"What? Curze and Corax launched a decapitation strike against Guilliman's flagship?"
Ferrus was outright stunned when he learned the news.
But there was one question he wanted answered.
How exactly were those two Primarch brothers, both masters of stealth and assassination, supposed to break through layer upon layer of encirclement?
One had to understand that Guilliman's Omegon Legion fleet was extremely strange. Even if a ship was destroyed, another could quickly replenish its place.
If the void war could have punched through the battle line Guilliman had built, Mortarion would have acted long ago. After all, Guilliman only had one Gloriana-class battleship that was truly troublesome. The remaining ships were nothing special.
Besides, the Sons of Horus Legion trapped inside the encirclement was still continuously outputting firepower.
In a battle like this, a decapitation strike would indeed have an obvious effect, but that also brought up another problem.
How were they supposed to create the conditions for a decapitation strike?
Surely they were not going to have two Primarchs ride Cyclonic Torpedoes over, right?
That would be way too lively.
"Yes. My father said only this can open up the situation. No matter how you look at it, the other side only has one Primarch."
Bruce nodded.
"To pull manpower from two Legions at a time like this..."
Ferrus had no choice but to recalculate the battlefield situation.
"No, no, no. Do not misunderstand, Lord Ferrus. The Eighth Legion and Nineteenth Legion have not made any troop movements. The only ones carrying out this mission are the two of them."
Bruce hurriedly explained.
Since it was an assassination operation, naturally the fewer people involved, and the more elite they were, the better. Otherwise, could it still be called assassination?
They might as well just call it a full Legion operation.
"Only two people..."
Ferrus thought about it carefully and felt that it did not seem to be a problem after all.
In a situation like this, even if they failed to achieve the strategic objective of killing Guilliman, simply delaying him and harassing the enemy to a certain extent would already be a huge gain.
Because Guilliman could not possibly be so powerful that he could deal with both his rear and the front line at the same time.
Unless he had another Primarch helping him.
And speaking of another Primarch...
"No. Lorgar may still be there. Their plan might not succeed."
Thinking of this, Ferrus said to Bruce.
"Lorgar is not there. He is still in Ultramar meeting with Guilliman. I imagine those two are still acting like best brothers right about now."
"..."
Ferrus fell into thought once more.
"Also, I should explain something. I currently hold command authority over both the Eighth Legion and the Nineteenth Legion. Lord Ferrus, please take that into consideration."
Bruce stated this openly.
Of course, if one wanted to be strict about it, the World Eaters counted too. However, considering the current state of the World Eaters Legion, it was better not to tell Ferrus.
What if this guy used all three Legions as cannon fodder and threw them onto the front line while his Iron Hands happily played second wave?
That was not impossible.
"Can you handle the coordination yourself?"
Ferrus did not ask Bruce to hand the command authority over. Instead, he asked Bruce this question.
"I have already finished coordinating it. At the necessary moment, even without clear command orders, they will know what they should do."
Bruce answered seriously.
After receiving Legion command authority from Corax, Bruce had immediately distributed paper cups to several company captains. So long as Guilliman did not counter-decapitate them, they did not need to worry about the command chain collapsing for the time being.
However, throughout this war, the Raven Guard's forces had been extremely dispersed. Following their Primarch's orders, they were fighting guerrilla actions everywhere to delay the rebels' advance.
Unless absolutely necessary, gathering them together would not have much meaning.
"Good!"
Ferrus suddenly became optimistic.
"As long as Guilliman can be delayed, everything will improve."
At this stage of the war, Guilliman's decline was already quite obvious. Only one final kick was needed. As long as they delayed until he could no longer endure it, he would naturally do something irrational.
And when it came to a war of attrition, the loyalists were absolutely not afraid.
So many Primarchs and Legions had gathered at Isstvan!
The supplies originally prepared to deal with more than three Legions had, in reality, only consumed about one-third so far. The remaining resources were more than enough to completely tie down Guilliman's forces.
"Bruce."
After analyzing the battle situation again, Ferrus suddenly had an idea.
"What is it?"
Bruce looked at Ferrus in confusion.
"In truth, there is already nothing left for you to do here."
Ferrus looked at Bruce and said seriously:
"You can withdraw from Isstvan V with your troops first."
"You still have multiple missions, do you not? Your value and ability cannot remain tied down here for too long."
"Let us wait until the situation stabilizes a little more. According to my Chief Librarian, the Warp storm has isolated us here. If we leave recklessly now, we may very well fall into Guilliman's trap."
