On the titanic battlefield, time flew like a white horse galloping past a crevice, vanishing in the blink of an eye amidst tense tactical re-deployments.
In the J-11 system, the starry void warped violently, and the ear-splitting shrieks of the warning array echoed through the abyss.
The World Engines had arrived!
Two World Engines did not emerge at the Mandeville point—they broke directly out of the Warp into the interior of the star system!
Time and space surged erratically, and the canvas of the physical universe bulged outward, as if two invisible, colossal eggs were pressing against it, straining to break through the boundary between reality and hallucination.
CRACK—!
The veil parted with a brittle, glass-like screech that sounded like the collapse of the heavens, weighing heavily on the minds of the Imperial fleet.
It was an act of ultimate, raw violence.
The space of the universe shattered piece by piece like a fractured mirror as two monumental structures "squeezed" out from the Warp into the physical universe.
RUMBLE—!
Thunder detonated as Warp energy coalesced into an endless sea of storms, bizarre lightning dancing wildly like purple pythons.
A void tore open, and planet-sized World Engines slowly entered the physical universe.
"WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!"
No one paid heed to the alarms; the system was already plunged into complete chaos.
The emergence of supermassive objects directly from the Warp into reality was an astronomical cataclysm in its own right, and the overflowing Warp forces that accompanied them were potent enough to warp reality itself.
Moreover, the World Engines had breached the system directly—bypassing the Mandeville point entirely!
"Hold steady! Hold steady!"
Tech-Marines roared over the comms, frantically adjusting data to fight the gravitational distortion using the planets' gargantuan engines to maintain orbital stability.
"The planetary angle is shifting!" A Tech-Priest Magus announced in a cold, mechanical voice, wisps of blue smoke drifting from beneath his robes as the calculations pushed his brain into overload: "Increase engine output by twelve point three percent to counter the volatile gravitational distortions."
"Divert all power to the engines! Maintain ship orientation!" A captain soaked in sweat felt like a solitary skiff tossing precariously in a ocean of gravity.
Even before revealing their full scope, the gravitational shifts triggered by the World Engines had thrown the Imperial legions into a state of flustered desperation.
The Denurian fleet was similarly affected, yet they showed none of the same panic.
The battleships' automated systems made attitude adjustments precise to the milligram, re-aligning the vessels to counter the threat.
"Boarding fleet, launch toward the World Engines."
Blazkowicz tapped the virtual light-screen, turning to lead his guard out of the bridge command hall.
The subsequent operation of the warships was handed over to the automated systems' remote control.
Walking down the corridors where projections on the walls mirrored the star-strewn void, Blazkowicz observed the shifting world outside.
His brow un-furrowed; he saw the predicted sight.
When the World Engines fully materialized in the physical universe, sure enough, structural defects were present.
The one where the Supreme Overlord's ship had docked was nearly complete, with ninety percent of its outer armor plating locked in place. Its surface was rugged and jagged, with an endless expanse of iron gun platforms. Dense clusters of barrels bristled like a metallic forest, shimmering with Warp energy as they awoke in the material realm.
The World Engine's equator spanned sixty thousand kilometers, lined with gargantuan cannons that bristled like ferocious fangs thrusting straight into the void. The equatorial trench was an abyssal chasm—a hundred kilometers deep and five hundred kilometers wide—housing countless strike craft within its docks.
Its poles were flattened, each accommodating two massive drydocks for capital ships. The World Engine even maintained an atmosphere and an ecosystem; augur scans revealed several primitive organisms dwelling within.
The second unit, however, was markedly less complete.
Its spherical frame had been erected, but only half of its outer shell was constructed, scattered sporadically across its eastern hemisphere. Behind its spherical structure, the adamantium skeleton hung hollow and bare in the void, completely devoid of energy conduits or installed systems.
At this stage, it could hardly be called a World Engine; in terms of scale, it was merely a massive war fortress.
Yet no one dared to underestimate a World Engine!
A heavy silence fell over the Imperial forces, a suffocating dread gripping their throats as though they feared disturbing these two iron behemoths.
Two World Engines, combined with the fortress world of Planet VI and over a dozen battle moons...
The full brunt of the Rangdan's remaining military might was laid bare, chilling everyone to the bone.
How was this battle to be fought?
Even with the Emperor himself presiding, and the Primarchs standing alongside their Space Marines, a wave of profound helplessness washed over the mortal captains.
In the end, would it not come down to feeding human lives and shattered warships to bridge the gap?
"Fleet, adjust orientation. Hold the line amidst the gravitational distortions—reinforcements are imminent."
A calm voice echoed forth, acting like a warm, steadying hand that anchored the plummeting morale.
The great Primarch Ferrus Manus was still overseeing the grand picture, holding every tactical deployment in firm order.
Hearing the Primarch's voice, countless souls regained their composure, snapping out of their momentary panic to methodically resume ship operations.
---
At the Mandeville point in the Imperial rear, the void tore open once more as a massive fleet entered the gravitational pull of the J-11 pulsar.
