The Imperial Frontier: The Tyranid War

The ship's guns roared soundlessly amid tremors like a mountain collapsing. Enormous shells tore through the Veil of space, and just seconds later slammed into purple-black chitin. Violent explosions and flames spread in every direction, engulfing the ridged patterns across the creatures' armor.

The dazzling beams of the heavy Lance Batteries and ship-mounted turbo-laser batteries lit up the dark void. Countless beams and solid shells became a dense rain of fire across the galaxy.

Beams of light and solid shells crisscrossed, a storm driven before a gale as they hurtled toward the gigantic void beasts swimming closer.

The Tyranid Hive Fleet surged in from the direction of Victoria's moon. Bio-ships covered in hard carapaces led the charge, large and small vessels pushing forward beneath the Imperium's barrage.

A horned bio-ship slammed into an Imperial escort. The warship looked tiny beside the void beast; in an instant, it was broken apart, exploded, and sank.

Brilliant sparks blossomed against the galaxy's dazzling backdrop. The Sword-class Frigate squadron at the forefront of the Imperial Navy rapidly changed course, fleeing from the enormous Tyranid vessel.

The monster snapped its gaping maw at anything in the void. Meanwhile, the Imperial Navy fleet launched wave after wave of torpedoes. Proton torpedoes and storm torpedoes screamed from the launch ports at the prows of every cruiser and battleship, their glowing red warheads converging like meteors as they struck the horned bio-ship.

The giant beast shrieked as it was blasted open, blood spraying everywhere. Chitin fragments flew in every direction, and black blood drifted and spread in the weightlessness. Lances and ship guns immediately followed up, reducing the beast to floating chunks of bloody flesh in the galaxy.

But the battle wasn't over. Countless Tyranid Bio-ships swarmed in like a hive. The monsters, gaping maws wide, had no formation at all. They relied on their hard carapaces and sheer momentum, charging recklessly forward. Green plasma spewed from the gaping mouths that covered their bodies, shooting toward the Imperial Navy like shells.

The Void Shields of one warship after another flared to life, their blue surfaces shimmering. Cole stood on the bridge, watching the shields flicker before him.

Countless flashes of gunfire reflected in his eyes. The dense web of fire the Imperial Navy took pride in, set against the backdrop of the galaxy itself, formed a brilliant tableau before Cole.

Captain Cole braced one hand on the bridge railing and roared, "Fire control! Hit that Hive Ship with the Nova Cannon! Stop it from reaching the planet's orbit!"

"Aye, Captain!" the fire-control operator shouted. Several data cables were plugged into his body, allowing him to adjust and issue orders for the entire ship to fire as easily as moving his own limbs.

The blazing Nova Cannon shot past Cole's eyes. Its flashing light pierced the galaxy as the cannon slammed into the Hive Ship. The beam shattered its outer carapace, blasting apart its thick neck and tearing the entire thing to pieces in an explosion.

Swarm after swarm of flying insects rushed toward the fleet, densely packed. They swept over the wreckage of the Bio-ships, hatching and pouring out of one Hive Ship after another. These ancient monsters, whose beating wings could carry them across star systems, obscured the glittering galaxy and surged in beneath a vast, all-consuming shadow.

The Imperial Fleet responded at once. Anti-aircraft autocannons and turbo-laser arrays unleashed an equally dense rain of fire. Countless points of light streaked toward the swarm, and almost instantly, explosions blazed throughout the black cloud.

Cole calmly watched the monstrous swarms. He raised a hand and drew the star system map in front of him. It was a scene of devastation: nearly every planet along their path had turned red, the color of bloody death spreading across half the system.

"First Officer, how many of the swarm's landing forces have we intercepted?" Cole asked. Below on the bridge, the first officer leaned over a technician's chair. Lines of data flashed across her eyes, then she abruptly looked up and shouted back, "Sixty percent! But forty percent of the swarm's spores still made it through the atmosphere. Anti-aircraft fire destroyed twenty percent, and only twenty percent managed to land!"

Twenty percent? No, that wasn't a small number. Though it seemed small in the statistics, Cole knew it still amounted to billions of beasts for the Tyranids.

But there was little else he could do now. He had to stop the Tyranid fleet.

Cole swiped the display away and pointed toward the battlefield outside the enormous observation window. "Recall all forward fleets and concentrate fire! In the Emperor's name, we will win!"

The sky above the entire Hive City was ablaze. Countless fireballs flashed through the dense gray clouds, and the thunder of cannons echoed endlessly through the air.

Hydra Flak Cannons fired furiously at space. Their quadruple barrels sent deadly shells streaking skyward. Millions upon millions of these anti-aircraft guns roared in unison, filling the entire Hive City with endless flashes of fire.

Between the countless Hydra Flak Cannons and ground-based multi-barreled anti-aircraft guns, enormous ground-based turbo-laser cannons slowly raised their barrels. Deadly beams shot straight into the sky, their glaring flashes illuminating the entire Hive City. The recoil kicked up clouds of dust around the cannons.

