"Die, heretic!"
"Heh, pathetic."
Clad in Titan V power armor, the Dark Angels charged the battlefield, their metallic voices reverberating as they crossed trenches and joined the fray against demons and heretics.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ri~shoo—!!
A cacophony of bolter rounds and "small-caliber" plasma cannons erupted, lighting up the battlefield outside the steel walls.
Though numbering only a few dozen, the Astartes faced off against thousands of demonic creatures and over ten thousand human heretics. The disparity in numbers seemed vast, but the Astartes' capabilities rendered it irrelevant.
Neither the demonic monstrosities nor the heretics—empowered by alchemy or infernal blessings—stood a chance. Anything touched by the explosive bolts or plasma bursts was obliterated, reduced to fragments at best.
After all, Astartes weaponry operated on artillery-grade power.
Ping! Ping!
The heretics' crude ballistic weapons, including armor-piercing rounds, barely scratched the surface of the Titan V armor. The bullets ricocheted harmlessly, leaving minor scuffs at most.
In fact, the Dark Angels had disabled their energy shields to make maintenance easier for the support crews back at base. Repairing paint and external armor was far less labor-intensive than dismantling and inspecting an energy shield generator.
Even Astartes were wary of angering the logistics teams who kept their war machines operational. The symbiosis between frontline warriors and support staff allowed them to wage unrelenting battles against alien horrors and heretical threats.
---
One squad leader, distinguished by a "3·1·1" insignia on his left pauldron and a chapter emblem on his right, had already exhausted his entire supply of ammunition within two minutes of joining the battle.
Hearing the empty "click" of his bolter and noting the "Ammo Remaining: 0" display on his HUD, the squad leader holstered his weapon against his thigh and drew his power sword.
Vmmm~ Vmm—!
As the plasma field enveloped the dwarven-forged blade, glowing with a sharp blue hue, the squad leader charged into the thick of the enemy ranks.
Szzzz—Slice!
The power sword cleaved through demons effortlessly. Meanwhile, his left hand wasn't idle—
Splat! Boom!
He crushed the skulls of nearby demons with his bare hand or smashed their torsos with devastating punches.
Within moments, the squad leader carved his way through the enemy horde and reached the embattled knights and nuns trapped in the trenches.
Behind him, five more Dark Angels followed suit, forming a circular formation that expanded outward to crush the enemy from the center, while other squads pressed in from the perimeter.
The knights and nuns, some of the most elite fighters in the local human forces, froze in place, stunned by the sheer ferocity and precision of the Astartes' assault.
Although their fully enclosed helmets concealed their expressions, their bewilderment was clear from their hesitation. To them, these "giants" were as powerful as the mythical Paladins of legend.
Thud. Thud.
The squad leader stepped into the trench, towering over the knights and nuns.
Vmmm—!
Without warning, he raised his power sword and thrust it toward a nun.
?!
The knights and nuns reacted instinctively. The targeted nun swung her greatsword toward the squad leader's flank, aiming to counterattack.
But before her blade could land—
Splat!!
The squad leader's power sword had already impaled a demon hound feigning death near the trench edge.
He hadn't attacked the nun but had neutralized a lurking threat.
However, the nun's swing was too forceful to stop. Her greatsword hurtled toward the squad leader's waist.
Clang!
A screeching metallic noise echoed through the trench.
The Titan V armor remained unscathed. The squad leader had caught the blade mid-swing with his left hand, holding it firmly in place.
The nun struggled to pull her weapon free, but it wouldn't budge.
"Madam," the squad leader said in his metallic voice, "please refrain from using toys to scratch my paintwork. I'd prefer not to be scolded by logistics."
He scanned the group of knights and nuns with glowing red optics and added, "We are the Dark Angels, fighting for humanity and the Emperor. Kindly lower your weapons and consider yourselves our temporary captives. Your cooperation is appreciated."
---
Thud! Thud! Boom! Boom!
As he finished speaking, hundreds of drop pods pierced the dense clouds above, deploying parachutes and slamming into the battlefield.
Clank! Hiss!
The pods opened to reveal hundreds of Helljumper infantry clad in Dark Angel auxiliary colors. They quickly deployed, equipped with flamethrowers designed to incinerate and purify even the most resilient demonic entities.
From above, Thunderhawks and assault transports delivered reinforcements, indicating the Empire's intent to secure and rebuild the frontier town as a strategic stronghold.
---
Three hours later, the skies over the town remained cloaked in smog, obscuring the moonlight.
At the eastern steel wall, the area bustled with activity under floodlights that turned night into day.
Construction robots worked tirelessly, welding and assembling new defenses, while engineers piloting advanced exosuits reinforced critical structures.
Dwarves, clad in full-body exoskeletons, supervised the installation of experimental plasma turrets around the outer walls. Unlike standard plasma or electromagnetic cannons, these turrets were powered by fusion cores enhanced with Athena's psychic blessings.
When operational, these weapons would fire plasma bolts infused with faint golden and red hues, capable of devastating demonic entities.
The experimental plasma turrets were a direct response to the earlier battle, where standard bolters and gauss rifles proved insufficient for permanently neutralizing demons. Flamethrowers, ironically, remained the most effective weapon.
Within the town itself, robots and engineers worked to repair and upgrade the infrastructure, transforming the settlement from a dystopian "slave slum" into a livable human habitat.
---
In Loran's apartment, the family huddled by the east-facing window, watching a patrol pass below.
A Warthog vehicle, broadcasting messages over loudspeakers, was flanked by armored Greek demigods and elite soldiers from the Inquisition.
The children, excited by their earlier encounter with Athena and the soldiers' display of power, watched with awe and curiosity.
Loran, however, remained uneasy, his gaze fixed on the street below.
"Who's to say we haven't just fallen into another trap?" he muttered.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, a sharp knocking echoed from their front door.
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