Massive cargo trains, roaring steel beasts laden with supplies, thundered along the tracks and arrived at the bustling port's loading zone. Industrial Servitors and laborers piloting SCV work-rigs rapidly offloaded the freight from the train cars.
The supplies were then loaded onto waiting trucks, which shuttled the crates to the large transport ships docked in the harbor. The trains, emptied of their goods, departed swiftly, making room for the next fully loaded delivery.
Huge quantities of military supplies were being shipped from ground-based and orbital factories. Beyond the immense supply chain, countless soldiers were also being moved to the port by rail. They were all wearing powered exoskeletons and carrying drones.
Pierce and Harry were among the expeditionary troops. The exoskeletons they wore displayed the insignia of their respective regiments on the shoulders and the double-headed Aquila on their chests. They were no longer filled with the disappointment of their first arrival, but rather buzzing with anticipation.
To be honest, they had never seen such a luxurious firepower configuration in their entire military careers. Not only were they receiving brand-new equipment, but they were also getting support from a large number of tanks, artillery, missile vehicles, and air support, making their deployment utterly lavish.
"We are going to make those traitors pay a heavy price."
"We'll splatter their brains all over the ground."
"Not a single one gets to walk away. Not a single one."
The soldiers were fired up, eager to rush to the Rath Forge World and start the war. The previous battles had been too frustrating, and too many of their brothers had died. Now that they had the best gear, they were determined to make the enemy bleed.
Considering the high probability of Xenos appearing on the battlefield, Daniel assigned the Kill Team, to which Titus belonged, to the Imperial Glory, keeping them close for consultation at any moment.
Seizing this opportunity, the players immediately sought out the Deathwatch veterans for sparring sessions. Titus, nicknamed the 'Old K's Saint' by the community, became the prime target, drawing a relentless stream of challengers.
Without exception, all challengers were defeated. The one who held out the longest was the Warmaster, who had mastered or achieved Grandmaster level in most of his combat skills.
He was just a hair short of achieving Hall of Fame level with his two-handed swordsmanship. Reaching the Hall of Fame level meant joining the galaxy's elite few—at that point, challenging top figures like Evelynn would pose no problem.
"You possess exceptional talent," Titus commended Warmaster. "Given more time, I honestly doubt I would be a match for you." He flatly stated that the player would inevitably surpass him.
After dealing with another round of challenges that thoroughly depleted the 'Contribution Points' of the Saints, the Kill Team veterans were finally able to catch a breather.
When the Magos initially asked them to collect Contribution Points from the players who came to spar, they were utterly confused. It's just a friendly exchange, why charge for it?
Now they knew the reason: collecting Contribution Points was purely for their own protection. These Saints were so energetic they would train whenever they had free time. If sparring were free, they would challenge the veterans 24/7.
"This intensity is even greater than my own training regimen," Beren said, stretching her sore arms. "We're earning tens of thousands of Contribution Points a day, but I have no idea what to do with them!"
"You can issue quests to the Saints," Darius chuckled. "Let me show you. If you issue a simple quest and offer some Contribution Points as a reward, a Saint will instantly accept it."
"For example, 'Take my weapon for maintenance.'"
Darius edited the data slate. Not long after the quest was confirmed, a Saint excitedly ran over and took Darius's chainsword away for maintenance.
"Is this really acceptable?" Beren's eyes widened.
"From now on, bring them along on missions," Darius replied with a grin. "As long as you give them enough Contribution Points, they'll carry explosives and board the enemy mothership without blinking an eye."
"I have learned a valuable lesson," Beren nodded.
"Look, there are Astartes forming up outside," Celt beckoned the members of the Kill Team to the viewport.
Titus walked over and, through the thick port window, saw the Astartes forming perfect square formations. A square of thirteen rows and thirteen columns, with 169 people in each. Thirteen square formations made up a Regiment, and there were three Regiments in total. They had all gathered in the open area of the port, waiting to board the ships.
"That has to be over six thousand Astartes! Holy Moly!" Orfa exclaimed in surprise.
Most battle groups typically operate at around a thousand men, with maybe four or five hundred in reserve. Now, this 'Saint' had over six thousand regular Astartes under his command. Including reserves, this was an intimidating force.
"I have never seen an Astartes force of this size assembled," Beren admitted. "And I've never heard of the Imperium allowing Chapters to expand like this."
"They're treating Astartes like they're dime-a-dozen," Darius muttered.
Titus frowned. More than six thousand Astartes were enough to sweep through this entire sector.
"Could this be the start of another great crusade to forge a second Imperium?" Titus mused grimly to himself.
Fortunately, Daniel didn't hear Titus's words, otherwise, he would have definitely pointed out that even if they were to build an empire, it would only be the Third Imperium. The Second Imperium was built by someone else—Titus's own Primarch father.
"Hold on, why is there an Ogryn in that formation?" Beren pointed to another spot.
"Holy Emperor, is that an Ogryn among the Saints??"
"And why is that Ogryn wielding a psychic staff? Does he even know how to channel the Warp?"
Titus glanced over, his lips twitching into a grimace. He thought he was immune to shock after everything he'd seen.
