Chapter 32 : The Great Crusade
Planet Grak'thul
Planet Grak'thul holds great symbolic significance, as it was one of the first planets to be successfully conquered by the Urg'nok.
It now serves as a prime tourist destination for the Urg'nok and doubles as a massive marketplace for the trade of slaves, technology, and warships plundered by interstellar raiders. It is the largest of its kind in the galaxy, where millions of human slaves are bought and sold daily-along with alien slaves of various races.
Moreover, Grak'thul is the closest planet to the capital of the Urg'nok Empire: the Bloodmaw Empire.
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"Please! My Lord! She's just a child!"
A middle-aged man begged, clinging to the leg of a towering Urg'nok-beastly and orc-like in appearance.
"A child? Perfect! Her head would make an excellent cup," the Urg'nok sneered cruelly, tightening his grip around the neck of a little girl.
Suddenly, another Urg'nok came running frantically toward them.
"Duke! Duke!"
This one wore a black military uniform and called out urgently to the tall Urg'nok.
"Lord Drek'nul! We're under attack! We've lost contact with the orbital fortress, and our patrol ships aren't responding. They may have been destroyed!"
"What!?" Drek'nul said in disbelief. In his mind, no one would dare to attack this planet-or anything within reach of the Bloodmaw Empire.
"What's coming..."
Before he could finish his sentence, numerous warships of unfamiliar and diverse design appeared in the skies above Grak'thul.
"Launch all fighters! Alert the ground forces-full combat readiness!"
Drek'nul released the girl and dashed toward the governor's palace, his face flushed with shame and rage.
The middle-aged man was so overjoyed that the little girl hugged him tightly. Together, they gazed at the sky, where various enormous warships with strange shapes flew above them. They both had a strong feeling that hope was somewhere up there.
Meanwhile, aboard each warship, the Mechanicus and Inquisition members began their ritual preparations. The atmosphere on the ships was hushed, as every soldier understood what was about to come.
"What is our duty?" asked an Inquisition officer.
"To serve the Emperor's will," the Space Marines responded in unison.
"What is the Emperor's will?" asked the Inquisition officer again.
"Let us fight to the death," the Space Marines responded in unison.
"Why must we fight to the death?" asked the Inquisition officer.
"It is our duty," the Space Marines responded in unison.
Before them, a Dark Angel priest in black robes led the Space Marines behind him in their final prayer before the battle. However, this team was unusual. Space Marines from various Legions gathered here, both loyalists and traitors, with different colors of armor.
Children of the Emperor, Salamanders, Iron Hands, Iron Warriors, World Eaters, Ultramarines, and many others. All knelt before the priest, praying with devotion before the battle began.
"Such feudal superstition," murmured a few officers observing this scene.
Several officers from the Star Wars and Resident Evil worlds, including Chris Redfield and Carlos Oliveira, couldn't help but complain. They had fought across the galaxy for so long, yet they had never seen a single army pray before a battle. "This is pure feudal superstition," they thought.
The soldiers recruited from the Resident Evil world, though accustomed to strange things, still couldn't help but feel uneasy. They were star soldiers, yet this scene seemed to take them back to a dark age, a time they thought was long gone.
"Bring the Emperor's wrath upon the Xenos below!" shouted the Inquisition after the prayer concluded..