Horken Vede was a thriving industrial planet.
Its Planetary Defense Force was well-equipped and formidable.
But with the arrival of the Night Lords, this world became a bloody hell.
The Defense Force, which should have protected the populace, became slaves to the Chaos traitors, forced to fight for them.
The Night Lords still adhered to the teachings of their Primarch, believing that keeping people in fear was the best method of rule.
To this end, whenever they arrived at a planet, they would use various cruel methods to forge their terrifying image.
Those innocent people would rather be shot dead by the Empire's guns than accept the Night Lords' punishment.
Whenever they thought of those who were flayed alive,
and the screams they let out before they died,
an indescribable fear would grip these people's hearts, making them unable to breathe.
The Empire's punishment would only kill them,
but the Night Lords' punishment would target their families.
This was the most sinister aspect of the Night Lords.
They knew that many Imperial soldiers were not afraid of death,
but these people were afraid of their families dying.
When the Night Lords controlled the women, children, and nobles, the remaining soldiers could only drop their weapons and kneel before them, begging to exchange their loyalty for their families' survival.
The Imperial Fleet easily destroyed the Chaos warband's few warships and surrounded the entire world of Horken Vede.
To minimize the deaths of innocent civilians,
the Players were chosen as the spearhead unit to execute decapitation tactics.
The Players' mission was simple: to kill the Night Lords who enslaved the local inhabitants,
and hang their bodies in front of those people.
Only then could the fear of these poor people be broken.
On a transport ship,
the Emperor Niuma Battle Group, having received their mission, was waiting for the aerial drop.
"It's too much trouble. Can't we just kill them all?" Wrist Bro complained.
"Those civilians are innocent," Tenjiro said, looking at Wrist Bro.
"But they all betrayed us!" Wrist Bro said. "Aren't all traitors supposed to die?"
"It's the Empire's fault for not protecting them. Don't be so harsh on those poor NPCs. The Night Lords' methods are so terrifying,
how many people can withstand them?"
Warmaster stood with Tenjiro, also disagreeing with Wrist Bro.
"If the Empire cannot protect them, then it cannot demand absolute loyalty from them. After all, they also have children and wives."
Zhuge also interjected.
"Alright, alright, I was wrong," Wrist Bro surrendered.
"Remember, control casualties as much as possible. Kill anyone who blocks your path. If those mortal soldiers break and flee, let them run. Don't chase and kill them, especially Wrist Bro."
Warmaster specifically called out his name.
Wrist Bro could only nod, indicating that he understood.
"Enter designated location."
A mechanical voice sounded.
"Final preparations, brothers, for the Emperor, for Teacher Matsumoto Kaoru."
Warmaster raised his war sword and shouted loudly, "Actually, I prefer Teacher Karumi."
Warmaster looked at Zhuge. "Get out."
"Oh, okay."
The priests and servants responsible for inspecting the God Chosen's weapons and equipment left the drop pod one after another.
When the last servant left, red lights began to spin.
The heavy armored hatch slowly opened, and a glowing force field appeared before everyone, preventing air from leaking into the vacuum.
"Let's go."
Warmaster stepped to the edge of the drop pod.
An industrialized brown planet came into view.
It was immensely vast,
making one feel incredibly small.
"I used to think high-altitude skydiving was exciting, but now, seeing it, my heart is calm. Now, I just jump directly from outer space," Tenjiro said. "I ask, who else can do that?"
"Warhammer 0L, an extreme game even civilians can experience," Zhuge gave a thumbs up.
"Go."
Warmaster's flight thrusters activated behind him, propelling him towards the world of Horken Vede.
The other Players also activated their thrusters, following closely behind.
After crossing the atmosphere, the thrusters shut down, as the planet's own gravity would drag them to the ground.
The Players plummeted towards the surface like meteors.
"Woohoo! Let's make a grand entrance!" Tenjiro shouted.
"Remember to pay royalties to King," Zhuge shouted.
"No, it should be to Genshin Impact, because all games come from Genshin Impact," Twisted person said with conviction.
Warmaster ignored his boasting companions.
He constantly monitored his data panel, adjusting his flight posture to ensure he landed precisely in the drop zone.
Meanwhile, on the surface, which had become a ruin,
Ursus, the leader of the warband, stood on a dilapidated, charred tower, licking his blood-stained claws.
He had already received news that their warships had been destroyed, meaning they were trapped here.
"Those Emperor's servants are about to drop."
"Then let them come and never return. Let this be their burial ground," Drode said with a cold tone from the side. "They have forgotten the fear that Midnight brought."
"But after today, they will remember," said Valer, Ursus's subordinate.
Ursus opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth. "Hahaha, I like your idea. We must let those guys know what fear is!"
