The Dusk Raiders' gray Stormbird roared over Gate of the Wolf-Herder Hive City, blotting out the sky, while transports painted with crimson emblems descended onto the gray plains.
The hatch slid open, and Nathaniel Garro leapt out, raising the highest-powered Meltagun he had selected from the Mondus Gamma arsenal and aiming it at the traitors.
A blazing stream of molten energy blasted a Son of Horus away, drawing a muffled grunt from him.
A traitor on the left swung his sword at him. Nathaniel sidestepped, and Libertas's Disruption Field crackled to life.
Nathaniel raised his Mechanical Prosthetic and kicked the Son of Horus in the right leg. His blade swept up and pierced the traitor's chest.
Using the momentum of the body's rotation, he swung his blade and tore open the traitor's chest, exploding it into a spray of blood.
Nathaniel saw the Honor Guard, clad in heavy Cataphractii Terminator armor, charging the surrounding traitors. He tensed his shoulder and slammed it into the chest of a Son of Horus pursuing him with sword raised.
Amid a dull impact, ghostly blue light reflected off his helmet as Nathaniel brought his sword down.
The corpse toppled onto the gray plains. Nathaniel looked around and saw that the Honor Guard had already swept away every scattered traitor.
They advanced to the Hive City's gates and formed an encirclement.
Gray steel arms rose in unison, aiming at the walls above the main gate.
A bolt round screamed upward and struck the enormous Eye of Horus.
Boom!
The center of the towering eye exploded, sending up a cloud of black smoke.
The Sons of Horus aimed their black gun barrels down at the city gates, and an overwhelming barrage came screaming down.
The Automata's defensive protocols activated at once, unleashing fierce firepower that suppressed