Several enormous rifts were torn through the atmosphere of Lythera IX.
Three Warlord Titans, each dozens of meters tall, strode out of their orbital Drop Pods with ponderous steps. Their footfalls shook the earth, and their shoulder-mounted Volcano Cannons and Plasma Annihilators began pouring the wrath of gods onto the deathly silent plain.
Boom-boom-BOOOOM!!!
The explosions stained the gray-green sky red. The ground for dozens of kilometers around was churned over completely. Every possible shelter, trap, and ambush was reduced to scorched earth before that absolute power.
Then thousands of landing craft and transports screamed down from above.
A torrent of steel flooded onto the purged land. Under the efficient direction of the Adeptus Mechanicus Sages, prefabricated alloy walls rose from the ground, Void Shield Generators hummed low, and enormous antiaircraft turrets sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
In just three hours, a mighty fortress capable of withstanding a Legion-scale assault had taken firm root amid the poisonous mists of Lythera IX.
The soldiers of the Imperialis Militia stood atop the towering walls, looking down at the blackened earth, scoured smooth as glass by the Titans' bombardment. Their fear vanished, replaced by an unparalleled sense of security and pride.
"That's our Warmaster!" A Vostroya veteran polished his beloved Gauss Rifle as he spoke to the comrade beside him. "He never makes us fill trenches with our flesh and blood. He clears our path with steel and fire!"
At that moment, in the deepest part of the fortress, Horus stood before an enormous observation window.
Outside, the Raven Guard slipped into the dense mist like ghosts.
"Have you found anything?" Horus asked quietly.
"Yes." Kaldia's voice came through the communicator, carrying a hint of gravity. "We found something, Warmaster. Not enemies, but... ruins."
"An enormous building resembling a monastery. Its architecture