The tension inside the Macragge's Honour did not dissipate with the Inquisition's departure; instead, it remained like a taut bowstring, maintaining an explosive silence.
Gaius spent several days in a highly monitored cabin.
Every day, Apothecary Vorlak's Tech-Priest team would come to conduct detailed physiological scans and data collection, asking him about any subtle sensations from the nanomachines, a process that was both tedious and exhausting.
Elisa Cole also visited regularly, using the excuse of checking data-slate interfaces to exchange extremely limited information with him—their initial reconnaissance of the lower salvage area had yielded nothing; the enemy was exceptionally cunning, erasing all traces.
Gaius felt like a rare beast caged in glass, observed, studied, awaiting an unknown verdict.
This feeling of powerlessness almost drove him mad.
He yearned for action, to return to the battlefield, even if it meant danger, it was better than this slow torment.
His prayers, if they could be called prayers, seemed to have received some response.
On the seventh standard day after the Inquisition's visit, the mission orders finally arrived.
The orders came directly from the Chapter Master's office, with an encryption level of 'Amber Protocol' supplementary directives.
Mission content: Proceed to the ruins of a secret research base that once belonged to House Horn (located on a remote, harsh death world) which had recently been purged by the Ultramarines, to recover any potentially remaining, not fully destroyed, specific experimental data cores.
According to residual fortress data, this core might be cast from a special bio-alloy, with a small chance of retaining some data even under extreme conditions.
The mission squad was extremely small: Sergeant Talos, Gaius, Elisa Cole.
Dorian was assigned to another perimeter alert mission, evidently to prevent his impulsive nature from interfering with the critical recovery work.
"This is a test, and also an opportunity, Gaius," Talos whispered to Gaius inside the Thunderhawk Gunship before departure, "The Chapter Master needs more specific data to assess your condition and value.
That place is of the same origin as the 'thing' inside you; it might trigger some reaction.
Control it, use it to find what we need, but never let it control you.
Understand?"
"Understood, Sergeant," Gaius said, checking the meltagun in his hand, his gaze firm.
Finally being able to leave that steel cage made the blood in his veins seem to flow a little faster.
Elisa, meanwhile, was making a final check of the precise detection and recovery equipment: "According to environmental scans, the radiation and toxic dust concentration in this area are extremely high, and there's unstable geological activity.
Our time is limited.
I'll try to scan for signals with the equipment, but... Gaius, if your 'sense' can provide more precise guidance, it will be much more efficient."
Her tone was calm, but her eyes conveyed the expectation of mission priority.
The Thunderhawk Gunship broke through the death world's thin and polluted atmosphere, revealing a desolate, shattered landscape below.
Giant craters, twisted metal wreckage, and a surface melted into glass by energy weapons all spoke of the fierce purge battle that had taken place.
The main body of the fortress had completely collapsed, like the corpse of a giant, exposed to the howling winds and deadly radioactive dust.
The gunship landed on a relatively flat patch of scorched earth, and the strong winds immediately whipped sand and radioactive dust against the hatch.
"The environment is harsh; keep your armor sealed.
Mission time, two standard hours.
We must evacuate if we exceed the time limit," Talos ordered.
The three-person squad stepped out of the gunship and immediately felt the severity of the environment.
Visibility was extremely low, the wind howled, and sensors continuously blared warnings of excessive radiation.
The ruins were vast, and finding a small data core in such a short time was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Elisa immediately deployed her equipment, beginning to scan for specific metal and energy signals, but the strong radiation interference severely hampered the scanning effect, filling the screen with static and noise.
"Interference is too strong!
Conventional scanning is almost ineffective!" Elisa reported, her voice, even through the helmet speaker, carrying a hint of urgency.
Talos looked at Gaius: "Gaius, it's up to you.
Concentrate, try to feel... anything unusual."
Gaius nodded.
He closed his eyes, blocking out the external noise of the howling wind and the radiation alarms, focusing his entire consciousness on his left arm, on the nanomachines connected to his bloodline.
He no longer forcibly "asked" as he had last time, but rather "listened" passively, as if trying to tune a radio in a noisy environment, searching for that familiar signal.
At first, there was only chaos.
The radiation environment seemed to interfere with the nanomachines as well.
But gradually, as his concentration intensified, an extremely faint, intermittent... "sense of resonance" began to emerge.
It wasn't a sound, nor an image, but a directional pull, like a compass needle pointing to a magnetic pole.
"This way..." Gaius raised his hand, pointing towards a massive, half-buried collapsed entrance deep within the ruins, "I feel... a faint pull.
In that direction."
"Lead the way.
Cole, follow, and pay attention to environmental scans and recording," Talos ordered without hesitation.
The three stumbled into the ruins.
The interior was even more dilapidated, with massive support columns broken, ceilings collapsed, and charred marks and wreckage from explosions everywhere.
They often had to climb or clear obstacles to advance.
Gaius' "sense" waxed and waned, as if being interfered with.
But he always managed to grasp the general direction, guiding the squad deeper into the core area of the ruins.
"The temperature is rising... there's geothermal leakage ahead, be careful," Elisa warned.
They passed through a corridor half-blocked by a melted pipe, and before them appeared a relatively wide hall.
This seemed to be the most severely hit area, with a huge explosion crater in the center, and the metal at the edges melted by high temperatures.
The air was thick with the strong smell of ozone and the pungent odor of some leaking chemical reagents.
Gaius' left arm suddenly throbbed intensely!
"It's nearby!
The sensation is very strong!" he whispered.
Just then, an unexpected change occurred!
Boom!
A already crumbling dome on their rear-left suddenly suffered a secondary collapse!
Huge metal components and rocks crashed down, instantly blocking the passage they had come through!
"Fall back!" Talos pulled Elisa back rapidly, and Gaius also dodged in time.
Dust filled the air.
"Damn it!
Our retreat is blocked!" Talos checked the completely sealed passage.
"Not a natural collapse!" Elisa quickly analyzed the rockfall structure, "There are signs of directional demolition!
We've been ambushed!"
As if to confirm her words, several dark figures suddenly emerged from the deep, not fully destroyed ventilation ducts and damaged walls around the hall!
These figures wore sealed protective suits that could isolate radiation and environmental hazards, but their style was ancient and bore clear House Horn markings.
Their weapons, however, were far from ordinary—modified gauss rifles, with unusually strong energy fluctuations, clearly utilizing forbidden House Horn technology.
They made no sound, appearing like ghosts, and immediately opened fire!
