A Revenant Scout Titan.
Yuki had heard much of these war engines. As the Aeldari counterpart to the Imperial Warhound-class Titan, it possessed terrifying mobility. It could fire while moving and even utilize jump jets and anti-gravity engines to engage in combat that resembled a macabre ballet. They protected themselves with holofields instead of heavy armor or void shields, and the pilot's consciousness merged with the Titan's spirit—in a way, it shared similarities with an EVA.
Another distinct feature was that the pilots were almost always twins. Given the abysmally low birth rate of the Aeldari, these Titans were nearly irreplaceable assets.
Now, Yuki watched as such a creation leaped over high architecture with an elegant grace, landing before him while a massive blade swung down toward his head. Such a blade required no edge; its sheer mass alone was enough to end Yuki's life on the spot.
"You really think highly of me, sending a Titan to deal with one man."
This wasn't Yuki's first encounter with a Titan. During the final assault on the Convent of the Dying Rose, there had been two Warhounds. However, by the time a thrill-seeking Yuki had reached them, the Tyranids had already brought them down. Technically, this was the first time Yuki was truly facing a Titan head-on.
He felt a surge of exhilaration.
He leaped high into the air, swinging a psychic blade at the Revenant Titan, but he struck nothing but air. The Titan evaded the strike with an eerie agility. All Yuki felt was the frantic thumping of his own heart and the roar of the Titan's pulsars.
"Get back!"
Psychic energy collided with the Titan's projectiles, the force of the blast pushing even the Revenant Titan back dozens of meters. Using the shockwave, Yuki put some distance between himself and the war machine.
The battlefield was swarming with other Aeldari: Jetbikes, aircraft, tanks, Warlocks... Yuki felt as though the entire Craftworld had emptied its armories just to stop him. He caught a thrusting spear and sent it back through the Striking Scorpion who held it, only to turn and see the Titan charging again.
"Damn it."
Yuki understood the truths of the Warhammer universe: bigger is usually stronger, but anything is possible. "Bigger is stronger" was the general rule; "anything is possible" was the exception. Under most circumstances, this Titan could crush him like an insect, but if he could land a critical hit through the hit, wound, and save phases, he could fell the giant with a single strike. Warhammer was an IP for selling miniatures; anything was possible.
BOOM!
the Revenant's blade struck Yuki, shattering hundreds of layers of psychic barriers, only to be stopped by the final one. Yuki felt a flash of relief; noble psychic power was indeed more versatile than brute physical force.
He leaped again, connecting his mind to the collective psychic energy of the Hive.
"Heehee, it seems everything is going according to plan!"
Yuki's original objective was to awaken the slumbering Lictors and draw the Craftworld's military strength toward him. As long as he could delay the Craftworld's departure, he would win.
...
The Aeldari stationed outside the Craftworld were the only ones who could see what was truly happening. They were responsible for fending off the encroaching Tyranids until the void shields could be raised or they could escape into the Webway. They had noticed the approaching shadows, but they had no idea what they were about to face.
Hundreds of massive tentacles erupted from the planet's surface. Despite the concentrated fire from the Craftworld and its escorts, nothing could stop their advance.
"Break orbit! At least get the void shields up!"
However, the shields remained inactive, and the Craftworld's speed failed to increase.
"What is happening inside?"
The warriors fighting the tentacles knew there was trouble within, but they dared not speculate on the nature of the danger. All they could do was kill as many enemies as possible. Soon, however, they noticed something else bizarre.
"These tentacles... why are they covered in heads?"
The tentacles lacked conventional suckers. Instead, they were covered in countless brain-like structures. Only upon close inspection could one perceive this grotesque, skin-crawling sight. Atop the thickest tentacle stood a young girl with her arms crossed. Her posture was poised and confident, looking every bit like a goddess.
No, perhaps she was a goddess.
Yuno reached out. The brain-suckers on the super-tentacles surrounding the Craftworld began to glow with a blinding light. Then, a powerful suction force was generated.
A human form could only channel so much power. If Yuno wanted to do something that defied common sense, she had to use these means. These specialized psychic tentacles, spliced with Zoanthrope genes and combined with the Aether Fleet's modifications to the planet, turned the world itself into a massive receiver. It could draw upon the power of the true Hive Mind, currently located far beyond the borders of the galaxy.
"The children's games are over. Come, into Mother's mouth."
Yuno felt a deep sense of familiarity. This was the power she was meant to wield. The strength of the Swarm came from numbers; the more Tyranids there were and the closer the distance, the stronger the synaptic connection. This was the raw power of life itself.
Yuno slowly turned her hand over. In response, the entire Aeldari Craftworld began to tilt and flip. The internal circuits, spirit-bone structures, and components were being crushed by the sheer weight of the Hive Mind's energy.
She pulled her hand back. The Craftworld, ensnared by the tentacles, began a rapid, terminal descent toward the planet.
...
Yuki had once glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of the true Tyranid Hive Fleets through Yuno's memories—an infinite, suffocating mass capable of restructuring the matter of an entire galaxy. When their wills linked together, they could reshape reality, warp the Warp, and even rewrite the past.
Yuki felt that infinite power surging through his soul. He spoke.
"May your soul return to Slaanesh."
An unprecedentedly massive psychic spear manifested. It looked so real it didn't seem like a construct of energy, but a genuine artifact of the gods. The Revenant Titan slowed down; it was being buffeted by infinite Warp energy, moving as if it were underwater.
Yuki hurled the psychic spear. There were no flashy special effects. It was like a primitive hunter using a spear to kill an elephant. The razor-sharp tip pierced the head of the Revenant Titan.
The Titan collapsed, and the entire Craftworld began to tilt violently. Yuki knew Yuno had made her move. He knew she had a way to deal with the Craftworld, but he hadn't expected such a crude and violent method. Regardless, the history of this Craftworld was coming to an end.
The speed of the Craftworld's descent began to accelerate.