Ten minutes ago, upper deck.
"Kill all these Walking Dead and traitorous bastards! Get your guns ready! Don't stop pulling the trigger until your fingers cramp!" the Colonel Captain shouted.
The Voidsmen-at-Arms, kneeling in one row and standing in another, fired in an orderly, alternating fashion at the oncoming Walking Dead.
Every path to the upper deck was sealed, and the docking bays were queuing up armed forces from other warships, so the situation seemed to be improving.
Suddenly, the Captain smelled a foul odor.
"What's going on? Are Life Support Pods 2 and 3 not working?" the Captain demanded.
"They are operating, but we've lost contact with all Life Support Pods," the Adjutant quickly operated the display console.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"What's going on! What's that sound!"
"The main gate has fallen! It's Chaos Space…" Before the Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer could finish his sentence, his head and torso were severed in two by a sharp scythe.
Two minutes later…
The bridge was littered with corpses, and a Plague Marine stuffed maggots into the Captain's mouth.
The corpse twisted strangely, and the already dead Captain staggered to his feet.
He sat on the warship's throne and connected the neural plug.
'++Preparing for Warp Jump++'
'++Warning: Geller Field Failure++'
"Initiate Warp Jump immediately, it's time to go back and kill the False Emperor's servants who infiltrated," a Death Guard warrior said indistinctly through the corroded communication grille.
—
With the help of the Precognition Shard, Horatio saw this last scene.
"+Evacuate as quickly as possible! More Plague Marines are coming!+" Horatio scrambled to his feet, grabbing his Chainsword.
"+What about you? I won't leave you behind+"
"+There's a docking bay on the way we came, and there are shuttles there. Squad Leader, you lead everyone to clear this path, I'll be there soon+"
Horatio dodged a sharp blade, and with the enhancement of the Precognition Shard, his already reinforced reactions were barely able to go toe-to-toe with the Plague Marine, which had been weakened by the explosion.
But he had to act fast; once the skill's duration expired, he would no longer have the energy to activate the next round of skills.
As the purification ritual steadily progressed, a golden light erupted from the Hellgun's laser blasts aimed at the disgusting pustules.
Without the protection of the infected pustules, the tentacles and plague mats parasitizing the Life Support Pods, upon encountering this golden light, frantically withered, shrinking into a ball before annihilating.
"+Be careful, I'll send Senior Sergeant Valina out+"
Clang!
Horatio was knocked back several meters by the enraged Plague Marine.
[How to use the Power of Faith… I've synchronized with the Sister's power, so I should be able to use psychic interference too.]
Horatio plunged his sword into the Plague Marine's body, sawing out many maggots and rotting flesh, but the creature not only didn't die but also retaliated with a vertical chop. Horatio had to release his Chainsword to dodge backward.
[Damn it.] Horatio drew the monomolecular Cadia Trench Knife from his waist.
To be honest, he really didn't want to use Louise's gift on a Plague Marine, but there was no room for hesitation now.
"+Come on! Stinky Can!+" Horatio raised his sharp knife.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, the Plague Marine let out a shriek.
Louise performed a leaping stab from behind, plunging her knife into the Plague Marine's back of the neck.
She tore off her bandage, letting the blood oozing from the wound drip onto the Plague Marine's body.
The anti-toxin blood worked quickly. The Nurgle-blessed warrior twitched violently like a leech encountering salt, and the areas touched by the blood drops sizzled with green smoke.
"+Squad Leader?+"
"+You're not alone, Horatio, just as you said+"
Louise raised her trench knife, stained with her blood, and swiftly thrust it into the gaps in the Plague Marine's armor.
Each blow caused the fallen Space Marine immense pain, and foul, decaying flesh continuously melted and sloughed off.
Horatio seized the opportunity to rush forward and pull out his Chainsword, sending pus and rotten flesh splattering.
[Seize the precious opportunity Louise is buying!]
Horatio raised his hand, closing his eyes, feeling the difference between the essence of the Warp and the power of the God Emperor.
He saw many bizarre and colorful things.
Hum—a halo of light enveloped him.
[Synchronized Soulfire!]
The Soulfire swirling around Horatio was the same size as Sister Arabella's golden light, capable of enveloping his entire body, radiating light amidst a purple-black hue.
[Concentrate your psychic power!]
"Ah!" Louise was struck in the chest armor by the struggling Plague Marine's punch, and in an instant, she flew several meters.
"Louise!…I must concentrate my psychic power." Horatio bit his lip.
