But this was only the beginning.
The toxic rain covered an immense area, and the Servitors responsible for transporting ammunition, maintaining equipment, and operating some of the auxiliary weapons suffered devastating losses.
More than a third of the Servitors were completely destroyed by the corrosive venom, reduced to heaps of scrap metal and charred organic remains.
The air reeked of acrid acid and burnt matter.
Most critically, the shield field protecting the anti-Titan weapons array had endured direct impacts from several biological shells and sustained corrosion from copious venom.
It gave off an overburdened hum, like a dying groan.
The translucent shield flickered violently, its light wavering as though it might go out completely at any moment.
"The shield can't hold much longer!"
The Skitarii responsible for maintaining the field reported urgently over the channel, a rare tremor entering his mechanical voice.
And the Tyranids clearly would not let this opportunity slip.
"ROAR!!!"
The Hierophant let out a screech as though victory were in sight, its immense body advancing once more, its thudding footsteps like war drums heralding death.
At the same time, all the remaining Tyranid Warriors shrieked madly, as though injected with stimulants.
They drove the ocean of Hormagaunts, Termagants, and Rippers into an unprecedented, suicidal all-out assault on the Sons of Medusa's line!
Their objective was clear.
Disrupt, delay, and stop those heavy guns from firing their next volley at any cost!
If they could give the Hierophant just one unimpeded opportunity to attack, the human line would collapse completely!
"Hold! For the Emperor! For our fallen brothers!"
Cassius's voice was cold as iron, yet carried a fury like molten lava.
He swung his Thunder Hammer, smashing the head and carapace of a lunging Tyranid Warrior to pieces, green fluid splashing across his Storm Shield.
"All weapons, prioritize clearing the Tyranids approaching the line!
Heavy weapons array, I need you ready for another volley immediately!"
"Plasma cannons at 70% charge!"
"Melta Cannons need fifteen seconds!"
"Reloading missiles!"
Replies from the operating Servitors and Skitarii overlapped on the channel.
The battle entered its bloodiest, most brutal phase of attrition.
The warriors of the Sons of Medusa displayed astonishing resilience, their Boltguns never ceasing to roar.
Chainswords and Power Weapons carved bloody havoc through the swarm.
The Skitarii Vanguard and Serberys Sulphurhounds fought desperately to hold the gaps in the line, building a final defensive wall of steel with their bodies and weapons.
The Dunecrawlers had nearly exhausted their rockets and phosphor ammunition.
The Land Raider's flamestorm cannons had temporarily fallen silent from overheating, but its roof-mounted Heavy Bolter still roared.
Someone fell every second.
Skitarii were swallowed by the swarm, or Servitors dissolved by acid, yet miraculously, the line still barely held.
Finally.
"Plasma cannons fully charged!"
"Melta Cannons ready!"
"Missile locks complete!"
"Fire!!!" Cassius roared.
"Hiss-BOOM!!!"
"Hum-THUMP!!!"
Blazing white and brilliant blue beams tore through the air once more, carrying the will for vengeance as they slammed into the Hierophant's immense, steadily approaching body!
"ROAR!!!"
The Hierophant unleashed its most agonized, enraged roar since the battle began!
Under the sustained impact of searing energy, its thick carapace finally reached its limit.
Great chunks melted and peeled away, exposing the relatively vulnerable biological tissue beneath!
Four anti-vehicle missiles followed close behind, plunging into those exposed wounds like precise scalpels before exploding violently!
Purple-green bodily fluids sprayed like waterfalls, and for the first time, the Hierophant's enormous body visibly staggered and fell back.
Its biological cannon was also damaged in the explosions, slowing its charging considerably.
"It worked!" a warrior shouted excitedly.
Yet Cassius dared not relax for even a moment.
He knew this was the most critical moment.
The heavy guns needed time to recharge and reload, and although the Hierophant was wounded, its injuries were far from fatal.
The swarm's frenzied assault had also reached its peak, and the line could be breached at any moment.
Both sides were gambling on who could strike next and seize the initiative!
At that very instant, when the battlefield was at its loudest and most chaotic, with all attention drawn to the Hierophant and the sea of Tyranids.
"Sergeant! Three o'clock, high above! Something's approaching! Extremely fast!"
An urgent, startled report suddenly sounded over the communications channel from a warrior positioned behind the flank of the line.
Neither an Auspex nor thermal imaging had detected it; the warrior had spotted it with his naked eyes.
What?!
Cassius whipped his head around, his dark blue eyes instantly locking onto the direction the warrior had indicated.
There, above the battlefield, lay the dim space beneath the thick organic dome, where there should have been nothing but the occasional drip of slime and drifting spore dust.
But now, he saw it.
A blurred shadow, almost indistinguishable from its surroundings, was diving at astonishing speed!
