Tyrone Hive – Moments After the Governor's Meeting
As soon as the Spire Lords adjourned, the Governor and his inner circle wasted no time—their evacuation preparations began immediately.
While they boarded their shuttles, the frontline of the Hive's stalemate shifted.
On the battlefield, General Barrett received a transmission from the Lord Marshal of Tyrone Hive.
A message that changed everything.
....
The official command was worded carefully:
"The 2nd Regiment is to immediately stand down from the front. The First Legion is not an enemy. As loyal servants of the God-Emperor, all sons of the Imperium must seek reconciliation."
It sounded diplomatic—perhaps even righteous.
But Barrett saw right through it.
This wasn't just a ceasefire.
This was a surrender.
For weeks, Barrett had watched the First Legion—
They weren't heretics. They weren't power-hungry warlords.
They were survivors.
Men who had clawed their way out of death and now sought justice for their fallen comrades.
They had no desire to burn Tyrone Hive to the ground.
This was their home too.
....
With his orders clear, Barrett gathered his officers and headed to the First Legion lines.
He found Captain Grey overseeing a new wave of recruits, freshly teleported into their forward base.
Without hesitation, Barrett handed Grey the orders.
"The Hive has surrendered."
Grey read them silently, his visor scanning the document.
He forwarded the data to Lord Commander, then looked up.
A smirk played across Grey's lips.
"Congratulations.
You and your men can finally stop fearing that we'll come over the trench line to gut you."
Barrett sighed, running a hand over his unshaved stubble.
"I'm still not at ease." he admitted.
"Your Lord Commander is a strong-willed man. I doubt he'll be so quick to forgive and forget."
Grey's smirk faded.
His tone turned flat and serious.
"He won't compromise.
He will find out who orchestrated this war… and execute them.
Only then will this matter be settled."
A heavy silence hung between them.
Barrett felt his stomach tighten.
This war wasn't over.
It was just changing shape.
After a long pause, he muttered:
"Pass a message to your Lord Commander for me—
This Hive is our home. We cannot let it be destroyed."
Grey leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Pass a message to your Governor for me—
We have suffered too much. Paid too steep a price.
This will not end so easily.
He should prepare to atone for his sins."
Barrett snorted, rolling his eyes.
"You've got teeth, boy. I'll give you that."
With that, he turned and headed back to his regiment.
....
The entire 2nd Regiment assembled, ready to leave the trenches behind.
For the first time in months, they could lower their weapons without fear.
Jubilant soldiers laughed, clapping each other on the back—even in Barrett's presence.
He let them.
"When I get home, I'm buying my wife and kids a gift.
Then I'll throw a feast to celebrate not dying in this mess!"
The men cheered, clinking ration bottles together in celebration.
For the first time in months, there was laughter on the Fields.
Even Grey's hardened veterans felt an odd sense of relief.
Then—
Everything changed.
....
[Incoming Hostile Projectiles Detected]
Grey's helmet HUD flashed red.
[⚠ WARNING: MULTIPLE HIGH-SPEED PROJECTILES INBOUND!]
[⚠ WARNING! WARNING!]
His shoulder-mounted cannon activated instantly, aiming toward the sky.
Other Thunderborns' cannons did the same, firing intercepting laser blasts into the upper atmosphere.
Barrett whipped around, his face twisting in confusion and fury.
"Grey—did you order an attack?!"
Then—
He heard it.
The horrific shriek of descending artillery.
The unmistakable whistle of death falling from above.
Barrett's expression froze.
Slowly, he turned back to Grey, his mouth opening—
But before he could speak—
"BOOOM∼"
A blinding explosion consumed him.
Barrett was vaporized instantly.
Then—
Hell fell upon the battlefield.
....
Grey and his soldiers immediately took cover.
Their fortified defenses and advanced armor absorbed the brunt of the bombardment.
The automated defense turrets continued firing, intercepting as many incoming shells as possible.
But there were too many.
Even as they gunned down some of the incoming warheads, dozens more slammed into the battlefield.
The ground quaked as explosions ripped apart the trenches.
The air became thick with blood and smoke.
....
They had gathered too close together.
A perfect kill zone.
Hundreds of soldiers vanished in an instant, vaporized by the first volley.
The shockwave tore through flesh and bone, turning men into chunks of meat that rained down upon their comrades.
Grey had seen carnage before.
But never like this.
His visor blurred with blood splatter.
The ground became a slurry of pulverized corpses.
For a moment, he could do nothing but stare at the devastation.
Then—
"DEFEND THE LINE!"
His voice snapped through the comms.
Legion officers immediately rallied their troops.
They reinforced the fortifications—
Ironically, trenches built by the 2nd Regiment were now protecting the very soldiers they once called rebels.
....
Two Hours Later – New Kato Fortress
The command center was a storm of activity.
The emergency alert had triggered a full-scale military mobilization.
Inside the war room, Qin Mo and Yoan strode through the steel corridors.
Every passing soldier snapped to attention—then immediately sprinted to carry out orders.
Qin Mo entered the briefing chamber.
Inside, Klein and the Legion's top officers gathered around a holographic battlefield projection.
As soon as Qin Mo stepped forward, the officers parted to make way.
Qin Mo's eyes scanned the projection.
The First Legion was holding, using their superior firepower to withstand the onslaught.But the enemy wasn't just attacking the front—they were establishing defensive positions across the lower districts.
Klein sighed.
"So war was inevitable after all…"
His voice carried weariness—as if he had always known this was coming.
....
"Order a Full Retreat."
Qin Mo's tone was calm. Absolute.
"Destroy all fixed emplacements on the frontlines. Leave them nothing.
Then withdraw all forces back to the Underhive."
Klein's eyes widened.
"We're pulling back?!"
Qin Mo's gaze remained locked on the holographic map.
"The tunnel was blocked during the battle in the Underhive.
Now that war has begun, our forward base is useless.
We will regroup… rearm…
And then we will teleport—
Directly behind their forces."
Klein understood Instantly.
His shock turned into a grin.
"A surprise counterattack from behind…
Brilliant."
....
"Prepare the Teleport Assault."
Qin Mo issued the final order.
His officers quickly began calculating orbital triangulations and where each Legion regiment would materialize for maximal impact.
The counteroffensive had begun.