Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

“Weren’t we just comrades fighting side by side…” some soldiers complained in a low voice. They were then dragged out and executed by the political commissar. These soldiers, who were graduates of the Loyalty Academy, valued obeying orders from higher-ups more than their own lives.

"Keep quiet! Stay alert!" the political commissars shouted. "It's clear that the Saint and his soldiers have more serious and important problems to solve. What we need to do is not slow them down, but hold our ground and cause the enemy as much trouble as possible. Anyone who doubts this is questioning whether I still have bullets in my pistol!"

The political commissar's words were far more effective than the Dark Angel's warnings. After all, one was a cold-faced devil that could be seen every day in the army, while the other was a demigod written in mythology, whom one could only see once or twice in a lifetime.

Soon, the Saviors poured into the psionic gate created by Ezekiel, including the two Knights. Seeing that their supplies were temporarily safe, Koji also entered, with Ezekiel following behind him.

With a flash of light, Komi arrived from the battlefield of Iron Star on a deck of the Dark Angels' strike cruiser. The deck was crowded with thousands of Salvation Army soldiers and hundreds of combat suits, but the soldiers maintained an order that caught the Dark Angels' attention. Exhausted, they lined up in small groups according to their unit numbers and rested on the spot, waiting for Komi's next order.

Before Koji could ask a question, Ezekiel spoke first, "We need to leave here quickly. That cold and vicious feeling is becoming more and more obvious. The traitors of the Child family are preparing a new plan against you."

"More than the possibility of assassination and betrayal, I am more interested in where the Dark Eldar have taken the power of the Savior. Can you locate the position of that divine power? This power must not fall into their hands."

"Of course I understand that, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, Imaran's voice rang out again; he seemed to have deciphered the Dark Angel Strike Cruiser's internal communication system.

He said, "Otto, you liar, how long will you continue to deceive the Lord of Mankind? I will not allow you to flee in panic with his remaining power, nor will my devout Holy War Army! Perhaps you are gloating over the protection of those angels, but I will soon prove to you that pure faith can help us defeat all enemies!"

"This is a declaration of war against us!" A Dark Angel was very dissatisfied with Imaran's tone. As the original chapter, the Dark Angels' style of doing things was not as easily angered and indiscriminate in killing as some of the sub-chapters, but they were by no means as easy to talk to as the Salamanders. Anyone they deemed to have insulted the honor of the chapter would be killed cleanly and swiftly by them.

However, these words had a different meaning in Ezekiel and Komi's ears. It seemed that Imran was implying to them that the stolen power was right beside them.

"What do you want to do? Leave or fight? I've brought a company of Dark Angels, a hundred men you can command." Ezekiel asked Komi for his opinion, a gesture that showed his respect for Komi.

Komi found the window on the deck that allowed him to observe the void. He looked into the distance and saw that Harald and Imalan's fleet was shaking off Fris and Griffin's fleet and approaching them.

Most of them were inferior warships, with only a few capable of posing a threat to the Dark Angels' strike cruisers. These included the state church's flagship, which gleamed in gold and decorated with countless angel statues and holy tablets, and Harald's own merchant ronin heavy cruiser, which was full of exotic style and covered with alien trophy spikes.

"Do you remember the tactics we used in the battle of the Planet Killer?" Koken asked casually, staring at the flagship of the State Religion.

Ezekiel understood Komi's decision. "Are you going to log in first and then provide us with the teleportation coordinates?"

"Yes... While it may be irresponsible of me to say this to my soldiers, the cost of training a Space Marine is far greater than that of training a soldier. Wasting your lives on landing pods that traverse the void is not a wise decision."

"Does your Punisher still have troops on board? I don't have any of your equipment on this warship."

"On the Exterminator... well, there's my last batch of troops." Koji looked at Ezekiel, his slightly furrowed brows indicating his reluctance to use this force, but what other choice did he have now?

Light shone in from outside, bathing Imaran's flagship in a golden glow, making him appear as the saint who bore the emperor's will. All the efforts Komi had made to demonstrate the miracle earlier vanished in his impassioned speech and denunciation.

"In that case, let's fight. Fortunately, I didn't come alone; I brought a helper with me."

Ezekiel tapped his temples with both hands to send a psionic communication. The next second, the void shattered, and a Dominator-class cruiser broke free of the warp and arrived in this star system.

“Saint Otto, this is Captain Spyr. Please indicate the direction of our attack.”

