After annihilating the weak space forces of the necrons.
Sicarius' command fleet slowly sailed towards the near-orbital path of Nordam 2, the largest colonial planet in the Nordam system.
As the fleet was about to enter orbit, numerous warships began to slowly decelerate.
They chose to enter orbit on the side facing the star.
Reflected in the star's cold light.
A terrible scene of past slaughter appeared before the many senior officers of the fleet.
When the necrons invaded the Nordam system.
The local defenders put up a tenacious resistance, trying to save their homes from a tragic fate.
However, their ultimate fate was sorrowful and desperate.
It was a merciless reflection of this cruel universe.
It was also a true portrayal of the price humanity pays for survival.
Survival is not a gift from the universe, but a trophy of brutal struggle.
The wreckage of an Imperial cruiser and five or six battle barges hung in near orbit.
Like artificial satellites, they orbited the planet.
Cold metal entrails mixed with shattered debris formed glittering clouds.
Within the spiral clouds of oxygen ice, there were traces of plasma residue.
Shattered nutrient tanks, large square crates containing unexploded ordnance, and unopened Imperial food storage containers slowly rotated in the void.
Tens of thousands of crew corpses floated throughout the void.
Some wore expressions of fear, some were curled up like infants, and others had their eyes wide open in rage.
White frost covered their bodies, glittering under the light of the star.
The chilling silence was unnerving.
To maintain humanity's survival, countless men and women in the Imperium sacrifice their lives every moment.
This is a dark universe, this is a cruel era.
Every life living in this era is unfortunate.
The fleet entered a forgotten tomb.
A tomb belonging to the Imperium's fallen.
Except for a few despicable nobles.
The men and women of the Nordam system paid a heavy price to defend their homes.
Even though they ultimately failed, their spirit was admirable.
"We have returned, with the fury and will of vengeance."
Sicarius whispered softly.
As if commemorating the beings who had returned to the Emperor's side.
Humanity never forgets, and humanity will have its revenge.
The many senior officers surrounding Sicarius were all silent.
They too gazed at the corpses and wreckage.
There are many such void tombs in the galaxy.
Countless xenos and forces of Chaos threaten humanity.
One day, humanity will settle the score with each of these forces.
A heavy voice sounded, and a tech-priest walked up to Sicarius.
A cold, rational mechanical voice emerged from the vox-caster built into his steel throat.
"Lord, according to augur data, there is a necron structure in the Nordam system, seemingly their outpost."
"I know."
Sicarius did not turn back.
He gazed at the tragic scene, his conviction to follow the Primarch growing stronger.
Only the great Lord Guilliman can free humanity from this terrible nightmare.
Only he can save humanity from its tragic, inevitable doom.
After a moment, Sicarius turned back and looked at his second-in-command.
"Have all the brothers prepare. We will descend to the surface and slay those damned metal skeletons."
Teleportation technology had been successfully installed on the Retribution-class Super Heavy Tanks and was undergoing initial battlefield trials.
Unfortunately, it was not yet widespread.
It still required some time.
Once the many forge worlds in the Charadon Sector had mastered this technical knowledge, large-scale production could begin.
At that time, humanity would fully utilize these teleportation technologies.
For now, Sicarius and his chapter brothers could only deploy via Thunderhawk gunships for the initial assault.
Currently, teleportation from near orbit to the ground carried too great a risk.
Furthermore, necron tombs were equipped with protective fields that would interfere with teleportation.
Using teleportation to enter was highly likely to result in accidents.
It was best to conduct an aerial assault.
The warships accurately reached the designated deep strike target points.
The necrons on the ground still possessed anti-air capabilities.
Immediately upon entering the designated area, they were met with intense fire from Gauss arrays.
Necron Gauss weapons were far superior to human weaponry.
Before long, the warship shields were repeatedly struck.
The defense systems emitted urgent alerts.
The Cogitators connected to the vast hull continuously sounded warnings.
The entire warship was enveloped in urgent, flashing red lights.
Sicarius, accompanied by two personal guards, strode down the marble corridor and entered the drop deck.
Primaris space marines from multiple Chapters were already prepared.
Chapter serfs were withdrawing from the ranks of those ready for deployment.
Chaplains had put away their seals and remaining prayer parchments.
Pre-battle prayers were concluded.
The warriors were ready to be committed to combat at any moment.
Meanwhile, the drop deck in the warship's belly slowly opened.
The launch mechanisms were ready, awaiting the primaris space marines to enter their drop pods before launching them directly.
Cold, unfiltered starlight pierced inward.
The chill of the void caused frost to begin condensing within the deck.
"Begin."
Sicarius said little else.
War oaths had long since turned into hot blood flowing through every cell of their bodies.
All the Chapter brothers awaited the baptism of blood and fire.
The drop force was divided into two parts.
One group of space marines was sent into drop pods, using the brutal method of a meteorite impact to deliver them into the battlefield.
Another group of space marines would descend using jump packs.
They needed to make tactical arrangements based on the battlefield situation.
With Sicarius' command to begin the assault, members of each squad activated their shared interfaces, clarifying their objectives.
