Chapter 1183: Defending Terra

Inside the Golden Throne Room, the air was as solid as lead.

Yang Cheng slowly opened his eyes, and the flashing red alarm on the holographic star map was reflected in his bright golden pupils.

The psychic torches around the throne swayed violently, casting his shadow on the dome inlaid with the map of the human empire's territory, like a giant covering the galaxy.

"Their target is Terra! My Lord!"

Waldo knelt on one knee, his voice as sharp as a sword drawn from its sheath.

The smoke of the Battle of Comoros still lingered on the golden armor of the commander of the Imperial Guards. The phalanx of tens of thousands of Imperial Guards behind him was as silent as a mountain, and each guardian spear flashed with a cold light.

On the other side of the throne, thousands of red guards stood still like scarlet shadows, their crimson armor glowing with metallic luster under the firelight, their fully enclosed curved helmets inlaid with golden visual sensors, the force staffs and spears they held in their hands hummed slightly, emitting dangerous energy fluctuations.

Heavy footsteps were heard from the entrance of the hall.

Rogal Dorn walked into the throne room with steps as firm as a battering ram. His figure was like a moving fortress, and every scratch on his golden power armor told of the glory of thousands of years of battle.

The face of the Primarch of the Imperial Fists seemed to be carved from marble, and the firm lines were unwavering.

"The support fleet of the Solar Sector is gathering through the space bridge system." Dorn's voice was as deep as the vibration of the earth's core. His thick fingers drew several blue tracks on the holographic star map. "At least the lifeline of the empire's transportation has not been cut off."

Following closely behind was Louis Bonaparte, the Primarch of the 11th Legion, who was tall and slender, with a delicate fleur-de-lis emblem adorning his azure power armor.

He took off his helmet inlaid with golden feathers, revealing a face that combined the temperament of a poet and the sharpness of a warrior.

Different from Dorn's solemnity, the Primarch of the Iris Oath had a burning desire to fight in his eyes.

"The demons are heading straight for Terra," Dorn continued, his eyes sweeping across the approaching red mark on the star map. "Giving up Terra is like giving up the Astronomican. Without the Astronomican, humanity will return to its former ignorance."

Yang Cheng's fingers tapped lightly on the armrests of the throne, and every tap made the air in the throne room tremble.

He looked past the two Primarchs to Malcador who stood in the shadows.

The seal bearer's hunched body was wrapped in a thick black robe, but his eyes were still as sharp as when he was young.

“Malcador.” The Emperor’s voice resounded like a morning bell and an evening drum, echoing in the depths of everyone’s soul. “Organize the immediate evacuation of scientific researchers and important civilian officials. Destination: the secondary capital of Coruscant.”

Malcador's bony fingers stroked the datapad, and the holographic projection immediately displayed thousands of evacuation routes. "It has been arranged, old friend. But the number of psyker arks is limited..."

"Combatants must not leave Terra even a step." Yang Cheng stood up, his white robe fluttering in the wind, the gold lines inlaid on it outlined the veins of the Milky Way, "Every soldier must stick to his post, from the outer wall of the palace to the orbital platform. I want Terra to be a sharp knife inserted in the throat of chaos."

The Emperor descended the steps of his throne, his boots thumping on the ground studded with the bones of human heroes.

He came to the star map, and the defense deployment of the entire solar system was reflected in his golden pupils.

"This time, we will not repeat the mistakes of the Horus Heresy." Yang Cheng's fingers passed through the defense lines of Mars and Jupiter, and finally stopped in the orbit of Terra. "I will personally settle the matter with the Four Gods."

Dorn's tactical eyepiece flashed with data streams. As the commander-in-chief of the defense, his brain operated like the most sophisticated war machine.

Precise orders were issued one after another, and fleets were deployed to designated locations one after another.

"All available fleets are on their way to help." Louis took over the conversation, his voice carrying the elegance and sharpness unique to their legion, "The Fire Eagle, Star Eagle, and Sapphire Fleets will be assembled within 18 standard hours."

