The Tyranid offensive was not confined to a single city.
The Aether Fleet's assault was launched simultaneously across the globe, and Yuki grasped every piece of information through the Hive Mind. All other cities had fallen; only this one, which he was personally overseeing, remained defiant. This inevitably made Yuki feel as though he had lost face in front of Yuno.
Yuno, however, was accustomed to such things.
"This is normal. Humans always do this. Whenever I think I'm about to win, they find a way to frustrate me. It's unpleasant to say, but you'll have to get used to it." Yuno stood up and smoothed Yuki's disheveled hair. "After all, that's just how the Warhammer world works."
Hearing Yuno's words made Yuki feel slightly better. He looked into her jewel-like eyes and said earnestly, "I'll help you. No matter what you want to do, I'll stand by your side."
Yuno covered her mouth with her hand, unable to stop herself from salivating. "Hehe. In that case, I want to start a round right now."
...
"Stoic!"
The leader of the Iron Warrior squad looked toward his fallen brother who was calling him.
"The swarm's offensive is intensifying. If you don't hurry, we'll all end up as their food."
"I'm working on it. Don't rush me."
"Sometimes you really don't act like one of us. You act more like those lapdogs of the False Emperor. I truly want to dig out your Gene-seed and see if you're actually our brother."
Stoic inserted the key he had obtained from Enos into the reader slot and retorted, "I admit my methods differ from yours. But do not forget—if not for my methods, both you and I would have been dead long ago."
"Dammit, that's the only thing you have to boast about. I'm telling you, if the Captain or anyone higher up finds out about this, your end won't be pretty."
Stoic couldn't have cared less. "Let's worry about that once we survive and get back."
"You say that every time. But don't forget who we are. We are Iron Warriors. Iron within, Iron without!"
"Valuing our lives doesn't make us look weak, brother. it allows us to carry out our will on more occasions. Alright, the gate is open."
Stoic led the Iron Warriors into the subterranean pulse system. This was a critical component of the Hive city's power grid, capable of regulating electromagnetic frequency and intensity. With a few adjustments, they could turn this system into a massive transmitter.
"You might not have sensed it, but this Hive Fleet isn't particularly powerful. Their Shadow in the Warp isn't that tight. We can transmit a simple message to the outside. It only needs to be enough to make our allies glance this way."
"No more explanations, Stoic. Just do it."
Stoic said no more. The few human soldiers stationed here were no match for the Iron Warriors; they were purged in a remarkably short time. Stoic altered the system's programming, grateful he hadn't neglected his technical skills.
He felt a massive surge of energy within the pipes and lines buried in the walls. This method of seeking help would undoubtedly destroy the pulse system.
"Retreat. Let's find a safe place to wait for reinforcements from the Legion and Huron."
"Stoic, aren't you going to continue trying to tempt that Exorcist into corruption? I saw the potential for fall within him."
"There is no need. If he truly wishes to fall, he won't need our temptation. After all, his Gene-seed seems... different from his brothers'."
The Iron Warrior let out a laugh that sounded worse than a sob. "Yes, we all felt it. He's more like those insufferable brothers of ours."
A massive burst of electromagnetic energy was released from a single point on Hylia, becoming a brief spark of light in the cosmos. Units across several surrounding sectors observed this flash, whether they were Chaos Space Marines or the Imperial Navy.
Finally, at this moment, they all realized that Hylia had lost contact. Consequently, warships were mobilized; both sides intended to annihilate the enemy's strength on Hylia, regardless of whether that enemy was who they expected.
...
"Dammit, what's going on?"
Eleven stood atop a biological ship, staring at the distant sparks of light. These weren't lights in the physical sense, but a future she saw using her psychic powers.
Theoretically, the Shadow in the Warp accompanying a Hive Fleet had a near-fatal effect on psykers. However, Eleven was a special existence accepted by Yuki and Yuno. Without realizing that the "God-Emperor" she worshipped was actually the Great Devourer, she had partially interfaced with the Hive Mind network.
Through this, her mental strength and psychic abilities had been vastly enhanced, and she was immune to the effects of the Shadow in the Warp. It was because of this that she discovered the approaching fleets ahead of time.
There was no more time to waste. She contacted Yuki.
"What?"
"Yes, that's the situation. I've detected a large number of warships approaching. They belong to the humans who have rebelled against the God-Emperor." To Eleven, the Imperium of Man was merely a rebel force committing evil in the God-Emperor's name and defiling his title.
"What's happening? Since when did the Imperium become so efficient?"
"I'm not sure. It might have been caused by that sudden electromagnetic anomaly earlier. Do you need me to intercept them?"
"Intercept? Eleven, unless you can personally scatter a battleship with your mind, take the fleet back to planetary orbit now. We're going to have to use the humans' own planetary defense systems to fight a defensive war."
Yuki disconnected. He looked at Yuno, who seemed unsatisfied and paid little attention to the appearing enemies.
"Don't panic. They might have just noticed something unusual. If they don't realize what we are, we still have the advantage. Besides, the planetary defense systems are mostly intact, aren't they?"
Yuki's expression was stiff. "The defense systems are intact, but the problem is we haven't captured the most critical parts yet. What are these Exorcists made of? How can they hold out for so long?"
"It's all thanks to that heavy plasma cannon. They hauled it down from a warship. Not even a Swarmlord can advance against its fire."
"Why is it that humans can always pull out these strange little gadgets at times like this? Is it truly the protection of the Emperor?"
Yuno leaned against Yuki's back. "It's actually quite possible."
Yuki was truly at a loss. He thought seriously for a moment and suddenly had an idea. "What if... we went to talk to the Chaos leader?"