Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 737 The Battle of Baal, Part Four

In the northern hemisphere of Baal, at the canyon defense front codenamed "Anvil," the roar of bomb guns and the howl of chainsaw swords have replaced the pre-battle silence.

The air was filled with gunpowder smoke, dust, and the pungent, sour smell unique to Tailun Bio.

Cassius, a recruit of the Blood Angels, gripped his explosive pistol tightly. Beneath his crimson power armor helmet, his breathing was slightly rapid with tension.

This was the first time he had faced such a large swarm of Tyranids, rather than targets in a training field or data on a data board.

His tactical squad, led by Sergeant Herman, along with three other squads, guarded this vital passage leading to the rear energy hub.

"Hold the line, maintain firepower levels!" Sergeant Herman's calm voice rang out in the squad's communication channel. Each burst of his heavy bomb gun accurately shattered the upper body of a knife-like insect attempting a rapid advance. "Pay attention to crossfire on the flanks, don't let those scum get through any gaps!"

The recruits diligently carried out their orders, as explosive shells were fired continuously from the pre-set firing ports, bursting into clumps of viscous green liquid amidst the surging swarm of insects.

The scorching beams of laser guns shot from the Astronautical positions, leaving burn marks on the alien's carapace.

However, the swarm seemed endless in number. As the front ranks fell, the rear ranks immediately surged forward, stepping over the corpses of their companions. Ignoring casualties, they roared and advanced, pounding the Imperial defenses with sharp bone blades and acidic spore bullets capable of corroding terracotta.

"Left flank! They're climbing up!" a recruit shouted. Several knife insects, using the shadows of the rocks and the corpses of their fallen comrades as cover, leaped up and pounced on the laser cannon group on the flank of the position.

Cassius instinctively turned his gun around, and the bullets fired, blasting one of them into the air.

Almost simultaneously, Sergeant Herman took a swift sidestep, his powered gauntlets whistling as he swung them, smashing another Blade Bug to pieces, shell and all.

The foul-smelling bodily fluids splattered onto Hermann's shoulder armor, making a hissing, corrosive sound.

“Well done, Cassius! Stay alert!” Herman’s voice remained steady, but Cassius could see wisps of white smoke rising from his gauntlets. “Remember, conserve your ammunition, aim for vitals. These guys aren’t going to give you time to reload.”

The pressure continues to increase.

Larger warrior bugs began to appear in the swarm. Their thick carapaces could withstand direct hits from several explosive projectiles, and they wielded huge bone blades and biological cannons, posing a serious threat to the defense line.

One concentrated attack failed to eliminate it in time, and a samurai insect broke through the fire net, its bone blade slashing down fiercely, cutting a recruit in his power armor in two.

"Oriel!" Cassius heard the mournful cry of his comrade beside him, but he had no time to pay attention to anything else, as more Zerg units took advantage of the gap being torn open and swarmed in.

The roar of the chainsaw swords grew more intense, and the Blood Angels were forced into a brutal melee with the aliens that had stormed into their positions.

Master Chief Herman is like a red reef; every swing of his powered gauntlets is accompanied by the shattering of armor and the wailing of aliens.

He calmly directed the remaining team members to tighten their formation and provide cover for each other. "Second team, move towards the center! Third team, use the heat guns on that big guy!"

Similar scenes are playing out across the surface of Bal.

The sporangia dropped by the swarm are not evenly distributed, but rather target key nodes and weak points in the defense system.

While the pre-set positions, minefields, and obstacles slowed the advance of the swarm and caused heavy casualties, they could not completely stop them.

With their rich experience and unwavering will, the veterans of the Holy Blood Angels led the new recruits in a tenacious resistance, constructing a mobile death zone with explosives, flames, and powered weapons.

However, casualties inevitably began to occur. Every fallen soldier meant a gap in the defense line, requiring more people to fill it.
-
Inside the command center of the Indomitable Truth, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt almost tangible.

On the main tactical star map, in the area representing the surface of Baal, countless red dots representing firefights spread like a plague.

The communication channels were filled with hoarse, urgent, and even statically-interfering requests for help and battle reports from commanders on all fronts.

"...The 'Anvil' defense line is under immense pressure. Requesting orbital fire coverage of coordinate region Alpha-7!"

"...Report from Sekendus Equatorial Base: The Zerg swarm has breached the third trench and requires urgent support!"

