Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

The Black Legion consists of several warbands loyal to Abaddon. Abaddon's Hounds are a warband formed by thousands of Khorne followers who are always at the forefront of raids. Expecting these people to stay put in the fortress and not cause any trouble is simply wishful thinking.

The Sons of Cruelty, a group of addicts who replaced their blood with stimulants, were easier for Abaddon to control than his hounds, since they only needed slaves for amusement. However, the subsequent buttock-hunting incident strained the relationship between the Sons of Cruelty and other warbands, forcing Abaddon to deploy them on the edge of the battlefield to avoid internal strife.

The One-Eyed Spawn, a group of Tzeentch followers, are too few in number to shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending Blackrock Fortress, even with their puppet-like red-letter warriors.

The Cruel Ones are a group of people who lure demons into their bodies and drink in their corrupting power. Their numbers and power are enough to make Abaddon smile, but the act of drawing demons into their bodies brings extreme uncontrollability; no one can guarantee that their bodies will always be under their control.

The Decayers... a bunch of filthy creatures... their stench is enough to change the environment, and Abaddon really didn't want his Blackrock Fortress to become a giant cesspool, so he left them outside to fight.

After much deliberation, Abaddon found that he could only rely on the Oathbreakers. This warband was no match for the others in terms of combat strength, as they were mostly wounded soldiers who had received medical treatment. Rough and durable mechanical limbs filled the gaps in their bodies, and large metal patches were welded onto their battered armor.

This place can be considered the lowest level of the Black Legion. All those whom Abaddon deems useless, or even those who haven't been granted mutated limbs by the gods, are thrown here to await a humiliating and dishonorable death.

Now these people abandoned by the Black Legion are resisting the Imperial Space Marines' attack. They encounter Markarth in the narrow corridors, hacking at the monster with their axes, but they cannot defeat him no matter how hard they try.

However, this does not mean that the Oathbreakers are powerless. As a warband that almost exclusively accepts wounded and defeated soldiers, the Oathbreakers may not have much else, but they have a ton of Hellbeasts.

Behind the last line of defense established by the Oathbreakers at Blackrock Keep, a thousand Oathbreakers controlled eighty-eight steel coffins bound together with iron chains.

The iron coffin emitted a dull thud; the blood runes were no longer enough to suppress the restless beast within.

Inside were hellish beasts so insane they were beyond communication. These nightmare creations, comparable to the Dreadnoughts, were incredibly difficult to deal with. Even Azrael needed several sword strikes to kill these raging behemoths, as their life forms had transcended nature, becoming twisted and blasphemous.

The only way to stop the Hellbeasts' activity for even a moment is to either blow their wombs to pieces or dig them out alive, and in this battlefield, only Markarth can do that.

Markars gazed into the distance, where a thousand Space Marines, who had overcome countless hardships, stood beside him. Dozens of chapter commanders and company champions, clad in glory, joined by unparalleled warriors like Azrael and Octar. The enemy before him was truly no match for them.

“They can’t hold out,” Azrael said coldly. “In less than five minutes, their blood will be flowing all over the floor.”

“Do not be arrogant, my Chapter Master. Take the enemy’s desperate attack seriously. They must have some other schemes they haven’t yet used,” Ezekiel reminded him, looking at Markarth and waiting for him to announce the start of the attack.

Chapter 631: The better you fight, the more you can spread your message.

Marcus also sensed something was off about the atmosphere. The constant roaring sound gradually faded, replaced by a rustling sound as it passed through the grass.

But no matter what kind of conspiracy the enemy has, fighting is their only option.

"Fear not death! The Legion of the Dead is here, and your loyal souls will return to the throne!"

Marcus shouted, and immediately others responded to his call.

"Long live the Emperor!"

"May the Savior protect you!"

"For Macurag!"

Everyone turned to look at Octavia and his four Ultra Warrior brothers, wanting to say something but being silenced by their indescribably magnificent champion armor, which was the best proof of their status, power, and glory.

The final attack began, and the Oathbreakers released the Hellbeasts.

