I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 258 Invisible Hand
Reinhard's roar and the clang of his chainsword, like a hurricane breaking through the thick fog, instantly swept into the battlefield of the dying. He spotted the players locked in a fierce battle at a glance.

BUG was wielding his broken laser gun like a club, trying to fend off the two knife-wielding insects attacking him. He had multiple cuts from the sharp claws on his body, and blood was seeping through his carapace. The other players were in a similar situation, surrounded by a dense swarm of aliens. The flashes of their automatic guns and laser guns seemed so weak in the dim fog, as if they could be swallowed up at any moment.

"Retreat!" Reinhard commanded again, his voice booming like a bell, echoing across the battlefield. Without hesitation, his chainsaw, imbued with destructive power, cleaved directly at the hordes of blade-wielding insects besieging the bug. The spinning fangs easily tore through the alien's carapace and flesh, cleaving one Tyrannosaurus in two. The other tried to pounce on Reinhard, but was sent flying by a heavy side kick, crashing into several smaller insects and turning them into a bloody pulp.

Having gotten a chance to catch their breath, BUG immediately reacted and shouted, "Retreat! Retreat to the rear defensive line!"

Upon hearing Reinhard's command and the bug's response, the suicide squad sprang into action. They fired relentlessly, using their remaining ammunition to hinder the swarm's pursuit as they laboriously retreated towards the rear lines. Every step was incredibly difficult; each person teetered on the brink of death.

Reinhard became their strongest shield. He stood behind the retreating players, facing the surging Tyranid horde alone. The chainsaw sword in his hand became deadly afterimages, each swing claiming the lives of several Xenomorphs. He removed the bomb gun again, wielding it in his left hand, its precise and deadly bullets blasting any Xenomorph attempting to flank him into mincemeat.

He stood firm like a rock amidst the swarm of insects, unshaken by the aliens' relentless attacks. However, the sheer number of insects was overwhelming; they surged in from all directions, relentlessly attacking this killing machine.

"His!"

A warrior insect lurking in a blind spot suddenly launched a surprise attack from the side, its sharp bone blades whistling through the air as it slashed fiercely across Reinhard's power armor on his chest and abdomen.

Sparks fly!

The sturdy terracotta armor was torn open with a deep crack that exposed bone, revealing the internal wiring and hydraulic lines, with even a faint crackling sound of electricity. Although it did not directly injure Reinhard's body, the power armor's protection and power were greatly weakened, causing him to move somewhat sluggishly.

However, Reinhard seemed oblivious. He whirled around, his chainsaw blazing with fury, and instantly cleaved the weapon demon in two. Blood splattered out, staining his tattered breastplate crimson.

He used his own body to buy precious time for the dying to retreat. As the last player stumbled back into the defensive line, Reinhard, under the cover of heavy explosives, dragged his torn power armor and strode back behind the ruins of Lemanrus.

After retreating back to the defensive line, the players immediately returned to their respective cover positions, vigilantly monitoring the swarm of insects lurking in the thick fog ahead. After the fierce battle, everyone appeared exhausted, but their eyes held a hint of relief at surviving the ordeal and awe for Reinhard.

Reinhard returned to the top of the Lemanrus ruins. Instead of immediately checking his own injuries, he turned to the side and looked at BUG, ​​who had just escaped death.

"Are you alright?" His voice was as deep as ever, but it carried a hint of barely perceptible concern.

Bug glanced down at the laser gun in his hand. The once straight barrel was now warped and twisted from the impact, and the gun itself was covered in scratches and charred marks. He shook his head regretfully. "It's alright, just a shame the gun's ruined. I actually found it quite handy." Then, Bug's gaze involuntarily fell on the gruesome gash in Reinhard's chest and abdomen—a mark left by the Tyrannical warrior, the exposed wiring and metal structure starkly visible in the dim light. He asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Reinhard simply shook his head, his voice calm and undisturbed: "It didn't hurt me. The attack only damaged part of the power armor's energy transmission pipeline, but that's a minor issue. As long as the power backpack is intact, the combat won't be greatly affected."

Just then, BUG's gaze suddenly froze on a certain spot in the void, then widened sharply, and he blurted out, "Holy crap? What's going on?"

Reinhard immediately became alert and quickly scanned the direction the bug was looking, but his enhanced eyes could only see the dense spore mist and the faint shadows of insects ahead.

"What happened?" he asked in a deep voice.

“No, it’s nothing… just pretend I misread it.” BUG’s tone was a little strange. He didn’t offer any explanation, but quickly looked away. Reinhard, trusting him, didn’t press the matter further.

In fact, what just happened was no small matter.

As a player, in addition to specific military tasks on the system panel, such as holding positions, attacking high ground, and digging trenches, there is also a general task—the progress bar for eliminating the Tyranids on this planet.

This progress bar appeared after Ultramarines Chapter Commander Calgar arrived with reinforcements. Initially, the progress bar was around 20%. Over the course of the month, the players' raids and the subsequent large-scale burning operations by the follow-up forces painstakingly increased the progress bar to 30%.

Just now, BUG glanced at it as usual and was shocked to find that the progress bar had jumped from 30% to 50% in an instant!

This is absolutely an extremely unusual change!
"Holy crap, what's going on?" BUG wondered to himself. "Terren created another Norn Messenger, but it got wiped out due to mishandling? This price increase is ridiculous!"

That's a full 20% of the progress! Keep in mind, these 'suicide missions' along with hundreds of thousands of Space Marines spent a month relentlessly burning and attacking, barely managing to push the progress from 20% to 30%. And now, in just these few minutes of their retreat, the progress bar has been suddenly pulled up by some invisible hand.

This means that nearly one-fifth of the Tyranids' biomass on this planet, or a strategically vital target, was wiped out in an instant. This is far beyond what could be caused by the defeat of an ordinary swarm.

(End of this chapter)