Several eerie energy beams with green arcs silently shot towards the three!
"Enemy attack!
Take cover!" Talos roared, his plasma gun firing instantly, melting one enemy along with the ventilation pipe he was hiding in.
Gaius and Elisa quickly took cover behind an explosion crater's edge.
The enemy's energy beams struck where they had just stood, leaving sizzling, green-smoking corrosive pits.
"It's remnants of House Horn!
They didn't fully evacuate!" Elisa shouted, returning fire with her wrist-mounted Bolter.
Gaius raised his meltagun, aiming at an enemy attempting to flank them.
But the opponent moved with unusual agility and seemed extremely familiar with the ruin's structure, always managing to use debris for cover.
His nanomachines once again sent a strong sensation, but this time, it was not directed at the data core, but at those enemies!
He could vaguely "feel" their positions, and even predict their next move!
"Left pipe!
Two!" Gaius suddenly shouted.
Almost as soon as he spoke, two enemies indeed emerged from a large, broken pipe on the left!
Talos' plasma gun and Elisa's Bolter immediately provided cover fire, forcing them back.
"Behind the broken wall on the right!
One is reloading!" Gaius sensed again.
Elisa immediately threw a grenade, which landed precisely behind the broken wall, followed by an explosion and a brief scream.
"Gaius, your sense..." Talos said, shooting, and looking at Gaius in surprise.
"Their... their technology, or whatever they injected... has some connection with the nanomachines in my body!" Gaius explained, continuously sensing the enemy's movements, "I can... vaguely locate them!"
This sudden ability instantly changed the tide of battle.
The enemies, who had been using the terrain for concealment, became exposed under Gaius' almost precognitive sense.
Every movement, every attempt to attack, was called out by Gaius in advance, then met with Talos and Elisa's precise and deadly firepower.
The battle turned into an unequal hunt.
The hunters were the Ultramarines, and the prey were those House Horn remnants who thought they were hidden in the shadows.
Gaius continuously called out positions, his meltagun and Bolter firing in alternation.
He could even feel that as the battle progressed, the nanomachines in his body seemed to become more "excited" and "active," and the sense of confrontation with the same-source technology on the enemies grew stronger, providing increasingly clear perceptions.
One enemy tried to ambush Elisa from above; just as he raised his weapon, Gaius' Bolter accurately struck his faceplate, shattering his entire head.
The last enemy, seeing the situation was dire, tried to throw a green-smoking energy grenade to take them all down, but Gaius had already sensed his despair and movements—his chainsword flew from his hand, spinning to sever the enemy's throwing arm.
The grenade dropped to the ground and was precisely detonated by a shot from Talos, neutralizing the threat.
The battle ended quickly.
All six House Horn ambushers became corpses.
Silence temporarily returned to the hall, broken only by the wind and the distant rumbling of geological activity.
"Well done, Gaius!" Talos praised, a rare occurrence, "Your ability... is indeed useful on the battlefield."
Elisa cautiously approached a corpse, scanning it with her instrument: "High concentrations of biological nanomachine residue detected in their bodies... similar to yours, Brother Hohn, but extremely unstable, more like... unfinished products or degraded copies.
They might have survived in the ruins and ambushed us using these things."
Gaius looked at the bodies, feeling no joy, but rather a certain heaviness.
These people, like him, were products of House Horn's plan, only they had walked different paths.
"The data core…" Elisa reminded him, "Is the sensation still there?"
Gaius composed himself and focused again. The faint resonance was still present, and because the source of interference had been cleared, it had become much clearer. He pointed to the center of the blast crater: "It's down there! Buried underneath!"
Sergeant Talos and Elisa looked at the massive, still-smoldering blast crater, their faces troubled. The excavation would be extensive and dangerous.
"Can I… try to guide them?" Gaius suddenly had a bold idea. He walked to the edge of the pit, placed his left hand on the scorching scorched earth, closed his eyes, and sent a strong "intention" to the nanomachines in his body—seek, connect, resonate!
Instantly, a fierce burning and stinging sensation shot through his left arm! It was more intense than any time before! He almost cried out.
But at the same time, he clearly "saw" an image—about five meters underground, a silver-gray, egg-sized, shuttle-shaped object was buried in molten metal and rock, with a faint energy flow seemingly still active on its surface.
Even more miraculously, he felt as if countless invisible "tendrils" had extended from the nanomachines in his left arm, penetrating the earth and establishing an extremely faint connection with the data core!
"Five meters deep! Two meters to the left! Its… its casing is still faintly active!" Gaius reported, panting, his face pale from the immense strain.
Talos and Elisa exchanged surprised glances and immediately sprang into action. Talos carefully melted the hard slag on the surface with his meltagun, while Elisa used power tools for precise excavation.
Soon, a silver-gray, intact data core was unearthed, its surface even slightly cool to the touch.
"Incredible…" Elisa looked at the readings on her detection device, "It really is still faintly active! How did you…"
She didn't finish her sentence, because the entire ruin suddenly began to shake violently! Greater geological activity had begun!
"Mission accomplished! Evacuate immediately!" Talos grabbed the data core and ordered loudly.
The three quickly returned along their original path, but the way they came was blocked.
"This way! Follow me!" Gaius' enhanced sense of direction and vague perception of structure once again proved useful. He led the two into a narrow emergency passage, twisting and turning, and actually found an exit to the surface!
As they rushed out of the ruins and ran towards the Thunderhawk Gunship amidst the swirling radioactive dust, an even louder collapsing sound came from behind them…
The gunship quickly ascended, leaving this dead world.
Inside the cabin, Talos looked at the cold data core in his hand, then at the exhausted but bright-eyed Gaius, and nodded: "The mission was completed excellently, Gaius. You've proven your worth."
Elisa was also quickly checking Gaius' body data: "Nanomachine activity was abnormally high in the latter half of the mission, but it is currently stabilizing. No signs of loss of control. Further data analysis is needed."
Gaius leaned against the bulkhead, feeling the gradually subsiding hum in his left arm. Although the process was dangerous, for the first time, he felt that this uncontrolled power within him might truly become a weapon to protect his comrades and complete missions, rather than just a curse.
He looked out the window at the dying planet receding into the distance.
The hunt had begun. And he was slowly learning how to become a hunter.
The Thunderhawk Gunship, carrying Gaius, Talos, and Elisa, along with the precious silver-gray data core, returned smoothly to the Macragge's Honour. The hatch opened, and the familiar scent of the battleship's interior wafted in, but this time, the air was filled with a different, more urgent sense of tension than usual.
