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Smoke emerged from the ventilation ducts on both sides of the lander, a crack was slowly widening, warning horns sounded on the ground, and high-powered lights were activated, illuminating the entire landing zone.
Lancelot felt his heartbeat rising.
The cracks grew larger and larger, and the two sides of the lander split open to form doors, each of which was driven by a giant piston.
Two giant feet appeared on the ground, each several meters high, covered in thick alloy armor. Lancelot examined them closely, his gaze sweeping over the massive steel legs, and he saw the incredibly imposing platform atop them. A skull-like head stood atop the platform, its eyes flashing a blinding red light, conveying a sense of majesty, danger, and coldness.
Magnificent weapons hang from the outer shell on both sides, while the weapon on its back resembles an animal's spine. Steam billows from all parts of its body, cascading down like a waterfall.
General-class Titan.
Lancelot thought to himself. He now had complete confidence regarding the prospects of the war.
The Astronauts began to cheer, which was theoretically part of the welcoming ceremony, but in reality, seeing their own Titans truly inspired the warriors.
The presence of Titans always brings a sense of security, because they are always visible on the battlefield, unlike Astartes, which can be right next to you one second and then disappear without a trace the next.
The Titan stood there, ready to unleash a devastating storm upon his enemies.
"I'm starting to like them."
"Me too."
Chapter 180 Siege Battle (Please Subscribe!)
Hasavi lay in the trench, his uniform and armor dusty from days of fortification work. He held a standard-issue military knife as long as an adult's arm in his right hand and a civilian explosive gun in his left. There were other people around him dressed similarly, but their weapons were much more meager, consisting only of basic light guns and bayonets.
Hasavi's gaze remained calm as he silently calculated the time in his mind. He watched as the dozen or so cans of food in front of him were slowly heated over the fire. In the distance, deafening roars could be heard from time to time—the sound of their artillery firing and bombarding the enemy city. This sound had been going on since they set up their positions yesterday, with intervals of two Terra hours, each lasting ten minutes.
During this time, the enemy's Void Shield will operate at full capacity, and their troops will remain holed up in the city, afraid to venture out. It is during this time that Hassawi and his frontline soldiers can finally sit down for a rest, have a smoke, or eat something.
Three minutes passed, and Hasavi smelled the aroma of food. He looked around at the faces around him, filled with longing, and a smile appeared on his face.
"We can start eating now."
The soldiers swarmed forward and took their own cans of food from the fire.
Hasavi breathed a sigh of relief; he was the last to take the canned food. As the squad leader of this infantry platoon, he received the same food as the other soldiers—a standard soldier's canned ration, produced in a factory in Badab. The synthetic food inside was rich in nutrients, and more importantly, it tasted quite good compared to other military rations.
It has a faint oily aroma and a soft texture. If mixed with hot water, it can even be given as a liquid food to people with mouth injuries.
Tearing off the metal sheet, Hassawi used his saber to pick up the contents, brought them to his mouth, and took a big bite.
"Boss, boss."
While he was still chewing, a soldier with shifty eyes crawled up to Hasavi's side. He looked around and then cautiously spoke.
"Boss, have you heard? It seems like we're going to start attacking the city in the next couple of days."
"Rat, where did you hear this news from?"
Hasavi smiled, not taking the soldier he called a "rat" to heart.
"Hey, boss, you can't not believe me."
Seeing Hathaway's reaction, the rat became somewhat anxious. His somewhat cunning face now looked remarkably like a rat's; if you ignored the physical differences, he would be a genuine Lightning ratman.
"Those giant things called Titans were airdropped to the ground a couple of days ago. I think an attack on the city is just a matter of time."
The mouse spoke with a serious expression and patted its chest.
"And when we returned to camp to rest that day, I saw it with my own eyes..."
"Alright." Hasavi sighed helplessly and patted Rat on the shoulder. "Rat, we're soldiers. When to launch the general offensive is decided by the higher-ups. Our task is simply to carry out the orders we receive. I understand what you're telling me. Are you trying to earn more credit?"
"Boss, I..."
“Don’t think I don’t know.” A wicked grin appeared on Hasavi’s face. “He’s always running into the brothers’ group. The girls in Kadia are not easy to woo. Their personalities can’t even be called feisty anymore.”
Hassawi frowned, thought for a while, and finally came up with a suitable adjective.
"Loyalty, yes, the girls of Kadia are incredibly loyal."
After saying this, Hasavi looked at the mouse, whose face was already somewhat embarrassed, and laughed.
"You have to be as loyal as she is."
"Boss, stop talking. It's not even close to being a done deal yet..."
The mouse said this, and then he lowered his head, as if he was preparing some words, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by a series of rapid footsteps.
Upon hearing the footsteps, Hasavi immediately stood up. Only one type of person could run through the trenches: the messengers in each company, responsible for relaying received messages.
"Sergeant Hassavi."
A figure appeared, panting heavily, and judging from the rise and fall of his chest, he had clearly run more than one battleground.
Hasavi saluted the dutiful messenger and waited for him to speak.
"Just received orders," the messenger said, barely suppressing his exhaustion. "All squads, assemble at the eastern position within ten minutes and await further instructions."
