An exhilarating Battle Cry was brewing, yet Romulus alone remained focused on observing Karna's advance route.
"Good, he hasn't completely lost his mind. He knows to advance along the ruins of those fallen military facilities," Romulus remarked.
A trace of relief welled up in his heart, and his final lingering worries dissipated.
At the very least, reinforcing him would be much easier now.
"Notify all units to secure the defensive line and reclaim the central defense node. The Adeptus Astartes forces are to continue eradicating the Organisms at the node, and the artillery units must concentrate their barrage on the Hive Tyrant's position. Everyone must remain vigilant. The specific orders for each unit are as follows..."
After issuing a series of reports and commands, Romulus set down the Model he had been constantly rearranging. Standing amidst the chaos of the command center, he stared blankly at the now-silent internal comms of the Transmigrators for a mont before breaking into a smile.
'These guys really never give a mont of peace.'
He clearly rembered that not too long ago, they had just been ordinary people seeking protection, living in a country that wasn't perfect but was pleasant enough. But things were different now.
The protected had beco the protectors. They had bravely stepped forward, and even though doing so carried the risk of dying in so brutal war, none of them had hesitated.
Destiny was fickle. Their arrival seed to have completely shattered a preordained path. The fates of Arthur, Karna, Rases, and even himself were all hurtling toward an entirely new unknown.
No one could see the end, nor could anyone chart a clear course.
Since that was the case, they would just have to forge ahead, carry out their respective ideals, and explore that uncharted destiny.
'I will manage every detail of this operation so that you have nothing left to worry about behind you.'
"..."
Romulus looked up at the sky. Without him realizing it, the skies over Pierre had already plunged into the pitch-black of night.
Artillery fire shook the heavens, and the shrieks of the Tyranid swarm continued unabated. Yet amidst that chaos, an even heavier tremor was spreading through the earth, a rumbling so oppressive it induced panic.
The cloud layer grew increasingly abyssal. The surging flares of explosions were ultimately swallowed by deep green clouds, and a suffocating darkness swept in from the horizon.
Terror lurked within that profound gloom. Romulus was entirely focused on commanding the troops, though to any onlooker, he rely appeared to be gazing quietly at the sky.
Boom!
Without any warning, a deafening explosion shattered the chaotic din of the battlefield. It sounded as if a boundless Warhamr had crashed down from the heavens, quaking the hearts of countless n.
Imdiately after, as the soundwaves passed through their bodies, the purest form of terror surged from the depths of their souls.
Romulus felt it too, but he did not scream, faint, or suffer a ntal breakdown like an ordinary person.
Tensing every inch of muscle in his body, he kept his head held high and stared into the distance.
A streak of dark green ichor tore through the night sky, its residual phosphorescence leaving a srizing trail in the air before crashing into a peripheral combat zone.
In an instant, tens of thousands of soulless troops holding the front lines against the hive were wiped out on the spot. The command center blared with piercing alarms, projecting a hologram of the behemoth that had just torn through the Forge World's towering walls right before the commanders' eyes.
A Hierophant Bio-Titan.
A Titan-class unit of the Tyranid swarm, a terrifying Fighting Force capable of sweeping across an entire continent.
Its path was heading straight for Karna's position.
It seed the Hive Mind was acting like a sore loser and had decided to flip the table.
"Archmagos, I am requesting the deploynt of a Titan."
Romulus ordered calmly.
The combat units at the chanicus Sanctum could not be mobilized, and Karna's position was too far away. They could only rely on an orbital drop.
If Rases were here, it would be much simpler; he could have just teleported the Titan directly to the coordinates.
"The landing zones have fallen."
Cawl's response ca swiftly. Because the spire was situated at the edge of the upper atmosphere, it was constantly enduring endless waves of aerial Tyranid drop pods and no longer possessed deploynt capabilities. anwhile, the other landing zones outside the phosphorescent cloud cover had long since fallen.
If absolutely necessary, he could command a Titan to march there for a rescue, but that would take ti.
Cawl was no fool, nor was he a fanatic with a brain rotted by dogma. Having weathered nurous battles alongside them, he naturally recognized the uniqueness of these four warriors.
