Omnissiah above, what a sight

The scene in the relatively small combat zone was sheer chaos.

As the Armed Servitors turned their bodies to track fast-moving targets, they kept accidentally blasting apart a Combat Servitor or two. Several Skitarii had even been wounded by flying fragments of shattered Servitors.

The Plague Marines who had charged into the formation used the intermingled Skitarii and Combat Servitors to limit the Armed Servitors' attacks on them.

No one noticed two machines of an entirely different design entering the edge of the battlefield.

The Automated Sentries' matte, textured shells absorbed the light that would normally have reflected off them as they ran nimbly forward with long strides.

Through the digital link, Iax commanded the Automated Sentries to raise their Rapid-Fire Graviton Guns, aim at the sky, and pull the triggers.

These unusual force-field weapons made a deep, rhythmic sound when fired, like a taut bowstring being violently plucked.

Thrum! Thrum! Thrum!

The strange sound soon drew the attention of both sides.

Seeing machines of an almost entirely unfamiliar design, the Plague Marines showed no intention of stopping. Their own forces had no such machines. If they were not theirs, they belonged to the enemy.

It made no difference whether they destroyed them first or later. They would tear them all apart soon enough.

Sometimes, these Plague Marines, whose brains had been ravaged by viruses, thought as simply as Orks.

The Adeptus Mechanicus personnel whose attention had been drawn away briefly hesitated. Only when the blood of those beside them splashed across them did they immediately resume fighting.

The range was too close for the Mauler Bolt Cannons mounted on the Skimmer transports to fire, not only because of their limited firing angles, but also because of their excessive power.

If Moran insisted on ordering them to fire, even if he managed to return to the Hive City alive, he would be charged with slaughtering his own warriors. Without help from others, even a bishop could not escape being turned into a Servitor, or even a Penitent Engine.

Thinking of that horrific fate, Moran shook his head. He would rather die on the battlefield than suffer such treatment.

As for covering it up, that was simply impossible.

Servo-skulls crisscrossed the battlefield, providing combat assistance and recording information. Almost everything that happened here was being continuously relayed to the Hive City.

The Information Recorders would compile everything into detailed files.

Soon, following an alert from the Armed Servitor embedded inside the Skimmer transport, Moran also discovered the unexpected source of the battlefield's momentary pause.

"What are these? Two armed automatons? I've never seen this model before."

The newly arrived third party quickly excited Moran. But as he directed a Servo-skull to examine these unexpected visitors, what happened next nearly brought his brain to a halt.

Under Iax's control, an Automated Sentry raised its Neutron Beam Emitter. A warm yellow beam burst from the muzzle, easily striking a Plague Marine hacking his way through the crowd amid the melee.

The Plague Marine, who had been virtually invincible against Standard Beam Guns, stopped moving almost the instant the beam struck him.

"Aaaah!!!!!"

An appalling howl escaped the stricken Plague Marine's mouth. Blessed by Nurgle, they should have felt no pain, yet a strange burning sensation coursed through him.

Even the others fighting nearby froze at the tremendous roar.

"What happened?"

Words composed of binary code emerged from the vocalizers of several Skitarii engaged in combat. They cautiously leaned out from beside a nearby Armed Servitor, trying to understand what had happened.

But the body, composed of plague, viruses, and rotten flesh, was already disintegrating.

The neutron beam easily burned through the decaying MK3 Ceramite Armor, and a dissociation reaction occurred within the confines of the remaining armor.

Energy surged inside the armor and seeped through its gaps.

Then all that remained was an empty shell, glowing red from the heat.

Iax witnessed this through the Sentinel's eyes as well. He had never expected anything like it.

According to the internal records, neutron weapons either vaporized their targets outright or caused them to burst apart. This was the first time he had seen dissociation accompanied by ignition.

Although he did not understand the exact cause, the weapon worked, and its effects were thoroughly intimidating. That was excellent.

Yet this shock affected only the Adeptus Mechanicus personnel. It had almost no effect on the other Plague Marines, Armed Servitors, or Combat Servitors fighting in the melee.

Fortunately, these Servitors had neither emotions nor minds of their own. Otherwise, the few Plague Marines might have slaughtered all the Skitarii during that moment of stunned distraction.

Iax watched the Plague Marines, who showed almost no intention of stopping, with some puzzlement.

"Do these biologically modified creatures have no emotions?"

Since they could not be intimidated, he might as well eliminate them. After all, unlike these biological warriors, whose ability to communicate normally remained uncertain, the Adeptus Mechanicus personnel should at least be open to communication.

The two Automated Sentries soon demonstrated their powerful firepower and excellent targeting systems.

Beam after beam flashed out, and the entire area soon fell quiet again.

Apart from the ceramite armor scattered across the ground in all manner of strange poses, still radiating tremendous heat, and the soil stained scarlet with blood everywhere, everything seemed peaceful.

Even the ground that had turned black and rotten after being contaminated by the Plague Marines' footsteps stopped spreading its corruption entirely.

It was as though some special power in the surrounding space was erasing the effects they had brought with them.

Watching the Adeptus Mechanicus force restore order, Iax directed the two Automated Sentries to leap swiftly down from the hill and draw closer.

Faced with the approaching automatons that had just easily eliminated nearly ten renegade Space Marines, the force braced itself.

The entire formation grew tense once more.

As the Automated Sentries entered the minimum alert perimeter, an Armed Servitor that had yet to leave combat mode was the first to open fire.

Its Heavy Bolter unleashed a furious stream of ammunition.

The Automated Sentries, advancing in a straight line, had clearly not anticipated this. As the bolts approached, their automatic evasion systems immediately activated, though several bolts still struck them as they dodged and leaped rapidly.

Yet these powerful weapons, capable of piercing ceramite armor, left only a few shallow scratches on the two Automated Sentries' shells. Even the bolts that successfully detonated left nothing more than slight dents and scorch marks on a few sections of their armor.

Amid their agile evasive maneuvers, the Sentinels swiftly activated the Graviton Guns mounted on their other arms.

The thrumming heard earlier rang out amid the bolter fire.

Several explosions erupted within the formation, and the sound of bolter fire instantly ceased.

The Armed Servitors' weaknesses had been laid bare to Iax during the earlier battle. Their thick external alloy armor was inferior even to ceramite and could not withstand the Graviton Guns' solid projectiles. The tremendous kinetic energy easily tore their entire bodies apart.

"Cease fire! All units, cease fire!" Alonas's somewhat tense voice echoed through the formation.

The remaining Combat Servitors, who had been preparing to rush forward together, also stopped moving. The tense Skitarii clutched their feeble Standard Beam Guns and warily watched the Automated Sentries that had just opened fire and destroyed four Armed Servitors.

Seeing the other side stop attacking, Iax once again took control of the Sentinels and called off their retaliation.

Seated inside the transport, Moran had watched everything through the Servo-skulls flying about outside. He, too, let out a deep breath of relief.

"Omnissiah above. They didn't keep attacking."