Chapter 153: The Death of a Space Marine
Space Marines, of course, had varying levels of strength.
Apart from the differences in weaponry and power armor configurations, the individual's strength was also something to be reckoned with.
Veterans could easily handle two or three new recruits, and the company champion was undoubtedly the strongest among a hundred warriors.
Both Martins and Schneider belonged to this category.
Theoretically, the strongest in a battalion should be the battalion champion or battalion leader, but Martins had been temporarily promoted after the near-annihilation of his battalion.
His actual strength was on par with a company champion.
However, even at this level, he still had a chance when confronting an Ork Warboss.
If it was a Warboss commanding an entire planet, that might be tough; but this one was nowhere near that level.
Furthermore, although his armor looked formidable, it hadn’t reached the level equivalent to the Terminator-class power armor used by the Space Marines, which made him beatable.
The issue now was to create an opportunity for a one-on-one battle.
This was difficult but not entirely impossible.
A swarm of Greenskins surged in, making the entrance area quite congested; with the Ork Warboss and his armor enhanced by mechanical modifications, he barely fit through, nearly wedged in the narrow underground passage.
And in front and behind him, Killakans had also squeezed in.
The Space Marines and the Storm Squad soldiers were already firing with full force.
Accuracy wasn’t a concern; the entrance was filled with Greenskins, so even a blind man could hit them by aiming toward the raucous Greenskin noises.
However, as they continued firing, while many Greenskins died, their ammunition was depleting quickly.
Especially once the Greenskin Boyz at the forefront were nearly all dead, they faced Killakans clogging the entrance, forced to bend their mechanical knees as they slowly and awkwardly advanced.
The Killakans could only enter by brute force.
Their size barely fit through the height and width of the entrance, allowing them entry, but they had no room to maneuver.
Moreover, there were still many Greenskin Boyz crowding around them.
If a Killa Kan lifted its multi-barreled cannon to sweep the area, it would be hard to say how many human soldiers would be hit; however, the Greenskins in front of it would almost certainly be wiped out.
But... since when did Greenskins care about such things?
In fact, the first to open fire wasn’t the cramped Killa Kan but Si Rou.
Struggling, he maneuvered his big gun through a gap behind the Killa Kan and began firing.
The Killa Kan, already discomforted by the tight fit and pummeled by explosive rounds, became enraged, and its multi-barreled gun began firing as well.
Under the intense firepower, neither the Space Marines nor the elite of the Storm Squad dared to expose themselves.
The distance was too close; even a power armor helmet, if hit repeatedly by large-caliber rounds from 20 or 30 meters away, would end in a headshot.
They could only stay ducked down.
Fortunately, the cover made of various metal scraps and rubble wasn't easy to destroy.
Nevertheless, they ultimately chose to abandon the position.
The Killa Kan struggled to reach their previous location, shoving aside obstacles to create just a little room to move.
At that moment, an intense explosion erupted on the spot!
Bright red flames burst forth, freezing the Killa Kan in place.
Ordinary explosives wouldn’t have easily destroyed a Killa Kan, but if it were a melta bomb, frequently used by Space Marines, that was a different story.
The metallic body of the Killa Kan, next to hidden melta bombs attached to obstacles, was blasted apart.
The sudden surge in temperature was enough to melt even armor metal, as the armor plating quickly began to melt and break.
If the melta bomb had been a little larger, it might have melted the Killa Kan into molten iron.
Of course, that would’ve been overkill; the current force was enough to destroy it.
Not only did the armored unit lose combat capability, but the Grot inside, its limbs severed and brain connected to tubes, was long dead from the heat.
That miniature melta bomb was one of the last supplies the battalion had left.
There were other disposable equipment, but they were dwindling, and on this godforsaken planet of Fury Owl, there was no way to replenish them.
But the Space Marines couldn’t afford to worry about conserving resources.
High-value equipment was meant to be used precisely in these moments.
In fact, the most precious thing left in the Phoenix Battalion now was the soldiers’ lives.
They silently counted the time in their minds.
The extreme heat from the melta bomb wouldn't last long.
They knew with certainty that in precisely 6.72 seconds, the temperature would no longer pose any harm through their power armor.
And that was their moment to strike.
Five Space Marines attacked simultaneously at that instant.
Three stood their ground, switching their explosive boltguns from precision single-shot mode to rapid-fire mode.
In no time, they emptied their last loaded magazines, unleashing a torrent of explosive rounds.
These rounds shot past the destroyed Killa Kan, bombarding the Ork Warboss behind.
Besides them, Schneider took the lead while Martins flanked slightly behind.
These two former company champions of the Phoenix Battalion, now the battalion’s strongest solo combatants, charged at the Ork Warboss.
In an instant, they accelerated to their top speed, following the path of the explosive rounds towards the Ork Warboss.
Most of the rounds struck the Ork Warboss’s armor.
Even though the explosive boltguns couldn’t penetrate his ultra-heavy armor, it still had an impact on the Warboss.
After all, these were dozens, even hundreds of explosive rounds, and as these diamond-tipped rounds pounded his armor, the Warboss felt the impact.
And that wasn’t to mention the secondary explosions that caused additional damage.
After nearly a hundred miniature explosions, even with Si Rou’s strength and thick armor, he couldn't avoid feeling dizzy and took multiple steps back to steady himself.
But during this moment, his body, stronger than that of a typical Space Marine, was still capable of launching a counterattack.
With difficulty, he raised his big gun, firing forward without even aiming.