Ground crew and Tech-Priests immediately swarmed around them, but their expressions were not just focused on the return from the mission; they carried a deeper worry. The broadcast in the corridor no longer played routine commands, but repeatedly emphasized battle readiness and fleet deployment information. The Space Marines moving back and forth walked faster, their expressions more solemn, and the hum of their power armor's servo systems seemed to carry a hint of urgency.
"Something's wrong." Sergeant Talos keenly sensed the anomaly. He stopped a hurried communications officer, "What happened?"
The communications officer, seeing it was Talos, immediately saluted and reported rapidly: "Sergeant! Good that you're back! Just as you were on your mission, a top-priority alert! The Ultramar border world, Tarasha Sector, is under large-scale invasion!"
"Invasion? Enemies from which direction? Tyranid? Orks?" Talos pressed.
"It's traitors! Word Bearers! And a small number of Night Lords mixed in!" The communications officer's voice carried suppressed anger, "They used the cover of a Warp storm to launch a surprise attack on several star systems around Vespatio! The offensive is fierce, and multiple worlds have already sent out distress signals!"
Word Bearers! The name stung Gaius' heart like a thorn. These former Space Marine brothers, who had betrayed the Emperor and embraced Chaos, held a long-standing hatred for Ultramar, especially the blood feud forged in the Battle of Calth. Their appearance often meant the most venomous Chaos sorcery and the cruelest methods of war.
"What are the Chapter Master's orders?" Talos asked in a low voice.
"The Chapter Master has already given orders! The 10th Company and the 9th Company are to act as vanguard, immediately making a forced jump to the Tarasha Sector to conduct initial reconnaissance, delay the enemy, and stabilize defenses at key nodes! The 2nd Company has completed its muster and will follow as the main strike force! The remaining companies are also on highest alert, ready to engage at any moment!"
The communications officer finished, saluted quickly, and continued to his post.
Talos, Gaius, and Elisa exchanged glances, seeing shock and solemnity in each other's eyes. The Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar had not suffered an invasion for the first time, but every traitor incursion meant countless sacrifices and destruction.
The three quickly headed to the briefing room to report on their mission. After handing the data core over to Apothecary Vorlak's Tech-Priest team, Talos briefly reported on the discoveries on the dead world and the engagement with the remaining Gaius elements, emphasizing Gaius' special psychic abilities and their critical role in combat and searching.
The officer receiving the report was a veteran from the 1st Company. He listened intently, and when he heard about Gaius' performance, he looked up and gazed at Gaius with a complex expression, but ultimately just nodded: "Information recorded. Your mission was well executed. Now, all personnel enter combat readiness. Brother Hohn, 'Amber Protocol' remains in effect during wartime; any unusual perceptions you have must be reported immediately."
After leaving the briefing room, more details about the battle began to circulate in smaller circles. In the corridor leading to the equipment maintenance room, Gaius overheard several veterans checking their weapons, talking in low voices:
"…I heard those madmen, the Word Bearers, brought some kind of blasphemous artifact, spreading corruption wherever they go…" "…The Night Lords are doing their usual terror tactics, specifically targeting civilian populations…" "…The 10th Company lads are under a lot of pressure; hope they can hold out until Captain Sicarius arrives…" "…Yeah, I heard the Chapter Master has already contacted other sectors for reinforcements, but distant water won't quench a nearby fire…" "…The most crucial thing is to hold the line, and wait…"
At this point, one of the veterans lowered his voice and said something, Gaius only vaguely catching a few words: "…I heard… that 'Lord'… might also… come…"
That "Lord"? Gaius' heart stirred. In the context of the Ultramarines, there seemed to be only one individual who could be referred to with such reverence and be relevant to the war—the Primarch, Roboute Guilliman himself, who had awoken from his grave wounds and was now the Lord Regent of the Imperium!
Was the Primarch going to personally intervene in this border conflict? This news was like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a tempest in Gaius' heart. The Primarch's existence was a legend in itself, a living myth. If he truly arrived, it would undoubtedly boost morale significantly, but it also meant that the situation might be even more severe than imagined.
Gaius instinctively touched the amulet on his chest and his mother's insignia. If the Primarch were to arrive in person, what kind of scrutiny would he, a "special" Space Marine with the blasphemous blood of House Horn flowing through him and marked by a Warp entity, face? This was both an unprecedented opportunity and a great risk.
He shook off his jumbled thoughts and focused on the present. He, along with the other members of Squad Seven, would be ready to receive orders at any moment and plunge into this battle to defend their home.
The Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar was not merely a sector name, but the vast territory and spiritual home on which the Ultramarines Chapter depended for its survival and protection. It consisted of approximately five hundred habitable worlds, located on the eastern edge of the Imperium's Ultima Segmentum. This was not only the Ultramarines' source of recruits and supplies but also a relatively prosperous, stable, and self-sufficient "state within a state" in the grim and dark 41st Millennium.
Under the outstanding governance of Primarch Guilliman, the worlds of Ultramar were disciplined, loyal, and efficient, balancing industry and agriculture, and developing environments and cities in harmony, avoiding the pollution and poverty common in many core worlds of the Imperium. Each world had its unique role: Macragge was the political and military center, Tarasha was an ocean world, Calth was an underground shipbuilding hub, Rax was an agricultural paradise… Together, they formed the solid foundation of the Ultramarines' strength.
For this reason, any invasion of Ultramar was a challenge to the Ultramarines' core interests and would inevitably provoke the most resolute and fierce counterattack. Now, the tendrils of the Word Bearers and Night Lords had reached here, and a bloody war for their home had already begun.
Gaius stood by the observation window, watching the busy yet orderly scene within the battleship's corridors, as Space Marines prepared for war. His heart gradually filled with a heavy and determined emotion. Regardless of his personal fate, regardless of the secrets hidden within him, when his home was threatened, he would wield his sword without hesitation. For the Emperor, for the Primarch, for Macragge, and for these Five Hundred Worlds that carried the faint light of humanity's hope.
The Macragge's Honour, transformed into an angry fortress of steel, sailed through the Warp currents, turbulent with war.
Every corner within the battleship was filled with the urgency of impending battle.
The armory operated day and night, Tech-Priests chanting blessings over weapons; the training grounds echoed with the clash of Power Armor and the simulated firing of Bolters; communication channels constantly updated with fragmented battle reports from the front lines, each piece of information like a heavy hammer striking the heart of every warrior.
The initial battle reports carried a hint of cautious optimism, but soon, the tone took a sharp downturn.
