"Watch the right flank! Watch the right flank!"
"Don't conserve ammo! Open fire, open fire!"
The comms channel buzzed with tense, urgent shouts and orders from squadmates and sergeants.
It was clear that the withdrawal of the Carcharodons—or rather, their inability to hold against the forces of Nurgle—had thrown the Navy Marines, who had never before fought the forces of Chaos, into a state of disarray.
Charlie froze for only a moment before regaining his composure. He swiftly adjusted his aim, utilizing the auxiliary functions of his combat suit. With the targeting module in his helmet, he began firing precise shots, each one cleanly eliminating heretics and daemons that had managed to evade the barrage of artillery.
Chaos surged like a tidal wave from the depths of the canyon.
Heretic fanatics screamed madly, swinging crude weapons inscribed with eerie runes. Nurgle daemons carried the stench of corruption and disease, their bloated forms exuding a pestilence that seemed alive.
The horrific scene might have broken the will of ordinary soldiers, but the Auxiliary Army's Fourth Armored Division, stationed here, had long since been hardened by encounters with hellish battlefields. Their mindset remained "steady as a rock."
Boom—boom—!!
The heavy artillery of the armored division fired once more.
High-explosive shells and plasma projectiles didn't require precise targeting to rip through the vanguard of the Chaos tide, reducing the enemy to scattered chunks.
Anti-infantry turrets and automated support platforms on elevated positions rained down continuous fire, creating a barrier of death.
The armored division's firepower was overwhelming, especially given the geographic advantage.
In addition, more than ten thousand auxiliary soldiers, enhanced with Inquisitor-grade serums that boosted their physical resilience, stress tolerance, and endurance far beyond that of ordinary humans, filled the gaps between the armored units, delivering precise suppressing fire to thwart any chance of an enemy breakthrough.
Under this layered cover, the battered remnants of the Carcharodons, now fewer than a thousand strong, along with Chris and his special ops team, finally broke through the Chaos tide's encirclement and pushed rapidly toward the northern extraction point.
"Attention, all units!"
At that moment, Charlie and the others heard a command from Colonel Janes Thompson over the comms:
"Immediate evacuation! Kuikanto is no longer our battlefield!"
Simultaneously, Charlie's radar displayed the coordinates of the extraction point they needed to reach.
No one questioned the order.
The situation on the ground was clear: Kuikanto's subterranean battlefield had become a stage for a conflict that far exceeded the capabilities of mere mortals.
The Carcharodons, stronger than most Astartes, were forced to retreat in the face of the seemingly endless tide of daemons pouring through the fully opened portal, compounded by the intense psychic interference of Chaos energies.
Without specialized measures, even the most physically formidable forces were powerless against the supernatural threats of Chaos.
The Auxiliary Army's units quickly adjusted their formations, continuing to cover the armored vehicles and retreating Carcharodons. They pushed their combat effectiveness to the absolute limit.
Even as the roars of heretics and daemons drew ever closer, their withdrawal remained steady and orderly. Beneath their unshaken discipline lay unwavering obedience to orders.
By this point, Kuikanto had become entirely subsumed as a nexus between the Immaterium and the physical universe.
Shortly after, a fleet of transport ships, including five Kingfisher-class and Phoenix-class vessels, arrived over the Fourth Armored Division's position.
These ships not only boasted powerful fire support capabilities but were equipped with "gravity well" systems that could manipulate gravitational fields to lift ground troops and vehicles directly into their hulls, significantly speeding up the evacuation.
Within just ten minutes of the gravity wells being activated, all major forces and equipment had been safely loaded onto the ships.
The successful evacuation of the Carcharodons ensured the preservation of their core combat strength.
After all, an Astartes company's combat readiness is defined by its fully matured Astartes.
If an Astartes company were to suffer severe losses, even the survival of countless auxiliary troops wouldn't offset the fact that it would take years—possibly decades—for the company to rebuild.
The Imperium could not afford large-scale Astartes casualties in its current state.
Meanwhile, other units stationed at the landing zones began their own orderly withdrawal, awaiting pickup by the fleet.
Once onboard, all personnel were required to undergo quarantine protocols enforced by the ship's biological units and the Inquisition's technical teams.
These protocols included stringent health checks to ensure that no one had been corrupted by warp energies or tainted by Chaos entities.
In line with these measures, the technical teams immediately subjected the evacuees to decontamination and isolation to prevent any potential threats from spreading aboard the ships.
While most of the forces successfully evacuated, contact was lost during the retreat with Captain Tyberos and the hundred-strong honor guard covering the rear.
The comms channels fell silent, their previously stable signal link abruptly severed, as if consumed by shadow.
The situation within the underground city deteriorated rapidly.
At first, it was thought to be a temporary communications malfunction. But as time passed, all detection instruments and monitoring equipment began to fail.
Neither radar nor scanners, nor even bio-signal trackers, could glean any information about the interior of the underground city.
This technological blackout hinted at an even more terrifying phenomenon—
The underground city had become a "forbidden zone," its physical laws completely distorted. All communications and data transmissions were blocked by the warp energy barriers now engulfing the area.
Meanwhile, aboard one of the Kingfisher-class ships, the atmosphere in the hangar was tense and suffocating.
In the center of the hangar, a group of recently rearmed and resupplied Carcharodons were locked in a heated debate around the company champion.
"Brother! We can't abandon the Captain!"
One Carcharodon, his pale skin visible beneath his helmetless head, gripped his power spear tightly, his tone unwavering and filled with fury.
"Permission to return underground! The Captain is still fighting down there!" another warrior urged, his voice desperate.
"We absolutely cannot withdraw! Nor can we execute Exterminatus!" an older brother stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the champion's helmet monitor as he spoke solemnly.
