Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 68: Cetis

In fact, because too much time had passed, a portion of the positioning data on the coordinate beacon had been corrupted. Loken attempted to repair some of it, but was still unable to obtain an exact location; he could only outline a general area.

Only by finding the target could the final parameters be filled in and the two teleportarium arrays activated.

As the warship hovered silently in the planet's high orbit, roaring Thunderhawks broke through the atmosphere and arrived at the sector Loken had designated.

"Scans indicate there are no targets in the vicinity."

In the Thunderhawk's upper compartment, Armin was giving a briefing. Due to the previous operation, the other two squads had suffered casualties; thus, the squad Soshyan brought this time was a fully-manned Second Squad—Armin's squad.

"We will land in three minutes. According to the map intelligence, the terrain in this area consists primarily of plains and forests. There is a medium-sized settlement at our nine o'clock direction named Cetis. Currently, there are no signs of rebel activity nearby."

"Is this the only settlement in the vicinity?"

"Yes, Commander."

Soshyan turned to Sol beside him and said:

"Brother Zayd mentioned that the object is buried deep underground. I figured perhaps these natives might have some clues, or legends."After a moment of silence, Sol nodded slightly.

"The area provided by the coordinate beacon has a diameter of twenty kilometers. This is a massive expanse. If we rely solely on our twelve men, I'm afraid it will take a long time to find."

"Then would there be any trouble in seeking assistance from the local factions?"

"The thinking of most mortals is shallow and reckless. Most of the time, they only focus on what is right in front of them. The moment we appear, they will swarm us like madmen, begging us to help them quell the rebellion."

"That is true. Then how about we choose to secure the information?"

"That is also an option."

After making the decision, Soshyan resolved to maintain the secrecy of this operation. He truly didn't know what Brother Zayd was referring to; if it turned out to be something taboo, it would be difficult to conceal with too many people involved.

In a clearing within the forest, the massive air currents expelled by the Thunderhawk snapped the surrounding towering trees.

By the time it landed, the entire woodland seemed to have just weathered a storm. Uprooted shrubs and horizontally laid trees were everywhere.

Amidst the hiss of steam, the hatch opened, and a squad of fully armed Space Marines marched out.

It was midnight. The forest, which should have been filled with the chirping of insects and birds, was as silent as a graveyard.

After unloading all the Space Marines, Logris piloted the Thunderhawk back into the sky. However, it wouldn't return to the Starfire; instead, it would loiter at high altitude to support the squad on the ground at a moment's notice.

Subsequently, the squad moved through the forest in a tight formation along the direction indicated by the map.

In this region, the forest didn't seem particularly untrodden. Along the way, Soshyan saw numerous trails, likely trodden by hunters or loggers.

He also spotted some wooden signs, though he couldn't quite understand the Low Gothic scrawled upon them.

As the path twisted and turned, starlight leaked through the canopy into the rainforest. The ground undulated everywhere, making the squad's advance feel akin to surfing.

The squad walked along the forest path for an hour and a half. Aided by their power armor and their reinforced muscles, every Space Marine walked much faster than an ordinary human.

The warriors pressed on tirelessly, with Armin naturally carving up trees into splinters with his sword to clear the way at the front.

They were approaching the settlement.

As a town surrounded by forest on three sides, generally speaking, the residents would clear an open area around the city, building walls and watchtowers to gun down anything that dared leap out of the woods.

After all, the unfriendly things in the forest were sometimes more than just wild beasts.

Judging by the sparseness of the trees, Soshyan determined they were not far from that kill zone.

Soon, through the cover of the trees, Soshyan spotted their target.

The city of Cetis was encircled by forest on three sides and bordered by water on the fourth. The entire urban area was enclosed by thick walls nearly ten meters high, with eerie watchtowers looming beyond a kill zone several hundred meters wide.

The city's founders chose this location because it was favorable for defense and had the river as a means of transport. On the other side of the river lay vast, fertile plains, long since taken over by various crops.

Outside the walls, there originally used to be many shantytowns—the living quarters of the serfs.

The watchtowers on the walls were not merely for defense, but also to monitor the serfs' every move. Several city gates ensured that crops could be transported along guard-protected roads.

Most of the time, guards hired by the local merchant guild patrolled outside the city piloting "retired" Sentinel walkers, using the heavy flamers and chainblades equipped on the mechs to punish anyone who didn't fall entirely in line—such as by burning down their houses.

There was also a small contingent of bikers and cavalry ready to sally out at any moment, pouring their fury upon anything that threatened the city with bullets and blades.

Moreover, the merchant guild had installed twin-linked and quad-linked heavy stubber turrets on the walls.

Truth be told, such defenses would be very difficult for poorly-armed rebels to overcome. However, looking at the situation, the shantytowns outside the walls were pitch-black.

To Armin, this was also somewhat suspicious.

As he neared the kill zone, he slowed his pace while the other warriors behind him began to catch up. Sol seemed to lag behind out of everyone.

But his gaze remained as sharp as an eagle's.

"Armin, halt."

Soshyan ordered over the vox, but Armin had already stepped out of the forest.

Armin looked up at the city wall. Suppose the soldiers above could see him, they would definitely recognize their power armor.

Then, he heard the response from the wall.

Rat-tat-tat-tat—!

The rounds of a heavy stubber flew toward the forest. Countless massive craters were smashed into the ground, sending dust and stones flying continuously into the air.

Large bullets hammered Armin from head to toe, ringing out against his power armor. Fortunately, he carried a shield; he immediately raised it to cover himself and swiftly retreated back into the forest.

The other warriors watched this in astonishment.

These people actually dared to attack Space Marines!?

After falling back and dropping to one knee, Armin was trembling all over with rage.

Even Soshyan took a deep breath to suppress his anger, then activated his vox-caster.

"Hold your positions for now."

The heavy stubber rounds pierced through the trees, tearing bark and trunks to pieces. They were still firing.

Armin was furious, and the other warriors let out low growls. Had Soshyan not given the order, they would have long since charged up to teach those damned mortals a lesson.

At that moment, beneath the noise, Soshyan's ears caught the whirring of massive auxiliary power units.

The Sentinel walkers were coming.