The situation was going from bad to worse.
Dante had brought the Third Company to resist the sudden appearance of the Necron legions, only to be forced into an alliance with them to fight off the Tyranid invasion. But just when they thought the Tyranids were retreating and they could reach a peaceful standoff with the Necrons, an even larger fleet had suddenly descended.
The Necron forces were being drowned by an endless tide of Tyranids, and the Blood Angels were forced to retreat into the Hive city, relying on its structures to barely hold their ground. However, the Gehenna Hive was an unremarkable structure with no significant defensive advantages. Dante had to reinforce the defenses using every resource at his disposal.
Initially, these defenses were effective. Large swarms were held back, and the warriors of the Third Company moved tirelessly across the battlefield to plug gaps, barely stabilizing the line. But the appearance of numerous Hive Tyrants and Neurotyrants tore those lines apart. Many Blood Angels fell, and Apothecaries risked their lives to recover the gene-seed of their fallen brothers.
Then, they appeared.
Dante guessed they were a new type of Tyranid unit. They possessed appearances close to humans, but their power far exceeded human limits. The long-haired woman possessed psychic power beyond imagination; with a wave of her hand, she could flip Leman Russ tanks and destroy the creations of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The other, a short-haired woman, possessed physical strength that defied logic, punching through steel plates meters thick with her bare hands.
Led by these two entities of anomalous combat power, the Tyranids surged forward, breaking through the most fortified defensive lines in just a few days.
"Mephiston?"
The intrusion of the Chief Librarian interrupted Dante's thoughts.
"They are coming. They are less than two hundred kilometers away. We must find a way to retreat."
"Retreat? You want us to abandon this place—"
"Dante, you are the Chapter Master, a hero of the Imperium for a thousand years. You cannot die. Even if the entire Chapter is wiped out, you must live."
Dante understood the logic, but it was hard to accept. He had become a Space Marine to save the Imperium.
"Only by living can you continue to save the Imperium." Mephiston sensed Dante's inner conflict and told him, "This is our last chance. The Shadow in the Warp has completely covered this sector, and my strength is steadily fading."
Dante could only accept. The remaining dozens of Third Company warriors and the Sanguinary Guard gathered. Dante felt a heavy weight in his heart.
"Do not worry, My Lord. We will fight to the last breath." The commander of the Mortal Auxiliaries spoke these words, and Dante nodded solemnly.
Ten remaining Thunderhawk gunships were the last hope of getting Dante off the surface. Mephiston and several other Librarians remained in the Hive. Mephiston had drawn a massive ritual circle; even before activation, the psychic fluctuations emanating from it were leaking out despite the suppression of the Shadow in the Warp.
"Come, brothers. Let them see our fury."
Mephiston unleashed his psychic power. The ritual circle was activated as every Librarian channeled their strength into it. A red psychic halo rapidly swept across the planet's surface. Everything touched by this halo came to a standstill. Stopping time was not a monopoly held by technology; psychic power could achieve the same. With the assistance of the other Librarians, Mephiston managed to halt time across the entire planet—including his own allies.
However, there were existences capable of remaining unaffected by his psychic power.
Several hours later, standing beside his frozen Librarian brothers, Mephiston felt the arrival of the great enemy.
Yuno had arrived.
Mephiston unleashed terrifying bolts of psychic lightning. Under the protection of the ritual circle and some unknown source of Warp assistance, Yuno had to handle the situation with care. She landed on the ground, looking at the ritual circle and the Librarians protected by Mephiston's psychic shield.
"Interesting. You actually used such a spell to stop my troops."
"It was a necessity." Mephiston floated in the air, holding his psychic hood, as the phantom image behind him slowly grew wings.
"You have accepted help from an enemy. Is this something the Imperium can tolerate?"
"Librarians often possess more tolerance than others."
Psychic confrontations were often invisible and lethal. Mephiston's expression was grim, sweat dripping from his brow. He knew all too well how dangerous these beings were; a single misstep would lead to instant death. He only hoped Dante would seize the opportunity he had painstakingly created and escape successfully.
Dante's flight of Thunderhawks had been exempted from Mephiston's stasis. they ascended frantically through the frozen world, passing by Gargoyles suspended mid-air.
Dante issued an order: "Attack those enemies while we can. We must reduce the pressure on our allies on the ground as much as possible."
Dante's group eliminated the frozen Tyranid organisms as they broke through the planet's gravity and entered space.
"Which of our warships can reach us? We can't navigate deep space in Thunderhawks!"
"My Lord, I'm afraid the warship isn't our primary concern right now."
A sudden jolt shook the craft, as if something was crawling on the exterior hull of the Thunderhawk. Suddenly, the main hatch was torn open, and a short-haired woman squeezed inside.
"You almost managed to get away."
"Damn it! For the blood of Sanguinius!"
The Sanguinary Guard charged immediately, but War killed them as if she were crushing insects. After dealing with the elite Blood Angels, War lunged at Dante without hesitation. Dante raised his sword in response; the Chapter Master truly lived up to his legend, exchanging several blows with War before a single heart was pierced by her strike.
But that was the end of it. War raised her foot, intending to crush Dante's head.
However, another Warp entity intervened. Clad in golden armor with massive white wings on his back, the Sanguinor blocked War's attack. With a beat of his wings, he dragged War down and out of the craft.
Dante was severely wounded, but he knew he could not die here.
"Quickly... leave this place. We cannot let all the sacrifices be in vain!" Dante gasped for air.
He was exhausted. But he would never give up. As long as he had a breath left, he would struggle to live—for the Imperium, for the Emperor, for Sanguinius, and for humanity. The damaged Thunderhawk sped away.
Gehenna grew smaller in their view, but then, the wreckage of a battlefield appeared. Dante knew this wreckage hadn't been there before; it was recent.
"Beep—calling out, calling out. This is the Blood Angels Fifth Company. Are there any survivors?"
"Chapter Master Dante is here. Gehenna has fallen. What is the situation here?"
"We were ambushed by a Hive Fleet. We have suffered heavy losses. Retreat immediately and preserve our strength!"
Eventually, the Thunderhawk boarded a frigate. Dante saw the decimated Fifth Company.
"What happened?"