Chapter 90: Convergence
The rousing war-cry was still building, but Romulus's attention was fixed on Karna's route.
'Good, he hasn't completely lost his mind. He knows to advance along the fallen military installations...'. A flicker of relief washed over him, the last of his worries dissipating. At least the extraction would be much easier.
"All units, stabilize the defensive lines. Retake the central defensive nodes. Astartes units, maintain suppression of node-creatures. Artillery units, concentrate fire on the Hive Tyrant's position. Maintain vigilance. The following are specific unit orders..."
After a flurry of reports and commands, Romulus let go of the constantly shifting model. He stood amidst the clamor of the command center, looked at the now-silent internal channel for the transmigrators, and let out a faint smile.
These guys really know how to keep a person on their toes.
He clearly remembered a time not long ago when they were the ones being protected, living in a country that, while not perfect, was beautiful enough. But things were different now. The protected had become the protectors, and they had stepped forward bravely. Although doing so might get them killed in some war, none of them had hesitated.
Fate was fickle. Their arrival seemed to have shattered a complete and pre-ordained track. The destinies of Arthur, Karna, Ramesses, and himself were all heading towards a new, unknown future. No one could see the end, and no one could make the path clear.
If that was the case, then they would just have to move forward, follow their own ideals, and explore that unknown fate.
And I will control every detail along the way, so that you will never have to worry about what's behind you.
"..."
Romulus looked up at the sky. At some point, the sky of Pierdra had turned to night.
The roar of cannons shook the heavens, and the shriek of the Hive Fleet continued. But amidst the chaos, there was another, heavier tremor, one so heavy it was unnerving. The clouds grew deeper. The surging firelight was eventually swallowed by the deep green clouds, and a blackness that had risen from the horizon enveloped them.
A terror was hidden in the depths. Romulus focused on commanding his troops. To an outsider, he was still just staring silently at the sky.
BOOM—
Without warning, a massive sound shattered the chaos of the battlefield, like a boundless warhammer falling from the heavens, shaking the hearts of countless people. Then, as the sound passed through their bodies, the purest form of terror surged from within.
Romulus was one of them. But he did not scream, or faint, or have his nerves shattered like an ordinary person. He tensed every muscle in his body and raised his head to look at the distance.
A stream of deep green ichor tore through the night, the residual fluorescent material leaving a hazy trail in the air, before landing in a conflict zone on the periphery. In an instant, tens of thousands of soulless troops who had been holding the front line against the hive were killed on the spot. The command center's alarms shrieked, projecting the image of the beast that had torn through the walls of the Forge-World before the commanders.
A Hierophant Bio-Titan.
A Titan-class unit of the Tyranid Hive Fleet, a terrifying combat force capable of sweeping across continents.
And its route was right in Karna's direction.
It seemed the Hive Mind was done playing games and was ready to flip the table.
"Archmagos, I request a Titan deployment," Romulus commanded calmly. The combat units in the Mechanicus Temple could not be moved. Karna was too far away. They had to rely on a drop. If Ramesses were here, it would be simpler; he could just teleport a Titan over.
"The landing zone has been overrun," the Archmagos's reply came back instantly. The Spire, being at the top of the atmosphere, had been under a constant, endless barrage of Tyranid drop-pods and no longer had deployment capabilities. And the other landing zones, outside the range of the phosphex clouds, had long since fallen.
If required, he could dispatch a Titan to the rescue, but it would take time. Cawl was no fool, nor was he a religious fanatic. Having fought alongside them, he could naturally see the uniqueness of these four warriors. In Cawl's estimation, these special warriors were far more precious than a Titan. The loss of any one of them would be a great tragedy that would be recorded in human history. He didn't mind reconsidering the allocation of his combat units.
"The landing zone has been retaken," Romulus replied instantly.
"?"
The data-calculation in Cawl's mind stuttered. He sent out an identification code, a bit confused, and found that the link to one of the landing zones had indeed been restored. And it was the one closest to Karna.
Huh?
To be honest, Cawl was a little spooked.
How did you manage to regroup a routed army, command the Astartes, and borrow my automata to conduct an exterminatus-level cleansing to prevent the Hive Fleet from recovering biomass, while simultaneously detaching a force to retake a landing zone?
Cawl wondered if he could calculate the answers he sought if he just used Romulus's brain. He then shook his head, abandoning the impractical thought.
"Archmagos?" Romulus's query came again.
"...I will deploy the Titan," Cawl said.
The steel earth trembled, cracks forming in the ground to impede the advance. Searing acid rain burned the earth, creating pools of life-extinguishing sludge.
Karna looked up at the dark sky, at the dense contrails—the tracks of missiles and cannon fire. It was a spectacular sight. His combat objective had indeed been achieved. He had pushed the Hive Tyrant from the front line, separating it from its guards. He just hadn't expected the Hive Mind to still have this much combat power in reserve.
RUMBLE—
A dull roar came through the atmosphere. Even from dozens of kilometers away, Karna could clearly see a chain of fireballs from an explosion. But a thin, green arc of electricity flared, and all the cannon fire was deflected. It couldn't penetrate.
The defensive power of this behemoth was, like its body structure, completely unscientific. According to the laws of physics, such a massive body shouldn't even be able to move on land. But as the Hierophant strode forward with its absurdly long legs, the scientific feasibility of its biological structure was no longer a matter of consideration.
