Guilliman's massive blue figure stepped out of the landing craft, his heavy power boots sinking deep into the scorched earth of Shield of Hades, covered in Tyranid slime, acid blood, and ashes.
The blazing radiance of the Emperor's Sword drove away the suffocating stench of rot around him like a beacon in the darkness.
Behind him, elite warriors poured out like a torrent of steel, swiftly filling the gaps in the crumbling defensive line.
"Warriors!" Guilliman's voice boomed across the battlefield through amplifiers, drowning out the shrieks of the swarm. "Relieve the defenders! Let our bloodied brothers catch their breath! Establish a new line!"
The Primaris warriors answered with the unified clack of Bolters being loaded and the hum of power armor servos.
They stood firm like bedrock, and their precise web of fire instantly suppressed the swarm vanguard, which had been briefly thrown into chaos by Pandora's "appetizer."
Bolts tore apart carapaces, while flamethrowers plowed blazing trenches through the swarm.
The Spartan Company warriors, Astra Militarum soldiers, and Sisters of Battle who had fought bloody battles under Dante's command for days and were already utterly exhausted finally gained a brief chance to breathe.
They stared in disbelief at this fresh force that seemed to have descended like gods. Many collapsed weakly behind cover, greedily gulping down air thick with gunpowder and blood as they hurriedly treated wounds and changed magazines.
Dante held a bloodstained power sword and gave Guilliman a slight nod, weary but relieved.
The reinforcements had finally arrived! He had already prepared to abandon Shield of Hades and make a last stand against the bugs at Baal, prepared for the worst. Fortunately, support had arrived.
Above the battlefield, Pandora's "stress relief" performance was only just beginning.
After its brief confusion, the cold and vast Hive Mind swiftly