[Your roar was still echoing in the communication channel's static when the air tore apart.]
[The combat rapid-fire cannons of the seventeen Knight Titans let out a terrifying, high-pitched scream.]
[One after another, shrapnel shells that were heavy enough to tear apart the armor of a Leman Russ tank passed through the fierce wind and snow. They exploded in the sky, high above the Chapter's position, with a series of deafening cracks.]
[In an instant, countless hot metal projectiles flew in all directions like miniature bombs.]
[The rain of shrapnel easily penetrated the ceramite shells of the power armor, smashing the strong bodies of the Astartes Battle-Brothers beneath. The sound was a horrific patter of metal punching through armor and bone.]
[A large number of Astartes who had no time to dodge were completely torn into pieces of flesh and blood by the storm of metal projectiles.]
[You saw Librarians throw up their hands, their blue armor glowing as they tried to erect psychic barriers. The barriers flared for a second and then shattered under the sheer kinetic force. It was of no avail.]
[Almost every exploding shrapnel shell annihilated all the Battle-Brothers in a Crusader squad, leaving nothing but red snow and ruined armor.]
[After only one round of bombardment by the seventeen Knight Titans, nearly a hundred Astartes were gone. Irreparable, serious casualties.]
[At this moment, facing Knight Titans with such powerful firepower, even the Astartes seemed to be no different from mortals.]
["Land Raiders, move forward to form an armored vehicle wall and build a protective barrier for the Battle-Brothers! Block the Knight Titans' combat rapid-fire cannons! At the same time, contact the strike cruisers! We need fire support from orbital bombardment!" You immediately issued a calm order into the communication channel, your voice level despite the carnage.]
[You wielded the 'Black Sword' again, slashing at the mortal puppets that were swarming you, clearing space.]
[You put up the storm shield with all your strength, locking it in front of you, and moved quickly in the direction of the Knight Titans' attack.]
[The next moment, your combat order was responded to. Over the vox, you heard affirmations from many Battle-Brothers.]
[Land Raiders turned their directions in an instant, their engines screaming. They kept crushing the flesh-and-blood bodies of mortal puppets and quickly rushed to the flank of the Chapter.]
[After all the Land Raiders arrived at the designated location, they turned their tracks, connecting head to tail to form a dense, ad-hoc wall of armored vehicles. It bought a precious few seconds and time for the fighting brothers to regroup behind them.]
[However, the reprieve was short. Accompanied by another volley of seventeen combat rapid-fire guns from the Knight Titans, and the deeper roar of their secondary heavy support guns...]
[The nearest dozen Land Raiders were penetrated by large-caliber bullets and metal projectiles that punched right through their heavy armor. They were completely turned into a pile of huge fireballs that exploded and burned, the chain reactions ripping the wall apart.]
[At this time, the scream of jets overhead cut through the din. A series of Thunderhawk transport planes, having just dropped ammunition supplies, quickly took off.]
[They launched an unstoppable dive attack on the rebel Titans in front.]
[The terrifying firepower from their turbolaser cannons and large-caliber combat cannons continuously poured onto the shimmering blue ion shields of the Knight Titans.]
[One of the Knight Titans was quickly concentrated by the combat cannons of more than a dozen Thunderhawk transports. Its ion shield flickered, warped, and burst like a bubble, temporarily losing its protective function.]
[The next moment, more terrifying firepower fell on the huge metal body itself, tearing into its armor, causing excessive damage to the body structure in the blink of an eye. It shuddered, one leg buckled, and it toppled heavily to the ground, paralyzed.]
[The remaining Knight Titans were also covered by the laser beams and shells of the Thunderhawk transports. Even though most of the firepower was deflected and blocked by their ion shields, the constant impacts forced them to focus on the aerial threat. Some firepower still got through, causing damage, and temporarily prevented them from launching an offensive bombardment again.]
[At the same time, the heavy firepower squads of the Astartes and the surviving Land Raiders once again set off their own metal storms. The constantly exploding heavy bolter rounds desperately consumed the protective power of the ion shields, a relentless chipping-away that played an important role in the Chapter's attack on the Knight Titans.]
[The next moment, seeing the opening, several Crusader squads carrying melta bombs broke cover. Under the fire cover of the Land Raiders and the close combat of other fighting brothers holding back the mortals, they began to launch a desperate charge towards the sixteen remaining Knight Titans.]
[Because the fire support from the orbital bombardment had not yet arrived, and without the strong support of Terminator Squads or even more large firepower vehicles, the Astartes of the Black Templars could only use this more primitive, desperate attack method.]
[You struggled to drive the power armor through the bloody, churning tide of the mortal puppets. It was like wading through a thick, grasping mud.]
[The hot blood from the mortal puppets splattered and almost dyed your "Armor of Faith" completely red.]
[You quickly passed the center of the Chapter, rushed out of the main battle line, and joined the Crusader squads that were charging into open ground.]
[The arrival of the Emperor's Champion, your black and white armor unmistakable, sent a roar through the charging squads. It seemed to have greatly inspired all the fighting brothers of the Crusader squads, and even their forward speed seemed to have increased a lot.]
[The rebel Titans seemed to have discovered your movements. They identified you as the leader. Even though the fierce artillery fire of the Thunderhawk transports and the Land Raiders never stopped, the firepower of several Knight Titans turned and still covered your direction.]
