"This is..."
A former Astral Claws Astartes, now a Red Corsairs Sergeant, noticed strange dark shadows rapidly approaching. They moved along the edge of the planet's atmosphere, closing in silently while the main fleets were locked in combat.
He needed to report this to Huron immediately.
Suddenly, the ship's hull shook violently. Alarm systems across all decks began to scream. The adjutant no longer needed to report anything to the Blood King; everyone on board knew they were under a surprise attack.
"Prepare to return fire immediately! It might be the remaining lapdogs of the False Emperor. Do not be careless!" The Sergeant took command. Those massive dark silhouettes were definitely the attackers, and next...
The flash of plasma in his vision cut his thoughts short.
Plasma cannons?
BOOM!
Terrifying energy punched a massive hole through the hull. The ship's void shields hadn't even had time to cycle on. Fortunately, only this single vessel was so unlucky. However, this was the flagship of the fleet, carrying Huron and many of the high-ranking leadership.
The Sergeant felt this was no accident.
These strange fleets had a clear objective. Several ships screened the core vessels, which pushed relentlessly toward the flagship. Once their own void shields were active, their advance became nearly unstoppable. The Sergeant didn't know how Huron or the other warband leaders planned to retreat, but if he wanted to live, he had to kill every enemy currently breaching the hull and swarming toward his position.
"These things... why do they look so much like the Tyranids?"
He didn't have the luxury of deep thought. The Tyranid boarding craft had arrived.
Hiss!
Yuki's biological senses told him there were over thirty enemies nearby, but only one Astartes—a Red Corsair. Amidst the hail of fire, Yuki accurately struck the Sergeant with a venom cannon. The corrosive shell, laced with toxins, shattered the Space Marine's spine instantly.
"Heh, the power is incredible. When I played Space Marine 2, I lost count of how many times these things sniped me."
Yuki didn't waste any more time. His reason for attacking Huron's fleet was simple: if he didn't drive them away, it would be difficult for him to make his own escape later. Based on his understanding of the Warhammer world, the most effective way to break a fleet was a decapitation strike—killing the commander. Yuki's target was clear.
"Huron, your days of running wild are coming to an end!"
Yuki's physical strength had reached a terrifying level, his body now capable of matching the speed and impact of a Space Marine combat bike. He moved rapidly through the narrow corridors of the flagship, where the passages were less than three meters wide at their narrowest points. Basic suppressive fire would have been enough to slow him down, but the entire ship was currently in the midst of a chaotic retreat, and no one was there to block his path.
He had ordered his bio-ships to keep up the bombardment. If they could blow the ship apart, all the better; if not, they would create the best possible conditions for his assassination attempt. Yuki followed the internal security access to the upper decks. Based on his previous observations, finding Huron wasn't that difficult, as long as—
A storm of bullets from an assault cannon tore through his cover. Heavy bolter rounds shredded Yuki's carapace. If he hadn't used his psychic power to manifest a barrier in front of him, he would have been blown to pieces.
A Hellfire Dreadnought, not yet heavily mutated, stood before him. It was likely a veteran of the Astral Claws who had chosen to follow the Chapter into the embrace of Chaos.
Yuki took a deep breath and leaped out behind his psychic shield. He soared over the assault cannon's line of fire, his bone-blade aimed at the sarcophagus. In response, the Dreadnought's multi-melta roared, sending Yuki and his shield flying backward.
"Is a Dreadnought's firepower always this intense?"
Yuki retreated quickly. The expected clumsiness was nowhere to be found; if anything, the machine before him was more agile than a standard Space Marine. The Hellfire Dreadnought advanced, its massive frame crushing the deck, steadily shrinking Yuki's room to maneuver.
"This guy..."
Pinned down by the fire, Yuki had no choice but to use that specific trick.
"Destroy it!"
His vocal organs harmonized with his psychic nodes, utilizing the new ability derived from the Gene-seed of the Thousand Sons sorcerers. A spear of Warp-energy manifested from Yuki's spoken words, piercing through the Dreadnought's pilot casing with unstoppable momentum.
Yuki leaped again, charging through the dying fire of the assault cannon. He grabbed the hatch of the sarcophagus and ripped it off. The Astartes inside stared back with eyes full of rage—only half a torso and a head remained, kept alive entirely by the machine's life support. Yuki didn't hesitate, smashing the head instantly. The massive Dreadnought slumped to the floor.
He rested for exactly three seconds before continuing his charge toward the location where Huron was supposed to be.
...
Huron and his First Company veterans were preparing to evacuate. The path to the hangars had already been overrun by the swarm. If they didn't want a direct confrontation with a massive Hive Tyrant, they had to take a detour.
"Why did the Tyranids appear so suddenly?"
Huron thought of the man he had met earlier—the one who claimed to be from Hylia. "Was that man actually a Genestealer? But that skull he held... it definitely carried the aura of that god."
He couldn't understand it. A bizarre sensation welled up in his chest. His Warp powers were being suppressed by the Shadow in the Warp. He might actually...
"Huron, where are you?"
The call came from nowhere. Huron's heart tightened as he looked around warily.
"Huron, stop hiding."
The voice drew closer, echoing from all directions. The veterans in Terminator armor closed ranks around Huron, ready to protect their Chapter Master as they always had.
Where? Where will he come from?
Huron got his answer.
The steel ceiling above them exploded. Yuki, clad in heavy chitinous armor, dropped through the breach, reaching directly for Huron's head. The Terminator veterans opened fire instantly. Melta and plasma beams converged, vaporizing the entire ceiling structure.
Amidst the chaos, Huron found himself facing Yuki alone.
"What are you, exactly?"
"The Hive Sub-Master."
Huron had never heard of such a title. His power claw could only barely parry Yuki's strikes.
"Huron, come and embrace your death!"
"Do not grow arrogant here!" Huron barked, though he knew in his heart that he was struggling. This enemy's strength and speed were far beyond those of an Astartes. His left arm was struck aside by Yuki, held on only by shredded muscle and sinew.
"Huron, my bone-blade is coming in!"
THUD!
A massive hole was torn into the side of the hull. The sudden change in pressure sucked the nearby mortal soldiers out into the endless void. The person who had smashed this hole into the ship landed on the deck, causing the entire vessel to shudder.
Once they saw the newcomer's face, both Huron and Yuki froze.
"Khârn?"