The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

"Broodmother? Mother rat?" In the dim underground tunnel, a group of Greatswords, Foot Knights, and Dwarf soldiers advanced slowly, allowing the Dwarfs to keep up.

Among them were over twenty Reiksguard, equipped not only with melee weapons but also with revolving rifles.

Ryan couldn't help but think to himself how wealthy the Emperor's army was.

Imperial Knights were allowed to equip ranged weapons. For example, the famous Knights of the Blazing Sun primarily used ranged weapons, switching to melee only when necessary.

In the southern Empire, the affluent armies often dressed extravagantly. The Greatswords before him, known as the Flowers of the Empire, wore brightly colored armor, multi-hued plumes on their helmets, and fancy tights, adorned with numerous decorations, almost flamboyantly so.

Imperial Knights were similar, proud of their status and disdaining any comparison to Bretonnian Knights. Throughout history, the Empire's Knights had never won against Bretonnian Knights in knightly duels. Leopold's Emperor defeated Bretonnia with fortified cannons, and Emperor Karl Franz defeated Bretonnia with steam tanks and powerful infantry, finally overcoming Casfan through a flanking maneuver.

Ryan knew that Imperial Knights were actually quite capable. The issue was that Bretonnian Knights were too strong. Holy Grail Knights were not to be judged by common standards. Often, when facing invasions, a single Holy Grail Knight with a group of Holy Grail Pilgrims could secure victory before the Dukes' armies even arrived.

Ryan was snapped back to the present by Sulia pinching him.

"No, you humans evidently know very little about the Skaven. The Broodmother is a vital part of a Skaven clan," Bellegar said, slightly excited. "The Broodmother is currently the only known female Skaven. She is the reproductive machine for an entire Skaven clan. Typically, a clan has only two or three Broodmothers, sometimes just one. She is responsible for the clan's reproduction."

"The Broodmother is a mass of hundreds of kilograms of flesh, with no combat ability and incapable of independent survival. If we can eliminate the Broodmother of this clan, it will be a devastating blow to that clan."

"Quick, write this down!" Helborg urgently instructed the Reiksguard to record this information.

"If that's the case, why would a Broodmother, with no combat ability, be on the front lines?" Ryan was puzzled. Given its importance, why would the Broodmother be here?

"It's because of food," Bellegar explained, carefully navigating the deep mine tunnels. "Skaven desperately need food. For a Broodmother to produce offspring efficiently, she needs to eat continuously for twenty-four hours. Castrated slave rats, under the direction of Skaven engineers, continuously inject her with hallucinogens to keep her excited and eating. A Broodmother can produce a large litter weekly, with these rats maturing in just two to three weeks."

The old Witch Hunter, Ernst, understood. Holding a golden iron cross-embellished axe in one hand and a blue runed scimitar in the other, he spoke in his rough voice, "To keep the Broodmother producing at full capacity, a constant supply of large amounts of food is necessary. So, after a successful Skaven attack, it's not surprising for the Broodmother to be brought to the front lines. Alternatively, we can surmise that the Skaven never expected they couldn't capture Helmgart!"

Bellegar nodded, suddenly speaking in a puzzled tone, "I've often wondered how someone with your intelligence became the Grand Master of the Witch Hunters. Now I understand—you just prefer using your axe and sword over thinking."

"Against heretics, what we need is judgment and purification," Ernst replied curtly, not wanting to argue with Bellegar. The irascible old Witch Hunter glared at Ryan. If he didn't know that Holy Grail Knights couldn't be corrupted, he might have already attacked Ryan.

That was Ernst's logic.

The group continued deeper, taking over two hours. Contrary to their expectations, the mine's depths revealed extensive caverns, even an underground complex!

These massive stone buildings had been occupied by the Skaven, littered with makeshift warpstone lighting, wooden planks, and Skaven excrement, emitting a foul stench.

"This place is like a giant garbage dump," Sulia gripped the hilt of her sword, looking at Bellegar. "Judging by the architectural style and the precise craftsmanship of these stones, have the Skaven occupied a Dwarf fortress?"

"Shh," Bellegar approached a large stone chamber's entrance, cautiously peeking outside. "Clanrat patrol!"