The Tenth Company's scouts, these future Astartes new stars, using their excellent stealth and infiltration skills, successfully penetrated the Word Bearers-occupied areas and brought back valuable intelligence.
But they also paid a heavy price.
The Word Bearers' Chaos Sorcerers seemed to easily see through their disguises, and cultists and deluded civilians formed ubiquitous eyes and ears.
Many scout squads completely lost contact after transmitting their last warning message, their signals disappearing into the void filled with Warp static.
What they encountered was not war, but a cruel and efficient extermination targeting future hope.
The Ninth Company's reservists, with their blood and loyalty burning to prove themselves, were thrown into critical strongpoints to hold and counterattack.
They lacked the experience of veterans but compensated with immense courage and sacrifice.
Battle reports mentioned them holding a communication hub for thirty standard hours, repelling three main assaults by the Word Bearers, ultimately perishing to a man, without a single retreat.
They slowed the traitors' advance with their blood and lives, but their formation was also almost crippled.
The names of new recruits, who had just completed training and hadn't even had time to receive their official Power Armor, were listed one by one on the casualty list; behind the cold numbers lay a huge loss for the Chapter's future.
Bad news arrived one after another, and the atmosphere within the battleship was as heavy as lead.
Every Ultramarine clenched his fists, silent fury burning in his eyes.
The Word Bearers, these former brothers, now traitors, their methods were as despicable and vicious as ever.
Then, the 2nd Company, the "Guardians of Tarasha," led by the legendary Captain Cato Sicarius, stormed into the main battlefield of the Tarasha Sector like blue thunder.
Captain Sicarius was known for his unparalleled aggressiveness and tactical brilliance, and his arrival immediately stabilized the crumbling defense line and launched a series of sharp counterattacks.
The initial victories were a morale boost.
The 2nd Company successfully recaptured an important orbital station and engaged the main forces of the Word Bearers in a frontal confrontation on the equatorial plains of Vespatio III.
The transmitted combat footage showed a hellish scene:
The Word Bearers' legions were no longer uniformly clad; their armor was covered with blasphemous symbols and twisted tentacles, painted with foul blood-red and sickly pale green.
They roared profane war cries, their voices mixed with inhuman shrieks.
Their weapons not only fired Bolter rounds but also unleashed malicious Chaos flames and corrosive energy.
Meanwhile, the Ultramarines' 2nd Company stood like steadfast blue reefs amidst the tide of Chaos.
Bolter arrays roared in unison with deadly precision, and the glowing overcharge of plasma weapons constantly flashed, vaporizing the charging traitors.
Captain Sicarius charged at the forefront like a god of war; every swing of his Power Sword, "Blade of the Emperor," claimed the lives of several traitors.
But the ferocity of the battle was beyond imagination.
The Word Bearers were not only vast in number but also extremely insane; they seemed to fear death not at all, even desiring it, for that could please their dark gods.
Chaos Sorcerers hid behind the lines, unleashing reality-twisting sorcery, causing the ground to split open and swallow warriors, or making Ultramarine weapons suddenly explode.
The sky was dyed strange colors by the artillery and psychic lightning of both sides.
The old and new hatreds of both sides completely erupted on this scorched battlefield.
"For Calth! For the Five Hundred Worlds!" the Ultramarines roared, and in every bayonet charge, they poured out their endless hatred for the betrayal of their brothers and the destruction of their homes all those years ago.
The horror of that massacre was branded into the genetic memory of every Ultramarine.
"For the Perfect City that was deceived!" the Word Bearers responded with even more frenzied voices; their hatred was even older, stemming from the humiliation and madness of ten millennia ago when the Imperial Truth was revealed and their holy city, where they worshipped the Emperor, was burned by the Ultramarines.
They attributed all their distortion and corruption to this and swore to repay it a hundredfold.
Hatred nourished hatred, and slaughter begot more slaughter.
The plain was strewn with corpses, blue Power Armor and defiled traitor armor shattered and intertwined, green blood and red blood merging into a viscous swamp.
This was a war with no retreat, a vendetta destined ten millennia ago, to be concluded only with blood and destruction.
Battle reports indicated that although Captain Sicarius' offensive was fierce, the Word Bearers' resistance was exceptionally tenacious, and their reinforcements seemed inexhaustible.
Although the 2nd Company severely damaged the enemy, they also suffered significant losses, and their offensive gradually bogged down, urgently needing support.
It was against this backdrop that Gaius' Squad Seven received new orders.
The four of them—Talos, Gaius, Dorian, and Elisa—were officially assigned to the Eighth Company's Fifth Squad.
The Eighth Company was an assault company, skilled in rapid deployment and close-quarters assaults, perfectly suited to the current bogged-down ground war.
The appointment was personally signed by Chapter Master Calgar, clearly after careful consideration.
Sergeant Talos, due to his extensive experience and calm mind, was designated as the temporary commander of this mixed squad.
The Fifth Squad's original members had also suffered losses in previous battles, hence the addition of the four of them.
In addition, two veterans from other squads were added to strengthen the team.
Gorden, a taciturn assault infantryman, was skilled in vertical assaults using a jump pack; his chainfist was covered with kill marks, a battle-hardened veteran.
He looked at people with the gaze of a hawk, spoke little, but every movement was efficient and deadly.
Lex, a heavy weapons specialist, operated a formidable multi-barreled meltagun.
He was more heavily built than a typical Astartes, with a relatively rough personality, and liked to show off the power of his massive weapon, but was absolutely reliable in critical moments.
He seemed quite curious about Gaius, the "celebrity," but bore no ill will.
Simple squad integration and tactical briefings were quickly completed in the oppressive atmosphere.
There was no time for extensive training; war waited for no one.
Three days later, the order was given.
The entire Eighth Company would board high-speed assault craft, forcibly breaching the Vespatio III battlefield to reinforce the hard-pressed 2nd Company, with the objective of tearing open the Word Bearers' central defense line to create an opportunity for Captain Sicarius to deliver a decisive blow.
At the same time, the 7th Company would go to support the heavily damaged remnants of the Tenth Company and Ninth Company, responsible for consolidating the defense line, eliminating infiltrating enemy small units, and attempting to rescue any possibly surviving scouts.
At the moment of departure, the atmosphere was solemn.
Dorian heavily embraced his familiar 7th Company brothers: "Wait! We'll go twist off those traitor scum's heads first, then come back and find you for a drink!"
Elisa quickly handed over battlefield data and analysis reports to the incoming 7th Company Tech-Sergeant.
