Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [31]

After a round of bombardment, the massive swarm of brood creatures near the hive tendrils had been largely wiped out.

The ground was littered with the corpses of the swarm's forces.

Rhodes snorted coldly and directly ordered King Joe to circle around the hive tendrils, forming a square formation and continuously bombarding below, creating a vacuum zone.

"Everyone, get ready. The operation is starting. I will teleport you down, and King Joe will continue aerial bombardment on the swarm to provide us with fire support.

Remember! Our mission is to quickly install the bombs. Once installed, we immediately teleport back to the King Joe, detonate the explosives, and move on to the next target area. Absolutely no prolonged engagements!"

"Rest assured, Lord Rhodes, we know how to fight this war. All the Space Marines will coordinate with your actions," the Captain nodded at Rhodes.

Beside him, the Canoness also nodded at Rhodes.

"Alright then, let's move out!" Rhodes said, activating the teleportation bracelet on his wrist.

In a flash of light, Rhodes, along with all the Space Marines and Battle Sisters, collectively appeared at the root tendrils of the hive mothership below.

Rhodes was clad in his carapace armor, wielding a Pedanium pistol in one hand and a chainsword in the other.

The others also readied their newly issued rifles, scanning the surroundings cautiously. However, the situation was somewhat awkward—after they landed, not a single bug managed to charge at them. The covering fire from King Joe had completely suppressed the advance of the hive forces.

The fierce battle the Battle Sisters and Space Marines had anticipated did not materialize. The few scattered bugs that tried to break through were quickly eliminated by their Pedanium rifles.

"What are you all standing around for? Get to the mission! Space Marines, use your jump packs to install the melta bombs on the hive tendrils. Battle Sisters, form a fire-support perimeter—eliminate any bug that tries to interfere!" Rhodes immediately took command.

Since he was already impersonating a Primarch, he naturally had the authority to lead these human forces.

Upon hearing Rhodes' orders, the Space Marine captain did not hesitate. Leading his remaining battle brothers, he activated his jump pack and soared toward the Tyranid hive tendrils, pulling out the melta bombs and affixing them securely.

"Brothers, move quickly! Secure the bombs!"

"Sisters! Defensive formation! Maintain tight fire coverage! Do not let a single bug disrupt the Astartes!" The Canoness, wielding a Pedanium rifle, continuously fired at the approaching swarm.

The sheer power of this rifle exceeded her expectations. Normally, even with bolt guns, it took several shots to kill a low-tier Tyranid creature.

But the Pedanium rifle's beam could instantly kill regular bugs, and even Tyranid Warrior-class creatures fell to its fire.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Thirty or so Battle Sisters formed a dense web of fire with their Pedanium rifles.

Rhodes' rifle unleashed devastation, targeting high-ranking hive units. A towering six-meter-tall Hive Tyrant attempted to charge in and stop them.

Under the cover of its Tyrant Guard, it finally broke through the hail of gunfire, opening its massive pincers and lunging straight at Rhodes.

Rhodes snorted, revved up his chainsword with a deep whir, and leaped high into the air—soaring over ten meters.

Raising his chainsword overhead, he descended with unstoppable momentum, striking the Hive Tyrant's skull with a devastating blow.

The impact forced the creature to its knees.

At the same time, Rhodes' Pedanium pistol continuously fired at the Tyrant's head, blasting it into a mess of gore.

Boom! Boom! Whirr!

Rhodes' chainsword roared as it shredded through the Hive Tyrant's skull. Moments later, he severed its head entirely.

The creature had already been fatally shot before being decapitated, but for dramatic effect, Rhodes still took its head.

The massive, headless corpse of the Hive Tyrant swayed for a moment before collapsing.

Seeing Rhodes' overwhelming display of power, the Battle Sisters raised their weapons high and cheered loudly.

"For the Emperor!"

Meanwhile, the Space Marines above had completed the bomb installation and landed beside Rhodes.

After confirming that everyone was accounted for, Rhodes clasped his hands together and activated the teleportation bracelets on both wrists. In a flash of light, the entire squad reappeared in the King Joe's hangar.

Upon their return, Rhodes immediately ordered King Joe to ascend to an altitude of a thousand meters and activated the detonation sequence of the melta bombs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a series of fiery explosions, the hive tendrils below were instantly severed.

Rhodes also commanded King Joe to target the tendrils extending at high altitudes.

Under the relentless bombardment of Pedanium beams, the sky-reaching hive tendrils were obliterated.

Severing these hive tendrils required either the monstrous strength of a beast like Red King to tear them apart or a strategic approach—first destroying the root structure, then cutting the aerial section, effectively splitting them in two.

If only the root was destroyed, the hive fleet above would immediately send down nutrients to reconnect it with the ground.

"We did it! We succeeded!" Some Battle Sisters excitedly raised their weapons and cheered.

"Yes, we succeeded—and with zero casualties," Rhodes smiled.

This battle had been nerve-wracking for Rhodes. He had been extra cautious, making sure none of these adorable warriors got themselves killed.

I babysat all of you the whole way through.

"Lord Rhodes, none of my sisters were harmed. This new weapon is simply incredible," the Canoness said while stroking her Pedanium rifle.

This thing is amazing. I wonder if the Primarch will let us keep it after the war?

"That's good! Alright, let's move on to the next hive tendril. We need to finish the remaining ones within the hour, or they'll reconnect," Rhodes instructed.

Destroying this hive tendril cluster—along with the massive slaughter of Tyranids below—had earned Rhodes another 5,000 system credits.

The King Joe's Pedanium beam firepower was undeniably powerful. Its efficiency in exterminating Tyranids far surpassed that of Red King, who only specialized in melee combat.

(Red King: "So you're ditching the old for the new, huh?!")

PS: Justice for Red King...