"Hey-haa, hey-haa," a large group of Clanrats, numbering over five hundred, patrolled under the lead of several Stormvermin. They wielded swords, shields, and spears.

"Prepare for battle!" Reiksmarshal Helborg signaled his soldiers to get ready and turned to Bellegar, indicating for him to give the command. "Alright, Dwarf King, what's the plan?"

Having agreed to follow Bellegar's lead, Helborg, though he had reservations about the Emperor's orders, fully executed the Emperor's will.

Bellegar stood still, contemplating, observing the patrol routes of the Clanrats.

The group had to wait patiently.

After five minutes, Bellegar shook his head. "No, we won't engage."

"Won't engage?" Helborg immediately sensed another plan and signaled his soldiers to stay quiet. He maintained patience. "Explain your plan, Dwarf. The enemy is right there. If we won't fight, at least give us a reason."

"Wait for the Skaven to come to us," Bellegar considered the situation, whispering. "If I'm not mistaken... everyone, rest here and eat something. A tough battle awaits."

The Dwarf soldiers immediately sat down, taking out malt beer and bread. The human soldiers hesitated, looking at Reiksmarshal Helborg. Upon receiving his command, they too sat down to rest.

During this time, no knight or Greatsword spoke out of turn. They were like precision war machines, maintaining silence and formation. Bellegar quietly nodded in approval, thinking the Emperor's troops, though not as good as Dwarfs, were acceptable in quality.

In the deep mine, Ryan pulled Sulia to sit beside him. The foul smell dampened his appetite. Closing his eyes, he patiently awaited Bellegar's command.

Bellegar signaled a few to join a meeting.

"I feel uneasy," Sulia said, looking around the damp, cluttered, foul-smelling environment with dim lighting. She leaned closer to her husband. "What does King Bellegar want us to do here?"

"Clearly, he's waiting. For a stubborn Dwarf to wait patiently, it can only mean one thing..." Ryan glanced at Bellegar. "Our prey."

"Exactly," Bellegar nodded. "You're right. We're waiting for the Broodmother. Underground warfare differs from surface battles. We're limited in the troops and combat power we can deploy, as well as the engagement area. Too many troops could expose us, while too few would be insufficient."

In the faint firelight, Bellegar continued outlining his tactics. "It's easy to deal with the patrol, but alerting the Skaven isn't worth it. Here's the plan."

"First, we wait for the Broodmother. Then the Witch Hunter and the Imperial Marshal will lead the Greatswords and Foot Knights to strike, preparing to handle the Albino Guards."

"Next, the Dwarfs will protect your flanks, and the Rangers will target and eliminate specific Skaven."

"Then, most likely, there will be something guarding the Broodmother. Ryan, it's your task to deal with it. You Holy Grail Knights are particularly skilled at handling large beasts."

"Understood."

With the plan set, they waited in the shadows.

Twenty minutes later, the Broodmother appeared.

The Dwarfs managed, but the human soldiers were horrified at the sight of the Broodmother.

A mass of writhing flesh, the Broodmother, transported by a group of slave rats, moved along the ground. It was at least three meters long, a giant mass with a large rat head and tail. The rest of its body was a swollen sphere covered in scars, pustules, and sores. Yellow pus oozed from it, revealing green-spotted innards through the decayed flesh. Hallucinogens and filth dripped onto its head, while slave rats constantly fed it.

Dozens of protuberances on the flesh mass had numerous young rats suckling. Green, foul-smelling milk sprayed from these growths, with hundreds of young rats swirling around, fighting for food.

Surrounded by hundreds of Stormvermin and thousands of Clanrats, the Broodmother was also guarded by two red-armored Albino Guards and a Rat Ogre.

"That's the Broodmother." Seeing it, Bellegar's eyes burned with endless hatred. "Destroy it, and the entire Skaven clan will decline!"

"Oh, I like this tactic!" Reiksmarshal Helborg's stern face finally showed some expression. "Soldiers, prepare for battle!"

"Prepare for battle! Dwarf warriors! It's time for the Skaven to repay their blood debt," Bellegar commanded as the Skaven approached. "Listen to my command, human soldiers!"

