Chapter 282 A Third Party Intervention

Hovia Industrial World.

The fragmented Third Legion and the fleets of two legion archons gathered on this industrial world where highly toxic chemicals were rampant. Six warships, carefully painted and carved by the Emperor's Children, were quietly parked in space orbit.

The distance between them is neither far nor near.

The Heart of Pride, a Retribution-class battleship, has a magnificent, layered bridge made of gold, jasper, and olivine.

The blinding fire burned in the iron cage, casting rolling and twisted shadows on the polished stone slabs. The mortal slaves with their ears cut off and their eyes gouged out were lined up in stiff queues, walking slowly and numbly. Their spines were bent by the implanted pain amplifiers, and their shaved scalps were branded with tattoos of their masters' names.

"Tatta-tatta, dang-dang-dang..."

Below the deck are giant sonic engines that emit endless harmonics and vibrations. These demonic engines are tightly tied with thick iron chains, but they never stop for a moment. They are filled with crazy machine spirits that are eager to be deployed on the battlefield.

And sitting on the bridge was none other than the Chief Lord Commander of the Emperor's Children - Eidolon.

(PS: "Lord Commander" is another form of the title "Legion Archon", which is popular within the Emperor's Children Legion.)

Eidolon's standard-bearer and lieutenant, an ugly noise warrior, he scanned the planet from the void. This orchestrator giggled, and his entire head was like a pale and swollen electronic music synthesizer.

"Slaves," he muttered. "More slaves."

"Yes, more slaves."

Eidolon said,

"But it's not time yet. There is still one obstacle."

The loose flesh on Eidolon's old face looked like a pool of melted paraffin, and his long, dull white hair was scattered around his head. He turned his gray eyes and looked at the communications crew on the bridge, saying,

"Communication request approved."

The crew leaned over the communications array to operate it.

On a display screen surrounded by white pearls and tiny gemstones, a blue holographic projection lit up, revealing the gilded helmet of another legion archon. The purple and gold on the ceramsite shell of the power armor had been damaged by the war, and dried spots of blood mixed with the black debris of battle.

"Lord Commander Acorion."

Eidolon greeted him, gave him a perfunctory salute, and then said with a hint of sarcasm:

"You look awful."

"This is the result of my battle with the minions of the False Emperor, Lord Commander Eidolon. If the Primarch were still here, he would see my loyalty."

Acorion replied.

His deep voice was calmer and more military, without the exaggerated style and cadences of the Chemos nobles and Slaanesh followers.

"Loyalty? Hahahaha..."

Eidolon couldn't help laughing:

"Loyalty? How ironic! You and I are both traitors. What loyalty are you talking about? Only people without brains and who can't think can talk about that bullshit loyalty!"

Upon hearing this, Acolion said angrily:

"Fulgrim will return! I am loyal to my Primarch and act according to his wishes. This is loyalty. He just went to some demon world, he is not dead!"

Eidolon pretended to be suddenly enlightened:

"Oh, really? If you see him in the Eye of Terror, please be sure to convey my sincere greetings."

"You don't have to tell me, I will tell you everything truthfully!"

After choking Eidolon, Acolion continued:

"Before the return of the Phoenix Lord, I propose that you and I jointly lead the Third Legion. This planet below will serve as a neutral area, and we will discuss the specifics of this cooperation... and the future of the Legion. What do you think?"

"Haha, this planet...I like it."

Eidolon let out a hoarse, ugly laugh.

"Hmph, in that case, I'll take it as your agreement. I'll send you the coordinates, and we'll meet on the surface."

After the other party finished speaking, the holographic projection went out.

The comm array display was filled with a blur of gray static, the communications signal gone.

"Will you go to see him?"

the adjutant asked lazily.

"Of course I would, bro."

Eidolon put on a sickeningly affectionate expression.

"On Hovia? Will he share command?"

the adjutant asked.

"That's exactly what he just said."

Eidolon said.

The orchestral player was silent for a moment, then said,

"I don't believe him."

"Haha, really?"

Eidolon laughed and said something insincerely:

"Then you must learn to trust, brother, for we are all one Legion, and we must unite as one, not as the World Eaters and the Night Lords do. Set the parameters for the landing coordinates - let me hear what he has to say."

…

Sermon, operations meeting room.

Fu Qinghai announced the next target of action - Eidolon - to several core members of the company.

"The Emperor's Children were one of the first legions to initiate a retreat after the failure of the Siege of Terra. At the same time, they did not split into several warbands according to different companies like the Night Lords, and their organization was relatively intact, so..."

