Thunderer was like a walking natural disaster, wantonly slaughtering every insignificant insect in his sight.
The thick Void Shields of the God-Machine Titans were as fragile as tissue paper before him, easily torn open and pierced, followed by desperate screams from their cockpits and the flames of ammunition detonating. Vast stretches of the battle line were effortlessly trampled flat and crushed. Whether genetically modified Demigod Superhuman Astartes or mortal soldiers of flesh and blood, they were no different before his destructive might. All were dust that vanished in an instant.
Though Thunderer was not as powerful as his fellow, The Burning One, he was still far beyond anything these antlike mortals could overcome through sheer numbers. He reveled in the slaughter. Every roar, every sweep of energy, snuffed out swathes of lives.
Just as Thunderer was freely unleashing his fury and contempt, a heavy projectile came screaming through the energy interference at high speed and slammed into his body.
The violent shock wave arrested even his enormous bulk. Then the miniature nuclear fission reaction inside the warhead triggered, and the sudden eruption of light and heat sent Thunderer staggering back several steps. Even the living metal ground beneath his feet began to melt.
The light radiating from Thunderer dimmed slightly, then brightened again in the blink of an eye. He glared furiously in the direction of the attack.
Through the smoke and lingering blast, a towering figure approached with steady strides.
Perturabo held a main cannon in both hands, freshly removed from a Leman Russ Siege Tank. Heat still radiated from its muzzle.
The backpack-mounted automatic ammunition feed behind him gave a low mechanical rumble as another specially made Armor-Piercing Nuclear Shell slid into the chamber.
Without expression, he spat out a broken tooth streaked with blood, his cold eyes