Talos and the 7th Company Sergeant saluted each other: "The Emperor protects, see you on Macragge."
"See you on Macragge."
Gaius watched all of this, his heart filled with determination.
He would face the most insane enemy with his new teammates.
The swarm of assault craft carrying the Eighth Company, like arrows released from a bow, detached from the Macragge's Honour, rushing resolutely towards the burning planet below.
Inside the cabin, Talos delivered the final pre-battle exhortation: "Brothers! Beneath our feet are the worlds of Ultramar! Before us are traitors of ten millennia of blood feuds! The brothers of the 2nd Company are fighting bitterly! The honor of the Eighth Company is today! For the Emperor! For Guilliman! For Macragge!"
"For Macragge!" All the warriors roared in unison, their Bolters striking their breastplates, producing a thunderous sound.
Gaius checked the meltagun in his hand; the nanomachines in his left arm also seemed to sense the blasphemous aura from the kindred Chaos technology, transmitting a humming of disgust and vigilance.
He looked out the window, the war-torn land of Vespatio III growing closer.
The cycle of hatred continued, and he was about to plunge into it.
The time to hunt traitors had come.
The Eighth Company's swarm of assault craft, like an angry beehive, boldly broke through the thin barrier of Vespatio III's upper atmosphere, plunging themselves into the inferno below, stained with gunpowder, unholy fire, and blood.
Violent vibrations and the screeching of the external armor plates rubbing against the air filled the cabin, but none of the warriors wavered; only the low hum of the Power Armor servo-systems and the crisp click of Bolter safeties being disengaged responded.
"Thirty seconds to contact!" the pilot's voice shrieked over the encrypted channel, with the background of dense anti-aircraft fire explosions—the Word Bearers had clearly anticipated the arrival of reinforcements.
Talos' voice, cold as ice, came through the squad channel: "Fifth Squad, remember your formation and objectives.
Gorden, prioritize clearing enemy heavy weapon emplacements.
Lex, your big gun is to blast open any metal obstacles in our way.
Gaius, keep your 'sense' active, pre-warning us of any psychic phenomena or traps.
Catonia, Gaius, form the assault wedge with me.
For Macragge!"
"For Macragge!" A low war cry echoed in the cramped cabin.
Boom!
The assault craft slammed violently into the designated landing zone in a near-crash, the hatch bursting open instantly!
The deafening roar and nauseating smells from outside—ozone, rotting flesh, burnt metal, and some sickly sweet, profane incense—instantly flooded in.
"Charge!"
Blue figures poured out of the assault craft like a tide, immediately colliding with the surging wave of Chaos!
The landing zone was chosen at the edge of a relatively open plain, but now there was no 'openness' to be found. The ground was covered with shell craters, burning vehicle wrecks, and the shattered corpses of warriors from both sides. In the distance, the blue line of the 2nd Company still held, but it was locked in fierce combat with the numerous and utterly insane Word Bearers traitors, with warriors falling every second.
"Establish a defensive line! Rally on Captain Sicarius!" The 8th Company Captain's order echoed across the entire company channel.
The Fifth Squad immediately plunged into battle. Dorian's heavy Bolter roared a dull sound, tearing apart a squad of Word Bearers heretics , Chaos-corrupted mortal auxiliaries, rushing towards them, along with their crude cover. Elisa's precise shots continuously eliminated enemy rocket launcher operators and officers attempting to approach. Each charged shot from Talos' Plasma Gun turned a Word Bearers veteran in Mark IV armor into ash amidst a blue glow.
Gaius followed closely beside Talos, alternating fire between his Meltagun and Bolter. His nanomechanical senses were fully engaged; the aversion to homologous blasphemous technology acted like a compass, constantly guiding him toward the most significant threats.
"Left flank! The one with the flag! He's directing artillery!" Gaius suddenly shouted.
A Word Bearers Champion was waving a defiled battle standard; the twisted symbols on its surface emitted a faint psychic glow, clearly providing guidance for the mortar squad behind him.
Gorden's reaction was lightning-fast. His jump pack roared briefly, and he shot up like a cannonball, his Chainfist roaring death in the air. With a dive, he smashed the Champion and his battle standard into a bloody pulp!
"Nice work, Gaius!" Dorian yelled, reloading.
However, the Word Bearers' counterattack was swift and vicious. As the cannon fodder on the front line was expended, the true elites began to emerge.
The ground began to shake violently, accompanied by the heavy footsteps of some massive metal construct trampling the earth and a hissing sound like escaping steam. From behind the Word Bearers' lines, several colossal, twisted, blasphemous technology and daemon-powered behemoths—Hellbrutes—emerged!
These pathetic creations were once mighty Dreadnoughts, but their pilots had long since gone mad in endless torment, merging with Chaos Daemons to become monsters knowing only destruction. Their arms were replaced with massive Power Claws, multi-barreled Meltaguns, or rotating tentacles, and their torsos were embedded with roaring daemon faces, constantly dripping corrosive slime.
"Hellbrutes! Concentrate heavy fire!" Talos' command carried urgency.
Lex laughed maniacally, aiming his multi-barreled Meltagun at the nearest Hellbrute: "Good! Let your grandpa Lex warm you up!" A scorching Melta beam roared out, slamming into the Hellbrute's thick frontal armor, melting away large sections of metal and exposing the twisted machinery and writhing flesh within. But the monster seemed to feel no pain; instead, it let out an even more furious roar, raising its multi-barreled Lascannon-equipped arm and aiming it at Lex!
"Lex! Evade!" Talos roared.
Just then, an even more terrifying threat appeared.
Several powerful Warp energy fluctuations erupted across the battlefield, accompanied by mind-shattering, blasphemous hymns. Space was torn open, and out stepped Possessed Marines, far larger than ordinary Astartes, with armor and flesh fused, exuding a terrifying aura! Their arms had transformed into massive bone blades or tentacles, broken wings sprouted from their backs, and hellfire burned in their eyes. They were Word Bearers elites who had willingly offered their bodies to daemons, living vessels of Chaos power.
One Possessed Marine charged directly towards the Fifth Squad's flank with incredible speed. It easily knocked aside an 8th Company soldier in its path, and with a swing of its bone blade, it cut another warrior, man and power armor, in half!
"By the Emperor!" Dorian swung his gun, and heavy Bolter rounds hammered the Possessed Marine, but it only staggered a few steps; the Bolter rounds seemed to be largely deflected by an invisible energy field!