Captain Spier? Wasn't this guy the captain of a Dreadnought-class light cruiser? How come he's now commanding a Dominator-class cruiser equipped with a large number of macro guns?

Ezekiel also explained to Gu Jian, "In the battle against the great enemy of Chaos, Captain Spyr demonstrated his exceptional talent in naval warfare, and even invented a superb attack tactic never before seen in the Imperial Navy. Admiral Luvansberg admired him greatly, so he used his power to bypass those complicated and time-consuming procedures and forcibly promoted Captain Spyr."

"That's quite impressive. It seems you've been fighting quite a bit these past few days. What has Captain Spyr been up to?"

"Hmm...it's hard to say. He once commanded a lone ship into enemy-controlled territory, and while being pursued by the Chaos Fleet, he discovered the location of Abaddon's Blackrock Fortress. During his escape, he severely damaged a Destroyer-class cruiser and destroyed two Icon-class destroyers...Of course, this record is just his account. When his warship returned, it was in ruins, and almost everything in the database was lost. Some people doubt his achievements, thinking he was just a fame-seeker trying to exaggerate his victories. Others think that Spyder isn't that stupid; after all, in the Imperial Navy, outstanding achievements don't necessarily keep you away from the battlefield..."

“Instead, we’ll be thrown into a more intense war.” Koji finished speaking for Ezekiel, patted his shoulder, and said, “I’ll send a message to the Punisher right now, and then we’ll jump into that warship and teach Imaran a lesson.”

Chapter 567: Spiel's Cunning Moves

When attacking the Enshold Tank Factory on Iron Star, Komi had already deployed all the regular combat forces from the Punisher. Now, only the sailors who keep the ship running and the technicians responsible for maintenance remain on the warship.

If the enemy chooses to board the Exterminator, the warship will have almost no ability to protect itself and can only watch helplessly as the enemy clears out the automatic turrets installed in the corridors and on the decks one by one, getting closer and closer to the bridge.

However, this only applies to conventional combat forces; a number of armed special forces were not requisitioned by Komi.

Those were the battle nuns who were taken from the destroyed world of Savavon and had been largely cleansed of the Chaos Corruption by Beast Brew. Due to the side effects of Beast Brew, they possessed some characteristics of beasts, such as hair that grew longer and more easily, horns that grew on their foreheads, tails that extended from their tailbone, and various kinds of ears made of cartilage that grew on their heads.

Their current appearance is far better than when they were filled with chaotic power, their skin cracked, and black eyes growing from the fine lines of flesh. However, the nuns were still frightened by their appearance, and even once set off a wave of suicides to prove the purity of their souls.

In the end, Komi went there in person and did some psychological work with the nuns, explaining that they had already died once after the fall of Savavon, and that their rebirth in these demi-human bodies was a chance for them to atone for their sins, given by a merciful savior.

"How can the Savior possibly accept your irresponsible souls if you die before you have atoneed for your sins?"

Komi's words awakened these battle nuns. They reflected deeply on their mistakes and called themselves sinful nuns to distinguish themselves from the other pure and innocent nuns. Normally, they would train in the training grounds on the Exterminator or go to the choir to lead everyone in singing together. Komi never put these sinful nuns into battle.

Komi's reason for not using these nuns is related to the state religion. He couldn't be sure how this organization, which was known for producing religious madmen, would view a group of nuns who had become subhuman. He wondered if they would turn a blind eye to the army composed of subhumans, or if Komi would use classical texts to explain that the presence of subhumans in the imperial army was an ancient tradition.

Battle nuns? Battle nuns composed of orcs? This is unprecedented in the human empire. Those who do this are either already traitors or Chaos cultists on the path of betrayal.

The situation was urgent, and Komi couldn't care less about anything else. He immediately issued an order to Fasces, instructing him to send the guilty nuns to the nearest torpedo boarding preparation room.

Of the more than 300 battle nuns rescued from the Savavon world, 270 survived after being transformed by Beast Brew. Those who died were deeply corrupted beings on the verge of becoming Chaos Eggs; a bottle of Beast Brew ended their increasingly twisted lives.

The 270 convicted nuns were now running quickly and in an orderly fashion down the corridor. Their equipment was completely different from that of the Saviors' soldiers. The nun-type power armor they were issued from the Church of England was a superior piece of equipment that the Exterminator's production line could not produce.

The defensive capabilities of the Nun-type power armor are almost identical to those of the Space Marines' power armor, but because the Battle Nun lacks the implant of the black shell, she cannot integrate with the power armor.

