The cleanup operation in the Koronus Expanse was in full swing, with the Orks being the first to bear the brunt.
The Orks in the Koronus Expanse had built a powerful empire, with Longtooth Star as its capital.
Ever since humanity established the Calixis Sector government and officially asserted its rule over the Calixis Sector, the Orks of the Koronus Expanse began to harass humans.
Later, humanity discovered the Great Rift, and formal warfare between the two sides began.
In 108M41, the Administratum of the Calixis Sector passed a resolution to thoroughly liquidate the Orks of the Koronus Expanse, sending out a vanguard fleet for reconnaissance.
The light cruiser Radamanthys discovered them, and the Astropath on board sent out the final log before his death, which detailed the scale of the Orks in the Koronus Expanse and the worlds they ruled.
These Orks were not scattered pirate raiders, but an Ork Empire.
The Calixis Sector Navy had planned to gather heavy forces to destroy this Ork Empire in one fell swoop, but unexpected events kept occurring, first the Mertek War, and then the Great Rift.
This led to them being unable to deal with this Ork Empire, as the Great Rift expanded, the scale of this Ork Empire also grew larger and larger, which caused the Imperial officials stationed in the Expanse to worry.
The Koronus Expanse was not an official territory of the Imperium, but because many planets had already been colonized by humans, the Calixis Sector dispatched officials to manage and tax these planets.
Upon learning that the Saints had launched the Koronus Expansion Act, these Imperial officials also gained mission authority, and they immediately issued a mission to destroy the Ork Empire in the name of the Emperor.
Player organizations such as Combat Roses, Thirteenth Legion, and Sea Island Warlords accepted this mission.
They led their military forces to attack the planets occupied by the Orks.
Combat Roses was responsible for capturing Skullcrusher Star, which was an important Warp node world.
providing access to numerous planets occupied by Orks.
If it were captured, the time required for Orks to gather on other worlds would increase by more than 3 days.
Skullcrusher Star was constantly scorched by a hot white star, vast and barren, with widespread issues of extreme heat and water scarcity, making survival difficult.
This planet had no native life, only some dark places where Ork flora and fauna grew, they were the only life on this planet.
The only civilization on the planet's surface was Skull Town.The town was situated on a long, deep canyon wall, with the lower levels consisting of scrap heaps, mines, and landfills, overseen by hordes of Gretchin.
responsible for recycling materials, cultivating fungi, Squigs, and usable minerals.
Further up were the rudimentary workshops of the Mekboyz, where Ork spacecraft occasionally landed to exchange for rare minerals from the ground.
The planet was surrounded by an asteroid belt, which was the main living area for the Orks.
They hollowed out large meteorites and asteroids, planting Ork plants and various other chaotic things inside to establish a life-sustaining system.
Little Alpaca led the Players of Combat Roses in an assault, using fierce firepower to obliterate the Ork warships wandering in the void.
making them explode like fireworks.
The patched-up Ork warships turned into burning wrecks, carried by flames in all directions.
The Ork Chieftain stationed on Skullcrusher Star died in the fierce naval battle, and the remaining Ork fleet then collapsed and was annihilated by the human fleet.
Immediately after, it was a landing operation, launching a full-scale assault on the asteroid belt.
The Players were at the forefront, serving as the vanguard, air-dropping onto the asteroids to clear out the local Orks, amidst gunshots and battle cries, one asteroid after another fell, and the roaring Orks were annihilated by the Players' ferocious firepower, after the last batch of Orks was wiped out.
Little Alpaca took off her helmet and inhaled a cold, blood-tinged breath of air, beneath her feet lay the corpse of a massive Ork.
it had skin as tough as an ancient tree, a pair of fierce red eyes, and its protruding lower jaw still showed the grimace of its dying rage, only the pool of guts beneath it indicated that it was dead.
It took her a lot of effort to completely kill this monster, all signs indicated that the Orks had been operating here for many years; some main control rooms and corridors were overgrown with pulsating fungi, and various crude weapons, armor, and tribal totems were piled into bizarre altars near the command console, above the altars, a transparent dome displayed the void of space beyond the station.
"An Ork den certainly has a smell."
