Chapter 74: The First Kree Retaliation

The Kree were pissed.

After the humans smashed their first fleet like it was nothing, the entire local Kree command freaked out. They scrambled everything they had in the nearest systems. Warships, cruisers, even some heavy carriers that were supposed to be on patrol duty. They were not gonna let this insult go unanswered.

Meanwhile, on the human side, everything was calm.

The Emperor already knew what was coming. He was standing at the command deck of the fortress they had built right next to the Tesseract Gate on the newly conquered planet. The world still had the remains of extinct xenos cities, crumbling ruins overgrown with weird alien trees and vines. The mining operations had barely started, but the Tesseract Gate was already fully operational. A huge shimmering portal, crackling with blue energy, linking this planet directly back to Terra.

Around him were his sons, the Primarchs, and hundreds of Astartes standing in formation. Their armor gleamed under the artificial lights, and their weapons were loaded and ready.

The alarms started blaring.

"Incoming fleet, My Lord," one of the officers said. "Hundreds of ships. Estimated time to arrival... ten minutes."

The Emperor just nodded.

"Let them come."

Across the entire planet, defenses were ready. Giant railguns that could punch holes through mountains. Missile silos hidden underground. Plasma batteries mounted on walls so thick they could withstand orbital bombardment. And above them, hundreds of human ships orbited, waiting for the signal.

The Kree fleet arrived like a hammer.

In an instant, the sky above turned into a storm of lights. Blue and red lasers ripped through space, missiles screamed through the void, and the human ships met them head-on. Battleships the size of skyscrapers unleashed their full firepower, tearing into the Kree formation.

Explosions flashed everywhere.

One human cruiser exploded when too many Kree bombers swarmed it, but for every human ship that fell, five Kree ships were blasted into junk. The humans fought like demons. The Astartes in boarding pods launched into space, slamming into Kree cruisers, tearing through their hulls, and carving entire decks clean with bolters and chainswords.

On the surface, dropships tried to land Kree soldiers to sabotage the Tesseract Gate.

Big mistake.

The first Kree squads that landed got wiped out in minutes. Astartes squads met them in the ruined streets, moving like wolves, cutting them down one by one. It was not even a fair fight. Kree soldiers were tough and well-trained, but Astartes were monsters. Bigger, faster, stronger. Even if a Kree soldier landed a lucky shot, the armor of the Space Marines just shrugged it off.

Above the battlefield, Horus himself led a group of Thunderhawk gunships. His armor gleamed black and silver, and he carried a massive power maul that could crush tanks with a single swing.

"For Terra!" Horus roared as he jumped from the Thunderhawk and smashed into the ground like a meteor, sending shockwaves through the ranks of Kree soldiers.

The Kree tried to fall back, but it was useless. Every building turned into a kill zone. Every street turned into a bloodbath.

And then, the Emperor himself moved.

Wielding only his sword, wrapped in psychic flame, he walked into the battlefield. No armor, no shield. Just pure, raw power. Every Kree that even looked at him dropped dead from the sheer force of his psychic will. Tanks exploded just by being too close. Entire squads fell to their knees, choking and bleeding from their eyes.

The Kree fleet in orbit started pulling back.

Their commanders realized this was not just another primitive planet. This was something else. Something ancient and terrifying.

The humans did not pursue them. Not yet. The Emperor raised his hand, and the entire battlefield froze.

"Enough," he said.

The Kree were allowed to retreat.

Not because of mercy. But because they needed to carry a message back to the Kree Empire.

Humanity had arrived.

And they were ready to tear the galaxy apart.

Later that night, inside the command bunker, the Emperor called a meeting.

"My sons," he said, his voice calm, "we have drawn first blood. But this is only the beginning. The Kree will come in greater force next time."

Some of the Primarchs nodded, hungry for more battle. Others stayed silent, thinking about the future.

The Emperor pointed at the Tesseract Gate.

"We have something they do not understand. Something they fear. And we will use it."

He turned to one of his senior commanders.

"Prepare a raid team. I want to strike at the heart of the Kree. Find a world deep in their territory. Send in the Astartes. Let them see the fury of humanity up close."

The officer saluted sharply.

"Yes, my Lord."

As the meeting ended, the stars outside the bunker seemed to shine brighter. Like they were waiting.

Waiting for the storm that was coming.


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End of Chapter 73