The mornful bellow from the Warmaster Titan's warhorns echoed throughout the ruins of Mercury Wall.
The engines of Legio Mortis had finally broken through the Mercury Wall, having run down the last survivors of Legio Ignatum. They continued to advance upon the beleaguered inner sanctum of the Imperial Palace. The loyalist survivors had largely retreated to the Sanctum Imperalis, leaving the outer rings of the palace to the inexorable invasion of the enemy.
Most of them, anyway.
Amidst the dense fog of dust and pollution that churned the air as orbital bombardments and artillery guns pounded the wrecked hab-blocks and manufactorums that once lined the palace's edges, several large shapes loomed, stalking the darkness. Though dwarfed by the immense Titans that battered the ruined wall and dug through the rubble with massive drill-claws, they were still titanic walkers over thirty feet in height. Azure power fields crackled to life around reaper chainswords and cerastus lances, lighting up the gloom that now haunted the holy land of Terra.
Mercury Wall might have fallen and the revered Legio Ignatum might have been all but annihilated, but the defenders continued to stand strong.
Drawn mostly from the myriad Knight houses that fought in Legio Ignatum's ill-fated last stand against their hated enemy, Legio Mortis, the bulk of the strike force was mostly comprised of Knights from House Yato. Borne of the distant world, Draconis III, the far-flung descendants of the colonists originating from the Dragon Nations had gathered together. No longer was their goal the defense of the Imperial Palace or the salvation of humanity.
No. Their goal now was vengeance. To hurt the enemy as much as possible in one desperate act of spite. To drown them in so much blood that the only outcome of this hellish war was mutual destruction. Roboute Guilliman, Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ had failed to come, their legions yet to arrive in Sol System for the final defense. The Traitors had run rampant all over the holy soil of Terra, desecrating it.
However, all was not lost yet. Through vox communications, they could hear the enemy being bled out. The Black Sword, and the Emperor's Champion who wielded it, slaying traitor champions by the dozen and inspiring the last surviving bands of imperial army soldiers to a ferocious defiance. The victory of the V Legion over the diseased XIV Legion, retaking the Lion's Gate Spaceport from Mortarion's plague-ridden sons. The defenders of Terra were far from defeated. As long as even a single bushi drew breath, they would fight on for the Emperor.
"But we cannot be reckless," Ishida cautioned, the upper half of his Cerastus Knight Lancer pivoted about to scan the ragged area. His auspex fizzled and spat static, unable to filter the dusty environment for any useful information. "Our opponents are god-engines. You have seen th state of some of them. I do know what foul magicks they have used, but they have distorted those once-glorious machines into something...twisted and daemonic."
"Ayakashi," Kawakami growled, clenching his fists within his haptic gloves. The thunderstrike gauntlet of his Questoris Knight Errant mirrored his movements. The rest of the warriors of House Yato murmured in agreement. The Ayakashi had been longtime enemies of the Knights of Draconis III, generations of armored riders sent out to repel during the horrors of Old Night. Even if the current pilots had not actually experienced such combat, they had all heard the terrifying legends. Particularly from the ghosts that whispered to them within their Throne Mechanicum.
"Be that as it may, but we cannot allow these traitors to continue inward," Suzuki said. His Cerastus Knight Atrapos stood some distance away, its bellicose machine spirit growling. Even among the Knights of House Yato, the Atrapos had a fearsome reputation that matched its function of hunting the largest enemy engines and monsters and slaying them. As such, even the fellow nobles remained wary of his armor.
"We are few in number and they are many," Tanaka pointed out with a sigh. Steam vented from the plasma decimator of his Dominus Knight Castellan, which was still warm after obliterating an armored column of enemy tanks. He was exhausted, having just rejoined his lance after assisting the First Terran Armoured in their long march toward the Lion's Gate Spaceport. "I lost my Bondsmen to the XIV Legion. Fighting against the Death Guard tanks was already risky. Titans will be a lot more dangerous."
"Heh, have you lost your nerve, Tanaka?" Suzuki taunted. "I did not think your little adventure with the White Scars would turn you into a coward."
"No, I am simply advising caution."
"So what do you suggest?" Kawakami demanded. "We can't just sit around doing nothing."
"No," Tanaka agreed. "But I've learned something from the V Legion. Hit and run tactics...strike fast, and then fade into the darkness before the enemy realizes what hit them. As long as we are careful, we can take down the greatest enemy with minimal losses."
"Minimal losses?" Suzuki barked out in laughter, and his Knight Atrapos gestured its lascutter toward the blackened skies as an imitation of its pilot's gesture. "Do you think there will be anything left?"
