068, Ku'gath, Father of Plagues (2)

[You suddenly opened your eyes.]

[You turned over and sat up on the hospital bed, gasping for air.]

[You looked down to check yourself.]

[No injuries were visible on your body.]

[You tapped your forehead in confusion.]

[Your gaze fixed on your raised hand.]

[You could faintly feel a familiar heat slowly dissipating within you.]

[It was the lingering pain of a burn from the warp's fire...]

[You lay back on the bed.]

[You closed your eyes once more.]

[The sedative's effects hadn't worn off completely.]

[Your mind was filled with exhaustion.]

[Your body felt as though it had just run a marathon, utterly drained.]

["Emperor, protect me..." you murmured softly.]

[And you fell asleep once more.]

[In the second week, the scattered units within the medical city began gathering for reorganization.]

[With the help of Charles, you successfully joined the Cadian 4012th Armored Regiment.]

[You couldn't drive a Leman Russ tank.]

[But your honesty earned the appreciation of the regiment's commander, Colonel Odrameyer.]

[Especially when he learned of your sharpshooting skills.]

[The Colonel made an exception, assigning you as a gunner on a Leman Russ tank.]

[Your sole task was to operate a twin-linked heavy bolter, shredding any enemies that stood before your steel war machine.]

[In the third week, the undermanned regiment barely assembled fifteen Leman Russ tanks.]

[Even in your own tank, there were only three of you.]

[The tank commander, who handled the driving.]

[The gunner, who manned the turret alone, and you, the heavy bolter operator.]

[Nonetheless, Colonel Odrameyer announced one message to all his soldiers.]

[In a few days, you would join a crusade led by the Apostate of War, Mathieu.]

[You would advance into the plagued territories under the Emperor's gaze to fight the Plague Alliance.]

[This didn't surprise you; you had been waiting for this.]

[You packed the interior of the Leman Russ with as much ammunition and supplies as possible.]

[In the fourth week, a priest of the Imperial Creed, robed and accompanied by a servo-skull floating above his head, appeared before you.]

[Following him were a few Battle Sisters in power armor and many fervent devotees.]

[The Colonel and the priest seemed to know each other.]

[After a brief conversation, the Colonel announced the start of the crusade.]

[The Leman Russ engines roared, the metal vibrations thundering in your ears.]

[Meanwhile, a colossal war train rolled ahead of the entire column.]

[Devotees, some in civilian vehicles and some on foot, joined your crusade, their numbers swelling the ranks.]

[The hymns of the Battle Sisters echoed all around, while the priest of the Imperial Creed stood atop a Leman Russ tank, preaching passionately.]

[You looked at the devotees wielding crude weapons.]

[You couldn't help but sigh.]

[In the fifth week, the vast crusading force transitioned from the vibrant city streets into desolate wilderness.]

[Due to the Plague Alliance's invasion.]

[The once fertile land had long been barren, with only resilient weeds thriving.]

[The once-lush forests on the hills were now strangled by twisted, thick vines.]

[You learned from the gunner that this was not merely a sign of neglect.]

[The damage wrought by the Plague Alliance to this garden world went far deeper.]

[Before long, the Colonel ordered your Leman Russ to take up the role of scouting the column's periphery.]

[You checked the heavy bolter's machine spirit once more, reloading the ammunition.]

[As the crusade delved deeper into the wasteland, shambling, slow-moving plague zombies began to dot the horizon.]

[These were once Imperial citizens, now reduced to cannon fodder by the Plague Alliance's infection.]

[As the two sides drew closer, you began firing the heavy bolter, its terrifying roar obliterating wave after wave of plague zombies.]

[But the zombies seemed endless, reappearing no matter how many were slain.]

[Colonel Audramayer sensed the Plague Alliance's tactics.]

[He ordered all tanks to conserve ammunition.]

[Using the Leman Russ's sheer weight and armor, they crushed their foes instead.]

[You tightened your grip on the heavy bolter mounted inside the tank.]

[The tank commander performed a sharp turn, plunging into a sea of plague zombies.]

[With the charge of a dozen Leman Russ tanks, the seemingly endless tide of zombies began to thin.]

[But just then, several enormous, hideous Nurgle Beasts lunged from hidden corners.]

[Their sole target was the Leman Russ tanks that had wreaked such havoc on the Plague Alliance's forces.]

["Three o'clock! One round!" Temporarily acting as spotter, you shouted to the steadfast gunner.]

[Without hesitation, he skillfully rotated the tank's turret.]

[The gun barrel calmly aimed at a leaping Nurgle Beast, and the gunner pressed the firing trigger.]

[With a shudder and a deafening roar far louder than the engine, the Leman Russ fired.]

[In your field of vision, the Nurgle Beast was blown to pieces by the shell.]

[The explosion cleared a bloody, grisly area within the horde, scattering all plague zombies within dozens of meters.]

["Well done, boys," Colonel Odrameyer's loud praise echoed through the comm.]

[You turned to the gunner and shared a hearty laugh.]

["Permission to go another round, Commander!" you shouted to the tank commander.]

[The silent commander raised a hand in a thumbs-up.]

[Your Leman Russ roared even louder, charging into the zombie horde once more.]

[In the end, the intense skirmish ended with a temporary victory for the Cadian 4012th Armored Regiment.]

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