Warhammer: Saving Humanity Begins with the Resurrection of Horus

Page 197

So what about "阵" (zhèn)? What does this character represent?

It has many meanings: artillery array, laser array, torpedo array... When these "arrays" are combined into one, their powerful force, along with its master, will tear their enemy to shreds.

Now, even though the Mountain Array was surrounded by hundreds of warships and subjected to countless attacks from macro cannons, torpedoes, lasers, and plasma, it still fearlessly accelerated its engines, using the Void Shield as its armor, its weapons as bows and arrows, and its massive body as a spear, aiming at its enemies, and launching a seemingly desperate charge like a cavalryman.

This move directly caused a huge change in the situation of the entire Void Battlefield, because the Mountain Array's target was none other than Perturabo's ship, the Ironblood, the flagship of the Iron Warriors, the Queen Glory-class battleship. Both were the core of each other's fleets, and the outcome of their battle would inevitably rewrite the course of the Void Battlefield and even the entire war.

This was hardly a fair battle. Aside from a few ancient relic "ships," the Mountain Array's overwhelming power was overwhelming compared to the other warships, even the Queen of Glory. In a one-on-one fight, where the commanders of the two ships were roughly equal in skill, it would only be a matter of time before the Mountain Array destroyed the Ironblood.

Perturabo himself was well aware of this, so he began preparations as soon as the Ironblood entered the battlefield—using the fleet's numerical advantage to cut off the battlefield, leaving the Mountain Array isolated and helpless, then concentrating firepower to weaken the Mountain Array's powerful Void Shield, and finally using the Ironblood and the other two battleships together as a heavy hammer to smash the Mountain Array, which was imprisoned on its ironclad armor, along with Roger Dorn, to pieces.

However, Roger Dorn quickly found a way to counter his scheme. The Mountain Array began its charge, and with its engines running at full speed, the massive warship's speed was in no way inferior to that of the Ironblood. The distance between the two was shortened to almost nothing in a short period of time, and seeing this, the other Iron Warriors' warships hesitated to fire, and their firepower weakened.

"Let them keep firing!"

Peturab's anger flared up instantly at the sight of his sons' actions.

"Don't worry about my safety! Let them keep firing! Don't evade! Roger Dorn wants to fight with bayonets! Let's fight him!"

The Steel Lord's orders were quickly relayed, and the warships that had previously reduced their firepower resumed firing at full force, even more intensely than before. Clearly, they had sensed their father's displeasure, and Perturabo's discontent would inevitably lead to those who had angered him paying the price after the war.

No steel warrior could afford such a price, so all they could do now was try everything they could to please Peturabo and get them off the hook.

The Mountain Array's Void Shield was operating at superpower speed, its surface shimmering with continuous ripples. The warship's bridge was enveloped in red light, and piercing alarms blared incessantly—energy critical alarms. Maintaining both the Void Shield and the engines at high speed was already pushing the warship's energy reserves to the limit. According to the Thinker Matrix's calculations, if the simultaneous full-power operation of the engines and Void Shield continued, the Mountain Array would be forced to shut down due to energy problems after a maximum of five Terra.

However, given the current situation, the Mountain Array no longer needs to maintain its maximum power of five Terra hours.

In the instant the Mountain Array and Ironblood closed in, behind the Iron Warriors' fleet—the very warp rift from which warships and soldiers were continuously being sent out—another Imperial fleet suddenly appeared. The massive and imposing Eternal Expedition, like a razor-sharp sword in the hands of a master swordsman, plunged directly and ruthlessly into the Iron Warriors' back. It and its surrounding warships unleashed a torrent of firepower, their target clearly the newly opened warp rift—they intended to sever it and prevent the Iron Warriors' reinforcements from reaching them.

Upon learning of the situation behind him, Peturabo's steely face immediately adopted an incredibly cruel smile, a smile that looked utterly chilling, even ruthless.

"Rogal Dorn."

He spoke in a low voice, and a rumbling sound like an engine came from his body.

Do you think I haven't guessed what you're thinking every time?

The fierce barrage forced Eternal Expedition and his warships to abandon their initial plan to close the rift. A powerful electronic signal appeared in their oracle, followed by the emergence of an enormous warship's bow from the subspace. Just by looking at that bow, everyone present with any knowledge of warships immediately knew just how massive this warship was—undoubtedly, in terms of sheer size, this warship was even larger than the Ironblood and Eternal Expedition, both belonging to the Glorious Queen. If we were to simply consider the size of the ships, then perhaps only the Mountain Array could easily overpower it.