In that moment of low morale, the Phalanx led the Imperial Fists fleet to reinforce the primary theater of war.
Dorn gazed at the scene within the system, his pupils shrinking slightly as his heavy voice boomed: "The Phalanx will spearhead the advance; prepare to engage the Rangdan fleet."
"All fleets, full speed ahead! Legion warriors, prepare for boarding actions to assault the battle moons!"
The Imperial Fists fleet advanced at full speed. With the entry of fresh forces, the Imperial fleet commanders let out a collective sigh of relief, their confidence surging anew.
Battlegroup after battlegroup arrived as an even more massive fleet materialized.
The Ultramarines fleet was vast beyond measure, accompanied even by tug-ships towing star-fortresses into the warzone.
`[Ultramarines fleet, pin down the Rangdan battle moons.]`
Guilliman had barely arrived, and even as his mind analyzed the scene before him, Ferrus's order was already delivered.
"Understood." Guilliman nodded solemnly, issuing combat orders to his fleet: "Legion fleet, alter course! Launch a flank attack to destroy the Rangdan battle moons!"
Noticing the particle trails from the Imperial Fists' engines, he directed his fleet to flank the battle moons from the opposite side.
Guilliman knew full well that this was a responsibility he had to bear.
Upon the augur displays, ship wrecks within the system had formed multiple metallic asteroids, with the hulls of countless mighty warships strewn about like a cosmic mass grave.
Every surviving fleet was battered, with Legion warship losses exceeding fifty percent.
Now, only the two newly arrived Legions could carry the torch of the main assault.
"My Lord," a comms officer turned, speaking respectfully to the blue giant atop the throne: "We have received the master operational plan from command."
Guilliman shook his head at the brutal scene, speaking to the Legion herald: "Reply to command: the Ultramarines will execute the order."
He clicked open the tactical deployment, reading the attack plan at a glance.
The Ultramarines fleet spread out, assuming offensive formations as they surged toward the glowing battle moons—
---
"Begin boarding the shuttles!" The Lion roared, donning his winged helm as he moved alongside his Legion.
Fifty thousand Dark Angels warriors prepared to drop through the gravity well via transport shuttles, invading the Rangdan home base.
Selene drew his gaze back from the edge of the system, following closely behind his brother. Gripping his staff tightly, he stepped onto the shuttle's boarding ramp.
Shuttles painted with the Legion's winged sword glided smoothly into the gravity well, ascending toward Planet VI hanging overhead.
"Release decoys! Cover the Space Wolves' boarding assault!"
Upon the island fragment, Li Tang sat in the command hub, coordinating the landing operations with the Space Wolves.
The attack tactics had long been agreed upon.
The Space Wolves would lead the charge, while the Night Guard and Doom Marines executed the second wave to assault the rear of the Rangdan home base.
Millions of drop pods were launched via accelerator tracks, drawing ground-based anti-air fire as they dropped automated battle-automata onto the surface.
"The Void Wanderer will target the World Engine, standing by to fire on command."
"The floating island will close in on Planet VI, drawing ground-to-space enemy fire to cover our assault."
Beneath the belly of the Hrafnkel, drop pod hatches opened, with Space Wolves warriors standing by inside.
The warriors stared intently at the data streams in their helmets, tightening their grip on their weapons, showing not a sliver of fear before the suicidal first wave of the drop.
`[Floating island launching drop pods. Enemy anti-air fire reacting—the drop window has opened.]`
As the auxiliary systems issued the notification, the Wolf warriors unleashed a ferocious howl: "FOR THE ALL-FATHER! FOR RUSS!"
HUMMM—
The sudden crush of gravitational acceleration shattered the wolves' roars, driving the drop pods to the absolute limit of what Legion warriors could endure as they plunged relentlessly into the lethal air-defense grid.
Frost-white drop pods shifted trajectories rapidly, mingling among the white Denurian drop pods to descent beneath their cover.
The Dark Angels, the Space Wolves, the Doom Marines, and the Night Guard launched their total assault upon the Rangdan command center.
The Salamanders and Iron Hands fleets surged toward the orbital space of Planet VI.
The Bucephalus joined the fray alongside the two Blackstone Fortresses. Bathed in the Emperor's radiance, the golden warship spearheaded the charge straight into the Rangdan armada.
Around Planet VI, thirty thousand warships from all sides intertwined in a final, decisive clash.
Meanwhile, the two World Engines remained like onlookers, met by no Imperial fleet.
Ferrus understood clearly that a fleet alone could not match a World Engine; he ordered the fleets to maintain their engagement zones while staying under the cover of the planets.
The World Engines moved with excruciating slowness; it would take several days for them to reach the primary theater.
Furthermore, Blazkowicz had already departed to slay the Supreme Overlord's physical host.
The Denurian war engines were also about to arrive to deal with the battle moons and the World Engines.
"The Denurian Star Ring has arrived."
As the battle reached its absolute fever pitch, Sophia's serene voice notified the Imperial fleet, carrying a sense of pride that defied words.
At the edge of the battlefield, the Warp tore reality asunder once again!