In Cawl's estimation, these special Transmigrators were far more precious than a single Titan. The loss of even one would be a monuntal tragedy recorded in human history.
He actually did not mind making so compromises regarding the allocation of combat units.
"A landing zone has been reclaid."
Romulus replied promptly.
"?"
Pausing his data calculations, a bewildered Cawl transmitted an identification code, only to find that the link to one of the landing zones had indeed been restored.
And it just so happened to be the one closest to Karna.
Huh?
To be honest, Cawl was sowhat horrified.
How did you manage to rally the routed troops, command the Adeptus Astartes, hijack my automata for an extermination sweep to prevent the swarm from recycling Biomass, and still spare enough forces to reclaim a landing zone all at the sa ti?
Cawl wondered if he could calculate the answers he sought by utilizing Romulus's brain as a processor.
Then he shook his head, abandoning such an impractical thought.
"Archmagos?"
Romulus's inquiry sounded once more.
"...I will comnce the Titan drop."
Cawl declared.
—
The earth of Steel trembled, tearing open deep fissures that obstructed any advance.
Searing acid rain scorched the ground, burning away pools of deadly, life-eradicating mires.
Karna raised his head and gazed at the densely packed contrails streaking across the darkening sky. Those were the trails left behind by missiles and artillery fire, a truly magnificent sight.
His combat objective had indeed been achieved. He had directly forced the Hive Tyrant off the front lines, isolating it from its vanguard. He just hadn't expected the Hive Mind to still have such formidable Fighting Force in reserve.
Rumble...
The atmosphere conveyed a muffled, droning hum. Even from dozens of kiloters away, Karna could clearly see the chained fireballs of cascading explosions.
Yet, with just a thin layer of rippling green bio-electric arcs, all of that artillery fire was completely repelled.
It could not pierce through.
The behemoth's defenses were just like its anatomical structure, utterly defying scientific logic at every turn. According to the laws of physics, a body of that sheer mass shouldn't even be able to move on land.
But as the Hierophant strode forward with impossibly massive steps, the scientific plausibility of its biological structure was no longer a concern for anyone present.
Approaching the core defensive ring ant being subjected to continuous volleys from the Titan Legions' Volcano Cannons. The Hive Mind had never intended to engage in a Titan-on-Titan shootout from the start, so the Hierophant was here for one singular purpose.
To completely shatter the dueling cage.
"So that's the plan. What a fast reaction."
Karna ca to an abrupt halt as dazzling phosphorescence rained down in front of him, splashing outward like a spiderweb. Wherever the winding trails struck, the ground cracked open with molten, lava-like fissures.
The road instantly fractured into countless ravines, and relatively fragile structures like housing blocks were lted down entirely.
The furious Angel paused. After all, he was not a god, and in the face of such overwhelming suppressive fire, his only option was evasion.
Screech...
tal dozens of ters thick was gouged with deep, jagged gashes, and a toppling steel Building was shoved aside directly by the Hierophant's sheer bulk.
Just its simple forward montum unleashed a destructive force infinitely more spectacular than the collateral damage left by The Angel's duel with the Tyrant.
Mortal strength could never contend with a Titan under any circumstances. This was an absolute disparity dictated by sheer mass, an uncrossable chasm in power.
A reality so stark that it induced shivering dread.
The swarm's response had been terrifyingly swift.
There was no hesitation, no fear, only the cold issuance of a command followed by its equally cold execution.
"However, my comrades are not to be outdone."
Despite facing such a lopsided situation, Karna showed no signs of panic. His gaze remained firmly locked on the Hive Tyrant across the Rift.
'Did you really think you could lure into a trap so easily?'
"..."
Just as the Hive Mind was puzzling over its opponent's fearlessness, a signal relayed from an orbital node caused its consciousness within the Tyrant's skull to stall montarily.
[Atmospheric entry confird. Location: Orbital Transport Platform N-309.]
[Guard Militant forces engaged, all weapons in overload mode. Titan: Helios, entering deploynt sequence.]
High above, countless human carrier-based aircraft descended like a swarm of moths.
