I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 209 The Sacrifice of Glory

The steel torrent of Oglins and Astartes has utterly shattered the hastily assembled defenses of the Tyranid swarm. The scales of victory have irrevocably tipped in humanity's favor, and only crushed alien flesh remains on the path to the critically wounded Norn messenger.

However, at that very moment, the enormous figure that had been standing silently in the crater, focused on healing its own wounds, moved.

The Norn Messenger's legs emitted an unsettling "clicking" sound, and its biological structure underwent subtle internal changes, seemingly in adaptation to some entirely new mode of locomotion.

In this noisy battlefield filled with explosions, roars, and the clanging of metal, this sound was nothing in itself, but it was like a silent command, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the commando team.

Ultimately, the goal of this brutal battle is to eliminate the Norn messenger before them. Its power is unparalleled, it is the embodiment of the Hive's will, and the greatest threat. Every move it makes will undoubtedly attract the utmost attention.

"alert!"

Lugert Huron, the leader of the Star Claws Chapter at the forefront of the battlefield, was naturally the first to react. His booming, electronically amplified voice boomed through the communication channel to everyone: "All personnel, prepare for the assault!"

The entire assault team's line tensed instantly. The Oglins gripped their tower shields tightly, while the Astartes locked their bomb muskets firmly onto the behemoth. Everyone held their breath.

What does the Norn messenger intend to do? Unleash a devastating psionic storm? Or, with its broken yet still terrifying body, launch a powerful, suicidal attack?

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Norn messenger's massive body suddenly sank, and then... with a swift movement, it turned and ran away.

Yes, they ran away.

Its modified legs unleashed astonishing power, and its massive body, with an agility completely disproportionate to its size, ignored all the firepower poured upon it and raced away from the battlefield.

An eerie silence fell over the battlefield for a second. Everyone was stunned, seemingly unable to process the surreal scene before them.

Meanwhile, in other corners of the battlefield, tens of thousands of Tyranids seemed to have received a final order. They abandoned all tactics and, disregarding everything, fearlessly and relentlessly pounced on all human units—whether they were the assault teams composed of Oglin and Astartes, or the mortals still fighting the swarm in the ruins of the fortress—launching a final, suicidal attack.

In stark contrast, many more Tyranids abandoned their kin who were being used as cannon fodder without hesitation, turning instead to follow the Norn messengers.

Through the Norn messengers' senses, the Hive Will made its final assessment of the battle situation.

At this point in the battle, there is no possibility of victory. From the very beginning, it severely underestimated the fighting spirit, combat capabilities, and unwavering determination of the human species to fight to the death. Even more fatally, it stepped into a trap meticulously prepared for it by humans.

Therefore, the most logical and sensible course of action is to disengage from the battle as quickly as possible, preserve our forces, especially the high-value Norn Messenger, and revise our strategy based on the new intelligence gained from this costly defeat. Continuing to fight here will only result in the pointless loss of more precious resources, and is undoubtedly a foolish act.

But from a human perspective, it's a completely different story.

"Holy crap! The BOSS ran away!" one of the suicide bombers yelled. "How could the BOSS run away?! What about all my merit points?"

For these thrill-seeking and wealth-seeking players, besides the glory of fighting alongside legendary figures, the rewards for merit are a major factor in their active participation. How could they tolerate the final boss escaping when it was low on health?
For the Space Marines, this was an unprecedented and utterly infuriating experience. It was not merely a tactical defeat, but the ultimate insult to their honor.

Cato Sicarius roared through the megaphone, "Halt! You despicable aliens! This is a battle of honor! Both sides, life or death, will be filled with glory! You...you dare to run away!?"

Sicarius's roar echoed across the battlefield, but to the Hive Will, obsessed with preserving its life force, human glory meant nothing. The Norn messengers, far from slowing down, ran even faster.

"Chase it! Don't let it get away!"

After a brief moment of shock, all the human warriors reacted and immediately took off running in the direction the Norn messenger had fled. However, reality was cruel.

The Norn Messenger's physical abilities were already unparalleled. When this biological weapon, imbued with the essence of the Hive's will, was determined to escape, it was unmatched on the planet Prantim, at least on the ground.

The distance between them was gradually widening.

The human warriors could only watch helplessly as the colossal figure rapidly shrank in their field of vision, crossing the ruins and traversing the plains. Even the most hardened Space Marines began to feel a sense of powerlessness.

Can't catch up.

Some soldiers unconsciously slowed down, their panting filling the communication channel. A sense of despair began to spread.

At that very moment, in the sky, among the Thunderhawk gunships that had been circling and providing fire support, a fighter jet suddenly broke formation. It abandoned its futile long-range attack on the Norn messenger, pushed its engine to its limit, emitting a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, and instead of climbing, it swooped down at a near-vertical angle towards the charging Norn messenger!

"What is that Thunderhawk doing?!" someone exclaimed in the channel.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Thunderhawk gunboat, like a steel spear, slammed straight into the broad back of the Norn envoy.

"boom--!!!"

The violent explosion instantly engulfed the Thunderhawk gunship, with scorching fireballs and metal fragments spreading in all directions along with the shockwave. The Norn messenger's massive body was thrown off balance by the sudden, high-energy impact, its running rhythm disrupted, and it stumbled forward and fell.

A gash had been blasted open on its charred back, but it was far from fatal to the behemoth. It struggled to regain its balance and continue its escape.

But another Thunderhawk gunship roared down and, with the same resolute attitude, slammed into the head of the Norn messenger!

The second, violent explosion occurred almost immediately. This time, the force of the impact and the shockwave of the explosion struck its central nervous system squarely. The Norn messenger let out a painful scream; its massive head was blown to pieces, and its entire body was briefly stunned and paralyzed, staggering and unable to maintain its high speed any longer.

"They...they are loyal warriors!"

Huron looked at the two still-burning fireballs in the sky and immediately understood what the air force of these dead men was doing.

Tears welled in Huron's resolute eyes. He raised his power claws high, and with all his might, let out a deafening roar: "We cannot let their sacrifice be in vain!"

That roar ignited a fire in the hearts of all the Space Marines. As they looked at the colossus that had been forcibly intercepted, and at the wreckage falling from the sky, a surge of power, a mixture of grief, anger, and profound respect, welled up within them.

"For the Emperor!!!"

"Courage and glory!!!"

The Space Marines roared the loudest they had ever heard, their power armor servos screeching on the verge of overload, as they charged once more at speeds exceeding their limits!

"Oh oh oh oh!!!"

The Oglins roared as well, their massive bodies unleashing unprecedented power as they charged towards the Norn messenger alongside Astartes.

(End of this chapter)