"Psychic shield! Plasma and Melta!" Elisa shouted, simultaneously firing her arm-mounted missile, the explosion temporarily hindering its movement.
Talos' Plasma Gun charged again, but another Possessed Marine swooped down from the air, its sharp claws aiming directly for his head!
"Sergeant!" Gaius forcefully pushed Talos away, while his Chainsword roared to meet the attack!
Clang!
The Chainsword clashed with the daemon's claw, erupting in blinding sparks and teeth-grinding noise! A tremendous force surged through Gaius, his arm shaking violently, the Chainsword's teeth struggling to cut into the bone reinforced by Chaos energy!
The Possessed Marine let out an inhuman roar, and another twisted claw, imbued with corrosive energy, lashed out at Gaius' abdomen!
In the nick of time, Gaius' left arm nanomachines hummed with unprecedented intensity! Time seemed to slow, his body once again driven by instinct, dodging sideways at an incredibly tricky angle. The corrosive claw grazed his chest plate, leaving sizzling scorch marks. At the same time, he abandoned his Chainsword, his Power Fist charged with energy, and he slammed a punch into the Possessed Marine's chest!
Bang!
The Possessed Marine was knocked back a step, its chest plate dented, but it seemed unfazed, letting out an even more furious roar.
Just then, Gorden swooped down from the air, his Chainfist precisely smashing into the back of the Possessed Marine's head! Lex's Meltagun also roared again, a searing beam grazing Gaius' shoulder plate and hitting the Possessed Marine's torso!
Under the combined attack of the three, this terrifying monster finally let out an unwilling shriek, the daemon energy within it exploding out of control, blasting it into a pile of burning gore!
But more Possessed Marines and Hellbrutes were closing in! The 8th Company's entire offensive was completely stalled, plunged into an unprecedented bitter struggle. The Word Bearers, relying on these powerful daemon engines and Possessed units, continuously assaulted the Ultramarines' lines.
The battlefield became a true meat grinder. Blue armor and defiled, twisted creations fought together, Bolter, Plasma, Lasers, Melta, and Chaos flames, corrosive energy, and psychic lightning intertwined into a symphony of destruction. Every moment, warriors fell, and casualties rapidly increased.
Gaius gasped for breath, leaning against a burning wreck. His armor was covered in claw marks and dents, and his Meltagun's energy was nearly depleted. Dorian was reloading his heavy Bolter's cumbersome ammunition box, while Elisa provided covering fire for him. Talos, Gorden, and Lex were fending off enemies charging from the other side.
"This won't do! There are too many of them!" Lex roared, his Meltagun barrel glowing red hot from overheating.
Talos cleaved down a charging Word Bearers with a single sword stroke, his gaze sweeping across the brutal battlefield, then looking towards the 2nd Company still fighting fiercely in the distance. Captain Sicarius' banner still flew, but it too was heavily besieged.
"We must break through!" Talos declared resolutely, "Fifth Squad! Rally on me! Gorden, Lex, we need a focused assault! Gaius, find me the weakest point in their line, or the energy sources of those monsters!"
"Understood!" Gaius suppressed the slight dizziness from his nanomachines overloading, extending his perception to its limit once more. The interference from Chaos energy was extremely strong, like trying to find a specific snowflake in a blizzard.
Suddenly, he caught a pattern—a Hellbrute furiously unleashing fire; an energy conduit on its back seemed to have a subtle disharmony with the main blasphemous energy fluctuations, as if it were a later addition, a relatively fragile node!
"Sergeant! 11 o'clock, the largest Hellbrute! The protruding energy conduit on its back! That's its weakness!"
"Did you hear that, Lex!" Talos roared.
"Leave it to me!" Lex grinned savagely, his multi-barreled Meltagun began to spin and charge again, a scorching light converging.
"Gorden! Dorian! Cover him! Clear the path of minor enemies! Elisa, suppressive fire! Gaius, follow me, protect Lex's flank!"
The Fifth Squad, like a precise war machine, instantly revolved around Lex, the core of their heavy firepower. Dorian's heavy Bolter and Elisa's precise shots cleared enemies in their line of fire. Gorden briefly ascended with his jump pack, strafing approaching Word Bearers with his Bolter.
Lex's Meltagun let out a deafening roar, and an extremely thick, highly condensed Melta beam tore across the battlefield, precisely hitting the energy conduit Gaius had indicated!
Boom!!!!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted! The once-indomitable Hellbrute exploded violently from within like a lit barrel of dynamite, twisted metal and burning flesh scattering everywhere, instantly clearing a large area!
The breakthrough was made!
"Eighth Company! Advance! For Macragge!" Talos seized the opportunity, raising his Power Sword, letting out a charging roar!
The surviving 8th Company warriors erupted with astonishing morale, following the breach opened by the Fifth Squad, like a blue blade, fiercely stabbing into the Word Bearers' lines!
The battle was far from over, but the most dangerous moment had temporarily passed. Gaius followed beside Talos, firing and advancing. He looked at the brutal scene around him, at the fallen Word Bearers and Ultramarines, gaining a deeper understanding of the cruelty of war.
This was just one battle on the borders of Ultramar, yet it was already so bloody. Ten millennia of accumulated hatred could not be resolved overnight.
And the nanomachines within him, after intense confrontation with Chaos creations, seemed to become more... active, and more hungry.
The Eighth Company's desperate assault was like a red-hot war hammer smashing into cooling iron, difficult, but ultimately tearing a scorching rift in the Word Bearers' impenetrable defenses. The Fifth Squad, as the spearhead, bore the brunt of the pressure. The burning wreckage of the Hellbeast still smoldered, a temporary landmark in this land of death.
"Advance! Don't stop! Link up with the 2nd Company!" Sergeant Talos' roar was the only steady compass in the chaotic battlefield. His Power Sword swung with precise and deadly intent, while his Plasma Gun only let out brief roars during its cooling intervals.
Gaius followed closely, his perception working overtime. Nanomachines, like overstretched violin strings, transmitted waves of searing pain and subtle dizziness, but simultaneously flooded his consciousness with danger signals from the surroundings—flying shrapnel, muzzles hidden behind ruins, subtle psychic fluctuations in the air. He would occasionally fire bursts to eliminate threats, or use his body to shield teammates from unavoidable attacks, adding several deep claw marks and scorched energy burns to his Power Armor.
Dorian's Heavy Bolter became a formidable tool for clearing paths, its continuous roar almost ceaseless, tearing apart any Word Bearers heretics and low-rank Traitor Astartes who dared to block their way. His shouts even drowned out the gunfire: "Come on! You Chaos scum! Taste your Grandpa Dorian's big gun!"
