Report to the Commissar, the next stop is Tyran (Part 2)

[You show the Dragon Commander the corpse of the Lictor Genestealer.]

[The Tech-Priest from the advance squad in the exploration base also confirms that no similar creature exists on 'Tyran'.]

[This is likely an unprecedented, unknown species.]

[You once again convey the severity of the situation to the Dragon Commander.]

[You believe all soldiers must mobilize and prepare for battle.]

[The Dragon Commander accepts your suggestion.]

[He also hopes you can brief the 358th Regiment on the unknown creatures they are about to face.]

[Without any hesitation, you tell the soldiers of the 358th Regiment some truths.]

[This is a Xenos Swarm far more terrifying than the Orks.]

[They are a group of predatory beings from the endless void outside the Milky Way, seemingly existing only to devour, evolve, and expand their numbers...]

["In the future, the Imperium will call them the 'Great Devourer' or..." Your mouth tastes bitter as you murmur softly.]

[In the third week, the Warp communication on the exploration base of planet 'Tyran' is cut off.]

[The 358th Regiment can only use Flying Vehicles to try and contact the Endeavour-class Light Cruiser stationed in orbit.]

[The sea around the isolated island falls into a deathly silence; the once vibrant ocean is now lifeless.]

[For a week, you have barely slept.]

[Every day, you take your adjutant Lawrence to repeatedly inspect the defensive positions.]

[The exploration base on the isolated island has no defensive line—or rather, every direction is the front line.]

[During an inspection, a Guardsman's Lasgun accidentally falls to the ground.]

[He trembles uncontrollably, his morale shattered by fear from your earlier briefing.]

[Adjutant Lawrence steps forward to reprimand him, but you stop him.]

[Calmly, you pick up the Guardsman's Lasgun and gently rehang it on his shoulder.]

[You pat his young, barely adult face, then turn and sweep your gaze across the eyes of the surrounding Guardsmen.]

["I know we are about to face an incredibly terrifying and brutal war, against a horde of unknown enemies we've never seen. You're all scared... To be honest, I'm scared too, even though I've died many times before..." You speak to them with genuine sincerity.]

["But... we are soldiers! The guardians of the Imperium of Man! The first line of defense for countless life-bearing worlds! We cannot retreat! We dare not retreat! We must use our sacrifice to reveal the enemy's weaknesses for the Imperium, to lay a solid foundation for humanity's future victory! As the Commissar of the 358th Regiment, I can promise you this... When the enemy attacks, I will be the first to charge! Even if I fall in battle, I will die before you! I will die on the path of the charge!"] Veins bulge on your neck as you shout.

[You draw your Chainsword and raise it above your head.]

["For the Emperor! And for the Imperium of Man!"] Your eyes are bloodshot as you roar hoarsely.

[At first, only Adjutant Lawrence offers a faint show of support.]

[Then comes the excited cry of that barely adult Guardsman, followed by the fervent cheers of the surrounding soldiers, who join in one after another... until the entire exploration base seems to erupt in fervor.]

[The fighting spirit of the Imperial Astartes 358th Regiment rises above the frontier planet 'Tyran', echoing across the stars.]

[In the fourth week, an endless purple tide appears on the coast of the exploration base.]

[It is the vanguard of the Great Devourer—countless creatures called Rippers and Fleshborers, along with Tyranid Warriors and Genestealers, surging like a torrential wave onto the land around the exploration base.]

[The coordinated volleys of countless Lasguns hum as they fire. The heavy weapon teams activate their Heavy Bolters and mortars, trying to halt the spread of the purple swarm.]

[You carry a Hellgun, running back and forth through the bunker fortifications, ordering all heavy weapon squads to give special attention to the larger Warriors among the swarm.]

[The Dragon Commander leads the First Company to guard the four Laser Cannons, preparing for the endless assault of the flying Gargoyles.]

[Time passes slowly. Thanks to your prior preparations and repeated warnings,]

[the 358th Regiment's first clash with the Great Devourer is fearless. They even manage to temporarily repel a swarm assault with their high morale.]

[During a brief respite, countless blood-red Ravener crawl out of the sea onto the island's land, beginning to devour and reclaim all the Tyranid corpses.]

[In the fifth week, massive Spore Mines, each the size of a Chimera APC, appear on the battlefield.]

[Living Artillery grows from their backs, firing volleys of spore mines that relentlessly bombard the bunker fortifications.]

[This causes the first wave of heavy casualties among the soldiers, who rely on the bunkers to snipe the swarm.]

[You and the Dragon Commander conclude from the battlefield situation that you must find the Node Creature—the Hive Tyrant—learn from the advanced experience of fighting the Orks, and execute a Decapitation Strike.]

[Unfortunately, before you can locate the Hive Tyrant, even larger Carnifex appear on the front line. They are living battering rams born to shatter enemy lines, easily capable of flipping over a Leman Russ Tank.]

[You intend to order the Laser Cannons to fire on the Carnifex, stopping them from approaching the heavily damaged bunkers.]

[But the Dragon Commander stops you.]

[He says cautiously that unless a Hive Tyrant appears in the swarm, the Laser Cannons should not be used—they are a surprise for the Tyranid commander.]

[The thunderous roar of the Basilisk artillery shakes the entire exploration base.]

[Countless Rippers and Fleshborers, along with the Carnifex and Spore Mines, are turned into bloody pulp, quickly reclaimed by the swarms of blood-red Ravener.]

[You breathe in the smoke-filled, bloody air, staring at the Ravener outside the shattered bunker in long silence...]

[Devouring and evolving—that is the most terrifying threat of the Great Devourer.]

[Week six. The Hive Tyrant's towering silhouette appeared at the edge of the land.]

[You ordered the Tech-Priest to repeatedly calibrate the Laser Cannon and bombard the Hive Tyrant.]

[Yet the terrifying Laser Cannon only wiped out the large swarm of guards surrounding the Hive Tyrant, while also revealing the cannon's presence to the enemy.]

[The Hive Tyrant's movements grew ever more elusive and hard to track. You tried several more bombardments, but none succeeded.]

[Facing the swarm's increasingly frenzied assault, after losing a great number of bunker fortifications and soldiers,]

[the 358th Regiment, reduced to just three companies, had no choice but to retreat inside the exploration base and continue their stubborn resistance.]

[The Dragon Commander, his eyes bloodshot, made a reckless decision. Ignoring your fierce objections,]

[he personally led two Leman Russ Tanks charging into the swarm, attempting to draw the Hive Tyrant's attention and buy a chance for the Laser Cannon to succeed.]

[Just as you thought the unstoppable Leman Russ Tanks might actually pull it off,]

[one of the Leman Russ Tanks was flipped over by a terrifying creature that suddenly burst out from underground.]

[It was a beast with thick black carapace belching dense smoke, and crimson limbs wielding a serrated blade...]

[A Swarm Lord!]

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