franphil Chapter 021: Betraying Teammates
Chapter 021: Betraying Teammates
The hall was transformed into a grinding mill of flesh and blood.
Those who weep bitterly fight to the death, and those who use their lives to fill the lines with iron anvils.
People are falling every minute and every second.
The Scorpion Lord's energy wave was aimed at the vulnerable flank of the Astral Army formation.
After the explosion, the residual heat distorted vision in the air.
As the smoke and dust slowly settled, a defensive vacuum appeared in the human formation.
"Damn it!"
Dejan shook his head, trying to shake off the tinnitus.
He knew it would be difficult, but he didn't expect it to be this difficult.
The Necromancers have a huge home advantage.
Various types of buildings integrate a large number of defensive weapons.
On the two high platforms, the Gauss turrets rotated silently, each salvo clearing an area.
Particle beam turrets were embedded in the rock face overhead, their ghastly white beams slicing through the human formation with surgical precision. Bunkers were as flimsy as paper before the particle beams.
And what about our side?
Many heavy weapons could not be brought in.
In such a situation, heavy casualties are inevitable.
Seeing the two grieving people collapse one after another, Dejan realized the seriousness of the situation.
No, we can't keep fighting like this.
We cannot engage in a war of attrition with the undead.
They have fragments of the Star God as their energy source.
Fallen units can be resurrected via a respawn protocol.
We must end this battle as soon as possible.
Malakin Foros, holding the holy sword "Sorrow," stood at the forefront of the battle line, his helmet slightly rotating as he swept across the battlefield.
There are 14 mourners remaining in the two teams.
The auxiliary forces suffered heavy losses, while the undead were constantly being replaced by new ones after they died.
Lord Scorpion was smug and engaged in verbal sparring from afar.
"Human, why have you trespassed on my territory?"
"act recklessly!"
"You're not counting on those black-armored infiltrators, are you?"
"Unfortunately, they've already been taken care of by me."
"Your resistance is futile!"
Everyone present heard these words.
The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment.
Panic spread silently.
Malakin Foros appeared unmoved, but he was inwardly anxious. After casually slaying a few of the annoying golden beetles, he looked at the think tank beside him and asked, "Have you made contact?"
The Necropolis is made of living metal and is itself a massive technological construct filled with an unknown energy field.
It can interfere with and absorb various forms of electromagnetic waves and signals, rendering conventional radios, birdwatchers, and other equipment completely ineffective.
Imperial forces are in a state of communications silence.
They can only contact allies through psionic communication.
The tomb environment is permeated with an anti-psychic field.
Psionic communication has a low success rate.
Salaf leaned on his staff, his face as pale as paper; the frequent use of psionic energy had taken a heavy toll on him.
"no."
In just a moment, Malakin made his decision.
Even if the Watch of Death is destroyed, the weeping will not back down.
They fought for the emperor and shed their blood for Saint Gilles!
The sandstorms of Bal will not breed seeds of cowardice!
Malakin gave his comrade a resolute look.
The tacit understanding developed over years of fighting side by side allowed Saraf to react quickly. He slammed his staff heavily on the ground, and a pale golden psionic barrier unfolded like ripples, enveloping the chapter leader.
Malakin raised his sword and launched a surprise attack on the Scorpion Lord, the core of the battlefield, beheading him.
The weeping one beside him immediately followed the warband leader's footsteps.
The necromancer beside the Scorpion Lord stepped forward to meet him.
Not far away, Deyang, who had witnessed this scene, also came to provide support after taking down a Netherworld Swordsman.
He knew very well that the key to victory lay with the Scorpion Lord.
With the boosters behind Malakin fully activated, the holy sword, imbued with the genetic rage of the Holy Blood Angel, slashed towards the head of the Scorpion Lord.
The holy sword and the scepter collided, and the shockwave pulverized all the surrounding rocks.
Within the reach of ordinary eyes, Malakin dodged several slashes from the Scorpion Lord with fluid, graceful movements. His holy sword, gleaming with cold light, left wounds on the opponent, but never broke through the core.
Taking advantage of the Scorpion Lord's empty swing, the blade pierced in at a tricky angle. The fluorescent blue disintegration field broke through the living metal, but was stuck in the gap of the Scorpion Lord's breastplate.
It can't be pulled out, nor can it be cleaved in.
The Scorpion Lord raised its claws and swung them toward Malakin's head.
Malakin decisively abandoned his sword to evade, putting himself on the defensive and forcing him to retreat continuously.