Elisa, like a calm phantom, weaved between cover, her datapad constantly updating the battlefield map and enemy energy signatures. Her Bolter always appeared where it was most needed, precisely eliminating enemies attempting to operate heavy weapons or cast dark sorcery. "Left side ruins, three enemy troops, rocket launcher," her voice calmly echoed in the squad's channel, followed by a burst of fire from that direction.
Gorden's jump pack let out a short roar, and he, like a deadly falcon, would sometimes soar into the sky, clearing high-ground enemies with his Bolter, and sometimes dive down fiercely, his Chainfist smashing a Word Bearer into a pulp. His silence was more intimidating than any roar.
Lex's Multi-Melta became the ultimate ace against heavily armored units; though its cooldown was long, each roar eliminated a massive threat. While operating this cumbersome yet powerful weapon, he chattered incessantly: "Haha! See that? That's what you call art! Those traitors' iron lumps are like cheese in front of me!"
This makeshift squad, whose coordination grew increasingly seamless, carved a bloody path through the chaotic battlefield. Their bravery inspired the surrounding Eighth Company warriors, and the blue tide gradually overwhelmed the foul Chaos colors.
Finally, they saw the banner that still stood proudly amidst the smoke—the 2nd Company's banner, and beneath it, the god-like figure of Captain Cato Sicarius.
Captain Sicarius was deeply embattled, but he showed no fear. The "Blade of the Emperor" Power Sword in his hand transformed into streaks of deadly blue light, and the fallen Word Bearers' bodies around him piled up into small mountains. His guards clustered tightly around him, forming the last bastion with their shields and bodies, but their numbers were constantly dwindling.
"Captain Sicarius! Eighth Company, Fifth Squad reporting in!" Talos shouted, leading his squad like a dagger into the flank of the encirclement, instantly relieving the pressure on the 2nd Company.
Captain Sicarius cleaved a Possessed Marine into two burning halves, then spared them a glance. His characteristic, slightly arrogant but utterly confident voice rang out: "You're too slow, Sergeant! But, at least some decent help has arrived! Clean up this scum for me!"
"For Macragge!" Talos responded, and the Fifth Squad immediately linked up with the 2nd Company's guards, forming a more solid circular formation.
The arrival of fresh forces, especially the formidable combat power displayed by the Fifth Squad, instantly changed the local battlefield situation. The Word Bearers' offensive stalled.
However, the traitor commander was clearly unwilling to see a cooked duck fly away. A deeper, more unsettling psychic fluctuation emanated from behind the Word Bearers' lines. Shadows on the ground began to unnaturally writhe and stretch, as if coming to life. Low, blasphemous chants pierced the din of the battlefield, directly burrowing into everyone's minds, attempting to break their will.
"It's Chaos Sorcerers! They're preparing a major dark ritual!" Elisa warned, her sensors sparking with a series of intense psychic interferences.
"We must stop them!" Captain Sicarius roared, but he was entangled by more Word Bearers elites and couldn't break free immediately.
"Fifth Squad! Follow me!" Talos unhesitatingly accepted this almost suicidal mission. Chaos Sorcerers would undoubtedly be heavily guarded.
"Gorden! Lex! Fire support! Gaius, pinpoint the Sorcerers' location! Catonia, Gaius, charge with me!" Talos' orders were concise and clear.
The squad once again transformed into a charging blade, assaulting the source of the psychic fluctuations. Lex's Melta and Gorden's Bolter cleared a path for them, while Dorian's Heavy Bolter suppressed enemies on both flanks.
Gaius endured the nausea and cranial throbbing brought by the psychic whispers, focusing all his senses. "Ahead! Behind that half-collapsed command post ruin! At least three powerful psychic energy sources! And... a lot of guards!"
They charged across an open area, paying the price of two Eighth Company warriors falling, and finally saw their target—three Word Bearers Chaos Sorcerers, clad in ornate and twisted ritual armor, chanting around a wicked altar constructed from skulls and metal, with green Warp flames burning on it. Surrounding them were dozens of the most elite Word Bearers Terminators!
"For the Dark Gods!" The Terminators let out a guttural roar, raising their Storm Bolters and Power Weapons.
"For the Emperor!" Talos did not slow down in the slightest, his Power Sword pointing straight ahead!
A brutal close-quarters struggle erupted instantly! Bolters fired at extreme range, Power Weapons clashed violently! The Fifth Squad was immediately at a severe numerical disadvantage.
Dorian's Heavy Bolter was difficult to use in such close combat, so he roared and drew his Power Axe, grappling with a Terminator, axe blade and Power Sword colliding with deafening sparks. Elisa used her agile movements to continuously shoot at the Terminator armor's joints, but with little effect. Gorden tried to assault from the air but was forced back by intense gunfire. Lex's Melta was cooling down, so he could only shoot at the Terminator's thick armor with his Bolt Pistol in vain.
Talos fought two Terminators alone; his swordsmanship was exquisite, but their armor was too thick to kill quickly.
Gaius' situation was the most peculiar. His nanomachines' strong repulsion to Chaos psychic energy reached its peak, his left arm burning like a branding iron. This gave him a vague sense of the Sorcerers' dark energy flow. He constantly dodged the Terminators' attacks, while loudly calling out the Sorcerers' key casting nodes: "The one on the left! He's channeling energy into the altar! Interrupt him!"
"Can't do it! The firepower is too intense!" Lex shouted, forced back repeatedly by a Terminator.
Just as the Sorcerers' ritual was about to be completed, the Warp flames on the altar shot skyward, and a massive, twisted demonic phantom was slowly taking shape within it!
It was then that Gaius made a bold decision. He no longer tried to attack the hard-to-hit Sorcerers with his Melta, but instead aimed at the wicked altar itself! Simultaneously, he pushed the "perception" of his overactive, highly Chaos-energy-sensitive nanomachine cluster in his left arm to its limit, not to attack, but to... "resonate" and "interfere" with the altar's energy structure!
"Gaius! Give me a Krak Grenade!" Gaius roared.
Elisa unhesitatingly threw a grenade. Gaius didn't catch it, but precisely hit it in mid-air with his Melta!
Boom!
The grenade exploded in mid-air, scattering shrapnel, temporarily forcing back the approaching Terminators.