Spaceking walked in from outside, her exquisite armor still stained with Ork blood, and the blessed longsword in her hand gleamed with crackling arcs of electricity.
"It's finally over." Gray followed closely, "Honestly, fighting Orks is already good.
Other Xenos are even more disgusting."
"Haha, you're right, Orks are just a bit ugly, other Xenos are not only terrifyingly ugly, but their bodies are also slimy, I feel like throwing up just thinking about the Xenos race we annihilated last time."
Natasha nodded, agreeing with Gray's words.
Little Alpaca turned around and looked at her companions.
"Alright, stop with the useless talk, there's still an Ork town on the surface that we need to clear out."
"Are we continuing the air-drop operation?" Natasha asked.
Little Alpaca shook her head, "Let the fleet perform an orbital broadside, there's no need to go to the surface."
"Okay, I'll send a message to the fleet commander immediately." Natasha said, a moment later, the human fleet floating in the void moved to the designated position.Then, volleys of lance beams bombarded the ground, completely obliterating the Ork town.
Combat Roses left a portion of Imperial troops on Skullcrusher Star, letting them clear out the corpses in the asteroid belt, after all, this planet could produce various precious minerals, which was a huge fortune, according to the Expansion Act, whoever liberated a planet gained ownership of that planet, and all the wealth on the planet belonged to them.
Skullcrusher Star was now the private property of the Combat Roses Battle Group, and it certainly needed to be developed and maintained properly.
The capture of Skullcrusher Star was just a small interlude in the cleanup of the Orks in the Koronus Expanse.
The Players attacked from all sides, continuously conquering planets controlled by the Ork Empire.
The Thirteenth Legion, led by Dragon Lobster, set its sights on the treacherous planet, a mineral-rich but geologically unstable world shrouded in choking sulfur fumes, although the Thirteenth Legion was at the bottom of the first echelon, its numerical scale was the largest, because Dragon Lobster, as a blogger, had strong appeal, many people knew him, after entering the game, those who hadn't figured out what path to take would consider joining Dragon Lobster's Thirteenth Legion first.
It was like a melting pot; anyone who claimed to be a fan could join.
Over time, it became the largest player group.
The military strength of the treacherous planet was not strong, with only a few space stations; there were no residents in this place, only miners, responsible for mining ore for the Ork warlords.
The Ork boys here would take heavy shuttles to the surface to collect metal ore and lava, which would then be screened by the Mekboyz and processed into metal, then traded for food and water.
The Thirteenth Legion easily took this place, and another major player organization that participated, Sea Island Warlords, plundered Trampling Star, the main religious sanctuary and industrial production site of the Orks, after a fierce battle.The Orks were defeated, and the Sea Island Warlords completely captured Trampling Star.
"Brothers, don't be polite with these guys, take whatever you see."
Desert instructed his subordinates to search carefully and not miss any valuable items, after the plunder was complete, Desert planned to take his companions through the Warp to Longtooth Star, preparing to launch the final blow against the Ork Empire in the Koronus Expanse.
Longtooth Star was the capital of the Ork Empire and the world with the most Ork residents in the Koronus Expanse.
The indigenous inhabitants of this planet had been completely wiped out, and everything they had created became the Orks'.
The planet's surface was covered with factories, workshops, and shipyards, producing weapons, vehicles, and spacecraft for the Orks day and night.
War industry spread like a plague of fire and steel across the entire planet, and the only remaining open spaces were the Orks' testing grounds and gladiatorial arenas.
In addition to the surface industries, Longtooth Star's orbit was also filled with space stations and weapon platforms, and famous giant derelict ships—such as the Fist of Gork—were idle above the planet, ready to be deployed into battle at any time.
It was foreseeable that the Battle of Longtooth Star would be the most brutal battle in the Koronus Expanse.
For this, the Players agreed on a time and place to gather, preparing to jointly launch a full-scale assault on the capital of the Ork Empire.
Just as Desert was commanding his fleet, preparing to Warp out of Trampling Star's airspace.
suddenly several warships bearing the symbols of the Chaos Gods blocked their path.
"Oh, are you treating my Sea Island Warlords as good men and women? So arrogant, daring to show your face in front of me?"
"Open fire, don't let them escape."
Desert naturally did not hesitate, immediately ordering to open fire.
