Haruspex!
Heavy assault units among the Tyranids' ground forces, pure killing machines!
Their appearance immediately changed the situation on the battlefield.
Ordinary bolt rounds and energy beams struck their thick carapaces, leaving only shallow scorch marks or dents, struggling to inflict any real damage.
They advanced toward the Sons of Medusa's line with heavy, steady strides.
Their scythes swept through the Tyranids on their own side that stood in their way, effortlessly slicing them in two simply to clear a path.
"Concentrate fire! Target the heavy units!" Cassius's cold voice rang out over the vox channel.
In an instant, over seventy percent of their firepower shifted to the two Haruspexes!
Bolt rounds poured down like rain, Melta beams tried to burn through their carapaces, rockets exploded around them, and phosphor fire clung to their shells and burned.
But the effect was limited.
The Haruspexes' carapaces were too thick, formed from multiple overlapping layers of chitinous armour.
Damage to the outer layers was quickly replaced by the inner layers. Their pace slowed only slightly as they continued steadily forward.
Cassius knew the conventional firepower they carried would struggle to deal effectively with beasts of this calibre in a short time.
Dragging this out would only leave them worn down to death by the endless swarm.
"Cataphractii squad, with me! Hold them off!
All other units, maintain suppressing fire and clear out the lesser creatures!"
He made his decision swiftly.
"Understood, Sergeant!" the other two Cataphractii Terminators answered in deep voices.
"Purge the weak!"
Cassius shouted the Sons of Medusa's battle cry, his voice echoing across the bloody battlefield through his loudspeaker.
He charged out of the line first, his heavy Cataphractii Armour surging forward with astonishing acceleration under the drive of its powered systems.
Like a steel war chariot, he smashed aside the Tyranids along his path and charged straight at the slightly larger Haruspex with the darker carapace!
The other two Cataphractii Terminators charged toward the other one.
The opponent Cassius had chosen was currently the most dangerous target in this nest.
Facing the charging tin can, the Haruspex let out a threatening hiss.
An enormous scythe swept toward him with a shriek that tore through the air!
Cassius did not block it head-on.
Modified by Magos Celeres, his Cataphractii Terminator Armour possessed speed that ordinary Terminator Armour could not match.
He twisted sharply to the side, narrowly evading the scythe's edge.
At the same time, he used the momentum of his charge to slam the Thunder Hammer in his hand into the relatively vulnerable side of the Haruspex's knee joint!
Thud!!
A tremendous, muffled crash! Its carapace caved in, cracks spreading!
The Haruspex's enormous body staggered as well.
But its counterattack followed immediately! The chitinous carapace on its back suddenly flipped open, revealing densely packed holes beneath!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Dozens of venom-coated bone spines sprayed out like shotgun pellets, covering an extremely wide area!
Cassius's pupils contracted. His Storm Shield instantly moved in front of him as his Power Armour drove him into a full-force leap backward and to the side!
Most of the bone spines were deflected or blocked by the Storm Shield, but a few still scraped across his pauldron and lower leg, leaving deep gouges in the ceramite.
Toxins tried to seep in, but his Power Armour's purification system held them at bay for the moment.
Before he could regain his footing, the Haruspex's tail, as thick as a battering ram, swept in from another direction at an unbelievable speed and angle!
This time, Cassius had nowhere to dodge!
Boom!
The tail slammed squarely into his Storm Shield, transmitting unimaginable force!
Even with the support of his Terminator Armour and the dual cushioning of his shield and the Iron Halo's force field.
Cassius still felt both arms jolt violently, as though his bones were about to crack!
The Storm Shield's energy readings instantly plunged into the danger zone, triggering a shrill alarm!
The terrifying blow sent him sliding backward, his iron boots ploughing two deep furrows through the fungal mat!
The Haruspex clearly had no intention of giving him a chance to breathe. Its enormous body lunged forward with agility at odds with its size.
Its two scythes rose high, then chopped straight down at Cassius before he had fully regained his balance.
Cassius had no other choice but to raise his Storm Shield and take the blow.
The Haruspex's terrifying bulk and immense strength almost crushed Cassius in an instant.
As the Haruspex kept applying force, its bone scythes, wreathed in disruption fields, gradually passed through the Storm Shield.
They were almost touching Cassius's helmet.
At that critical instant.
"Omnissiah guide us! Steel charge!"
Three Skitarii Vanguard had broken through the web of fire at some point and launched a fearless charge from the rear flank!
As one of the Skitarii Vanguard was about to reach the Haruspex, its massive tail struck him.
He became a heap of ruined steel mixed with mangled flesh.
But he had bought the other two Vanguard an opening.
Holding their Taser Goads, they thrust with all their strength at the gaps in the carapace on the Haruspex's back!
Crackle! High-voltage arcs leapt!
The Haruspex's body suddenly stiffened, its descending scythes hesitating for the briefest instant!
"Sergeant! Take care!"
Cold mechanical voices emerged from their vocalisers, as calm as though they were stating an established fact.
The next second, the specially made Melta Bombs they carried, designed specifically to counter chitinous armour, detonated simultaneously!
Boom!!!
Blinding white light instantly swallowed nearly half the Haruspex's body!
Unimaginable heat vaporised thick chitinous carapace, resilient muscle, and hard bone alike!
The blast wave spread outward, carrying jets of metal and biological fragments!
Cassius only had time to brace his Storm Shield firmly before him and curl up.
Thud!!!
The savage shock wave hurled him away again, slamming him hard into an iron wall.
A tremendous, muffled crash rang out.
Alarms blared wildly from every system in his Power Armour, but he had no time to attend to them.
The white light faded.
The mighty Haruspex's upper body had almost completely vanished.
Only its charred lower body and two severed legs remained standing before collapsing with a crash.
Where it had stood, there was only a scorched pit of molten metal mixed with biomass, along with scattered mechanical wreckage that was still burning.
The two Skitarii Vanguard had vanished completely.
"Soldiers!"
Cassius's voice rang out over the vox channel, carrying a rare trace of anger he could not suppress.
"Who told you to leave the line?! Who gave the self-destruct order?!"
Before charging, he had explicitly ordered that no one except the three Cataphractii was to leave the hastily constructed trenches and cover!
This kind of suicidal attack did not conform to tactical logic or the battle plan he had drawn up!
The vox channel was silent.
The remaining Skitarii continued firing mechanically, clearing away the still-frenzied and enormous swarm.
No one answered his demands.
Before these Skitarii had come, Magos Celeres had given them only one order.
"Protect Cassius Erato at all costs!"