Fu Qinghai paused:

"So we may encounter a fleet larger than ours."

The Space Marines present looked serious.

In the wars in science fiction IPs, space naval battles can almost be said to be the premise for all battles such as boarding ships, orbital airdrops, and urban street fighting. If the space naval battle is completely one-sided, then other battles will be very passive.

Fu Qinghai continued:

"I don't know what's going on in Hovia. If the enemy's fleet is indeed larger than ours, then I will take a more radical action plan, because..."

His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his voice was cold and piercing:

"Because Eidolon must die!"

Unlike the Night Lords, during the Horus Heresy, except for the decisive battle at the Siege of Terra, the White Scars and the Night Lords rarely fought each other. Those who fought against the Night Lords were mainly the Dark Angels. Fu Qinghai didn't recognize anyone like the Faceless Prince or the Smiling Lord.

But he was too familiar with the Emperor's Children. The White Scars and the Emperor's Children were the main opponents during the Heresy. The Third Legion joined forces with several legions to encircle the White Scars, intending to prevent the White Scars from returning to Terra for support.

During the Great Crusade, Eidolon's command skills were very poor. It is estimated that he became the Archon of the Legion only by mindlessly licking the primarch's boots.

During the Great Rebellion, Eidolon's only commendable personal achievement was that he used his modified throat to kill Qin Xia who was left behind.

The latter has always been a concern for all white scars.

It is always unpleasant when a hero dies at the hands of scum.

"He was a famous traitor who led the suppression of the loyalists during the Battle of Istvan III. I remember his name."

Qiao Shida said in a cold voice.

"During the landing site massacre on Istvan V, Eidolon was with Fulgrim. I remember him too."

Sartrefan, who was usually taciturn, suddenly spoke.

"Very good." Fu Qinghai nodded:

"Since everyone has an old grudge, then the code name for this operation is: War Criminal Expedition."

…

The meeting place chosen by the two legion archons was a plain with a radius of about five kilometers, located in the center of a manufacturing plant that was once the size of an entire continent.

War had come to the industrial world of Hovia long before the Emperor's Children came, and the vast forge facilities had been reduced to a heap of molten slag, which continued to smolder after the original traitors turned the fight elsewhere.

In the past, this place had been used to refine and process chemical products for the growing human empire. Most of the machines they used had been torn apart, blown to pieces by orbital bombardment, and crushed into burning dust by the iron hooves of armored troops.

The few factories that remained intact now operated without supervision, pouring colorful chemical waste into the boiling molten lava beneath the eternal winter of the industrial world. Arsenic seas hissed at the coastline, and the burned towers still billowed smoke like torches.

The two teams of Emperor's Children met on the black land with sewage flowing everywhere. On one side were the huge, neatly armored Hades-type Terminators - the Phoenix Guard. On the other side were the staggering, hunched, enlarged organs, and blood oozing from the subcutaneous infusion tubes - the Noise Warriors!

Standing at the front of the team was Eidolon himself. His over-modified physique was slightly huge, and his heavy cloak fluttered in the chemical heat. His long white hair drooped down against his scalp. He held a glittering power thunder hammer in his gauntlet, and wore a strange accordion grille on his chest armor.

His fat, wrinkled throat seemed to be overflowing from his neck armor, loose and moist, like the grouse in ancient Terra that inhaled and puffed up their chests to mate, their pale nostrils flaring as they drank the bitter air of the industrial world.

The adjutant glanced at the Phoenix Guard in front of him, but did not see the other legion archon, so he couldn't help but ask:

"Where is Acorion? Where is your commander?"

The Phoenix Guard was silent and said nothing.

Eidolon slowly raised his power thunder hammer, staring at the dark haze moving slowly in the distance, and said:

"Isn't he here already?"

The adjutant looked confused. He looked up at the ruins around him, scratched his fingers on the funeral speaker, and said,

"I didn't see it..."

The rest of their words were drowned out by a sudden roar from the north of the plain, an echoing rumble as loud as a cannon, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The tower fell to the ground and collapsed into ruins, smashed by the armored vehicles hidden within.

Dense dots of light appeared on the horizon - the Space Marines' helmet eyepieces and tactical rifle lights, illuminating the outlines of the Third Legion's motorcycles, tanks and armored vehicles.

The Phoenix Guard in front of them suddenly waved the power halberds and power swords in their hands, stepped deeply into the black dust with their iron boots, and rushed towards the noise warriors together.