After saying this, the messenger immediately ran towards the next squad. His task was important; he needed to notify all thirteen squads in the company. Before long, he disappeared around a corner, heading to the location of another squad.
"Boss..."
"mouse."
Hassawi's expression changed, no longer as amiable as before, but cold and resolute.
The rat took a deep breath, and his shifty, rat-like demeanor vanished, replaced by a sense of resilience and tenacity.
"Sir."
"Ah."
The soldiers silently finished their canned food, then spent a minute checking their equipment to make sure it was still functioning.
A colossal shadow appeared on the distant land, and the entire trench began to tremble. Without any prior explanation, Hasavi spoke, issuing orders as the superior officer.
"Everyone, eastern position, move out!"
The soldiers of the 5th Platoon, 5th Company, 3rd Infantry Regiment of Badab began to move. In the trenches, many other soldiers like them were also moving. They gathered in a large trench, where, in addition to the Badab, the Kadians, the Kriegs... warriors of the Astronauts were all gathered. There were also some angels, wearing crimson or bright yellow armor, guarding around the trench.
Within ten minutes, 20,000 Astral Army soldiers had gathered in the trenches. And this was just one gathering point in the vast battlefield. Hassawi felt an emotion surging within him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the emotion stirred his heart and gave him a strong sense of agitation.
An angel emerged, without a helmet, revealing a bald head and a majestic yet fierce face.
“I am Gabriel Seth, the Chapter Master of the Flesh Rippers.”
The angel introduced himself as a chapter commander—Hassawi thought that even among angels, this was an absolute big shot.
"I have received the order."
Gabriel Seth said in a deep voice, looking down at the mortals below, at the vulnerable mortals who needed their protection, at the mortals about to step into hell, at his compatriots, at his warriors.
"In fifteen minutes, the orbital strike and artillery barrage will begin together, followed by the Titan Legion firing to overload the Void Shield of the enemy hive city and cripple it."
As Hasavi listened, he caught a glimpse of the rat's slightly trembling body out of the corner of his eye.
"Once the Void Shield is disabled, we will launch an attack."
After Seth finished speaking, the soldiers below fell silent. No one spoke, no one cried; they were as still as statues.
Seth was silent, but in the end, he raised his hand, took a deep breath, and shouted the inspiring slogan at the top of his lungs.
"For the Emperor! For humanity! Warriors! Let us fight to the death!"
"For the Emperor!"
The Astronauts began to roar, their battle cries of twenty thousand men echoing across the heavens and earth. Even louder than the cannon fire that followed fifteen minutes later.
-------
The Titan began to move.
It's difficult to describe the noise these mountain-like behemoths make when they move. Each time the massive Titan's feet tread on the ground, they leave a deep crater. The shadows cast by the stars can even make those inside think that the sky has suddenly darkened.
They moved forward silently, white steam emanating from their bodies, while the weapons they carried were constantly being adjusted under the control of the captain and crew to ensure they could be put into optimal condition during combat.
As a formidable Titan army, the Forgeheart has a total of 108 Titans of various models.
Of these, half were Marauder-class Titans, and the other half were various Scout-class and the more powerful Warlord-class Titans.
Although they do not possess the legendary Emperor-class or Nemesis-class Titans, their power is already sufficient to rank them among the top in various forging worlds.
On the current battlefield, three Warlord-class Titans belonging to the Heart of the Furnace, along with dozens of Marauder-class and Recon-class Titans, are advancing together.
This scale demonstrates the importance the Forgeheart is placing on the upcoming battle, or rather, that no Titan legion will be complacent about what lies ahead.
After all, their enemy was also a Titan legion, a Titan legion that had betrayed humanity and become lackeys of evil gods.
After becoming minions of Chaos, those divine machines were no longer simply mechanical creations.
Their machine souls were corrupted, devoured, and replaced; demons controlled those enormous bodies, a mixture of flesh and steel.
In the secret archives of the Inquisition and the Empire, such beings are known by another name.
The Demon Engine, and the most powerful one at that.
Fire rained down from the sky, and Amphiros could see it all.
As the captain or chief pilot of the Titan Silver Blade, a warrior-class machine, after fusing his soul with this divine creation, he can directly observe the outside world and communicate with the machine spirit of the Silver Blade.
Such communication is extremely important; it is key to whether a chief pilot can control a Titan well with his crew, and it is also key to how much power a Titan can unleash.
"The orbital strike has begun."
"Amphiros whispered."
"Teacher, can you sense the enemies outside?"
The silver blade's mechanical spirit calmly sent a message to Anfilos's brain, allowing him to successfully understand it.
"Are you telling me to be careful? Teacher, you're the one who should be careful first."
Amphiros answered, watching the fire rain pierce the atmosphere, tearing apart the clouds, watching the massive hive city flash with lightning-like force fields, deflecting the falling fire rain, and watching the mortal soldiers disperse at the call of the war horns, making way for the Titans.
The Titan captain shook his head slightly, maneuvering the Titan's arms to aim the mounted "militaristic" volcano cannons at the city's towering outer walls, and sighed.
"Teacher, the wizards' methods are terrifying, you must be careful."
He said this, and at that moment the rain of fire ended.
The void shield protecting the hive has become incredibly fragile; the thin layer feels like an eggshell, lacking any sense of weight.
"Amphiros, we are ready."
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