A cruel smile appeared on Perturabo's face. This was a gift he had prepared specifically for Roger Dorn and his Mountain Array. Although it was not yet completed, its power was already enough to reverse the unequal power of the flagships in this war.

During the Horus Rebellion ten thousand years ago, the rebel Legion of the Word Bearers possessed three enormous starships. These three starships were built and designed by members of the Dark Mechanicus in the early stages of the Horus Rebellion using the basic template of the Queen of Glory battleship that they had stolen. The model name of these warships was also the name of their first warship, the "Abyssal Fury," which brought countless deaths and destruction to the five hundred worlds.

The complete Abyss Fury battleship is the largest and most heavily armed battleship in the Empire. Both the Imperial-class battleships and the Glory Queen-class battleships pale in comparison. It is said that only the Mountain Array and the legendary Imperial Dream, the Emperor's own personal vessel, can contend with or defeat it. However, these are just rumors. The Mountain Array and the Imperial Dream have never actually fought against the Abyss Fury battleship. Nevertheless, this rumor involves the Mountain Array, which naturally piqued Peturabo's interest.

He himself was not interested in the situation of Emperor Dream, and anyone with a sound mind would know that Abyss Fury could never contend with Emperor Dream, whose entire body was composed of technology from the Dark Ages.

He himself is very interested in the comparison between Mountain Array and Abyssal Fury.

The three Abyss Fury-class battleships were basically missing after the Great Mutiny. It is certain that the Abyss Fury and the Blessed Lady were completely destroyed in the battle with the Ultramarines. The other ship, the Tribal Prayer, is in the hands of the Word Bearers, serving as the vacant vehicle for Luo Jia after she lost her Glorious Queen.

Perturabo spent a thousand years successfully finding specific information about the Abyss Fury, and then began his own research in a secret place. Until today, when facing Rogue Dorn and his Mountain Array and Eternal Expedition once again, he finally completed most of the ship and made it his trump card to appear on the battlefield.

He called the ship the Steel Lord, and its name was the Tyrant.

The Mountain Formation was incredibly close to the Ironblood, and they were about to collide. Through the observation window, Perturabo could almost see Roger Dorn's cold face on the bridge, even as he faced the enemy's counterattack.

That annoying face.

However, I'm about to tear it to shreds.

The warships are about to collide. If this happens, a massive explosion will sweep across the entire void battlefield, and the overload of the warp engines could even cause a powerful warp storm that will last for decades.

The Tyrant also broke free from the crack, and before its massive body, the Eternal Expedition was like a young boy with a sword facing a real warrior.

But the young man was not afraid. Whether it was his courage or something else, he charged towards the Tyrant. His weapons were operating at full power, and countless light spears, torpedoes, and macro cannons overwhelmed his enemies.

A futile struggle.

Perturabo gave a sarcastic smile. At this moment, he had gained enough advantage in the void battle. Imperial warships were rushing to the aid of the Mountain Array and the Eternal Expedition, but in Perturabo's tactical plan, their arrival would only increase the death toll.

After all, the Mountain Array and the Eternal Expedition will die before them.

"grown ups!"

Perturabo was still in a daze; the power of chaos even allowed him to see the scene from that moment, filling him with immense satisfaction.

"A strong subspace reaction has occurred on the Mountain Array!"

what? !

Perturabo was startled. He saw the Mountain Array, which was now very close to the Ironblood, and the massive hull of the ship. He saw the carvings on it depicting the glory, battles, and sacrifices of the Imperial Fist over the past ten thousand years, and even a statue of Roger Dorn standing tall.

Warp reaction? Is Roger Dorn going to overload the warp engine? Does he want to take himself down with him?

Doesn't he know that I am now immortal?

Roger Dorn, what exactly do you want...?

Before he could stop thinking, Peturabo suddenly widened his eyes.

This psionic energy... is exactly the same as the lightning reaction that just appeared from Amegadoton.

In other words... this is the Emperor's psychic power!

"Oh no! Take cover!"

Chapter 232 Vashtor

“Roger Dorn, my son.”

It was an ordinary day during the Great Crusade. Rogue Dorn was in Terra, entrusted by the Emperor with the important task of designing and constructing Terran buildings and related defenses. Ten thousand years later, when he looked back, he suddenly understood what an honor this was, and couldn't help but wonder if the course of the entire Great Rebellion would have been drastically different if Peturabo had been assigned this task.

