Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Dropping beacons and waiting for fighter jets to transport them? That's too inefficient; it would take at least a week to get everything up there!

But it was a good thing to escape from the dark and confined underground. Komi, piloting his knight, stood on the ground and realized that they had left the collapsed hive city. He and the rescue army followed the passage to the industrial area on the outskirts of the hive city. The positions built during the siege of the hive city were still laid out on the ground, and some flag fragments that had not been recovered could even be seen. Based on this, it was analyzed that this position was built by Fris's troops.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

The sound of the poisoned blades firing was quite distinctive, and Komi immediately determined the direction of these war machines. He decided to lead his troops to meet up with Fris. According to the message from Fesses, it was only Harald and Imaran's army that regarded him as an irreconcilable enemy.

Infiltrate the factory, fight your way through the factory, fight your way out of the factory, and head towards the surface...

Battle after battle, forced march after forced march. Even the most elite infantry regiments of Kadia dared not say they could fight as tenaciously as the Savior Army. If it weren't for the physique of the Orcs and the beast brew to replenish their strength, the Savior Army would have been exhausted long ago.

The Emperor's Poison Blade was located 20 kilometers east of the exit of the Fart Spirit Passage. The Savior Army traversed this distance in an hour. Some strong but sturdy sub-orcs were not abandoned but carried on the shoulders of the Redemption-type combat suits as they advanced together.

Five kilometers away, Komi could see the headquarters of the Fris army through the Knight's monitor. Four Emperor Poison Blades were positioned around the headquarters, firmly guarding every line of defense.

The attackers were not the rebels from Ironstar, but the diverse mercenaries of Harald. Gang scum recruited from the hive capital injected themselves with drugs and rushed to the battlefield, while pirates from some unknown ports piloted atmospheric fighters that did not exist on the Imperial Army's equipment list to support their struggling friends on the ground.

Soon, Fris's voice reached the cockpit. Her voice was filled with shock and doubt at Harald's slander that Komi had killed Saint Imaran. Clearly, this attitude was the main reason why she was attacked by mercenaries.

“Saint Otto, I have heard all those despicable accusations. I will stand by your side and fight to the very end that liar, blinded by the throne coin!”

Frizzle's attitude eased some of Komi's dissatisfaction with the Childe family; it seems that this family can still produce some normal people.

"Ms. Freese."

Komi changed his way of addressing Friss, previously he always called her by her first name. "Please stay where you are. I will lead the Savior's Army to join your forces. Also, I'd like to ask, do you have a way to leave this planet quickly? We can't stay on the ground for too long. Without the protection of the Void Shield, we'll be blown to smithereens by Harald's cannons sooner or later!"

"Hmm..." Friss's tone was hesitant, as if she had a solution but was reluctant to use it. In the end, she made up her mind and gave Komi a reply, "Saint Otto, you are right. Our fleet is outnumbered, and staying on the surface will only lead to our death sooner or later! I do have an ancient relic that can take us away from this hellhole. Please come quickly!"

You say overtime is sinister? Overtime is sinister? We working people...

Huron: Can you give me the supplies in this sector? You know what the situation is with supplies at this stage, right?

Mantis Warrior: No, don't you have a Homeworld? Just make do with that for now. I'll go ask the Terra Highlord for a Merit Points and Honor Points boost, that would be much better.

Huron: Then I want honor...

Tax collector: I think we're in a fight.

Huron: Whose child is this?

Tax collector: Give me the sector's tax revenue, I'll send it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for unified distribution, isn't that great?

Mantis Warrior: He also wants sector tax revenue.

Huron: You're going to have to pay sector taxes now! Look at yourself in the mirror. Here are a few boxes of explosive ammo, take it or leave it. We've given you plenty of gear, you know?

Tax collector: That's incredibly insulting. You two can play, I'm leaving.

Huron: Let's go for a walk, who are you trying to scare? You're not a big guy, but your face isn't small either.

Mantis Warrior: How are we supposed to defend the Great Whirlpool if he doesn't leave?

Huron: I have sector tax revenue, give me some time to digest it and build an army at will, isn't that better than handing it over to him?

Mantis Warrior: Let's go then.

After a while...

Huron: My Starclaws chapter is now complete, who can touch me? (Secretly rebuilding a sub-church, using heretical technology)

Mantis Warriors: They've basically won.

Huron: Where's the tax collector? I haven't seen him for ages.

Mantis Warrior: I don't know, probably hiding somewhere crying.

Huron: See, here he is, starting his own business.

Minotaur, Red Scorpion, and Maneater Chapters: In the name of the High Lords of Terra, we will annihilate you traitors.

Chapter 562: A little gadget for escaping? Disappointing.

