The mighty walls of Hera Fortress trembled under the roar of cannons.
The air was thick with ozone, gunpowder, and the acrid stench of molten metal.
"Praise the Omnissiah, praise the Machine God!."
Tech-Priest Adori 4556 chanted litanies of blessing in a voice crackling with static.
Three servo-skulls hovered around him like loyal sentinels, emitting a low hum.
His duty was to maintain the anti-aircraft gun emplacements along sections A01-A15 of the wall,
ensuring they could endlessly pour the Emperor's wrath upon the heretics in the skies.
Boom——!
A cannon spat a blazing ball of plasma,
tearing through the smoke-darkened sky and striking a diving Heldrake, which exploded mid-air.
At that moment, Adori 4556's bionic eye caught a binary error code at the cannon's power interface.
He quickly stepped forward, a mechadendrite snaking out from his back,
precisely removing a burnt, smoking magnetic component overloaded by the blast.
"Overload damage," he recorded matter-of-factly.
He reached into the cargo compartment of the ever-faithful Servitor Mule behind him,
retrieved a new magnetic component, and installed it while reciting obscure binary litanies to pacify the machine spirit.
Suddenly, a piercing screech and the harsh roar of a strafing autocannon interrupted his work.
A traitor aircraft dove like a vulture, its weapons spitting deadly fire from under its wings.
In mere seconds, over twenty soldiers and servitors were torn apart, limbs and coolant splattering everywhere.
With astonishing agility, Adori 4556 dove into a heavy blast shield.
"By the Gear and Wrench—I almost had to meet the Omnissiah today."
A deafening explosion erupted where he'd just stood,
scalding air and metal fragments roaring overhead.
When the shockwave passed and he emerged, only twisted, burning wreckage remained.
The anti-air gun he'd just repaired was now utterly destroyed.
"No!!"
Adori 4556 let out a pained binary wail, several mechadendrites drooping in despair.
Witnessing the death of a machine spirit was agony for him.
"Why are you so upset? Did something happen?"
A voice came from above.
Adori 4556 looked up to see an Astartes in bulky Terminator armor.
"M-my turret... the one I was maintaining, it's been destroyed. I failed the Omnissiah. I'm just... useless."
Adori 4556's voice was heavy with dejection.
The newcomer was Datch. As soon as he spoke, a mission prompt appeared.
[Mission: Repair the Cannon
Description: You see a grieving tech-priest distraught over the cannon destroyed by traitors. After talking with him, you decide to help.
Reward: 20 XP, 20 Points, Reputation +20]
"No special reward, but helping others is its own reward!"
Datch cheerfully accepted the side quest.
He opened the shop, switched to the Construction category, and looked for the right tool.
Soon, a completely out-of-place, cartoonish item appeared on his list.
[Item: Suikoden's Golden Hammer (1 day)]
The Suikoden's magical golden hammer, passed down through generations, imbued with mysterious power.
Effect: Repairs anything with a single tap.
Review: With this, you'll never fear a destroyer again!]
"This is it!"
Datch redeemed the hammer. A sparkling, almost cartoonish golden mallet appeared in his hand.
With Adori 4556 watching in a mix of confusion and curiosity,
Datch walked up to the smoking wreckage, raised the golden hammer, and gently tapped it.
Clang!
A crisp, melodious sound rang out, as if purifying everything.
Then—the unbelievable happened. The twisted metal straightened and reformed as if time was reversing.
Burnt-out wiring gleamed anew, shattered barrels became whole,
and even the holy Aquila on the gun glowed with newfound splendor.
In an instant, a brand-new, pristine anti-aircraft cannon stood where there had been only ruins, as if it had never been destroyed.
Adori 4556's bionic eye whirred in shock, his words a jumble of excitement:
"This... this... this must be the Omnissiah's power!"
"It's the Machine God's ultimate miracle!"
He dropped to his knees with a thunk, kowtowing before the restored cannon.
The sound of his metal forehead hitting the ground echoed dully.
"Praise the Emperor!"
Nearby soldiers shouted excitedly.
[Mission Complete. Rewards Granted]
With the reward in hand, Datch moved on to help repair more cannons and walls.
No matter how shattered something was, a tap of the golden hammer restored it instantly.
An officer even brought over a spare wheel; with a single clang, Datch produced a brand-new Leman Russ tank.
This scene left the defenders in utter shock.
Such abilities were unheard of.
Captain Agemman, just coming onto the wall, saw Datch's handiwork, eyes wide in disbelief.
He wanted to ask how Datch did it, but Datch just kept his head down, focused on repairs.
Agemman had no choice but to order: No one was to hinder Datch; he was free to come and go as he pleased.
The traitors attacking Hera Fortress grew uneasy.
No matter how fierce their assault, the fortress's defenses never weakened.
Guns they'd destroyed were back, good as new, moments later.
Some began to wonder if too much Chaos blessings had addled their brains.
"Oh! Oh! Praise the Emperor!"
Datch shouted as he ran about the walls, fixing everything.
It might seem childish, but on this deadly, oppressive battlefield, the defenders' nerves were stretched to their limits.
A repair-angel who could fix anything soon became a symbol of hope and deliverance.
His shouts sparked a frenzy; auxiliaries and logistics personnel all over the walls joined in:
"Praise the Emperor!!"
"Praise the Emperor..."
"Praise the Emperor!!!"
Bang!
A bolter fired. Agemman blew the smoke from his gun barrel.
The Ultramarines had been too busy with wars to keep up the purge of Macragge; the Genestealers were back.
No world touched by Tyranids could ever be truly cleared of them;
the Genestealers were too cunning, always adapting and hiding.
Of course, pest control was only a minor episode.
The shouts spread like wildfire, sweeping across the entire fortress.
The Emperor—humanity's only hope in the hellish galaxy.
As the saying goes, there are not two suns in the sky; the Emperor is humanity's one true sun, his grace unrepayable in a thousand lifetimes.
Suddenly, Datch saw a golden exclamation mark appear at the Sanctum on his minimap.
"Looks like the main quest is starting. Better check it out."
Datch put away his hammer and hopped off, heading straight for the Sanctum.
…
Meanwhile, a tense confrontation was unfolding in the Sanctum.
An angry Calgar had ordered the area surrounded, confronting Archmagos Cawl, Yvraine, and the Ynnari.
Black Templar Amalrich and Garrein, along with Inquisitor Greyfax, watched them warily.
The reason? Cawl and his allies wanted to shut down the stasis device keeping the Primarch alive—to use a Ynnari Death God's power to resurrect him.
…