Let Him Awaken

"We can't hold out."

Azrael said calmly.

"The enemy's numbers far exceed ours."

Their strength far surpasses ours.

Their conspiracy--"

He paused.

"Far beyond our imagination."

Ezekiel's pupils contracted slightly.

"Then why--"

He didn't finish speaking.

Because Azrael interrupted him.

"But we don't need to hold on."

Azrael's voice remained calm.

"We just need to stall them."

All we need to do is make the enemy pay the price.

Just --"

His gaze passed over Ezekiel and looked towards the deeper reaches, towards the massive door engraved with the ancient coat of arms of Caliban.

"Wake him up."

Ezekiel.

Behind that door lies the place where the Lion King sleeps.

Behind that door lies a secret guarded by the Dark Angels for millennia.

Behind that door lay their last hope.

Will he wake up?

Ezekiel, and there was a hint of expectation in the voice.

Azrael did not answer.

He simply stared at the door, at the coat of arms on it, and at the lion totem engraved within it.

Then, he said softly.

"Summon all units."

Deathwing, Ravenwing, all the Unforgiven—

He turned around and strode towards the door.

"Prepare to meet the enemy."

"Target locked."

Deep within the Unbound Scythe, the Abominable Intelligence emitted a cold, mechanical voice.

Its voice is devoid of emotion and warmth, containing only pure, cold computational logic.

"The Rock, Gorgon's Aegis Shield System."

Analysis complete.

Its mechanical eyes gleamed with the light of data streams.

"Weakness identification: Shield generator array, coordinate positioning completed."

Shield frequency analysis complete.

Energy decay curve calculation complete.

Vashtorr's lips curled up slightly.

"Fire."

He said softly.

The next moment, the main cannon of the Unbound Scythe —the giant cannon known as the "Exterminator"—suddenly opened fire.

That wasn't an ordinary energy beam.

That was the essence of destruction that Vashtorr had extracted from the ruins of countless civilizations; it was the ultimate weapon capable of tearing apart any defense system.

It traced a dark red trail through the void, striking precisely a point on the Rock shield—for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

There was no explosion.

There was no shockwave.

Only a silent ripple spread slowly across the surface of the shield.

The ripples grew larger, faster, and deeper.

Then -- the shield imploded.

The energy beam did not penetrate the shield; instead, it was absorbed by the shield and triggered a devastating chain reaction inside it.

One after another, the shield generators overloaded, exploded, and became paralyzed.

The alarm from the Rock instantly resounded through the sky.

"Shield collapses!"

A hoarse scream came through the communication channel.

"All shield generators are overloaded!"

Repeat!

All shield generators are overloaded!

Azrael's pupils suddenly contracted.

He knew the enemy was very strong.

But he hadn't expected the enemy to be this strong.

Gorgon's Aegis —the most powerful defense system the Rock has ever built in millennia, a shield array personally designed by the Emperor, the ultimate barrier capable of withstanding any attack.

It had withstood countless enemy attacks, protected the lives of countless Dark Angels, and—had it just collapsed like that?

"Artillery crew!"

His voice boomed over the communication channel.

"All artillery crews, open fire at full power!"

Stop them from landing!

But it was too late.

The second salvo from the Unbound Scythe has already landed.

This time, the target is the Rock's artillery array.

The second shot from the Exterminator Cannon accurately struck the Rock's weapon system.

Those fortress cannons, built up over millennia, those colossal cannons capable of tearing apart starships, those defensive weapons that once terrified countless enemies, exploded one after another, and fell silent one after another.

"The artillery crew has lost contact!"

"The west turret has been destroyed!"

"The entire artillery crew on the east flank has been killed in action!"

"Main gun array - Main gun array disabled!"

Bad news came like snowflakes, each one tearing at Azrael's heart.

But his expression remained calm.

He simply stood quietly on the bridge, silently gazing out the window at the approaching Chaos Fleet, quietly waiting for that moment to arrive.

"They're here."

Ezekiel's voice sounded behind him.

Azrael turned his head and looked at him.

There was something in that gaze that warmed Ezekiel's heart—trust.

"Guard the Nameless Gate."

Azrael said the voice was calm yet firm.

That's our bottom line.

Ezekiel a deep breath and then nodded.

"I will."

He said.

Then, he turned and left, heading towards the core of the Psionic Energy defense.

Walking towards the impending storm.

The landing ships poured down like a torrential rain.

Those were the elite of the Black Legion — the Gasterin Terminators, the most powerful beings among the Chaos Space Marines.

Their armor was thick enough to withstand any weapon, their weapons were powerful enough to tear any enemy apart, and their eyes burned with a thirst for slaughter.

The first landing ships crashed into the hangar of the Rock.

The moment the hatch opened, the Chaos Warriors surged out like a tidal wave.

They were met with a storm of explosive bombs from the Ravenwing Knights.

Jetbike sped through the hangar, the riders' Bolter spitting out deadly flames.

The Chaos Warriors who had just disembarked from the landing craft fell one after another under intense fire, their blood pooling into a river on the hangar floor.

But more landing ships are arriving.

More Chaos Warriors are emerging.

The number of Ravenwing Knights is limited, their ammunition is limited, and their lives are limited.

And the enemies—are infinite.