[Your furious roar instantly jolted even Company Commander Shavon and your battle-brothers awake.]
[They reacted swiftly—plasma cannons and heavy explosives once again thundered through the cathedral's interior.]
[Yet, countless Genestealers surged forth from their Patriarch's side.]
[They threw their own bodies into the line of fire, using sheer mass to block the most devastating attacks.]
[Weakened explosives barely grazed the swift-moving Patriarch, failing to even scratch its chitinous armor.]
[You and Shavon swung your weapons with relentless fury, tearing through the alien flesh before you.]
[A few silent battle-brothers seized the opening you carved out, charging ahead toward the Genestealer Patriarch.]
[You bore witness to the terrifying assault unleashed by the Patriarch—like a true sovereign of its kind.]
[With a mere swipe of its four massive claws—]
[Several battle-brothers, along with their power armor, were shattered into gore, their remains scattering in all directions.]
[Scalding blood splashed onto your Terminator armor.]
[Instinctively, you let out a furious roar.]
[Then, your voice abruptly cut off.]
[It was as if you had fallen into a frenzy known as 'The Blindness.']
[Without hesitation, you hurled a roaring chainsaw axe toward the Patriarch.]
[Caught off guard, the beast failed to evade, losing a piece of its chitinous shell.]
[You wildly swung your remaining power axe, silently driving your Terminator armor forward.]
[Alien blood drenched your armor; even the visor—shaped like a shark's maw—was smeared with crimson.]
[Your vision turned entirely red.]
[You fought with a sense beyond even an Astartes' heightened perception, slaughtering in utter silence.]
[Through an unrelenting storm of brutal strikes, you slowly closed in on the Patriarch.]
[As your subconscious wavered, contemplating the detonation of your meltabomb—]
[The cathedral, now overrun with xenos, suddenly trembled. The towering dome, adorned with sacred scriptures and murals, collapsed with a deafening crash.]
[A massive Dreadnought drop pod smashed into the blood-soaked floor, crushing a swarm of xenos beneath it.]
[From its ruined chassis, a colossal five-meter-tall Contemptor-pattern Dreadnought erupted, radiating both searing heat and bone-chilling cold.]
[It was Ithako the Ancient, the First Ancestor of the Third Company.]
[The final trump card, second only to orbital bombardment in Shavon's arsenal.]
[The mighty and ancient Contemptor Dreadnought let out a mechanical roar.]
[The embattled battle-brothers seemed invigorated, their chainsaw axes swinging with newfound ferocity.]
[You barely dodged, forcing your way past the Patriarch's flank.]
[Its fearsome claws tore away a significant portion of your heavy shoulder plate, exposing the ancient mechanisms beneath.]
[You forcibly activated your failing energy field, swinging your power axe in a desperate attempt to cut off the Patriarch's retreat.]
[The Dreadnought's chest-mounted flamers erupted, unleashing a searing inferno that engulfed the xenos within the cathedral.]
[With heavy, deliberate steps, it advanced, raising its massive siege claw and revving its three-headed drill.]
[The ancient Contemptor Dreadnought charged at the Patriarch, now held at bay by your desperate efforts.]
[Sensing mortal danger, the Patriarch retaliated.]
[It lashed out with its claws in a ruthless backhand strike.]
[There was no time to dodge.]
[You had no choice but to endure the attack, relying on your failing energy field and the resilience of your Terminator armor.]
[In an instant, the already-unstable energy field let out a miserable whine and shattered completely.]
[Dozens of gruesome wounds tore through your armor, piercing deep into your chest.]
[Even your canine-shaped helmet was split open, leaving a jagged gash.]
[Through the fractured visor, a single black eye was exposed.]
[The monstrous force of the impact sent you flying.]
[The frenzy of 'The Blindness' faded.]
[Blood erupted from your mouth, nose, and chest.]
[Yet, the Astartes' genetic enhancements began working—the bleeding slowed.]
[You crashed into the ground, carving a deep crater.]
[The xenos swarmed, ready to consume you.]
[Your vision blurred.]
[Yet, the corner of your mouth curled into a shark-like grin, revealing bared white teeth.]
[For in that fleeting moment when you endured the Patriarch's lethal attack—]
[Ithako the Ancient had already reached its back.]
[As you tumbled through the air, you witnessed the Contemptor Dreadnought's massive siege claw descending upon the Patriarch.]
[At the same time, amidst the relentless counterattack of your battle-brothers—]
[A lone, battered figure emerged from the cathedral's side chamber.]
[Ukarri, the surviving Librarian from the First Strike Squad's mission into the cult's den.]
[Grievously wounded, he raised a trembling hand.]
[A surge of psychic energy burst forth, locking the towering Patriarch in place.]
[In the next instant, through your combined efforts with Ithako and Ukarri—]
[The once-unrivaled master and progenitor of the Genestealer Cult—]
[Was reduced to a disgusting mass of purple gore.]
[You let out a slow breath.]
[You closed your eyes in relief.]
[You awaited the xenos' final strike.]
[Darkness took you.]
[You hovered on the brink of death.]
[Yet, before oblivion could claim you, the roar of Thunderhawk gunships and the piercing wail of drop pods filled the air.]
[Three companies of Ashen Claws descended upon Reverence V, wasting no time in purging the xenos.]
[Meanwhile, two squads of ancient Cataphractii Terminators teleported into Redemption Square.]
[They carved a path of blood straight toward the cathedral.]
[The Apothecaries of the Ashen Claws found you, administering emergency field treatment.]
[By sheer fortune, you survived.]
[Soon after, the battered yet victorious Shavon led the battle-brothers of the Space Sharks to rendezvous briefly with the Ashen Claws.]
[Former enemies now stood side by side, eradicating the last remnants of the Genestealer Cult.]
[Once more, the thunder of explosives and the roar of chainsaw axes filled Redemption Square and the ruins beyond.]
[And as the crimson dawn slowly pierced the night sky of Reverence V—]
[This brutal yet fleeting battle finally reached its end.]
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