"Fall back! Now!"
"Into the tunnels! Run for the tunnels!"
As captain of this Genestealer Guerrilla Unit, Noah shouted himself hoarse, urging everyone to execute Plan B.
Retreat was part of the plan, too.
The Intercessor had warned them more than once about the power of The Emperor's renegade angels, but Noah, like many of the faithful, had never taken it too seriously.
A demigod who could bleed and die was nothing to fear.
Yet when a demigod charged into the crowd faster than the naked eye could follow and cut down swathes of soldiers in an instant, Noah realized just how terribly wrong he had been.
They faced not only the slaughter wrought by over a hundred renegade Space Marines, but also the crushing advance of those steel behemoths.
A Mastodon heavy assault transport burst through the smoke. Its side-mounted twin Las-cannon swept across the crowd, each pass drawing a burning line. Those it grazed could not even finish screaming before their bodies evaporated at the point of impact.
A Shadowsword super-heavy tank followed behind. The beam erupting from its barrel erased a three-story bunker down to its foundations. Reinforced concrete tore apart like cardboard, and the defenders vanished along with their bunker.
The Iron Warriors' heavy armored column rolled across the battlefield, infantry advancing steadily under armored cover. The mortal troops did not even count as obstacles before them.
They could not hold. There was no way they could hold.
A piercing whistle suddenly sounded overhead.
"Missiles! Look out!"
Whirlwind Missiles rained down like scattered petals, precisely covering the entire trench.
Noah felt an immense force throw him off his feet. When he climbed back up, the world spun around him, and a buzzing filled his ears. He could hear nothing else.
Two squadmates hooked their arms under