Thinking of this, Bruce also felt a headache coming on. He truly did have many things that needed doing.
First was Horus, who had fallen unconscious again. According to Abaddon, after Guilliman suddenly attacked, the Imperial Warmaster fainted.
If the Sons of Horus had not experienced something similar once before, and if Horus herself had not left plenty of contingency plans in her daily routine, then the combat power of an entire Legion might have been wasted by now.
Then there was the task Curze had given him: go to Ultramar and investigate, so Guilliman's name could be cleared.
"If possible, take that damned traitor with you and get away from here."
The instant Ferrus and Bruce's eyes met, they understood each other's thoughts and meaning.
Sigh.
He still cannot forget Fulgrim. I'm crying.
"Yes. I will find a way to remove the corruption from him. If that proves impossible, I will hand him over to the Emperor."
Bruce also made his promise.
What else could he do?
Since everyone wanted him to play this "rear support" role, he could only go along with it.
Letting the Primarchs fight without worries could, in a sense, be considered a unique value all its own.
"Good! When you withdraw, I will have Morlock escort you out. At the same time, I will also have Mortarion prepare a fleet for you, so you can withdraw safely."
Ferrus made his promise.
"Yes!"
Bruce answered.
If he had a choice, Bruce actually wanted to stay. Unfortunately, these Primarchs definitely would not give him that chance.
Otherwise, they would not have told him to leave.
In plain terms, deep down, they did not have confidence that they could defeat Guilliman, that obvious cheating bastard.
After explaining everything, Bruce left the Iron Hands command post and returned to his own quarters, an air-raid shelter likewise built underground.
Nothing else aside, the Iron Hands Legion was also excellent at infrastructure construction. Once they started up their machinery, they quickly built trenches and frontline camps.
In less than three days, endless trench lines had been pushed out of thin air. Alongside them came supporting watchtowers and bunkers.
This scene made not only Guilliman despair. Even Bruce found it despair-inducing.
If even the Iron Hands had this kind of speed, then what sort of divine speed would the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists, the two infrastructure-mad Legions, possess?
Just as Bruce was thinking about these things, a communication from the Remilia came in.
He hurriedly picked up the paper cup, then, as usual, said "Hello, hello, hello?" a few times.
But this time, the voice that came through was not Alfred's.
It was an extremely cold voice.
"Well now, if it isn't our Acting Commander. I finally managed to reach you, you very busy man. If I still couldn't get in touch with you, I would have had to go down there myself to find you."
Sevatar began with several sarcastic remarks.
Then she explained the purpose of the call.
"Following Father's wishes, I will hand over one company of Contekar and Raptors to you. Use them however you see fit."
"Hm? Contekar?"
Bruce had not expected elite reinforcements at all.
"Yes. As for how you command them, figure that out yourself. Let me state this in advance: those bastards are not easy to deal with."
Sevatar made this clear.
From her point of view, Bruce was at most the family's foolish son. The Contekar were the family's strongest enforcers. Perhaps they would temporarily obey this fool for Father's sake.
But once time passed, or once they grew bored, they might very well pull some king-slaying stunt.
"If they are not easy to deal with, then I will kill them. Soldiers who cannot even obey orders are nothing but trash."
Bruce answered.
"To hear such words from your mouth is honestly rather comforting, Lord Acting Commander."
Sevatar froze for a moment, then spoke with complicated feelings.
This was the kind of growth he should have!
"However, Captain Sevatar, I still need to trouble you with commanding the Eighth Legion."
"Mm. I know. Father told me about these matters before she left."
"Then that is good."
Bruce nodded, then said in a heavy tone:
"Once the effect of the Warp storm weakens slightly, I will immediately break out."
"We cannot delay any longer. My instincts tell me that Guilliman, far away in Ultramar, has definitely been targeted by Chaos."
"Once they succeed, I fear this Guilliman's strength will become solidified."
"Handle it as you see fit. If things truly do not work out, retreat to the homeworld, prepare yourselves, and then fight back."
Sevatar pointed out a clear path.
In the worst of the worst cases, they could still retreat to their homeworld and rule as local tyrants.
After all, if the Imperium of Man truly ended up fighting Ultramar, then the Night Lords Legion, as stray dogs from the edge, could absolutely keep themselves out of it.
Unless Guilliman wanted to experience what would happen if the entire Eighth Legion fought a guerrilla war across the Five Hundred Worlds.
"I will. I know what to do."
The communication then ended.
Bruce took out a map tool and began planning the route he would need to take next.
