Calth, deep within the underground caves.
Dense swarms of Gorgon Serpents surged from all directions, attacking the Shadows of Order.
The Shadows of Order raised their boltguns, firing dense barrages at the xenos.
The pitch-black darkness underground did not affect the Shadows of Order, whose superhuman vision allowed them to accurately strike every bolt round at the bodies of the Gorgon Serpents.
The Gorgon Serpents emitted chittering sounds, advancing through the barrage.
Suddenly, at the same moment in various caves, gaps appeared in the Shadows of Order's fire net.
The deeper they went into the caves, the more the web-like paths interfered with supply lines.
The large numbers of Gorgon Serpents killed daily by the Shadows of Order were the best source of food.
But they lacked ammunition. Going deeper didn't just double the supply distance for the round trip; because of the winding paths in the caves, the distance increased several times over.
Tunnels running vertically through the underground to the surface became fewer.
The Gorgon Serpents had expanded more horizontally across different underground levels.
The gaps in the fire net were immediately noticed by the Gorgon Serpents.
They hissed and charged at the black-armored warriors. The Shadows of Order immediately adjusted, each increasing their firing arcs, which further accelerated their ammunition consumption.
In an underground cave adjacent to Numinus, water from the city's drainage system meandered into it. The Shadows of Order fought waist-deep in water.
Several mutated Gorgon Serpents with three pairs of eyes swiftly lunged at the Shadows of Order, tails lashing.
The Shadows of Order's keen perception was unaffected by the water, but they found the xenos swam faster in it.
Their first volley failed to penetrate the mutated Gorgon Serpents' scaled armor.
The Shadows of Order's second volley slammed into the Gorgon Serpents' backs as they had already closed in on the line.
Shadows of Order who had exhausted their ammunition leaped from the line to meet the Gorgon Serpents.
They swung their Catachan Fangs, slashing at the xenos.
Energized blades clashed with sharp claws. The Gorgon Serpents let out pained hisses.
The Shadows of Order wielded their blades, delivering swift cuts onto the xenos bodies.
They killed the first wave of mutated Gorgon Serpents, but the second wave was already upon them.
A thought arose in their minds: 'The deeper into the caves, the more mutated Gorgon Serpents there are.'
A Shadow of Order guarding the rear of the line suddenly noticed a massive shadow underwater, a xenos much larger than the mutated Gorgon Serpents, charging towards the line.
Holding fast to the first layer of the Thelema mindstate, he swung his Catachan Fang and charged at the giant Gorgon Serpent.
The giant Gorgon Serpent burst from the water, splashing water onto the black power armor.
Its massive body rose. The Shadow of Order inevitably met its yellow eyes.
One pair, two pairs, three pairs.
'There's a fourth pair?!'
The Shadow of Order's thoughts froze. The speed of his Catachan Fang swing slowed increasingly.
His body rapidly stiffened. His final thought was that the first layer of the Thelema mindstate couldn't resist a mutated Gorgon Serpent with six pairs of eyes.
The Shadow of Order didn't have time to warn his battle-brothers behind him, but the Shadows of Order using boltguns noticed the anomaly immediately.
The first petrified Shadow of Order appeared since the requirement that only those who mastered "True Will" could enter the caves.
"New monster..."
The Shadow of Order alerted over the squad's comm-channel, then lowered his head, avoiding the mutated Gorgon Serpent's eyes.
The height difference between him and the xenos was over two meters, ensuring he wouldn't see the yellow eyes. He pulled the trigger, firing a dense barrage at the mutated Gorgon Serpent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid the roar of bolt rounds, the mutated Gorgon Serpent did not fall. Its densely layered scales withstood the firepower.
Its serpent tail twisted, propelling it before the Shadow of Order.
The mutated Gorgon Serpent's massive form loomed over the Shadow of Order. It swung its claws, tearing through the power armor.
Claw tips pierced the Shadow of Order's body. Toxin rapidly spread through the Astartes' superhuman physique.
The Shadow of Order felt his body grow numb and weak, then was pierced through by the claws.
The mutated Gorgon Serpent then swung its head, fangs biting into the head of another charging Shadow of Order.
