The Tyranid fleet, having successively lost crucial power, was already facing the predicament of insufficient biomass.
Now, pushed to the brink of despair, the Tyranid fleet, under the command of the enraged Hive Mind, disregarded maintaining a complete formation.
They would use their maximum firepower to completely overwhelm this damned world and destroy that hateful human!
Though said to have lost its mind, the Hive Mind actually had a vague feeling that it couldn't let that human to live.
Otherwise, in the near future, his existence would bring unimaginable disaster to the entire Tyranid swarm!
Whether it was a prophecy or a premonition... it absolutely could not tolerate such a thing happening!
Not even if the probability was one in a hundred million, or one in a hundred trillion.
Massive Hive Fleets, like dark clouds, gathered in space and surged towards Perdita under the control of the Hive Mind.
However, this scene was captured by the Blood Angels Chapter, which had been lurking in the depths of the dark starry sky for a long time.
"I've finally waited for this moment."
Dante's eyelids lifted slightly, a terrifying glint flashed in his eyes, and an invisible killing intent instantly materialized, as if a sudden, surging tide had risen!
Every inch of the bridge's deck seemed to groan under the impact of this astonishing aura, as if unable to bear the weight!
This was the moment he had been waiting for!
The instant the Hive Mind's main forces were tied up by Perdita, its formation scattered, revealing a flaw.
"Inform the fleet, full speed ahead!"
At this moment, Dante was truly the Lord of Blood, the Lord of Baal. He rose from his seat, his power fist clenched, his gaze like a sharp sword, cutting through the pitch-black space and piercing directly towards the Tyranids mothership.
Alarms echoed through the Sanguine Temple, and crimson warning lights filled every corridor.
A colossal Dreadnought, like an ancient fortress, stood on the altar of this holy temple, its metallic surface covered with ancient battle scars, each telling of glory and pain from eons past!
Dante stepped into the crimson temple, looking at the busy tech-priests.
They were anointing the ancient Dreadnought with holy oil and drawing complex runes, ancient prayers echoing through the hall.
Gradually, a mechanical hum arose, and even Dante could feel the pervasive killing intent in the air, as if all the energy in the entire temple was violently vibrating, and this also heralded the awakening of a warrior from eons past.
"Ah" A heavy, painful groan emanated from the Dreadnought's sarcophagus.
"Why... am I still to live?" His voice was filled with unspeakable vicissitudes of life and deep-seated pain.
The ancient warrior awakened from his slumber felt not joy, but endless anger and pain.
shadows of the past haunted him, the rage that once burned the galaxy, even after eons of slumber, had not diminished in the slightest!
"I smell blood" The ancient Venerable tried to move his body, his massive mechanical arm clenching, causing the air to crackle.
Then, he slowly lowered his head, looking down at the Chapter master before him.
"Who are you? What era is it now?"
"Revered Venerable Vertel, I am the current Chapter master of the Blood Angels, Luis Dante." Dante met his gaze, showing no fear, only respect.
"It is now 999.M41, and we are in the Underworld System."
"Is it almost the 42nd millennium?"
Vertel was silent for a moment. The last time he was awakened, it seemed to be in the fortieth millennium.
So much time had passed.
Looking around, Vertel saw many new faces, almost none of whom he recognized.
Of course, this was normal; he was a Dreadnought, and a single period of slumber often lasted a millennium.
But from the surrounding environment, this experienced Dreadnought Venerable still sensed a tense atmosphere, and since this was on a warship, that meant... they were going to board?
Thinking of this, Vertel looked at Dante, the highest-ranking person present.
"Speak, what do you need me to do? You should be very clear that I am deeply afflicted by the Red Thirst and the black Rage. You would not awaken me unless the Chapter was in its most critical hour."
"We are in the Underworld System, resisting the Tyranids Hive Fleet."
Dante briefly stated the current situation.
