Chapter 171: Trouble Ahead – The Great Horned Rat's Invasion?

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The formation of the Space Marine Chapter was a complex and multifaceted process.

For example, the Chapter's organizational structure included the establishment of various companies, each consisting of a hundred warriors with distinct operational roles.

These companies were categorized into Veteran Companies, Battle Companies, Tactical Companies, Assault Companies, Devastator Companies, Reconnaissance Companies, and more.

This structure demanded extensive weaponry, equipment, and logistical support.

Additionally, the Chapter featured specialists who provided battlefield support, spiritual leadership, and devastating combat prowess. These roles included Librarians, Chaplains, Techmarines, and Apothecaries.

The entire undertaking consumed significant manpower and resources.

Fortunately, these efforts were steadily progressing, with their respective Monasteries nearing completion.

Currently, Eden's primary concern was the fleet.

Once the Chapter was established, they needed motherships and combat barges.

Building new vessels from scratch was no longer an option.

Reluctantly, Eden decided to allocate two of the Navy's three cruisers to the Chapters, despite the cost.

Each Chapter received one cruiser along with a handful of escort frigates.

The Navy still retained the Dream, ensuring their combat strength remained largely intact.

The two cruisers were renamed Fury of the Void and Shadow of War.

Both would undergo modifications at the spaceport, outfitted with the necessary facilities to serve as the Chapters' flagships.

This was the initial resource allocation for the Chapters.

Whether they could acquire larger ships in the future depended on their own development capabilities.

Once the foundational framework for the Chapters was in place, Eden no longer needed to intervene directly. The Chapter Masters and their advisory teams would guide the Chapters forward.

After approving the Chapter-related documents on his datapad, Eden sent them off and leaned back on the sofa, enjoying the maids' service.

Finally, he could take a break.

The work related to the Chapters was complete.

From here, officials from the Ministries of Interior, War, and Logistics would oversee the execution of the plans.

This was the privilege of being the sole ruler—his will was law, implemented without delay.

Even if he whimsically decided to take his vast entourage of maids and secretaries on a swimming trip to the moon, preparations would be completed overnight.

However, such power came with its dangers.

If Eden were ever corrupted by Chaos, there would be no one to stop him, and Urth would become a living hell.

Thus, he indulged only moderately, avoiding excessive risk.

After resting for a while, Eden instructed the maids to leave.

He had an afternoon schedule to inspect the Space Marines' training progress.

In the Training Grounds

The roar of chainswords echoed through the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Figures clad in deep blue, fiery red, and dark gold armor moved with precision and fury.

Chapter Masters Duke and Pru worked together against Thunder Guard Captain Kael.

Despite their heavy power armor, their movements were agile and precise.

Their intense combat left afterimages, sparks flying with every clash.

Obstacles in the training ground were obliterated as their battle raged.

A mortal caught in this clash wouldn't even realize what had happened before being torn apart.

Crackling psychic lightning shot forth, destroying a damaged wall and striking toward its target.

Kael deflected the psychic lightning with his chainsword and charged toward Pru, sending him flying with a devastating strike.

Sensing danger, he dodged just in time.

The next second, explosive rounds rained down, obliterating the area he had just vacated.

Duke's oversized boltgun roared, unleashing a storm of fire at Kael's position.

Kael retaliated with melta bombs, forcing Duke to halt his assault.

The searing heat of the melta explosion melted a massive hole in the training ground's floor.

Just the clash of these three combatants turned the training ground into a battlefield, resembling the aftermath of heavy artillery bombardment.

"Damn, they're really going all out…"

Eden, having just arrived, winced at the sight.

Such intense combat was dangerous.

If someone lost control, it could end in disaster—especially for Pru.

If anything happened to him, Eden's carefully nurtured sub-Chapter would suffer greatly.

But training without realism wasn't an option either.

On the battlefield, enemies wouldn't hold back.

After observing for a while, Eden ordered them to stop.

Reviewing the training data, he noted several injuries among the new recruits over the past few months, including some serious cases.

Fortunately, none of the injuries were life-threatening, requiring only a few days of rest.

The training results highlighted a clear disparity between the Void Angels and War Angels.

The War Angels generally couldn't match the Void Angels.

However, neither group could contend with the Thunder Guard.

According to the data, at least five warriors were required to handle a single Thunder Guard.

The blessed Chapter Masters, Duke and Pru, could each defeat a Thunder Guard individually.

But even they needed to join forces to hold their ground against Kael.

Victory without risking their lives was uncertain.

After hearing the testers' reports, Eden sighed, looking at the wrecked training ground.

He decided to send the warriors to the Underhive for training, killing two birds with one stone by clearing out its environment.

The Underhive spanned a vast area, roughly equivalent to the Upper and Lower Hives combined.

It was infested with mutated creatures and Chaos monstrosities.

Over the years, the Royal District had been gradually clearing the Underhive, assimilating its unmutated population.

Even so, only about one-tenth of the Underhive had been cleared.

The Royal District now treated the Underhive's clearance as part of the Storm Legion's training regimen.

Even the Loyalist Academy often sent cadets there for practical exercises.

"Lord Savior, urgent intelligence…"

"What's the situation?"

Eden frowned. The Secretary-General's personal report signaled a serious issue.

"Five minutes ago, the Tribunal requested reinforcements from the Ministry of War. They've been attacked—there's a mutation in the Underhive!"

She handed Eden a datapad containing the detailed report.

Eden's expression darkened as he reviewed the data.

This was the Tribunal's first request for aid in a decade.

Deville had personally led a team into the Underhive to investigate escalating attacks from the Lower Hive.

Though his team was gene-enhanced, capable of rivaling elite human soldiers, the enemy must have been formidable to necessitate reinforcements.

"Could it be a Chaos Daemon invasion?" Eden muttered to himself, worry clouding his thoughts.

Urth's development had only just begun—it couldn't withstand such devastation.

Reading further, Eden's eyes widened in shock.

"Great Horned Rat?"

The report detailed an attack by a large group of mutant ratmen.

These ratmen displayed intelligence and chanted the name "Great Horned Rat" during battle.

Eden, unlike others, recognized the name.

The Great Horned Rat was the patron deity of the ratmen, once a Chaos God rivaling Khorne, Tzeentch, Slaanesh, and Nurgle.

Though dormant since the End Times, its existence had never truly ceased.

If its ratmen followers had opened a Warp portal, they could have emerged on Urth.

Better safe than sorry.

Eden immediately declared Urth in a state of war, mobilizing all forces for high-intensity combat.

The Thunder Guard, Void Angels, and War Angels were dispatched to support the Tribunal in the Underhive.

Their mission was to eradicate the threat swiftly and decisively.

The ratmen's rapid reproduction posed a significant danger.

Meanwhile, the Storm Legion was fully mobilized.

As for the Navy, they awaited further developments since large ships couldn't operate within the Underhive.

Soon, dozens of assault ships launched from the Royal District, heading toward the Hive City's transport elevators and onward to the Underhive.

Underhive – Trash Mountain

In a sprawling underground "palace,"

The bloated ratman chieftain, Bigfoot Rat, sat atop a throne of scrap metal.

Gnawing on a fresh human hand, it reveled in the adoration of its ratmen followers and the service of its concubines.

After finishing its meal, Bigfoot Rat stood, its swollen belly jiggling.

This was its moment of glory.

It had amassed a force of ratmen warriors capable of rivaling human soldiers.

With such power, it was ready to exact revenge on the human world that had wronged it.

With a piercing screech, Bigfoot Rat issued its war cry:

"Attack the weakling human world!"

(End of Chapter)

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