Five Drop Pods descended toward a city on the surface of the Forge World.
The standard Drop Pods used by the Soul Forgers Chapter weren't very large. Even a Terminator took up the space of two men inside, so there was no way one could fit Lu Jin.
But while Lu Jin couldn't fit inside a Drop Pod, he could ride on the outside.
Chapter Master Forgesteel linked up with the Drop Pod's external cameras and saw Lu Jin gripping a protrusion on the pod with one hand. As the pod plunged through the atmosphere, flames soon obscured his figure.
The Drop Pods slammed into the ground. When the Soul Forgers stepped out, Lu Jin was already standing in front of them.
Ahead lay a city square. It had none of the usual Adeptus Mechanicus style; instead, it looked more like a typical Astra Militarum scene, with soldiers surrounding the square.
On the road to one side, armored vehicles were advancing slowly.
They were all Leman Russ tanks, one of the Imperium's most common main battle tank designs.
As they watched, a huge blood-red axe swept out of the square. Hundreds of soldiers who had formed a human wall and were concentrating their Laser Rifle fire on the enemy had no time to dodge. The giant axe cut them in half.
Lu Jin had seen this kind of scene on Cadia. The owner of that blood-red axe had to be the Daemon Engine known as the Skull Lord.
Sure enough, a massive figure appeared ahead of him.
The Skull Lord rolled out of a crater, spinning its body at high speed while swinging its clawed arms. In an instant, it had killed a hundred people.
But even as flesh and blood flew everywhere, Lu Jin was already charging toward the