Resist the Tyranid fleet, use the diverted forces, lead elites into the enemy's core, destroy the Tyranids command system, and save Baal!
"Hahahahahahaha" The ancient Dreadnought's hearty laughter, amplified by its vox-casters, almost shook the entire temple.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Vertel uttered three 'goods' in a row.
That powerful battle intent and terrifying, chilling killing intent, even through his mechanical body, still made many of the Blood Angels present feel as if they were facing a sea of blood, unable to bear the pressure of that aura.
This... was a warrior from eons past, a Venerable who once followed the Angel?!
If the surrounding Blood Angels were to be given an adjective, they felt like naive children in front of that Dreadnought.
It was no exaggeration to say that they even felt that if that Dreadnought went insane, it would only take a few minutes to kill them all!
"I am very sorry, Venerable Vertel." A hint of reluctance flashed in Dante's eyes.
To have such an ancient Dreadnought of the Chapter execute a suicidal plan, no matter how one looked at it,
It was a cruel outcome.
"No, you have done well, Dante." Vertel looked at him, a hint of appreciation in his eyes, and slowly said.
"I have to live long enough. I am very grateful to you for giving me such a grand funeral. I will complete the mission, in the name of Sanguinius!"
To die on the battlefield, wrapped in a horsehide shroud, was the destiny a warrior sought in any era!
He had to live long enough. Since being interred in the sarcophagus, his emotions had grown increasingly detached, but only that memory... tormented him deeply.
Fortunately, he now had a chance to escape from the 'nightmare'.
"You needn't apologize to me, nor feel guilty." Vertel looked at Dante and said softly.
"My sanity is dwindling. Every time I am awakened, it means my sanity will slide little by little into the abyss. I am very grateful that you can give me a dignified end. That is enough for me, it signifies that my mission is over."
For Vertel, being a Dreadnought was not a salvation, but an Eternity of pain!
"For Sanguinius, for the Emperor... I, Vertel, will once again fight for the Blood Angels!"
The Dreadnought roared heavily, Vertel clenched his power fist, and let out a deafening battle cry.
"Let them witness the wrath of the Blood Angels!"
Inside the boarding torpedo bay, a chilling atmosphere permeated the air. Dante meticulously checked his equipment, loaded explosive rounds into magazines, then closed his eyes, caressing the master-crafted power axe.
It bore a resounding name: the axe of Perdition, and was one of his most cherished weapons, having once severed the head of the Great Daemon Skarbrand the Bloodthirster during the 'Gate of Whispers' campaign!
This axe bore witness to his glory!
Accompanying Dante across countless battlefields, whether it was the Carius Campaign or the Second Armageddon War,
He had lopped off the heads of innumerable enemies of the Imperium!
In these few seconds in the void, countless images flashed through his mind: sunsets over the barren deserts of Baal, the earnest gaze of the Chapter master when he first joined the monastery, and later, the training shadows of the new Blood Angels recruits. But these images ultimately transformed into Baal engulfed in the flames of war!
The monastery standing amidst ruins, the Tyranids' vicious claws, and the fallen Blood Angels—this nightmare-like vision was not merely an illusion, but a fact that would come to pass!
"I will never let such a thing happen on Baal!" Dante murmured softly, gripping the axe of Perdition, his gaze growing ever more resolute.
"Impact warning! Impact warning!"
Suddenly, crimson lights illuminated the bay, and a violent tremor indicated their imminent entry into the battlefield!
The voice of the machine spirit interrupted Dante's thoughts.
He donned his Death Mask; the holy blood on his forehead would bless his sons.
"Sanguinius above,"
The next moment, Dante was filled with murderous intent.
Boom!!!
Amidst the violent shaking, the torpedo hit its target!
The moment the hatch exploded open, Dante, like a roused beast, raised his hand and fired without warning.
Roaring bolter rounds flew from the barrel, obliterating a Tyranids attempting to breach the landing craft. Green, viscous blood splattered across the bulkhead.