Harald's mercenaries were incredibly fierce, but also incredibly weak. Komi led the Salvation Army to attack from behind, and with just one charge, they scattered and cried out for their fathers and mothers. He didn't have time to capture the defeated soldiers and ordered his troops to quickly move into the defensive line around Fris's command post.

One by one, the orc soldiers leaped into the trench. After marching and fighting for so long, this was the first time they could lean against the trench wall and rest for a while.

Some orc warriors with purple lips and dry, cold mouths sought out medics for a small sip of beast brew to restore their strength and spirit.

Komi piloted the knight across the trenches and barbed wire, quickly arriving near the area around Freys's command post. He patted Fillon on the head, indicating that she could continue controlling the knight, and then he jumped off.

"Ah... Saint Otto!" Filyn was a little reluctant to part. She hoped that Komi could stay by her side for a little longer. If this wish could come true, she would rather not be a knight's pilot.

"Hmph... They're finally gone."

Knight Soul also hummed, clearly trying to show his disdain for Komi, but Fei Ling could detect something else in his indifferent tone.

How familiar... When Fithia was able to pester Otto with questions, I complained in the same tone.

Fei Ling blinked, and suddenly asked the machine spirit, "Ancestor, are you reluctant to let Saint Otto leave?"

"I can't bear to part with him!" Knight Soul screamed, as if angered by Fei Ling's question, or as embarrassed by having his thoughts exposed. "How could I bear to part with that rude bastard! You saw how he dragged me along just now."

“But the control of Saint Otto has given you unprecedented vitality, didn’t you feel it? That’s a miracle that I, and even the patriarch of the family, cannot replicate.”

Knight Soul fell silent, and Fei Ling had no idea what he was thinking.

Is it about reflecting on the fatal flaw in one's own words? Or reminiscing about the wonderful times fighting alongside Saint Otto?

After a long silence, the Knight Soul coldly said, "Hmph, hurry up and get on, our battle isn't over yet."

Fei Ling nodded and sat on the mechanical throne, connecting the interface on her back to the cables on the throne. She could then more clearly sense the knight's machine spirit's entanglement and doubt. She thought to herself that Saint Otto was truly charismatic. Mortals who witnessed his great achievements would feel admiration and respect, and even the bloodless and tearless machine spirit would be mesmerized by his figure.

After jumping off the knight mech, Komi didn't stop for a moment. Before he even reached the door, his foot was already out, and he kicked open the closed door of the command center.

"Miss Frizzle! I'm here! Tell me quickly how to leave this world!"

Frizzle gaped in surprise, never expecting Komi to appear before her in such a reckless and rude manner.

Well... at least he still remembered to call me Miss Frizzle, which is a small respect.

Frizzle thought to herself, and then explained to Komi that she possessed a technological relic that had been passed down from thousands of years ago.

It was a rather inconspicuous badge, engraved with the crest of the Childe family, and attached to the outside of Freya's collar.

After being removed, Fris took off her gloves, then bit her finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the back of the badge. The next second, the badge emitted light and wove into randomly generated numbers that dissipated before disappearing.

“The Buick Escape Badge, that’s its original name,” Fris said earnestly, looking into Komi’s eyes. “According to family records, this technological relic was recovered from a hiveman. Before he was killed by our family’s Hunter, this hiveman used this relic to steal a huge amount of resources. Later, our family used this technological relic a few more times, but we’re not sure how much energy is still stored inside…”

"You mean this thing might not work?"

Sensing the complaint in Komi's tone, Fris quickly explained, "No, no, it should work, but how far it can take is uncertain. A great sage once speculated on the working principle of this relic. When activated, it marks the space of the starting point and the destination, and then uses the energy contained within to stretch and connect the space, turning it into a flexible line segment. When the line segment contracts, the person will suddenly appear at the destination, as if they have been bounced there. I guess you want to get to the Punisher from here, but the distance is too long, and I can't guarantee that the line segment can be established."

What happens if the line segment cannot be established?

“Without a connection to the destination, the shrinking of the line segments will shatter your body into pieces, merging you into this space and making you impossible to find again. This is a very dangerous relic, so let’s consider another method.” With that, Fris tried to hide the badge behind her back.

Komi grabbed her wrist and snatched the badge away. Frizz wasn't angry; she just looked at Komi with some concern.

Looking at the badge in his hand, Koji swallowed hard. Strictly speaking, he was not a coward. When fighting orcs in the Red Mining World, he showed extraordinary recklessness and courage. Later, with Markus's body, this brute courage fermented even more.

Now controlling Otto's mortal body, Komi's courage hasn't diminished much. He often acts boldly on any idea he has, without considering the consequences of failure.

As usual, Komi would say to Fris, "My savior shelters me, he will bless me, I will surely succeed." Then he would activate his badge and fly towards the Punisher.

