Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 661

The arrival of the Ash Knights instilled an indomitable will in the island's defenses, but they could not reverse the planet's fate of sliding towards destruction.

Sensing the Empire's growing power, the Genestealers abandoned their slow erosion and instead activated the ultimate weapon buried deep within the planet's lifeblood—the all-consuming ocean itself.

Oregana's monitoring array was the first to sound a piercing alarm.

Biosignal readings in the global oceans are soaring at an unprecedented rate, no longer the chaotic echoes of individuals, but merging into several massive, unified aggregates of biological consciousness radiating pure malice.

At the same time, the Tyran biomass deposits deep within the "Deep Blue Sea Cave" released astonishing energy fluctuations, as if an evil heart beating in the abyss had reached its peak of contraction.

"Warning: Teren Bio-ship-class biosignals detected. Multiple ultra-large targets are rising from the deep sea, with trajectories pointing towards the coastlines of this island and major continental plates."

Oregana's synthesized voice was cold and urgent, drowning out all the background noise in the command center.

As if to confirm her judgment, the entire island trembled violently. It was not the vibration of artillery fire, but a terrifying geological groan caused by some ancient, savage force stirring the continental shelf.

The sea level began to rise against all reason, and the seawater within a radius of several kilometers churned and roared as if boiling. Then, the nightmare materialized into reality.

The enormous creature tore through the sea.

It was a living behemoth that transcended the conventional concept of biology—a biological Titan, much like Leviathan.

They were covered with a thick, slippery, ever-growing chitinous carapace, riddled with honeycomb-like holes from which endless gargoyles and spore mines gushed forth like pus, instantly blotting out the sky.

Their head structures are twisted and deformed, some with gaping maws large enough to swallow a landing ship, inside which are layers upon layers of high-speed rotating bone millstones.
Some have evolved incredibly thick biological cannons, their interiors churning with deadly biological plasma energy and flashing with a destructive green light.

"For the Emperor! Hold your positions!"

Commander Shi Dongzhan's roar was like thunder, overwhelming the initial chaos of the battlefield.

He and his Ash Knight Space Marines formed the backbone of the defense.

The warband commander himself stood at the heart of the battle, his heavy bomb gun firing devastating firepower at a steady rhythm, accurately targeting the cluster of eye sensors on a giant beast, sending juices flying and forcing the monster to let out a deafening scream of pain.

However, individual bravery appears insignificant in the face of such terror.

These sea monsters were themselves mobile fortresses and hatcheries, crashing directly into the bedrock of islands with their mountain-like bodies.

Each impact caused the earth to shake violently, and the carefully constructed defenses collapsed in sections like sandcastles built by children.

Each strike of the tentacles or limbs covered in thick armor could wipe out the entire position along with the defenders on it.

The sky has been completely dominated by Teren Air Superiority Biology.

The gargoyles, like a dark cloud of death, swooped down and pounced. Their small biological weapons and claws might pose a limited threat to power armor, but they were a deadly nightmare for mortal soldiers and light vehicles.

The spore mines drift down silently, and once they sense any signs of life, they explode violently, spraying deadly toxins and corrosive liquids in all directions.

The battlefield instantly transformed into a chaotic meat grinder.

Faced with this apocalyptic scene, the empire's elites displayed extraordinary resilience.

Captain Titus and his Deathwatch squad stood firm like a rock, always at the forefront of the defense.

Their bombardment guns and plasma weapons were incredibly efficient at eliminating the behemoth appendages attempting to land and close-range flying units. Their precise firepower always thwarted the Terran offensive at the most dangerous moments.

The Ash Knights fought in small squads, their heavy weapons—thermal blasters, plasma cannons, and laser cannons—leaving scorched craters on the behemoths' bodies, slowing their advance, and even managing to force back a heavily wounded behemoth.

Aurejana maintained a high degree of synchronization with the gabbro in orbit, and her calculations never ceased.

