Guilliman's plan to stall for time was forcibly interrupted. He left the desk, which could no longer serve as cover, and rolled from side to side across the room to evade the attacks.
Even an office custom-built for a primarch felt extremely cramped given his size.
The deadly strike bolts nearly chased Guilliman's movements. These Alpha warriors were expert marksmen; had an ordinary Astartes been in their sights, he would likely have been riddled with holes already.
Bolts shredded the furniture Guilliman had carefully selected. Feathers and stuffing from the armchairs and sofas drifted through the air, as though a magnificent blizzard had fallen inside the room.
Those obstacles also slightly disrupted the Alpha warriors' aim, giving Guilliman more room to breathe.
Guilliman felt more stifled than ever before. Even when he had fought two traitor primarchs alone on Nuceria, he had not felt so powerless.
These assassins had planned everything. They had used psychic toxin warheads capable of genuinely harming a primarch, moved the assassination site into this narrow, enclosed room, and delayed the arrival of reinforcements.
They had impersonated Ventanus and the others to enter the inner court. That meant Macragge's defenses and screening mechanisms contained severe loopholes. Who could say there were only these ten Alpha infiltrators? Were there traitors and spies within the Ultramarines themselves?
What Guilliman feared was that his Legion might have been infiltrated by the enemy long ago, while he remained completely unaware.
This was the Alpha Legion. They were not especially renowned among the many Legions, yet they were the most skilled at infiltration and covert operations.
Compared to the World Eaters and Word Bearers, enemies hidden at one's side were far more troublesome.
"No wonder Lox has always been so cautious about cutting-edge technology that it borders on cowardice. Has the