Just as the remaining Orks were being gradually cleared and the battlefield had not yet fully quieted, a new urgent alert came from the frigate in orbit—a Chaos Warband fleet abruptly appeared at the edge of the star system.
Detection data clearly showed that this fleet consisted of several cruisers of various models, all exuding an aura of blasphemy and corruption.
Their distorted vessel silhouettes were slowly adjusting direction, targeting the Death World.
Osiris' lone frigate could never hope to stop this fleet in a direct confrontation.
Osiris made an immediate decision.
He ordered the frigate to abandon its orbital defensive position and immediately withdraw from the star system to avoid unnecessary losses.
At the same time, he turned to Margaret and Maria, issuing the same command: "The Astoria Family, withdraw with the frigate.
You don't need to participate in the upcoming battle; it is not the Astoria Family's responsibility."
However, Marna Lingguang, controlling his knight mecha, stepped forward, and a deep, resolute voice came through the external loudspeaker: "Magos, the Astoria Family's dictionary has never contained the words 'flee without a fight'.
Our honor is built upon guardianship and fierce combat, upon direct confrontation with powerful enemies.
Abandoning allies, defiling the knight's oath, and surviving ignobly is more unacceptable than dying in battle."
The other knight mechas behind him also hummed in resonance, indicating their unified resolve.
"We will stay and face the enemy with you, fighting to the very end."
Facing the unquestionable persistence of the Astoria Family, no expression could be seen on Osiris' mechanical face, and the light from his optical lenses remained steady.
He no longer tried to persuade them, merely accepting their choice in silence.
He instead dedicated all his energy to organizing the planetary defense, mobilizing the remaining Adeptus Ministorum Troops, servitor constructs, and all available ground firepower, redeploying defensive lines, and preparing to meet attacks from orbit and any potential subsequent landing assaults.
The pressure was immense, but Osiris' logical core clearly assessed the situation; this was far from an unsolvable predicament.
First, he had an absolute escape route.
The dimensional teleporter was in his hands; if he wished, he could withdraw with core personnel and equipment from this Death World at any time, heading to Starfleet or Night City, or even other new dimensions.
The Chaos Warband might be powerful, but they could never possess the ability to pursue across dimensions.
Secondly, he still held power capable of turning the tide of battle.
Although the previously used black sphere, capable of annihilating everything within a five-kilometer radius, had astonishing effects, it was not his only treasure, and even the black sphere itself was not unique.
In his dimensional storage device, other immensely powerful ancient relics were sealed, each possessing the ability to overturn the battle at a critical moment.
However, these relics were, without exception, non-renewable resources.
They were unique items; one used meant one less, and their value could not be measured by ordinary materials.
Using a black sphere against the Orks was to break the stalemate and avoid falling into the mastermind's scheme.
The appearance of the Chaos fleet indicated that the mastermind hoped to tie him down with the Orks, then deploy the Chaos Warband to further escalate the situation and overwhelm Osiris' defenses.
However, Osiris used the black sphere to break the situation, allowing the Orks to be cleared out early so he could focus on dealing with the Chaos fleet.
And facing a Chaos fleet, using relics of the same level or even more dangerous ones would still be a significant cost for Osiris.
He needed to weigh whether it was worth expending these precious trump cards prematurely to hold this stronghold.
He temporarily suppressed the idea of immediately using the relics, preparing to resist with conventional forces first, observing the Chaos Warband's specific actions, while also hoping that titan reinforcements from Neksum would arrive in time.
The true trump card should never be revealed unless absolutely necessary.
—
As the orbital sensors outlined the Chaos fleet's silhouette, the friend-or-foe identification system, amidst the complex blasphemous signals, locked onto a Legion emblem variant that Osiris was not unfamiliar with—it belonged to the World Eaters.
Seeing this mark, a long-dormant data record was activated in Osiris' processor.
He had indeed intersected with this Legion in the distant past, during the glorious years of the Great Crusade, before they had welcomed back their Primarch.
At that time, they were still known as the "War Hounds," a Legion renowned for its resilience and close-combat skills, whose valor even earned them a title personally bestowed by the Emperor.
Osiris had had limited contact and cooperation with the then-rational and communicative high-ranking members of the War Hounds Legion.
He remembered that while those astartes were warlike, they still maintained the Legion's structure and sense of honor.
However, everything changed with the return of their father of the genes—Angron.
In Osiris' view, Angron, the Primarch himself, was a colossal failure, a tragedy shaped by cruel fate and ultimately destroyed by it, but even more tragic was that he dragged his entire Legion into the abyss.
When the War Hounds welcomed their father with honor and expectation, Angron responded to them only with merciless blades.
He almost slaughtered all the high-ranking Legion members who came to meet him, announcing his arrival in the bloodiest manner.
Later, it was said that under Khârn's "guidance," Angron reluctantly accepted the Legion, but the cost was heavy.
He forced the entire Legion to implant the neural-shattering slave implants from his homeworld of Nuceria—the "Butcher's Nails."
This barbaric device amplified all aggression and rage, stifling calm thought and nobler emotions.
Former glory and valor were replaced by endless fury and a lust for slaughter.
The name "War Hounds" was discarded, replaced by "World Eaters," symbolizing utter destruction.
With the Butcher's Nails, Angron personally destroyed a powerful Legion bestowed upon him by the Emperor and utterly annihilated his own remaining sanity.
Now, appearing at the edge of the star system was precisely such a group of madmen, cursed by their Primarch's madness, left with only an endless craving for blood and skulls.
They were more dangerous than the Orks, more violent than the Death Guard.
Osiris knew that between these berserkers driven by the Butcher's Nails, there was no room for negotiation or compromise; only complete destruction could end their threat.
He watched the World Eaters' vessels accelerating towards the Death World on the sensors, evaluating their most probable tactics—undoubtedly, they would launch boarding actions in the most direct, most brutal manner, eager to tear apart all living things in their path with chainaxes and power claws.
The base's defenses would face an unprecedented test.