coobybook Chapter 296 Happiness is Not Easy
Chapter 296 Happiness is Not Easy
The Word Bearers, leaderless, descended into madness. Some knelt and roared, allowing the chainsaws of the Dark Raven Guards to reap their heads; others charged toward the edge of the ruins, only to be intercepted and slaughtered by the White Scar's Thunderhawk gunboats.
“Leave a few alive,” Kyleon’s electronic eye swept across the battlefield. “Their memories may hold the coordinates of other strongholds.”
Arya's psionic tentacles entwined around a fleeing wizard: "His brain contains the recipe for Nurgle's Plague... Should it be destroyed?"
“No,” Kyleon’s metal fingers traced across the wizard’s temple, “give it to the Mechanicus—they love this kind of ‘gift’.”
Seven days later, a new Blackstone obelisk rose from the ruins of Raven Keep. Kelion stood in the shadow of the steel dome, watching the servo skulls dart about carrying metal fragments.
"Upgrade the defense system to the 'Raven's Eye' protocol," his electronic voice said calmly. "The next time the likes of Malkahn come, they won't even have a chance to get close to the atmosphere."
Casal's White Tiger Blade reflected the rebuilt metal walls: "Your Raven Guards build fortresses faster than the White Scar Charge."
“Efficiency is the foundation of survival.” A stream of data popped out from Kyleon’s shoulder armor. “Want to stay? Your swordsmanship is suitable for teaching new recruits.”
Casal chuckled and said: "Let's forget about it. There are new battles waiting for me."
Russell sat on the edge of the helipad atop the fortress, the Bloodthirsty entrenching tool gleaming with an eerie golden light. Arya's psionic tentacles brushed lightly across the blade: "Your psionic energy is devouring chaotic energy... that's dangerous."
“Just like you said,” Russell said, looking at the sandstorm on the horizon, “chaos never ends, but someone always has to fight against it.”
Casal's Thunderhawk gunboat stirred up a gust of air, and the starry sky was reflected in the hatch: "It's time to go, brother. The wind of the steppe is calling us."
Kyleon's voice suddenly came through the communicator: "A word of caution, mortal. Your psionic threshold is approaching the Space Marine standard—the Ravenguard's gene pool might have a suitable model for you."
Russell smiled and said, "Thank you, Lord Kyleon. I haven't thought about becoming a Space Marine yet."
“That’s such a shame! I hope we’ll have a chance to meet again. May the shadows protect you!” Kyrian said.
Russell nodded earnestly and said: May the Emperor bless you!
As the Thunderhawk gunship soared into the sky, Arya suddenly grabbed Russell's wrist. Her pupils were dyed gold by psychic energy: "I saw... Kahn's axe blade, the Thousand-Faced Demon Lord's maniacal laughter, and... a golden throne."
Russell placed the entrenching tool across his lap, the golden light from its blade mingling with the starlight outside the cabin: "Then let them come."
Below, the black obelisk of Raven Keep glowed with an eerie blue light; in the distance, White Scar's wolf-headed battle banner billowed in the sandstorm. In the shadows of the galaxy, a new war was brewing—but this time, the line between hunter and prey had blurred.
…………
Inside the Thunderhawk gunship, the roar of the engine was drowned out by the laughter of the White Scar warriors. Casal held his White Tiger Blade across his lap, the blood on the blade still wet, but a rare smile graced his face.
“I wish I had an engineer from the Ravenguard,” Casal said with a hint of sarcasm. “Their fortresses are like works of art, with even the cracks in the walls filled with cutting-edge technology.”
Russell frowned slightly and said, "Come on, Casal. The White Scar Warriors are different from the Raven Guards. What do you need that perfect fortress for? Are you planning to sit behind the wall and count the stars?"
Casal burst into laughter, his voice making the bulkhead vibrate: "That's right! We White Scars are storms on the plains, not rats hiding in the shadows."
“However…” Casal’s voice held a hint of slyness, “the perfect motorcycle is certainly possible. Imagine a motorcycle equipped with Ravenguard’s cutting-edge technology, so fast that even a warp storm couldn’t catch it!”
