Meanwhile, on the other side, up in the spire-top of Hive City Kuent.
At this moment a whole group of people could be said to be at their wits’ end, and among them was the Sector Governor.
“You’re telling me there’s at least one full company of World Eaters, and possibly even more?”
The Sector Governor was by now utterly numb, because Hive City Kuent at this moment could be described as extraordinarily lively.
One had to understand—this was an entire company of World Eaters, and these World Eaters hadn’t even charged straight in to slaughter; instead they were single-mindedly making a grand production of it all.
One had to understand that their Hive City Kuent had no local Astartes, and World Eaters of this magnitude were already enough to whip up an Apocalypse-level battlefield.
It wasn’t that their fighting strength was so overwhelming, but rather that with this many World Eaters, large-scale sacrifices could very easily be carried out—and by that point, never mind Bloodthirsters, even Angron himself might come forth.
So in a situation like this no one knew what might happen, and that was exactly how things stood now.
“As of now we’ve completely lost control of the under-hive, and the wastelands are crawling with cultists of the Lord of Plague.”
At this moment the Sector Governor felt as if his head were about to explode, for now a considerable portion of the entire planet Kuent had already slipped from his grasp.
One had to understand that, although he cared nothing for the lives of the people in the under-hive and out upon the wastelands, he absolutely could not allow the under-hive to fall into chaos.
There lay a terrifying population base, and a single large-scale sacrifice could truly summon forth a few Greater Daemons—which, for the planet, would be a catastrophe.
The Sector Governor’s fingers drummed unconsciously upon the command console, the thick gold ring on his finger clashing against the metal surface in a dull rhythm, and every beat fell precisely upon the throbbing pulse at his temple.
The holographic projection before him cast a cross-section of all of Hive City Kuent into midair, and the under-hive region had already turned into a glaring blood-red, like a malignant tumor creeping upward along the hive’s vertical structure—wherever its tendrils reached, all the data links and surveillance nodes winked out one after another.
“Great Governor, please do not fret.
Though the enemy bears down upon us ferociously—the Governor is great, the Inquisitor is great, the citizens are great.
We are all great people, and so long as we stand united, then no problem will be a problem at all.”
Just as the whole group was at its wits’ end, a man with pronounced forehead creases stepped out from amid the crowd.
As his words fell, the scene fell instantly silent, and the Inquisitor in particular had instinctively gripped his weapon tight.
But very soon he loosened his hand again—now that Chaos was bearing down upon them, these people made excellent cannon fodder.
Although he wished he could burn this creature to death right then and there, even that would have to wait until the war was over.
“Great Governor, your envoy has already made us a promise—this time our great cult shall charge at the very forefront for the Imperium.
We will offer up all that we have for the great Imperium, and let the subjects of the Imperium behold the power of unity.”
“Then it all rests upon you.
If the war ends and I’m still able to survive, I will honor my word.”
Hearing the words of this Genestealer leader, the Sector Governor’s face was piled high with a benevolent smile.
Then, without leaving a trace, he drew his handkerchief from within his sleeve and wiped the hand that had just made contact with the other party.
He hadn’t expected that thug from his own House to actually turn out to be a man of real ability—he’d actually managed to persuade the Genestealers to sally forth in full force.
That had also left him a great deal of room to maneuver, so if the other man could still come back alive, he intended to promote him in rank and title.
He was even willing to betroth to him a daughter born of one of his concubines—talents like this were not easily come by.
“…..”
It was just that, in the very moment the Sector Governor was rejoicing, over on the other side his head butler opened his mouth as if to speak.
For at some unknown point, he had abruptly realized a problem.
And that was that the black-haired, black-eyed youth he had sent out was utterly unlike the Wells in his own memory.
The Sector Governor did not recognize him, but that did not mean he didn’t.
Still, seeing how delighted his master looked, the butler found it awkward to say anything.
“Let me give you a piece of good news—I’ve already made contact with the Imperial Navy, as well as an Astartes Chapter.
But for them to send reinforcements here, it will take at least a year.”
Glancing at the several people before him, Inquisitor Gers also offered a piece of good news.
In fact, the moment he had sensed something was off, he had already sent out a call for aid.
But everyone knew what the Imperium’s rescues were like—they would most likely come, but as for when, please do not ask them not to come.