"It's really a trap!"

The orchestrators shouted loudly and began to play with all their might. The funeral speakers began to hum and tremble, and the volume became louder and louder until it was loud enough to tear flesh and metal. The invisible psychic sound waves scraped off the gold and purple paint on the Phoenix Guards.

"Ha ha ha ha."

As expected, Eidolon burst into laughter. He quickly stepped back to avoid the sharp attack of the Phoenix Guard, lowered his head and said in the internal communication channel:

"Attack!"

The order was responded to immediately, and the troops belonging to Eidolon's legion emerged from their hiding places in the south of the plain, forming a charge towards each other. The Land Raiders and Predator tanks immediately broke free from their camouflage, crushed forward with their iron treads, and fired fiercely at the targets within range.

Eidolon turned to greet the Phoenix Guard.

"Where are you, Lord Commander Acorion?"

Eidolon yelled into the public channel, brandishing his power thunder hammer and charging straight into the enemy's vanguard.

"You still want to discuss loyalty with me!"

…

Meanwhile, space orbit.

The three Hades-class heavy cruisers quickly turned around, seized a favorable position, and fired blazing light and dense macro cannons at a Retribution-class battleship and two Moon-class cruisers.

However, the opponent was well prepared. The void shield raised in advance blocked and neutralized the incoming lasers and artillery shells one by one, and quickly started the sub-light speed engine, adjusted the position of the fleet, and began to maneuver, brewing a long-planned fierce counterattack.

The fleets of both sides fought back and forth in space, and the battle was very intense. Acorion's goal was very clear - to delay the Heart of Pride and prevent the fleet from interfering with the ambush on the ground. He vowed to kill Eidolon on the surface of the industrial world!

…

The Phoenix Guard held on to the psychic screams of the Noise Warriors and refused to give in. The armored forces of both sides chased and shot at each other in the ruins of the industrial world.

Squadrons of Thunderhawk gunboats swooped down from the clouds, dropping high-explosive incendiary bombs and sweeping laser beams across the land.

The Contemptor Dreadnought strode into battle with its head held high, spurting out molten flames and tearing everything apart with its powered claws.

Eidolon's hammer crushed the body of a Space Marine, shattering his breastplate and throwing the body high into the air. Then Eidolon swept the power thunder hammer and knocked another warrior to the ground.

"Acorion, where are you hiding!"

Eidolon raised his hammer and shouted,

"Come out and face me, coward!"

"You are unfit to lead the Emperor's Children, ugly creature!"

Arkollion's voice came, and he finally appeared in front of the Noise Warrior in person. He was guarded by the Phoenix Guard, holding a crackling power sword in his hand, and strode among the burning ruins. The air was filled with crazy screams, and from time to time there were the painful wails of people whose flesh and blood were burned.

The duel between the two legion archons is about to begin.

At this moment, a few shining points of light appeared faintly in the sky covered by dark clouds. Then, the points of light became larger and brighter, and finally turned into huge meteors...

It's an airborne warehouse!

The two sides in the battle looked up and were briefly startled by the sudden scene. At this moment, the fleets of both sides were fighting each other in space, so there was no time to launch an orbital airdrop, not to mention that the space warriors of both sides were currently on the surface...

"boom--"

The drop pod spewed recoil flames in midair, and after slowing down a bit, it smashed hard into the ruins and the battlefield, smashing several dreadnoughts and multiple armored vehicles into a mess of scrap metal. The drop pod itself was also damaged, but the hatch still slammed open, and then the white scar holding the pulse bolter and Fat Man launcher jumped out of it!

As the pulse bombs swept across the battlefield, micro-nuclear bombs were thrown everywhere, setting off a new round of explosions and killings.

A new party joins!

A three-way melee begins.

…

Above the clouds, two white-and-red Thunderhawk gunships were engaged in a dogfight with four purple-and-gold Thunderhawk gunships. Although the term "dogfight" was not quite appropriate for such huge flying vehicles, as the Thunderhawk gunships were orbital transport landing vehicles, their large size made it difficult for them to perform complex maneuvers, especially within the atmosphere of a planet.

However, their pilots are White Scars.

Roll, pull up, dive... the improved combat guns fired frantically, the shells shuttled between the wings and the turbofans, the red beams of light from the turbolaser cannon penetrated the clouds, and the six gunboats chased each other, tearing up the clouds and setting off wakes.

Fu Qinghai, who is in the cabin, is now in great pain but cannot express it in words.

