The Forge General's fury was like a plasma furnace set ablaze. His massive mechanical arm pointed at Guilliman's group as his loudspeakers emitted a piercing shriek. "Treason! Blasphemy! The Regent has been bewitched by heresy! Skitarii! In the name of the Omnissiah, seize these traitors who have defiled the sacred temple! Primary target—Belisarius Cawl! He is the root of all evil!"
A shrill alarm instantly resounded throughout the entire forge temple! Heavy metal blast doors crashed shut, cutting it off from the outside world.
Countless Skitarii in crimson robes, their bodies heavily augmented with machinery, surged forth like a tide from every passageway and maintenance platform!
The radium guns, melta weapons, and plasma cannons in their hands began charging. Their cold mechanical eyes locked onto Guilliman and the others surrounded at the center.
Guilliman's Honor Guard immediately formed a tight defensive formation, boltguns aimed in every direction while their power fists hummed.
Their gazes were resolute, utterly fearless, but the disparity in numbers was simply too great.
At the heart of Mars, facing tens of thousands of Skitarii who held the terrain advantage and were armed to the teeth, even a Primarch's guard seemed woefully inadequate.
A twisted hint of satisfaction seemed to appear on the Forge General's enormous mechanical face.
He believed Guilliman had been overconfident. Did he think he could cow Mars with nothing but the Regent's title and a small squad of guards?
What delusion! Since all pretenses had been torn away, he might as well go all the way! So long as the Regent was "controlled" and Cawl, that menace, was "eliminated," there would always be some excuse to smooth things over afterward! Mars's independence had to be defended!
Yet obvious hesitation and disorder appeared among the Skitarii ranks.
Many of the Tech-Priests and sages leading