But witnessing an Ogryn in heavy power armor, casually wielding a psychic staff, sent his mind reeling. When the giant casually unleashed a torrent of arcane brilliance, Titus and his companions' jaws dropped, unable to close them no matter how hard they tried.
"I think I'm still half asleep," Beren said faintly. "I actually saw an Ogryn using psychic powers? Has this universe completely lost its mind?"
"This is neither Imperial nor scientifically sound at all!" Darius complained.
Players eager to participate in the battle continued to arrive from the world of Atoma. After the last batch of players and supplies arrived, Daniel gave the order for the official departure.
The resounding war horns echoed across the land and sky. Under the watchful eyes of countless people, the magnificent punitive fleet set sail. The fleet emptied the ports, docks, factories, and warehouses of all supplies, and also took away a massive number of troops.
The once-bustling port suddenly fell quiet. The fleet arrived at Mandeville Point, where it opened a Warp portal leading to the Rath Forge World.
Rath Forge World.
Void factories, weapons platforms, orbital stations, and research institutes were scattered throughout the star system. The loyalist and rebel forces, intertwined like warring fangs, clashed across the entire Forge World. Three planets were engulfed in the flames of war, the black smoke clearly visible even from orbit.
Following the Colin family's betrayal, the rebels hiding in the Rath Forge quickly seized control. Dark corruption had long been ingrained in this Forge World. Those in power, however, were oblivious, focusing only on their petty struggles with other factions and neglecting internal security.
They were eventually overthrown and executed with ease by the rebels. Their corpses were hung above the foundry as a warning to anyone who dared to resist. The top leadership was wiped out, while those at the bottom had no idea what was happening.
This is why the loyalists were initially so weak. But as time went on, charismatic and loyalist leaders emerged. After news arrived of the recapture of Sin'tira's Hive World, their leaders rallied the loyalists, gradually stabilizing the situation.
This enraged the rebels, who continued to amass troops from various locations, intending to use their overwhelming numerical superiority to crush the loyalists.
The San Jao factory, a huge disc-shaped megastructure, was located in the void at the center of the system, with seven giant cable-like pipes connecting the surrounding sites and factories.
Giant cables connected the pipes, forming a complex network. The stations and small factories transported pre-processed parts to the core via the pipe network, where they were then assembled or stored.
Inside the factory, giant machines roared, and the air was thick with the scent of industrial incense. The enormous, six-meter-tall Magos, Galamond, led his Guardians through the overloaded factory assembly line. Countless slaves worked the lines under the supervision of machine Servitors.
When slaves collapsed from exhaustion, they were whipped until they stood up, or they were simply beaten to death. The bloody corpses were dragged away without mercy for recycling. Their missing positions were instantly filled by new slaves.
More than two-thirds of the original billions of inhabitants of the Rath World had been reduced to slavery in the factories. The factory had enough slaves to replace them all. Without regard to cost, large quantities of war equipment were being produced continuously, including intelligent mechs and devastating war weapons strictly prohibited by the Imperium.
On the other side of the factory, countless nutrient tanks stood ready... Inside, twisted and terrifying biological weapons were being cultivated. Faintly, one could still see traces of human features on these mutated creatures. Clearly, the rebels were mixing human and Xenos genes to obtain more powerful killing weapons.
The rules of the Mechanicum and the laws of the Imperium had lost their hold on Galamond, the traitorous Magos. He recklessly used dark, forbidden technologies to build his own dark army, all in an effort to completely conquer this world.
After passing through a magnificent gate, Galamond arrived at a grand control room. A display here showcased the entire Rath Forge World, marking thousands of battlefields where firefights were taking place. Not long ago, they had launched a large-scale offensive, but it had been thwarted by the tenacious loyalists once again.
Galamond began operating a control panel. A moment later, projections of representatives from various factions appeared in the room. They were representatives of the reinforcements sent by Malz and other rebel forces from the world of Weis:
Ms. Percy, representative of the Eternal Consortium; The representative of the Jagged Question Mark – Airo; In addition, there were representatives of cults or pirate groups such as the Pale Clan, the Haite Pirates, and the Void Jackals.
The Colin family had betrayed the Imperium and, in order to bolster their power, had rallied all available forces. To gain more benefits, these factions had also chosen to follow the Colin family, rebelling against the Imperium.
These factions had all received a promise from Galamond: if they could take Rath, he would empty the Forge World's reserves as a reward. This promise deeply motivated them. They poured their forces into the Rath Forge World to support Galamond, intending to completely crush the loyalists and reap the rewards.
However, the new offensive launched not long ago ended in failure once again. The loyalists were proving too stubborn.
"Intelligence from spies lurking in Sintira indicates that the die-hard loyalists of the corrupt Imperium are gathering forces, intending to seize the Rath World," Galamond said, looking around at the many representatives.
"Many of the routed Imperial troops have regrouped under the enemy's command. If the loyalists seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack, we are very likely to lose the Rath Forge World."
That 'Corpse King Saint' possessed terrifying influence and exceptional command abilities. If the enemy launched an attack, the probability of the Rath Forge World being able to defend itself was extremely low.