Eighty-eight hellbeasts are a force to be reckoned with; their blood-stained hammers and whips can easily tear apart the bodies of Space Marines.

Under the influence of the runes, the hell beasts charged forward instead of venting their resentment on their teammates. However, this method could only temporarily restrain them. Once the light of the runes dimmed, the hell beasts would go on a killing spree indiscriminately.

More than a thousand Oathbreakers followed behind the Hellbeasts, maintaining a safe distance of over a hundred meters. They fired at the Imperial Space Marines. Although their crude mechanical limbs were not very flexible, they served as weapon racks, making their firepower quite formidable.

Space Marines, wielding boarding shields, charged forward under heavy fire, while Markars ran swiftly carrying a seemingly sturdy Oathbreaker corpse. Some younger warriors tried to imitate him, but found themselves lacking the strength to lift a Space Marine with one hand, and could only give up regretfully.

Markus's bravery attracted a lot of firepower, but the Terminator power armor itself was sturdy, and the protection of the corpse shield in front of his body was enough for him to stand firm in front of the roaring hellbeast.

These monsters, woven from black steel and red flesh, attacked Markus, their long whips lashing out to strike at his head.

"Too slow!" Marcus roared, throwing the corpse in his hand. It pierced the incoming whip, and then he grabbed the corpse's ankle, forcibly dragging the whip downwards.

Having witnessed Abaddon's incredible speed, Hellbeast's rage is truly insignificant!

Marcus thought to himself as the Hellbeast slammed the hammer in its other hand down on him. The blow was so powerful that it would surely smash him into a pulp.

But Markus was not afraid at all. He swung his axe and chopped directly at the joint of the arm, which immediately weakened the power of the hammer blow. The next second, he charged forward and kicked the Hellbeast's exposed face with both feet.

Is this a move that the Terminator could make?

The Dark Angels' Terminators were stunned by Markus's attack methods, questioning their own existence. They used to be slightly arrogant because they were qualified to wear Terminator armor, but now, seeing Markus's incredibly agile movements despite being heavily armored, they realized that there are always people more skilled than you.

"Such a powerful warrior, I wonder what kind of enemy could kill him." A Dark Angel Terminator shook his head and sighed, sweeping his submachine gun into the distance, instantly shattering two Oathbreakers who didn't have time to dodge.

“He said he sacrificed himself to save the citizens of the Empire. I think he must have stopped a powerful demon’s sacrificial ritual at the last moment of his life,” another Terminator guessed. In his opinion, nothing in the world was more troublesome and dangerous than a demon.

Bang! Crash!

A unique sound came through their conversation. They looked closely and saw that Markus had once again cleanly and decisively defeated the filthy hellbeast, scooping out the womb chamber with his axe and then stomping on its painful core.

Markus relentlessly set his sights on the other hell beasts, his slaughter seemingly endless. Not only his enemies, but even his comrades-in-arms were shocked.

Octar stared at Markus's back and suddenly felt that the man's slashing style was so similar to that of the Butcher of the World Eater Legion. In Markus's self-introduction, he claimed to be from the Salamanders.

Could it be that... his genetic seed wasn't pure enough, and was tainted with a bit of the Devourer's essence?

This problem greatly troubled Octar, as the Empire now appeared dilapidated and backward, and even the Space Marines were plagued by poor technology.

Although Octar wasn't entirely clear on the complete gene surgery procedure, he knew that the current surgery was completely flawed compared to the past. What was worse, every faction was more or less troubled by the problem of impure gene seeds, with only veteran factions like the Dark Angels being in a slightly better situation.

So, is the Salamander also troubled by the genetic seed issue? Or is this powerful warrior of the Legion of the Dead concealing his identity? But Saint Otto vouched for him, so should I question Saint Otto's judgment?

Octavia shook his head, deciding to put the question aside for now and focus on winning the battle at hand.

In the short time he was thinking, Markus had already caused four Hellbeasts to crash to the ground, and the number of Oathbreakers who died at his hands could be counted in double digits.