"Maybe not," Ishida cut in. "But that doesn't mean we should throw our lives away. As long as we remain alive, we can continue hitting back for as long as possible, and as many times as possible."
"Agreed." Kawakami nodded, his features obscured by the grainy image of the holo-picts floating in their Thrones Mechanicum. "I would rather fell two Titans than just one."
"I have a target for you guys, actually," Tanaka said with a smile. He conjured a fresh holo-screen and transmitted it to the others. "This particular enemy seems to have strayed away from its maniple, and we can strike it before it groups up with others."
The Infernus Magnificus was once a magnificent Titan, but its shape had been twisted by the daemons that now inhabited its warped structure. A Warmaster Titan of the Iconoclast class, it had been hidden in the armories of Mars until Kelbor-Hal had sanctioned for its release to Legio Mortis. Having served the Death Heads over several battlefields since then, the twisted engine only grew more unrecognizable with each slaugher, with the laughing unholy essences within its frame transforming their new home into shapes more pleasing to their bestial natures.
Ghostly fires spiraled out from what used to be vents, and its drill had now adopted a shape closer to clawed talons. Its skull-like face had mutated into a spectral facade, infernal fire burning within its sockets and mouth, and a slimy tongue lolled out, as if to taste the thick, gritty air that now saturated Holy Terra.
With another low growl, the Infernus Magnificus stomped across the wreckage. It had wandered away from its maniple, having sighted a small column of armor moving toward the distance. Having recognized the imperial tanks as prey, it stalked after them. One arm, formerly a Desolator chainsword, had now warped into a fleshy, snout-shaped blade with dripping fangs running along its edges. Without a proper ranged weapon other than the rotary cannons fitted into its carapace and shoulder-mounted melta cannons, it was forced to get up close to the fleeing tanks. Unfortunately, it lost its prey in the fog of dust. Wailing, the Infernus Magnificus stalked the region in hopes of running down the tanks, but its persistent search bore no fruit.
As distracted as it was by its elusive prey, the Infernus Magnificus did not notice the stealthy pack of much smaller predators closing in on it through the thick clouds of dust.
Like packs of Deinonychus hunting titanic sauropods during a primordial era in Old Earth's distant past, the Knights worked together to flank the Infernus Magnificus's rear arc. They had kept their weapons powered down, hoping not to trigger any sensors.
The first instance the Infernus Magnificus noticed that something was amiss was when the servitors hideously fused to the fleshy overgrowths that now spread across its mighty frame jolted and pinged their auspexes. The Ardex-defensor cannons began spitting out mauler bolt rounds at the ghostly silhouettes of Knights. Most of them missed, for the servitors' senses and the daemons' sight alike were befouled by the fog of dust. The daemons, in particular, were feeling sluggish when in close proximity to the wards in the palace.
Enju, Kawakami's Knight Errant, took a glance blow from one of the Ardex-defensor cannons, but he managed to deflect it with his ion shield. His thermal cannon glowed and roared, an incendiary beam lancing toward the Warmaster Titan's void shields and dissipating harmlessly.
By now, the Infernus Magnificus was turning around, its Desolator chainsword sweeping about to cleave the irritants into oblivion. But the Cerastus Knights moved quickly, keeping to its rear arc. Artificial lightning crackled around the lance of Ishida's Kishido, and he rammed it against the leg joints of the immense Titan.
The Infernus Magnificus appeared to bellow in agony, its warhorns shrieking so loudly that glass exploded in hab blocks and other units...those that remained unbroken after months of intense fighting and bombardment. It teetered, as if drunk, and then swiped, but Kishido had already moved away, making use of its superior agility to stay out of the devastating weapon's reach.
Ankoku then struck with its Atrapos las-cutter. Suzuki had timed it perfectly, when Infernus Magnificus was still targeting Kishido. The crackling beam scythed through the already weakened joints, slicing through exposed cables and leaving a molten gouge in the adamantium armor. Not satisfied with the damage, Suzuki stuck the graviton singularity cannon into the breach and fired at pointblank range. Black energies swirled about, crumpling metal and adamantium like an aluminium can that was still used by some more affluent regiments for ration-packs and drinks. Something must have gone critical, for internal explosions rang through the limb and the Infernus Magnificus sagged to one side.
However, the wounded beast was still dangerus. While Ankoku withdrew, it was not able to avoid the crushing grip of the Krius drill. One strike and Suzuki's Knight literally ceased to exist, reduced to shrapnel of metal as the screaming drill smashed his armor apart.