Louise lay on the ground, the circular visor of her Aum Shield cracked, and error messages flooded her vision.
"Ugh, that hurts." She gritted her teeth and sat up, her chest armor dented, but the hollow space and bone reinforcement preserved her ribs intact.
She saw a golden orb of light slowly accumulating in Horatio's iron hand.
Horatio's hand trembled. He heard choir hymns, mysterious whispers, and sacred chants.
When the Power of Faith accumulated to a certain extent, at the moment Horatio felt a sudden ringing in his ears, he abruptly clenched his iron hand.
Puff—
The Plague Marine's corpulent body suddenly ignited in a raging golden inferno, like lit lard.
He roared but couldn't escape the flames, crashing around like a maddened bull.
Whoosh—
Unlike the chilling cold of psychic power, this force was scorching hot; even Horatio himself felt his body burning.
[God Emperor, did he… receive the Emperor's blessing?] Louise thought in disbelief. She had heard stories of the Emperor's power manifesting, where the bodies of those blessed and their enemies would ignite in golden flames.
The Plague Marine couldn't extinguish the golden fire on him. He let out a horrifying, enraged shriek, charging directly at Horatio, intent on taking him down with him.
"You…"
Horatio leaped up, launching a jumping slash towards the burning Plague Marine.
Buzz!!—
"You will pay with your life, pay the price!" Horatio gritted his teeth, not only not backing down but even counter-charging forward.
He plunged his sword into the Plague Marine's chest, the Chainsword, coated with the Power of Faith, twisting violently inside, and foul, putrid blood sprayed from his back, stinking horribly.
Horatio used the brutal strength of his iron hand to pull hard, the Chainsword tearing open his chest, its teeth shredding the primary heart. The Plague Marine's murky single eye showed a rare expression of surprise.
This mortal before him actually knew the secret of their hearts. Soon, surprise turned to horror.
Because this mortal not only knew he had two hearts but also knew the exact locations of both!
The Plague Marine endured the searing pain of the fire, wanting to make a desperate counterattack, but Horatio gave him no chance. He twisted the Chainsword back, plunging it into his secondary heart, grinding the waxy, blackish lump of flesh into a foul paste.
The Plague Marine instantly lost all vitality, collapsing forward onto its knees. Horatio stepped back, dodging to the side.
[He… killed the Plague Marine…? ] Louise felt like she was having an unrealistic dream; she couldn't imagine this was actually happening before her eyes.
Horatio took a deep breath and looked at Louise.
"+Have the others made it to the shuttle?+" Horatio quickly walked over, pulling Louise's hand to get her off the ground.
"+The ship is undergoing a Warp Jump, all docking bays have closed, and they are currently engaging Walking Dead and traitorous crew members approaching the Life Support Pods+"
Louise gritted her teeth: "+We might not be able to get out+"
Horatio brutally pulled his Chainsword from the charred corpse of the Stinky Can. The sword teeth began to show faint signs of decay and rust, but it was still sharp.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Horrible, muffled footsteps faintly echoed from the deck above.
Horatio understood that in a crisis, acting like ants in a hot pan, panicking and rushing blindly, would only lead to a worse outcome.
Without the protection of the Geller Field, they would be twisted into monsters by demons the moment they entered the Warp.
"+We must save ourselves+" Horatio sensed the approaching danger, yet he spoke calmly.
Horatio immediately rushed out with Louise, simultaneously broadcasting on the action frequency:
"+Everyone, you all know the current situation. There's only one way to survive, and that's to shut down or destroy the Warp Jump engine. A ship's jump preparation time is 30 minutes, and these 30 minutes will determine our life or death+"
"+We came from near the Warp Engine Compartment, we know the route, and the maglev station can take us directly+" said Sister Arabella.
—
Several high-ranking Gothic Fleet officers were busily discussing solutions in the war room.
"The vanguard squad cannot be withdrawn, we must use naval guns to destroy the engine, Lord Admiral!" Rear Admiral Hood furrowed his brows, continuously advising.
"According to the combat recorder, the ship was subjected to an internal attack by Death Guard Plague Marines. The squad is likely doomed," Lieutenant Commander Elphinstone reported.
A woman in a crisp uniform stood before the holographic projection. Her right eye was three glowing red bionic metal eyes, and tubes connected to the left side of her head. The surrounding noise did not affect her concentration.
This person was Venuska Katalia, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Gothic Fleet, a formidable individual who led a strike force to charge Abaddon in the Battle of Cadia.
"Calm down, they're here."
"Who?"
"The death angels are here."