War at a Fever Pitch

"They're here! Orbital drop! Covering the entire Northern Hemisphere!" The Astra Militarum officer's roar echoed through the surface defense communications channels.

The first spore sac slammed heavily into a recently reinforced position on Stygian III. With a nauseating sound like tearing flesh, the sac burst open, and roaring Scythed Warriors and Termagants surged out, instantly becoming locked in a brutal melee with the nearest Astra Militarum soldiers.

Las-beams flashed, carapaces shattered, and blood and acidic ichor sprayed everywhere.

This was only the beginning. More drop pods followed one after another, sowing death and destruction across the land.

The hymns of the Sisters of Battle and the roar of their boltguns rang out amid the ruins. They held the key shrines and evacuation points, purging the approaching xenos with faith and flame.

But the swarm was endless. They trampled over the corpses of their own kind, crashing against every defensive line like a tide.

In space, the Dark Angels fleet attempted to intercept the incoming drops. Lances tore through the void, destroying Swarm Hive Ships and Large Spore Sacs attempting to approach the planet.

However, the swarm's deployment was three-dimensional and dispersed. They even used asteroids as stepping stones, continually infiltrating toward the planet's surface.

The pressure instantly reached its peak.

The evacuation had been forced to proceed amid the flames of war. Blood Angels Transport Ships landed and took off through a hail of fire, every descent and departure carrying enormous risk.

The ground forces' resistance became exceptionally brutal. Every second they delayed the enemy was bought with blood and lives.

And at that moment, the joint squad of Astartes and Necron Technicians had only just reached the outskirts of the nearest Lens Control Station.

The control station's cold metal shell gleamed beneath the light of the binary suns, but