"...A large number of Zerg Warriors have been discovered outside the core energy hub, and the defending forces urgently need heavy weapon support!"

Chen Xi stood in front of the central command console, his face tense, his sharp eyes scanning the constantly updating information stream.

His brain, like the most efficient data processing core, rapidly filters massive amounts of often contradictory information and makes decisions.

"Approve the 'Anvil' defense line rail fire request," Chen Xi ordered the officer in charge of fleet coordination, his voice calm and unwavering. "Target coordinates Alpha-7. Authorize the cruiser 'Steadfast Will' to execute a salvo of light lances."

Warn them that the landing point must be extremely precise, less than 500 yards from our position.

"Notify the Basilisk II Orbital Defense Command to mobilize the nearest Ravenwing Stormclaw Squadron to provide ground support to the Equatorial Base and eliminate the swarms of insects that have breached the trenches."

"Tell the garrison commander of the energy core hub that there are no additional heavy weapon units available. Instruct them to defend using fortifications and pre-established firing positions, hold their ground, and await reinforcements. Their priority support level has been recorded."

He issued one instruction after another, clear, concise, and with a clear objective.

Staff officers and technical priests worked efficiently around him, translating orders into concrete action codes and sending them to Imperial units throughout the star system.

Chen Xi knew that orbital fire support was not a panacea.

Zerg swarms and Imperial ground forces are often intertwined, and overly dense orbital bombardment can easily cause friendly fire.

He must precisely calculate the urgency, risks, and benefits of each request, using his limited naval forces wisely.

At the same time, he also had to coordinate the already strained reserves and logistical supplies to ensure that key defensive lines did not collapse due to running out of ammunition or losing reinforcements.

He quickly pulled up the latest situation map of the "Anvil" defense line and saw that the energy symbol representing the volley of light spears had landed precisely at the designated coordinates, temporarily halting the swarm's fierce offensive there and buying Herman's squad time to reorganize the defense line.

But he also saw that the signal from another defense node on the Sekendus satellite, after putting up a stubborn resistance for several minutes, was completely overwhelmed by the green light representing the swarm's control.

Battle reports arrived like snowflakes, each one representing sacrifice and attrition.

Chen Xi handled and coordinated the situation expressionlessly, like an old sailor clinging tightly to the helm in a raging storm. Despite the ship's constant groans and the continuous influx of seawater, he never allowed the giant ship carrying countless hopes to completely capsize.

He is using all his experience and willpower to fight for every chance of survival for the soldiers fighting on the ground, and to maintain the minimum operation of the entire defense system.
-
The bridge of the "Unyielding Truth" hummed from the continuous impact vibrations. The overload alarm of the Void Shield had just subsided when a new threat was marked on the tactical star map—three swarm bio-ships resembling giant sea creatures with unusually thick shells were breaking through the fire net from different angles. Their enormous mass and high-energy signals indicated that they were heavy units specifically designed for ramming.

"Target locked! Macro cannon reload time remaining at fifteen seconds!" the weapons officer reported urgently.

Lion King Leon Al Johnson stood in the center of the bridge, his imposing figure unmoved.

His sharp gaze swept across the star map, instantly determining that the macro cannons couldn't intercept all targets before impact. One of them was charging straight towards the engine room of the "Indomitable Truth."

"Hard to port, all broadside guns to concentrate fire on target number one." The Lion King's voice was deep and steady, without the slightest fluctuation: "Azrael, order the frigate formation to implement crossfire."

"Yes, Primarch!" Azrael responded loudly to the Lion King's command and immediately ordered the escort fleet to launch a fire strike.

The command was executed instantly.

The massive warship began to turn with difficulty, and dense lasers and explosives rained down on the charging bio-ship, exploding into countless viscous green fireballs on its thick hull.

Disregarding their own safety, the two Dark Angel frigates cut into the path of the bio-ship's charge and unleashed a salvo with all their broadside weapons.

Just before the bio-ship was about to crash into the engine room, Lion King issued a crucial order: "All available torpedoes, target the enemy ship's propeller array, fire salvo!"

Several armor-piercing torpedoes roared out of the "Indomitable Truth" launch tubes and accurately hit the bio-energy-spurting propulsion unit at the stern of the bio-ship.

The violent explosion caused the massive alien ship to pause abruptly, subtly shifting its trajectory.

