54: Chapter 54 San Gilino Appears

The individual dispatched by Anrakyr the Traveller to calibrate the grand prism was Cryptek Zikol, accompanied by hundreds of Necron Warriors. The Traveller had believed that as the allied forces launched attacks or engaged in combat across the star system, the Tyranid forces on Tartaros would be drawn away.

When the Necron team led by Cryptek Zikol teleported onto Tartaros, they discovered that the Tyranid Swarm's strength remained immense. However, Zikol was an extremely stubborn Cryptek; they did not retreat to call for reinforcements but instead intended to complete the mission with their small-scale force, a reckless move that ultimately ended in failure. Zikol's body was also sliced into metal fragments of varying sizes by a Tyranid Carnifex.

Afterwards, Commander Dante was forced to deploy his remaining Death Company units to support their Necron allies in achieving the objective. Meanwhile, Anrakyr the Traveller also ordered his Ctan Shard to fly toward Tartaros at maximum speed to assist the human allies; the Ctan Shard was also responsible for manually calibrating the firing direction of the grand prism in orbit.

The frenzied Death Company warriors engaged in a bloody slaughter with the Tyranid forces on Tartaros, charging into the Tyranid Swarm with total disregard for their own safety. Chaplain Alophen, the only one who remained rational, searched incessantly through the battlefield ruins for the control console buried beneath collapsed buildings. The Ctan Shard, streaking across the sky like a meteor, soon reached the battlefield; after helping the human allies eliminate a portion of the Tyranids, it flew straight toward the orbital path to begin adjusting the grand prism.

The Burner channeled its power into this ancient Necron creation, causing the human technology wrapped around it and the Tyranid fleshy tentacles attached to it to peel away. The Burner successfully calibrated the grand prism to its optimal firing state, but even it could not directly bypass the device's commands, which specified that input must be made from the planet's surface console. Meanwhile, the Death Company forces on the ground were nearing exhaustion, yet Chaplain Alophen was still searching for the console amidst the ruins; he needed more time. Just then, something incredible happened.

A beam of pure and enduring light shot from the sky toward the ground. Amidst this beam of light, the struggling Death Company warriors saw a golden figure—a winged angel descending from the heavens, joining the battle with a sharp sword in hand.

The Death Company warriors erupted into a thunderous cheer:

“For Sanguinius!”

“For Sanguinius!”

“For Sanguinius!”

With their morale soaring, the Death Company warriors charged and slaughtered the Tyranids with high spirits. Chaplain Alophen, the only one who remained clear-headed, saw very clearly that it was not the Primarch; it was clearly the Sanguinius of Chapter legend—the golden-armored warrior who appeared whenever the Chapter faced a crisis of life and death.

And now, Sanguinius had appeared once more. Wielding the Crimson Greatsword in his hand, he led the high-spirited Death Company warriors to block the incoming Tyranid Swarm, buying time for Chaplain Alophen.

Just as the Tyranids sought to taste the flesh of Sanguinius, Chaplain Alophen successfully located the control console for the grand prism. Without hesitation, he pressed the Firing Rune, and a beam of light immediately raced unerringly toward the core of the gas giant Eros.