56: The only drawback of this vehicle is that it looks like a coffin.

[Sector 7 - Inside the Rhino Transport "obsidian"]

Clang!

The heavy rear hatch slammed shut, and the hiss of the hydraulic locks instantly sealed out the torrential rain and the screams from outside.

The interior of the vehicle fell into the dim glow of red emergency lighting.

It was very cramped.

Ten giants, two and a half meters tall and clad in mk ii power armor, were squeezed into this iron box. Shoulder plates bumped against shoulder plates, and the barrels of Bolters knocked against knee guards, producing dull metallic clangs.

The air was thick with the smell of a new vehicle—un-evaporated anti-rust oil, grease, and the distinct scorched scent of Ceramite baked by the high heat of the engine.

Nero sat in the seat nearest the door.

He pulled a data cable from the interface on his wrist armor and plugged it into the vehicle's hull, synchronizing battlefield information in real-time.

In that instant, he "felt" the vehicle.

The engine's four combustion chambers were frantically gulping Fuel, the tracks were gripping the mud, and the faint vibrations of raindrops were tapping against the outer armor plates. This thirty-ton steel monster had become an extension of his body.

"Engine preheating complete."

The driver—a Techmarine also clad in power armor—reported through the comms channel in a flat, emotionless voice.

"All crew, brace yourselves."

No countdown. No buffer.

Boom!!!

The engine let out a beast-like roar.

A massive burst of torque instantly pinned everyone in the cabin back against their seats.

Even with the cushioning of the power armor, Nero still felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.

The vehicle moved. No, it "shot" out... [Pan-Pacific Empire - Second Line of Defense]

"What are they doing? Is that... a brick?"

A Pan-Pacific anti-tank gunner lay behind the ruins, looking through his scope at the object charging out of the distant dust and smoke.

It wasn't a tank they were familiar with.

Those black objects had no turrets and no streamlined, shot-deflecting shapes; they were just angry, black rectangular boxes on tracks.

And they were too fast.

On the muddy wasteland filled with craters and corpses, these boxes were moving at an incredible speed for their size.

They ignored the terrain and the mud, jolting wildly across the rugged battlefield, with the tracks flinging mud several meters high.

"Ignore what it is! Fire!!"

An officer roared, waving his command saber.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

The Pan-Pacific Empire's anti-tank guns—clunky artillery that could only fire massive armor-piercing rivets—began to roar.

Several red-hot solid steel rivets whistled toward the leading "black box."

Clang!!!

A massive impact echoed.

A steel rivet slammed hard into the frontal armor of the obsidian.

Sparks flew everywhere.

On that sixty-millimeter-thick composite Ceramite armor plate, a two-centimeter-deep crater was left, with the surrounding paint charred and peeling.

But that was it.

The vehicle didn't even shake.

To the Pan-Pacific troops, who were used to using harpoons and rivets to deal with sea beasts, the material science of the STC Standard Template was practically black magic.

Ceramite was not only hard but also exceptionally good at dispersing kinetic energy.

"No penetration! Repeat! No penetration!"

The anti-tank gunner shouted in despair.

And that black box had already charged right in front of them.

It didn't slow down. It didn't even fire its guns.

It simply crashed into them—straight, brutal, and unreasonable.

Rumble—!!!

The defensive fortifications, built of sandbags and scrap steel plates, collapsed instantly under the thirty-ton steel impact at sixty kilometers per hour.

The soldiers hiding behind them didn't even have time to scream before being crushed into meat paste by the tracks or sliced in two by flying steel plates... [Inside the obsidian]

The vehicle's hull jolted violently.

Nero heard the "squelch" of wet sponges being squeezed and the crisp snap of bones breaking from beneath the tracks.

"Instant load increase on the left track. High-torque mode activated to clear obstacles."

The driver reported coldly.

With a roar from the engine, the tracks spun rapidly for a few rotations, flinging away shredded flesh and uniform fragments before regaining their grip on the ground.

Nero gripped his Bolter tightly. He could hear the dense sound of bullets tapping against the armor outside, like hail hitting a tin roof.

Instead of scaring him, that sound gave him an unprecedented sense of security.

Inside this narrow, claustrophobic iron coffin filled with the smell of engine oil, he was invincible.

"Arrived at the designated position."

"First Squad, disembark and get to work."

As the command was given, the hydraulic locks of the rear hatch snapped open.

Clang!

The hatch slammed heavily onto the muddy ground, turning into a ramp.

Nero was the first to charge out. He was greeted by swirling dust and the pungent smell of blood.

Just as he stepped out of the cabin, several bullets struck his breastplate, making only dull thuds and leaving no dents behind.

He raised his Bolter and pulled the trigger at the enemies who were still dazed in the ruins.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Behind him, the Rhino that had delivered him didn't stop.

Its top hatch opened, and an Astartes emerged, manning the roof-mounted twin-linked Bolter to pour fire into the surroundings, providing suppression for the infantry... [Holographic Operations Cabin]

Li Cang watched the ten black arrows on the screen easily tear through the Pan-Pacific Empire's seemingly solid line of defense.

Behind those arrows were five larger predator tanks with rotating turrets.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Destructor Autocannons on the predator tanks began to show their might.

The shells of these large-caliber kinetic weapons were as big as a fist.

They accurately pounded the enemy's bunkers and fire points. Concrete walls were blasted apart, and heavy machine gun turrets were sent flying.

"This is... total systemic dominance."

Li Cang remarked with a sigh.

He glanced at the time.

There were less than ten minutes left until the main cannon of the leviathan Land Carrier finished charging.

His vanguard had already reached the foot of the leviathan.

The behemoth was right before them, like a moving mountain range blotting out the sky.

"C-19."

Li Cang connected the communication.

"Don't let the tanks stop."

"Circle it. Hit its tracks, hit its levitation base."

"Trap it... right here for me."

The tactic was simple: the Rhinos and infantry were responsible for clearing the surrounding escort forces.

The Predators were responsible for taking out its 'legs.' Then... it would be the boarding team's job.

Li Cang's gaze fell on a special marker at the edge of the screen.

That was the final card he had prepared for this 'Decapitation Strike.'

And it was his most ruthless card.