Autocannons roared, and point-defense missiles launched in relentless succession.
The sky looked as though a torrential downpour of lead had been unleashed, tearing a massive, gaping hole through the Tyranid air swarms.
Following that, a steel behemoth weighing nearly ten thousand tons carved a fiery arc through the sky. Guided by a grav-chute corridor, it landed squarely on the drop platform.
Clang!
It was a heavy, deafening sound. Even with the grav-systems venting the imnse pressure, the monstrous fra's impact caused the entire platform to quake, echoing with endless reverberations.
The Hierophant's movents abruptly halted, and the world plunged into an eerie silence.
Clang.
Then, accompanied by the distant tolling of a bell, the information receptors on the Titan's faceplate flared to life with a faint blue glow.
The Guard Militant dispersed, eradicating the harassing swarms.
Toll the Great Bell once, to push the pistons and the pumps!
At the second toll, azure light blazed forth. Turbines spun up with trendous power, and the exposed conduits ignited with divine radiance.
Void Shields unfurled, swallowing the incoming onslaught.
Toll the Great Bell twice, press the button, start the engine, ignite the turbine, and breathe life!
At the third toll, boundlessly profound energy began to coalesce, rising like a brilliant, glaring sun.
The Volcano Cannon fired, annihilating the Xenos that dared attempt to destroy humanity's sacred gifts.
Toll the Great Bell thrice, sing in unison, and praise the God of All Machines!
The Titan took a step, stamping its heavy, steel foot into the earth, followed swiftly by the second. Steel pavent was crushed and ripped up beneath its stride.
It was a Titan walking the mortal realm; it was a mountain striding across the land.
She began to run.
A power claw, surging with boundless might, cleaved into the Hierophant's back, exploding with blinding sparks of psychic energy.
The colossal fingertips tore into the carapace, scraping out deep, bloody gouges.
"ROAR!!!"
The Hierophant let out a deafening roar, unwillingly shoved away from the battlefield.
The God-Machine walks!
As for the Hive Tyrant, having gained a brief few minutes of respite, it had to acknowledge that the duel was still ongoing.
At the sa ti, it detected the ticulousness hiding beneath its enemy's furious exterior.
It seed reckless, yet he had planned out his route well in advance. Even if the unexpected occurred, he had secured enough of a buffer to adjust.
Truly—
The Hive Tyrant hoisted its massive boneswords once again.
It had underestimated this opponent!
"Co on!"
Karna raised his spear high, the blade pointed straight at the Tyrant, as boundless fury climbed back into his eyes.
"Round two!"
—
Crackle!
Within The Empyrean, sothing shattered.
The Blood God rose from His throne, His fist clenched around a mixture of blood and brass dust.
Khorne did not like Rases.
Because he was a scher. Those magic-wielding freaks could rot in a corner for all He cared.
Khorne thought Romulus was decent enough, but ultimately, He was sowhat dissatisfied with him.
Because he was too rational. Hacking people to death was just hacking people to death, why waste ti thinking about all that pointless nonsense?
Khorne felt Arthur was quite good, yet still considered him to have a few minor flaws.
Because he was too apathetic. He could not even rouse any emotion while slaughtering his foes, which made the whole act feel entirely unrewarding. If you couldn't find joy in butchery, what could you find joy in?
But Karna!
The crimson Angel!
Khorne found him to be absolutely, utterly perfect.
Furious, bloodthirsty, courageous, and bursting with charisma.
Yet he didn't lack martial wisdom, harboring a ticulousness hidden beneath his wrathful veneer.
He was born entirely for slaughter, as long as you cast aside his everyday disguises!
This, this was practically His Chosen Champion. This was ant to be His Champion!
He tightened His grip on the sand in His palm and casually snatched up a spear resting by the edge of His throne.
He hurled the blood-stained spear into the material universe, then handed down a divine oracle to His general who was still fighting valiantly.
[The Blood God permits you to abandon your current battlefield.]
[The Blood God shall grant you an even greater battlefield.]
The booming voice echoed within Ka'Bandha's mind.
[Just bring The Angel back.]
[Bring The Angel back!]
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