The lighter and smaller design also means that the nun-type power armor lacks a complete amplification system and life support devices, only enhancing the user's strength and survivability.

The power armor worn by the sinful nuns has now been redesigned by the Sage of Sem. The patterns symbolizing purity and glory have been roughly erased, and grooves have been cut out. These grooves provide fixed positions for the individual Xuan-style defensive armor. When fully fitted onto the sinful nuns' power armor, these black armors can almost completely conceal their past.

These were all requests made by the guilty nuns themselves. Although they gave up suicide after being persuaded by Komi, they still could not face their current bodies.

The convicted nuns boarded one boarding torpedo after another, carrying bomb guns and flamethrowers instead of the Howler shotguns most commonly found in the Salvation Army.

Led by the guilty elder sister, they prayed to the Savior, waiting for the torpedo to be launched.

The Punisher moved away from Griffin's fleet and headed towards the Dark Angels' strike cruiser. As an escort ship, it would soon reach the calculated launch position.

Before that, Ezekiel and Spyr's ships needed to clear a path for the Exterminator.

"Full speed ahead, maintain combat posture."

Captain Spier's Dominion-class cruiser swept past the bow of the strike cruiser, diving into Harald and Imaran's fleet like a shark that had caught the scent of blood.

The attack cruiser used its frontal guns to cover Spyr's movements. Ezekiel also said to Komi, "You'll see how amazing Captain Spyr is soon. At least for now, he's the only one who can do this."

Under Komi's curious gaze, Spyr ordered the Dominator-class cruisers to engage the enemy from the side to maximize the power of the macro guns on the ship's sides. After a round of firing, those inferior warships that didn't even have Void Shields were blasted to pieces. Then the Dominator-class cruisers would be in a long reloading vacuum period, and could only rely on the Void Shields to hold out until the macro guns were reloaded.

Is Spire about to unleash another sniping attack?

Komi guessed at Spyder's next move, then he saw the Dominator-class cruiser spin as it moved forward, quickly turning itself upside down so that the macro guns on the other side, which had not yet fired, were aimed at the enemy.

"shooting!"

Another round of macro guns fired from the side, and the explosions on the enemy warships almost formed a line. The Dominator-class cruiser continued to rotate, constantly turning the macro guns on the other side to fire. A single Dominator-class cruiser created a dense rain of bullets that left the enemy fleet breathless.

Koji's mouth dropped open. He was stunned by Spyder's outrageous antics. He thought to himself that this guy was really using some kind of cheat code. If he were given a Queen Glory-class battleship, Spyder might actually be able to go toe-to-toe with Abaddon's Soul of Vengeance.

Looking at the fireballs bursting in the distance, Komi sighed, "Speyer's artillery chief is really amazing. Speyer's rotating firing method is almost without any pause. He is a genius for being able to determine the firing parameters of the macro cannon in such a short time."

“Chief of gunnery? Haha…” Ezekiel chuckled twice. “Speyer removed the position of chief of gunnery from his warship a long time ago. Now all the weapon systems on that warship are under Speyer’s control, and he claims that he receives revelation from the Savior every time he fires.”

Chapter 568: This is a trap specifically set for you

Every time Spyr fired, he received a revelation from the Savior. These words made Komi break out in a cold sweat; he had never heard Spyr's prayers ring in his ears before.

The Dominator-class cruisers leading the charge were equipped with sixteen heavy macroguns. Spyr was able to unleash the full firepower of these weapons in one direction while maintaining accuracy. Komi felt that if he wanted his warship to keep up with the warships commanded by Spyr, he would have to cram a cunning devil into each macrogun.

The Spier opened a breach in the enemy ship, which allowed the Exterminator to launch boarding torpedoes at the Imaran warship.

The boarding torpedoes suffered many blows during their flight, but the Xuan-style defensive armor installed on the hull blocked them all. In the end, the three boarding torpedoes hit the bow of the Imaran warship, penetrating it and releasing the sinful nuns.

"Set up the beacon! Kill all the traitors!"

The Sister of Guilt roared. Although the sailors on the ship had obtained weapons from the armory, these light firearms posed no threat to the Sister of Guilt's power armor.

Bullets and lasers struck the power armor, and then the sailors' bodies were blasted apart by explosive rounds fired from the bomb guns, leaving behind a bloody mess.

The entire corridor transformed into a hellish scene, but this did not trouble the sinful nuns. They had seen scenes a thousand times more horrific and bloody on Saviver, and their helmets were equipped with cognitive filters. The corpses scattered all over the ground appeared to them as nothing more than a mass of red jelly lacking detail.

