be forever etched in human history!"

This speech was simple and direct, yet it precisely hit the sweet spot for all the players.

"For the Emperor!"

"Long live humanity!"

"Kill all those aliens!"

A deafening roar of cheers instantly filled the entire warship. The fervent atmosphere of war was ignited in that moment. The fervor of those going to their deaths was even hotter than the plasma reactors of the engines. They rushed to the armory, grabbed weapons; they ran to the vehicle dock, boarding the chimera personnel carriers and Leman Rustanks. Everyone was in position, awaiting only the order to open the hatches and charge out, turning every living thing in sight into dust beneath the tracks and charred remains beneath the muzzles of their guns.

However, before the ground troops landed, there was a "purification" from the sky.

The human empire fleet slowly adjusted its formation, aiming its hulls, which were covered with macro cannons and light spears, at the blue and tranquil planet below.

No warnings, no attempts to persuade them to surrender

In previous engagements, the Imperial fleet had confirmed that the Tau Empire's shipbuilding technology did not appear to have mastered the crucial technology of "Void Shield." This fatal flaw was also evident in their planetary defense system.

As hundreds upon hundreds of destructive beams of light and mountain-like projectiles rained down from the sky, Selkel's planetary defense system was indeed activated. On the ground, countless turrets rose up, and energy shields deployed above the city.

However, without the protection of the Void Shield, these conventional defensive measures are as fragile as children's toys in the face of fleet-level orbital bombardment.

The energy shield shattered like a bubble in the first wave of attacks, followed by devastation. The light spears easily pierced the earth's crust, triggering violent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; each impact of the macro cannon shells was equivalent to a small-scale nuclear explosion, completely erasing the city and everything within it from the map.

Elegant white spires melted in the flames, bustling air traffic hubs were vaporized, vast fields turned to scorched earth, and the azure ocean boiled from the extreme heat.

In just half an hour, Selkel was bombed into a burning hell by the human empire's fleet.

Seeing such reckless and unscrupulous acts of destruction, the Tau Empire command on Selkel finally understood.

This is not a war for territory and resources.

This was a complete and utter genocide.

The idea of ​​sending Water Clan diplomats in an attempt to communicate and reach an understanding now seems utterly ridiculous and naive. The enemy has no intention of negotiating.

In desperation, the Tau Empire's leadership made a final decision. They abandoned any attempt to save the planet and instead began to accelerate the evacuation of their most important officials and valuable Tu clan engineers at all costs.

Meanwhile, all the Fire Clan warriors stationed on Selkel were organized. They were told that their mission was no longer victory, but delay. To use their lives to buy even a second more for their comrades to evacuate.

They will fight to the last moment on the very homeland that has become their burial ground.

The Emperor's Scythe's "rain of death" descended first. Hundreds of landing pods, like steel dice thrown by the Emperor, trailed long plasma contrails, tearing through the ash- and smoke-shrouded sky of Selkel. With unstoppable force, they precisely struck their designated strategic locations, clearing bloody landing zones for subsequent troops.

Immediately following, after the orbital detection arrays confirmed that all major anti-aircraft firepower on the planet's surface had been reduced to silent scrap metal in the previous bombardment, the massive transport and supply ships began their slow descent. Their enormous bodies blocked out the burning sunlight, casting broad shadows on the ground. The heavy landing ramps crashed onto the scorched earth with a deafening roar.

One after another, brand-new Leman Rustanks and convoys of chimera armored personnel carriers, laden with soldiers going to their deaths, surged forth from the hull of the ships like a torrent of steel. Self-propelled artillery positions were rapidly deployed, their massive barrels pointing skyward, ready to unleash death and destruction upon the other side of the horizon.

With such formidable armored strength as a backing, the players' initial tactical concept was a textbook example of the classic armored assault. Armored formations led the way, forming a wedge-shaped assault to tear through the enemy's defenses. Infantry followed the armored units, using chimeras as mobile cover to protect the tanks' flanks and clear out the scattered enemy. Self-propelled artillery and other parabolic heavy firepower provided sustained fire suppression on enemy assembly points.

With the roar of engines and the crunch of tracks crushing gravel, the war machines of the Legion of the Dead began to advance slowly and steadily across this alien land.