The Emperor's Children have started a civil war again!

It was originally a happy thing, but the timing of entering the battlefield was not chosen by Fu Qinghai himself. As soon as the Rectification and the Fiery Horse approached the Hovia Industrial World, they were discovered by two fleets of the Emperor's Children.

The six warships that were originally entangled in a life-and-death struggle seemed to have a brief exchange and instantly turned their guns to attack the White Scar Fleet. The Suzheng only had time to hastily release a batch of airborne capsules and two Thunder Eagle gunboats, and then started a naval artillery battle with the Emperor's Son Fleet in orbit.

Fu Qinghai pushed open the side hatch of the Thunderhawk gunboat, and a raging, howling wind instantly poured into the cabin. He looked down and saw that the two gunboats were gradually approaching the center of the battlefield of the Emperor's Civil War. So he shouted in the communication channel:

"Lower altitude, ignore the other gunboats, release the Space Marines to land first, and then return to the battleship!"

The two white and red painted Thunderhawk gunboats suddenly sank, instantly breaking away from the chase and dogfight with the other four gunboats. As the gunboats dived quickly, all the scenery on the ground became larger and larger. After descending to a certain height, Fu Qinghai turned around and waved his hand to the Space Marines behind him:

"Jumping soldiers, follow me!"

After saying that, he was the first to jump out of the cabin.

The assault team equipped with jet packs followed Fu Qinghai and jumped out of the gunboat one after another. The two huge turbofans behind them spewed out turbulent airflow. After gliding in the air for a distance, the White Scar warriors wielding chain swords descended from the sky.

In just a moment, they were caught in a chaotic battle!

Fu Qinghai rolled on the spot to avoid the thick laser, and the warm, smoking black soil was lifted up. In an instant, another high-explosive grenade fell beside him.

"boom--"

The ground heaved and splashed like waves, and Fu Qinghai was thrown away by the impact and shock waves. The recoil air from the flight backpack helped him stabilize his body. The moment his feet landed on the ground, he drew his sword and slashed it diagonally, splitting the helmet of an Emperor's son into two halves, revealing the paste structure of the contents of the skull.

"White Scars, come closer to me!"

Fu Qinghai shouted in the communication channel.

After he finished speaking, white flames and a large amount of air spurted out from behind him again, pushing him forward and leaping high. He flew in a parabola over the head of a Predator tank, accompanied by lasers and explosive bombs shooting from all around.

When he landed, he knocked down a prince warrior heavily. The two of them rolled over in a ball. When Fu Qinghai nimbly rolled up, he pulled the combat dagger out of the prince warrior's face, bringing out a pool of dirty blood.

As soon as he stood up, heavy bombs from all directions shattered his armor shell into pieces. The kinetic energy and impact were absorbed by the vibranium lining. Fu Qinghai bent his body and raised his sword to protect his helmet. The Force perception and Leman's ear could not provide effective help in such a chaotic battlefield. He felt the ground shaking. It was the footsteps of the bipedal vehicle...

"Bang--"

The unparalleled force hit his chest hard, causing him to fly backwards instantly. The front breastplate turned into sharp fragments in the blue electric arc of the rupture force field and shot in all directions. Only then did Fu Qinghai see the high-raised power fist and the purple-gold-painted dreadnought mecha in front of him.

The plasma cannon mounted on the right hand of the Dreadnought mecha has lit up blue light, and the flying backpack behind Fu Qinghai spewed out flames again, pushing him away for a distance. Then a blue beam of light flashed, and the flying backpack instantly vaporized in half, exploding with flames and black smoke.

Fu Qinghai fell to the ground, and the damaged flight backpack on his back unlocked and detached with a "click". He immediately pulled out the plasma pistol from his waist and fired a plasma at the Dreadnought, forcing the opponent to turn around and dodge, and corroded a dent on the side of the fuselage.

At this moment, a thin red beam of light lit up and hit the driving sarcophagus of the Dreadnought Mecha directly. A yellow flame and a scream suddenly burst out from the gap. Fu Qinghai turned his head and saw Qiao Shida standing there with an incendiary assault gun in one hand.

On the other side, Lin Yu and Sutter Farran were coming quickly, followed by a large group of White Scar fighters. They were running quickly and shooting at the surroundings with the help of cover.

Chaos, too much chaos!

Originally, the two sides of the Emperor's Son were ambushing each other, and neither side had complete control of the battlefield. Now that White Scar rashly joined in, the scene became even more chaotic. After fighting on the ground battlefield for a long time, it was not so easy for the two sides to turn their guns and attack the outside world together.

