I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 148 Suicide Assault

Keith Val'la could hardly recognize the land beneath his feet.

In its memory, Selkel was a jewel shone under the radiant light of the highest good. The sky here was always so pure and azure, with three small satellites rising in turn each night, casting soft silver light across the land. In the city, elegant white, arched buildings blended perfectly with the natural landscape, and anti-gravity vehicles glided silently along planned routes, leaving fleeting trails of light. The Tushi people's engineers had planned a vast ecological park here, where exotic flowers and plants from different planets coexisted harmoniously, and a faint fragrance perpetually filled the air.

It remembered that on its days off, its favorite thing to do was to take its family on a picnic by Crystal Lake outside the city. Children chased glowing insects on the soft, lush grass, vendors sold refreshing drinks made from local fruits, and laughter filled the air. There was no poverty, no strife; every citizen of the Tau Empire was dedicated to their duty, contributing to the common "path of the best," living in peace and prosperity.

Selkell, this serene jewel, was once a perfect microcosm of peace and prosperity against the backdrop of a dark universe.

But now, this is hell.

The intense heat from the orbital bombardment still lingers, the ground beneath our feet scorching like a red-hot iron plate. Breathing in the air is filled with choking smoke and the smell of sulfur. Once beautiful landscapes have been melted and vaporized in the flames and explosions, leaving only twisted metal remnants and charred ruins. The azure sky is now stained a despairing blood red by endless dust and the flames of war.

The laughter and joy of the past have been replaced by the incessant roar of gunfire and the wails of the dying.

Keith Val'ra gripped his pulse rifle tightly, the metallic feel offering a slight sense of security. He glanced around at his comrades, the surviving Fire Clan warriors from various squads, all equally armed, silently holding their positions in this makeshift fortress made of rubble. Even Shas, the most cheerful and witty member of the group, remained silent.

Sadness, anger, and a deep-seated hatred for the invading enemy filled the hearts of every warrior.

Suddenly, the distant sounds of artillery and gunfire became eerily sparse. The entire battlefield seemed to fall into a brief, unsettling calm.

Case didn't relax for a second; instead, he maximized the power of his combat suit's sensory system, scanning the area ahead with even greater vigilance. The calm before the storm—this principle applies equally in any corner of the universe.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a completely different, violent and chaotic engine roar came from the dust on the horizon and was rapidly approaching.

"What is that?" a young soldier couldn't help but ask.

Case looked in the direction of the sound, and when it magnified the distant scene through the optical lens of its combat suit, its pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

Those are human tanks and armored vehicles.

In the initial engagements, the Fire Warriors had roughly figured out the capabilities of these bulky iron boxes. They were heavily armored and had fierce firepower, but their mobility was questionable, and their fire control systems were quite outdated. In Case's eyes, these were like museum artifacts from hundreds or thousands of years ago, still stuck in the tracked vehicle era.

But at this moment, these "old relics" are charging forward at full speed with a crazy attitude that completely disregards engine load and mechanical lifespan! They bounce and leap on the rugged scorched earth, thick black smoke billowing from the exhaust pipes, as if they will fall apart at any moment.

What shocked and puzzled all the Tau warriors even more was that the speeding tanks and armored vehicles were covered with human soldiers like ornaments! They faced the gale, letting the gravel and shrapnel hit their bodies, like crazy parasites attached to the steel behemoths.

"What kind of trick is this?" Case was filled with confusion. What was the point of this tactically devoid, almost suicidal charge?
But the opportunity is fleeting, and it has no time to think. As an experienced fighter, its body reacts faster than its brain.

"Fire! Stop them from getting any closer!"

Case swiftly raised his gun, and the combat suit's built-in AI system instantly locked onto the leading chimera troop carrier. He pulled the trigger, and a series of deadly blue plasma orbs accurately struck the human soldiers on the roof of the vehicle.

Its comrades reacted immediately, the sounds of pulse rifles and pulse carbines firing in unison, weaving together a dense net of energy fire that rained down on the frenzied torrent of steel.

Humans were also retaliating. Heavy logging guns mounted on vehicles spat fire, and the soldiers on board futilely fired their rudimentary laser guns. But in terms of both weaponry and armor protection, they were far inferior to the fire warriors. Their counterattacks, aside from creating weak sparks on the fortified positions, were utterly ineffective in suppressing the fire warriors.