The Primarch of the Iris Oath tapped the hologram with his slender fingers, and several black spheres deployed outside the solar system lit up with scarlet light:

"I have activated all of the defense arrays. They will give the Chaos fleet an... unforgettable welcome."

Waldo raised the Guardian Spear and slammed it to the ground. The sound of metal hitting the ground was like a war drum. "The Imperial Guard has been deployed at every key point in the palace. No demon can step into the throne room."

The leader of the red guards took a step forward, his crimson armor glowing bloody under the light.

The force staff spear he held suddenly activated, and scarlet plasma energy leaped at the tip of the spear: "The Red Guards have blocked all secret passages leading to the throne room. Our force staff will make any intruder know what the price is for meeting the Emperor."

Yang Cheng nodded slightly and looked outside the dome.

Through the thick armored glass, one can see the Phalanx on track deploying into combat formation, the gun muzzles of this mobile fortress as densely packed as a forest.

Farther away, the superlaser of the Death Star's defense platform began to charge, and the dazzling red light was clearly visible even in the daytime.

"Dorn." The Emperor's voice suddenly softened. "If the final line of defense is breached..."

The Primarch of the Imperial Fists stood up straight, like a wall that would never fall. "Then the Seventh Legion will become the final bulwark. I swear in the name of the Legion that any demon that wants to defile the throne must first step over the corpses of the Imperial Fists."

Louis saluted gracefully, the fleur-de-lis emblem gleaming in the light. "The 11th Legion is ready for orbital landing. In the shadows of the throne city lies our sharpest sword."

........................

A series of identification signals suddenly lit up on the scanner of the Terra Orbital Defense Array.

"Terra, this is the Emperor's Children Legion fleet, we have arrived at the designated location."

Fulgrim's voice came through the encrypted communication channel, like the elegant sound of a cello, rippling in the silence of the command center.

He stood on the bridge of the Emperor's Pride, his slender fingers gently stroking the tactical holo-table.

The purple finely crafted power armor glowed with a pearl-like luster under the cold light of the starship, and every curve was like a masterpiece of an art master.

His face was almost unreal, with long silver-white hair cascading down over his shoulder armor, and his violet eyes reflecting the azure light of Terra in the distance.

"The First Fleet has entered battle formation." Fulgrim turned his head slightly and said to the flag officer beside him, "Notify all ships to deploy a defensive formation."

There was a sudden rustling static noise in the communication channel, followed by a low and hoarse voice, like rusty metal rubbing against each other:

"It's been a long time since we fought side by side, my brother."

Mortarion's figure appeared in the holographic projection. Under the Death Guard Primarch's iconic hood, only a pair of eyes with a faint green glow could be vaguely seen.

His breathing mask made a slight hissing sound, and the thick gray armor was covered with ancient death prayers.

Although his words were brief, the fingers holding the Silence scythe tightened slightly, revealing his inner excitement.

"Stop talking nonsense, the enemy is coming."

The gruff voice of Ferrus Manus suddenly broke into the communication.

His flagship was slowly emerging from the Warp rift, its jet-black armor covered with scars from thousands of years of battle.

The silver-gray nanometal arms of the Iron Hand Primarch glowed coldly in the holographic projection, forming a sharp contrast with the bronze facial skin.

“My detection array shows that subspace fluctuations have appeared in the outer reaches of the solar system.” Ferrus’s mechanical prosthetic eyes flashed with data streams. “If you are done with the reminiscences, we’d better deploy a defense line immediately.”

At almost the same time, two identical signals were connected to the communication network.

"Alpha, Omega, our legions are in place."

The voices of Alpha and Omega overlapped perfectly, even the rise and fall of the pitch was exactly the same.

Their fleet was deployed in a dazzlingly complex formation, with each warship constantly changing position as if performing some kind of precise dance.