Using the Nether Portal, the squad materialized out of thin air in the core area behind the refinery, completely undetected by the Despoiler Warband.
On the platform, seven or eight members of the warband were patrolling with a leisurely air of certain victory.
To these Chaos lackeys, the planet of Mariatus was already in the bag.
The Imperial forces had either been exterminated or were cowering in the last corners of the world, clinging to life. They didn't believe any organized threat remained that could penetrate this deep into their hinterland.
When suddenly a sleek, black rectangular frame appeared out of nowhere in the dead center of their patrol route.
"What in the Warp is that?" The leading Despoiler stopped in his tracks, staring in shock at the sudden apparition.
An axe emerged from the purple veil of the portal. The Storm Axe in Bloodhowl's hands savagely cleaved into the nearest Despoiler.
The Chaos warrior didn't even have time to scream before he was split in two, armor and all.
Warriors poured out of the Nether Portal one after another, seizing advantageous positions and enveloping the remaining Despoilers in a crossfire net.
Caught completely off guard, the Despoilers scrambled to fight back.
Zeke's fighting style was simpler. He locked eyes on a Despoiler and dumped a bucket of lava at his feet.
The lava spread across the ground, engulfing the Despoiler. The extreme heat, combined with its viscous nature, slowed the warrior's movements to a crawl while setting him ablaze.
The Despoiler howled in agony, trying to break free.
Zeke, having already downed a Potion of Strength II, felt a surge of immense power flooding his limbs.
He gripped his Genestealer Sword and, boosted by the potion, sliced deep into the Despoiler's body.
Having dealt with one, Zeke repeated the process, pouring lava at another Despoiler's feet.
However, this time he switched to a bucket of water and poured it over the lava.
The lava was instantly quenched into Obsidian, encasing the Despoiler inside the rock, freezing him in place.
Zeke felt this wasn't efficient enough.
He began constructing Iron Golems on the spot.
One, five, ten...
Countless Iron Golems joined the fray, bringing the already advantageous battle to an even swifter conclusion.
The Iron Golems' attacks were simple yet lethal. The flesh and blood of the Despoilers stood no chance against their absolute strength.
The core area of the refinery was cleared. The remaining Chaos forces fled to the facility's perimeter or deeper into the underground tunnels.
Zeke and his group had successfully recaptured the massive Refinery Number Three.
Although they had temporarily repelled the enemy, the facility could face a Chaos counterattack at any moment.
Zeke thought for a moment, then used a blueprint to add a "lid" over the refinery, which he then filled with lava.
The lava flowed slowly down the sides of the lid, forming a curtain that shrouded the entire facility.
The refinery was now like a bird in a cage, protected with absolute security.
Anyone who wanted to break into the refinery would have to pass through this curtain of molten rock.
Zeke, sitting inside the lava dome, could simply leave via the Nether Portal or drink a Fire Resistance Potion to walk out.
The place had been transformed into a fortress that was easy to defend and impossible to attack.
As the battle wound down, Dante searched anxiously until he finally spotted a familiar manhole cover.
The Regeneration Potion had healed his body well; there was no trace left of his near-death state.
He heaved the heavy cover open.
Below, there was only dead silence. Dante called out, searching for a while, but found his coworkers were gone.
"Dante!" Zeke's voice called out. "Come here for a second, I need you to identify some paths."
Dante had no choice but to give up for now and head over to Zeke.
He led Zeke to the underground ore silo deep beneath the surface.
Here, piles of raw ore were stacked like small mountains: Iron Ore, Gold Ore, Copper Ore, and many unknown metallic minerals.
The underground silo also connected to numerous mining tunnels.
Zeke picked out the gold from the pile and synthesized it into glittering Gold Blocks at a Crafting Table.
Then, using these gold blocks, he added an apple to craft an Enchanted Golden Apple.
It was similar in size to a regular Golden Apple, but its surface shimmered with an extra layer of mystical iridescence.
This was practically the most powerful buff item in the Minecraft world.
Looking at the several stacks of Gold Blocks in his inventory, Zeke never thought he'd see the day he could eat Enchanted Golden Apples like regular snacks.
–
Several man-made tunnels branched out from around the massive piles of ore.
Dante pointed to these passages and explained, "These are the underground transport networks left over from when the main vein was excavated. They not only lead to deeper, richer ore belts, but more importantly, a few of them connect to the nearby Refinery Number Two and Refinery Number One."
"It's highly likely that Chaos cultists will launch a sneak attack through these tunnels!"
"Then let them come." Zeke was actually eager to try. "The more the better—saves us the trouble of hunting them down."
Meanwhile, outside Refinery Number Three, the routed remnants of the Despoiler Warband met up with several scattered Chaos forces coming to support them.
Before them stood a curtain of lava flowing from the sky, stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Are you sure this is the place?" A Chaos cultist leader with curved horns on his head asked for confirmation.
"This is it," a cultist who had narrowly escaped reported.
The leader snatched a sharp sword from a nearby minion and threw it at the lava curtain.
Upon contact, the sword turned red, melted, and vanished into the viscous magma.
The leader took a step back. This was no illusion; this was genuine lava. Damn it, how did they do this?
–
In the sky, a circling Heldrake searched for a gap in the lava curtain but found nothing.
The lava dome was a seamless whole, with no way in or out.
Enraged, the Heldrake flew a few circles before finally diving headfirst into the lava curtain, attempting to brute-force its way through with its physical body.
The result was predictable: it turned into a puddle of molten iron.
A deathly silence fell over the gathered Chaos forces.
"How are we supposed to attack that?" a grunt voiced the thought on everyone's mind.
"That's cheating!" a cultist pounded the ground in anger, making a loud clang.
This kind of defense was simply unreasonable.
Just then, news arrived: Refinery Number Two had also fallen.
Shocked and furious, the leader hurriedly ordered a move to Refinery Number Two to check the situation.
When they arrived at the perimeter of Refinery Number Two, they saw a scene that looked all too familiar.
An identical curtain of lava.
The leader trembled with rage. The enemy captured two refineries in such a short time using the same, nearly unsolvable method?
More and more Chaos forces were drawn to the location, gathering outside the two "Magma Fortresses," pointing and gesturing but utterly helpless.
A small figure, who had been shrinking at the back of the group, squeezed his way to the front and whispered to the leader:
"My lords... I have an idea."
Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Dante's coworker.
He shrunk his neck and said, "I used to work in the mines. I know that these refineries are connected by underground tunnels. Why don't we go in from below?"
"You know a safe route?" The leader stared at the coworker.
"I know some of it. At least I know the general location and direction of the main entrances!" The coworker hurriedly pledged his loyalty. "I'm willing to lead the way."
"Very good!" A smile appeared on the leader's face. Looking at the corrupted worker, he didn't worry about being deceived.
--
Next Bonus Chapter at 300 Powerstones.
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