Russell's lips curled into a smile: "And then you ride it, crash headlong into the Word Bearers' lines, and shout 'For the Emperor!'"
Casal's White Tiger Blade flashed silver through the air: "That's right! And we also need to install a loudspeaker on the motorcycle to play the Prairie War Song, so that those Chaos bastards can appreciate the culture of White Scars before they die."
The white-scarred warriors inside the cabin burst into laughter, some even slapping their thighs.
“Speaking of motorcycles,” Russell said with a hint of sarcasm, “I remember the last time you charged on a motorcycle, you almost crashed into a rock.”
Casal's face flushed instantly: "That's because the rock looks like the head of the Word Bearer! I was so excited that I didn't see the road clearly."
“Then you flew out,” Russell said with a hint of mockery, “tracing a perfect arc in the air before crashing into a mud pit.”
The laughter inside the cabin grew even louder, and even Arya couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
“But seriously,” Casal’s voice carried a hint of seriousness, “once we return to Case IV, we must rebuild the fortress properly. This time, we cannot allow the Word Bearers to breach it so easily again.”
Russell, however, dismissed it, saying, "Maybe you don't need that perfect fortress, but you'll at least need a decent garage. Otherwise, your motorcycle will just be sitting in the mud again."
Casal plunged his White Tiger Blade into the floor: "This time I'm going to build a huge garage, filled with motorcycles, each one cooler than the Dark Raven Guard's high-tech gadgets!"
Laughter erupted again inside the cabin.
Inside the Thunderhawk gunship, the White Scar warriors' laughter gradually subsided, the roar of the engines echoing in their ears. Russell's gaze inadvertently swept over Arya, noticing that she was quietly watching him.
Their gazes met in mid-air, as if time stood still. Arya's psionic tentacles swayed gently in the air, the golden halo reflecting softly in her pupils.
Countless images flashed through Russell's mind—Arya shielding him from a fatal blow on the battlefield with her psionic shield; her psionic tendrils gently brushing against his skin as she treated his wounds in the medical bay; her focused expression with a slight furrow in her brow as she analyzed tactics for him on the Thunderhawk gunship.
Arya's psionic tendrils gently brushed against Russell's wrist, her voice tinged with tenderness: "What are you thinking about?"
Russell pondered for a moment and said: "I was thinking about the first time we met."
Arya smiled slightly: "What's there to think about?"
Casal's voice suddenly came through the comms channel: "Russell, Arya, what are you two doing? Don't think I can't see what you're up to!"
Russell chuckled, a hint of teasing in his voice, "Casal, are you jealous?"
Casal's White Tiger Blade flashed through the air like a streak of silver: "Jealousy? I'm the White Scar's company commander, the storm of the grasslands! Why would I be jealous of the two of you?"
Arya's psionic tendrils brushed lightly against Russell's wrist, her voice tinged with a hint of mockery: "Then why do you always stare at us?"
The white-scarred soldiers inside the cabin burst into laughter, and some even whistled.
The Thunderhawk gunship's engines roared louder as it sped towards the Case IV. Russell's voice came through the comms: "Arya, what are your plans after all this is over?"
Arya's psionic tentacles swayed gently in the air, her voice carrying a hint of tenderness: "I want to see the grasslands; I've heard the starry skies there are beautiful."
Russell immediately said, "Then I'll go with you."
Arya smiled and said, "Then you'd better be careful not to run headfirst into a mud pit again."
The hatch of the Thunderhawk gunship slowly opened, and the grasslands of the Case IV gleamed silver in the moonlight. Casal's voice crackled through the comms: "Brothers, are you ready for the new storm?"
The White Scar warriors responded in unison, their power armor joints emitting a synchronized hydraulic hiss.
"For the Emperor, for White Scar!" Casal's voice carried a hint of heroism, "Let us unleash a new storm on the steppe!"
Arya's psionic tendrils gently brushed against Russell's wrist, her voice tinged with tenderness: "Also for the stars."
Russell's golden arcs of electricity flowed beneath his skin, his voice carrying a hint of determination: "For the stars."
Laughter erupted again inside the cabin, as if even the Thunderhawk gunboat's engine was infected, its roar carrying a hint of merriment.