Driven by Cassius's fury, the Cataphractii Terminator armour erupted into an unprecedented roar.
Deep-blue arcs crackled across his Thunder Hammer, ionizing the air he passed through and leaving a scorched trail.
He had eyes only for the monster that had just butchered his battle-brother.
His target was within reach!
Yet just as he was about to reach the monster-
The purplish-red behemoth, which had just pulled its claws from the Terminator's remains, abruptly turned its head.
Dozens of scarlet compound eyes locked onto the charging Cassius in unison.
Reflected in those compound eyes were the green outline of his Cataphractii Armour, the leaping arcs, and the deep-blue eyes burning with rage beneath Cassius's helmet.
Their many eyes met (Rena had rather more eyes).
The instant their gazes met, it was as though a silent thunderbolt struck Cassius's mind!
"The probability of death is..."
"100%!"
The words spoken in Magos Celeres's mechanical voice suddenly exploded in the deepest recesses of his consciousness!
And the images kept replaying in his mind.
Could this monster before him be the "messenger of death" that the Machine God's revelation said would bring about his end?
Fear?
No.
He did not know what fear was.
Even when faced with a death foretold with one hundred percent certainty.
But Cassius's charge did not falter in the slightest, nor did its trajectory deviate by even the smallest degree.
Destined death? Then come!
His Thunder Hammer was already raised, every ounce of energy in his Power Armour pouring into this all-or-nothing strike!
He would smash her revolting skull with his Thunder Hammer, even if it meant they died together!
Yet.
Reality was always more absurd than any drama.
An instant before Cassius, bearing down with overwhelming force, was about to collide violently with Rena's enormous body-
Whoosh!
The enormous pair of purplish-red membranous wings on Rena's back beat fiercely!
The lift from her wings sent her airborne in an instant.
Swish!
Cassius's reckless charge carried the might of a thunderbolt, yet struck only an afterimage and the foul wind stirred up by her beating wing membranes!
Cassius stumbled forward a step, his immense momentum nearly throwing him off balance.
He abruptly steadied himself, and for the first time, an expression bordering on bewilderment appeared on his face beneath his helmet.
She dodged?
What chilled him even more was that, as Rena rose into the air, her cold compound eyes barely lingered on him.
She merely "glanced" down at him from above, her gaze seemingly holding disdain.
She remembered Lynn's instructions.
"Prioritize killing the green tin cans covered in ranged weapons and the other mortals.
Leave the ones carrying shields and hammers alone for now, especially the bald one."
Although Cassius was still wearing his helmet, the distinctive Iron Halo behind him, slightly distorting the light-
Still allowed Rena to recognize him.
And so, an exceedingly bizarre scene unfolded on the battlefield.
A terrifying flying behemoth powerful enough to butcher Terminators, like an apex predator toying with its prey.
Began circling, diving, and strafing over the entire Sons of Medusa position.
Her targets were clear and deadly: the Space Marines separated from their formations.
The poorly protected Skitarii operating heavy weapons.
She was as swift as lightning, every dive accompanied by a shrill rush of wind.
She was as agile as a phantom, always finding the weakest gap in the dense web of fire.
Her lethal Rending Claws and Bio-Plasma Cannon were nothing short of a nightmare for unprotected targets.
And what left the Sons of Medusa feeling most helpless was this.
She could fly!
Whenever Cassius roared and tried to lead the other still-mobile Cataphractii Terminators or warriors equipped with Jump Packs to surround her.
Whenever Skitarii Vanguard raised their Taser Goads and attempted suicidal charges.
Rena could always use the astonishing mobility provided by her enormous membranous wings to climb abruptly or change direction at the critical moment.
Like a slippery loach, she easily evaded every attempt to surround her or lock onto her.
Then she would trace an elegant, lethal arc through the air and swoop toward another target.
"Fire! Concentrate fire on her!"
"She's gone left!"
"Watch above!"
The vox channels filled with cries of anger, anxiety, and even a hint of despair.
Hails of bullets and energy beams chased the purplish-red silhouette, weaving a web of death through the air.
Heavy fire poured into Rena. Bolts exploded and energy beams seared her, indeed leaving her peculiar purplish-red carapace riddled with wounds.
But this damage was nowhere near fatal.
Rena's carapace seemed to possess astonishing regenerative abilities, or perhaps the seemingly severe damage to its outer layers had not touched her core at all.
Even more devastating was that whenever she took a relatively concentrated volley and her carapace suffered obvious damage-
She would not flee, but instead land beside some Astartes corpse.
Squelch! Her Rending Claws easily tore open the Power Armour, wrenching out the flesh within along with it.
Putting on a demonstration of "open the can and eat" right in front of Cassius.
These enhanced warriors, whose veins carried the genes of demigods, were the finest biomass to Rena.
They had eighty times the protein of beef, and could be eaten after twisting off the head.
"Beast!!!" Cassius's eyes nearly split with fury as he watched yet another warrior torn apart and devoured amid agonized screams.
He pursued her madly, his Thunder Hammer smashing every Tyranid in his path, his Storm Shield battering aside the tide of Hormagaunts attempting to block him.
Yet Rena kept him dancing in the palm of her hand.
At that moment, he felt he was an incompetent captain.
But amid this suffocating despair, Cassius's brain, like a precision logic processor.
Still worked frantically, picking up every anomalous detail.
He noticed that Rena was actually being attacked by others of her "kind" on the battlefield.
Bone spines volleyed at her, acid sprayed at her, and once, a Tyranid Warrior even swung its bonesword in an attempt to hack at Rena as she skimmed low overhead.
Rena's response was even more decisive.
She made a sharp turn and slashed through the air with her Rending Claws, shredding the Tyranid Warrior's head along with half its chest!
Among the Tyranids, it was not uncommon for higher organisms to crush lower cannon fodder blocking their path in the name of efficiency.
But two Synapse Creatures engaging in such outright mutual slaughter was absolutely abnormal!
The Hive Mind would not permit such meaningless infighting, unless... they were not under the command of the same will!
"Anomalous Node Alpha..."
Cassius's lips moved soundlessly beneath his helmet, and cold understanding flashed in his deep-blue eyes.