However, things kept going wrong while he was working with the Child family, and Komi's trust in the family had dropped to zero. Even though Fris assured him that there was nothing wrong with the technological relic, Komi didn't dare to use it rashly.

The gunfire outside grew increasingly intense. Harald's mercenaries, now on drugs, charged forward once more, this time bringing with them various combat servants modified from demi-humans, vowing to achieve victory by piling up corpses.

Continuing to linger here is just a waste of time. Once the warships are hovering overhead, there won't even be any ashes left.

Komi gripped the badge tightly, then sighed, as if he had made up his mind.

“Saint Otto, please reconsider. This thing is indeed unsafe…” Fris came over to offer a final word of advice. Her beautiful appearance and gentle voice made her persuasion all the more convincing.

Komi closed his eyes, and just when everyone thought he was about to activate it, he handed the badge back to Fris. He shook his head and said, "I thought you had something that could teleport on a large scale, but I didn't expect it to be this kind of gadget for people to escape. I will not abandon my soldiers and run away. If Harald wants to send us to the sky with his ship cannons, then let him do it. I am not without options."

Chapter 563: Your reminder came a little too late

Komi's confidence stemmed from that trade license. Although the chilling feeling of the knife against his neck hadn't dissipated, Komi was fed up with this pointless fear. He even suspected that there was no assassin at all, but that the enemy had simply used a clever method to bluff him.

Of course, Komi wouldn't use it here. Although the Friss Command Post was heavily guarded, it was ultimately a force composed of mortals. Even the orc soldiers could break in and wipe them all out.

Gu Jian needed to find a safe place, where he could be surrounded by people he trusted.

"Then I'll go prepare. You can continue your command." Koji nodded slightly to Frizz and left immediately. Frizz held the badge in her hand, her expression somewhat complicated.

As soon as he stepped outside, the trench in front of Komi was hit by a shell fired by Harald's mercenaries. Instantly, dirt flew everywhere, and metal fragments landed all over Komi's head.

After casually brushing the debris off his clothes, Koji headed towards the savior's army. After catching their breath, they threw themselves into the battle, inflicting heavy casualties on Harald's mercenaries.

The two knights controlled by Fei Ling and Ma Wen were very conspicuous in the position, attracting the mercenaries' rockets from time to time, but they were all shot down by the coaxial lord machine guns installed on their chests or blocked by the ion shields.

Komi entered the Salvation Army, surrounded by combat suits, orc soldiers, and Kranka, who was operating a battlefield-type spirit bird divination device.

Komi waited, waiting for Harald to bring his fleet to a stop over this small position.

About half an hour later, Harald's mercenaries stopped charging. They hadn't all died in the reckless charge; they had simply accomplished their mission of pinning down Frith and Komi's troops on the battlefield. Now they just had to wait for the flowers of victory to bloom.

A series of booming sounds came from the sky as Harald's fleet separated dozens of warships and entered near-Earth orbit of Ironbreaker Star, hovering above the Fris position. These warships did not meet the standards of the Imperial Navy, with thin armor and insufficient firepower, but for ground troops, those light macro cannons and light spears were a rain of destruction that could only be blocked by the Void Shield.

Fris's army was plunged into despair. The four Emperor Poison Blades even considered abandoning their positions and charging forward, believing that dying on the charge was far more honorable than waiting to die.

Their commotion was quelled by Friss's command. She declared that the Savior Saint, the new master of the Iron Star—Otto—would save them with a miracle, and that all they needed to do now was pray to Otto, pray to the Savior.

Fritz's troops knelt in the trenches, their guns slung over their backs. They clutched the small imperial statues they had bought from the logistics department, kissed the trinkets of blessing from their homeland, and prayed softly.

The situation of the Komi troops was similar, except that their prayers included an extra step: they held their weapons in their arms and communicated with the machine spirits within them.

“Savior, saint. I bear the blood of sin, but my comrade is pure. If we are to die in this shameful betrayal, please, you must take her soul.” A sub-orc soldier said earnestly, then kissed the outer shell of his weapon and carefully applied the remaining holy oil inside and out.

The weapon's spirit responded to his care, but only he himself could correctly interpret this gentle trembling and humming.

This scene puzzled the soldiers of the Friss Force next to him. He couldn't understand the deep bond between the Saviors and the Machine Soul, and he was even less willing to believe that there could be a Machine Soul inside such a simple gun.

Komi looked up at the sky, took a deep breath to remind his soldiers to protect themselves, and then touched the trade license, preparing to wear it on his soul face and use the emperor's power to solve the current problem.

He believed that after witnessing that miracle, Harald's mercenaries and Imaran's jihadists would immediately realize that everything Harald said was a lie directed at him.

Of course, there is another possibility: that Harald used more covert means to control his army, causing these deceived people to lose their awe of the emperor.

It's going to hurt a lot... it'll hurt so much I'd rather be dead...