He absolutely could not let Guilliman see through his intentions. Otherwise, Guilliman might very well abandon Isstvan and turn toward Ultramar instead. If that happened, everyone might fall into a very passive situation.
Of course, they could also go for a tactical base trade. Worst case, stop fighting the Great Crusade and go straight to Holy Terra, leaving that yellow-skinned bastard to figure things out on his own.
Ultramar versus the Imperium of Man?
Hell yeah!
That would be a battle-junkie script!
Several days passed like this. As the loyalists gradually adapted to the Omegon Legion's characteristics and attack rhythm, the enemy could no longer gain any tactical advantage.
Strategically, the Death Guard Legion under Mortarion and the Luna Wolves Legion commanded by Torgaddon performed so well in the void war that they outright tore apart Guilliman's fleet line!
Now, attack and defense had reversed.
Guilliman could no longer possibly take down the loyalists through a swift battle.
Since that was the case...
Then it was our turn to launch an active offensive~
Very soon, the offensive operation named Warmaster's Wrath officially began. Mortarion personally opened the fight, directly ordering more than half the fleet to attack and charge straight at the Omegon Legion.
At the same time, Ferrus, on the ground, gathered every unit he could gather and launched targeted strikes against Guilliman's forces.
They would follow the coordinates provided by Bruce and prioritize destroying those strange-looking altars. Only by doing this could they weaken the rebel combat power to the greatest possible extent.
Seeing this, Vulkan also stopped holding back. The steel tide of the Salamanders Legion charged directly forward, coordinating with the Iron Hands Legion, which was likewise a steel tide.
For a moment, the landing forces Guilliman had placed on the surface were more than half uprooted. Large areas of territory returned to loyalist hands.
Although Isstvan V itself held no strategic value, an enemy-desired planet could not be given to them no matter what!
Because this concerned morale!
"Lame. Too lame, these rebels."
Bruce watched the rebels being kicked like stray dogs through his binoculars, and his mood was wonderfully refreshed.
So what if you have the blessings of the Four Gods?
If this were the 40th millennium, maybe I would be a little afraid. But this is the 30th millennium!
No matter how much you demons and monsters of the Warp want to cause trouble, you had better obediently lie down!
"This is Guilliman's greatest weakness. He always assumes everything is under his control. Heh. What an arrogant fellow."
Ferrus said disdainfully.
If not for the damned Warp causing trouble, Ferrus would absolutely have been the first Primarch to charge in and kill him.
In Ferrus's eyes, the only thing more hateful than xenos was always traitors!
"No..."
Bruce frowned as he looked at the enemy warships in orbit. He asked in confusion:
"Why do the enemy's movements look like an attack rather than a defense?"
"A dying struggle, nothing more."
Ferrus did not take it seriously.
Even if they lost orbital control, the rebels should not even dream of using orbital bombardment to gain an advantage, because Mortarion had long since guarded against that move.
The enemy dared to risk their lives?
Did they think we did not dare?
"Lord Ferrus! The enemy… the enemy is reinforcing the surface! We have detected large numbers of drop—bzzzt…"
It was clearly a close-range communication channel, which theoretically should not have been possible to interfere with. Yet it was still hijacked by some unknown force.
Then that deep, chilling voice rang out.
"I am Roboute Guilliman, Lord of the Omegon Legion!"
"Ferrus, are you ready to die?"
"?!"
Bruce turned to look at Ferrus, whose face remained calm.
What the hell?
As far as I know, you and Guilliman do not have any personal grudges. Why is this so sudden?
And does this count as tactical base-racing?
We sent two Primarchs to raid your base, and now you are running over here to decapitate ours.
"Guilliman, you truly cannot endure anymore. It does not matter..."
Ferrus answered Guilliman through the communication channel.
"I will personally defeat you! I will take your head. Father will be ashamed of you!"
"Heh. I truly underestimated you."
"But no matter. Everything will soon end. I guarantee it."
Beep.
The communication ended.
Immediately afterward, large numbers of drop pods descended toward the surface.
They seemed to be forming a pattern at the landing zone in an orderly manner: the eight-pointed star of Chaos.
"It seems my two brothers struck at an empty nest."
Ferrus gripped his massive hammer and looked toward the enemy's defensive zone.
"But it does not matter. I will complete their mission."
Guilliman!
Although I know you are only an impostor...
I will still smash you to death with my own hands!
Only that will vent my hatred!
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (This matter is completely finished.)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 280
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
MYGO Beauties 80
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 70
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 60
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 45
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
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