If it got close to the core defensive circle, it would be served by the Titan Legion's volcano cannons in turn. The Hive Mind had never considered a Titan-vs-Titan engagement from the start. So the Hierophant was here for one reason, and one reason only.
To completely flip the dueling table.
"So that was the idea. Quick reaction," Karna said, coming to a sudden stop. A brilliant fluorescent light fell before him, spattering out like a spiderweb. The meandering trails it left behind were like molten cracks in the ground. The road was instantly riddled with chasms, and the weaker buildings, like houses, were melted whole.
The furious angel paused. He was not a god. He had to avoid such overwhelming firepower.
Screech—
Metal, dozens of meters thick, was cut with deep gouges. A toppling steel building was simply pushed aside by the Hierophant.
Just by walking forward, the destruction it caused was countless times more spectacular than the scars of the duel between the angel and the Tyrant.
Manpower could never stand against a Titan. This was a disparity determined by mass, a gulf in power between the two.
A fact so real it was terrifying.
The Hive Fleet's response was also swift. No doubt, no fear, only the cold issuance of a command, followed by its cold execution.
"But my companions are no slouches either," Karna said. Despite the overwhelming situation, he was not nervous. His gaze remained locked on the Hive Tyrant on the other side of the chasm.
You think you can so easily lure me into a trap?
"..."
Just as the Hive Mind was wondering at its opponent's confidence, a message from a node beyond the stars once again caused its thoughts in the Tyrant's skull to momentarily freeze.
[Atmosphere breached. Location: Orbital Transport Platform N-309.]
[Skitarii forces, all weapons overload mode. Titan: Helios. Commencing deployment.]
In the sky, countless human aircraft descended like moths. The roar of autocannons, the continuous launch of point-defense missiles... the sky was like a torrential downpour, a massive breach torn in the Tyranid air force.
Then, a steel behemoth of nearly ten thousand tons carved an arc through the sky and, with the assistance of a gravity chute, landed steadily on the platform.
CLANG————
It was a heavy, muffled sound. Even with the gravity-dampening systems, the impact of the massive body still made the entire platform tremble, a long, continuous echo ringing out.
The Hierophant's movements immediately stopped. A strange silence fell over the world.
Dong~
Then, with a long, distant bell toll, the information receiver on the Titan's face lit up with a blue glow.
The Skitarii fanned out, annihilating the harassing Tyranid swarm.
Ring the great bell once! Push the pistons and the pumps!
A second bell tolled. An azure light flared. The turbines spun with powerful energy. The exposed conduits glowed with a holy light. The void shields expanded, swallowing the incoming attacks.
Ring the great bell twice! Press the button, start the engine, and bring the turbine to life!
A third bell tolled. A deep, boundless energy began to gather. A light as bright as the sun flared. The volcano cannon fired, annihilating the xenos that had dared to try and destroy the holy gift of humanity.
Ring the great bell thrice! Sing the chorale, and praise the Omnissiah!
The Titan strode forward. Its massive steel feet stepped onto the ground, followed by the second. Steel was trampled, then curled up.
It was a Titan that walked the earth, a mountain that moved.
She began to run.
A power claw, filled with boundless strength, slashed at the Hierophant's back, creating a blinding spray of psychic sparks. The tips of its fingers touched the carapace, scraping out bloody wounds.
"ROOOOAR!!!" The Hierophant roared, unwillingly pushed from the battlefield.
God-Machine, to war!
And the Hive Tyrant, having gained a few minutes of brief respite, had to admit that the duel was still on. At the same time, it recognized the carefulness beneath its opponent's furious exterior. Seemingly reckless, yet he had already planned his route, leaving him enough room to adjust even if the unexpected occurred.
It was truly—
The Hive Tyrant raised its massive bone-saber again.
I have underestimated this opponent!
"Come—" Karna raised his spear, the blade pointed at the Tyrant, boundless fury once again climbing into his eyes.
"Round two!"
CRACK!
In the Empyrean, something shattered.
The Blood God stood from his throne, his hand clutching a mixture of blood and brass dust.
Khorne did not like Ramesses. He was cunning. Things that liked to play with magic could stay away.
Khorne thought Romulus was alright, but was ultimately not satisfied. He was too rational. Killing is killing. What was the point of thinking so much?
Khorne thought Arthur was quite good, but still felt he had a small flaw. He was too indifferent. He couldn't even get emotional while killing. There was no feedback. If you can't be happy while killing, what else can you be happy about?
And Karna! The Crimson Angel!
Khorne thought he was absolutely, completely perfect.
Wrathful, bloodthirsty, brave, and full of charisma. And he did not lack the wisdom of war, the carefulness hidden beneath his furious exterior.
He was born for the sole purpose of killing, if he would just cast aside his everyday disguise!
This, this is my champion! This should be my champion!
He clenched the grit in his hand and casually grabbed a spear from the edge of his throne. He threw the blood-stained spear into the material universe, then sent a divine edict to his general, who was still fighting bravely.
[The Blood God permits you to abandon your current battlefield.]
[The Blood God will grant you a greater battlefield.]
A rumbling voice echoed in Ka'Bandha's mind.
[Bring the Angel back.]
[Bring the Angel back!]
(End of Chapter)