The Day the Heavens Tilt, My Name Shall Be Known

Admittedly, this world is not lacking in extraordinary men.

Given enough time, each Primarch could conquer an entire planet on his own, and Mordred could unleash a cataclysmic aberration with his blasphemous knowledge.

Just as Guilliman said, who only wanted to see Euten once, if we abandon Morality and abandon humanity, then human madness is enough to set the galaxy Burning Fiercely.

However, unless you can single-handedly destroy the entire world, in a massive total war, individual bravery ultimately cannot influence the course of the war.

The Sons of Baal consist of three companies of Astartes, 3,000 Astra Militarum on board, and a second-hand Lunar-class Cruiser. These men could quell a rebellion on a planet, but they were utterly incapable of shaking the entire Hive Fleet.

War is not child's play; there are no "what ifs."

The Imperial Navy's disastrous move put the entire Baal defense line on the defensive, and mistakes mean death; countless people will pay the price for this blindly loyal and incompetent general.

The main fleet will arrive in Baal in two hours, which is Mordred's fastest speed calculated, but the Sons of Baal simply cannot delay that long.

Even so, the Sons of Baal accomplished their mission, relying on the superior maneuverability of their high-class cruisers and their incredible bad luck to hold off the Hive Fleet for 53 minutes.

53 minutes isn't a long time, but it's enough for the Blood Angels guarding the rear to make a response.

Hainsefro is a new recruit, assigned as a heavy gunner in an assault squad. He is one of the 12 recruits personally trained by Mordred after her return. These 12 were provided by the Dark Angels and represent the first step in Atlas's return to the world after thousands of years of silence.

Humans are inherently selfish, even the Primarch is not immune, let alone Mordred, a selfish patriarch.

To prevent these little guys from dying suddenly, Mordred didn't take them to the front lines at all, but instead placed these 12 people in Baal.

But this overprotective pampering ironically led this new team to be the first to step into the most brutal battlefield.

Although they are called Adeptus Astartes, the Emperor's Death Angel, Space Marine are still human. In fact, compared to their superhuman physiques, they are just a group of fourteen or fifteen-year-old children at heart.

Those who are fearless are, after all, a minority. Fear, tension, and excitement in the face of an invading enemy all eventually coalesce into an emotion called anxiety.

This is something every new recruit goes through on their first battlefield experience; only by overcoming this hurdle can they become a high-quality soldier.

Based on the tactical principles in the Astartes Codex, Saif could easily command the Defense Force assigned to him, without making the mistake of being a mere armchair strategist.

The veterans didn't even need Hainsefro to issue orders; they spontaneously crawled into the trenches and led the new recruits to take up firing positions.

This is why the Astartes Codex, despite being despised by everyone, has been practiced by both the Empire and Chaos for ten thousand years—simply because it is truly effective, allowing any soldier who has mastered this technique to connect at the fastest speed.

Perhaps seeing the overly youthful face beneath the Sanguinius's helmet, the veterans naturally took over command and, in their spare time, shared some battlefield tips with the young Sanguinius.

Thanks to the unique mechanism of the Gene-Seed, Hainsefro was able to access the wisdom of his Gene-Seed, which slightly calmed his anxious heart, and he made rapid progress under the guidance of several veterans.

Even more fortunately, the Gene-Seed that Hainsefro belonged to Livyere, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Atlas, 10,000 years ago.

That taciturn man, who didn't resemble Atlas but rather the small figure of the Imperial Fists, was the one who single-handedly built the Ultimate Wall, the Unbreakable Reef that blocked 60% of the 3,000 Vengeful Spirit' forces.

Hainsefro couldn't help but admire the indomitable figure in his inherited memories. He wanted to be like that, a powerful figure whom even the Primarch could trust with his back.

But soon, the Beast- like roar interrupted his thoughts.

The first thing that came into view was a cruiser billowing black smoke, more dilapidated than the tractor back home. Based on its distinctive Fourth Company torpedo launchers and Adamantium ram, Hainsefro could tell it was a Lunar-class Cruiser.

However, the warship was in extremely poor condition. The entire hull looked as if some monster had gnawed a bite out of it. The keel had undergone irreversible deformation, and six of the main thrusters had shut down, leaving only two barely clinging to life, spewing flames outwards.

Even so, the Lady of Sorrows, like a stubborn wild dog, managed to lead the Swarm fleet into the encirclement after a full 53 minutes of delay.

The battle was about to begin. The Lady of Sorrows, who had escaped, sailed into the Void Shield Array. Amidst the frenzied Roared of the Machine Spirit, she Fealty completed her final mission, protecting the Sons of Baal on board.

"Boom!!"

The land-based plasma Anti-aircraft Gun fired first, sending out bursts of intensely hot plasma fireballs that, accompanied by a barrage of fire, bombarded the living fleet that was now visible to the naked eye.

The intense High Temperature generated by the artillery bombardment ignited the air, and the unpleasant smell of ozone spread throughout the entire position, causing every defender to grip the trigger tightly.

It's not their time to make their appearance yet. Everyone is looking up at the sky, watching the endless flesh-and-blood Xenos being burned to ashes by the artillery fire.

The sun's rays were gradually obscured, and the immense mass of the Tyranid Swarm caused fluctuations in Baal's gravity, resulting in dazzling auroras appearing on the site, which was located near the equator.

However, this beautiful scene did not last long, as the Tyranid Swarm, resembling a dark cloud, began its counterattack.

In the distance, where the Drop Pod landed, a Flesh Tide was surging forth.

It was a flood composed of white, flesh-colored, and chitinous carapaces reflecting metallic light, Hainsefro's keen eyes instantly discerned—it was a death swarm of Tyranid creature.

Termagant, Hormagaunt, and Ripper converged, and swarms of winged Tyranid creature poured down from the clouds, aiming their Living Weapon at the Baal Defense Force on the ground.

Those Tyranid creature with thick wings are Ghouls, a relatively low-level aerial unit, but their overwhelming numbers can tear everything apart.

Hainsefro pulled back the bolt, and the cold, heavy triple-barreled bolt carrier gave him an indescribable sense of security.

As the bomb exploded, a deep, resonant voice, as hard as unyielding rock, resounded in his mind:

"Never back down, never surrender, crush them, crush everything in front of you, Waaaagh!!"

The last trace of anxiety dissipated, Hainsefro saw all of Homeland of the Atlas, that lush pasture, that boundless expanse of verdant grassland:

A war cry originating from a distant era, accompanied by death and blood, steel and fire, resounded from the mouth of new blood ten thousand years later:

[When the skyfalls, Atlasrises!]"Waaaagh!!!"