Above the Hive City, countless Mycetic Spores burst through the clouds. The writhing Tyranid drop pods plunged toward the surface like a downpour, but dense gunfire wiped out most of those headed for the city. Nearly every spore was vaporized in an instant.

The terrifying density of fire protected the Hive City's skies, but even beneath the burning heavens, some slipped through. Those spores crashed into the endless wilderness on the outskirts of the city.

The Tyranids that landed launched a massive assault almost at once. They needed no orders, no direction. These nightmarish creatures instinctively raced toward the heart of the Hive City.

And the brave soldiers of the Astra Militarum stood in their way.

Las-beams and solid Bolter rounds shrieked through the air, weaving a tapestry of destruction across the battlefield. Tyranid corpses covered the ground. The nightmarish creatures surged in from the horizon like a tidal wave. The city became a ruin, its streets a battlefield. Once, this had been the gateway to the Hive City's western entrance, the resplendent Lion's Gate. But it had long since lost its former glory.

The glittering golden statue of the Lion toppled in shattered pieces. Grand Gothic buildings became rubble and ruins. The Astra Militarum unleashed their formidable firepower across the streets and open ground. The Tyranids charged wave after wave without fear, using their fallen comrades' corpses as cover as they advanced.

A gigantic Tyranid corpse lay across the battlefield, a huge plasma crater blasted into its body. Another Tyranid Monstrosity roared as it stepped over its fallen kin and attacked. Its many limbs were smeared with the remains of its own kind, but it showed no pity and didn't slow down.

The Astra Militarum's positions among the remains of the buildings opened fire around the monster. Lasguns and Heavy Bolters cut down the Tyranid Hormagaunts and Termagants attacking alongside it, turning the creatures into heaps of shattered flesh. The monster charged straight through the Imperium's fire.

The beast, as large as a building, smashed into a leaning structure. It roared as it burst through the rubble, sending shattered stone and debris flying beneath its feet. With every earth-shaking step, it charged toward the positions beneath the city wall.

The Valhallan Ice Warriors rose from their trenches with rocket launchers on their shoulders. Their rockets screamed away with tails of flame, blowing apart two Tyranid Warriors charging at the monster's feet. Dense Bolter rounds and las-fire swept through every Tyranid creature in sight.

A Leman Russ Tank rolled up and came to a steady halt above the trench. Its turret had been replaced with a heavy Melta Cannon. Behind the gun shield, the gunner pulled the trigger at the commander's roar. The dazzling melta round screamed over the position and slammed into the Tyranid Monstrosity.

The monster shrieked and toppled. The instant it fell, countless shells landed around it. The Astra Militarum's heavy artillery answered the call, shells raining down from above and blasting the creature into a smoking wreck.

The Tyranids kept attacking, launching wave after wave from every direction. The Astra Militarum's warriors held fast in their trenches, meeting each charge with equally fierce Bolter fire, las-beams, and the Imperium's mighty weapons.

Countless guns on the walls of Lion's Gate fired toward the sky and the ground. Bombardments raked the earth again and again, leaving shell craters everywhere and blasting the entire world into a pockmarked ruin.

A lieutenant of the Valhallan 242nd Regiment fired his Lasgun fiercely, shouting orders to his subordinates. Beside him, a soldier fell, screaming and writhing as Rippers gnawed the flesh from his body. These wriggling nightmares burrowed into his flesh, consuming every inch of him.

The lieutenant raised his weapon and ended the soldier's suffering. He ducked to avoid the Ripper rounds flying toward him. These creatures, which had no digestive organs, hit the wall and fell. After a brief, shrieking struggle, they became corpses.

Cursing, the lieutenant got to his feet and raised his Lasgun to fire—but he was stopped short. A monster burst from the earth before him and vaulted over the trench. Its serpentine body crashed heavily into the ground behind it.

The Ravenor began its killing at once, its many razor-like claws reaping lives. It overturned the multi-barreled Lascannons holding back the Tyranid attack. During that brief lull in the fire, the nightmarish creatures surged forward. Hormagaunts leapt into the trenches, their claws cutting down everyone in their path.

Countless Tyranids poured into the trenches. A Tyranid Monstrosity charged through the barrage, using its last strength to ram the firing Leman Russ Tank and knock it over. The beast crushed the tank's Melta Cannon beneath its feet, then died.

"Retreat! Fall back to the gate positions! Move!" the lieutenant shouted, blasting a charging Hormagaunt with one shot. He climbed out over the back of the trench and ran past the monster as it slaughtered indiscriminately. The Astra Militarum soldiers abandoned their positions and fell back, but the swift beasts pursued them. Countless warriors were caught and killed.

Countless beasts leapt over the trenches. Towering monsters trampled the positions beneath their earth-shaking steps. The Astra Militarum raced up the stairs before the gate toward the platform above, where the soldiers holding the position had already begun to fight back. Their dense rain of fire did everything it could to hold back the advancing swarm.

The survivors rushed up the steps. After reaching the first stair, the lieutenant turned and shot a Hormagaunt dead. But the Ravenor charged up at tremendous speed and knocked him down. Lying on the ground, he looked up at the towering monster. It raised its cleaver, ready to reap another life, but the lieutenant wasn't afraid.

