Day 297, Year 986, 41st Millennium
Upper Hive
Front Line
His goal this time was to lead the breakthrough and help these soldiers seize the main elevator of the hive city, achieving victory. He was willing to do it; it was about protecting many innocent civilians from the clutches of the xenos and heretics. However, his battle brother wasn't very keen on this mission, but what could he do? They had no choice but to fight.
"Don't be afraid, human... hurry on before I kill you!" Chaplain Samael shouted at a hesitant recruit, urging him to join the rest of the troops. Before he and three other battle brothers charged into the horde of fully formed Geenstealers, showing no fear of the danger.
"Kill Xenos!!!!" he roared, unleashing a spell on the nearest Geenstealer with full force, severing it in half.
"Purge the Unclean!!!!" He then spun around, deflecting the claws of another Geenstealer attempting to attack him from behind, and using his other hand to grab its neck, yanking it off with full force, catching its spine in his hand.
"Burn the Heretic!!!!" he shouted again, using the head with its spine still attached to another Geenstealer, using his staff to deliver an upward-angled blow to its chin, shattering it. He then kicked it to the ground and stomped on its chest, crushing it further. Meanwhile, the other battle brothers were fighting fiercely as well. Caesar was sweeping his chain sword in a long, furious sweep, slaughtering multiple Geenstealers simultaneously. His movements were so ferocious and insane that Samael found it extremely worrying, as Caesar could easily be afflicted with Black Ragh if this continued.
The others weren't as concerned. Tuki, the space marine from the Cacharodon Space Marine chapter, was using his axe and pistol to deal with the Xenos, while Kitros was using his energy sword to fight through hordes with graceful movements typical of a Dark Angel.
Samael then turned his attention to what was directly in front of him. He saw dozens of Abominants charging towards them—modified Xenos hybrids with sharp claws and wielding hammers or whatever they could find, capable of inflicting a fatal blow in a single attack. Several small creatures called "Mindwyrm Familiars" protected themselves and their allies nearby from the enemy's psychic attacks. Samael quickly diverted his attention from the Geenstealers he was currently fighting and charged directly into the horde of Abominants.
He rammed several Geenstealers, knocking them down, and along the way, wielding his Crosius staff to take down dozens more. Samael gritted his teeth, looking for an opportunity, before using his spell to smash the head of one Geenstealer into its body. He then leaped onto its body, soaring above the head of the nearest Abominant before slamming down and crushing its head with the heel of his armored boot.
(Abominants are a type of Geenstealer with immense durability and strength; they can easily crush Space Marines with their hammers.)
The massive body instantly fell to the ground. Samael didn't let the chance go to waste; he picked up the Abominant's power sledgehammer with one hand. Before he could swing it at the nearest Mindwyrm Familiar, he shattered it into pieces.
Other Abominants seeing Samael rushed forward to attack. One was about to swing its hammer to reduce the other to flesh, but Samael dodged and used his spell to strike its arm, knocking the hammer out of its hand. He then swung the hammer in his other hand at its chest, sending it flying several meters away. Suddenly turning around, he used his spell to strike another's head, slicing open blood, bone, tissue, and brain matter, scattering everywhere.
Samael's breathing became heavy. Everything he saw began to turn red. He was being consumed by the Red Thirs. He felt teeth growing sharp. He didn't care about this now, or he would die.
"For the Emperor!" Samael shouted, deflecting another's hammer with his staff and then using his own hammer to strike its face, killing it instantly. Meanwhile, he noticed the other Battle Brothers rushing to attack the Xenos to help him. Several other ordinary human soldiers were also present. Seeing this, he smiled before dodging another hammer and using his flowing armor to strike the abominant that had just lost its balance after missing its attack. He then used his club to strike its side, causing it to stumble, before using the hammer to smash its head in for the end.
He was starting to like using hammers now. If he survived, he'd have the tech marines build him a huge thunder hammer.
"For the Sangeunius!!!!" he shouted before swinging the hammer at another abominant that tried to strike him. Both of its legs were instantly broken. Samael didn't hesitate, stomping on its head again until its skull was completely shattered.
"Die!!!" He then continued his attack on another abominant, using his spell to smash its face before following up with a hammer blow. Now they began to retreat, leaving behind numerous corpses and Samael, who stood trembling and exhausted.
"What are you doing, Chaplain Samael? , that's utterly unreasonable! You shouldn't have done that. You should try to be calmer," Caesar said, irritated as he fired a bolt pistol at an abominant's head before using his chain sword to cleave it in half.
"...Bring me another one to kill...As for that, I helped you complete the mission, brother," he replied calmly, though his demeanor was increasingly agitated and breathless.
"You two are both ridiculous!!" Kitros grumbled at the two as he drew his energy sword from the abominant Chaplain's body. Samael frowned. How was it ridiculous? He just wanted to eliminate as many enemies as possible and protect these little human soldiers, giving them a better chance of survival. Because if these ordinary soldiers were to fight the abominants, their chances of survival would be slim.
"Enough! We should move on to our next destination, not waste time arguing over such trivial matters," Tuki tried to stop the three from arguing. The three merely glanced at him, nodded, and then led their group of soldiers deeper into enemy territory.
