Half an hour later, within the orbital cannon base facility.
Marcus stood on an elevated observation platform, his gaze sweeping across the transformed landscape before him.
The relentless barrage from four massive plasma orbital cannons had completely reshaped the terrain surrounding the base. What had once been rolling hills covered in dense jungle vegetation now lay utterly devastated—flattened earth stretched as far as the eye could see, punctuated by dozens of enormous craters that scarred the ground like infected wounds.
Several of these deep pits continued to weep groundwater, which instantly vaporized upon contact with the lingering plasma heat, sending columns of superheated steam spiraling upward into the blood-red sky.
The millions of Tyranids that had once swarmed around the orbital cannon base were now nothing more than scattered ash and fleeing remnants. By Marcus's rough calculations, over one million of the xenos creatures had been instantly vaporized by the plasma bombardment, while the survivors scattered to the winds, many of them hunted down and eliminated by pursuing Astra Militarum forces.
For the immediate future, at least, the Tyranid swarm would be unable to muster forces of such magnitude again—particularly since this wasn't the only Imperial stronghold on Kadaku.
Standing nearby, Titus, Chairon, and Gadriel maintained their vigil, coordinating with the Ultramarines Second Company through their vox communicators.
With the orbital cannon successfully reactivated and one of the Hive Ships destroyed, the Tyranid fleet's ability to deploy ground forces to Kadaku had been significantly compromised.
The Imperium planned to capitalize on this tactical advantage by evacuating the majority of personnel from Kadaku, consolidating their defensive capabilities on the nearby hive world of Avarax.
Marcus observed the three Space Marines, contemplating his next course of action.
The distinctive roar of a Thunderhawk gunship's engines suddenly echoed overhead.
Looking up, Marcus watched as the imposing aircraft descended through the atmosphere, its landing thrusters kicking up clouds of debris. The craft settled with mechanical precision before its belly ramp lowered with a hydraulic hiss.
Titus, Chairon, and Gadriel boarded the transport in sequence, with Marcus following closely behind them.
Behind them, Major Sarkaana and several dozen Astra Militarum troopers stood at attention, maintaining their salute as the heroes departed.
Inside the passenger compartment, Marcus secured himself in one of the reinforced seats, directly across from the fully armed Titus.
Once all passengers were secured, the ramp sealed shut with finality.
The engines spooled up to full power, and the Thunderhawk began its rapid ascent through Kadaku's atmosphere.
As the fuselage vibrated with the strain of atmospheric exit, the gunship broke free from the planet's gravity well and entered the cold vacuum of space.
From his position, Marcus studied Titus across the cabin. The veteran Space Marine appeared to be resting, his eyes closed in meditation, yet his hand remained firmly gripped around his bolt pistol—a warrior's rest, ready for immediate action.
Chairon and Gadriel flanked their sergeant, equally vigilant.
Marcus harbored no illusions about his precarious situation. Should he make any suspicious movement, the three Astartes could reduce him to atoms before he could draw breath.
After all, his current identity remained that of a questionable "Living Saint" still undergoing some form of awakening process.
Marcus could easily predict what awaited him. Given the Imperium's inherently suspicious nature, even when dealing with the Ultramarines—arguably one of the more reasonable Space Marine chapters toward baseline humans—he would undoubtedly face a gauntlet of complex examinations and intensive interrogations.
The thought made him sigh inwardly with resignation.
Other dimensional travelers found themselves in worlds of sword and sorcery or utopian futures—so why had fate deposited him in the nightmare-difficulty setting that was Warhammer 40,000?
Don't be fooled by how effortlessly Titus and his battle-brothers had reactivated the orbital cannon in the original timeline.
In reality, their mission had been fraught with perilous encounters: the initial ambush by a Venomthrope, followed by a brutal engagement against a Lictor and countless lesser Tyranids, culminating in psychic suppression by two additional Lictors.
Reality bore no resemblance to a game scenario. Without Marcus's intervention, Gadriel would have suffered grievous wounds during their first encounter with the Venomthrope in the marshlands.
The subsequent mission to restart the orbital cannon would have become exponentially more challenging.
Furthermore, had Marcus not summoned his own Lictor at the crucial moment to psychically interfere with the enemy bioforms, at least one member of the trio—Titus, Chairon, or Gadriel—would likely have sustained critical injuries or worse in the process of eliminating the two Lictors.
Shaking off these reflections, Marcus accessed his internal system interface to review his accumulated rewards.
Despite the dangerous nature of the operation, completing the first phase of his primary objective had yielded substantial benefits.
Most notably, he had acquired a new title: "Giant Slayer."
According to the system's description, this designation increased damage output against oversized creatures and provided a minor probability of causing such enemies to flee or surrender.
For Marcus's current capabilities, however, the title's practical application remained limited.
The system defined "giant creature" as anything exceeding thirty meters in height. Regardless of damage bonuses, Marcus's present arsenal would prove utterly inadequate against Titan-class units.
As for the fear-inducing effect, its unreliable nature made it tactically questionable.
Marcus hadn't even managed to trigger titles like "Warrior Slayer" or "Tyranid Slayer" during combat.
Still, additional capabilities were preferable to none, and Marcus felt no inclination to complain about expanding his repertoire.
Next, he examined the two lottery draws the system had awarded him.
Without hesitation, Marcus initiated both draws simultaneously.
As the virtual mechanism activated, countless ornate cards materialized and swirled through the interface before two selections settled in the center of his display.
"Plasma Cutter" - Source: Dead Space Universe - Effect 1: Utilizes electromagnetic fields to accelerate and project plasma, creating directional energy beams. The plasma operates at extreme temperatures with significant kinetic force, capable of instantly melting metallic substances, biological tissues, and other materials. - Note: All Necromorph entities in the sector are advised: if you encounter a male human wielding this device while wearing engineering attire, maintain maximum distance immediately.
Examining the Plasma Cutter specifications, Marcus felt his expression twitch slightly.
Considering raw destructive potential, the weapon might slightly surpass the standard-issue laser rifles distributed to Astra Militarum forces, and its precision cutting capabilities were undeniably impressive.
With adequate ammunition supplies, it could serve as a viable conventional weapon.
Therein lay the fundamental problem.
The system had provided only the Plasma Cutter itself along with twenty-three rounds of ammunition.
Once those twenty-three shots were expended, the weapon would become an expensive paperweight.
Within the Warhammer universe, Marcus had no conceivable means of acquiring compatible ammunition.
However, upon further consideration, perhaps the Adeptus Mechanicus might find such technology intriguing. After exhausting the ammunition supply, he might be able to negotiate an exchange with the tech-priests for something more practically useful.
While contemplating potential trade arrangements with the Mechanicus, Marcus turned his attention to the second item drawn.
Or rather, a newly acquired skill.