Merit points delivered to their doorstep, it would be a waste not to take them, at this moment, a noisy sound came from the bridge, and a gloomy voice spoke.
"Saints, please hear me out before opening fire."
"Open fire." Desert shouted again.
What plot? Just do it.
There's no such thing as killing the wrong Chaos heretic.
Erebus:
How come these guys aren't playing by the rules!!
Can't they listen to me for a bit??
They just start firing so eagerly.
"I am Erebus, and I speak for the Gods."
This sentence had an effect, and Desert quickly shouted, "Stop, don't open fire."
Erebus alive and dead were two different prices; if they could capture Erebus alive, charging other Players admission fees would probably make them rich, as the character with the highest negative popularity on the battlefield, Erebus' ticket appeal was incomparable to other characters.
Seeing the human fleet stop attacking.
Erebus' mouth curved slightly upward.
See? This is the prestige of a Dark Apostles.
Even the Saints have to show respect.
"Erebus, I've heard much about you, why don't you come over for a chat?"
Desert grinned widely, extending a warm invitation.
"I am a heretic, Inviting me onto your ship, aren't you afraid of being discovered by the Corpse Emperor's fanatical followers? Or are you planning to trick me over?"
Erebus was not a fool after all.
The Saints inviting him immediately clearly indicated a problem.
"I see the Corpse Emperor as despicable and shameless, enslaving countless people and making them suffer, my heart aches, Today I have met an Apostle of the Gods, if the Apostle is willing, please introduce me to the Gods, and show humanity a clear path."
Desert's tone was sincere, making the Players nearby almost burst out laughing.
Hearing the Saints on the other side directly call the Emperor the Corpse Emperor, Erebus himself was somewhat shocked.
He had originally thought the Saints were loyal to the Emperor, but who would have thought they had long harbored discontent, just unable to find an opportunity to betray him.
"You also harbor discontent towards the Corpse Emperor?" Erebus asked tentatively.
"The False Emperor deceives humanity and defrauds the Gods, he deserves to die!" Desert shouted, "Slay the False Emperor and usher in a new era for humanity!"
Hearing these words from the other party, Erebus' pupils dilated.
Goodness, such a heretic slogan was shouted out.
It was impossible not to believe it, after some hesitation, Erebus finally agreed to this absurd request, taking a group of Daemon-possessed warriors in a transport craft.To the warship where Desert was located, as soon as they entered the hangar bay, the armored hatch closed, and the cannons, which had been deactivated to gain Erebus' trust, were reactivated, locking onto the Word Bearers' transport craft.
"What is the meaning of this?" Erebus frowned upon seeing this formation.
The Daemon-possessed warriors around him also quickly raised their weapons, confronting the Players guarding them.
"Of course, it's to trick you, you fool, to come over and then capture you, Otherwise, would we love you?" A Player joked, "Erebus, today, even if you had wings, you wouldn't be able to fly."
"Didn't you want to turn over a new leaf, abandon the Corpse Emperor, and embrace the Gods?" Erebus looked at Desert, who was leading them.
"God-Emperor is indeed quite bad, but at least he has a little integrity, The Gods you speak of have none at all." Desert activated the rending field of the longsword in his hand, and bright arcs of electricity instantly covered the blade.
"Originally, I was worried about where to find you, but I never thought you, this fool, would willingly come to our doorstep, and even actively enter our encirclement, I really don't know whether to call you stupid or arrogant."
Erebus surveyed the Saints around him and said, "Many things are just the Imperium's slanders against the Gods, As long as you are willing to embrace the Gods."
"the galaxy will become your backyard, and you can do whatever you want, with complete impunity, Wealth, power, status, and strength can all be easily obtained."
Erebus' words made many Players laugh.
This displeased Erebus; the attitude of these Saints was annoying.
He offered such good conditions, why were they laughing??
Desert's face held a playful smile as he looked at the Dark Apostles, his tone filled with mockery.
"Erebus, we're not fools, If we wipe you all out, this universe will still be ours."
"Giving Terra what should already belong to Terra and thinking it's a way to win Terra over, are you joking?"
Erebus:
"..."
These guys are simply too arrogant and greedy.
What do you mean, 'what should already belong to you'?