The 270 sinful nuns' attack was incredibly efficient. Their desire for redemption in battle fueled their ferocity, and their relentless advance terrified the armed sailors who came to stop them, making it difficult for them to even form a defensive line.

For these armed crew members, things were about to get even worse.

Ezekiel confirmed the information from the teleportation coordinates, and then a company of Dark Angels and combat-suited troops entered Imran's flagship.

These combat suits underwent emergency repairs; the armor was taken from other combat suits and then attached using a portable welding torch.

Looking at these battle suits, repaired again and again, increasingly resembling orcish equipment, Komi sighed to Ezekiel, "This battle trained many good soldiers, but it also used up a lot of equipment..."

"If it's a problem with ammunition, we can resupply you some."

“It’s not a problem with the ammunition.” Koji shook his head. He didn’t know how to explain the beacon, soul steel, and Xuan-style defensive armor to Ezekiel.

Especially the Xuan-style defensive armor, all of which were hand-hammered by the Sage of Sem and the technicians. The news that the combat suit troops suffered a 95% armor loss rate in this battle must have made him want to spit out some engine oil.

“Saint Otto, we have checked the situation in the vicinity. The enemy is retreating cowardly to other decks and cabins.” The High Priestess of Guilt walked over to report the situation to Komi. The High Priestess of Guilt, whose black armor made her look somewhat bulky, made Ezekiel and the other dark angels pause for a moment.

Ezekiel whispered to Komi, "Saint Otto, if I'm not mistaken, these power armors are nun-type power armors, aren't they?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"This...such drastic reform will displease the Cult of the Machine God and the State Religion."

"Let them be dissatisfied. What do they know? These equipment are revelations from the Savior. If they question the nature of these equipment, they are questioning the will of the Savior!" Gu Jian glared at Ezekiel, who then fell silent.

The assembled convicted nuns, dark angels, and combat-suited troops continued their advance toward the bridge, aiming to control the center of the warship. In just fifteen minutes, they had fought their way from the middle deck to the upper deck, coming within a single door of the bridge.

Dark Angel took out the molten bombs and threw them at the tightly closed gate. These massive bombs, capable of melting Leman Rustank into slag, instantly opened a gap in the bridge gate. Then, the combat-suited troops advanced with their shields raised, their orderly formation reminding Ezekiel of the shield-bearers of the Imperial Fist.

Upon entering the bridge, Komi was horrified by what he saw: all the technicians who should have been busy at their posts had been transformed into part of a giant fleshy ball in the center of the bridge.

The enormous fleshy ball hung in mid-air, and a large net of machinery and flesh covered the entire bridge. Imaran's head twitched at the very top, and he let out a hoarse laugh whenever he saw Gu Jian.

"Does a liar who spews nothing but lies dare to meet a true saint?"

Koji curled his lip, thinking to himself that he didn't really believe in emperors, but he was still more human than this guy.

Ezekiel infused his voice with psychic energy, attempting to shake Imran's sanity. He loudly questioned, "Imaran! Where have you hidden that power!"

Imran was completely unmoved by Ezekiel's teachings. He began to pray, and his entire ball of flesh convulsed, with the faces of many people appearing on its surface, looking extremely pained.

The sinful nuns fired at the fleshy mass, but their shots were blocked by an invisible shield. Seeing this, Imaran scoffed, "The power is no longer here. You're all too slow."

"Yes, you're all too slow. Right now, there's only one trap here that's tailor-made for you."

Harald's voice came from behind the group, a confident smile on his face. Beside him were sailors stitched together. These twisted creations were not Chaos Eggs; their name was Abomination, a biological weapon created by the Dark Eldar Bloodheart. This proved that Ironstar's betrayal was indeed caused by the Dark Eldar.

"Heh, they're nothing but a bunch of trash. I can kill them all by myself!" Koken said coldly as he drew his sword. He did indeed have that ability, after all, the Abominations in front of him were not the finest products of the Blood-Loving Man, but rather crudely made stitches.

Harald's smile widened. He knew Komi's strength very well, and that Abomination was merely one link in this trap.

With a snap of the fingers, the network rifts opened one after another, and Conspiracy Corps warriors, Mandela, and Chaos Space Marines appeared on the bridge amidst a cloud of black smoke. They took up advantageous combat positions, and the weapons in their hands, sensing their masters' sadistic tendencies, emitted a dangerous, metallic stench.