Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 191: An Untouchable Storm

Within the spacious hall, the crisscrossing flashes of artillery fire and explosions burst forth with blinding light. By now, this room had been utterly transformed into a cauldron churning with eardrum-shattering noise and scorching heat.

The originally scattered squads also regrouped here.

Rat-tat-tat—!

As a hail of bullets swept past, Soshyan hastily ducked down, hiding behind chunks of iron that had been cratered by artillery shells and half-melted into completely unrecognizable shapes.

He saw the figures of the other squads emerging around the hall, stepping into the battlefield against the raining bullets.

Behind them, flames silently swelled through the breached walls and into the corridors.

Like him, the warriors swiftly rallied behind cover amidst the overwhelming barrage of incoming fire.

Then, a symphony composed of bolters and rapid-fire cannons resounded straight up to the dome.

The decking was violently torn apart piece by piece. The sounds of explosions against walls, defensive barriers, and the roofs of trenches were endless, with collapsing rubble crashing to the ground from time to time.

Crouched on the ground, Soshyan pulled the trigger continuously, the gun's sight snapping back and forth between targets bobbing and flashing behind cover, accompanied by the frantic ticking of the ammo counter—a haze formed by detonating high-explosive munitions and an unbearable stench gradually drifted across this space.This truly was an exceedingly grueling, bloody battle, but their enemies were already completely surrounded with nowhere to run—this was the xenos' final defensive line.

Sooner or later, they would tear down the fortifications before them, leaving the still-struggling dying enemy utterly exposed to the towering fury of the Astral Knights.

BOOM—!

A massive blast rang out as a large hole suddenly ruptured in the middle of the wall across the hall, before it came crashing down—chunks of wall fully two meters thick capable of reducing any Greenskin daring to stand beneath them to dust and mud.

From within the lingering smoke and dust emerged a gargantuan behemoth.

Its gleaming outer armor didn't consist of single solid plates, but rather segmented sections embedded into the mech's surface, bulging slightly outward.

Although it retained the appearance of an Ork Dreadnought, its overall bulk looked even larger than any Ork Dreadnought they had encountered before.

Affixed to the ends of its four arms were heavy siege drills, each of which also featured short-barreled melta cannons. The energy generator on its back enveloped it in layer upon layer of shields, while a tiny point of light quietly flickered at the center of its chest—the viewing port for this mech.

Amidst the ceaseless grating sounds of shattering floorplates, it marched with heavy steps into the center of the warzone. The rocket launchers over both shoulders swiveled with a screeching hum, scanning everywhere for targets.

"How interesting."

Sol's dry voice came over the vox. He was crouched closely right beside Soshyan, while behind him lay a puddle of molten slag currently being blown into the air by the wind.

"As always, they built a bigger one."

Farzad's squad was the first to open fire. Krak missiles shrieked as they flew toward the Greenskin tin can, yet failed to pierce its shields.

Although this big fellow was completely unharmed, it was utterly enraged by the attack, emitting a roar through its augmitters that shook the entire hall.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!

Then, the launchers on the behemoth's shoulders activated.

Rumble rumble————!

Amidst a thunderous roar, the area Farzad occupied instantly vanished into an ocean of crimson—fortunately, they had already relocated a step ahead.

Subsequently, Farzad charged toward it wielding his twin axes, his weapons fully charged with devastating energy as he hacked violently at the mech's arms with the force of a thunderbolt.

But the colossal tin can merely gave a light wave of its hand, and the dark grey figure was sent crashing to the ground.

"Damn it."

Farzad cursed, attempting to stand back up from the deck.

"This has to—"

The second half of his sentence abruptly vanished into an incomprehensible darkness.

The very moment he straightened up, an awe-inspiring, bone-chilling gale swept straight into his face and across the entire hall—a freezing tempest sufficient to wither all living things.

"I'll take it."

He heard that voice, cold and hard as hoarfrost, ringing out loudly and clearly from the highest point of the ceiling, from deep within the framework of the energy node, and even echoing off every single wall.

Accompanied by the invisible storm that accompanied him, Soshyan strode forward out from behind cover, the short cape on his power armor billowing wildly through the air, the Chapter badge embedded upon it shining as brilliantly as a comet.

Swept up in a swirling dance of metal, dancing flames also ignited along the edges of the Holy Flame Sword.

Neither artillery shells nor bullets could halt his stride.

He did not sprint, nor did he charge. Instead, he simply walked into the battlefield with casual ease, as if he himself had merged into one with the bitter, howling war, incredibly powerful and utterly irresistible.

At that exact moment, every living creature realized that the arrival of this man had sparked an invisible torrent across this place, an untouchable storm—a freezing tide howling through the spiritual realm, capable of freezing nerves and solidifying hearts.

It seemed as though even the Warp itself was shivering, trembling, and spiraling away in retreat before his footsteps.

It was the silent roar of a race that had slumbered for aeons.

The Ork Dreadnought took two steps back, then leveled the melta cannons built into its arms, pulling the triggers at Soshyan.

A torrent of extreme heat tore through the air, yet Soshyan seemed to perceive the trajectory of every single oscillating molecule, effortlessly evading the core blasts of the melta fusion while using his sword to slice the scattered energy into dissipating fragments.

In his eyes, everything seemed almost perfectly still.

Beneath his helmet, his face was already covered in a fine web of grey veins, practically forming a cold, metallic mask.

Soshyan advanced steadily, every footstep striking the ground with a sound akin to shattering ice. Every Greenskin blocking his path—whether foolish enough to believe they could halt his advance or frozen stiff in place, unable to move a muscle—was mercilessly crushed and wiped away.

To the xenos here, he was like an ever-approaching blizzard capable of shattering their courage and ripping out their livers.

Without pausing his stride, Soshyan's longsword slashed violently through the air in a massive arc, breaking apart an entire line of barricades into pieces and utterly sweeping clear the path leading toward that tower-like behemoth.

Unhurried and composed, he walked over one step at a time, so steady and ruthless, exactly like an approaching apocalypse entirely unmoved by any worldly thing.

The Ork Dreadnought adjusted its angle, taking aim at Soshyan, and the rocket launchers on both shoulders fired once again.

Subsequently, several smoke trails snaked towards Russ.

It was also at that moment that Soshyan suddenly accelerated into a run—his footsteps heavy and thunderous.

He charged at the enemy, every forward stride causing the hurricane swirling around him to grow even more furious.

His speed grew faster and faster. When the rockets closed in, he evaded the lethal projectiles at an impossibly inconceivable angle.

The tail fins of one rocket even struck a faint spray of sparks against his pauldron.

At the same time, the thermostat system of his power armor emitted a high-pitched whine that only he could hear.

Yet Soshyan remained entirely unmoved. When he smashed into the Ork Dreadnought, the resulting impact was like two continental plates colliding together.

CRACK—!

The result of the Holy Flame Sword colliding with the shield was utterly terrifying—a horrifying crunching shriek erupted as the energy field screamed under the immense strain, the blade grinding and tearing relentlessly while the howling grew increasingly ferocious.