"Requesting authorization for orbital strike! Target: Ocean behemoth! Risk: Extremely high; close-range strikes are highly likely to cause collateral damage!"

Her report was quick and clear.

"Authorization! Open fire immediately! Stop them!"

Chen Xi gave the order without hesitation. The price of survival had to be paid.

The Gabbro's light spear tore through the atmosphere once again, this time striking almost at the edge of the island's air defense network.

A blazing beam of light struck the back of a colossal beast with pinpoint accuracy, instantly vaporizing its thick carapace and most of its body. Dark purple blood gushed out like a volcanic eruption, staining the surrounding sea a filthy brown.

The behemoth let out a deafening howl and slowly sank, triggering a tsunami that destroyed several sections of the beachhead.

The orbital strikes once again demonstrated their devastating power, but also came at a cost to the defenders.

The shockwave from the explosion shattered the reinforced glass behind it, and the flying energy burned nearby soldiers.

The battle has entered its most brutal phase of attrition.

The ocean was no longer blue; instead, it had become a purplish-black swamp churning with thick, sticky blood, floating limbs and broken weapons.

The air was filled with the acrid smell of ozone, gunpowder smoke, a heavy stench of blood, and the cloying, putrid stench unique to Tyron Bio.

The presence of the Space Marines became a key pillar in preventing the defenses from collapsing.

Their superhuman endurance, superior power armor, and unparalleled combat skills enabled them to continue fighting even when ordinary armies had long since collapsed.

A new Ash Knight recruit dodged the deadly tentacle strike with astonishing speed, then retaliated with his molten gun, melting the tentacle in half.

The Deathwatch warriors covered each other, and their mobile fortress tactics effectively contained the infiltration of spore mines and gargoyles.

Their casualties were kept to an extremely low level; every injury or loss was due to extreme accidents or overwhelming numbers, which in itself is proof of their extraordinary strength.

However, they were unable to turn the tide of the battle.

They can hold a point, but they cannot defend every inch of the island's coastline.

They can kill the giant beasts, but each kill requires precious time and ammunition, while the depths of the ocean seem to offer an endless supply of replacements.

The noble guard suffered a complete loss, and the remnants of the planetary defense force were wiped out in a desperate hand-to-hand battle.

Although the Space Marines are incredibly powerful, their numbers are like a few solid rocks in a raging torrent compared to the hundreds of millions of Tyranid swarms—they can break the waves, but they cannot stop the ocean from roaring.

Chen Xi stood in the command center, his psychic senses filled with endless pain and the wails of death.

His face was like cold steel, only the occasional flick of his fingertips deflecting spore mines heading towards critical facilities, or the glimmer of light in his eyes deflecting bioplasma heading towards supply points, revealing the multiple calculations and psionic interventions he was engaged in.

He was the pillar of support for everyone, but he was also keenly aware of his limits.

The battle situation temporarily stabilized after an extremely bloody tug-of-war, but this balance was as fragile as a spider's web.

The Empire's elite forces withstood the fiercest offensive, but could not eliminate the source of the pollution—the Tyranid node creatures hidden deep within the unreachable ocean.

Even the Astartes Order cannot carry out decapitation strikes deep into ocean trenches without specialized equipment.

What they need is quantity—a massive, fearless army large enough to cover the entire coastline of the planet.

They need countless legions of the Astronautical Army, an overwhelming barrage of guns and steel torrents, to confront the vast ocean of aliens with sheer numbers.

Only then can these powerful Astartes be freed from the endless war of attrition and transform into the sharpest blades to pierce the enemy's heart.

But now, they are holding on and waiting for reinforcements.

Every exploding shell casing that lands, every chainsaw sword that roars, every streak of light that cuts across the sky—all are resolute vows to buy precious time for reinforcements to arrive.

They held firm, believing that the Empire's war machine would eventually answer the call and bring the Emperor's destruction upon this alien calamity.

(End of this chapter)