Suzuki's sacrifice was not in vain, for Kawakami maneuvered Enju toward the Titan's damaged leg. Firing the thermal cannon at pointblank range, Kawakami further softened the already burning joints. The limb was not entirely severed, but the adamantium armor was glowing red-hot and melting. Retreating swiftly, having learned from Suzuki's mistake, Kawakam left a spiteful slash with Enju's glowing Thunderstrike Gauntlet to rip out a chunk of ceramite and a handful of sparking cables before he darted away from the swinging Desolator chainsword.
The Infernus Magnificus snarled and reached out with its drill, but was distracted by minor explosions that spread across its void shields. Despite the damage to its left leg, the generator continued to hum, putting up a near impenetrable wall of voids that absorbed the ordnance from Tanaka's Knight Castellan. Kuro Ryuu was throwing out bursts of plasma from its plasma decimator and siegebreaker cannons, but none of the rounds broke through the void shields.
Then ruby lances of volkite slammed against the protective curtain, causing them to shimmer and pop like bubbles. A lance of Questoris Knights Styrix wearing the colors of House Kanda. The Mechanicus-algined house that served the neighboring forge world of Draconis IV, they were armed with esoteric weaponry. Immense volkite beams speared out of their volkite chieoroviles, taxing the void shield generators of the Infernus Magnificus and superheating them. The shimmering layers turned red from the intense heat and began to pop out of existence, one at a time.
However, this being the Warmaster Titan, it had countless void shields. A few collapsed, but still many remained standing. The shoulder-mounted melta cannons roared and one of the Knights Styrix winked out of existence, the incadescent blast melting it to slag. The rest of its banner quickly dispersed, avoiding the heavy rounds from the Infernus Magnificus's gatling cannons.
Then a single massive beam slammed into the last of the Infernus Magnificus's void shields, smashing it apart with a volcanic burst of superheated air. Ryuujin, the Warlord Titan of Legio Draconis - the sworn defenders of Draconis IV, strode forward, its volkite destructor roaring in fury. The Iconoclast-class Titan turned its fury toward Ryuujin, its melta cannons and gatling cannons snarling and battering the Warlord Titan's void shields out of existence. But it didn't intend to finish off the venerable machine at range. Its Krius drill was already spinning, threatening to slay the smaller Titan in close combat.
Tanaka saw his chance to save Princeps Kurosawa's machine. Now that the void shields of the enemy Titan had completely collapsed, he could pinpoint a target. Holding his breath, he lined the targeters on his auspex up, lifted up the volcano lance of Kuro Ryuu, and fired.
The massive beam erupted from the barrel and lanced through the damaged components on Infernus Magnificus's leg, finally separating it. For a moment, it appeared that Infernus Magnificus would not fall, the damage apparently superficial. However, it ground to a stop as its leg refused to obey its commands, vital cables and components ruptured, bathing the huge chambers within in flames and incinerating both neverborn and servitors alike.
Princeps Kurosawa did not miss his chance. Lining the Sunfury plasma annihilator of Ryuujin up, he melted the already softened remnants of Infernus Magnificus's leg to slag. With a howling groan, the Warmaster Titan teetered and toppled over, crashing facefirst into the dirt.
Kuro Ryuu and Enju converged, firing their thermal cannon and volcano lance into the torso, stripping away layers of armor. Ryuujin roared and its carapace turbo-laser destructors fired, gouging out more of the armor and exposing the plasma reactor. With another well-aimed shot from the super-charged plasma annihilator, Kurosawa slew the Infernus Magnificus with a superheated salvo that ruptured the plasma reactor and blew the fallen Titan up in a castastrophic explosion.
"Well fought, Knights of House Yato." The proud voice of Princeps Kurosawa was carried across the vox in their Thrones Mechanicum. "Good hunting."
"We would have lost more if it weren't for your assistance, honored Princeps," Ishida said.
"That does not lessen your courage and valor," Kurosawa responded. The Knights could hear the smile in his voice. "It heartens me that resistance continues even in these dark days."
"We follow the example of the Emperor's Champion. As long as even one of us remains standing, we will fight to the end." Kawakami was grim. "For the Emperor."
"For the Omnissiah, indeed." Kurosawa nodded. "Then...will you accompany me as we hunt down more of these abominations?"
"We will be honored to join you, noble Princeps," Tanaka said. He felt a tremendous sense of relief. With a Warlord Titan fighting by their side, perhaps their Knight Lance could take out more enemies before the inevitable end.
Perhaps they would all die here, on the ancestral homeworld of humanity...but he was determined to stave it off for as long as he could...and punish as many of the Emperor's enemies as possible.