In another fierce charge, Markars arrived beside a group of fierce Nightmare Chapter warriors. They had been caught in a pincer movement due to their rapid advance, and retreating to find cover would have been the best course of action. However, their stubbornness and insistence on honor led them to choose to fight to the death.

"The Emperor has commanded me to bring forth an ominous sign!"

The fierce Omen warriors roared their battle cry. A company commander and three soldiers had already fallen to the Hellbeasts and Oathbreakers. Worse still, the bodies of their brothers who died at the hands of the Hellbeasts were mangled beyond repair, making it impossible to even retrieve their gene seeds.

At that moment, Markarth charged in like a storm, tearing the Oathbreaker apart before he could even scream, greatly reducing the pressure on the fierce Omen warrior.

However, they were not grateful to Markars. They questioned the Legion of the Dead's ideology, hated Markars's assistance, and believed that he had rudely stolen their opportunity to avenge their brothers.

Helping you kill enemies only to be hated?

If Koji from Markarth were a Warhammer newbie, he certainly wouldn't understand the thought process of the Ferocious Omens, but he had already read too many outrageous cases in the books, so he only had a simple response to the Ferocious Omens' hostility.

That is to flex your muscles... to make them realize how ridiculous and futile their hostility and discontent are.

Marcus didn't charge at the Hellbeast, because he had already stacked his passive ability. He grabbed the handle of his axe with both hands and swung it forcefully, leaving a pale trail in the air.

The next second, the Hellbeast was cleaved in two, the axe piercing through it. Twisted flesh and broken metal parts splattered all over the faces of the fierce Nightmare warriors, and their hostile gazes instantly cleared. Just moments before, their company commander had charged in with his power sword and was killed in a few rounds. The sight of Markars's axe wielding the Hellbeast was truly awe-inspiring.

Markars was pleased with their transformation. He reached out and caught the Soul Axe, which had circled back, and then began his preaching.

“Your brothers have been desecrated by the enemy, but I can still perform a final purification for them. Of course, I respect your friendship and will not forcibly collect your brothers’ remains.”

“Warriors of the Legion of the Dead…” A fierce Omen warrior knelt down with a thud. “It was my arrogance and ignorance that made me hostile towards you. I hope you can forgive me… Please purify my brother.”

Chapter 632: Think of a way to attract attention!

Komi used Markus's body to receive the pile of minced meat that the ferocious ominous warrior had brought over. It was the most essential part of the fallen warrior's body, a gene seed that could pass on his combat experience.

Komi could no longer sense any soul presence from this; the warp had already plundered the warrior's soul. Now, he could only allow the souls of those who died by his hand and those who believed in the Savior to return to the throne. As for the fierce Omen warrior who adhered to the Emperor's faith, he could only offer a purifying gesture to comfort the hearts of the living.

An arm formed from the soul swept upwards, as if closing the eyes of someone who died with unresolved grievances. Komi took the opportunity to sprinkle down some essentially tranquil soul dust. Although the fierce omen warrior could not track the whereabouts of his brother's soul, he could clearly feel a calm and profound fluctuation coming from his hand.

"Thank you for your purification."

The fierce ominous warrior expressed his deepest gratitude to Koken, and this action, which could neither be verified nor disproven, also caught the attention of the other chapter warriors.

Loyalty to the Emperor, formidable fighting skills, and the ability to bring peace to the dead—this was the ultimate aphrodisiac for the Space Marines. Their gazes toward Markars grew ever more fervent; Octar swore this fervor was only slightly less intense than when they had seen their own Gene Father with their own eyes.

Markus wanted to continue pretending to offer some solace to the fallen warriors, since the battle was now largely one-sided. He had managed to cut a gap in the Oathbreakers' last line of defense, making the entire line precarious.

Besides, he's not the only one capable of fighting here. Octar and Azrael are no pushovers either, and the Oathbreakers can't find anyone whose strength matches theirs.

At this moment, the rustling sound became sharper, as if the low point of accumulating power had passed and was about to reach the peak of release.

