CHAPTER 102 — THE RAMP, THE SWARM, AND THE WARCRY
The Tech-Priest was the first to stop moving. His optical lenses widened and focused ahead as he saw it, the countless Tyranids converging toward their position.
His metallic feet scraped against the balcony as his lenses zoomed to maximum range.
One click, two clicks, three.
Every lens snapped wider.
Then he raised his voice, sharp and mechanical, loud enough that even the Skitarii stiffened.
"Proceed with haste! Incoming swarm!"
He turned and ran without hesitation, robes flapping wildly behind him as his mechadendrites pointed in the same direction, toward a rising industrial ramp connected to a higher platform.
The Skitarii obeyed immediately, forming disciplined ranks as they followed the Tech Priest.
Titus frowned but did not follow after them. He remained in place, waiting for Gaius' command.
Gaius didn't speak at first. He simply stared at the swarm for a few long seconds.
A wave
No.
An ocean.
Countless Tyranids crawled, sprinted, and hurled themselves over broken metal and twisted piping. Hormagaunts skittered in the front ranks, gaunts and ripper swarms filling every gap between their claws. Behind them, larger silhouettes forced their way through the press of bodies, driving the mass forward.
All of them were converging on this single tower.
Naruto swallowed.
"Is that… all of them?"
Mindy stared with wide eyes.
"This looks like a zombie movie, but alien. And a lot worse."
Tony Stark's eyes widening.
"Oh, no. That's not a swarm… that's a biological tsunami. Why are there that many?"
Saeko focused on the sight below, unable to stop a flicker of worry for Gaius, though she kept silent.
Gaius turned and strode after the fleeing Tech-Priest.
"Move."
Titus, Metaurus, and the Bladeguard followed right behind them, boots thundering on the metal path.
Naruto kept close to Gaius's side.
Diana sprinted with smooth steps, no hesitation in her movements.
The Tech-Priest waited until they reached the ramp, then slammed his metal palm onto the control box.
A deep mechanical rumble shook the structure.
Massive pistons activated.
The entire ramp began to rise, lifting the squad higher and higher above the ground.
At first, Gaius thought they were being taken to a sealed safe zone.
But as they rose, he saw the truth.
This wasn't a bunker.
It was a defensive platform, exposed on all sides, attached to the outer wall of the Titan hangar like a fortified balcony.
The Tech-Priest hadn't led them to safety.
He had led them to high ground for a more defendable place.
Gaius said nothing.
The Tech-Priest was doing his best.
That was enough.
At full height, the ramp locked into place with a heavy metallic CLANG.
They now stood 15–20 meters above the ground.
The platform was built from dark, oil-stained ferro-metal, reinforced by thick support beams and scaffolding beneath them. The grated floor clanged loudly with every step, echoing through the structure.
But from here
They had the perfect view of the swarm.
Naruto's face showed worry for Gaius's safety. "That's… a lot."
Mindy whispered quietly, "Don't worry… Gaius is strong. He can handle this."
Diana nodded slightly. "Indeed. There's no need to worry about Gaius."
Below, the Tyranids finally reached the hangar supports.
Hormagaunts leaped first, jumping high, claws digging into metal beams.
Others ran up the scaffolding, bodies shifting in unnatural ways.
A few gaunts fired living projectiles upward.
Titus stepped to the edge.
"Ready weapons."
Bolt rifles raised.
"Fire!"
A storm of heavy rounds blasted downwards, tearing apart the first climbers. Metaurus joined in with loud bursts of his Plasma gun, shredding anything that tried to leap over the railing.
The Bladeguard fired disciplined volleys, then switched to melee as the first claws began reaching the edge.
Skitarii lined the far side of the platform, firing nonstop, each shot cold and mechanical.
But more Tyranids kept coming.
Too many.
A Ravener vaulted upward and landed with a heavy crash.
Titus brought his boot down, crushing the Gaunt's head before it could rise.
Three more Gaunts climbed over the railing behind him. The Bladeguard met them with swift, precise strikes, cutting them down instantly.
Metaurus seized another by the tail and hurled it back to the floor.
Still, the swarm didn't stop.
It only got thicker.
And thicker.
Titus sent a full-force kick into a leaping Tyranid, launching it over the edge.
Gaius hadn't moved.
He wasn't shooting.
He wasn't striking.
He was watching.
Calculating.
The supports were filling with Tyranids.