In moments, about ten large-caliber bullets were fired.
The caliber alone was comparable to the explosive boltguns used by the Space Marines.
Moreover, although he didn’t aim, the narrow terrain played to his advantage as the Space Marines also had large frames.
Of these shots, two-thirds still hit their mark.
Schneider took four shots; three were deflected by the thick, curved shoulder armor, but one penetrated the joint between shoulder and chest armor.
There was armor there, but it was relatively weaker, and the bullet hit at the perfect angle.
That shot wounded Schneider.
However, he only hesitated for a moment before charging forward without slowing.
Meanwhile, behind them, an unfortunate battle brother was struck twice in the helmet.
With a muffled groan, he fell to the ground.
Three or four Storm Squad members tried to pull the fallen warrior back, but to no avail.
Even enhanced to a T3 level, with strength well beyond ordinary humans, it was impossible for three or four men to move a fully armored Space Marine.
And at that moment, Martins and Schneider had closed in on the Ork Warboss, Si Rou.
Schneider took a slight jump to gain leverage, thrusting his combat knife precisely into a gap in the Warboss’s armor.
It penetrated.
Schneider heard a low roar from the Warboss, signaling pain, and the impact of Schneider's charge brought the massive Ork to the ground.
But this only provoked the Ork’s ferocity.
He bent his alloy-clad arm, directing the wrist-mounted gun towards Schneider.
If he pulled the trigger now, countless bullets would rain down on Schneider at point-blank range, and even power armor wouldn’t prevent serious injury.
But at that moment, Martins arrived.
He swung his chainsword fiercely, targeting a weak point at the arm joint, cutting through with all his might.
With sparks flying, he felt tremendous resistance but pressed on, forcing the chainsword downward.
Moments later, the gun-wielding hand was severed.
Schneider felt somewhat dissatisfied.
Though Martins had saved him, he considered it a missed opportunity.
Had Martins aimed for a more vital spot, it might have ended the powerful foe.
Although it could have cost him serious injury or even death, Schneider’s cold combat instincts deemed it worthwhile.
But he didn’t voice this thought, not because his life was saved, but because in battle, split-second decisions could mean the difference between life and death.
And the Ork Warboss wasn’t dead yet, only missing a hand.
Lacking the big gun, the Ork still had a massive cleaver welded to his left arm.
The blade slashed towards Schneider, who freed one hand to grab the Ork’s arm, holding his ground.
With his other hand, he gripped the knife embedded in the armor, attempting to expand the wound, hoping to reach vital organs.
At the same time, Martins, having severed the Ork’s arm, lifted his chainsword again, this time aiming for Si Rou’s neck.
The gap between his thick helmet and chest armor presented the ideal target.
However, while the intense combat was swift, it caused a slight delay.
As the Ork Warboss’s massive body collapsed, the enemies behind, previously blocked, now had a clear line of sight for an attack.
The crude weapons wielded by some of the Greenskin Boyz weren’t a threat; although Greenskin firearms were powerful, it was unlikely a few shots would injure a Space Marine.
However, the weapon wielded by the
Killa Kan was another matter.
The multi-barreled gun opened fire.
Schneider took several hits, affecting his grip on the Ork Warboss’s arm.
The large cleaver slashed into his lower back.
Pieces of ceramic armor shattered, and blood sprayed.
Si Rou intended to pull out the cleaver for another blow, to bisect the armored figure.
But Martins’ chainsword was already there.
The Phoenix Battalion leader’s fury was unleashed in a single strike.
Amid the spray of sparks, the chainsword cut through the gap between helmet and chest armor, causing a geyser of blood as the chainsword’s motion sent it flying out like a fountain.
As he had sliced off the Warboss’s hand before, Martins now severed his head.
Without checking on Schneider’s condition, Martins retrieved his chainsword and, facing the Killa Kan’s gunfire, charged forward.
The Killa Kan appeared slightly larger than the Ork Warboss, with menacing melee weapons, but in terms of armor strength and output, it was no match for a true Ork Warboss.
With limited room to maneuver, its combat effectiveness was further reduced.
Despite taking hits from the gunfire, Martins quickly dismantled the Ork walker in mere moments.
Meanwhile, two more Space Marines charged in, the three of them beginning a brutal massacre of the remaining Greenskin Boyz, who lacked heavy support.
In the cramped corridor, the three were like efficient killing machines, and the Greenskins stood no chance against their chainswords and combat blades.
The elite soldiers of the Storm Squad tried to assist, but raising their guns was pointless; any Greenskin they aimed at would be dead the next instant.
The soldiers exchanged glances, eventually lowering their weapons.
Best not risk friendly fire.
But the Space Marines didn’t kill many Greenskins at the entrance.
After roughly twenty more were killed, the remaining Greenskins fled.
Orks didn’t always have boundless morale; once their leader was dead, they would break and retreat.
The fleeing Greenskins ran while shouting in their language.
Although they couldn’t understand it, they could guess it meant their leader had fallen.
Martins, panting heavily, refrained from ordering a pursuit.
He was furious, but he still had his reason.
Here, they could use the terrain to kill countless Greenskins; outside, in open ground, facing dozens of Killakans and armed trucks, eliminating thousands of Greenskins was impossible.
They pulled back, dragging Schneider and the Space Marine with the head injury to safety.
At that moment, a commotion could be heard outside.
With their strongest leader gone, the Greenskins had indeed reverted to their traditional pastime of infighting.