Deyan, who was lying on the high ground, grabbed the exposed back of the Wild Scorpion Lord, which was exposed during the pursuit, and leaped out like a jungle ape, throwing a hot metal object at it.
Boom!
The Scorpion Lord staggered from the blast and instinctively swung its claws in retaliation.
Deyan landed and rolled to dodge the claw attack, then instantly drew his chainsaw sword and severed the Scorpion Lord's left leg joint!
Swift and precise, ruthless!
The Scorpion Lord let out a shriek, lost its balance, and tilted to the left.
"A great opportunity!"
Malakin lunged forward to snatch back the Holy Sword and plunged it into the core of the Scorpion Lord.
Splattering liquid, the Scorpion Lord fell to the ground.
The core of the Necromancer Battlefield has been killed.
The morale of the human army was boosted, their fighting spirit soared, and they showered Deyang with admiring gazes.
Despite being a mere mortal, Dejan delivered a crucial assist at a critical moment of life and death, and his courageous image deeply inspired everyone.
The power of mortals should not be underestimated!
Grove was stunned, with only one thought in his mind.
Show your face!
These are the men from their Anvil Company!
Deyang looked at the corpse of the Scorpion Lord with a slight sense of regret.
The head wasn't his; it didn't reach the tank engine.
The weeping crowd who witnessed this scene looked at each other, their gazes constantly shifting between Deyan and Lord Scorpion.
Such a powerful enemy.
They couldn't even lend a hand, yet a mere mortal helped the battle commander turn the tide of battle at a crucial moment.
Unbelievable!
Malakin slowly stood up, supporting himself with the holy sword. The joints of his power armor groaned under the strain. He walked step by step to Deyan, his voice low and hoarse, tinged with approval.
"Soldier, you've caught my eye."
Dejan's smile was more intense than a heavy bomb, and his voice revealed a simple and heartfelt joy.
"Pretty impressive, huh?"
"Very stylish."
Malakin nodded, his rhythm interrupted by the holographic projection of the Scorpion Lord.
That guy was relentless, shouting in a cold and mocking tone, trying to get back at them.
"My name is Hayek. You should be glad that you only have this one chance to beat me. You can't make the same mistake twice!"
You will perish here.
This is just the beginning; the galaxy will eventually be unified by my glorious and magnificent dynasty!
Oh, so you're just talking big, huh?
Dejan was an expert at this, and he immediately retorted: "What are you talking about? Can't you handle losing?"
You are nothing but a pathetic bunch of mechanical ghosts, eking out a living in some remote corner of the galaxy.
Upon hearing this, the Hayek projection shook violently, clearly furious.
Perhaps this is the downside of giving up one's physical body.
Verbal attacks are not very effective.
Dejan didn't give Hayek a chance to retaliate at all, and killed the projected necromancer with a few shots.
At this moment, the undead in the hall, though no longer under Hayek's command, were still in danger.
They don't need to breathe, they never tire, and they are incredibly powerful fighters.
However, without the Scorpion Lord as a pivot point on the battlefield, the pressure was much less this time.
Even though it is difficult, the scales of victory are tipping in humanity's favor.
However, at another location in the mine.
The battle at the ore transfer station has reached a stalemate.
Despite suffering heavy casualties, Elijah was still unable to completely break through the undead's defenses.
Elijah's face turned extremely grim as he looked at the damaged Sentinel mechs and the defensive line echoing with screams and wails.
He was in a hurry!
It wasn't that I was worried about the casualties under my command, but rather that if we lingered here too long, the Star God fragments would fall into the hands of others.
Wouldn't that mean he'd become someone else's stepping stone?
All the scheming ultimately benefits others.
No, absolutely not!
Driven by ambition, Elijah brazenly issued the order to retreat.
The adjutant hesitated for a moment, thinking he had misheard.
"What did you say?"
"Withdraw, change course, and rendezvous with the Killing Squad."
"But... if we withdraw, the left flank will be vulnerable, wouldn't that leave the main force surrounded?" The adjutant still had some shame and didn't utter the word "betrayal."
If they retreat, the undead army on the left flank will inevitably outflank and encircle the main force led by Malakin Forros, a clear act of betraying their allies.
Elijah snorted coldly, completely unconcerned about the fate of the main force.
"This is the fate of that cursed chapter; let them contribute their last bit of strength to the Empire before they die."
"Stop talking nonsense, are you going to disobey orders?"
The adjutant dared not utter a word and immediately ordered a retreat, leaving the main force's rear to the enemy.
Many years later, Badab's tragedy has been repeated.
The sacrifice of those who wept did not bring redemption, only betrayal!
The corrupt empire was unworthy of their loyalty.