Immediately after, Dante strode out of the hatch, firing his left hand and swinging his axe with his right. He single-handedly slaughtered the Tyranids swarming outside the hatch, who had been preparing for an assault!
The Sanguinary Guard following him were no pushovers either; all were battle-hardened Company Champions. Every bullet they fired precisely entered the Tyranids' mouths, shattering their contorted heads!
In a narrow corridor, almost everywhere the eye could see was packed with Tyranids, their numbers outrageously vast!
Moreover, the Tyranids bio-ship was covered everywhere in viscous biomass, as if they had entered the body of some gigantic organism.
Boom boom boom!
The roar and muzzle flashes of bolter guns illuminated the dim corridor. Under Dante's leadership, the boarding squad, numbering only twelve, faced the overwhelmingly superior numbers of Tyranids, yet they created an effect as if a thousand armies were being swept aside!
The viscous biomass was vaporized. Amidst the foul-smelling blood, Dante's Death Mask, like the lowered gaze of the Primarch Sanguinius, stared. And where his gaze fell, there was hell!
This was a complete slaughter!
Low-tier Tyranid, in front of the elite forces like Dante and the Sanguinary Guard, were virtually no different from mortals. Even hundreds of them packed into the corridor were easily cut through!
After easily dealing with this wave of enemies, everyone silently began to rearm. They knew very well that this was just an 'appetizer'.
The true strength of the Tyranids was far from this!
"Hurry up."
Dante said succinctly over the comms channel.
But just as he was about to replace his spare magazine, a strong premonition struck him. From a pipe overhead, a huge shadow suddenly leaped down!
Its sharp scythe-like forelimbs aimed directly for the head of the Lord of Blood!
This was a Lictor, best known for ambushing from the shadow, and considered an elite Tyranids assassin. But unfortunately, it had chosen the wrong opponent.
Facing the Lictor's sudden ambush, Dante remained calm, stepping back half a pace and blocking the Lictor's attack with his toughest shoulder plate.
Clang!
The bio-scythe struck the ceramite shoulder plate, erupting in dazzling fire, illuminating Dante's golden Death Mask, which held both sorrow and fury.
Trying to ambush him?
Dante's heart was unperturbed. If he were so easily ambushed, he would have died hundreds of times over.
He simply dropped his bolter, and his now-free left hand shot out, fingers like steel, clamping around the Lictor's throat. Simultaneously, the axe in his right hand swung horizontally.
In a single exchange of pain, the Lictor was decapitated.
Blood gushed. Dante raised his foot and brought it down, crushing the Lictor's head with his power boot. Only then did he turn to the others and say calmly, "Stay vigilant."
The nearby Sanguinary Guard picked up the bolter he had dropped and handed it back to Dante.
Dante took the bolter, as if nothing had happened, and continued to change its magazine, then asked, "Have you located the other squads?"
"Not yet, Chapter master." The Techmarine shook his head. "We are deep within the Hive Ship. The Warp shadow of the Hive Mind completely blocks psychic communication. Unless they are very close, it's difficult to locate other squads."
"Keep moving."
Dante nodded, not surprised.
He had anticipated this during the planning of the operation.
In his pre-planned operation, dozens of torpedo landing craft would simultaneously launch boarding assaults towards the Hive Ship's location.
Considering this was the Tyranid fleet's mothership, although the Tyranids forces were dispersed and defenses were not as tight as before, a successful assault would still be fraught with difficulties.
Therefore, in Dante's pre-planned operation, dozens of torpedo landing craft would attack the Tyranids mothership from different positions and directions!
In essence, it was a saturation boarding attack!
This included Chapters such as the Flesh Tearers, Carmine Angels, Glorious Angels, Angels of Penance, and Blood Angels!
With so many Chapters, as long as one of them could find the mothership's core, it would be enough!
Find the core, place the deployment beacon.