Swarms of human soldiers, under precise pulse fire, fell from their speeding vehicles like wheat being harvested by a scythe, instantly crushed into mangled flesh by the tracks of vehicles behind them.

However, humanity's advance did not falter in the slightest.

Finally, after paying a heavy price, a Chimera troop carrier, billowing smoke and riddled with bullet holes, miraculously broke through the barrage of fire and rammed into a Hammerhead anti-gravity tank on the flank of Case's position!
"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar, accompanied by a blinding white light, erupted violently.

The shockwave from the explosion, like an invisible giant's hand, violently threw Case to the ground. In the dizzying throes, it felt as if its internal organs were about to shatter. Fortunately, the combat suit's cushioning system activated in time, mitigating most of the damage; it only felt a violent wave of dizziness.

“Damn it…are these humans all crazy…” Case shook his buzzing head and struggled to get back to his feet.

It was horrified to see that the Hammerhead Shark, which had provided crucial fire support, was now nothing but a burning wreckage. Its comrades providing cover nearby had been completely vaporized in the horrific explosion.

Clearly, the explosives on that chimera were of an astonishing yield. And from within the raging wreckage of the chimera and hammerhead shark, several figures emerged. Seeing Case not far away, they immediately rushed towards him without hesitation.

A huge sense of confusion flashed through Keith Val'ra's mind.

How is that possible? How did they survive such a point-blank explosion? It completely defies the laws of physics!
But the realities of the battlefield left it no room for further thought. The instinct for survival and the training of a soldier instantly overwhelmed all doubts. It abruptly raised its pulse rifle, and the cold tactical AI immediately marked the optimal firing path for it on the display screen of its visor.

"For the Greater Good!"

It roared and pulled the trigger.

The precise blue plasma clusters instantly traversed a distance of tens of meters.

The first human to charge had a huge hole blown open in his chest, his charred limbs flew backward, and his body collapsed helplessly to the ground.

The second and third humans attempted to evade the attack with pointless zigzag runs, but with the AI's lock-on assistance, it was all in vain. Two precise shots struck their heads and torsos respectively, turning them into two bursts of blood mist.

However, just as it turned its gun to shoot the last enemy, the opponent had already charged towards it with astonishing force. The primitive and savage-looking bayonet on the laser gun in his hand gleamed with a deadly cold light in the firelight.

"Pfft——!"

A piercing sound of metal being forcibly torn apart rang out.

Case felt a sharp pain in his abdomen; the composite armor of his combat suit had been pierced through by this seemingly primitive bayonet. The cold blade was deeply embedded in his body.

The excruciating pain blurred his vision, but he endured the agony and, with the last of his strength, pressed the muzzle of his gun against the human soldier's helmet.

"boom!"

The roar of the pulse rifle was almost upon him. The human soldier's head exploded like a watermelon smashed by a hammer, splattering red and white matter all over Case's visor.

The headless corpse slid down slowly. Case knelt on one knee, blood gushing from the wound in his abdomen, and the life support system of his combat suit sounded a sharp alarm.

It struggled to lift its head, only to be met with a scene that utterly shattered its hope.

More humans emerged from the wreckage, surging in from all directions like a tide. They stepped over the corpses of their companions, treading on the scorching ruins, each movement swift and decisive.

"Do not……"

Case raised his rifle in vain, firing his last few energy blasts and taking down two more enemies. But more people had already surged towards him.

The first bayonet pierced his shoulder.

The second blow pierced his thigh.

The third round, the fourth round...

It felt as if countless sharp blades were piercing its body, and its consciousness gradually sank into darkness amidst endless pain. In its final moments, all it could see were those black, full-face helmets.

……

After dealing with the stubborn Tau alien, the human soldiers did not continue their charge. They turned around in unison and returned to the still-burning remains of the chimera and hammerhead shark.

Beneath the twisted metal lay a dying figure—the squad leader from the chimera they had just been on. He was clinging to life, sustained only by a dose of medication and a final backward leap.

A soldier walked over and pointed his laser gun at the squad leader's head.

A crisp gunshot.

(End of this chapter)