A Rhino armored personnel carrier bearing the emblem of the Luna Wolves slowly emerged from a concealed passage outside the storage room.
Its silver-gray armor reflected the cold glow of the surrounding fires.
The wolf-head insignia painted on its hull looked almost alive beneath the shifting light.
The Imperial faction players had spent more than a hundred thousand Imperial Coins purchasing this [Luna Wolves Rhino Armored Personnel Carrier] from the system store.
Its composite armor was tough enough to withstand small-arms fire, making it ideal for moving through the war-torn palace.
Inside the Rhino's troop compartment, Lone Wolf leaned against the armored wall, wrapped in thick military blankets.
His burned skin had already been treated with medical gel.
Although his injuries still looked horrifying, the pain had finally subsided.
Sejanus lay beside him, also wrapped in blankets.
His breathing was steady.
His face was still pale, but at least some color had returned.
The terrible wounds that had exposed his bones were slowly beginning to heal after treatment.
[I Want to be the Imperial Regent] sat in the driver's compartment, observing the surroundings through the vehicle's periscope.
His fingers moved rapidly across the control panel as he guided the Rhino through the ruined streets, carefully avoiding areas where the fighting was still intense.
"Turn right up ahead."
Lone Wolf's voice came from behind him.
It was hoarse, but clear.
"There's a narrow passage over there leading into the ruins on the eastern side of the palace."
"That's the route we used to get inside."
[I Want to be the Imperial Regent] nodded and steered the vehicle to the right.
The Rhino rumbled through the wreckage, its engine noise almost completely drowned out by the surrounding artillery fire.
Occasionally, a stray round struck the armor plating, scattering a few sparks before ricocheting harmlessly away.
Nobody spoke.
The only sounds inside the vehicle were the metallic creaks caused by its movement over the uneven terrain and the distant thunder of bolters.
--
Back at the center of the explosion inside the false Emperor's palace, a hundred figures were frantically searching through the ruins.
The Chaos faction players, now wearing Imperial Army uniforms, crawled over piles of shattered stone and debris.
Their faces were filled with excitement and fanatical anticipation, as though they were searching for some priceless treasure.
[Poor Men Buy Cars, Rich Men Buy Watches, Billionaires Play Boonie Bears Run] kicked aside a chunk of blackened concrete and looked at what lay beneath it.
A mangled corpse.
Golden armor.
Burned beyond recognition.
Not this one.
He kicked aside another piece of rubble.
Nearby, [Your Salt, My Vinegar] stood in the middle of the ruins, his brows tightly furrowed.
His eyes swept across the devastated battlefield.
Shattered stone everywhere.
Twisted wreckage everywhere.
The unmistakable marks of enormous explosions covered the entire area.
Thirty Whirlwind-X missiles fired simultaneously.
That was enough destructive power to flatten an entire palace.
If Sejanus had really been here, there was absolutely no way he could've survived.
And yet...
Something felt wrong.
He couldn't explain what it was.
It was just an uneasy feeling he couldn't shake.
"VINEGAR BRO!"
An excited shout suddenly came from the distance.
"GET OVER HERE! LOOK WHAT I FOUND!"
[Your Salt, My Vinegar]'s pupils contracted slightly.
He hurried toward the voice.
The surrounding Chaos players followed him.
The discovery was inside the collapsed remains of a side hall.
Amid a pile of broken masonry lay a silver power sword.
Its blade was long and elegant.
The hilt bore the engraved wolf-head insignia of the Luna Wolves.
Blood stained the blade, and several obvious cracks ran along its surface.
Beside the sword lay a ruined suit of white power armor.
Its breastplate had been completely deformed, covered in cracks and burn marks.
Half of the shoulder guard had shattered, exposing the empty interior.
The helmet was gone.
Only a few scattered fragments remained nearby.
[Poor Men Buy Cars, Rich Men Buy Watches, Billionaires Play Boonie Bears Run] crouched down and carefully picked up the sword.
He studied the markings on its blade for several seconds.
Then he looked up at [Your Salt, My Vinegar].
"Bro, this is Sejanus's sword."
His voice trembled with barely contained excitement.
"I recognize the engraving."
"I saw him wearing it myself aboard the Vengeful Spirit."
[Your Salt, My Vinegar] accepted the weapon.
He slowly ran his fingers along the blade, feeling the cracks beneath his fingertips.
Then he looked at the ruined power armor.
The wolf-head insignia on the breastplate was badly warped by the heat, but it was still recognizable.
And the Fourth Company's markings on the shoulder guard were unmistakable.
A slow smile spread across [Your Salt, My Vinegar]'s face.
There was relief in that smile.
And the deep satisfaction of someone whose desperate gamble had finally paid off.
"Brothers."
His voice rang across the Wings of Freedom channel.
"Looks like Sejanus really is dead."
The surrounding players erupted into deafening cheers.
"LET'S FUCKING GO!"
"WE DID IT!"
"HISTORY'S BACK ON TRACK!"
"VICTORY TO THE CHAOS FACTION!"
The Chaos players threw their arms around one another, laughing and shouting in celebration.
Their faces were filled with excitement and fanatical joy.
[Poor Men Buy Cars, Rich Men Buy Watches, Billionaires Play Boonie Bears Run] was grinning so widely he could barely close his mouth.
His eyes had even grown a little moist.
"FUCK! I DIED THREE TIMES BACK THERE!"
"SPENT OVER EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND IMPERIAL COINS!"
"BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! EVERY FUCKING COIN!"
"One of the four members of the Luna Wolves' Mournival..."
"One of the greatest company captains of the Great Crusade..."
"And we actually managed to kill him!"
[Your Salt, My Vinegar] stood among the celebrating players, his smile slowly growing wider.
The nagging sense that something was wrong gradually faded.
He still had a few doubts.
But the sword was real.
The power armor was real.
And if Sejanus were somehow still alive, why would he abandon both of them?
He drew a deep breath and spoke over the channel again.
"Brothers, now that the mission's complete..."
"It's time to recover some of our losses."
His eyes swept across the magnificent palace buildings surrounding them.
A greedy glimmer appeared deep within his pupils.
"There's a lot of valuable stuff inside this false Emperor's palace."
"Those golden statues."
"Those beautiful works of art."
"All those stored supplies..."
"We can recycle all of it for Imperial Coins."
He paused.
His smile became positively wicked.
"LOOT EVERYTHING!"
"TAKE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN CARRY!"
"IT'S FUCKING PAYDAY, BOYS!"
More than a hundred players responded with excited roars before scattering in every direction.
Soon, the surrounding palace buildings were filled with the sounds of statues being smashed apart and players laughing hysterically.
--
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