Then, all they had to do was wait for the Dreadnought to enter the fray, and their mission would be complete!
Here, they had no communication, no reinforcements, no maps, and faced endless Tyranid onslaughts. Each boarding squad was virtually fighting alone!
At the same time, the Tyranids mothership was suddenly attacked, and the entire Tyranid fleet, which had been besieging Perdita, shifted its target to reinforce the mothership.
But… would it be that simple?!
Emrys sneered as he looked at the sky.
"You think you can just come and go as you please? Do you think this is a toilet? Since you've come, none of you are leaving. Stay here obediently!"
Trying to run now? Too late!
The massive 'Void Claw' on the fortress began to accumulate energy, then fired a singularity black hole towards the Hive Fleet!
At the same time, the cruisers and Strike Cruisers of the Blood Angels Chapter blocked the Tyranid fleet's path back to reinforce!
In short, it was one sentence:
Want to go back? Dream on!
Inside the shattered bulkhead, giant flames ignited everything, and the viscous biomass was evaporated by the high temperature, emitting a foul smell.
Dante raised his hand, wiping the filthy bloodstains from his mask, allowing his vision to clear.
"Have you found the way?"
"It's difficult," the Tech-Priest shook his head and sighed, "We can't use any scouting technology here; we can only rely on intuition and experience to judge."
the Tyranids mothership was enormous, at least dozens of kilometers long, and its interior was filled with viscous biomass, making it hard to pinpoint specific locations, let alone find the core of the mothership.
In such a situation, all they could rely on seemed to be intuition, and a bit of luck!
The violent tremor made Dante increasingly uneasy.
"Someone has already summoned a Dreadnought?"
"Judging from this tremor, it should be," the Tech-Priest nodded, "According to the plan, if they encounter obstacles, they will summon a Dreadnought in advance to create opportunities for us."
"No time, speed up," Dante ordered in a deep voice. Since other teams had already summoned a Dreadnought, it meant the battle had fallen into a passive state.
They fought their way deep inside and suddenly encountered a large number of Tyranid guarding a huge chamber protected by what looked like a membrane.
"This is it!"
Dante only took one look, and his intuition told him that this was the core of the Tyranids Hive Ship!
Immediately, the Tyranids guarding the entrance surged towards them frantically, which undoubtedly confirmed Dante's suspicion.
"Set up the teleportation beacon, summon a Dreadnought!"
"Teleportation beacon deployed!"
Under the protection of everyone, the Tech-Priest finally placed the teleportation beacon.
"Evacuate from here!"
Dante fought and retreated, his Unbreakable axe madly harvesting the lives of these Tyranids elite guards.
Soon, the bodies of successive Tyranids piled up around them, like a small hill.
But even so, it still couldn't stop this group of completely frenzied bugs!
Clearly, the Hive Mind was also panicking. If its core was destroyed, its expedition plan would be completely ruined, let alone anything about Baal.
To defend the mothership's core, the Hive Mind frantically produced soldiers, attempting to delay Dante and his team, awaiting support from other fleets!
This was a race against time!
Would Dante be able to break through the Tyranids defenses first and destroy the mothership's core, or would the Hive Mind be able to hold out until its fleet broke through the human blockade for support!
However, in the next second...
Amidst the screeching of tearing metal, the entire chamber shook violently. A dazzling, brilliant light, as if containing hope, descended into the Hive Ship!
It was a Dreadnought. Its metal body was covered with scars, as if silently recounting its past glory!
The Dreadnought's death mask, in the surrounding steaming heat, seemed to twist even more, like the wrath of Primarch Sanguinius.
"Is that the target?"
Verte's deep, tired, hoarse voice came from the Dreadnought's amplification array.
"Yes," Dante nodded.
"Leave it to me," Verte took a step, gripping 'Blood Fist,' his gaze seemingly directed beyond that biological door.
"You can withdraw now; I don't want to accidentally injure you next."
