"It's about time."
Yuki looked up at the sky. The Tyranids had finished packing a vast amount of biomass and sent it into space; the Hive Fleet was rapidly departing Armageddon. Now, only Yuki, Yuno, and a shuttle remained to ferry them back to the fleet.
"You're not planning to fight the Space Marines?" Yuno asked.
"Do I look insane? There's absolutely no profit in fighting them. Armageddon has been battered to this state; even if we truly took the entire planet, we wouldn't gain much more biomass anyway."
Just as Yuki finished speaking, a deafening explosion echoed in the distance, followed by the distinctive, dense roar of boltguns. Several massive Drop Pods, like meteors of vengeance, slammed into the earth with trailing pillars of flame. More Thunderhawk gunships circled at low altitude following orbital strikes, weaving a web of death with heavy bolters and lascannons that blanketed the Ork battlefield.
"It's about time," Yuki repeated in a low voice, his casual, mocking tone vanishing instantly.
Yuno gracefully leaned aside to dodge a sweeping laser beam. Her crimson eyes glanced at the sky, spotting several warships.
"They arrived quite fast."
"Yarrick did send out a distress signal to the Imperium long before we arrived."
Yuki grabbed Yuno's wrist, and the two moved like ghosts through the hail of bullets and shockwaves, racing toward a shuttle hidden behind a small hill. A Thunderhawk gunship noticed them and began accelerating in their direction.
"Blood Angels? Did they mistake us for survivors?"
"I don't think they'd believe a human could survive in Armageddon's exterior environment."
"You really aren't going to fight the Space Marines?" Yuno asked again while running, her voice tinged with a hint of playfulness as if she already knew the answer.
"To be honest, knowing the Blood Angels came to help almost makes me want to stay," Yuki chuckled, his movements never faltering. "But like I said, there's no profit in it. Imperial reinforcements will keep coming. We should go find something else to eat."
He exerted a sudden burst of strength, leading Yuno across a scorched ravine created by the bombardment. Behind them, the Thunderhawk accelerated, but it could not keep pace with the speed of Yuno and Yuki. The roars of Space Marines and the whistle of bolt shells followed closely, but the pair was faster and better adapted to the ruined terrain.
The shuttle sat before them—a bizarre Tyranid bio-craft.
The Blood Angels leapt down from their transports. For a brief moment, they had wondered if these two were Armageddon residents, but that thought was now completely dispelled.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The roar of bolters erupted almost directly behind them, as searing metal jets and explosions tore the ground to shreds. The Blood Angels had clearly confirmed the targets were non-human; their attack was swift and lethal. Dense bolt rounds slammed into the shuttle's thick, coarse bio-carapace with dull thuds, sending fragments of chitin and disgusting fluids flying.
The Tyranid shuttle was not a dead object; it let out a low, pained shriek, its chitinous armor plates writhing violently under the assault.
"Don't break it on me!" Yuki growled.
Yuno remained silent, the radiance of psychic energy flickering around her for a split second. An invisible barrier formed instantly, deflecting the following bolt rounds toward the sky. With a blur of motion, she vanished into the interior of the shuttle.
"Leave these few to you," the sergeant in the lead signaled. Two warriors continued suppressive fire with boltguns, while another two drew chainswords and launched a charge like two bolts of red lightning, letting out ear-shattering war cries. Their power armor crushed the scorched earth, leaving deep footprints with every thunderous step.
Facing the charging Angels of Death, Yuki showed no fear. Instead, a twisted smile—a mix of mockery and excitement—appeared on his face. At the moment the chainswords were about to strike, he slid to the side with an agility that defied the laws of physics.
"For the Blood of Sanguinius!"
The Space Marine's roar accompanied the scream of the chainsword. Yuki evaded the first horizontal slash, and his elbow struck backward like a warhammer, precisely hitting the power pack connection of the second warrior.
With a heavy thud, the Space Marine's forward momentum stalled, his massive frame stumbling forward uncontrollably. The first warrior reacted instantly, sweeping his chainsword back. This time, Yuki didn't dodge entirely. He extended an arm covered in chitinous plates and actually parried the high-speed rotating chain-blade!
Screeeech—!!!
An ear-piercing sound erupted as the teeth of the chainsword ground against the unnaturally hard carapace on Yuki's arm, sending out a shower of sparks. A deep gash opened on Yuki's arm, oozing purple-black blood, but he seemed oblivious to the pain. His other hand shot out like a viper, fingers clamped together like a blade, and instantly pierced the vulnerable neck seal of the Space Marine's power armor!
"Ugh!"
The Space Marine let out a short cry of pain, his movements freezing. Yuki swiftly withdrew his hand, bringing out a spray of hot blood, then kicked the chest plate to send the warrior flying back onto the scorched ground.
The entire exchange happened in the blink of an eye. Two elite Astartes had been downed so easily in close combat. Though not a fatal blow, the terrifying strength and combat skill Yuki displayed were shocking.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
More bolt rounds followed, pinning Yuki down and preventing a follow-up.
"Yuki!" Yuno's voice echoed from within, carrying a psychic ripple as if urging him.
Glancing one last time at the red giants still pouring fire and the more distant Drop Pods and gunships approaching, a cold arc curled on Yuki's lips.
"Bloom."
Several psychic lightning bolts exploded outward. Even the superhuman physique of an Astartes could not withstand it directly. Yuki rushed before them, and while their bodies were momentarily held by psychic force, he struck decisively, swiftly dealing with them.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to use a tentacle to rip out the gene-seed from within the Blood Angels.
Rumble!
The Tyranid shuttle ignited. Yuki and Yuno merged with the craft. Yuki politely handed over a cup of blood—harvested from the Blood Angels during the fight.
"I heard they all drink the blood of Sanguinius. Perhaps we can taste a bit of Sanguinius in this."
"I'd rather taste you than Sanguinius," Yuno replied.
"Then come here."