"At the very least, we must wait for the Captain and the honor guard to retreat before taking action!"
The heated argument grew louder, each Carcharodon's words heavy with frustration and unwillingness.
For these loyal and fearless Astartes, losing contact with their captain was an unbearable torment.
They could not stand idly by in the safety of the ship while Captain Tyberos and the honor guard were abandoned in the Chaos-infested underground city.
At the same time, in another section of the hangar, Charlie, Narita, and a group of Navy Marines observed the towering "giants" from a distance as they argued fervently.
Though they couldn't hear the specifics, the gestures and taut postures of the Astartes made their emotional turmoil evident—
Anger, anxiety, and the deep brotherhood buried in their hearts.
"They're so stubborn," Narita whispered, her tone a mixture of admiration and helplessness.
The elves of Terra, much like humans, were not fundamentally different in their essence. Yet, in appearance, physical prowess, and moral fiber, they seemed to "surpass" most ordinary humans.
Thanks to her psychic sensitivity, Narita could faintly perceive the emotional ripples in the air, especially those radiating from the Carcharodons as their intense argument unfolded.
In truth, the unsettling premonition Narita had sensed earlier was not tied to the joint forces' safety but rather to the Carcharodons themselves.
This was, after all, a direct consequence of Tyberos' misjudgment.
Since the Imperium had officially "unveiled" the Astartes, the legions had rarely experienced defeat in direct confrontation, let alone tasted the bitterness of failure.
The Carcharodons, with their aggressive and "wild" combat style, often defied the odds in desperate situations, achieving miraculous victories. Tyberos had placed his trust in himself and his brothers, believing they could face the daemon prince of a Chaos God head-on.
But the unfolding events proved that his confidence was insufficient to compensate for the disparity in power.
Without specialists like the Grey Knights or relics of legendary potency, their weapons and tactics were woefully inadequate against a Great Unclean One.
In such a scenario, defeat was inevitable.
Chris, who had battled Chaos many times, had immediately recognized the dire escalation and looming crisis when the portal opened.
This was why he had advised Tyberos to retreat decisively to minimize losses.
Yet, that advice had gone unheeded.
Tyberos' gamble left him ensnared in Chaos.
In truth, Tyberos and the Carcharodons could prevail against most xenos and enemies.
But, unfortunately, their knowledge of Chaos was still too limited.
If the Thousand Sons had been present to provide psychic support, there was a high probability they could have "overturned" the Great Unclean One.
Narita understood the Carcharodons' grief and their desire to return for their captain. But the current situation dictated that abandoning Tyberos and the honor guard—and executing Exterminatus in low orbit—was the only way to prevent Chaos from consolidating its power on Kuikanto.
Charlie said nothing in response to Narita's remark. He simply observed the group of "giants" arguing intensely in the distance.
He himself had no reason or right to interfere with these defiant Astartes.
Before their mission to Kuikanto, Colonel Janes Thompson had explicitly stated during the briefing that a company fleet of Raven Guard, along with elite forces led by their Primarch, would intervene the moment Chaos was detected.
Now that the Carcharodons had been overwhelmed, the question of when the Primarch would arrive was beyond Charlie's clearance to know.
Nor could Charlie risk asking Janes Thompson directly at such a critical juncture. He could only "go with the flow."
Back among the Carcharodons—
"Enough. Silence."
The company champion finally spoke, his low growl cutting through the heated argument like a blade.
The intense emotions were immediately subdued by his icy authority, and the group fell into a brief silence.
He strode toward the gravity well's hatch and, without turning back, declared:
"All ships are to follow the Captain's prior orders. Return immediately to Kuikanto's near-orbit and execute Exterminatus. Remember, this is a direct order."
His words pierced the hearts of all present like a cold dagger. The anger and anxiety on the Carcharodons' faces gave way to a complex silence.
The champion did not stop. He continued: "Meris, document everyone's actions and words and report them in real-time to the Primarch."
Without waiting for a response, the company champion passed through the hatch alone, exiting the hangar.
"That bastard!"
"He's going to get himself killed!"
The remaining Carcharodons cursed and grumbled, their words and expressions a mix of fury and helplessness.
They all understood the champion's intent—
He was clearly planning to return to the underground city alone to search for the missing Captain Tyberos or, perhaps, to "sacrifice himself."
But they could not accompany him. The mention of "Meris" in his orders referred to their company's intelligent AI.
From this moment on, Meris would record all actions and words of the Carcharodons and transmit them directly to the Primarch—Corax.
To disobey the champion's orders and act independently would be a direct affront to the Primarch and an unforgivable dishonor to the company.
No matter how unwilling they were, they could only watch as their champion left the hangar to face the Chaos-corrupted forbidden zone alone.
——
Shortly thereafter, three Kingfisher-class cruisers and two Phoenix-class support vessels accelerated out of Kuikanto's atmosphere, reaching their designated low orbit.
These quarantine ships opened their missile silos and aimed their electromagnetic cannons directly at the underground city.
However, one of the Carcharodons, monitoring real-time data on his helmet display, noticed something unusual. A fleet, led by a Retribution-class battleship, had appeared on Kuikanto's dark side, unnoticed.
The comms channel crackled with a raspy voice of rebuke:
"Your performance disappoints me. You're nothing but reckless fools who charge forward blindly.
The only commendable thing about you is your courage and your fearlessness in the face of sacrifice.
Heh, I truly don't know how Corax ended up with such reckless offspring."
!
The words stunned all the Carcharodons. Just as they were about to respond angrily, their helmet displays flashed with the identification: "Raven Guard Primarch – Corax."
This confirmed the rebuke came from none other than Mortarion, the Emperor's son.
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