On the front-line positions beside the Pharos mountain range, countless Guard Legionnaires clad in CMC power armor identified the direction of the incoming swarm instantly, aided by the battlefield data overlays on their visors.
They immediately prepared for combat, and Chapter Master Thorcyra, leading his combat squad, joined them.
For them, the only goal now was to slaughter every enemy of mankind on Sotha. Accompanied by the trembling of the earth, a massive swarm erupted from the ground with thunderous shrieks. However, they were met by humans who had been waiting in ambush.
A metal storm of spikes tore into the swarm, while from the rear, a barrage of armor-piercing shock shells from the Siege Tanks slammed precisely into the tunnel exits the Tyranids had just breached.
During this raid, the swarm could not even manage to push out of their tunnel exits. No matter how they shifted locations, the humans unerringly found the exact spots where they were about to emerge. The Hive Mind immediately sensed something was wrong and promptly abandoned this probing attack. As countless Tyranid corpses buried the tunnel openings, the swarm's first attempt at a rear ambush came to an end.
Thorcyra and his combat squad stood silently to the side. What completely surprised them was that they hadn't actually needed to provide any help. They had expected a grueling struggle to repel the swarm; now, it seemed they had underestimated the long-range firepower of this group.
This reminded Thorcyra of a previous crusade the Scythes of the Emperor had participated in, where the opponent was a xenos race whose primary strength also lay in fierce long-range strikes.
At that moment, countless hypersonic fighters and cloaked bombers returned from the front lines, accompanied by the First Guard Legion returning via Medivacs.
Their return meant that the Tyranid swarm, which had been temporarily held at bay, would soon return in force to launch a direct assault on the human defensive lines.
Thorcyra watched these elite warriors. In silence, just as they were about to turn and leave the positions to return to the Fortress-Monastery for defense, Alexei's voice came from behind them: "Wait a moment."
The Space Marines stopped and turned. To be honest, being stared at by several burly men with buzz cuts wasn't the most comfortable feeling, Alexei thought to himself.
"Are you starting to run low on ammunition?" As Alexei spoke, several tall SCVs approached, carrying several oversized iron crates in their arms.
Under the watchful eyes of the Scythes of the Emperor, Alexei opened the crates. Inside were large quantities of C-14 "Impaler" Gauss Rifles, while other crates contained matching armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds.
"The Tyranids' primary objective will undoubtedly remain the Fortress-Monastery on the Pharos mountains," Alexei said, meeting the Space Marines' gaze. "You cannot fall, or we will not be able to hold out alone until the next wave of reinforcements arrives."
He pointed to the crates on the ground. "You've just seen the power of these weapons. They are certainly no less effective than the bolters in your hands. I will have our logistics units provide you with sufficient weaponry and ammunition. There is only one goal: you must hold the Fortress-Monastery."
Thorcyra turned his body, removed his helmet, and gave a solemn salute to Alexei. "Thank you for your assistance. Before we are all sacrificed, the Fortress-Monastery shall never fall."
Alexei nodded. He trusted these elite super-soldiers.
If the defensive line at the monastery began to falter, he would know immediately through the Orbital Command.
At that point, he could dispatch any spare ground or air forces to assist, provided he had the capacity to help.
Alexei watched the silhouettes of the Space Marines and the SCV contingent fade into the distance. He hoped he could coordinate perfectly with them to survive this campaign safely.
After all, this wasn't some nameless invasion by a nameless Hive Fleet on some obscure planet.
The conclusion of this large-scale Tyranid invasion in the Eastern Fringe would surely end in a pyrrhic victory for the Imperium. As long as he held out until then, the Tyranid fleet above Sotha would eventually abandon this broken world.
The invasion of this world had already entered its final stage; most of the biomass had already been harvested. It was only the instinct of greedy hunger driving them to thoroughly consume the last remaining scraps.
Once their main fleet in the Eastern Fringe was thoroughly routed, the victory for the humans of Sotha would finally arrive.
Alexei watched the Space Marine squad disappear from his vision and then turned to leave. He wondered when he would truly possess a force capable of facing a Tyranid Hive Fleet head-on; when that time came, he wouldn't have to suffer such a frustrating beating on a planet's surface.
Inside the Fortress-Monastery, Chapter Master Thorcyra placed all the weapons and ammunition brought back by the SCVs into a warehouse. Standing before him was the Chapter's Techmarine, Byron.
"How is it?" Thorcyra asked the Techmarine, who was busy dismantling a firearm with tools.
"A staggering weapon, an interesting design," Byron replied. "At least, I never encountered such a design during my training on Mars."
He set the weapon down. "Of course, it's also possible I simply didn't learn the relevant knowledge; after all, no one can fully master all knowledge in that place."
Thorcyra nodded. "And the safety?" Everything else was secondary; he only wanted to confirm if these weapons posed any hidden dangers.
"No problems. They are safe for the battle brothers to use," Byron responded. "However, these are heavy firearms. A mortal could not use them without power armor assistance."
"Understood." Thorcyra looked at the crates of guns and ammo. With these, they wouldn't have to worry about ammunition supplies for a while.
"By the way, can I go take a look at those giant machines on the open ground outside?" Byron's voice came from the side.
Thorcyra was silent for a moment before replying, "You can go and ask those mortals."
Byron then left the warehouse, muttering something under his breath. Thorcyra lingered for a moment before leaving the room as well. To be honest, he had strong opinions about the Techmarine's personality, but the man's technical skills had won him over—at least he didn't cause any trouble, he thought.
There wasn't much time left before the Tyranids attacked again. He would prepare immediately. He promptly gathered all the Space Marines in the great hall of the Fortress-Monastery.
He reserved the remaining heavy weapons and ammunition for the veterans of the First Company to ensure their strength wouldn't be compromised by supply shortages.
As for the new weapons, after he had tested and demonstrated them, he distributed them to the battle brothers of the other companies. With the Space Marines' incredible learning speed, everyone quickly learned and became proficient with the Gauss Rifles.
Having solved the ammunition shortage, they were now ready to face those damned bugs once more.