"No," however, facing the Dreadnought's request, Dante just gently shook his head.
"I must personally confirm that the core has been destroyed."
He believed in the strength of this ten-thousand-year veteran, but he dared not gamble, what if?
"Alright."
Verte did not insist, calmly saying.
"I will try my best to retain a bit of consciousness, but please do not approach me. Remember this."
"Okay, we will."
Dante nodded gravely. He knew very well what was about to happen.
A few clueless bugs roared as they flew towards the Dreadnought; however, they were blasted into minced meat by its shoulder cannon while still in mid-air!
Verte looked at the swarming Tyranid. After a moment, he finally moved.
The servo joints of the Blood Fist let out a piercing hum. The first strike pierced through the pouncing Warrior Tyranid, its carapace and internal organs exploded into dust under the immense hydraulic force.
Foul-smelling green acidic blood splattered on the Dreadnought's ornate shoulder armor, corroding it with wisps of green smoke, yet it could not hide the boiling killing intent beneath the blood-red wings.
Then, Verte began his assault. On the battlefield, he was like an unmatched sharp sword, easily piercing through the Tyranids's defensive line!
The roar of the autocannon followed closely, metal casings flying and falling to the ground, a storm of death shredding the swarming Hormagaunt into a sky full of blood mist.
Inside the Dreadnought's sarcophagus, this ten-thousand-year veteran roared, his retinal projection gradually stained red.
He had fallen into the Black Rage!
What he saw was not the swarm, but the twisted faces of the Horus Heresy, the shattered wings of a Primarch falling beneath the high walls of Terra, the hateful face of the traitor!
"Ah ah ah ah — Horus!!!"
At this moment, both the Tyranids and the allied Blood Angels could clearly feel the entire chamber filled with rage!
"For Sanguinius—!!!"
Broken vows erupted from the electronic loudspeaker array, mixed with the guttural sounds of flesh being chewed.
The scythes of countless genestealers hacked at the Dreadnought's ceramite armor, but only produced scorching sparks.
And Verte, in the state of Black Rage, seemed to have completely lost his sanity, with only one thought left in his mind!
That was... to slaughter the damned traitor!
The Blood Fist clamped the head of a Tyrant Guard, and the melta gun on his right arm pressed against its chest cavity, the shriek of high temperature and evaporating biomass exploding simultaneously.
He tossed aside the Tyrant Guard's body, its chest melted through, and stepping on the remnants and blood of the Hive, his chainsword unleashed a violent, fierce gale!
Amidst a teeth-grinding screech, several Tyrant Guards were brutally cut down by his blade!
Acid gushed like a fountain from the severed wounds, and the dying Tyrant Guard also tore off the Dreadnought's armor, revealing the hydraulic pipes beneath the corroded marks!
Verte's consciousness was slowly fading!
He had existed for too long; his soul had long been relentlessly worn away by the passage of time. This was his last battle!
"In the name of Sanguinius!!!"
However, even as his consciousness faded, this ten-thousand-year veteran still wielded his blade and fist, guided by the instincts etched into his Gene-Seed.
The Blood Angel runes etched on the Dreadnought seemed to dim with his slaughter, as if foreshadowing that this veteran, who had fought for ten millennia, was approaching the end of his life.
The Bloodthirst was boiling.
Verte charged into the chamber covered in fleshy membranes, only to collide head-on with a rapidly proliferating spore cloud, and countless Tyranid lunging at him!
The ammunition belt of the assault cannon glowed red hot.
The torrent of death roared, devouring the spore cloud and the Tyranids incubating within it. Acid, venom, bio-plasma—every counterattack from the Tyranids made the Dreadnought's chassis more battered.
But in the pain-masking granted by the Black Rage, this steel behemoth's killing efficiency became even more terrifying, and the last enemy blocking his path was the Tyranids Hive Mind's final defender, a Tyrant!
Verte could feel the blood of Sanguinius boiling within him!
