The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Chapter 1772: The Battle of Angstrom (10)

[Adeptus Mechanicus Formula One Activated]

[Cybernetica Cohort Formula One Activated]

As Logos Ansetus Estrada descended from the command stack, three servo-skulls floated behind him, vast amounts of data transmitting through his logic processors. As he began his descent, the suspension system within him supported his levitation to the floor.

The massive Kastelan Robots emerged from the shadows, and the smaller Vulturax flew out from the wall recesses, their Skitarii Auxilia following close behind. As they moved forward, robes swirled behind them.

Whether battle robots or Skitarii, all maintained perfect synchronization, forming the Mechanicus formation into perfect diamonds, squares, and circles. The hum of their charged weapons accompanied the clicking of code commands. Before them, the doors of the temple began to grind open.

[War Protocol Initiated]

Subsequently, Logos activated the audio simulator built into his throat. The halo on his cog axe rippled gently as more side doors opened within the temple, each revealing a figure. Some wore robes, while others were hunched figures of plasteel and brass—the Secutarii Peltasts and Hoplites among the Auxilia, their heavy armor red in the forge light.

These unique warfare specialists, also known as the Auxilia Elite, are rare professional killers within the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are weapon masters and destroyers who often accompany Mechanicus exploratory fleets on missions in dangerous star regions under the orders of the Fabricator General. Sometimes, they also assist exploratory fleets in acquiring live samples of dangerous aliens. Some Auxilia Elite members are tasked with hunting down Mechanicus priests accused of heresy, often facing extremely dangerous targets. Only the most formidable force can resolve these heretics. To complete these missions, many Auxilia Elite carry terrifying weapons from ancient times to assist them.

The Auxilia Elite typically possess enormous physiques, equipped with various weapons and products of ancient technology. They are formidable heralds of war with relevant knowledge and siege weaponry, fully armed and utterly deadly. Few in the entire Imperium can match their destructive skills. These traits make them a source of fear and awe for most followers of the Machine God, and a goal for their own mechanical augmentations, as the Auxilia Elite have undergone incredible levels of body modification.

However, now they are not explorers, nor are they hunters, but protectors.

And what they are protecting is the most precious and greatest creation of the forge world.

Various signals passed through the air. If Ansetus had not shunted his entire noosphere interface into the blind spot of his consciousness, the data flow would have been overwhelming. But it didn't matter; no new data, theories, or analyses could change these outcomes.

"The Machine is eternal; eternity belongs to the Machine."

He said to himself, stepping out of the temple doors. Lapis 3 had no atmosphere, but this did not affect him, as his lungs had been removed a century ago, replaced with more efficient devices. Even his blood was no longer so dependent on oxygen.

However, leaving the temple's gravity field, he still needed to activate the magnetic locks installed in his feet to walk normally.

Raising his head, the brutal space battle continued in the dark void. Massive warships shed large chunks of debris like landslides, punctuated by sparkling flashes—the brief glint of fighters exploding after being hit.

Ansetus, who had been stationed on Lapis 3, learned of the events on the forge world quite late. He understood the Fabricator General's choice, as the loss of knowledge was true sorrow. He had done what he could; Angstrom could not truly stand against the Imperium.

So now, they had to personally defend their achievements.

Logos gazed out over the gray plains, where tens of thousands of Skitarii had formed battle formations, interspersed with heavy servitors and formatted vehicles such as crawlers.

The satellite had little in the way of terrain and offered no cover. There wouldn't even be weather effects, making it an ideal killing field. They only needed to concentrate maximum firepower to eliminate all enemies at the first opportunity.

Ansetus provided the Skitarii with attack directions and coordinates, while his assistants opened a portable tactical display. The entire battlefield was displayed as a crude grid. Red triangles approached from two directions in jagged formations, with the Skitarii icons shaped like gears to honor their selfless devotion to the Omnissiah.

Logos stood alone on the command platform supported by servitor shoulders, seemingly isolated from his assistants. But this did not mean he was truly alone. A network of data connected him to other datasmiths scattered across the planet's surface, and through them to every machine and subsystem they controlled. He also maintained communication and data links with the Skitarii Alphas under his control. Through this interface, tens of thousands of heavy servitors and hundreds of thousands of Skitarii moved according to his will. This was the highly efficient command system the Adeptus Mechanicus prided itself on.

To an outside observer, he seemed to possess the power of a god, but as a senior member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, he was well aware of the true majesty that knowledge and machines could encompass. He was still just a component, no matter how high he sat in the Mechanicus hierarchy.

Just as he disliked the Space Marines, but still had to follow their commands.

[Enemy Group Approaching from System Edge Detected]

[Confirm Enemy Numbers]

[Estimated Number from Complete Data Spectrum: 1000, Error Value 3%]

[Correct Firepower Configuration and Compare with Previous Long-Range Sensor Information and Marginal Intensity Estimates]

Subsequently, the Logos turned his gaze to the distance, muttering to himself:

"The invaders are coming."

Long-range artillery fire began to shoot first, forming lightning-like crackles and rumbles in the distance.

Ansetus switched his view to the detection skull flying in the sky, then saw the rolling enemy.

They were all misshapen giants, wearing scarlet armor, with many mutations on their bodies, and their appearance was very terrible. The blasphemous Chaos symbols and incomprehensible roars were highly symbolic, as if they were created for the sole purpose of conveying this message to all life in any language, across the gulf of time: I am death.

Even under the heavy bombardment, there was still no fear in their voices, which was worth thinking about. Ansetus was also thinking about how different these "Fallen" were from the "Loyalists" who conquered the forge world.

The analyzed results were disappointing; their bloodlust and brutality were almost identical.

That's the problem with the Astartes: they are not pure enough to be machines, although they have gotten rid of many of humanity's imperfections.

If the Astartes got rid of the remaining weaknesses, perhaps the Imperium would not be at war with itself, but at least for now, there is no doubt that they are flawed.