At the top of the spire, Atia looked down at the routed human army, his face expressionless.
For him, this was just a trivial step in the plan.
His real goal was never to defeat this ragtag coalition.
" Tyranids's host..."
He spoke softly, his gaze shifting towards the Uptown, settling on the location of Saint Garus Castle.
That human with a unique soul aura, that prey entangled by the Hive Mind, was his ultimate target on this journey.
By capturing him, we can follow the trail and find the Tyranid Swarm hidden in the shadows.
"It's time to close the net."
Meanwhile, on the third basement level of Saint Garus Castle.
Lynn finally reunited with the elite troops from Uptown who had come to her rescue.
Leading the team was the captain of the Ecclesiarchy's Sisters of Battle, her black Power Armour stained with blood, her expression resolute.
"Governor, we have breached the outer perimeter of the Chaos Cultist and cleared the route. Please follow us."
Lynn nodded, his gaze sweeping over the underground battlefield behind him.
Luna's Scourge army is still putting up a stubborn resistance, but it has lost its power.
"Leave two squads to keep the enemy underground occupied. The rest of you, come with me."
He did not hesitate at all.
The battle in the Midtown is now in a mess. Atia is leading the Thousand Sons in a steady and methodical advance. If this drags on any longer, the consequences will be unimaginable.
The most urgent task is to break out of the castle and regain overall command.
The group quickly advanced along the cleared passage and soon arrived at the main square of Saint Garus Castle.
Just as Lynn stepped out of the castle gates, his steps suddenly halted.
He looked up at the sky.
The thick, leaden-gray clouds Uptown suddenly burst into flames.
Flames of orange-red and ghostly blue swirled in the clouds, and a restless, decaying aura of Psychic Power filled the air, making it hard to breathe.
not good!
Lynn's heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, she roared:
"Retreat! Everyone, retreat to the castle immediately! Quickly!"
The soldiers around him were taken aback for a moment, but years of discipline made them instinctively turn around.
But it was too late.
The next second, countless colorful Psychic Power fire rained down from the burning fire cloud.
These flames were not as scorching as ordinary flames, but they possessed a more terrifying destructive power.
They easily penetrated the soldiers' armor, and upon touching the skin, they directly burned their souls.
"Ah!!!"
A series of piercing screams erupted instantly.
The accompanying elite mortal soldiers fell to the ground, rolling and roaring wildly, but they could not extinguish the Psychic Power flames on their bodies.
In just a few seconds, dozens of people were burned to death.
Only the Sisters of Battle, empowered by their faith, held aloft sacred relics to create a shield of faith, barely managing to withstand the onslaught of the fire rain.
Despite their pale faces, the Genestealer officers in the group were still able to maintain their fighting strength thanks to their strong physique and Psychic Power resistance, and they pulled the ordinary soldiers around them back into the castle.
Lynn stood at the castle gate, staring intently at the sky.
The fiery clouds slowly parted to the sides.
A figure descended slowly from the flames atop a spinning Disc of Tzeentch.
He wore a dark blue wizard's robe embroidered with gold trim, and his helmet was adorned with the iconic large bull horns.
The gem at the top of his staff constantly changed colors, and he was surrounded by leaping rainbow-colored Psychic Power flames.
The terrifying Psychic Power pressure pressed down as if it were a physical force, making it difficult for everyone in the square to breathe.
Atia, a high-ranking wizard of the Cult of Knowledge.
He looked down at Lynn at the doorway, a playful smile playing on his lips.
"Finally found you, human who's been entangled with Tyranids."
Amidst the churning flames, Atia hovered in mid-air atop a spinning Disc of Tzeentch, the rainbow gem at the tip of his wand shimmering with an eerie light.
He looked down at Lynn at the castle gate, his voice piercing through the layers of fire and rain, reaching everyone's ears clearly.
Lynn's knuckles, gripping the Sword of Valenia, turned slightly white, and his heart sank to the bottom.
He didn't need to guess to know that Atia had gone to such great lengths to break through the defenses and personally block the entrance to Saint Garus Castle; he must have only one target.
This is the "human" who has a special relationship with the Tyranids.
Previously, he could use the complex terrain underground to maneuver, but now, in the open castle square, with enemies blocking his way in front and pursuers behind, the situation had become extremely dire.
