[One after another, Sororitas Drop Pod crashed heavily onto the wilderness far from the hive city entrance. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, kicking up countless pebbles and massive clouds of dust that obscured the night sky.]
[The roar of engines from a fleet of Thunderhawk gunships echoed throughout the entire hive city, the sound reverberating off metal walls and creating overlapping waves of mechanical thunder.]
[As numerous Thunderhawk aircraft circled low overhead, their searchlights cutting brilliant white beams through the darkness, five agile figures clad in blood-red power armor emerged swiftly from each Sororitas Drop Pod. They moved with practiced precision, weapons ready, boots striking ground in perfect synchronization.]
[The Battle Sisters wore standard Sabbat-pattern metal helmets, their visors gleaming in the scattered light. Each gripped a heavy flamer filled with promethium, the weapons held at ready positions across their armored chests.]
[Chainswords hung from their power armor waists, the blades catching ambient light and throwing back cold, metallic gleams. The teeth remained still for now, but promised terrible violence once activated.]
[Meanwhile, additional Battle Sisters gripping Godwyn-pattern bolters and storm bolters leaped from Thunderhawks that hadn't yet fully touched down. Their high-heeled, thick-soled mag-boots slammed heavily onto the dry ground, the magnetic locks engaging with sharp cracks as they made contact.]
[The bolters they gripped so tightly featured bayonet attachments beneath the barrels. The spearheads seemed to reflect faint starlight, their edges sharp enough to pierce ceramite. As the Sisters moved, the blades cut through air with low, whistling sounds.]
["Battle Sisters of the Bloody Rose!" A Canoness wearing an ornate Sabbat Celestine-pattern helmet suddenly raised one thick arm, heavily encased in blood-red armor. Her voice carried across the assembled force with absolute authority.]
[The power fist mounted on her gauntlet crackled with a deep blue energy field, emitting a steady buzzing sound that vibrated through the air.]
[Above her power pack, a sacred battle standard fluttered violently in a sudden gust of wind. The banner's pristine white surface bore countless small bloodstains, each one marking a battle honor, a martyred Sister remembered.]
["The Holy Emperor watches over us! The soul of Saint Mina protects us from beneath the Golden Throne!"]
[Her voice rose to a battle cry that echoed off the hive walls.]
["Roar! Advance, Battle Sisters! Let us tear the heretics to shreds and burn them to ashes!"]
[You heard faintly, carried on the wind, the roar and encouragement of the Canoness commanding the Battle Sisters. Each word struck you like a physical blow, knowing what awaited them.]
[You drew a deep breath, your hand instinctively tightening its grip on the cold metal handle of your flamethrower. The weapon felt heavier than usual, weighted with terrible knowledge.]
[You could not bear to watch these Battle Sisters, utterly loyal to the Emperor and the Imperium, walk directly into the Astartes Chapter's meticulously prepared ambush. They advanced with faith and courage, completely unaware of the trap closing around them.]
[Especially after you realized with chilling certainty that this entire situation was most likely a conspiracy deliberately engineered by the daemon Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways.]
[However, it seemed you had recognized the truth too late to prevent this tragedy from unfolding.]
[Your mind raced, thoughts accelerating with desperate urgency.]
[Suddenly, an idea crystallized. Dangerous, possibly suicidal, but the only option you could see.]
[You opened your dry eyes as wide as physically possible, forcing them to their limits despite the burning sensation.]
[You turned your head sharply toward Chunkus, who stood not far away among the other Ogryns.]
[You silently executed a complex series of hand gestures that only the two of you understood, a private signal system developed over months of partnership. A simple yet extremely dangerous plan formed completely in your mind.]
[Chunkus, who had been scratching his enormous posterior with thick-knuckled fingers, paused mid-motion. Surprise registered on his brutish features.]
[Then comprehension dawned. He even instinctively swallowed back a yawn that had been halfway completed, his jaw snapping shut with an audible click.]