Its approach was utterly silent, without energy fluctuations, a heat signature, or even the sound of rushing air, like a spear of death from the depths of darkness!
Had that warrior not happened to glimpse it with his naked eyes, they would never have noticed it!
And the target of its dive was none other than the Sons of Medusa's position.
"Intercept that flying unit! Quickly!"
Cassius hurriedly gave the order; that Xenos felt extremely dangerous to him.
And somehow, faintly familiar?
Two Indomitus-pattern Terminators swiftly swung their weapons around, Heavy Bolters and heavy weapons spitting flame!
Several nearby Skitarii Vanguard also raised their Radium Carbines and Arc Rifles, weaving energy beams into an interception net!
"Bang, bang, bang! Crackle!"
Only when the attacks struck did the purple-red figure's outline become clear amid the hail of fire.
Cassius recognized the creature: an intermediate Tyranid Synapse Creature, a Winged Tyranid Prime!
But this one's size far exceeded anything he knew.
Heavy Bolter rounds struck her with sharp impacts.
Yet horrifyingly, her carapace displayed a bizarre pattern of "fracturing and detaching"!
The carapace plates at the impact points shattered and scattered, counteracting most of the impact and armour-piercing effect!
Although the projectiles embedded themselves in her carapace, they failed to penetrate deeply enough to damage her internal tissues!
When Melta rays and plasma beams struck, a faint sheen rose over the surface of her purple-red carapace.
The intense heat was significantly weakened and dispersed, leaving only melted traces on the surface, likewise failing to penetrate!
"Reactive armour, detachment upon impact, and a heat-resistant coating?!"
Beneath his helmet, Cassius's pupils contracted.
He had only seen similar design concepts in the Adeptus Mechanicus archives on Mars.
How could a Tyranid unit possess such a sophisticated defensive mechanism, so consistent with engineering principles?!
This defies logic! Unless some force is guiding her evolution.
The thought flashed through Cassius's mind like lightning.
By then, Rena had already pushed through the interception fire and reached a point less than fifty metres above the array!
Her scarlet compound eyes swept coldly across the position below, instantly locking onto an Indomitus-pattern Terminator that had just fired and was cooling its weapon barrel.
The vicious-looking Bio-Plasma Cannon on her right forelimb adjusted slightly, a dangerous green glow lighting its muzzle.
"Watch out!" a warrior beside that Terminator cried.
But it was already too late.
"Thump-BOOM!!!"
A searing, highly concentrated ball of plasma shot out.
The plasma struck the Indomitus Terminator's left arm, which he had just raised in an attempt to block it!
Terrifying heat sufficient to melt through tank armour instantly bore down on the Terminator Armour!
The ceramite-forged arm rapidly reddened, softened, and melted within the green light!
In the blink of an eye, the entire left arm, along with the weapon in its hand, became a dripping stream of molten metal!
The Terminator grunted, but he would not fall so easily.
And Rena's attack was far from over.
As her plasma cannon fired, she abruptly folded her enormous membranous wings.
Her huge, powerful body fell like a meteor, using the momentum of her dive to slam precisely into the damaged Indomitus Terminator!
"THUD!!!"
The heavy impact set teeth on edge!
Beneath the combined crushing force of Rena's repeatedly enhanced body, far larger than others of her kind, and the momentum of her dive.
The Terminator Armour was driven violently to the ground, its servo systems issuing shrill overload warnings as sparks flew from its joints.
The Terminator warrior roared, trying to use his remaining arm to fire his Boltgun at Rena at point-blank range.
But Rena ignored his attack.
With her Rending Claws, covered in ultra-dense chitin and gleaming darkly.
She pierced the Terminator's armour with ease!
The scalp-prickling sound of twisting, tearing metal rang out!
Before Rena's Rending Claws, the sturdy Terminator Armour was torn apart as easily as cardboard!
The claw blades sank deep inside, then wrenched savagely outward!
"CRASH!"
Large armour plates, along with the conduits and servo mechanisms beneath them, were violently ripped open!
They exposed the relatively fragile life-support systems within and the Astartes warrior beneath the armour!
An expression of shock and defiance was still frozen on the warrior's face.
The next second, the Rending Claws stabbed in again, clenched, and twisted.
Blood and shattered viscera gushed from the breach in the armour.
Everything happened too quickly; barely two seconds passed between Rena's surprise attack and the Terminator's death.
"No!!!"
Cassius witnessed it all, his dark blue eyes instantly becoming bloodshot!
A mixture of fury, grief, and a savage fighting spirit provoked beyond all restraint erupted in his chest like a volcano!
"Xenos!!!"
He roared like a wounded beast, his green Cataphractii Terminator Armour surging into motion.
With furious strides, he charged toward Rena.