"Protect the Governor! Form a defensive formation!"
The captain of the Sisters of Battle shouted sharply, but the next second, the earth shook violently.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several Helbrute, each several meters tall, broke through the fiery clouds and crashed heavily onto the ground of the plaza.
The heavy soles of his feet cracked the floor tiles, and Tzeentch's rainbow runes were wrapped around his twisted metal shell.
The Daemon Engine within his chest roared violently, spewing forth sulfurous Psychic Power flames.
The heavy weapons on their shoulders slowly rotated their muzzles, aiming at the hastily assembled human soldiers.
Following closely behind were endless Tzeentch Daemon.
The Flamer, appearing as a rainbow-colored phantom, emerged from the fiery clouds and shrieked as it pounced on the crowd.
The blue and red Necrontyr grinned in the air, unleashing a barrage of Psychic Power missiles, while a massive Chaos Spawn dragged its twisted limbs and rampaged through the ruins.
The fire rain continued to fall, and the demons continued to surge. The already small rescue team was instantly overwhelmed and unable to breathe.
"Fire!"
The Vanguard's elite troops, using the castle pillars and statues as cover, roared with the Heavy Bolter.
Bullets struck the Helbrute's armor, sending Mars flying, but they could not penetrate the metal shell imbued with Chaos.
The Sisters of Battle, wielding flamethrowers, advanced. Wherever the holy flames passed, the low-level demons let out shrill screams and turned into wisps of smoke.
But there are too many demons.
They seemed to be an endless stream, constantly pouring out of the fiery clouds.
The soldiers in the front row had just cut down a Necrontyr when another demon ripped open their throats from behind.
The Psychic Power attacks rained down on the position, each explosion sending up a cloud of blood mist.
Lynn drew his sword, Sword of Valenia ignited with pale golden holy flames.
He sidestepped an incoming Psychic Power ray, and with a sweeping sword, cut the two Pink Horror that lunged at him in two.
The holy flames scorched the demon's Warp body, producing a sizzling sound.
He alone could not hold up the entire defensive line.
The battle lines are retreating step by step.
The casualty figures for the soldiers were rising rapidly. The elite rescue force of several hundred men was nearly halved in less than fifteen minutes.
The ground of the castle square was soaked in blood, and corpses were piled up like building blocks in front of the defensive line, forming a low wall of flesh and blood.
Even worse news came from behind.
"Governor! Chaos Knight have appeared behind us! Eight of them! They're charging towards us!"
The communications soldier's desperate screams Lynn's ears through the cacophony of the battlefield.
Lynn turned around abruptly.
At the end of Castle Avenue, eight twisted Chaos Knight mechs were charging at full speed.
Their armor was covered in Tzeentch runes, their weapons gleamed with Psychic Power light, and buildings and roadblocks in their path were easily smashed to pieces like paper.
Leading the group was a Heldrake, one that Lynn recognized all too well—it was Luna.
She actually broke through the underground blockade and chased after them.
Lynn understood instantly.
Atia wanted to capture him in order to study the secrets of the Tyranids and present them to the Lord of Change.
Luna wanted to capture him to steal credit and prove that she was Tzeentch's most favored follower.
The two Tzeentch lackeys were now racing against time, each wanting to be the first to seize him and gain the favor of the Lord of Change.
In front of them were high-ranking wizards and Helbrute, and behind them was an army of Chaos Knight.
Besieged on all sides, unable to escape.
Lynn watched as the soldiers fell one by one around him, and as the holy light barrier of the Sisters of Battle grew dimmer and dimmer.
Chaos torrent was closing in from both sides, and a sense of powerlessness and despair welled up uncontrollably from the bottom of my heart.
Am I really going to fail here today?
He gripped the sword tightly, his fingers trembling slightly.
It wasn't fear, it was resentment.
He still has Brevis to protect, Rena to wait for him, and countless things left undone.
But the demon had already rushed up to him, the Helbrute's cannon was aimed at his position, and the roar of the knight mechs behind him was getting closer and closer.
Only a handful of his elite warriors remained, still desperately protecting him.
But at this critical moment, a clear and melodious dragon's roar suddenly pierced the clamor of the battlefield.