The veterans of the Ever-Victorious Army burst into loud laughter. Endless, terrifying black traces spread across the utterly featureless surfaces of their armor. The black, bacteria-like substance erupted into a material reaction the instant it came into contact with the outside world.
The air reacted instantly; nothing could carry sound.
All the Space Marines fighting across the battlefield halted in an instant. They felt the ground beneath them splitting and trembling as an apocalyptic earthquake erupted in moments.
Within the mountain-sized ruins, a pitch-black sphere of light emerged. Everything around it rapidly collapsed inward, followed by a colossal explosion visible even from space.
Centered on that point, a shockwave and electromagnetic pulse swept across the entire battlefield, unleashing their full force. The planet's atmosphere churned beneath the violent blast, while the vacuum left by the explosion caused air from elsewhere to rush back madly to fill the extreme low-pressure zone.
Massive rocks, mortal auxilia and Astartes killed or knocked unconscious by the shockwave, even enormous vehicles, were swept into the sky by the atmospheric tempest and shredded to pieces in a hellish storm.
"They did it."
Orpheo, covered in blood, stood before the command center's display. Mere seconds earlier, he had been fighting the most terrifying enemy in the galaxy. Even this battle-hardened commander was gasping heavily; both his strength and his will had been drained by this dreadful war.
"Nothing can survive such a devastating attack. Not even a primarch!"
The adjutant's reverence for Orpheo had nearly reached its peak. He had accomplished a feat no Space Marine dared dream of: killing a primarch.
Even their genetic father had failed to slay his traitorous brothers, yet Orpheo had achieved it through tightly interlocking plans and the immense courage to use himself as bait.
"Don't let your guard down. Never