The pain seemed to recede from him at this moment; in the memories of ancient times, Sanguinius' battle cry gradually overlapped with his own, illusions dominated, yet a sliver of his consciousness remained.
Destroy the heretic before him, let Sanguinius' wrath incinerate the enemies of the Imperium!
His shattered body was submerged in the sarcophagus, and stimulated by the neural probes piercing his spine, his consciousness, flowing along data streams, scorched every inch of this ancient Dreadnought's steel body; even the weapon arrays seemed to respond to the battle will of this ancient veteran.
"In the name of the Wings of Sanguinius!"
The assault cannon fired first, its roar shattering the biological membrane of the bio-chamber.
Several Hormogaunts blocking the way were instantly torn to shreds by the metallic torrent spewing from the six-barreled gun.
At the same time, the Hive Tyrant, about four meters tall, also used the Hormogaunts as cover to successfully charge in front of the Dreadnought, its scythe-like forelimbs ossified, unleashing a storm-laden slash that was enough to suffocate!
Its target was none other than the Dreadnought's core, the "Sarcophagus"!
The ancient ceramite armor on the outer layer of the metal sarcophagus had long since been melted by the corrosive mucus of the Tyranids during the previous fierce battle.
Now, the Dreadnought had also lost its greatest advantage.
Rather, the Dreadnought, with its "Sarcophagus" exposed, was undoubtedly the biggest flaw in the eyes of the cunning Hive Tyrant.
Once the Dreadnought's "Sarcophagus" was destroyed, it would be equivalent to losing its 'driver'.
Among the enemies who had broken into the Hive Ship's bio-chambers, only this Dreadnought posed the greatest threat and had to be eliminated first!
As for Dante and the Sanguinary Guard, they only needed to be delayed a little longer, and more Tyranids would arrive to support them.
It must be said, the Hive Mind's plan was excellent, but unfortunately... in its perfect plan, it overlooked one crucial thing.
Clang!!!
The roaring chainsword collided with the Tyrant's bone scythe.
Intense sparks erupted in the chamber; facing the Hive Tyrant's slash, Verte showed no fear, and within the exposed sarcophagus, the ancient veteran immersed in amniotic fluid, his willpower ignited this machine like a raging fire!
A Dreadnought is a machine, but... it also has a soul!
He tightened his Power Fist, hydraulic pipes injected power, and a terrifying force instantly erupted, crashing heavily onto the Hive Tyrant's skull.
But the Hive Tyrant's four compound eyes remained unfazed, allowing the punch to shatter its carapace; the bio-cannon on its back suddenly split open, its gaping muzzle aimed directly at the exposed 'sarcophagus' in the Dreadnought's chest!
This time, it had won!
Just as the Hive Tyrant believed victory was in its grasp, it didn't expect that this experienced ancient veteran had already anticipated its thoughts a step ahead.
He was seen savagely thrusting his other massive fist into the bio-cannon's muzzle.
Boom!!!
The strong acid corrosive shot from the bio-cannon melted the Dreadnought's entire right arm!
But Verte also seized the opening, brutally pouring bolter rounds into the Tyrant's bio-cannon muzzle, and crimson, scorching flames exploded the gun barrel!
This almost suicidal, utterly insane method, even the Hive Tyrant couldn't help but be terrified.
The shattered armor caused the Dreadnought to lose an arm, but it also destroyed the Hive Tyrant's bio-cannon, buying him a fleeting opportunity.
Alarms blared in the sarcophagus; this was the first time since being interred in the "Sarcophagus" that Verte truly tasted his own blood surging into his throat from the circulatory pipes, that raw, metallic, sweet taste, as if taking him back to that day.
The day the Great Angel fell, the same crimson, raw, scorching!
"Coward!!!" A hoarse battle cry emanated from the Dreadnought's amplification array, Verte swung his sole remaining left fist, savagely smashing it onto the Tyrant's head, the chitinous carapace shattered, and the immense force caused it to fall to the ground.