Komi controlled Markus to look to both sides and found that the smooth and flat ground had been deformed, and sharp stone tablets were dangling in the air. No one knew what the changes in Blackrock Fortress meant, except for Komi.

This thing... could it be the magnetic pole system of Blackrock Fortress?

Komi looked at the stone tablet and muttered to himself. As a weapon used by the Heavenly Era to fight against the Star Gods, everything about Blackrock Fortress can be said to be built on the Warp. It can become a node to suppress the Warp, and it can also forcibly extract energy from the Warp for use.

Judging from this situation, the Oathbreakers must be planning to use the polarity of Blackrock Fortress to open a gap to the Warp and bring in demon allies.

Komi's guess was only half right: these floating stone tablets were indeed devices indicating the magnetic poles of Blackrock Fortress, but the reason they were activated had nothing to do with the warlords of the Oathbreakers.

"What's going on!" the Oathbreaker warlord roared, but there wasn't a single wizard around him who could answer his questions. In the third Blackrock Fortress on the far side of the star, Abaddon was spinning the artifact that controlled the Blackrock Fortress, and everything that was happening here was closely related to him.

"We can no longer hold the second fortress," Abaddon said. "But at least we can make a final contribution with this fortress, and use its destruction to cripple those foolish servants of the Corpse King!"

Kayan offered no comment, as the artifact was in his possession and he himself only had a superficial understanding of Blackrock Fortress.

But if Abaddon's wasteful use of resources were seen by Tarasin, a collector, he would be so angry that he would capture Abaddon alive and give him a good kick in the butt, telling him to protect historical heritage properly.

The eight main stone monuments completed their rotation, and the barrier between reality and the warp was shattered. A violent storm rippled out from the center of Blackrock Fortress. The Oathbreakers who had offered their souls to the gods immediately crumbled and turned into twisted, menacing Chaos Eggs. Warriors who believed in the Emperor quickly knelt on one knee, lowered their center of gravity, and plunged their weapons into the floor, relying on their physique and faith to withstand the blows of the Chaos Wind.

Markus and Otto, these two cursed bodies, heard the fierce battle between Khorne and Slaanesh, who sent revelations to their chosen people, urging them to offer them more gifts.

Markars...kill everything here! Please me with blood! I will give you even more power!

Otto...write more stories and tell them to everyone! Draw them for everyone to see! I will give you even more strength!

Komi resisted the cries and refused to act in accordance with the gods' will.

Khorne snorted softly, showing little annoyance at Markarth's disobedience; in fact, he appreciated the stubbornness of this disobedient individual.

Slaanesh clearly showed his displeasure. He liked the stories Otto wrote, but he would never tolerate Otto's disobedience just because only Otto could write such incredible stories.

So He summoned His men and sent the masked dancers to capture Otto alive and deliver him to Him.

This order terrified Komi, who could hear it. The Masked Dancer was no ordinary person; even Markus had to be careful dealing with him, let alone Otto, who was waiting on the Exterminator.

Once the masked dancers pass by, won't they use Otto as a sex toy or a vibrator?

No! We can't let the Masked Dancer go to Otto. We have to find a way to draw Slaanesh's attention here, to Markarth. That way, we'll have a fighting chance, and we can also use the power of these Space Marines to find an opportunity to eliminate the Masked Dancer...

So how do we do it?

Komi remembered the things he had said to the masked dancer. The stories he had written were secretly told to him by Tseiki, and were not his own creations.

If Otto can do it, then Markus can too. As long as the acting is convincing, it's fine. If he can't fool Slaanesh, fooling Khorne will be enough...

"Ugh! What is that sound! Get out of my body!" Suddenly, Markarus clutched his head and staggered in the wind, looking like he was in great pain. Azrael and the others thought that Markarus was being disturbed by the power of chaos.

Marcus's acting was so convincing, it almost didn't seem like acting at all, thanks to the heat of the Emperor's blood. Whenever Komi thought of the trade license placed in the pure white hall, his muscles would tense and tremble.