"boom--!"

The plasma engine of the Thunderhawk gunship let out a deafening roar, and the blazing tail flame tore a red crack in the atmosphere.

This blue and gold-painted war machine was like a hammer of divine punishment, carrying with it a conical air wave generated by breaking the sound barrier as it dived towards the area occupied by the Tau Empire.

The wings on both sides of the fuselage turned red due to the intense friction, and the emblem of the Ultramarines Legion shone with a sacred light under the high temperature.

"boom--!"

The twenty-ton steel behemoth smashed into the ground at a nearly vertical angle, and the landing legs sank deeply into the scorched earth at the moment of impact.

The recoil device spewed out compressed gas with a hissing sound, and the gravel within a radius of 100 meters was blown into the air by the shock wave.

The braking rockets on the gunboat's belly were still emitting bluish-white flames, scorching the surrounding air and causing it to distort.

“Click…click…click…”

The low sound of the hydraulic system is like the breathing of a giant beast awakening.

The hatch of the Thunderhawk slowly lowered, and the sound of metal gears meshing echoed over the battlefield.

When the hatch opened to a forty-five-degree angle, a pair of iron feet covered with platinum boots had already stepped onto the inclined ramp.

"Fire! Kill him! Kill him now!"

Three hundred meters away at the Tau position, the Fire Warrior Commander's voice was distorted by fear.

His pulse rifle was the first to spew out a dark blue beam of death, and then the firing holes of the entire position lit up with a deadly blue light.

Hundreds of pulse energy beams cut through the smoke-filled battlefield, leaving ionized tracks in the air.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The pulse barrage poured down on the motionless figure like a rainstorm.

The energy beam exploded into pieces of plasma sparks on the surface of the Terminator's armor, and the adamantium shell was instantly covered with charred marks.

But the figure simply lowered his head slightly, allowing the pulse fire that was powerful enough to melt through the tank armor to splash dazzling energy ripples on the shoulder armor.

The lion of Macragge raised his head.

The visor of Captain Calgar reflected a cold light under the artillery fire, and the eyepiece array flashed with scarlet data streams.

As another wave of pulse barrage came, he suddenly stepped forward, and the servo system of the Terminator armor burst into a thunderous roar.

“Crack!”

The hydraulic device of the power gauntlet completed energy storage, and the storm bolter hanging below completed loading at the same time.

Calgar raised his arms like a battering ram, and this simple action made the nearest fire warriors subconsciously take half a step back.

"For the Emperor!"

The roar of the bolter instantly drowned out the hum of the pulse weapon.

The first round of salvos blew the bunker fifty meters away into pieces. Dozens of fire warriors hiding behind it didn't even have time to scream before they were covered in a blood rain.

Calgar moved forward steadily, and each explosive shell hit the target accurately. The second shell knocked over several grenadiers who were loading bullets, and the third shell went through the firing hole and blew the machine gun crew and their weapons into the sky.

Bullet casings were ejected from the gun barrel like golden raindrops, striking out a crisp rhythm of death on the scorched earth.

The firepower points on the Tau positions went silent one after another, and each roar of a bomb was accompanied by a cloud of rising blood mist.

“Forward! Ultramarines!”

Calgar's voice echoed across the battlefield through the loudspeakers of his power armor.

Behind him, the gold and blue boots of the Honor Guard marched in unison over the burning ruins.

These battle-hardened veterans wield power swords inlaid with Macragge texts, and their storm shields are covered with dents from generations of battles.

Their steps were synchronized like precision machinery, forming a moving steel wall.

"boom!"

A Tau officer in an XV8 Crisis combat suit suddenly rushed out from the flank, the blue light of his ion cannon pointed directly at Calgar's face.

The Chapter Master didn't even turn around before the Honor Guard Captain Gelvin's power sword slashed out like lightning.

The finely crafted power sword easily split the armor of the combat suit, splitting the driver inside and the energy core in two.

In the light of the explosion, Galvin's scarlet cloak fluttered.

“Left-wing purge.”

The guards spread out like precise killing machines, with the shield guards forming an insurmountable line of defense in front and the power swordsmen harvesting lives from the flanks.

Every swing of their swords carries with it thousands of years of inherited combat skills, and every explosive bomb contains Macragge's rage.

Calgar continued to advance, his power gauntlet suddenly grabbing a sneak attack from a Tau soldier.

The poor fellow's vibration knife couldn't even leave a scratch on the Terminator's armor, and was crushed into a blurry mass of flesh and blood by the five iron fingers.

The Chapter Master casually threw the wreckage at the enemy group, knocking down two retreating Fire Warriors.

"For Guilliman!"

With a battle cry, Calgar's power gauntlet slammed heavily to the ground.

The shock wave produced by the overload of the force field generator spread out in a circular shape, and all enemies within a radius of thirty meters were blown off the ground.

The five fire warriors closest to them were torn into pieces in mid-air, while those a little further away fell onto the cover like rag dolls, the sound of their bones breaking being clearly audible.

The Honor Guard took advantage of the situation and charged, their power swords drawing deadly arcs in the sunlight.

The light armor of the Tau soldiers was as thin as paper in front of these heritage weapons, and every sword strike was accompanied by a dull sound of limbs being separated.

Galvin slashed the last heavy weapons position with his sword, cutting off the three soldiers operating the pulse cannon along with the weapon platform.

When the smoke temporarily cleared, Calgar stood in the middle of a mountain of alien corpses.

His Terminator armor was stained with blue blood, but the legion emblem was still shining. The Chapter Master slowly turned around and looked at the towering Tau command tower in the distance.

“Prepare to assault.”

He shook off the sticky body fluids on his power gauntlet, and the barrel of the grenade launcher was glowing dark red due to continuous shooting.

The Glory Guard immediately reorganized their formation, and the storm shields formed a perfect defensive array.

Behind them, more Thunderhawk gunships were passing through the clouds, descending upon the earth like the wrath of God.

........................

"This is our last fortress in this galaxy. We must defend it at all costs!"

The remaining Tau officers gathered in the last fortress on the planet, and millions of Tau fire warriors were building fortifications around the fortress.

"For Tiwa! For the Greater Good!"

Countless soldiers and officers of the Tau Empire shouted one after another, their enthusiasm for Ether surpassing their fear of death.

And the same goes for their enemies...

"Gather the troops! Move towards the target!"

"Show no mercy! Do not stop! Do not be afraid!"

"For Macragge! For Guilliman! For the Emperor! For Mankind!"

Tens of thousands of Space Marines and millions of Astra Militarum troops are ready to go. The advance troops of the Imperial Navy have begun orbital bombardment of the target fortress, and what they have to do is to sweep it as quickly as possible.