Inside the bridge.
Adam watched thoughtfully as the majority of the Orca transport ships pierced into the enemy vessels like poisoned daggers, successfully completing the deployment of forces.
The surviving carrier-based aircraft within the formation struggled frantically, darting back and forth through a black tide composed of intersecting bio-plasma fire and released flight units.
Finally, he withdrew his gaze.
At that moment, the intelligent Machine Spirit of the Morning Wood lit up another screen, displaying the configuration of the T'au Empire forces that had finished deployment and successfully entered combat within the Tyranid cruisers.
This included a hundred Fire Caste warriors equipped with XV8 Crisis battlesuits, XV88 Broadside battlesuits, and XV9 Hazard battlesuits, carrying a vast number of drones and other weaponry previously unimaginable, as they entered the battlefield.
The battle had begun.
Adam's face showed a look of contemplation as he asked, "Is the current rate of attrition still manageable?"
The report from the Morning Wood arrived as expected.
"Evidently, while Hive Fleet Gorgon did not anticipate their audacity to perform a direct boarding operation, they have not lost their composure. Instead, they immediately mobilized a massive number of Tyranid organisms to firmly pin down their advance."
This development was entirely logical.
Adam never intended to take down entire ships with such small forces; these troops were primarily meant to draw the attention of the Tyranid Hive Mind.
Tyranid biotechnology is unique, and their ship designs are highly versatile because of it—capable of firing massive amounts of bio-plasma as battleships, releasing enormous swarms of strike craft as carriers, and, crucially, most Tyranid vessels also serve as troop transports.
They are packed with Tyranid organisms that can easily drown any ill-advised boarding parties through sheer numbers.
Therefore, he had another trump card.
Adam slowly turned around, looking at the squad of Custodes standing like a golden wall before him.
Mobile Task Force: [The Red Right Hand].
Every member possessed a unique specialty, each capable of bringing "surprises" to the enemies of mankind, and most were veterans of the Webway War.
Furthermore, within this group of barely a hundred, there were ten Blade Champions and five Shield-Captains; the rest were veterans of the Custodian Guard and Sagittarum Guard.
Not since the end of the Great Heresy had such a concentration of Custodes assembled for duty outside the Solar System.
And against the Tyranids, Adam had one more preparation.
"Are your new companions ready? How are they adapting to the new equipment?"
Hearing this, a strange expression appeared on the face of Leonardo, who stood at the front of the unit.
Every time, he was shocked by Adam's eccentric ideas.
But this time, Leonardo had to admit there was logic behind Adam's "stunt": "They are currently adapting, and quite well at that."
"Though some had complaints about weapons that seem to originate from xenos, fortunately, with the endorsement of several Archmagi from the Martian Adeptus Mechanicus, they have reluctantly accepted them."
"Good."
Adam nodded. "Prepare yourselves. Warp teleportation commences immediately."
---
At this moment, inside the Devourer-class cruiser.
The stench of scorched xenos remains was thick. The roar of gunfire, the screeching of the swarm, and the splashing of blood and mechanical fragments wove together a landscape of purgatory.
A Fire Caste warrior in an XV8 battlesuit raised his burst cannon, pulling the trigger repeatedly. Miniature pulse rounds—possessing power exceeding that of a standard bolter—instantly punched through chitinous carapaces, turning several lunging Hormagaunts into burning fragments.
Fleshborer beetles fired by Termagants struck the energy shields projected by drones, causing only faint ripples before sliding off harmlessly.
The acrid smell of bio-spores filled the air, but fortunately, the heavy battlesuits provided isolation, protecting the Fire Caste warriors from the toxins.
Swoosh!
Miniature missiles trailed plumes of fire in an arc, and the resulting explosions consumed a group of Termagants.
It had been five full minutes since the combat teams from the Orca transports set foot in this hell.
In these five minutes, every second felt longer than a century. The swarm surged forward like an ocean, wave after wave, never ceasing its assault.
Using the narrow corridors of the cruiser, they had managed to set up rudimentary fortifications, but this fragile defense was already teetering under the Tyranids' berserk offensive.
However, the commands of the Ethereals had to be followed.
For the Greater Good, even if they could not decapitate the enemy's command core, they had to hold their ground, trading flesh for time to exhaust the swarm.
But under this endless onslaught, how much longer could the Hunter Cadre hold?
Riiip—!
The sound of tearing organic matter rang out suddenly.
The Fire Caste warrior watched in horror as a tall Tyranid silhouette burst through the organic wall to his side and charged in.
Great bone swords made of chitin swung like blurs; an XV9 battlesuit meant for close-quarters combat was cleaved in two, cyan blood erupting from within.
A Tyranid Warrior surveyed its surroundings, its four limbs unfolding—two hands wielding long bone swords while its lower appendages raised a fleshborer hive that began to roar.
To block the attack, a drone exploded on the spot, its energy shield completely depleted.
With no time to mourn his AI companion, the Fire Caste warrior raised his burst cannon without hesitation.
Thump-thump-thump!!!
The Tyranid Warrior did not dodge or block; it strode forward grandly. The rain of pulse rounds was tanked directly, leaving only shallow pits on its carapace.
How is it ineffective?
Are they... evolving?
Are they actually learning how to resist our weapons?
BOOM!
A massive blast echoed through the narrow corridor. Half of the Tyranid Warrior's torso was blown to bits, splattering flesh everywhere.
Having lost their synapse creature, the surrounding Tyranids instantly fell into confusion.
The survivor turned back to see an XV88 Broadside battlesuit striding forward, its heavy rail rifle still trailing blue smoke.
The pilot gave him a nod.
Fortunately—
Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he froze.
Time seemed to stand still.
The body of his comrade inside the XV88 battlesuit before him suddenly turned into a bomb. In a violent roar, fragments and flesh sprayed outward, and the heavy battlesuit vanished in an instant.
How is this possible?
Turning his head in terror, he saw that the Tyranids who had just been in chaos had already regained order. They swarmed forward, slaughtering the defenseless T'au; the situation reversed in a heartbeat.
And then, the Fire Caste warrior finally saw the culprits.
They were three creatures with heads resembling grotesque, oversized brains, hovering in the air. They had thin, snake-like limbs, heads covered in thick chitinous plates, and flickering arcs of energy dancing around them.
That was psychic power being unleashed.
Oh no, it's mind-technology!
As the saying goes—blessings and disasters come hand in hand.
The T'au's dim Warp presence gave them high resistance to Chaos corruption, but it also resulted in a massive deficit in their psychic countermeasures.
For example, during the Damocles Crusade, Imperial ground forces had repeatedly used psykers to tear openings in their lines, offsetting the T'au's advantages in organization and technology.
He watched as all projectiles stopped short before the enemy's thick energy shields.
Having lost the XV88 Broadside that could snipe targets instantly, they no longer had enough heavy anti-vehicle fire. They could only be beaten passively, slaughtered at will by psychic lightning.
And in this moment of despair.
The Fire Caste warrior heard something.
From behind him, a sound emerged.
First, a pop like electricity ionizing the air, followed by a heavy thud of someone landing.
Finally, a sentence in High Gothic from a human:
"Out of the way at once, xenos."