[You let out a battle roar and sprinted, rushing to the absolute front of the team.]
[With countless metal fragments breaking and flying, large-caliber bullets from heavy support guns continuously bombarded the invisible Refractor Field formed by the Iron Halo. The shield flared and whined with each impact. The continuous, high-pitched hum of the power backpack behind you, straining under the load, almost formed a terrifying piece of music.]
[At this moment, a single shell penetrated the metal storm. It abruptly came towards the sky above the team with a terrifying, rising scream.]
[You quickly captured the trajectory of the shell through the eyepiece. Airburst. Aimed right for the squad.]
[You suddenly set up the storm shield in your palm, braced your legs, and the heavy magnetic boots bit into the ground.]
[Your tall body instantly leaped up, a black-and-white blur, and crashed into the shrapnel shell just as it was about to explode.]
[A fierce explosion of fire broke out in the air, right against your shield. The force was stunning. The countless metal projectiles that were scattered and flying were blocked by your storm shield and the Refractor Field of the Iron Halo. Your shield arm went numb from the impact, and alarms screamed in your helmet. Only a few metal projectiles got past you, shooting at the fighting brothers behind you.]
[You were blown back dozens of meters by the force of the explosion and fell heavily to the ground, skidding through the mud and snow.]
[Even though the storm shield and the Iron Halo blocked most of the damage for you, you tasted the hot, rusty taste of blood in your mouth and nose, splattering against the inside of your visor.]
[But your heroic behavior, that impossible intercept, not only reduced the casualties of the Crusader team but also completely inspired the fighting morale of the Black Templars.]
[A unified roar of "For the Champion!" rose from countless Astartes monks, resounding throughout the battlefield. Along with the blessing chants of the Chaplains, the main battle line surged forward, and they even pushed back the tide of flesh and blood composed of mortal puppets.]
[The next moment, taking advantage of the act, several Crusader squads with extremely fast charging speeds also arrived near the Knight Titans.]
[The engines of the Thunderhawk transports roared loudly. The pilots, cooperating with the brothers in the Chapter without needing communication and command, kept circling and launching dive attacks.]
[Missiles with dazzling white light at their tails were fired from under the wings one after another, constantly bombarding the shaky, flickering ion shields of the Knight Titans.]
[In an instant, the ion shields of several Knight Titans once again shattered like bubbles.]
[The metal storm from the Land Raiders and the heavy firepower squads seized the brief opportunity, and their concentrated fire actually penetrated the heavy armor and smashed the cockpits of these Knight Titans.]
[Then, accompanied by a huge, grinding roar as three Knight Titans fell to the ground, more than a dozen melta bombs were thrown vigorously by the Battle-Brothers. They flew in high arcs towards the joints and cockpits of the remaining thirteen Knight Titans.]
[However, these Astartes who had just completed the throwing task were exposed, with no time to dodge. They were completely enveloped by the storm of bullets fired by the Knight Titans' heavy support guns in the next second.]
[Even if the sturdiness of the ceramite armor could resist for a moment, the weak parts, such as the neck and joints of the power armor, were still easily penetrated by the continuous large-caliber bullets, completely tearing the tall bodies of the Battle-Brothers into pieces of flesh and blood.]
[At this moment, the scorching, white-hot heat from the melta bombs completely enveloped the remaining Knight Titans.]
[Another four Knight Titans, whose ion shields were broken by the explosions, endured the concentrated pouring of the Chapter's firepower as they staggered. Then the huge metal bodies fell heavily to the ground.]
[In the blink of an eye, only nine of the seventeen Knight Titans remained.]
[However, the Black Templars also paid a huge price for this.]
[The Astartes who launched the desperate charge were almost wiped out. Even the ammunition reserves of the Thunderhawk transports and the Land Raiders were almost exhausted. The roar of their guns faltered.]
[Once the fire suppression of countless vehicles stopped for a moment, the Knight Titans, which had regained their powerful firepower, would inevitably bring unbearable heavy casualties to the entire Chapter.]
["How long until the orbital bombardment is in place!" You pushed yourself off the ground, slapping the side of your metal helmet as if to clear the static, and shouted loudly into the communication device.]
[You were charging again towards the rebel Titans in front of you, trying to attract their firepower, your shield held high.]
[You stared through the eyepiece at the huge metal bodies of the nine Knight Titans. They were constantly moving, but no longer advancing. They were trying to avoid the sharp edge of the Chapter's firepower.]
[Just when you were hesitating, your hand moving to the melta bombs on your pack, whether to use them to die with several Knight Titans, you suddenly realized their movement was erratic. They were not just avoiding ground fire. You raised your metal helmet to the sky.]
[The next second, a series of terrifying, brilliant light beams fell from above the orbit. They punched through the thick clouds, silent and massive, while accurately covering the huge metal bodies of the Knight Titans.]
["Fuck!" You subconsciously cursed into the vox.]
[You instantly aborted the charge, dug your boots in, and changed direction, running desperately back toward the main line.]
[A circle of extremely terrifying, blinding explosions, and a huge storm that overturned earth and rocks, followed your steps. The blast wave quickly spread toward your tall body, a wall of heat and pressure at your back.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~