You are just a group of high-dimensional outsiders?
He and the Gods are the natives of this universe, the true masters of this universe?
"You are as arrogant as the Corpse Emperor, so arrogant it's shocking, so arrogant no one can compare."
Erebus stared at the Saints in front of him.
"Don't praise Terra like that, it's quite embarrassing." Desert said with a shy smile.
Erebus and the Enchanted Warriors were so frustrated they almost spat blood!
You guys can't even tell good words from bad, can you??
Are these words meant to praise you?
Are arrogance and haughtiness good words?
"One day, you will regret it, No one can overcome the will of the Gods? Even you, who come from a higher dimension, are no exception, The Gods are the true masters of this universe."
Erebus' voice was very low.
He made one last attempt, trying to use his rhetoric to pull these people into the Gods' camp.
However, his efforts were destined to be futile.
Desert showed a mocking expression and said word by word.
"No existence can resist the Fourth Scourge, not even a God."
"The ultimate masters of this universe are Terra, and only Terra."
"Go, deal with those Enchanted Warriors, at all costs, Oh, and Erebus must be taken alive, absolutely do not let him die."
"Kill, for the Emperor, for the Blood God!" A World Eaters Player raised his crimson axe, letting out an excited roar.
Subsequently, Erebus felt Khorne's blessing fall upon the opponent's battle axe.
Not only Khorne, but the power of the Chaos Gods like the Lord of Change, Prince of Pleasure, and Plague God also appeared on the weapons of other Saints, as long as these Saints shouted the corresponding Chaos God's name, their weapons would receive blessings.
What the hell is this??
Have the Chaos Gods defected??
For a moment, Erebus even wondered if he had been abandoned by the Gods??
It must be known that even for Chaos traitors, obtaining the Gods' blessings is very difficult, requiring many trials.
These Saints only needed to shout the Gods' names to easily receive blessings.
You should know, they are all loyal to the Corpse Emperor!!
This behavior by the Chaos Gods is equivalent to aiding the enemy!!
We are about to fight to the death, why has Your Majesty surrendered first??
Clang ~ Clang ~
The clash of cold weapons and close-quarters combat resounded incessantly, clanging loudly, "Master, we cannot stop them."
Korl Badar, an Enchanted Warrior, shouted.
Every Enchanted Warrior is the most vicious, most loyal, and most dangerous warrior.
They wear Terminator armor, radiating terrifying red light, and their combat power is unimaginable to ordinary people.
The first Enchanted Warriors were already born before Horus' betrayal.
The most famous Enchanted Warrior among them was Angar Ty.
It was he who led a team into the Eye of Terror for pilgrimage, bringing the will of the Gods to Lorgar.
This legendary warrior was the earliest being to come into contact with Chaos, and also the earliest to be possessed by a demon, but he used his powerful willpower to control the demon, Raum, who was soul-bound to him, angar Ty could freely switch between human and demon forms and maintain absolute control over his body.
In Lorgar's eyes, Angar Ty was the best manifestation of humanity coexisting with Chaos.
In the later stages, Angar Ty even became Lorgar's most beloved son, according to prophecy, this legendary Word Bearer would sacrifice himself at the hands of Sanguinius during the Battle of Terra, but Erebus used his actions to tell everyone that prophecy, with enough effort, can be changed.
To achieve the future one desires, one must strive for it oneself, rather than passively waiting.
During Angron's daemon ascension ritual, which was the destruction and massacre of this poor World Eaters Primarch's homeworld, Nuceria.
Erebus seized the opportunity and killed Angar Ty, which enraged Lorgar and later caused Khârn, upon learning of the matter, to harbor murderous intent towards Erebus and challenge him to a duel, but Erebus was dishonorable; during the duel, when he was losing, he opened a Warp gate and fled, becoming a laughingstock.
Enchanted Warriors are a manifestation of absolute loyalty to Chaos.
Those fanatical warriors make agreements with Warp entities by offering their flesh.
For mortal hosts, they gain greater power, For demons, the host's flesh and blood body allows them to remain physically present outside the Warp.
The two form a mutually beneficial whole.
