Blood streamed down the ornate power armor of the Chaos Space Marines.
They showed no signs of mutation beyond their armor, and under the sunlight piercing through the clouds, their massive bodies reflected golden light, resembling demigods descended to the mortal realm.
Were it not for their frenzied slaughter within their own lines, it would have been difficult to distinguish them from loyalist Space Marines.
Without employing any skill or strategy, they brutally tore PDF troopers and Astra Militarum soldiers into pieces with chainswords, fists, and shoulder charges.
When two Astra Militarum squads managed to assemble and attempted to halt a Chaos Space Marine with a volley of fire from the side of a trench, they discovered a friendly plasma gun had been thrown over a hundred meters, landing right above them.
In the midst of their despairing gazes, a precise bolt round struck the plasma gun, and the violent explosion instantly engulfed nearly twenty of them.
Not even slowing the Chaos Space Marine for a moment, the bolt round had been fired with one hand while the other wielded a weapon to slaughter the surrounding PDF troopers.
Despair spread through the defensive position, but waves of PDF and Astra Militarum continued to assemble in batches and charge through communication trenches toward the besieged sector.
Yes, these Chaos Space Marines were still formidable, but they had a fatal flaw: they lacked the rationality of normal Space Marines.
Amid the slaughter, pain, wails, and the ecstasy of their dark gods' blessings, the three Chaos Space Marines gradually dispersed to increase their killing efficiency. As large numbers of troops reacted and filled the lines with their flesh and blood, the Chaos Marines' advance began to slow.
When one Chaos Space Marine breached a critical junction trench with communication trenches, a massive explosion erupted from beneath the soil.
Like the first trench, the commander had buried explosives in other trenches as well. Had these Chaos Space Marines been in their right minds, their extensive combat experience would have easily exposed such a common tactic.
But driven by their rising desires, they were now little more than powerful "daemons" acting on instinct, which was precisely the purpose of such sacrificial maneuvers.
Flames, shockwaves, soil and dust thrown up by the explosion, and the blood mist formed by the countless comrades torn apart within the position accompanied the rapidly spreading blast.
Simultaneously, the entire trench began to detonate. Although they had not been lured into the concentrated explosive zones of the communication trenches, it was clear that such favorable conditions could no longer be created.
...Yet, things often do not go as planned.
As the Astra Militarum, crouched in the communication trench, raised their monomolecular bayonets and charged into the smoke-filled forward position just after the explosion, they saw the Chaos Space Marine still standing.
His once magnificent power armor was now smeared with gore and blood. The explosion had torn multiple sections of his armor, and the heat was melting his flesh.
But he had survived.
From the breaches in his power armor, pink appendages and tendrils slowly emerged, and his skin rapidly regenerated under the influence of warp energy. The blasphemous sight revealed the true nature of the Chaos Space Marine within his ornate shell.
No contact, no contact, no contact.
None of the squad members who charged into the smoke survived to report back, until the battered Chaos Space Marine emerged, holding the head of a forward officer.
The second, the third.
The Chaos Space Marines, barely injured, seemed to mock the futile resistance of these mortals.
Finally, the commander of the position realized why their previous calls for reinforcements had gone unanswered. They were the only remaining salient still holding out on the entire front, and now, it was their turn.
The best tactic now was not to continue fighting but to retreat immediately. The front had collapsed, and the loss of the position was inevitable. He had to preserve as much of his forces as possible and ensure survivors could relay the presence of Chaos Space Marines to the rear lines.
Thus, after the commander personally drew the attention of the Chaos Space Marines and led his guard into the ammunition depot, his adjutant issued orders for all units to disperse and retreat.
This naturally included Zhang Ge, who had been at the rear armory collecting equipment and had not yet managed to navigate the crowded trenches to the front lines when the retreat order was given.
"Damn these vermin!"
Zhang Ge cursed. Though he didn't know that the commander himself hadn't fled but had entered the ammunition depot to buy time and trade his life for theirs, even if he had known, he wouldn't have changed his tone. His personal emotions were firmly in place.
After all, this was the closest Zhang Ge had come to a normal death. Encountering Chaos Space Marines? Most Astra Militarum soldiers never got that chance in their entire lives.
"Keeping these people here is just a waste."
Sister Amilia said, glancing at Zhang Ge, who immediately understood her look.
"...Fine, you do it."
As soon as Zhang Ge spoke, Sister Amilia sheathed the sword in her right hand.
She reached out, grabbing the collar of Zhang Ge's carapace armor as she had done in the underground cavern, and swiftly dragged him toward the vehicle they had previously used, giving Zhang Ge another taste of a makeshift flying experience.