Verte's massive foot came down, stepping on the Tyrant's chest, temporarily suppressing it with his weight.
The Hive Tyrant also fell into a frenzy, its neural tendrils on its back wrapped around the Dreadnought's leg,
The immense force directly twisted apart the mechanical structure, and several tendrils, like sharp barbs, directly pierced the 'sarcophagus'!
This was an almost brutal struggle, and Verte had long been prepared to die in battle.
The sarcophagus was pierced, and the liquid inside leaked out; through the shattered cracks, one could see the nearly broken, emaciated, withered, limbless humanoid lying inside the sarcophagus, with neural probes piercing its spine.
Fortunately, the Tyrant's frenzied counterattack did not harm his vital organs.
"Alien, feel the wrath of Sanguinius!" Verte's hoarse roar thundered like lightning; he directly shoved the massive assault cannon into the Tyrant's twisted mouth, then savagely pulled the trigger!
Boom!
Boom boom!
Boom boom boom!
The continuous bombardment blew apart the Hive Tyrant's head!
Carapace fragments and green blood splattered, falling onto the Blood Angels emblem, emitting a corrosive hiss.
Buzz—!!!
Seeing its last trump card gone, the Hive Mind immediately became anxious.
Its psychic power surged like a tide, engulfing the will of this Dreadnought brother; Verte's eyes seemed to see countless faces, twisted, shrieking, howling in pain, stretching out withered arms, as if to drag him into the abyss.
At this moment, the Blood Angels runes etched on the Dreadnought glowed with dazzling blue light!
That was a psychic barrier prepared in advance for the Dreadnought by the Librarians and Sanguinary Priests, to protect the pilot inside,
So his mind would not fall too deeply.
The blue light timely awakened Verte, and he let out a disdainful roar towards the last bio-chamber.
"Nothing more than this!"
The Hive Mind exerted all its strength, controlling the bio-chamber, growing countless tendrils with sharp ends, attempting to stop this almost insane Dreadnought.
The heavily wounded Verte, dragging his broken limbs, walked step by step towards the core, the assault cannon firing a few bursts, breaking those tendrils.
Behind him, Dante also led the Sanguinary Guard, clearing the way for him.
Finally, the Hive Mind, having lost all its means, could only watch helplessly as the massive Dreadnought,
Extremely brutally, shoved a thick bomb directly into the core chamber of the bio-membrane.
"You, it's time to leave."
A hoarse and weak voice came from inside the Dreadnought,
Verte barely retained his last shred of consciousness, saying to Chapter master Dante.
"I will complete the mission, and you... you have not yet completed your duty, you must to live, Dante."
After a moment of silence, Dante looked at him and nodded.
"Goodbye, may you return to the embrace of death, brother Verte."
They had to leave; the next task, only Verte could complete.
Watching Dante leave, Verte activated the self-destruct sequence, sitting quietly in place.
The Hive Mind was still unwilling to give up, trying to bewitch him with psychic power, but each time the psychic power was blocked by the psychic barrier.
In his final moments, Verte did not seal his consciousness like a regular Dreadnought, but instead raised his neural connection to the highest, almost fatal, terrifying threshold; he wanted to feel to live one last time.
So, this is what it feels like... Verte caressed the Blood Angels emblem with his remaining hand, his memories seemingly drifting back ten thousand years.
At that time, he was still a new recruit, witnessing the rise of the Primarch with his own eyes, and also witnessing the Primarch's death.
"Sanguinius, have I fulfilled my duty?" Verte's gaze, in the firelight of the explosion, seemed to pierce through the Warp, once again seeing those familiar golden wings; he murmured softly.
"Father, have you... come to pick me up?"
Unfortunately, he couldn't taste the wine of Baal one more time.
That unique sour taste still made him unforgettable to this day; Verte's last glance turned towards his homeland, Baal.
"I, am back... Baal."