My Life as A Death Guard
Chapter 474: Soaring Upon the Storm Eagle
Boom!!!
Within the dense clouds, turmoil erupted among the once orderly formation of aircraft. A blossom of fire exploded from one craft's wing, black smoke pouring outward as a Stormbird spiraled downward.
It scarcely had time to let out a dying cry before it vanished into the murky brown sea beneath the clouds.
The fall of the first Stormbird marked the beginning. Countless missiles, trailing black smoke, screamed through the fog toward the gunships' engines and wings.
Under visibility conditions approaching absolute zero, the enemy was somehow still able to launch precise attacks!
Even the most veteran pilots felt their hearts jolt. They swerved desperately, narrowly avoiding incoming missiles, and the once neat formation immediately began to collapse.
Worse still, the Imperials could no longer distinguish friend from foe.
One after another, gunships trailing smoke veered away from their designated flight paths.
"My Khan."
Among the Keshig, Qin Xa abruptly rose to his feet and looked toward the Khan. Yet the Great Khan remained seated, unmoving. The Primarch lifted one hand, signaling for him to sit back down.
"It is the Hydra." The Khan spoke, his expression unreadable.
"Impersonating others, stealing their identities… it could only be them."
Even within the Eternal Heaven, such vile beings were likely rare.
"Then what should we—" The Khan waved a hand, cutting Qin Xa off.
"In the skies above, eagles do not lose to ground-bound partridges. Trust in our warriors."
The vast majority of forces deployed this time were White Scars vehicles; the Raven Guard contribution was so small as to be almost negligible.
At the same time, the Khan opened a fleetwide communication channel. Sitting calmly amidst his warriors, the Great Khan spoke sternly:
"Fight in squad formations. Maintain maximum mobility. Regroup at the designated landing zones. Let those clumsy imitations witness our true speed!"
What answered him were fragmented war cries breaking through static.
The engines roared with overheating fury. The dense, almost tangible clouds trembled, like a stage scattered with beans, every tiny piece leaping wildly to the accelerating rhythm.
Wings sharper than blades tore through the raging winds. Thrusters blazed with searing fire bright enough to stab the eyes. The riders cast off restraint, and the hoofbeats suddenly broke into full gallop.
"For the Khan!"
The silent flock that had once merely descended with transported warriors suddenly burst into a frenzied charge. Their pace became chaotic; men shouted and surged forward at breakneck speed.
The pilots pushed their engines to maximum output. Overloaded reactors caused the gunships to shudder violently.
At this moment, they fought for the Khan!
As though guided by a single supreme commander, the entire charging fleet suddenly veered in one direction together—only to shift course again the next instant.
Those whose reactions were noticeably slower, whose turns lagged in silence, immediately became targets for the White Scars. With every soaring pass, every abrupt turn, the agile flock of hawks swept brutally across them, scattering fragments like feathers in flight.
Because this was primarily a transport operation, most of the landing craft deployed were Stormbirds.
The Stormbird's bulky frame—heavy and lacking any graceful aesthetic—was forced by sheer engine power into dizzying climbs, dives, banking turns, and bombing runs. Laser cannons and heavy bolters atop the turrets spat blazing fire. Missiles screamed through the cloud layers. Rippling fields of light shimmered around the hulls as void shields operated at full power, their intense heat resisting the bitter cold of the heavens.
Meanwhile, the lighter aircraft favored by the White Scars—such as the Scimitar-pattern fighters—formed into squads and plunged directly into enemy formations, attempting to rip open their lines.
For a time, beneath the cold and oppressive clouds, endless muffled thunder and bursts of fire rained down together with twisted scrap metal and severed cables, burning like scraps of paper as they fell toward the earth below.
Within the clouds themselves, wave after wave of dogfights erupted. At times, one could even witness dazzling maneuvers—fighters drifting like falling leaves to evade tracking missiles.
As time passed, the clouds churned. One gunship after another slowly emerged from the black storm layer above. Their hulls were battered and cratered, covered in scorch marks and impact wounds. Thick trails of black smoke dragged behind them while their engines groaned weakly. The strain of such extreme overloading meant they could not endure another burst of reckless speed anytime soon.
Bang!!!
A Stormbird whose belly had nearly been burned through by laser fire slammed clumsily into the ground. Momentum dragged it forward across the wasteland. Its engines flared violently one last time, greatly reducing the agony of its skid. Amid showers of sparks, it finally ground to a halt.
The Stormbird's nose was buried deep within Cadia's iron-strewn wasteland. Its underside resembled the rotting corpse of something long dead, exposing metallic framework beneath like skeletal ribs.
The warriors who had landed ahead of the main force hurried over, attempting to render aid.
With a thunderous bang, the Stormbird's hatch was kicked open violently. A White Scar stepped out, his expression grim. His helmet was tucked under one arm, while the other hand gripped his curved saber—
"Bleurgh!"
Before anyone could question him, the man doubled over and vomited. Cursing loudly in Chogorian, he offered colorful "blessings" toward his pilot. One by one, his battle-brothers staggered out behind him as well, clearly having endured quite an ordeal at the hands of their pilot's flying.
The response they received was an angry stream of shouting from the cockpit.
It was a White Scar who got airsick.
The surrounding warriors burst into laughter—but the laughter stopped almost instantly.
An ivory-white and dragon-scale-gold gunship hovered low overhead. Its hatch opened, and from the darkness within, a figure slowly stepped out.
"The Khan!"
The warriors roared.
"The Khan stands with us!!!"
The Great Khan's hawk-like gaze swept across every warrior present. Then he looked farther into the distance.
He saw motorcycle squadrons standing ready for battle.
He saw the wreckage of countless aircraft.
He saw his commanders racing toward him through the skies above.
And upon the earth below, he saw—
The Khan narrowed his eyes.
They had landed at the very edge of the plains. Without question, he could see the endless tide of daemons.
But the daemon horde was not charging toward them. The monsters seemed utterly indifferent to their arrival. Like creatures fleeing for their lives, they raced deeper and deeper across the plains.
Beyond them, there was something else.
The Alpha Legionnaire.
Accompanied by ominous psychic disturbances, the Alpha Legion was slowly advancing toward them.
The Khan frowned.
A voice sounded through his private channel, "My elder brother."
The voice spoke calmly, "You do not intend to meet the Warmaster? Acting under the Warmaster's request, I wish to invite you to see him."
"Horus ordered the Hydra to ambush his own brothers?"
The Alpha Legionnaire laughed softly, as though his deception had already been seen through.
"This is merely a small indulgence of ours. I suspected you would refuse to meet the Warmaster, but someone had to handle the matter."
The Khan shook his head and drew the White Tiger Dao from his waist. The polished blade flashed with cold light.
"I will meet Horus, but in my own way."
"And as for you—"
The Great Khan let out a contemptuous laugh.
"You are unworthy."
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 490: Slaanesh Decides to Go Have Some Fun[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/my-life-as-death-160784510?collection=602520[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/my-life-as-death-160784510?collection=602520
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/my-life-as-death-160784510?collection=602520