The fangs pierced the helmet, crushing the Shadow of Order's skull.
Simultaneously, its serpent tail coiled around another Shadow of Order, tightly wrapping around his body.
The seven-meter-long tail coiled layer upon layer around the Shadow of Order's body, tightening relentlessly.
With a explosive crunch, the power armor shattered. The Astartes' superhuman body couldn't withstand the mutated Gorgon Serpent's immense strength.
As the Shadow of Order's corpse fell, more xenos poured through the breach torn by their king, charging at the black-armored warriors.
The Gorgon Serpent King, after swallowing the Shadow of Order's head, slithered towards other members of the squad.
Just as the Shadow of Order squad was in peril, an angry shout rang out.
"Hey little snake! Come bite me!"
The Gorgon Serpent King's intelligence far surpassed its kin. It had already grasped parts of human language and could understand the general meaning of the words.
The voice felt familiar. It turned its head and saw the human who had injured it before.
Porti had recently received another gift from their Father, becoming an "Provoker."
In previous battles, he keenly noticed the Gorgon Serpent King could understand human speech. Possessing this intelligence allowed him to perform more effective "Provocation."
The Gorgon Serpent King immediately abandoned slaughtering the broken Shadow of Order squad and charged at the black-armored warrior who provoked it.
Porti raised his left arm, firing his archeotech pistol, a reward for his promotion to Lieutenant , at the Gorgon King.
His bullets were modified, replacing the explosive with Catachan Needle Cactus
Dozens of toxin-containing needles, propelled by the archeotech pistol's powerful force, pierced the Gorgon Serpent King's layered armor, embedding in its vulnerable flesh.
The Gorgon Serpent King let out a furious roar. It felt as if its insides were burning.
That annoying weapon again. It felt itself weakening.
The Gorgon Serpent King roared in fury. Its reason overcame its hatred for Porti.
It suppressed the anger stirred by the "Provocation." In its weakened state, it shouldn't take risks.
The Gorgon Serpent King's seven-meter-long tail whipped powerfully underwater, directly attacking Porti's legs.
Porti hastily rolled away. When he rose from the water, he found the xenos wasn't pursuing but had turned to flee in another direction.
Porti gave chase, but several mutated Gorgon Serpents with three pairs of eyes blocked his path.
Porti raised his hand and fired a shot at the xenos. Dozens of needles embedded in the xenos' body. It writhed in pain, emitting agonized cries.
Porti swung his Catachan Fang with his right arm, the energized blade cutting another mutated Gorgon Serpent in half at the waist.
Porti fought furiously through the mutated Gorgon Serpents. He knew he had let the giant xenos escape again.
Just then, a sound of something cutting through the air came from his side and behind. He turned his head and saw only a flash of gold swiftly passing before his eyes.
'Father?'
As Porti wondered, Nareth had already caught up to the Gorgon Serpent King.
The "Baron of Corruption" raised his left hand. Formless spirituality surged forth, rapidly coalescing into one black rope after another.
The black ropes, entangled, the Gorgon Serpent King's neck, bound its writhing waist, and coiled around its serpent tail.
The Gorgon Serpent King thrashed in the water, but the black ropes entangled it tightened.
Its consciousness began to blur. Hazily, it felt the scene was familiar.
As its body emitted creaking sounds, its consciousness suddenly cleared. It could think again.
It remembered.
Not long ago, it had used its own serpent tail to coil around a black-armored warrior, strangling him to death.
The difference was, it had gone from the strangler to the one being strangled, not even knowing who was killing it.
'I am the Gorgon King. I cannot die so pathetically'
The Gorgon Serpent King raised its head. It twisted its neck. Accompanied by excruciating pain and suffocation, it finally managed to turn its head halfway.
The row of eyes on its right side saw a black-armored figure with wings on its back, hovering off the ground.
Then, the Gorgon Serpent King's consciousness sank into eternal darkness.
After the Gorgon Serpent King was killed, the xenos' morale plummeted. The Shadows of Order's advance speed increased again.
Three days after Nareth strangled the Gorgon Serpent King, he received a report.
"Xenos fleet detected in the Veridia System. They have begun their assualt."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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