Yarrick’s battle cry drowned out the wind sweeping across the wasteland.
Five hundred Armageddon Steel Legion soldiers scattered into position in an instant.
Thirty Grenadiers were already raining grenades down on the Centaur Archer positions inside the Gold Mine.
A large force of soldiers raised their Voss-pattern Lasguns.
Their muzzles all pointed toward the interior of the Gold Mine.
Amid the dense explosions, over two hundred Level 3 Centaur Archers had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows.
Six Political Commissars led their respective squads forward.
Each was accompanied by dozens of Steel Legion soldiers.
Chainswords roared.
Lasguns were fitted with bayonets one after another.
They had only one objective:
Exterminate the xenos!
Yarrick had already charged ahead.
His speed far surpassed that of the other squads.
He raised his Storm Bolter.
Bang!
The breastplate of a Level 4 Walker exploded.
Bolter rounds drilled into flesh and blood.
Half of its chest was torn apart instantly.
Its massive body collapsed to the ground.
Bang!
Bang, bang!
Old Bale Eye moved extremely fast.
With every gunshot, large swathes of flesh and blood exploded ahead of him.
As for the Gold Mine’s monster forces—
bowstrings were already twanging in unison.
Swish, swish, swish!
A rain of arrows shot into the sky, densely raining down toward the rear battle line!
“Focus fire!”
Hundreds of lasguns fired at once.
Buzz!
Crimson beams swept across the mining area in an instant.
A row of Centaur Archers collapsed one after another.
The rain of arrows also came falling down.
Pfft!
A Steel Legion soldier’s neck was pierced through.
The arrowhead protruded from the back of his neck.
Beside him, another soldier was still firing when a second arrow shattered his visor.
His body fell straight backward.
More arrows struck helmets, armor, and gun barrels.
Clanging noises rang out incessantly.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
The firepower of the thirty Grenadiers was fierce and relentless.
Grenades arced over the battle line, plunging straight into the densest clusters of Centaur Archers.
Boom!
Soil exploded into the air, sending flesh and blood flying.
Several Centaurs were blown straight into the air.
The next volley of grenades fell right behind them!
Boom, boom, boom!
Flames continuously erupted inside the Gold Mine.
The rain of arrows from the Centaur Archers quickly thinned out.
These Tier 3 units were strong, fast, accurate, and their arrows had far greater penetrating power than those of ordinary archers.
Unfortunately, they lacked much armor on their bodies.
Yarrick’s buff had already covered the entire Steel Legion.
Voss-pattern Lasguns hitting exposed flesh were exceptionally deadly.
A shot to the chest pierced straight through.
A hit to the head meant instant death.
Lasers and grenades from the rear ranks continued hammering down on the Centaur Archers, causing monster casualties to rise at a terrifying speed.
The situation at the front was entirely different.
Rumble!
The ground began to tremble.
One hundred Tier 4 Centaur Battlewalkers launched their charge!
Heavy armor covered their chests and bellies.
Long-handled poleaxes were lowered, while their thick hooves crushed the stones beneath them.
Five Political Commissars rallied the soldiers beside them.
“The Emperor is watching us!”
Chainswords were raised high.
“For Armageddon!”
Over two hundred Steel Legion soldiers behind them roared in unison:
“For the Emperor!”
The two forces collided head-on!
Bang!
The foremost Steel Legion soldiers fired several shots in quick succession.
Lasers scorched large burn marks across a Walker’s breastplate.
The enemy did not fall.
Its massive body slammed directly into them!
Soldiers were sent flying, their chests completely caved in when they hit the ground.
Another Walker swung its giant axe, the blade coming down in a brutal chop!
Crack!
A helmet shattered, blood spraying across the face of a neighboring soldier.
“Focus fire!”
Over a dozen lasguns immediately shifted their targets.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The same breastplate was struck repeatedly by lasers, glowing red and melting away as the flesh underneath was pierced straight through.
Just as that Walker fell to its knees, a second one crashed into the crowd.
Three soldiers were sent flying on the spot.
Massive hooves stomped down, crushing a fallen soldier’s chest flat.
A Political Commissar charged forward, jamming his Chainsword into the Walker’s shoulder guard.
The whirring teeth spun wildly, sending a cascade of sparks flying.
His Melta Pistol pressed against its chest.
Buzz!
The heavy armor was burned through in an instant, and the Walker collapsed with a roar.
“Follow me!”
The Political Commissar stepped over the corpse and continued pushing forward.
