Alm stood on a rooftop, watching the Blackstone spikes jutting up from underground in the distance.
Through his tactical helmet's magnification, he could clearly see the dense swarms of Canoptek Scarabs crawling over the Blackstone spikes, while the Obelisks were rapidly growing.
"What are these loathsome xenos doing?" Alm asked.
Beside him, Techmarine Orisius was working on the heavy equipment they had brought.
"Those should be Blackstone matrices. According to our intelligence, once those things activate, several surrounding star systems will become lifeless wastelands."
"Damned xenos."
Alm looked away.
"Hurry up and collect the data. We need to get this intelligence back as soon as possible."
But the next second, a Bolt punched straight through the Techmarine. Alm instinctively rolled to evade the incoming Bolts, but one still tore through his left shoulder, sending him sprawling.
He tried to draw his Bolt Pistol, but a boot pinned his only remaining hand, his right, to the ground. A moment later, a Bolter was aimed at him.
Fighting through the agonizing pain, Alm looked at the battle-brother before him.
"Dudax, what are you doing?!" Alm demanded.
The eyes hidden behind "Dudax's" tactical lenses remained unchanged. He merely replied:
"Hydra dominatus."
The next second, two sharp Bolter shots rang out.
Dudax looked back and saw that his other brother had finished off the sniper caught unawares. They exchanged a knowing nod and swiftly departed.
The two quickly leaped off the rooftop, then sprinted down the street.
But just as they rounded a corner, they unexpectedly ran into Sergeant Adrian and the others they had met earlier.
Seeing the Astartes retreating in such haste, everyone instinctively scattered and raised their weapons.
"My lords, were you attacked?" Cole called out.
The two Astartes stopped, exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"Soldiers, we have just come under