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"It was terrifying," Eric slowly lowered the binoculars he had retrieved from the soldier's corpse. He had seen the Space Marines fighting the mutants fiercely and bravely. It was a bloody sight.
Chaplain Samael was far more terrifying than he had imagined. He was incredibly agile, aggressive, and strong, befitting a genetically modified human. The way he tore off an alien's head with one hand was gruesome. He would really need heavy weaponry to fight these guys. Considering their strength and physical attributes, they were superior to ordinary humans in every way. But whatever, Samael and the others were gone.
Even so, it wasn't as terrifying or disgusting as shooting the woman and baby the other day, suspecting them of being mutants.
The truth was, after hours of trying to convince himself that it wasn't wrong, that what he did was acceptable. He didn't harbor any ill will towards her. He didn't kill her out of necessity. Was he deceiving himself?
Whatever.
Eric turned towards where the Leman Russ tank was being repaired. A religious technician was working, using a wrench to fix the tank tracks damaged by a rocket attack. Meanwhile, they were all chanting prayers. Eric was able to decipher that it was in the Biannarik language.
Since the tanks their platoon was escorting had been temporarily damaged, Eric and his platoon rested in the area.
This was a much better thing, because right now he felt stuffy, hot, and uncomfortable from fighting all day.
Eric, having separated from the group, sighed softly before leaning his gun against it. He then removed his chest armor and helmet, placing them beside where he was sitting. Eric felt an immediate sense of relief, no longer having to wear the rather heavy armor. He took several deep breaths, eagerly and relaxed at the temporary comfort. But this action was incredibly foolish, because even though this thin armor might offer almost no protection, it did give him a chance of survival. It could still protect him from melee weapons, increasing his chances of survival.
In a place like this, enemies could come from anywhere, at any time, or from any place. Whatever, right now he just wanted to be comfortable.
Eric unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt to relieve the discomfort, causing his shoulders to drop slightly. He reached into his pocket and found something—a comb he kept there.
Eric smoothed out his white hair. It was a bit of a mess, having crammed it into his hat for about two or three days. He ran his hand through his hair, gently combing it with a relaxed air.
He shifted his shoulders, loosening his shirt, and settled into the most comfortable position he could manage, oblivious to anyone watching. He hummed a tune, which helped somewhat mask his anxiety and guilt.
"When you can even say my name..." Eric murmured softly. He'd heard this song a few times, but he still remembered the lyrics. They were in English, not Low Gothic. He could have translated them into Low Gothic, but he decided against it. Meanwhile, he pondered many different things.
Okay, today he and the PDF conscripted troops had advanced deep into the mutant-occupied territory and were able to continue fighting effectively with the help of the four space marines and a large number of armored vehicles and tanks acquired from the reserve tanks and armored vehicles that had been used to pay taxes to the central government.
The deeper they went, the more dangerous and terrifying mutants they encountered. Some required tanks to deal with. Many of his teammates had already died, and the tension in the battle was escalating.
"His memory is gone...you feel...Number...call my name..." As he hummed a tune, he sensed something approaching.
The sound of a Chimira armored vehicle instantly alerted Eric. He knew that the sound of such a vehicle meant they were regrouping and distributing more ammunition and supplies.
Eric quickly put away his comb, stood up, buttoned his shirt, and hastily put on his armor. But it seemed he had done it a little too fast.
"Damn it...why is this...damn it!!" he muttered under his breath as he pressed on the armor's seams. He hadn't adjusted those two lumps of fat before putting on this uncomfortable suit. He felt extremely uncomfortable, his face showing frustration and displeasure. But now wasn't the time to take the armor off and put it on. He had to hurry before Lieutenant Rocklin started scolding him.
Before long, Eric, whose hair was still not tucked into his helmet, arrived at the road where the Lemanrus tank and Chimira armored vehicle were parked, along with the other recruits. Those standing or resting would immediately turn to look at him upon seeing him, before returning to their normal activities.
If Lieutenant Rocklin knew he was gone, it would be terrible. He might be punished. But for now, he needed to find the right moment to adjust those two lumps of fat. Eric spotted some wreckage that might provide warmth, so he quickly hid behind it before carefully removing and putting on his chest armor. He adjusted it a few times to make sure it stayed in place and wouldn't make him feel any more uncomfortable. Then he sighed softly and went to gather supplies like the others.
After getting supplies, Eric found a suitable corner to eat alone. He unwrapped a package of corpses starch, revealing a coarse, tasteless, rectangular bar of dough, sometimes with a slightly rancid smell. Eric ate it as he did every day, but today was different.
"Huh...?" Eric unconsciously muttered softly when he felt something with a fabric-like texture while chewing. He quickly pulled it out of his mouth and discovered it was the same type of fabric used in military uniforms, and even the same color.
"It must just be a production error, right?" Eric thought optimistically before continuing to eat, without caring that the actual material might be something else entirely.
.....Like human corpses (and luckily, he didn't know that human corpses could be used to make corpse starch, allowing him to consume it normally).
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