The Dwarfs began extracting grenades and explosives, using ignition devices to light them.

"Two-second delay!"

Simultaneously, all the grenades and

 explosives were ignited, the fuses burning with a series of hisses.

"??? Dwarf explosives! Protect the Broodmother!" The Skaven discovered the human and Dwarf coalition, shocked but not fleeing. Instead, the Clanrats and Stormvermin charged madly at the coalition.

"Release!" Bellegar ordered, and dozens of explosives and grenades fell into the rat swarm.

Fireworks bloomed among the Skaven, and hundreds of rats were instantly blown to pieces.

Many explosives were thrown toward the Broodmother. In desperation, groups of slave rats shielded the explosions with their bodies, causing chaos among the Skaven.

"Ah! Beard-things! Kill-kill! Man-things! Die-die!" The Skaven were in disarray, with Stormvermin struggling to direct their forces. But the coalition wouldn't give them the chance.

"Raise swords!" Reiksmarshal Helborg drew his longsword, leading fifty Foot Knights and a hundred Greatswords. "Advance!"

"For the Empire! For Sigmar! For Emperor Karl Franz! Wipe these vermin off the Empire's land!" Helborg charged first, his rune sword "Grudge Settler" cleaving three Clanrats into pieces.

"Advance!!" The Foot Knights and Greatswords roared, plunging into the Skaven, initiating close combat. Angrund Oathsworn and Rangers joined in.

In the confined tunnels, ranged weapons were difficult to use effectively. This limitation affected both the Skaven and the Dwarfs. The Foot Knights and Greatswords unleashed their full power, especially the Greatswords, who were highly effective against the smaller Skaven.

The two-handed greatswords were devastating against small units. The Skaven quickly realized their Clanrats were no match for these human soldiers. The Stormvermin, trying to advance, were blocked by the rat swarm, furiously squeaking.

"Tighten the formation, stand firm!" Bellegar commanded the human soldiers. "Do not break formation!"

"Yes!" The human soldiers obeyed, staying tightly grouped.

"Good, Halhaver, activate the Iron Drake!" Bellegar assessed the battle and signaled his Master Engineer to act. "Lady Sulia, please protect our Iron Drake."

Angrund Clan's Chief Engineer Halhaver Noggins nodded, lifting a massive iron tube. Behind him, another Dwarf held the trigger and igniter, connecting the nozzle to a fuel tank with a hose.

With rapid heating, the Iron Drake spewed a scorching flame over ten meters long, engulfing the Skaven army. All Skaven caught in the flames turned to ash, the fiery dragon mowing down Skaven lives, illuminating the cavern like daylight.

"Kill! Kill them!" Some Skaven tried to approach the Iron Drake, but Sulia immediately cut them down and confronted the Rat Ogre head-on, engaging in fierce combat.

A brutal melee ensued underground. The Skaven fought desperately to halt the human and Dwarf assault. Even the lowest Skaven knew they couldn't retreat, as the Broodmother was behind them!

Despite this, the Skaven gradually faltered under the intense battle. An Albino Guard pulled out a warpstone communicator, "Hello? One-one-seven? Get Warlord Ossy, we're under attack by man-things, cowardly, cowardly sneak attack! We—"

"Bang!" A side-fired revolver shot the Albino Guard's head, and Grand Master Ernst's axe and scimitar turned into bloody blurs, slaughtering the surrounding Stormvermin. "No reinforcements."

The human troops neared the Broodmother.

Just then, from the depths of the Skaven ranks, a bell began to toll.

"Dong~ Dong~ Dong~"

A monstrous beast, unlike any seen before, emerged from the underground.

It stood over five meters tall, a grotesque amalgamation of twisted limbs and stitched flesh, clearly made from a wyvern's body. Yet, it had dozens of rat heads, all wailing and screeching in agony. Alchemically fused with the wyvern, it formed an incredibly vile creature.

Its six arms wielded cannons, blades, plague censers, and spikes, with two warpstone machine guns under its armpits, spewing green flames.

One arm raised, and a warp lightning cannon fired, disintegrating several Greatswords into goo.

"A Hell Pit Abomination!!!"

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