pertwk Chapter 76 The Executioner, Significance
Chapter 76 The Executioner, Significance
The Ripper Legion's Sword of Judgment and Oath of the Knight, two Warlord-class Titans, walked across the surface of the Pilgrim Star, their cannons pointing towards the towering mountains and statues in the distance.
With a heart-pounding roar of power building, and at the Titan captain's command, the surging heat reduced the long-standing iconic landmark to ashes.
According to the will of the so-called omnipotent avatar of the Red Lord, its beloved head was shattered and annihilated by the Titans in an almost mocking manner under Hector's orders.
The explosion turned the sky red, and the swirling, burning debris and the fierce artillery fire tore the heavens apart and made them tremble.
"I oppose your actions, brother." Inside the tent, Hector objected to Russ's desire to personally lead the troops in a charge.
This, in Hector's view, was meaningless.
They possess absolute firepower superiority, absolute manpower superiority, and absolutely superior individual combat capabilities.
"I don't deny that your actions can boost the warriors' morale and fighting spirit, and effectively accelerate the advance, but brother," Hector emphasized, "Space Wolf, your offspring are undoubtedly powerful and loyal. You don't need to personally intervene; they will bring you glory."
Hector explained the pros and cons to the wolf king Ruth in a way that would not offend him, hoping that Ruth would be able to deal with it rationally.
He understands that his current actions are only adding to the risks.
"I have to stand up for my wolf cubs, brother," Ruth replied simply and clearly.
He didn't even want to continue, waving his hand to refuse Hector's offer, and personally led the remaining troops of the Wardmaker in another direction.
The Sword of Judgment and the Oath of the Knight, both Warrior-class Titans, had completed their mission. They stood calmly in place, their dozens of meters tall befitting their awe-inspiring title as divine machines, awaiting Hector's next command.
Russ's behavior left Hector feeling helpless, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
What else could possibly threaten a powerful Primarch on Pilgrim Star?
"Advance, warriors!" Hector moved the battle line forward on the sand table.
As his orders were given, thousands of fighter jets roared as they flew up to the mountainside of Pilgrim Star, passing through a hail of bullets fired from hidden, undamaged anti-aircraft guns.
This shattered their last resistance and artillery positions.
Then, the relatively cumbersome Stormbirds and the Imperial Army's large transport planes arrived on the surface under the cover of the fighters.
They rapidly deployed large numbers of Trojan Guards and several companies of Astartes.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the army led by Wolf King Ruth was advancing with unstoppable momentum.
They advanced faster and were more efficient at killing than Hector's Dawnbringers and the Trojan Guard.
Ruth led his Honor Guard and Space Wolves, plunging into the heart of the land with an almost bloody and brutal massacre.
Wherever they passed, all that remained were scorched earth and ruins. Looking down from the sky, Hector could easily discern their path—an almost straight trail of fire.
Without any suspense or controversy, this world was easily reclaimed thanks to the textbook-perfect teamwork between the two legions.
Only the last piece of central territory remained, beneath the feet of the Red-Clad Lord.
When Hector saw Russ again, Russ looked like he hadn't had enough of the fight.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, completely disregarding the gazes of those around him, one hand resting on his leg armor, and looked up at Hector: "What should we do, brother?"
"I thought you'd rush headlong into the last forbidden zone, brother."
"My support troops are ready and waiting to rush in and give you a hand," Hector said with a smile.
"Haha, they stopped me, otherwise I really would have done it," Ruth said.
His expression seemed genuine. Hector raised an eyebrow, his tone flippant: "Oh?"
In response to Hector's raised eyebrow, the wolf king, sitting on the ground, also raised his thick eyebrows.
His blond hair, hanging down on both sides, was almost as long as his beard.
"If anyone slanders my brother as nothing more than a barbarian, I will fight him to the death. I have never seen such a clever barbarian," Hector quipped.
Ruth laughed indifferently, as if she couldn't understand what Hector was saying at all.
"There's no need to preserve that civilization." Hector's eyes were cold. "I'll have my troops launch an orbital bombardment of that area. I'll order all vehicle and artillery units to flatten that region."
“That’s right!” Ruth stood up abruptly, walked over to Hector and put his arm around him to show his affection.
This scene inspired many space wolves to follow suit, setting their sights on the Dawnbringers who stood taut to the side. Some of them had already begun to move closer to their preferred warriors.
Amid the astonished gazes of the Dawnbringers, the Space Wolves pulled out various strange items from their armor: Fenris jerky, as hard as steel, compressed food they carried with them, and most outrageously, even some alcoholic beverages.
Some Dawnbringers watched as their brothers were dragged away by those people, followed by more Space Wolves taking their place, while their genetic father, Hector, either ignored it or was pleased with it.
The Dawnbringers who weren't dragged away reduced their presence, and most of them were even somewhat relieved that the Mark II and Mark III helmets, which were not very easy to turn and lacked flexibility, hadn't been fixed.
These cousins were far too enthusiastic, completely unlike the barbaric, executioner-like, and uncultured image they had heard about.
They are more like large dogs that are usually kept at home, warm and reliable.
"We gave them a choice: join us and survive, or resist us and be destroyed."
"They chose deception, despicable deception!"
"We must destroy them and make them understand the price they pay for breaking their oaths!"
"Brother," Hector said, frowning as he listened to Ruth's words, "I have no intention of arguing with you, brother, because this world truly deserves its fate."
"But brother, we must understand that not all parts of the world can follow the methods we use today."
"Their culture and knowledge are poisonous, and they deserve to be destroyed. But we, our legions, and this great expedition are not here to become abominable executioners."
As he spoke, Hector patted Russ affectionately on the shoulder.
"We cannot brutally destroy everything, burn everything to the ground."
"If we destroy everything, what is the point of this expedition?"