Over the past ten thousand years, Enchanted Warriors, with their unique abilities, have become the Empire's nightmare, but with the rise of Primaris Space Marines, Enchanted Warriors no longer have the same advantage as before.
Intense gunfire erupted, artillery and machine guns targeting the Word Bearers fired continuously, leaving these traitors with no chance to retaliate.
Under the absolute superiority of firepower suppression, Enchanted Warriors in their normal state had no power to fight back.
To turn the tide of battle, they all activated their daemon-possessed state.
In the daemon-possessed state, the demon's will would take control.
With strange screams, red light surged forth.
The bodies of the Enchanted Warriors grew strong, sharp claws that could easily pierce ceramite and steel.
Their bodies became grotesquely twisted, with limbs, tentacles, wings, extra mouths, and eyes.
Their speed and strength were greatly enhanced, allowing them to easily lift heavy vehicles and mechanical equipment and throw them at the Players, but the Players were not to be trifled with either.
Extensive combat experience transformed them into elite veterans.
Powerful technology gave them strength and speed far exceeding mortals, buffing skills and the Emperor's blessings gave them combat power not inferior to that of Enchanted Warriors.
The Players and the Enchanted Warriors engaged in an extremely brutal battle.
The combat power of both sides was evenly matched, and both possessed various strange and wonderful skills.
"Today, all of you will die." Desert shouted.
He was ganging up with two other Players on an Enchanted Warrior with ox horns.
The opponent's body was extremely burly and strong, with two blood-red eyes that glowed with evil light, but under the siege of the three Players, this Enchanted Warrior was beaten back repeatedly, utterly routed, and finally pinned to the ground.
"You will all be cursed by the Gods."
"I'll be waiting for you in hell."
The Enchanted Warrior roared furiously, staring at Desert and the other Players with angry eyes.
"Hell? The place we're in is hell, you fool."
Desert swung his sword, lopping off the Enchanted Warrior's head, ending his evil life.
The demon was banished back to the Warp, while the body of the Word Bearer warrior died from losing its head.
The Enchanted Warriors defeated some Players, but more Players swarmed them.
They were defeated by sheer numbers, as time passed, one Enchanted Warrior after another fell.
The demons fled back to the Warp with the shame of defeat, and along the way, they ate the souls of the dead Word Bearers as a little snack, "You will definitely regret it." Erebus shouted angrily again, watching his subordinates fall one after another.
"Perhaps, but you won't live to see that day, Because you will spend every day from now on in despair, and even your Gods cannot save you."
"Because the Fourth Scourge is invincible, because the Fourth Scourge is destined to rule this universe, Whether it's Gods or anything else, they will kneel at our feet."
Desert, full of swagger, shouted and swung his sword, striding towards Erebus.
To be honest, this feeling was very enjoyable.
Especially when facing such a special NPC, there was a feeling of trampling everything they valued underfoot.
That kind of joy was like making an incompetent husband watch his beautiful wife being taken away, only able to rage impotently, yet unable to do anything.
However, Erebus' cunning exceeded expectations.
He pulled out a dagger, and with a casual slash, opened a rift radiating eerie light.
He fled into the rift with a few guards, by the time Desert rushed over, the rift had disappeared, leaving only an empty deck.
The remaining Enchanted Warriors were also quickly defeated and killed, or captured.
"Erebus must have fled back to his battleship! Immediately activate the Warp jump, don't let him escape!"
Desert shouted, giving the order.
The Players, without bothering to clear the corpses on the ground, hurried to the teleportation hall, preparing to board and capture Erebus alive.
The fleet also fired at the Word Bearers' battleship, attempting to disable their defensive shields and Warp fields.
"Brothers, live stream the capture of Erebus!"
As they headed to the teleportation hall, a Player started a live stream in the global chat channel, at first, the other Players thought Desert and the others were joking.
Even if Erebus was stupid, he wouldn't walk right into a trap.
However, as videos and photos were uploaded, they had to admit it was true.
Warmaster: "Is Erebus an idiot?"
Little Alpaca: "Why did he deliver himself to Desert? Couldn't he have come to me?"
Yuji: "So angry, I'm shivering!!"
Dragon Lobster: "I'm also in the Koronus Expanse."
