Osiris' hovercar traveled smoothly on the airship of the Mars-forged city cluster.
The vehicle had just left the airport of the Encyclopedia Temple and was heading towards the temporary accommodations arranged by the headquarters of the Cult of Mechanics.
Below the floating vehicle, a complex network of metal structures and pipes stretches into the distance like a giant circuit board.
Three servo-controlled skulls are suspended inside the carriage, their scanners continuously monitoring the surrounding environmental parameters.
Osiris' mechanical body was fixed in the passenger seat, and the processing core was organizing the data that had just been downloaded from the temple.
Suddenly, all the servo skulls simultaneously emitted a sharp alarm sound.
Almost simultaneously, the protective armor on the right side of the hovercraft was struck by a green energy beam, producing a piercing tearing sound.
Osiris immediately activated his personal Void Shield Generator.
A light blue energy field instantly enveloped his body, just enough to block the second wave of attacks that followed.
Three poison darts with purple trails were deflected a few centimeters from his armor, leaving corrosive marks on the interior wall of the carriage.
The airship's control system issued an alarm, indicating that the thrusters were damaged.
Osiris decisively cut off the safety restraints, and his mechanical feet made a heavy thud on the carriage floor.
The joints of the dragon-scale-shaped power armor emitted a slight hydraulic sound, supporting his slightly forward-leaning posture.
Six dark figures emerged from the shadows of buildings in different directions.
These attackers were slender and agile, wearing dark purple body armor and hideous masks.
The weapons in their hands glowed with an eerie green light, clearly creations of the Dark Eldar.
The mechanical tentacles behind Osiris instantly unfolded, and the energy core of the "Electric Arc Disaster" began to charge.
He didn't waste time asking about the other party's identity or intentions—the purpose of a Dark Eldar assassin appearing in the core region of Mars was self-evident.
The second wave of attacks followed immediately. Two Dark Eldar assassins used a jump device to climb onto the top of the hovercraft and attempted to cut through the armor with specially made cutting tools.
The other four moved quickly between the buildings on the ground, continuously firing with their poison crystal rifles to hinder Osiris' movements.
Osiris' Void Shield flickered again, blocking several shots of poison crystals.
His heavy incendiary cannon immediately returned fire, forcing a sniper on the ground to seek cover.
At the same time, the "faster-than-light particle arrow" launcher installed on the left arm was quietly activated, and a blazing white energy arrow pierced through the roof armor and accurately struck an assassin who was cutting.
The damaged hovercraft began to fall.
Osiris calculated the remaining time before the impact while simultaneously dealing with attacks from multiple directions.
His core analysis quickly determined the situation, concluding that the vehicle, which was about to crash, must be evacuated immediately.
Just as he was preparing to force his way through, the battle situation suddenly changed.
A precise laser beam shot down from above, striking the wrist of a Dark Eldar who was about to throw a poisoned blade.
Immediately afterwards, a slender figure clad in blue and white armor leaped down from the roof, her spear piercing the chest of another assassin the instant she landed.
Almost at the same moment, heavy footsteps came from the other end of the street.
A tall, black Templar Space Marine burst out from around the corner, his power sword slashing with the force of thunder towards the nearest Eldar.
The assassin tried to dodge, but the blade still precisely sliced through his armor.
The third reinforcement appeared on Osiris' other side.
A combat nun clad in silver-gray power armor landed in the middle of the street using a jetpack, her molten gun immediately aimed at the assassin group attempting to surround Osiris.
Osiris did not let this opportunity slip by. The "Arc Catastrophe" emitted a deep hum, and several twisted arcs of electricity shot out like living things, simultaneously entangling the three Dark Elf race members.
The overloaded pulse instantly turned their armor into scrap metal.
The newly emerged Eldar rangers move with fluidity and lethality, each spear thrust precisely targeting the seams of the Dark Eldar armor.
Her movements were like a dance, always managing to evade enemy attacks at the last second while delivering a fatal counterattack.
Black Templar Space Marines employ a completely different fighting style.
Each swing of his sword carried overwhelming power, and when the power sword clashed with the Dark Eldar's blade whip, dazzling sparks flew.
Even when surrounded by multiple enemies, he did not back down. He used his heavy shoulder armor to smash through an assassin, and then slashed the assassin in two with a backhand sword.
The battle nun provided fire support from the rear, and each time her molten gun fired, it left a trail of molten metal in the street.
When a Dark Eldar tries to break through the defenses, she quickly switches to her chainsaw sword, creating a perfect offensive and defensive synergy with her teammates.
Osiris calmly observed the battle situation, the Omnissiah Axe already in his hand.
The mechanical runes on the axe blade glowed faintly, and the built-in power field generator emitted a dangerous hum.
As a Dark Eldar broke through the barrage of fire and charged forward, Osiris took a heavy step forward, his power axe tracing a perfect arc.
The moment the axe blades made contact, the Dark Eldar's armor was torn apart like paper, and his body was neatly cleaved in two.
The survivors attempted to retreat, but were all wiped out by the Eldar rangers' precise shooting and the Black Templars' interception.
In less than a minute, all twelve Dark Elf assassins fell to the ground.
The streets returned to silence, broken only by the faint hum of the power armor's servo systems and the hissing of weapons as they cooled down.
The plasma reactor behind Osiris continued to emit a low, energetic hum, casting a long shadow on his slightly hunched figure in the red light of Mars.
After Osiris' sensors confirmed that there were no more threats in the vicinity, he turned his attention to the three reinforcements.
His optical lens swept across the Eldar ranger's elegant face, the Black Templar's armor covered in scriptures, and the striking Imperial eagle emblem on the Battle Nun's helmet.
"State your identities and purpose." Osiris' synthesized voice rang out in the quiet street, carrying the slight echo of the power core in operation.
The three reinforcements exchanged glances, and finally, the Eldar ranger stepped forward.
She tucked the spear behind her back and made a complex gesture, which seemed to be some kind of greeting.
"I am Elendil." Her voice flowed like a clear spring, carrying a strange rhythm. "And these two are..."
Just as she was about to continue her introduction, Osiris suddenly raised her hand to signal her to stop.
One of his servo skulls detected a signal from an approaching Mechanicus patrol in the distance.
"This is not a place for further discussion," Osiris said, as the Omnissiah Axe retracted into its mounting on its back. "Come with me."
He turned and walked toward a side passage, his slightly heavy footsteps leaving deep marks on the metal floor.
The three reinforcements followed without hesitation and disappeared into the intricate Martian streets.