With a piercing metallic tearing sound, the ram of the bio-ship grazed the engine armor of the "Unyielding Truth," leaving only a deep scratch on the thick armor.

The Dark Angels' sailors immediately began emergency repairs to ensure the engine ran smoothly.

"The second and third targets are approaching the 'Rock' fortress," the sensor officer reported.

Lion King turned his gaze to the main screen: "Mobilize the Ravenwing Assault Boat squadron, carrying molten metal bombs to attack its sensor array. Main battleships, maintain distance and continuously weaken its armor with light lances."

Under his command, the Dark Angels fleet displayed superb tactical coordination.

The fast and agile assault boat formations, braving a barrage of spore fire, carried out precision strikes on the critical parts of the remaining two heavy bio-ships, while the capital ships weakened their defenses with sustained fire from the outside.

However, the Hive Will clearly noticed this well-controlled source of threat.

More specialized units began to change course, no longer prioritizing the destruction of ships, but instead attempting to break through the defenses and head straight for the command center of the "Indomitable Truth".
-
On the surface of Baal, in a relatively open wasteland behind the "Anvil" defense line, Leona's figure moved through the swarm of insects.

Her movements are of the same origin as the Lion King's, containing terrifying power of the same level, and her deep green power armor is like a deadly phantom.

With each swing of the "Lion King's Sword," which shared the same origin as the Lion King's sword, she brought forth a trail of severed limbs and broken bones.

With a flash of sword light, the thick carapace of the swarm warriors was sliced ​​open like paper, and the Blade Zerg fell in droves.

Her fighting style is efficient and precise, wasting almost no energy and always causing maximum damage with minimal movement.

She had just rushed to the aid of an Astronomical artillery position that was about to be breached, single-handedly wiping out dozens of Xenomorphs that had stormed into the position, allowing the mortal soldiers to resume operating the heavy artillery and unleash firepower on the subsequent swarm of insects.

"Lady Leona! Pressure has surged at the eastern canyon entrance! The garrison reports the appearance of a new type of large unit!" A Blood Angel messenger's voice came through the communicator, accompanied by the sound of intense explosions.

"Received." Leona's response was concise and clear.

She glanced at the tactical map, then sped off again, crossing the firefight zone at a speed far exceeding that of a regular Astartes, heading towards the location of the distress call.

When she arrived at the canyon entrance, the defenses there were crumbling.

Several Tyranitar-like creatures, resembling giant spiders, were bombarding the temporary fortifications constructed by the Blood Angels with their powerful appendages and disintegrating rays.

Most of the defenders' heavy weapons had been destroyed in previous battles, and the bomb guns had little effect on the Destroyer's thick armor.

Leona did not linger.

She charged straight at the nearest Destroyer, the Lion King's Sword whistling through the air as it precisely cleaved into its relatively vulnerable leg joint.

The Destroyer let out a painful howl, and its massive body swayed to one side.

Leona seized the opportunity to leap up, her longsword plunging fiercely into the gap in its back armor. Primarch-level power erupted instantly, completely destroying its core structure.

Her appearance immediately attracted the attention of other Destroyers and surrounding Zerg units.

More firepower was concentrated on her.

Leona danced on the edge of a knife, using the terrain and the massive size of the swarm as cover to evade deadly attacks while constantly seeking opportunities to deliver a fatal blow to her enemies.

Her presence greatly relieved the pressure on the defenders, allowing them to reorganize their defenses under her cover and use molten metal bombs and plasma weapons to deal with the remaining Destroyers.

Soon, the crisis at the canyon entrance was temporarily averted.

Leona stood atop a mountain of Zerg corpses, her power armor smeared with green slime, breathing slightly heavily.

Her fight saved the crucial passage, but she could also sense that more malevolent consciousness was targeting her.

The Hive's will is deploying more threatening units in an attempt to eliminate this "node" that has caused too much trouble on the surface battlefield.

Whether on orbit or on the surface, the powerful intervention of the two Primarch-level beings did indeed stabilize the crumbling front at a critical moment, and their bravery and strength greatly boosted the morale of all Imperial warriors.

But at the same time, they also acted like the brightest lighthouses, attracting the attention of the fiercest and most dangerous predators in the dark tide of the swarm.

The focus of the war is inevitably converging on their location.

(End of this chapter)