The moment they entered effective range, the movements of Sekhmet and all the Heavy Guardsman achieved perfect synchronization.
Fifty-one arc pikes simultaneously tilted forward, their tips beginning to hum, as hellish blue electrical energy flickered and danced on the spearheads.
The energy patterns on the surface of the inverted magnetic shields suddenly brightened, and the inverted generators emitted a continuous, high-pitched hum, ceaselessly channeling powerful energy into the pikes.
The next moment, dozens of thick electrical arcs shot out.
These deadly energy beams were not simple linear shots, but rather formed an interwoven electrical net under precise field control, covering a fan-shaped area nearly a hundred meters in front of the phalanx.
Electrical snakes twisted and coiled in the air, emitting piercing crackles, illuminating the entire battlefield in an eerie blue light.
Destruction descended in an instant.
Three Arasaka main battle tanks, directly in the path, were simultaneously hit by multiple electrical arcs; their thick composite armor began to melt and vaporize upon contact, revealing their internal structures.
The ammunition compartment of one tank detonated, and the entire vehicle disintegrated in a deafening explosion, its turret hurled dozens of meters into the air by the shockwave.
Armored personnel carriers were even more vulnerable; their vehicle shells rapidly deformed and melted as the electrical arcs swept over them, tires and tracks turning into scalding, viscous goo, the crippled vehicles spewing thick smoke, punctuated by the agonizing screams of their occupants.
Most horrifying was the fate of the oni power armor.
These three-meter-tall steel giants became perfect conductors, with violent electrical arcs coiling and flickering around them.
Through the observation windows, drivers could be seen convulsing violently as the current passed through them, after which the observation windows turned a charred black.
The power armor's outer shell began to glow red and soften, armor dripping like molten wax, solidifying into metallic tumor-like lumps on the scorched earth.
With just one volley, the meticulously arranged Arasaka front line was torn open with a huge gap.
More than twenty armored units of various types were reduced to burning wrecks, the air filled with the pungent smell of ozone, the scorching heat of molten metal, and the foul stench of burnt flesh.
"Oh God…" a young Wraiths soldier instinctively took half a step back, his rifle trembling slightly, "What in the world is this thing?"
Colonel Hansen stared intently at his tactical visor, his knuckles white from gripping.
"Pay attention to their tactical coordination," he said to his subordinates via the comms channel, "Every movement is terrifyingly precise, like… like parts on a machine."
At Lazarus' position, even the seasoned mercenaries were stunned by the sight.
"Their shields can even block armor-piercing rounds," a power armor pilot muttered, "and their movement speed remains so stable."
"If these guys were also equipped with long-range weapons…" another voice chimed in on the comms channel, "then there would be no need to fight this battle at all."
Sekhmet, naturally, had no way of knowing about the discussions happening behind the distant front line.
If she could hear the soldiers' assessments of her subordinate units, she might offer a factual correction: the Guard Corps was not only equipped with long-range weapons, but its arsenal indeed contained heavy annihilation equipment capable of wiping entire cities off the map.
However, Archmagos Osiris' summons was urgent, specifically requesting a deployment of only fifty Heavy Guardsman.
More realistically, during the process of crossing the dimensional rift, those heavy weapon systems requiring special energy interfaces and massive vehicle platforms were indeed difficult to safely deploy within a short timeframe.
(Guard Corps equipped with melee weapons)
Otherwise, what the Arasaka forces on the battlefield would be facing at this moment would not merely be this elite detachment focused on melee and medium-range strikes, but a comprehensive, indiscriminate, and devastating assault from the Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii Corps in its full organizational structure—that would be the true manifestation of the Omnissiah's wrath.
Even so, the terrifying power displayed by these fifty Heavy Guardsman, representing only a fraction of their true combat strength, still shocked the entire battlefield.
After the initial chaos, the Arasaka forces organized a frantic counterattack.
The remaining tanks fired salvos regardless of casualties, attempting to halt the phalanx's advance with concentrated firepower.
The surviving oni power armor units flanked from both sides, all shoulder missile pods open, launching a saturation strike.
Infantry, using burning wreckage as cover, poured out heavy machine gun and rocket launcher fire.
Yet, all these efforts proved futile against the Guard Corps.
The faint golden resonant shields flickered steadily, blocking all incoming shells, missiles, and bullets.
The phalanx's pace remained steady, like an unmoving reef in a storm.
When the Arasaka forces attempted to close the distance, the true nightmare had only just begun.
The Heavy Guardsman released short electrical arc pulses from their inverted magnetic shields, blue electrical snakes leaping through the air, incinerating approaching infantry in swathes.
Several oni power armor units successfully broke through to melee range, but a single thrust from an arc pike penetrated the power armor's plating like thin paper, instantly vaporizing the pilot inside.
"All units, attention!" Colonel Hansen seized the opportunity and immediately issued orders, "Coordinate with their offensive rhythm, advance from both flanks! Prioritize clearing enemy infantry units!"
The Lazarus Squad commander also responded quickly: "Power armor units push forward, cover the Wraiths' flanks. Maintain distance, don't block the monsters' line of attack."
Led by the Guard Corps phalanx, the allied forces launched a general offensive.
Wraiths soldiers deployed in standard tactical formations on the phalanx's left flank, using precise firepower to clear Arasaka forces attempting to outflank them.
Lazarus' power armor provided fire support on the right flank, suppressing distant enemy positions with heavy weapons.
Sekhmet consistently led the vanguard of the phalanx, her optical lenses calmly scanning the battlefield.
Noticing an anti-tank missile team aiming from the rooftop of a half-destroyed building, she lightly swung her pike, and an exceptionally thick electrical arc whistled forth, pulverizing the upper structure of the entire building.
On the white whale bridge, Takayama Shintaro watched the real-time battlefield feed with a pale face.
He opened his mouth, wanting to issue some command, but found himself unable to offer even a single effective tactical suggestion. Yorinobu Arasaka maintained his outward calm, but his hidden hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.
The situation was indeed developing in the chaotic direction he had anticipated, but these suddenly appearing "actors" brought not just chaos, but utter, irresistible destruction.
Sekhmet and her fifty Heavy Guardsman, with just one advance, completely rewrote the balance of power on this battlefield.
In the face of the absolute power they displayed, all tactical planning lost its meaning, and the course of the war was forever altered at this moment.