For the following month, both defensive positions were locked in a brutal war of attrition with the Tyranids.
On the flank of the Pharos mountain range, every shot from the large-caliber Ibiks Cannons atop the six Planetary Fortresses could clear a vast area of the Tyranid swarm.
Supported by a massive number of Siege Tanks and Thors, as well as a constantly improving array of Missile Turrets, they utilized the data link information from the Orbital Command. Every shell was fired with pinpoint accuracy, striking near lethal Synapse creatures. This resulted in the Tyranids being unable to even reach the front of the defensive lines during the initial stages.
Seeing this, the Hive Mind temporarily abandoned the plan to assault this specific position, choosing instead to use heavy long-range fire to pin down Alexei's forces, while shifting its main strength entirely toward the objective of the Fortress-Monastery.
Currently, within the Fortress-Monastery on the Pharos mountains, a large number of Space Marines held C-14 "Impaler" Gauss Rifles, firing frantically at the approaching swarm while Chapter serfs beside them constantly reloaded fresh ammunition.
They had grown increasingly fond of these heavy firearms. Compared to bolter weaponry, the high rate of fire and armor-piercing capabilities of these rifles were undoubtedly a lethal countermeasure against Tyranids with thick chitinous carapaces. Coupled with their superhuman neural reflexes and muscle precision, these Astartes were achieving lethal accuracy with every single shot.
This drastically increased their fire density, but this particular Tyranid offensive seemed more ferocious than any before. They appeared intent on breaking through this battered human position in one fell swoop. Inside the monastery, newly built Missile Turrets worked in tandem with pre-existing anti-air batteries to strike at aerial targets.
Countless surface-to-air missiles poured toward the dense clouds of Gargoyles and Harpy fliers. The Astartes on the line suddenly received intel; they pivoted their weapons, shifting their fire to the sky in an effort to clear a specific corridor.
At that moment, a massive roar echoed from the distant sky. A wing of Vikings was rushing toward the Fortress-Monastery on Mount Pharos. These Viking fighters were visibly different from previous models, possessing a wider and thicker fuselage that did not impede their speed in the slightest.
After obliterating every Spore Mine and Tyranid in their path with Lanzer and Ripwave missiles, they lowered their altitude, skimming over the ground-based swarm at a speed difficult for the naked eye to track, before pulling up at an exaggerated angle.
Several dark silhouettes tumbled into the swarm. Boom! Giant explosions instantly cleared the Tyranid forces at the rear of the battlefield. Intense, raging flames on the ground temporarily severed the swarm's path for continued offensive.
Inside a Viking that had already banked around, the pilot glanced back at the surging, burning battlefield and reported calmly over the comms channel: "This is Hel's Angel. Mission accomplished. Target cluster neutralized. Requesting return to base."
"Copy that. Beautiful job. Welcome home, warriors."
Alexei stood in the open ground before the Orbital Command, watching the returning Hel's Angels. He marveled at the fact that these were truly the absolute elite he had hand-picked from the hundreds of billions of people in the Hive World.
Not long ago, he had placed a Starport directly onto the defensive line and specifically upgraded the Viking fighters. The new "Hel's Angel" model not only maintained its excellent air-to-air capability but could also carry heavy payloads of aerial bombs, dealing devastating blows to ground units.
Now, with the Banshees temporarily tied up elsewhere, utilizing the Hel's Angels for a lightning-fast strike on enemy ground units proved to be an effective support method.
The monastery front should be safe for the time being. Alexei glanced at the shadow of the distant Pharos mountains before turning back into the command station.
"My Lord, we seem to have found the place you were looking for," Brand reported, approaching him quickly.
"Show me."
The two arrived before a massive electronic screen. Brand pointed to the holographic map, which was constantly being scanned and updated. "My Lord, look here."
His finger pointed to a shadow on the map. "Through our continuous expansion of sub-surface scans around the perimeter, we finally discovered this 'shadow' area that cannot be scanned no matter what we try."
Alexei stared at the shadow on the screen in silence. This was likely where the catacombs of the Necron Dynasty on this planet were located. "Specific coordinates?"
"Deep underground, behind the Tyranid swarm," Brand answered.
Alexei nodded. This was one of his backup plans. If they truly couldn't hold out, he would send a Ghost squad with dark matter bombs to try and wake up the Necrons on this planet.
After all, to those "skeletons," the Tyranids were also a high-risk enemy. Compared to a small number of humans like them, the Necrons would undoubtedly clash with the Tyranids first.
The only uncertainty was the scale of the Necron Dynasty on this planet. In the original lore, Cawl simply blew up Sotha, so Alexei had no way of knowing the details.
However, unless absolutely necessary, he would not wake up these enemies who represented the pinnacle of physical technology.
"Mark this location. Also, send another SCV team to deliver a batch of supplies to Thorcyra," Alexei instructed.
"Yes, sir."
Just as he was about to turn away, a communication request from the Fortress-Monastery appeared on the screen.
After Alexei approved it, Thorcyra's bald head with its gold service studs appeared on the screen—this was a communication device Alexei had the SCVs install in the monastery.
"I've already dispatched a supply team with weapons and ammo. The situation on our end is also quite intense, so I'm sorry I can't send troops to reinforce you directly," Alexei said.
"Thank you for the support. I'm here to warn you: our scout companies have spotted a Swarmlord at the rear of the swarm. I hope you remain on high alert," Thorcyra's expression was exceptionally grim.
A Swarmlord. He heard that name again. But this time, there was no little Ellie to help him deal with this monster. Alexei's expression turned serious. "Thank you for the warning. We will be careful."
Alexei thought for a moment before asking, "Can your defensive line still hold?"
After a moment of silence, Thorcyra said, "No problems for the time being."
Alexei could tell that the other side was nearing its limit. In their subsequent exchange, he learned that the number of battle brothers across the nine companies of the Scythes of the Emperor was now less than half.
As for why there were only nine companies, it was because the Fifth Company of the Scythes of the Emperor had conducted a boarding action against a Hive Ship during the previous space battle under Captain Cassios. Their current status was unknown.
What? They boarded a Hive Ship full of bio-weapons? Alexei rubbed his brow, feeling only admiration for the sheer courage of these Astartes.
The reason he asked these questions was that he remembered every Space Marine Chapter has many individuals who did not complete all the surgeries or had failed procedures. Due to missing implants, they couldn't wear the Astartes-exclusive power armor and could only serve in logistics or as light-armored scout units.
At this moment, a unique idea formed in Alexei's mind. He wanted to see what the effect would be if these superhumans were equipped with CMC power armor.