He pulled the grenade from his chest and gripped the pin. "For the Emperor!" he shouted. But just as he pulled the pin, a gigantic figure dropped from above and crushed the Ravenor's head beneath its foot. Blood and flesh sprayed in every direction. The iron foot that had crushed it took its first step.

The towering black giant fired his Bolter at the charging Tyranids. Bolter rounds tore through the nightmares. Three more giants dropped down around him, immediately blocking the surging Tyranid tide.

Chainaxes and power blades flashed among the flesh, spraying severed limbs and bloody chunks everywhere. The lieutenant looked up as three Thunderhawks roared overhead, their Bolters annihilating the Tyranid monsters along the entire street. A cloud of blood mist instantly spread through the air.

Two more giants dropped from the Thunderhawks as they roared overhead. They were much larger than the giants around them. Veterans clad in Terminator Armor crashed to the ground and began killing the moment they landed. After a brief silence, their Storm Bolters roared in unison.

Twin-linked Bolters slaughtered and reaped lives. The Tyranids surging out of the ruined street were almost instantly blown apart into a cloud of blood mist. More Space Marines of the Ultramarines Chapter dropped from the sky, forming up the instant they landed, their Bolters roaring in their hands.

Some Space Marines landed right in the middle of the Tyranid swarm. They immediately stood back-to-back and unleashed flames of destruction in every direction, blasting countless Tyranid creatures into shattered remains.

A towering Tyranid Monstrosity smashed down a building and trampled the wreck of a tank, roaring in fury. It charged toward the Space Marines holding back the swarm.

But as the beast charged head-on down the street, smashing nearby buildings into flying rubble, a Thunderhawk swept over it. A blue figure dropped from its landing deck and landed on the beast's nape.

His scarlet cloak billowed in the wind. His energy-wreathed Power Sword flashed as it swung down, cutting a clean gash through the beast's nape. The monster roared and crashed into a sturdy building, but it didn't die.

The Space Marine on its back drew the Master-crafted Bolter from his belt and fired furiously into the wound. The shots blasted it deeper and deeper, reaching far into the creature's body. The Space Marine shoved a Melta Bomb into the wound, then leapt clear as the beast screamed.

Amid a flare of explosive light, he landed on the ground, his scarlet cloak sweeping with his blade. Several Tyranid beasts were cut down in an instant. The mighty warrior, wearing a Centurion Helmet, moved through the swarm as if nothing could stop him. He alone halted its charge.

A roar caught his attention. He drew his blade and looked toward the sound. A Tyranid Warrior stood atop the rubble, a long bone blade in its hand and its gaping maw open as it faced the Champion.

The Tyranid beast leapt down from the rubble and charged. The Centurion didn't flinch; he rushed forward to meet the Tyranid Warrior, and the two clashed.

The Tyranid Warrior swung its bone sword in one strike after another, but the Centurion blocked them all. The Champion raised his Power Sword to stop the Tyranid Warrior's downward blow. An ordinary person would have been shattered to pieces by such a powerful strike. But not him. He was an Astartes, a deadly weapon forged by the Emperor—one of the Angels of Death!

The Champion released one hand and drew his Bolter, firing straight at the Tyranid Warrior. The beast shrieked and staggered backward, leaving a fleeting, lightning-fast opening. The Centurion seized it.

The Centurion, wearing a Crested Helmet, spun around. His Power Sword flashed as it cut through the air before him. When the blade came to a stop, the Tyranid Warrior's head hit the ground, and its huge body crashed down.

The Centurion calmly sheathed his sword. The Tyranid Hormagaunts and Termagants around him, cut off from their Synapse Creature, fled through the ruins and disappeared into the shadows.

"Captain Mikael." The Space Marines approached. The captain turned and nodded in greeting to his brothers.

"Fine swordsmanship. I'd long heard that every Emperor's Champion was a peerless fighter. Now that I've seen one for myself, the tales were true," said Lance Night eagerly. He flicked the dirty blood from his knightly sword.

Mikael moved his Iron Hand away from his chest and looked toward a nearby building that had completely collapsed. From here, he could see the enormous Tyranid swarm attacking the Imperial lines. A vast, black mass of Tyranids stretched across the entire horizon.

"We have to find the Tyranid commander and cut off its head. That will give the Imperial Army time to regroup," Mikael said. "Agreed."

Vito's voice came through everyone's communicators. Captain Mikael turned his head slightly, looking surprised. "Inquisitor, how are things in the city?" "Not good, but we can still hold. The Tyranid Tyrant is about two kilometers ahead of you. Take it out."

"How do you know it's there?" Ragnar asked in surprise. "Does it matter?" "No, I don't think so." "Good. Go kill it."

Vito's voice cut off. They exchanged glances, then Mikael turned toward the road ahead. "The Inquisitor is as reliable as ever. He pinpointed the enemy commander's position just as accurately on Ultramar. It was thanks to him that we held the Arctic Fortress."

The Emperor's Champion drew his sword and pointed it skyward. "Brothers! Soldiers of the Imperium! March with me in the Emperor's name!"

"For Ultramar!"