"Enemy sighted! Space Marines of the Iron Hands Legion!"
The warning rang out in the narrow passage. The Victrix Guard warrior had barely pushed the wreckage of a Mechanical Guard off his shoulder when he caught dark shapes pouring out of the far end of the corridor from the corner of his eye.
Before his voice had faded, everyone stopped and aimed their weapons ahead in unison.
The torn Mechanical Guard still sparked at their feet, its severed limbs and oil strewn across the floor.
But beyond that wreckage, thirty figures massive enough to block the entire passage strode out of the darkness.
Each was encased in the hulking, menacing silhouette of Terminator Armour.
They marched in step, their heavy footfalls merging into a dull drumbeat in the confined space.
The Iron Hands Legion heraldry on their armour had been covered by countless chaotic lines. Profane inscriptions, Warp symbols, and prayers gouged out like claw marks overlapped in layer upon layer.
Where their bodies showed through the armour joints, skin had been replaced with rough metal plates, tangled cables, and bundles of mechanical muscle that twitched intermittently. They bore no resemblance to what a Space Marine should have been.
"For Ferrus Manus! Kill them all!"
As the leading Iron Hands Legion warrior in Terminator Armour shouted, all thirty hulking figures quickened their pace. Bolters and Plasma Weapons spat fire in the darkness, instantly filling the passage with a dense hail of shots.
Battle erupted between the two sides.
Valentus did not dodge.
He strode straight into the fire, spinning his Power Axe once in his hand. The blue glow of its disruption field traced a brilliant streak along the blade.
Bolts struck his Terminator Armour in showers of sparks, but his steps did not falter for even an instant.
He