Desert: "Brothers, wait for my good news, When I capture Erebus alive and bring him back to Terra, I'll definitely set up a few tables to celebrate."
Inside the teleportation hall, with the roar of mechanical equipment, a flash of light from the teleportation covered Desert and the Players.
The surrounding environment distorted, and when everything returned to normal.They had already arrived inside the Word Bearers' battleship.
The interior of the battleship was gloomy and terrifying, with thick steam spewing from pipes.
The steam was mixed with strong incense, sweat, and the smell of decay.
"What a disgusting place."
"Makes me want to vomit."
"It smells worse than an Orks' den!!"
The Players grumbled as they advanced deeper into the ship, along the way, they encountered many monsters and Chaos cultists, These enemies were easily torn to shreds by the Players.
Only a few Word Bearer warriors could impede their progress, but the ultimate outcome was still a rout.
Soon, Desert and the other Players reached the core of the Word Bearers' battleship.
Here, Erebus was conducting a Chaos ritual with his Oracle, a glowing vortex appeared above the altar, clearly a Chaos portal capable of instant Warp jump.
"No!! Damn it."
"Erebus, you coward, stay and duel me!"
Realizing that the opponent was about to escape, Desert immediately rushed towards Erebus' location, wanting to stop this villain.
However, it was still too late.
Erebus turned his head and looked at Desert, "We will meet again soon, At that time, you will regret what you have done today."
Then, he stepped into the vortex formed by the altar and disappeared.
The Players swung their swords, killing the Oracles and destroying the altar, but Erebus ultimately escaped.
"No!!"
Desert knelt on the ground, shouting in grief, "Snowflakes fluttering, north wind whistling—"
A song began, fitting the scene.
The wailing Desert stopped, looking with a dark expression at his companion who was playing music, his gaze slightly hostile.
The others' gazes were similar.
The Player showed a hint of embarrassment, "I thought some music would set the mood."
Desert got up, "Where are you from?"
"Binjiang."
"When we go offline, a few of you go and drag him to the island, then throw him into the sea and make him swim back."
Desert said grumpily.
"No, boss! I've rendered service to the organization, I've shed blood for the organization, you can't do this to me!!"
After some playful banter, the previously upset group no longer dwelled on Erebus' escape, as the number one villain in the entire Warhammer Universe, the main instigator of the Horus Heresy, and the man with the highest participation rate in the Battle of Terra.
If he were that easy to catch, he would have been eliminated by those Imperial heroes long ago and wouldn't have been able to cause trouble until now.
Desert also shared this incident in the chat channel.
Warmaster and other Players immediately opened champagne to celebrate.
When they learned that Erebus had appeared before Desert and the other Players, they all beat their chests and stamped their feet, regretting that they hadn't gone to the Koronus Expanse, after all, capturing Erebus alive would yield an absolutely exaggerated amount of war points.
If Desert and his group had gone through immense hardship to find Erebus, then it would have been understandable, but Erebus had actively delivered himself to them.
It was hard not to suspect that Desert had kidnapped the operations of Warhammer 0L to create such a plot.
Now, upon learning that Desert and his group had failed and allowed Erebus to escape, they were naturally overjoyed.
This meant they had a chance.
In response, Desert also severely ridiculed these guys in the chat channel.
Erebus' matter was ultimately a minor interlude, after clearing out the remaining Chaos battleships and arranging for the rescued slaves.
Desert led the fleet to Longtooth Star, preparing to annihilate the Orks in the Koronus Expanse.
The fleet navigated through the surging Immaterium, and several days later, arrived in the airspace of Longtooth Star, at this time, the Orks had also assembled an exaggeratedly large force.
The only three remaining Ork warlords in the Koronus Expanse had also gathered at Longtooth Star, both sides would engage in a large-scale war here, and on the edge of the battlefield, an Eldar battleship hovered in the dark void, far from the conflict.
Several seers from the Korol Craftworld were observing the assembled human army, as the oldest race in the galaxy, it was impossible for them to be unaware of such a large-scale military deployment by humans.
"Erebus escaped, but he is still in the Koronus Expanse, It seems these foolish monkeys need some help." Aila Ashbell, the chief farseer of the Craftworld, whispered to herself.
She intended to warn humanity and reveal Erebus' whereabouts.