Although he received no answer, Cassius was no fool.
The instant he asked that question, he had already connected all the clues in his mind.
He understood.
A complex feeling, mingled with something indescribable, surged through his chest.
"Illogical..." Cassius murmured, his voice audible only to himself.
But Cassius had no time to delve further into it. A vast sea of Xenos still awaited purification before him.
Although the other Haruspex was slightly smaller, it was no less ferocious.
Two Cataphractii Terminators were maneuvering around it, barely holding the beast back through intricate coordination and supporting fire from the rear.
But they both knew that the Thunder Hammers in their hands alone would struggle to kill it.
They had to buy enough time for the heavy firepower behind them to kill it.
Cassius took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the complex emotions churning in his chest.
Power Armour damage warnings flashed at the edges of his vision, but he ignored them.
He moved.
His Cataphractii Terminator armour erupted with astonishing speed once again, cutting into the battlefield like a bolt of green lightning.
Carrying all the force he had built up, his Thunder Hammer swept upward and slammed into the relatively weak joint of the Haruspex's right hind leg!
Crack!
The sound was dull, accompanied by the distinct cracking of its carapace!
The Haruspex shrieked in pain and fury, its enormous body pitching sharply to the right!
"Coordinate with me! Restrict its movement!" Cassius's cold voice rang out over the tactical channel.
"Understood, Sergeant!" The two Cataphractii Terminators instantly grasped his intent.
The three swiftly shifted positions, forming an irregular triangle around the wounded Haruspex.
Cassius took the lead, drawing the bulk of the Haruspex's fire.
The other two Terminators circled its flanks, helping Cassius divide the Haruspex's attention.
A group of three was the standard formation for a Terminator Squad carrying out a mission.
They needed few words between them. Every attack, every step, every arc of a swinging weapon formed part of a precise web of coordination.
Meanwhile, the pressure on the rear battle line had not eased, but its firepower was being allocated more efficiently.
The web of fire formed by the Skitarii, Indomitus Terminators, Land Raiders, and Dunecrawlers.
Began deliberately dividing and channeling the surging Tyranid tide.
They drove the swarms into relatively narrow areas, or used terrain and firepower to create "concentration zones" where the swarms had no choice but to bunch together.
Then, several specially modified demolition Servitors.
Broke away from the relatively safe battle line with stiff but determined steps, charging toward those concentrations of Tyranids.
Conspicuous red hazard markings covered their casings, and what their chest cavities held was no ordinary explosive.
Instead, it was a "pressurized Promethium bomb" specially formulated by the magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
These bombs used extremely pure liquid Promethium fuel, combined with special oxidizers and catalysts.
Rather than producing a massive shock wave upon detonation, they would instantly create a blue inferno hot enough to vaporize steel!
"For the Omnissiah!"
Amid the low prayers of the Skitarii vanguard, the demolition Servitors charged into the densest parts of the swarm.
Boom... whom!
There was no deafening blast, only a low, muffled sound, as though the air had been sucked away in an instant and then violently expanded.
Immediately afterward, dazzling deep-blue light erupted within the swarm!
Wherever the light reached, Hormagaunts, Rippers, and some Termagants had no time even to scream.
Their carapaces and flesh were directly vaporized and carbonized in temperatures of thousands of degrees!
Only patches of scorched black marks remained, trailing wisps of smoke.
"Concentrated purification" proved remarkably effective.
Swath after swath of lesser Tyranid units were cleared away, greatly relieving the pressure on the battle line.
Several Tyranid Warriors directing the swarm were also killed beneath the dense web of fire.
The situation seemed to be developing in their favor.
The coordinated assault by Cassius's trio was also finding its rhythm.
Under their precise coordination and sustained heavy fire, the smaller Haruspex was already covered in wounds.
The carapace around several of its joints had cracked, leaking viscous green bodily fluid, and its movements had visibly slowed.
Cassius seized an opening, evading a sweeping slash from one of its scythes.
Using his momentum, he spun, his Thunder Hammer tracing a perfect arc.
With the full strength of his body and every enhancement his Power Armour provided, he brought it crashing toward the side of the Haruspex's hideous head!
If this blow landed, it would undoubtedly grievously wound the Haruspex.
Yet, just before the Thunder Hammer struck!
Rumble!!!
The entire nest suddenly began to shake violently!
The tremors came neither from an explosion nor an impact, but from something deeper and more primal, as though the earth itself were awakening and roaring!
But Cassius would not let such distractions cause him to falter.
His Thunder Hammer still struck the Haruspex's head with crushing precision.
The terrifying electromagnetic pulse, combined with terrifying kinetic force, instantly severed the Haruspex's connection to the Hive Mind.
It began to sway, nearly collapsing several times.
Cassius did not rush to finish it off. Instead, he looked into the depths of the nest.
"At last, it has come after all." Cassius's heart sank.
"All units, attention! Highest-threat target sighted! Prepare to engage according to the predetermined plan!"
As though to confirm his words.
Pffft!!!
A muffled boom, like a gigantic air sac bursting, came from the core area!
Immediately afterward, a dense biochemical toxic fog surged outward from that direction like a volcanic eruption!
Wherever the toxic fog passed, even the air hissed with corrosion.
And deep within that churning toxic fog, an unimaginably enormous shadow slowly rose.
"ROAR!!!"
An indescribable howl pierced the toxic fog, pierced the roar of explosions, and pierced the soundproofing of their Power Armour.
It stabbed straight into everyone's eardrums, even seeming to bore into the depths of their souls!
The gale stirred by the figure's movements scattered some of the toxic fog, and dim light struggled through the murky air.
At last, it barely outlined the monster's shape.
It was a terrifying behemoth twenty meters tall!
Its form blended insects, crustaceans, and some twisted thing from a nightmare.
Heavy, overlapping layers of chitinous carapace covered its entire body, an ominous deep purple.
Countless bone spurs and tendrils studded its surface, protecting its enormous body.
Most striking of all were the pair of immense bio-cannons on its forelimbs.
And the green mist laden with highly toxic spores that constantly drifted from the gaps in its carapace.
One of the Tyranids' ultimate ground units, a terrifying existence to rival the Imperium's Titans-the Hierophant!