If it were someone else, they might easily become deeply immersed in the fantasy and unable to extricate themselves, after all, humans are creatures who yearn for the good. They always love to think about things they don't have, things they can't possibly possess, fantasizing that they've never made a mistake, that their wishes will always come true, and that they'll always have a way to undo their mistakes.

But Roger Dorn wouldn't do that.

Because he is Roger Dorn.

"I'm about to embark on a plan, but I can't tell you any details about it. In a world we can't see, evil is constantly watching our thoughts, and I must avoid being discovered, so..."

"What is my mission?"

"...Build defenses for Terra, no, defenses for the entire solar system. I can feel the impending crisis. I need your protection. I need a strong fortress."

The seemingly ordinary middle-aged man suddenly smiled. He looked at his son and a rare smile appeared on his face.

Do you know why I chose you instead of anyone else?

"I do not care."

"Ha, you see, you've already explained the reason yourself."

Roger Dorn's recollection ends here.

Ten thousand years have passed. The once omnipotent man with a thousand faces is now a rotting corpse, enduring unimaginable torture and torment for the sake of the human race on the Golden Throne. Roger Dorn himself is also completely different from before. He is still a stone, but his surface is covered with moss and even has some tiny cracks.

However, there is one thing that Roger Dorn will never change.

That is, he imagined that no matter how dark things are now, there will still be hope in the future.

And this hope begins here, starting with his defeat of his fallen brother.

"Activate the device!"

Located in the core area of ​​the Mountain Array, the Imperial Artifact discovered by Roger Dorn—the Spear of Longinus—was radiating a dazzling white light. This light was incredibly bright and gave those around it a powerful feeling: a feeling that evoked sadness, warmth, care, and guilt, a feeling that utterly shattered their bodies and minds.

With a command from Roger Dorn, those surrounding him—the Astartes Chapter's think tank, the chief Astrologers from various Astrologian choirs, and the Astronautical Army's psionic masters—all unleashed their full psionic power, even though they all knew what such an action represented.

"Return to the Golden Throne!"

A psionic master from the Astral Army roared, his eyes radiating intense light, his body slowly becoming transparent under the output of psionic energy, giving him the appearance of a fragile work of art.

And this fragile artifact, in the next moment, in an eerie silence, shattered into pieces like a vase falling to the ground with a "crack."

But at the very moment he was reduced to fragments, from the perspective of the many psionicists, a golden light suddenly appeared and took something away from there.

"Return to the Golden Throne!"

This time, the one who roared was a chief Star Speaker, whose bizarre body gave him an alien-like appearance at first glance. His third eye emitted a blinding light and cracks spread outwards. Just like the previous person, his body also shattered completely thirteen seconds after he roared, turning into fragments on the ground.

The golden light appeared once again.

"Return to the Golden Throne!"

"Return to the Golden Throne!"

"Return to the Golden Throne!"

"........."

The roars grew louder and louder, and in the end, only a few members of the Astartes Legion's think tank and the strongest mortal psionicists remained alive. They struggled to hold on, but still did not know how much more psionic energy was needed to activate the power of the artifact before them.

Is all our efforts going to be in vain?

The idea had barely formed when, in the next instant, golden light appeared at the tip of the Spear of Longinus.

It was a magnificent light, completely different from the white light emitted by the Spear of Longinus at the beginning. This light looked incredibly dazzling, as if it contained the temperature of an entire star, capable of completely annihilating everything in its path.

Outside the Mountain Array, aboard the Ironblood, watching the golden light appear and the cannons extending from the center of the Mountain Array, Perturabo suddenly felt an utterly absurd feeling.

That means I'm going to die.

From the radiance emanating from it, he sensed the power emanating from the Emperor. This power was not a scrap of material bestowed upon those living saints or champions by the Emperor, but a power unique to him, a power capable of destroying planets and even stars.

This power can undoubtedly completely destroy demons, preventing them from being reborn in the warp.

So this was your plan?

Peturabo looked at the Mountain Array and gritted his teeth.

This distance... you want to die together with me?!

"Sir! We have no way to avoid it!"

"Father! The Stormbirds are ready! We must hurry..."

"No one is allowed to leave!"

Peturabo roared.

"Charge! Even if it means death! Roger Dorn will have no chance of surviving!"

He was furious.

Perturabo knew perfectly well that he must look very ugly now, exactly like when he was at his most insane ten thousand years ago... No, that's not quite right. It should be said that he hasn't changed at all in the past ten thousand years. It's just that after the Great Rebellion, there was nothing left to vent his anger on, so he looks much more normal now.