The ground below swarmed with reinforcements.
The entire horizon crawled with living bodies.
This wasn't just a wave.
It was a flood.
Normal firepower wouldn't last.
He breathed in slowly.
It was time.
Gaius finally stepped forward.
Titus saw the movement and immediately widened their defensive line.
"Make space!"
The Bladeguards shifted.
The Skitarii instinctively straightened.
Even the Tech-Priest sensed something change.
Gaius planted his feet.
Lifted his warhammer.
And inhaled.
"Brace yourselves," he said calmly.
Then he roared.
A single, thunderous Warcry.
It wasn't just loud, it felt like the sky tore open.
A blast of force exploded outward, rattling the platforms and shaking every beam.
The sound carried weight, divine authority, like a command that living things were not meant to resist.
Tyranids froze everywhere.
Those on the scaffolding lost their grip and fell in waves.
Those climbing the walls collapsed instantly.
Ripper swarms curled up, stunned.
Gaunts shrieked as their instincts overloaded.
Dozens… hundreds… thousands of Tyranids dropped like a collapsing tide.
Only the strongest bioforms remained standing below, and even they stopped moving, trembling.
The Warcry of the Emperor was a reward from the Naruto world. Gaius used it for the first time, testing its full power against the enemy.
The Multiversal Chat Members exploded.
Tony's eyes widened in shock. "Th-That's impossible," he stammered, staring at the display of raw power and the deafening roar.
Naruto stared at Gaius, his eyes sparkling. The worry that had clouded his expression vanished in the wake of that roar.
"That was SO COOL!"
Mindy followed immediately.
"Yes! That was awesome!"
Saeko gave a small, approving nod, silently agreeing with Naruto and Mindy.
Diana stepped beside Gaius.
"This is the reward he earned from helping Naruto avenge his teacher."
Tony blinked, taking a steadying breath. "I see… that explains it. Still terrifying, though."
With that ability, Gaius could not be defeated, even if the enemy outnumbered him countless times. Numbers were meaningless against him. And with his allies, the Tech-Priest, the Skitarii, Titus, and the others, seemingly unaffected, the power of the Warcry became even more overwhelming
Titus and the Bladeguard nearly knelt, feeling as if the Emperor himself had descended, awed by the roar of Gaius.
The platform was quiet except for the distant echoes of falling Tyranids.
Below, only the strongest remained. Carnifex-sized forms, Warrior strains, and a few large beasts.
Gaius stepped onto the edge.
Activated his jet pack.
Then he launched downward like a comet. With the assistance of the jet pack, his momentum grew even more powerful.
The air cracked from the force of his descent.
He hit the ground with a hammer strike so powerful the shockwave flattened the remaining Tyranids, cracking the earth beneath them and sending bodies tumbling in all directions.
Dust.
Silence.
Stillness.
The last of the swarm in this area was gone.
On the platform, the Tech-Priest's lenses stopped moving completely.
He had expected a brutal siege.
He had expected half of them to die.
He had expected hours of fighting.
He had expected a war of attrition.
Instead
The Ultramarine Captain in golden armor had destroyed the swarm almost alone.
The Tech-Priest's entire understanding of Astartes power… shifted.
"Th-this unit… underestimated your combat capability…"
Gaius looked up from the ground, calm as ever.
"We move."
The Tech-Priest snapped out of it and lowered the ramp immediately.
This time, he followed with absolute obedience.
They descended and regrouped around Gaius.
But the battle wasn't over.
From the far horizon, more Tyranids moved in, bigger shapes, heavier footsteps.
Carnifex.
Warriors.
A brood of Genestealers moving like shadows.
The Hive Mind had adapted.
The next wave would be harder.
They reached the massive gate, an armored plate thick enough to survive orbital fire.
Deep scratches and acid burns covered the metal, proof that the Tyranids had tried countless times to break through.
The Tech-Priest rushed to the side panel.
"Stand by… verifying machine-rites…"
The gate required:
Mechanicus biometrics
Noosphere verification
Cogitator imprint
A full Rite-of-Entry
No outsider could open it, only a Tech-Priest with proper authority had the access.
Gaius stepped beside him.
"Open it."
The Tech-Priest complied instantly.
Massive locks disengaged.
The gate rumbled open.
They stepped into the Titan hangar.
The gate slammed shut behind them.
The swarm remained outside.
For now.
END OF CHAPTER 102
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