The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"Kill!"

Oscar's longsword traced an arc, interrupting the green skin's war cry. The blade tore through its thick neck, severing the ugly head from its shoulders.

The Fifth Company Captain then spun his weapon, flinging off the blood droplets, and stood firm, his stern gaze sweeping over the surviving horde, causing them to retreat from around him.

Simultaneously, Zod's Javelin attack craft began strafing with its laser cannons, instantly incinerating the filthy green flesh upon contact with the high-energy beams. The beasts' shrill cries pierced the air as the surviving green skins staggered away, steaming.

Those unhit beasts, however, were enraged, charging towards him in groups, snorting, stomping, and desperately trying to extinguish the light of this silver death star.

Oscar raised his sword, instantly felling one, then swept it out again, decapitating another. Meanwhile, more warriors dropped from the attack craft, using bolters and plasma guns to blast screaming green skins off the massive platform. In the distance, enormous pistons pumped in the scorching steam, discharging magma-like molten metal from the furnaces into rivers of fire.

This was inside the forge. Fifth Company had fought its way in, and the green skins had already crumbled with hardly any resistance.

The Javelin attack craft's agility played a crucial role, easily navigating the forge's vast spaces and corridors, bypassing the searing metal flows and numerous green skin barricades. Now, they circled the forge's semi-open dome like vultures, swooping down on the fleeing green skins, who were helpless against these sturdy anti-gravity vehicles.

Although the Meks had brought out heavy weapons, the forge's complex environment made it easy for rockets and shells to be blocked by the thicket of steel beams.

Oscar personally led the team along the forge's platform passages. As they advanced, tragic scenes unfolded. In some open halls, metal cages held scantily clad men and women curled up like fetuses or huddled in corners. Some leaned against the bars, bandaged hands waving at the approaching giants.

Even through his helmet, Oscar could smell the stench of open wounds and the acrid odor of excrement, hear the wails, the pitiful moans.

Green skins guarded this place, wielding pistols and whips. Oscar saw one tattooed brute with a string of skulls around his neck and wrists, none of which seemed to belong to adults.

"Kill him! Kill that beast!"

A woman suddenly screamed in a throat-torn cry.

"Throne have mercy! Please kill him! That monster ate my child!"

Oscar charged towards the green skin overseer without a word. The overseer raised his pistol, but the bullets were split and detonated by the sword in mid-air.

The next moment, as it took a terrified step back, the blade sliced through its arm.

"Waaagh!!!"

The green skin overseer screamed and staggered back, but then the blade swept across its knees.

The overseer, now without legs, collapsed to the ground. Oscar raised his foot and kicked the overseer in the chin, sending the jawbone flying off its head. Blood splattered on Oscar's foot, and the green skin overseer's exposed tongue trembled in the blood, able only to utter painful whimpers. The other green skins had also been dealt with by the Space Marines.

Oscar turned, sheathed his sword, went to the cage, and with a gentle pull, tore open the metal bars. He then looked at the grief-stricken, skeletal woman and pointed to the green skin overseer trembling on the ground.

The woman choked out a sob, then howled like a beast, rushing on all fours towards the monster that had eaten her two children.

Crack! Crack!

More cages were opened, and many freed prisoners roared, dragging their weak or crippled bodies towards the overseers.

Almost instantly, the green skin overseer was engulfed by the crowd. These slaves, who had been arbitrarily tortured and whipped, unleashed all their anger on it. But that was not all. To make the human slaves work harder, the overseers had captured many children, using them as threats, but most of the children found it hard to survive, because the green skins were always capricious. They preferred to devour them alive in front of the children's parents.

The scene was horrific. No one could imagine the rage and despair they contained. Even if their fingers broke on the green skin's tough skin, they would still insert their broken fingers into its eyes, ears, and nostrils. If their fingers lacked strength, they would use their teeth.

Oscar watched all of this in silence, the only thing he could do.

But there were more enslaved humans who could not escape because they were too badly injured and too weak.

"Bennett, your squad stays here. Call for a Taran medical team."

"Yes, Captain."

As the team continued deeper, the number of rescued human slaves increased. This was why Ryza was particularly concerned about this world. Green skin invasions were usually focused on complete destruction and annihilation, with very little enslavement. The occurrence of such behavior meant that this green skin WAAAGH! had entered a new level, where the green beasts would more efficiently exploit the resources of the occupied territories, and the threat would increase exponentially.

But for Oscar, this only deepened his anger. He now only wanted to dismember every green skin he encountered.

"Captain, brother! We have an unexpected situation!"

Just as Oscar kicked the bisected green skin corpse down the steps, Zod, piloting the Javelin attack craft, suddenly lowered altitude and shouted:

"The green skins seem to have built a big one. It's rampaging, and the Taran forces are being held back. It looks like it's going to destroy the forge!"

Suddenly, a loud crash, and the platform beneath Oscar's feet shook violently. It was clearly a massive explosion.

"Take me to see it!"

He sprinted to the edge of the platform and leaped, and Zod accelerated the attack craft, catching Oscar securely.

"Jansen, you continue leading the team forward! Take the forge's control center first!"

"Yes, sir!"

The attack craft quickly carried Oscar out of the forge's top, only to be met by a cloud of smoke. Fortunately, the helmet protected him; otherwise, he would have coughed a few times.

Emerging from the smoke, Oscar saw that part of the forge's main structure was on fire. Several hundred meters away, in what looked like a converted factory, was an ugly but massive machine, a forming Stompa. Fortunately, it was only half-finished, with only the body, head, and arm sections completed. The walking parts were not yet finished, forcing it to 'sit' in a comical pose among the many gantries and scaffolding.