[Chunkus pursed his thick lips into a determined line.]
[He forcefully slapped each of the Ogryns gathered around him, the impacts echoing like drumbeats. Simultaneously, he shot them cautious winks with his mismatched eyes, communicating urgency without words.]
[He shouldered his incredibly heavy power hammer, the weapon's weight making his carapace armor creak. Then he walked casually toward the nearest Astartes battle-brother, affecting a stumbling gait that suggested simple-minded harmlessness.]
["Hey there, my dear angel," Chunkus called out, his voice carrying forced cheerfulness. "I've got a real treasure to show you!"]
[Chunkus forced his eyes wide open in that uneven, slightly crossed way that made him look particularly dim-witted. He grinned broadly, all innocence and stupidity.]
[The Astartes turned his helmeted head to look back at the approaching Ogryn, perhaps confused by the interruption.]
[In that brief moment of distraction, Chunkus struck.]
[He suddenly swung the power hammer from his shoulder with devastating force. Every ounce of his massive strength channeled into the blow.]
[The energy field activated with a fleeting buzzing sound, then vanished as the weapon made contact.]
[The incredibly heavy power hammer smashed through the Astartes' metal helmet and the entire head encased within it. Ceramite shattered. Bone pulverized. Brain matter exploded outward in a spray of gore.]
[An Astartes battle-brother lost his head in literally the blink of an eye.]
[Only a tall body remained, still gushing tremendous amounts of hot blood from the ruined neck stump. It swayed for a heartbeat, then collapsed heavily to the ground with a thunderous crash.]
["TRAITOR!" The shout erupted from multiple throats simultaneously.]
[The remaining Astartes brothers scattered around the position reacted almost instantaneously, their enhanced reflexes kicking in.]
[They spun toward the threat, raised the bolt pistols gripped in their palms, fingers moving to triggers with lethal intent.]
[However, a sniper las-beam from the Ogryn gunner suddenly tore through the air, moving faster than sound.]
[The scorching red laser struck with incredible precision, hitting the helmet visor of another Astartes brother at its most vulnerable point.]
[The deadly beam pierced through the eyepiece in an instant, the intense heat burning away the battle-brother's entire head before he could even register the attack. His body went rigid, then toppled.]
[At the same moment, the five Bullgryn and one massive bull Ogryn fiercely raised their metal shields. They released a series of angry roars that echoed through the night, primitive battle cries that spoke of fury and betrayal.]
[Their enormous bodies, significantly taller and more powerfully built than even the Astartes, radiated overwhelming physical presence. Pure muscle and mass prepared to crash forward like living battering rams.]
[They launched a final, desperate charge against the remaining Astartes brothers.]
[The next moment, deafening bolter fire erupted from multiple positions simultaneously.]
[One after another, mass-reactive rounds streaked through the air with terrible purpose. They struck the massive bodies of the charging Bullgryn with mechanical precision. The explosive warheads detonated on impact, each blast engulfing portions of their enormous frames in fire and shrapnel.]
[The heavy carapace armor worn by the Bullgryn bought them only seconds of survival time. Plates cracked, buckled, shattered under the sustained barrage.]
[However, since their sacrifice was intended specifically to draw enemy attention and fire, they succeeded perfectly. They created critical opportunities for your attack.]
[Accompanied by the subtle sound of promethium being rapidly pumped and continuously flowing through feed lines, you moved.]
[You drove your power armor forward with explosive acceleration, raising the flamethrower gripped in both hands. You aimed directly at the vulnerable power packs mounted on the Astartes' backs.]
[You pulled the trigger without the slightest hesitation.]
[Streams of intensely hot flame, burning at temperatures approaching their absolute peak, engulfed the towering figures of the Astartes brothers instantly. The fire moved like viscous liquid, clinging to every surface, flowing into every gap in their armor.]