However, the White Scars had only more than 200 people, which was too small in number. They failed to make much waves when they broke into such a huge battlefield. But Fu Qinghai's target was actually very clear, and there was only one person - "Soul Reaper" Eidolon!

From the moment he saw the scale of the enemy's battle at the very beginning, he knew that it was impossible to annihilate the enemy completely. Even if he rushed into the battlefield rashly, it would be difficult to retreat unscathed. However, he still led the Space Marines to attack without hesitation.

The melee was still going on, but the White Scar soldiers used the communication channels to communicate with each other, and with their individual qualities becoming stronger, they had gradually merged into groups and began to move towards the center of the battlefield.

…

Eidolon had slaughtered his way through the vanguard of Arcolion, his hair a black char hanging from his scabby scalp, his exposed skin blistered bright red.

Even so, he was still shouting and laughing wildly. The noise warriors on both sides of him were also highly excited, resonating strongly with the blasphemous sound spectrum that was so exciting that it made the sky rise. They let the sound waves spread wildly and even screamed themselves.

The Phoenix Guard gave up protecting Arkollion and collectively launched a short-distance teleportation, disappearing in an instant, and then appeared next to the Noise Warrior. The power halberds drew an unavoidable flashing arc, knocking four or five Noise Warriors to the ground.

Suddenly, Eidolon took a deep breath, and his throat bulged. Across the battlefield, all the noise warriors stretched out their twisted and swollen throats. Then, invisible sound waves spread in all directions, and the air split apart with a sharp howl of death.

Instantly, dust flew, flames died, armor dented... the tower was completely razed to the ground, Land Raiders and Predator tanks were overturned, and everything around was completely shattered by the psychic chorus of the Noise Marines.

Blood-red debris burst out from the cracks in the Phoenix Guard's armor, and they fell one after another. Acorion, who was in the center of the psychic sonic roar, instantly turned into tiny particles, floating in the air and scattering everywhere as if blown by a hurricane.

The Noise Warriors kept screaming and yelling, lying on their backs, opening their mouths wide and swallowing more poisonous rain.

Eidolon drank the most and roared the loudest, his roar tearing muscle from bone, venom boiling in his body, the pain making him more obsessed and crazy.

At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a White Scar warrior with tattered armor leading a group of soldiers running towards him. The other party was not wearing a helmet, and his breastplate was broken, revealing the still-new black lining inside. He walked through the hail of bullets, and his firm eyes locked onto him.

"What? White scars?"

Eidolon laughed loudly:

"My defeated general dares to come and die?"

As he finished speaking, he felt the muscles in his neck begin to swell to a larger size, pulsating like a crop filled with venom until it was about to burst.

Haha, the ignorant White Scar didn't see the miserable end of Acolion, and still rushed over here... Eidolon the Soul Cutter, his tearful eyes flashed with ecstasy, his desire was pushed to the point of losing his mind, the organ grille on his chest melted into liquid flesh and blood, he could feel his vocal cords burning, and the flesh in his throat swelled again...

Sudden!

The White Scar warrior in the distance raised his right hand towards this side, bent his index finger and thumb, clasped his palms together, and made a throat-locking gesture in the air.

Eidolon felt his throat...

In an instant, he was grasped tightly by an invisible force!

"Don't speak!"

Fu Qinghai's eyes flashed with ferocity and he spoke harshly.

On Eidolon's neck, the flesh sac that had swelled to its limit was slowly, bit by bit, being tightened, squeezed, and strangled... Fu Qinghai raised his arms, and Eidolon's huge body was suspended in the air. His legs kept kicking, and his hands desperately scratched at his neck, but he couldn't touch anything. The bulging modified throat was still pinched by the invisible force, until...

Fu Qinghai suddenly clasped his index finger and thumb.

"Bang!"

There was a loud bang.

The throat burst with a sound, like a balloon filled with water, mixed with pink throat and metal fragments, dripping all over the surroundings and flowing down the accordion grille on the chest.

A huge gap appeared on Eidolon's neck, even exposing his cervical vertebrae. Fu Qinghai loosened his palm and put down his arm. Eidolon's body fell to the ground with a "thump", splashing the dirty chemical sludge of the Hovia industrial world.

All this happened in an instant. The few remaining noise warriors around were shocked by the scene before them, before they could follow their leader in mobilizing psychic sound waves.

The Force chokes the throat!

......

(End of this chapter)