"I will peel their skin off little by little while injecting them with sensitizing agents, making those guys unable to live or die."
"Why are there black dots in the sky?" a Midnight Lord looked up at the sky, his tone confused.
Ursus and the other Night Lords, who were discussing how to torture the Emperor's servants, looked up and activated their helmet's observation module.
Their vision was rapidly magnified and zoomed in.
He saw that the black dots were heavily armored warriors.
Thick breastplates were etched with golden double-headed eagles.
"Damn it!"
Drode, who had been full of confidence just moments ago and wanted to kill all the Emperor's servants, shouted.
"How can those Emperor's servants fly in the sky!"
"How dare they! They're just jumping directly from outer space!"
Ursus and the other Night Lords also showed expressions of shock.
These Emperor's servants seemed not to be messed with.
"Open fire, shoot them down!" Ursus shouted.
Dense artillery fire instantly filled the sky,
but those guys were incredibly fast, and the ground anti-aircraft fire couldn't keep up.
The Night Lords could only watch helplessly as the Emperor's warriors landed and flew towards them.
Warmaster landed successfully, and Tenjiro, Twisted person, and other Players landed beside him.
Not far from them, a dozen Night Lords were standing, including Ursus and his group.
The Emperor created the Night Lords with his wisdom and knowledge, and the Dark Gods granted them even greater power.
Once, these Astartes were the strongest warriors in the galaxy.
But now, with the Players here, they were no longer the strongest.
"Bat brats, why aren't you running? We've come to kill you."
Warmaster activated the war sword in his hand, its arc-covered tip pointing at Ursus.
"Kill me?" Ursus seemed to have heard something hilarious. "With you new recruits?"
"I don't know how many people have said that to me, and their ultimate fate was to fall into my hands, unable to live or die."
"Then let's see who falls," Warmaster charged at Ursus. Twisted person, Tenjiro, and the other Players also moved.
Ursus had extensive combat experience and initially thought he could easily deal with these Emperor's pawns, but once they engaged, he realized how terribly wrong he was.
The opponent's swordsmanship was incredibly superb, comparable to Sigismund's.
Back in 30k, Ursus had fought Sigismund in a dueling cage.
The opponent's swordsmanship left a very deep impression on him.
And now, this guy in front of him already possessed Sigismund's incredibly powerful swordsmanship.
Ursus threw a smoke grenade, creating a combat environment favorable to himself.
The smoke grenade hit the ground with a soft thud, and countless mists instantly billowed out, obscuring the entire battlefield.
The Night Lords excelled at using darkness and mist, and Ursus was a master of this art.
He had expected to turn the tide with the smoke, but Ursus underestimated the Players' abilities.
When he attacked again, Warmaster parried his claws with a sword, then punched him in the face.
The terrifying force shattered his distorted faceplate, revealing Ursus's twisted face.
Ursus suffered a heavy blow and recoiled, kneeling. Warmaster pressed his advantage, closing in and thrusting his sword into the opponent's chest. Crimson blood instantly gushed out, a truly gruesome sight.
"I told you I came to kill you, but you wouldn't listen. You insisted on staying and boasting. Now it's too late to regret."
Warmaster pulled the sword from the opponent's chest, then swung it to cut off his head, decapitating him.
Witnessing their leader's death, the remaining Night Lords immediately showed panic.
The combat power of these Emperor's servants was terrifying. Ursus, the warband leader, had his head cut off in just a few moves.
One must know that Ursus had experienced the Horus Heresy and was a ruthless individual who had fought his way into the Imperial Palace.
Now, he died at the hands of an unknown nobody.
"Kill all these bat brats."
"Boss is awesome, he got the first kill so quickly."
Tenjiro and the other Players cheered. Warmaster was indeed Warmaster; anyone bearing that title was no ordinary person.
"These guys are too strong, retreat! Don't fight them head-on."
"We need to evacuate immediately, these Emperor's servants are too powerful."
Drode and the other Night Lords threw smoke grenades one after another to obscure visibility, hoping to escape.
Just then, a whistling sound rang out, and a tall figure descended from the sky.
Its extreme speed instantly created a terrifying shockwave, dispersing the smoke and even sending the Midnight Lord warriors flying.
When the Night Lords got up and looked at the fallen giant, their pupils widened.
They saw a man in golden armor, holding a power spear, and wearing a weeping mask.
Wings, mask, spear—
Ah!
Isn't this Sanguinius, who broke their father's spine?!
Wasn't this guy beaten into limited edition angel jam by Horus?!
How is he alive and kicking again now?!
Alex looked around at the panicked Night Lords.
"Gentlemen, your time of death has come. Do you still wish to run?"