hotmtlnovel Chapter 8: The first shot is fired at Irebas!
Chapter 8: The first shot is fired at Irebas!
"A trap? Is there a problem with this cleanup plan?"
Abaddon was terrified, and the more he listened, the more he felt that what the "real Horus" said made sense.
"The purge plan itself was not problematic; if I were in that situation, I would have implemented the same tactics."
Sun Qian, disguised as "Horus," sighed softly.
"The problem lies in the execution process. If I'm not mistaken... this plan will definitely not be completed smoothly in the end. At a critical stage, someone will inform the 'unreliable ones' who are about to be purged about the virus bomb."
"Then, how can we stop it...?"
"It's unstoppable. Although I've secretly sent Sun Qian to eliminate any unstable factors as much as possible, since even the commander is already their puppet, they have too many ways to complete this scenario."
So was the sergeant named Sun Qian really acting on Horus's orders?
But that no longer mattered; anger caused blood to rush to Abaddon's head, making the veins on his skull bulge rapidly.
"Damn it, so those Chaos Gods betrayed us? Why would they do that?"
"Azeroth, your understanding of warp demons is too superficial. They bury lies within the truth. Think carefully about what those evil creatures truly crave. If we smoothly conquer Terra as planned, is it really in their interest?"
Abaddon recalled that he had also participated in many of the demon sacrifice rituals presided over by Irebas, and each time the arrival of those strange and evil monsters was accompanied by blood, pain and death.
He had seen the grand blueprint of Warmaster Horus's uprising. After Istvan annihilated the die-hards who were blindly loyal to the Emperor, they should have advanced all the way to the Throne of Terra with unstoppable momentum. Those mortal lords would have had no chance of defying the Warmaster's legions.
Then Horus, the Warmaster, will become the new emperor of mankind, leading the warriors of Astartes to glory.
This is definitely not what those demons want.
Compared to this undeniable victory, it would be a Pyrrhic victory for both the Warmaster and the Emperor, or for the survivors to gain more power.
Damn it, why did it take me so long to notice this?
"Father! Please lead us to board the Vengeance Soul! I will lead the Gastrin Terminator squad to take down that imposter puppet with you!"
Sun Qian shook his head, revealing a genuinely tired expression.
"I regret that I cannot do it. The injuries I sustained on Devon Star will take some time to heal, and because of the contract I have with the Chaos God, I will suffer severe backlash if I break the contract... I must conserve my strength to deal with my powerful father."
"Then I will..."
Abaddon wanted to say that he could do it alone, but when he thought of the intimidating power of the "fake" on Vengeance Soul, he couldn't help but waver a little.
Although it was just an imposter, according to the "real Horus," this puppet cloned the Primarch's powerful physique and was also infused with powerful warp power by the four Chaos Gods.
Even though Abaddon prided himself on being unmatched in Astartes below the Primarch level, he still faced enemies of Primarch caliber...
"Don't worry, he is my best offspring."
Sun Qian revealed a confident smile, knowing that he only needed one more push to succeed.
"I became the Imperial War General not just by brute force, but by preparing the formula for victory for you."
Abaddon's eyes widened, and his unease vanished instantly.
Yes, Zhan Shuai is a genius in the field of tactics, he must have already come up with a brilliant plan to win!
"First, we'll play along. If I'm not mistaken, the existence of survivors alone won't satisfy the Chaos Gods' ambitions. Next, they'll likely try to sow discord among my brothers..."
-
The Soul of Vengeance, now.
"Damn it! Order all fleets to remain still! Use orbital bombardment to completely annihilate them; no amount of cover will make it possible..."
Before Horus could finish giving his command, the surrounding space suddenly began to fluctuate unusually.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news for the War Commander."
A figure appeared beside them at some unknown time. He was wearing red power armor, and his already ugly head looked even more bizarre because of the dense text tattooed on it.
"Spit it out, Irebas!"
This Astartes member of the Word Bearers legion named Erebas seemed to be the only one who noticed Abaddon's overly calm reaction, but he only showed a hint of doubt in his eyes. In order not to be torn apart by the enraged Horus, Erebas decided to report on important matters.
"Upon discovering survivors on the ground, your brother, Angron, the lord of the Twelfth Legion, immediately led the World Eater Legion to the ground and is now engaged in a fierce battle with the remnants on Istvan III."
The Warmaster angrily swung Horus's Claw, shattering several screens around him.
"Damn it!!! That brainless butcher, how dare he..."
When Horus cursed his brother for disobeying his orders and acting without permission with merciless and vicious language, Abaddon did not join the others in comforting the warlord, but simply watched it all with a cold eye.
In the past, Abaddon would have excitedly suggested that Horus annihilate Angron and the enemy to uphold the Warmaster's authority and punish those who disobeyed orders.
But now, he just wanted to scoff at the ridiculous scene, while at the same time being filled with admiration for the father of genetics.
Of course, not towards this out-of-control "imposter" in front of me.
Finally, after several minutes of arguing, Horus made the decision that Abaddon already knew.
"Notify the other legions to prepare for a full-scale attack on the remaining diehards of Hymn City in coordination with the World Eaters... Azeroth, you are responsible for assembling the legions and ensuring they are ready to attack within two hours."
Under Horus's arrangement, Asimand and Marrogst did not hesitate to carry out the order and took away the Astartes warriors who had just slaughtered the narrators here.
Eribus could tell that Horus was in a bad mood, so he naturally didn't want to provoke Horus. He just furtively searched for something among the corpses on the ground.
"Tsk, isn't that fanatic Euphrates here...?"
At this moment, Horus noticed that Abaddon, who should have been the most responsive to his orders, was standing still.
"What's wrong, Azekael? Didn't you hear my command?"
"Yes, I'll do it right away..."
Abaddon felt a surge of excitement; he realized that now was the perfect time that "Father" had mentioned!
"The War Commander's orders!"
Click!
Abaddon pulled an Unyielding Storm Bolt Gun from the inside of the giant Storm Shield—a high-powered weapon designed exclusively for Terminator power armor and vehicles.
(The first shot must be a surprise attack—)
In that instant, the command of the true "War Commander," not the "imposter" in front of him, rang in Abaddon's mind.
Without any hesitation, Abaddon raised his hand and pulled the trigger.
Two large-caliber explosive shells were launched...
Slay the Dark Apostle of the Word Bearer!
(Fight Irebas first!)