Especially now, with the massive gathering of cultists directly throwing the Warp into chaos.
….
Meanwhile, at the boundary where the lower-hive and the under-hive of Hive City Kuent met, several million Genestealers were at this moment gathered together.
Even though the rations within the hive were utterly wretched, with the aid of Tyranid swarm genes each and every one of them was now tall and powerfully built.
At this moment, the great hive gate before them had already begun to be covered in cracks.
The Khorne cultists had launched their assault from the under-hive, so they posed a greater threat to the hive.
After splitting off a portion of their forces to fight against the Nurgle cultists,
the lord of the Khorne warband had also led his main army to the great hive gate, and now, under the working of Warp sorcery, that hard hive gate was already riddled with cracks.
“O Blood God, bestow your power upon us once more!!!”
At this moment a crude sacrificial site on the hive’s outer perimeter had been completed, and along with shout after shout from the Khorne lord, the power of the Blood God was gathering, and steadily rising.
Indeed, even though the Planetary Defense Force at the rear of the hive had the protection of Imperial Cult priests, no small number of men had already fallen into a frenzy, and some had even drawn their knives upon the people right beside them.
But unlike those chaotic Planetary Defense Force troops, those Genestealers stood absolutely motionless, every last one of them—and among them there even rang out the voices of pure-blood Genestealers.
“O Blood God, so that we may offer up to you yet more skulls, please bestow upon us the power to break open the city gate.
Blood for the Blood God, skulls for the Skull Throne!!!”
“Blood for the Blood God, skulls for the Skull Throne!!!”
“Blood for the Blood God, skulls for the Skull Throne!!!”
Along with roar after roar, the power of Khorne poured into this Khorne lord.
The skin upon his body sloughed away in patches in that moment, for Khorne’s blessing had all but exceeded the limit of what he could contain.
So he dared not waste any more breath, and braving the hail of gunfire atop the wall, he launched his charge at the hive.
Then, right before the great hive gate, he made one enormous leap.
Those various lasers and bullets struck his whole body, sending sparks flying everywhere, but unfortunately, given the degree of Khorne’s blessing upon him now, attacks like these couldn’t even so much as stop him.
In the very instant he leapt up, the faces of every Planetary Defense Force soldier on the wall took on an expression of terror, for they felt only a blood-red figure swelling endlessly larger before their eyes.
BOOM!!!
Almost the very next moment, that great gate of the hive—made of who knew what—was sent flying outright.
In that very instant the Khorne cultists who had been working their sorcery charged forth, and everyone upon the outermost layer of the hive fell into a frenzy of mutual slaughter.
“Hsss…”
At this moment, no small number upon the second line of defense had terror written across their faces.
After all, they were not the Astra Militarum, and this was the first time they had ever faced a Khorne Space Marine head-on.
“For the Four-Armed Emperor God!!!”
In that very instant, the Genestealers who had long since gathered here met the Khorne cultists’ charge head-on, and one after another they surged forward wielding exceedingly crude weapons.
The entire hive gateway became at that moment a bloody meat-grinder, with countless Genestealers locked in close-quarters combat with the Khorne cultists.
And those several hundred pure-blood Genestealers were also darting swiftly through the throng, seeking to pin down the positions of the Khorne Space Marines.
But even so, because Khorne’s power was now far too immense, their battle line was being gradually compressed.
At this moment, in the command room up in the spire-top, the Sector Governor and the Inquisitor both watched the data before them with furrowed brows, as every district of the entire hive flared with glaring red light at that moment.
The hive cross-section on the holographic projection had already become a sponge soaked through and intertwined with red and green, with swaths of friendly unit markers vanishing every second, while new Nurgle patrol signals kept cropping up.
“I need reinforcements—more reinforcements!!!”
The Sector Governor said this with an ugly look on his face.
For although the first wave of attrition was being borne by the Genestealers,
compared to the Khorne cultists numbering in the hundreds of millions, these few million Genestealers were still far too few.
“……”
Only Gers stayed silent at this moment, for he too had no resources left in his hands.
“Send out a fighter squadron and find some way to assist the Lord of Plague’s cultists at the rear.
Only by letting them in will we have more room to maneuver.”
“Very well….”
Since things were already this chaotic, then they might as well make the situation even more chaotic still.
____
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