However, reality soon gave them a resounding slap in the face.

"Enemy unit spotted at 11 o'clock! It's... a Hammerhead Shark!" The commander of a Leman Rustank spotted the sleek, futuristic-looking flat figure hovering in mid-air through his high-powered observation scope.

"Main gun! Target Hammerhead Shark! Fire!" The commander gave the order decisively without any hesitation.

The gunners responded immediately, and the heavy main gun roared as the huge shell, carrying destructive kinetic energy, hurtled toward the target.

However, what happened next made all the players in the car group stare wide-eyed.

Just as the shell was about to hit, the anti-gravity engine beneath the Hammerhead Shark's hull flashed brightly. The entire vessel, as if weightless, shifted several meters to the side, gracefully dodging the fatal blow by the slightest margin.

Even more astonishingly, during this high-speed lateral maneuver, the electromagnetic railgun on its top remained completely still, its muzzle firmly locked onto the firing Lemanrus.

Blue and white arcs of electricity flickered wildly on both sides of the cannon barrel, emitting a tooth-grinding buzzing sound.

The next second, a beam of bright white light, almost invisible to the naked eye, flashed by.

"boom--!"

The Leman Rustank was cleanly pierced from the front turret to the bottom engine compartment by the projectile, which had been accelerated to its maximum speed by electromagnetic rails. The ammunition inside the turret was instantly detonated, and the entire tank turned into a huge fireball that shot into the sky.

A few seconds later, at the respawn point behind them, the five crew members who had just turned into white light in the explosion looked at each other in disbelief.

The tank commander scratched his head, looking exasperated, and complained, "Holy crap... that's what you call interstellar tank mobility and fire control! Dodging shells while locking onto and firing? What kind of crap has the Mechanicus given us? A metal coffin with a tractor engine?"

His complaints resonated with countless players, as they too were facing similar issues.

The Tau Empire's Fire Warriors wear technologically advanced combat suits that not only activate optical camouflage for stealth but also offer far superior defense compared to the armor issued to them by the Astronautical Army. Even more troublesome is their ability to use thrusters on their backs for short-range flight and jumps, allowing them to maneuver nimbly between ruins and buildings.

The pulse rifles in their hands fired blue plasma orbs that were almost as powerful as the Hellfire Guns wielded by Stormtroopers; a single shot could incinerate an ordinary soldier wearing bulletproof armor into a charred corpse.

The sky and surroundings are filled with swarms of drones, like annoying flies, constantly harassing and spying. Any tactical movement of the suicide bombers seems to be known to the enemy immediately, followed by precise and deadly artillery support that always manages to outpace friendly fire, landing in the most lethal places.

The front is advancing, but extremely slowly.

"This is too ugly!" Ghost Face stared at his own units, which were constantly turning red on the tactical map, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. Of course, he wasn't complaining about the high casualties; he just felt the advance was far too slow.

Admittedly, given the sheer size of the Legion of the Dead and the players' fearless nature, if they simply keep grinding them down, relying on human lives and steel, they will eventually crush the Tau people on Selkel to death.

But the demon mask is unacceptable.

They were the "first to land"! The first Astral Army to land! This battle should have been a crushing victory, a classic battle worthy of being recorded in the server's history! Now it has turned into this ugly, passive, and humiliating defeat, which is an absolute disgrace!
"Damn it!" Ghost Face slammed his fist into the armored plate of the command platform. He took a deep breath and roared into the communicator.

"All units, listen up! Tactical change!"

"Lemanrus and Chimera, stop driving like old ladies strolling around! Overload the engines! Full speed ahead! Charge! Charge!!"

"All infantry! Stop swinging your legs! Find the nearest vehicle and try to hop on! If you can't, at least get your squad leader on! Use the system's mechanisms to keep up with the assault's pace by committing suicide!"

"Whether you're driving a Lemanrus, a Chimera, or an infantryman clinging to a vehicle! Put one hand on your system shop interface! Once you reach those avatars, buy explosives immediately! Then self-destruct! Use your tanks, your troop carriers, your lives, to blast a path for me!"

"Charge the hell out of here! Anyone who backs down at this point and makes our entire unit a disgrace to the Astral Army, don't blame me for posting your name on the forums and cursing you for a year!"

(End of this chapter)