The soldiers behind him pushed forward as well.
Tier 4 Walkers slammed into them one after another.
Every swing of a giant axe brought death, and their charges smashed straight into the formation.
Tier 1 soldiers simply could not withstand that sheer power.
Leo stood at the rear, watching the battle reports flash wildly before his eyes:
[Killed in Action: 79]
[Killed in Action: 86]
[Killed in Action: 94]
[Killed in Action: 103]
Two minutes.
Merely two minutes!
Over a hundred men had already perished!
The five squads in front were nearly crushed to pieces by the Walkers.
Casualties in the rear ranks did not stop either.
The Centaur Archers specifically targeted weak points in the soldiers’ armor—
necks,
eyes,
joints.
Wherever there was an opening, arrows immediately shot through.
Of course, the Centaur Archers were not having an easy time either.
The hundred soldiers in the rear ranks had not stopped firing since the engagement began, while thirty Grenadiers relentlessly bombarded the herd.
Over two hundred Tier 3 Centaur Archers—
three minutes later, only fifty-some remained!
Corpses littered the entire perimeter of the Gold Mine.
Just as a Centaur Archer drew its longbow, a crimson laser blasted through its chest.
Another turned to hide behind a rock, but a grenade landed at its feet.
Boom!
Its body was sent flying directly into the air.
The group of Tier 4 Walkers was extremely tough to deal with.
All five ordinary Political Commissars had charged into the enemy ranks.
The squad on the far left had originally had sixty men, but now only eight remained.
The Political Commissar’s greatcoat was soaked in blood, and several teeth had been chipped off his Chainsword.
“Hold the line!”
“Pin them down right here!”
The eight soldiers raised their guns once more.
Over a dozen Walkers charged toward them head-on.
Lasers swept across their heavy armor, and hooves crashed into the squad.
Screams were instantly drowned out by neighs and roars.
On the other side, Yarrick had driven even deeper into the fight.
The dozens of soldiers who had originally followed behind him—
not a single one remained.
Corpses paved the ground beneath his feet.
Humans
and Centaurs
lay mixed together.
Yarrick’s Storm Bolter was still roaring.
Bang!
A Walker’s head exploded.
Bang!
A second had a gaping bloody hole torn through its chest.
Click.
Old Bale Eye pulled the trigger again.
No gunshot.
The ammunition was exhausted.
Yarrick spat on the ground, throwing his Storm Bolter straight at his feet.
With his right hand, he drew the Chainsword from his waist.
Buzz!
The teeth whirred at high speed.
His Power Claw opened, a red disruption field enveloping the massive metal pincer.
Arrows flew in from all directions.
One lodged into his greatcoat.
Another grazed his shoulder.
Over a dozen Tier 4 Walkers closed in around him.
“Come on then!”
Yarrick charged headlong toward them.
A giant axe chopped down, but Old Bale Eye dodged sideways.
His Power Claw had already clamped onto the Walker’s breastplate.
Crack!
The heavy armor was crushed, and the Chainsword stabbed straight into its abdomen!
Blood sprayed all over Yarrick.
The old man pulled out his blade, turned, and charged toward the next one!
The battle continued into the eighth minute.
[Killed in Action: 241]
Banner standards were falling one after another.
Contact was lost with the first Political Commissar.
The second.
The third.
The fourth.
They and their soldiers held back the Walkers with everything they had.
Not a single squad retreated.
The fifth banner remained standing.
A blood-soaked Political Commissar stood amidst the pile of corpses, propping up the flagpole.
Only two soldiers remained by his side.
Seven Walkers slowly closed in.
The Political Commissar glanced down at the Chainsword in his hand, then raised it once more.
“The Emperor is watching us.”
Two lasguns were raised.
“For the Emperor!”
Gunshots,
Chainsword whirs,
and horse hooves
mixed together.
Ten seconds later, the fifth banner fell.
[Killed in Action: 275]
The number stopped there.
Five ordinary Political Commissars and the five squads that had intercepted the Level 4 Walkers were all killed in action.
In the distance, volleys of crimson lasers continued to flash.
Few Centaur Archers remained inside the Gold Mine.
At the absolute front, Yarrick was still standing.
His greatcoat was drenched in blood.
His Power Claw was drenched in blood.
His Chainsword was likewise drenched in blood.
Around him lay only swathes of Level 4 Walker corpses.
Buzz!
The Chainsword roared to life once more.
Old Bale Eye raised his head and walked toward the remaining Centaurs.