Gunfire raged before the magnificent palace. The Iron Serpent's firepower washed over the ground like a tidal wave of sulfuric acid, scouring and dissolving everything. Within minutes, everything before the palace had been reduced to dust, leaving the warriors without so much as cover.
The original metal flooring had been torn apart, exposing the dry ground beneath.
Their adamantium armour largely withstood the enemy's attacks, but the blast waves and impacts of kinetic rounds battered the warriors mercilessly. A few unfortunate souls took direct hits to their Tactical Helmets, spilling blood across the battlefield.
More than gun barrels extended from the Iron Serpent's body. Numerous bright lamps flashed at a bizarre frequency. Any mortal who looked at them would have gone completely blind within seconds.
The warriors split into several squads, struggling to hold out under Bars's cover.
"Enke, what's our situation?"
"Front armour degradation at 13%. Estimated time to fracture threshold: 455 seconds. Safe operating time set to seven minutes."
The warriors now had a rough understanding of their situation. They all wore much the same armour, which made those seven minutes their own countdown to death.
"Concentrate on its connecting joints! Find a way to break it apart!"
The warriors had brought plenty of heavy weapons, as was customary in the Crimson Tide Chapter. But after breaching several thick gates in succession, they had only three Melta Bombs and three Ion Pistols that had yet to overload.
The Firefighting Squad's warriors scattered, spreading out the enemy's fire as much as possible before concentrating their own attacks on its second joint.
Bolter rounds and unknown kinetic projectiles flew everywhere. Warriors kept falling wounded. Many weapons on the metal serpent had also stopped firing, though it was hard to tell whether their barrels had simply burst after being left unused