"The Eternal Consortium can continue to increase its aid, and my masters have promised to come to your aid at crucial moments. The price is that, upon success, you must use artificial womb technology to provide my masters with a sufficient number of slaves." Ms. Percy of the Eternal Consortium spoke first.
Galamond used his logic module to evaluate the offer, determining it was a worthwhile deal. It's nothing more than providing a large population for the other side to devour and enslave.
"The deal is acceptable."
"New aid is already en route, and I hope the Magos will not forget his previous promise," Weiss said. "Several worlds have already plundered all the able-bodied young men who are fit for military service."
"Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be young adults. The Magos won't refuse if the child is younger. After all, ten-year-olds can be turned into machine Servitors or used as cannon fodder," Ms. Percy said with a chilling smile, covering her mouth.
"We will discuss this matter," Weiss promised, showing no emotion whatsoever.
It seemed that the decision was not about the life or death of hundreds of millions of people, but about deciding the fate of roadside weeds.
Representatives from other factions also pledged to further increase their support for the Rath Forge World, but in return, Galamond would need to provide more.
Galamond nodded in agreement, completely disregarding the terrible debt these promises would inflict on the Rath Forge World.
Finally, only the Colin family remained silent. If the Imperial forces were successfully driven out, the new masters of the Calesis Sector would undoubtedly be the Colin family.
Other factions turned their attention to Urs Collin, who was dressed in a naval uniform. Urs's face was filled with arrogance, as if the Colin family had already become the most noble royal family in the Calixis sector.
He only spoke slowly when Galamond lowered his stance to specifically seek the Colin family's support.
"The Colin family will naturally provide support as well."
Before he could finish speaking, the projection was interrupted by a burst of static noise. Immediately afterward, Galamond heard Urs muttering curses.
"Damn it! The Imperial loyalists' fleet is here!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the meeting changed drastically.
"Prepare the broadside guns and lock onto the enemy warship."
"Accelerate by fifty percent and launch our interceptor squadron."
"Fire missiles and torpedoes to cut off the enemy's approach."
"Light-lances charging..."
Patton stood on the bridge, issuing commands with clinical precision. Thanks to intense training, he had earned his Captain's Medal and was now qualified to command a capital warship in the Battle Group.
An enemy cruiser was vaporized by the warship he commanded. Years of training and learning had proven their value in this moment. Although it wasn't a real ocean, aerial warfare and naval warfare shared many similarities, and many of the tactics he had learned translated perfectly.
I never imagined that my first real battle would be in a game. Whenever he thought of this, Patton couldn't help but smile wryly. In reality, although he was the commander of a cruiser, he had only participated in exercises and had never been in actual combat. Now, he was thoroughly satisfied.
"Get closer to the enemy. We need to prepare for boarding. For the MVP!" Yuji said from the side.
"Understood." Patton nodded, using his auxiliary cogitator to calculate the enemy ship's speed and firepower, looking for the optimal time and target to board.
"I expect to have a clear window to brush past the enemy's Heaven's Fire battleship in five minutes. I will fire a salvo of broadside guns to create a small opening for you."
"Perfect," Yuji nodded and turned to leave.
Patton refocused his attention on the battlefield, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Now, it's time to hunt."
The Imperial Glory was the apex predator of the void battlefield; nothing could match its ferocity. Wherever they went, there was only slaughter and death.
The shields of a Luna-class cruiser marked Gorgon were annihilated by a light-lance salvo. The Gorgon attempted to retaliate but was struck by a torpedo fired by the Imperial Glory. With a flash and a silent explosion, it joined the ranks of the wreckage. The Imperial Glory swept over the scattered debris and opened fire on its next target.
It was like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, reaping whatever it saw.
"Let me be your opponent!" the rebel commander of the battleship Dawn shouted, having just secured a kill. He set his sights on the Imperial Glory, intending to hunt it down as a prize of honor.
But he soon paid the price for this foolish decision. The Imperial Glory executed a series of maneuvers at angles the commander could not have imagined. They dodged the Dawn's salvo and circled around to its top. It then charged straight down, its flaming spears repeatedly disabling the warship's shields, while its sharp, reinforced prow cleaved the Dawn in two.
Rigby smiled as he saw his kill count increase by one. The Imperial Glory was fundamentally broken—it could perform maneuvers that other warships couldn't, and it wielded firepower that other warships of the same class couldn't even imagine. To put it simply, it was like a heavily armored Astartes with a bolter standing in front of a group of primitive tribals holding stones. Killing was easier than breathing.
After a series of massacres, the enemy fleet lost its first line of void defense. They retreated to the second line of defense, which consisted mainly of weapons platforms, satellite fortresses, and orbital fortresses. The enemy's firepower here was extremely fierce; a direct assault would come at a high cost.
After weighing the options, Daniel issued the order to board the enemy positions, sending the players and the newly formed Astartes Legion to capture the enemy's fortresses and strongholds.
Warmaster, who had just received the order, happened to be standing next to Titus and immediately extended an invitation.
"Interested in fighting alongside me?"