Perish Together
"Commander Dante,"
Titus's voice, hoarse, came through the damaged loudspeaker. "I can still fight."
Let me fight! For the glory of the Emperor, for the oath of the Ultramarines, and for the brothers of the Blood Angels!
Dante's iconic helmet, bearing the features of a death mask, drooped slightly, a subtle movement that revealed deep weariness and a hint of barely perceptible guilt.
"Thank you, my brave comrade."
If Ynnead is destined to take me away from here, I am willing to die alongside a warrior like you.
But... please, take a rest.
"You're tired, I can tell."
He spoke with great difficulty.
To ask an ally who has fought so hard to "rest" at a time when the defensive line could collapse at any moment is almost an unreasonable demand.
But Dante saw it more clearly: Titus's movements, though still precise and deadly.
But the life force field beneath that deep blue armor flickered like a candle in the wind.
Titus was silent for a moment, then turned his helmet toward the seemingly endless swarm of insects in the distance, before turning it back toward Dante.
He did not argue, but did something that moved Dante deeply—he slowly knelt on one knee, his Power Sword embedded in the broken rock beside him, and bowed his head to the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels.
"How... how can I possibly accept such care from you, esteemed Chapter Master?"
Titus's voice lowered, yet carried an almost pious earnestness. "If you find my broken body of mine to be of any use, then please use me as you see fit."
I will be the sharpest sword in your hand, and the hardest rock on the Baal defense line.
No need for pity, no need for concern.
He looked up, and even through the mask, Dante could almost feel the determination in his eyes.
"Please forget my identity as Ultramarines, please disregard the sacred blood flowing within me, originating from Robert Guilliman Primarch."
Standing before you now is merely a soldier from the Death Company.
To give one's life for the Imperium is the highest and ultimate honor that I... and all members of the Death Company can imagine.
After speaking, he did not wait for Dante's response, nor did he even glance at the deeply shocked Chapter Master.
He drew his Power Sword, turned around, and with a slightly unsteady yet resolute gait, walked once again toward the forefront of the battle, toward the place where the aura of death was most intense.
No need to be remembered anymore, I only ask for a thorough and meaningful death.
This was Titus's last thought.
It was as if the Emperor had truly heard his humble yet fervent plea.
The surging sea of insects before him suddenly parted to the sides, and a huge, ferocious figure, exuding an overwhelming Psionic Energy pressure, stepped out with heavy steps.
With its chitinous carapace as thick as a city wall, and its bone blades and whip-like tendrils lashing through the air with a piercing shriek— the Hive Tyrant.
Moreover, it was an exceptionally powerful one among them, and it was very likely one of the nodes of the Hive Mind in this area.
Titus stopped in his tracks.
He showed no fear, nor did he back down.
On the contrary, a joyful, even ecstatic, smile appeared on his blood-stained and scarred face.
"Holy Emperor!"
He cried out hoarsely, his voice trembling with emotion, "You show such favor to your lowly servant?"
In the final moments of my life, I have been presented with such a... such a formidable opponent!
How could I let you down?
How could I possibly defile the sacred blood flowing within me, the blood of Primarch Guilliman!
He gripped the Power Sword tightly in his hand.
This was not his original weapon; he had picked it up a few days earlier from the body of a fallen Blood Angels brother.
The hilt was stained with golden blood, the blade was warped and damaged in several places, and the power system was intermittent.
But for Titus at this moment, this sword was as heavy as a thousand pounds.
It bears the blood, will, and unfulfilled oaths of its allies, making it a more fitting martyr than any perfectly intact divine weapon.
"A blasphemous monster! A tyrant of the hive!"
Titus raised his shattered Power Sword, its tip pointing directly at the enormous Xenos. "Let us fall into the abyss of destruction together!"
I, Titus, hereby swear that I will cut off your vile head right here!
I swear, I will unleash every ounce of power within me that belongs to the Ultramarines, letting it shine with its final, most dazzling brilliance!
"Witness this! This is the man who fears no death!"
Ultramarines, Titus!
The final battle cry tore through the air, drowning out the screech of the swarm.
The deep blue figure, dragging its collapsing body, unleashed incredible speed and agility, charging headlong into the terrifying being several times its own size.
The Hive Tyrant let out a deafening roar, and its massive bone claws swept down with overwhelming force.
Titus didn't take the hit head-on; with an almost precognitive instinct, he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding it, his Power Sword sparking as it Mars the ground.
He seized the momentary lapse in the Hive Tyrant's attack, like a night bat swooping down on its prey.
He leaped up, channeling all his weight and remaining strength into the whistling Power Sword, and stabbed it fiercely into the relatively vulnerable neck joint of the Hive Tyrant!
"Your Emperor! Look upon me!"
The dull thud of the blade piercing the chitinous carapace mingled with Titus's final roar, "Great Primarch! Behold me!"
"I have given my life!"
The Hive Tyrant let out a painful roar, and its other bone claw retaliated with terrifying speed, like a giant spike, instantly piercing through Titus's chest and abdomen.
The Ceramite shattered, and flesh and blood flew everywhere.
One of the two hearts, along with the surrounding organs, was reduced to dust by that devastating puncture.
"--I have given everything--!!"
Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed from Titus's mouth, but his arm did not loosen at all; instead, he twisted the blade deeper with even more force!
His vision began to blur, his life was slipping away rapidly, but his roar grew ever louder, as if it wanted to burn his very soul to ashes:
"I seek neither glory nor victory!!"
The Hive Tyrant struggled frantically, trying to shake off this tiny but deadly "bug".
But Titus used his last bit of strength, even using his broken bones to jam the opponent's bone claws, firmly fixing himself to his enemy.
"I only ask... to wash away this shame--!!"
The final words, like a blood-soaked vow, echoed in a corner of the battlefield.
"I am the Ultramarines... I am the Ultramarines of Glory... I... have never been corrupted by Chaos... not even for a moment...!!!"
The sound stopped abruptly.
The deep blue body finally lost all its power, hanging on the massive bone claws of the Hive Tyrant.
But the final twist of the Power Sword he thrust into the opponent's neck seemed to have damaged a key nerve node or energy core.
The Hive Tyrant's movements suddenly froze, and the suffocating Psionic Energy pressure receded like a tide.
Its massive body swayed a few times, emitting a few meaningless clattering sounds, before finally crashing down onto the fungal carpet like a mountain collapsing and a jade pillar toppling, splashing filth everywhere.
A brief silence fell over this corner of the battlefield.
Titus perished alongside the Hive Tyrant.