[You emptied most of the flamethrower's fuel reserves in a single sustained burst, the weapon growing lighter in your grip as its tanks drained.]
[You abruptly released the still-firing flamethrower, letting it fall from your hands. Your other arm rose, bringing up the bolt pistol already loaded and ready to fire.]
[With a deafening roar as each explosive shell fired from the barrel, the weapon bucking against your armored grip, you began methodical execution.]
[The mass-reactive rounds struck the metal helmets of almost every Astartes brother with pinpoint accuracy. Your enhanced targeting systems and combat experience combined to devastating effect.]
[The four Astartes who had just begun turning to unleash their own bolter barrage on your position took rounds directly through their helmet visors. The explosive shells penetrated eyepieces, detonated inside skulls, obliterating their enhanced brains in microseconds.]
[The next moment, a massive body wielding a power hammer emerged from the flames.]
[Chunkus, his armor scorched and smoking but his determination absolute, charged forward. He smashed aside the wisps of still-burning, intensely hot flame with his sheer bulk.]
[With thick lips pulled back in a snarl of effort, he struck down three Astartes brothers whose power armor had briefly malfunctioned from the extreme heat. His hammer rose and fell like a piston, each impact producing wet crunching sounds.]
[Accompanied by the continuous humming of the activated power field and the relentless roar of bolter fire, the violence reached its crescendo.]
[Within a single minute, you and your heavily damaged Ogryn squad successfully eliminated the entire Astartes squad assigned by the Seekers of Truth Chapter.]
[You slowly lowered your bolt pistol, smoke still wisping from its barrel. The weapon trembled slightly in your grip, adrenaline making your hands shake.]
[You released a heavy, labored breath from deep in your throat. The sound emerged harsh and ragged.]
[Beneath your silver metallic skull covering, nerves throbbed with violent intensity. Blood pressure surged rapidly, spiking to dangerous levels.]
[The sensation made your whole body feel like it was burning from the inside out, every nerve ending screaming.]
[You glanced with deliberately blank expression at the Astartes corpses still burning in the promethium flames. The smell of scorched ceramite and cooked flesh filled your nostrils despite the breathing mask.]
[You moved quickly to check on Chunkus, whose obese body had suffered extensive burns. Blackened skin showed through gaps in his damaged armor.]
[You offered a few hasty words of comfort and praise for his courage, then ordered the surviving members of the Ogryn squad to temporarily retreat and regroup at a safer position.]
[You drew a deep breath, forcing oxygen into your laboring lungs.]
[You hefted a freshly reloaded bolt pistol, checking the magazine with practiced efficiency. Then you propelled your power armor at maximum speed out of the flickering firelight marking your concealed position.]
[You charged at full sprint toward the Battle Sisters, whose attention had been diverted by the intense firefight. They had temporarily halted their advance, sensors trying to identify the source of the unexpected combat.]
["The Astartes Chapter is lying in ambush ahead of the hive entrance! Retreat! Retreat immediately! It's a trap!"]
[You strained to open your bloodshot eyes as wide as physically possible, the dry tissue burning with the effort.]
[You shouted at the Battle Sisters with every ounce of strength your enhanced lungs could muster, your voice cracking with desperate urgency.]
["Inquisitor Steelhead! You treacherous liar! You hypocritical betrayer! A false servant of the Emperor!"]
[Chapter Master Gallus's furious roar erupted suddenly, the sound echoing almost throughout the entire hive entrance area. His voice carried absolute conviction, righteous fury that would convince anyone listening.]
["I swear here and now! The Seekers of Truth will fight you to the death!"]
[Accompanied by his declaration, engines roared to sudden life.]
[The Leman Russ battle tanks, which had remained hidden and silent until this critical moment, finally revealed their terrifying forms.]
[Turrets rotated with mechanical precision, targeting systems locking on.]
[Then every cannon spoke simultaneously, unleashing a devastating barrage directly on the Battle Sisters' position.]
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