The VX8 Crisis Battlesuit charged into battle.
But the Fire Warriors had no time to celebrate.
The battlesuit that had just landed was instantly taken out.
Even its force-field shield couldn't stop the attack.
That was the terror of Necron weapons.
And this was no more than a battlesuit from the Tau Empire.
Even a company commander in Primaris Space Marine armor might not withstand it, unless the Emperor protected him.
To hold back the Necron forces, humanity had once sent hundreds of millions of Astra Militarum and Imperial Guard troops into battle, wave after wave. In that war, ordinary humans died like ants, and Space Marines died like ordinary humans. Corpses blanketed entire planets. Warhound-class and Warlord-class Titans fell, and even Warmaster-class Titans were lost. The living survived less than five minutes on the battlefield. At its center, Primaris Space Marines who had served for centuries, even a thousand years, were vaporized. Only then did humanity manage a costly victory, barely driving back the Necrons.
So it was time to show these arrogant Xenos of the Tau Empire the true nature of the galaxy.
"Commander! We need support!"
"We've analyzed their weapons. They only affect living targets. Hold on! I'll send in the drones immediately—"
"Bzzzt."
Whoosh!
Cyrus drew his Chainsword.
It tore through the Xenos' armor and body alike.
An Astartes behind him stomped the armor, still mixed with the Xenos' skull, into a bloody pulp.
The battlefield was fair. It gave no one a second chance.
Underestimate your enemy, and you paid with your life.
The Tau Empire had a full company of soldiers, with a company of Stinger Bees and Drones serving as support. Yet facing a mere handful of humans, they couldn't shake the feeling that they were surrounded.
What blasphemy!
Had they betrayed the glory of the Greater Good?
Vulkan had already lost himself in the fight.
Now that these enemies had finally landed, he no longer had to let them kite him.
"Finally, you've come down."
"Repent, you scum!"
"Burn your lives away in the Emperor's wrath!"
Melta Gun shots from behind him pierced the Drones, melting those in shield configuration and clearing a path for him.
Flames burst from his flank, scorching the Stinger Bees in front of him and driving back their attempts to assassinate him.
"Burn to ashes, Xenos!"
Vulkan's Thunder Hammer smashed a Stinger Bee, bursting it open in midair in an astonishing spray of blood.
"Atone for your sins in the wrath of the Primarch!"
"For the glory of the Emperor!"
"For the future of the Imperium!"
"Xenos! Face me!"
Vulkan raised his Thunder Hammer high.
Even the Tau Empire's VX8 Crisis Battlesuits couldn't withstand a single blow from it.
Lasers bounced off him. The radiation rays from neutron weapons couldn't paralyze his will. Even when plasma blasts shattered his body, he kept charging into the enemy ranks.
He was like a steel blade, plunging alone into the enemy's heart.
No matter how skilled a Fire Warrior was,
none could shine with even the faintest spark before the true heir of the Lord of Fire Dragons.
His teammates fell far behind, swallowed by the endless ranks of the Tau Empire. It seemed the Emperor's gaze rested on him. "Vulkan." "Vulkan."
"Is that guy insane?"
"His Power Armor's been smashed to pieces, and he's still charging us. Isn't he afraid to die?"
"What kind of willpower does it take to keep attacking us?"
"We can't stop him! He's terrifying!"
"Don't fear the enemy's ferocity, Fire Warriors! For the glory of the Greater Good, for the honor of the Fire Caste! The enemy may be strong, but I will still face them!"
Their searing plasma blasts pierced his Power Armor.
But the eyes of the Salamander wielding the Thunder Hammer still burned with fire.
No wound could ever break a warrior with an iron will.
With his will, the loyal Salamander "burned" with the legacy passed down by his Gene-Father, the Lord of Fire Dragons.
The Fire Warriors were afraid, but they too were fighting for their empire.
They too fought for the truth, for the Greater Good.
Even death would not stop them.
It would only drive them to use their ingenuity and combat skills to the utmost.
Fight!
Fight!
Fight, and nothing else!
Only those who survived would be allowed to claim the planet's resources.
Only those who survived deserved to lead their people into the future among the stars.
This was no personal feud.
It was a struggle between species.
There was no right or wrong.
Only victory or defeat.
Aboard the battleship,
the commander watched the carnage. This was no longer a conquest. It was a pool of blood, a meat grinder. He pressed his hands together, tense.
Behind him, a cold machine spoke without emotion:
"We've lost."
"Commander Tarian, we can't take this planet."
"If you send another regiment, I can take it."
"Commander Tarian! Our homeworld won't allow that. Besides, we've already spent nearly two months on this planet. Our supplies are running low. We need to return."
"..."
Give up?
Could he accept that?
The Tau Empire had sacrificed so many people, yet still failed to take the planet. How could he show his face back home?
But...
If he kept sending down those battlesuits, that sniper would kill them too.
And drones couldn't wipe out this world either.
Tarian had thought this would be a simple expedition to seize a minor world. He hadn't expected to run into such a hard nut to crack.
First came Ozrax, where an unknown force had cost them a great many Wasp-men.
Then there were two planets bordering Ozrax.
These two fortress worlds were key gateways into the Tau Empire. He'd thought he could easily manipulate them, overthrow their governments, and fold them into the empire's territory.
Instead, the sudden appearance of those walking tanks had ruined his plans.
Just as they'd finished drawing up a targeted invasion strategy, another batch of mysterious walking tanks had appeared.
So many had died, and still they couldn't take the two worlds.
That marked the complete failure of his expedition.
"Commander, make your decision!"
"You're right." Tarian took a deep breath, struggling to regain his composure. As a Tau Empire commander, he could allow himself to make mistakes, but not to keep making them. He no longer had the strength to take this world.
"I'll withdraw the troops."
They could come back another time. Continuing to spend resources here was pointless. The Fire Caste knew he couldn't take a minor planet; they certainly wouldn't keep sending him reinforcements.
I'll give up this planet and take the one next door instead. How about that?
"But when I return, I'll bring more legions. Rita, mark this planet as my disgrace. We'll remember our compatriots, comrades, and brothers who sacrificed themselves for the empire. When I complete my trials and inherit the honor of the Fire Caste, I'll return. I'll bring my people and wash away this disgrace."
The senior Drone's red camera lens lit up. "Your decision is absolutely correct."
On the ground,
the Tau Empire's forces sounded the retreat and began withdrawing on a massive scale.
Those fighting on the battlefield received the order to retreat as well.
But for those engaged with the Astartes,
there was no chance to escape.
Unless some stayed behind as cannon fodder to cover the others' retreat.
"Sacrifice has meaning. My Drones and I will stay behind to hold off the enemy and cover your retreat."
"Leave at once. That's an order."
"For the Greater Good. Remember everything about us."
"The Greater Good will remember everything about you."
Some Fire Warriors had already found the courage to face death and made up their minds to die.
After deciding who would leave and who would stay,
the Tau Empire's soldiers summoned the last of their courage.
"They're retreating."
"They've abandoned this planet."
First: No secrets are allowed within the Legion.
Second: The Imperial Truth stands above the Ecclesiarchy.
Third: The will of the Corpse-Emperor, the False Emperor, will ultimately be carried out.
Fourth: Though the Astartes and Adeptus Custodes are mutants, they are the kind of mutants we can accept.
Fifth: For the Imperium! Waaaaaagh!
Before you continue