Just at that moment of explosion cover and energy disruption, Gaius' Melta finished charging! He ignored the Power Axe swinging at him, focusing all his attention on the most unstable point on the altar—precisely the energy node he perceived, heavily interfered with by his nanomachines!
"The Emperor protects!" He pulled the trigger!
The searing Melta beam did not shoot at the Sorcerers, but precisely hit a seemingly inconspicuous structure on the altar's base, embedded with a green crystal!
Sss—BOOM!!!
It was as if a fuse to a powder keg had been lit! That node instantly overloaded and exploded! A chain reaction immediately occurred! The Warp flames on the entire altar suddenly stalled as if choked, then wildly and uncontrollably surged back!
The three Chaos Sorcerers let out terrified and pained screams! The demonic energy they were channeling lost control and backfired on them! The green Warp fire engulfed them, their bodies twisting, swelling, and finally exploding in the flames!
The uncontrolled psychic shockwave spread outwards, knocking nearby Word Bearers Terminators off balance!
Opportunity!
"Now! Finish them!" Talos roared, his Power Sword seizing the chance to stab into the neck joint of an unbalanced Terminator!
The Fifth Squad and the remaining Eighth Company warriors seized this Gorden opportunity, launching a fierce assault on the disoriented Terminators!
Without the Sorcerers' support and psychic protection, these heavy killing machines, though still tough, were no longer invincible. Under the Ultramarines' encirclement, they fell one by one.
When the last Word Bearers Terminator had its head crushed by Gorden's Chainfist from above, the area temporarily fell silent. The altar's remains still burned, emitting a foul stench. Every member of the Fifth Squad was wounded and exhausted, but they all survived.
"Well done... Gaius." Talos panted, looking at Gaius with complex emotions in his eyes. That last strike was something no ordinary warrior could have achieved.
Captain Sicarius in the distance also noticed the outcome of the battle here, and he shouted: "Good work, Sergeant! You've bought me time! 2nd Company! All-out counterattack! Drive these traitors back to their filthy homes!"
The death of the Chaos Sorcerers and the annihilation of the Terminator guard heavily struck the Word Bearers' morale. The 2nd Company and Eighth Company seized the opportunity to launch a full-scale counterattack, and the Word Bearers' offensive finally began to collapse, their remnants retreating to the rear.
The battle temporarily ceased, but the work of clearing the battlefield and consolidating the defensive line remained heavy.
However, just as Gaius relaxed for a moment, another anomaly occurred!
Not from the ground, but from... the sky!
An incredibly dazzling, incredibly pure silver light, like the sword of dawn tearing through the murky sky, suddenly pierced down from above the clouds! That light was not a physical weapon, but an unimaginably powerful psychic force, filled with order, suppression, and purification!
This silver light was not aimed at the battlefield, but precisely swept over a distorted area at the edge of the battlefield, where the Word Bearers had just retreated. The Warp contamination in that area was exceptionally heavy, and the ground had even begun to soften and manifest twisted faces.
Where the silver light passed, it was like snow under a scorching sun! All lingering Chaos energy, whispering demonic entities, and even the blasphemous symbols on the ground were completely purified and evaporated in an instant! Even the air became much cleaner!
Everyone was stunned by this sudden, miraculous sight.
"That's..." Elisa murmured, looking at the Warp readings on her sensors that had instantly dropped to zero.
Gaius' nanomachines in his left arm, at the moment the silver light appeared, suddenly fell silent as if encountering a natural predator. All activity and buzzing completely disappeared, as if they had never existed. At the same time, he felt a cold, majestic, emotionless gaze seemingly sweep across him from high above, lingering for a negligible instant.
That feeling... was exactly the same as when he was "marked" by a Grey Knight on the warship before! But stronger, more... direct.
It's the Grey Knights! They've arrived! And they're in orbit, possibly even observing the battlefield from low orbit! They had just casually purified an area, as easily as brushing away dust.
Immediately after, a cold, direct, and emotionless voice, through an extremely encrypted, terrifyingly high-priority channel, directly connected to the communicators of several Captains and Sergeant Talos, as one of the highest commanders on site. Gaius, due to his monitoring permissions for the "Amber Protocol," also unexpectedly caught the aftershocks of this signal:
"Contaminated area temporarily purified. Primary threat temporarily cleared. Highest priority target—'Amber' —status confirmed, not yet out of control. Continue monitoring. 'Silver Shield' will descend in 24 standard hours. Prepare for reception. End transmission."
The communication abruptly ceased.
Silver Shield? What is that? The codename of a Grey Knight dignitary? Or some powerful purification device?
Captain Sicarius and Sergeant Talos had clearly received more complete instructions, and their expressions became unusually serious.
Before everyone could recover from the silver light and the mysterious communication, another intense tremor, from the depths of his soul, suddenly seized Gaius, and even all psychic sensitives!
This time, it wasn't from the ground, nor from low orbit, but from... the depths of the Warp!
An indescribable will, vast beyond imagination, was projecting through the veil of reality and void, towards this star system! That will was not malicious, but carried a cold calculation, absolute authority, and... a hint of imperceptible... attention.
It was as if a deity had slightly opened its eyes from slumber, glancing at an inconspicuous corner.
Gaius' black carapace vibrated violently, and his Emperor's Amulet became scorching hot! The nanomachines in his body were still silent, but his soul trembled slightly under this will. He had a clear feeling—this will had "seen" the silver light just now, and had "seen" the battlefield swept by the silver light, and even... "seen" him!
At the same time, far away on the bridge of the Macragge's Honour in orbit, and on all Imperial ships within the system, their Warp navigators and psychic detectors experienced brief, violent fluctuations!
Is it the Emperor? Or... Primarch Guilliman? Or... some other incomprehensible entity?
No one knew the answer.
But that gaze from deep space, combined with the silver shadow hovering in low orbit, and the brutal slaughter and recently quelled fires on the ground, formed an extremely eerie and awe-inspiring picture.
The fate of humanity, it seemed at this moment, on this inconspicuous frontier world, had intertwined into a small but crucial node.
And Gaius, this warrior bearing a blasphemous legacy and watched by the Emperor's tools, stood at the center of this node.
He looked up at the still gloomy sky, as if he could feel the gazes from different planes, different existences.
The path ahead became even more shrouded in mist, and even more... magnificent.
Talos' voice pulled him back to reality: "Don't zone out, Gaius. The battle isn't over yet. Clear the battlefield, consolidate the defenses. A bigger storm... is probably still to come."
Gaius took a deep breath of air filled with the smell of char and blood, and tightened his grip on his weapon.
Yes, the battle was far from over.