Their mission was simple: clear the necrons from the planet's surface.
Reclaim this world from the hands of those metal xenos.
Once all the primaris space marines were ready.
The drop countdown sounded.
Along with the countdown, various readings slowly increased.
As the countdown reached zero, all the drop pods were launched within seconds.
Like small arrows shot from an invisible bow, they pierced straight towards the planet.
The massive thrust flames made the drop pods hurtle towards the ground like meteors.
In just a few seconds, all the drop pods were ejected.
Warriors using tactical jump packs also leaped from the warships in near orbit, using their thrusters to rush towards the planet.
Sicarius was one of them.
Every time he used a jump pack to drop from near orbit.
He had the illusion of feeling incredibly small.
The planet was too vast; he was like a black dot, insignificant.
"Let them face the fire of humanity's vengeance."
Before entering the atmosphere, Sicarius roared loudly.
All the primaris space marines participating in the battle roared with him, demanding that the necrons pay a heavy price for their past actions.
The drop pods were the fastest, trailing fire like meteors as they crashed towards the planet's surface.
As they plunged into the atmosphere, the necrons locked onto them.
Dense beams of Gauss energy constantly struck the drop pods' shields and heavy armor.
Red warning runes flashed continuously on the drop pod panels.
Sicarius and the others followed closely, using their thrusters to enter the atmosphere directly from outer orbit, then shutting off their thrusters to freefall towards the planet's surface.
This made it extremely easy for the enemy to mistake them for falling debris.
This tactic was quite effective.
The enemy often didn't notice anything amiss until they were close to landing.
The roar of the wind screamed in Sicarius' ears.
The ground became increasingly clear in his vision.
Snow-covered mountains and frozen lakes were also expanding rapidly.
A huge explosion suddenly sounded.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Sicarius saw a drop pod being hit.
Its upper section was sheared off, and a dazzling flash of fire erupted in the air.
A warrior was thrown from the shattered drop pod.
"Signum."
A furious cry of grief erupted in the comms channel.
A Chapter brother could not hide his sorrow and indignation.
"Remember him."
Sicarius saw a light on his helmet disappear, signifying that a Chapter brother had left them and returned to the Emperor's throne.
Sicarius struggled to control his anger, trying to suppress it with reason; it was not yet time to unleash it.
Through his lenses, he looked at the giant, dark, pyramid-shaped structure made of unknown material on the ground, and added the latter half of his sentence.
"And avenge him."
The drop pods landed first.
Accompanied by one booming crash after another.
The Emperor's Angels were deposited near the black pyramid by the drop pods.
The immense impact left spiderweb-like cracks on the already shattered, frozen ground.
"For Guilliman, for the Emperor."
Accompanied by the sound of high-pressure seals releasing.
The hatch burst open with a bang.
The ejected metal hatch, powerful in its force, embedded itself directly into the ground.
Warriors charging out shouted the names of Guilliman and the Emperor.
Intense gunfire immediately erupted in the comms channel.
Sicarius controlled his thrusters, constantly adjusting his landing point.
His squad members did the same; they would be the sword that broke the enemy's defenses.
"Each squad carry out your respective missions, cut into them from the rear. Remember, do not get bogged down in combat, our objective is to blow up the pyramid," Sicarius said.
Necrons are metallic life forms.
Their tomb is a massive data control center.
It can continuously teleport away the fallen necrons.
Those fallen necrons will be resurrected again in the furnaces.
Fighting a war of attrition against the necrons is pointless.
The best way is to directly destroy their tombs and disrupt their data centers.
Only in this way can the necrons be defeated.
As long as the pyramid is blown up, it basically signifies that humanity has gained control of the Nordam system.
Sicarius' squad members used jump packs to fly in a perfect parabola, landing on the smoke-shrouded periphery of the pyramid.
Upon landing, Sicarius immediately disengaged his jump pack.
This was to prevent the heavy pack from hindering his movements.
They were quickly surrounded by necrons.
They were densely packed, looking like a vast, bone-white ocean at a glance.
Sicarius swiftly impaled a necron with the sword in his hand.
His bolter then aimed at the next, accurately reaping them.
However, all of this was of little significance.
The fallen necrons quickly emitted a flash of light, and then their metal bodies vanished.
These necrons were being sent back to the tomb, repaired in the furnace, and then sent out again.
Behind Sicarius, Decius and other primaris space marines fired continuously, forming a dense, interwoven web of fire.
The necrons retaliated with beams of dark green Gauss energy.
These beams were like venomous snakes; even a slight hit would quickly cause armour to disintegrate, or even turn the entire person into dust.
Several primaris space marines soon fell, their upper bodies glowing green and turning into dust.
Sicarius used the scanner implanted in his eye to quickly determine their position.
He used the shared information channel to confirm the strength of both friendly and enemy forces.
Necrons holding gauss weapons continuously emerged from the battlefield's pervasive smoke.
Their bodies had been converted into metallic forms during the War in Heaven.
They looked repulsive and disgusting.
Numerous primaris space marines unleashed their vengeful fury upon them.
The necron tomb was not far from them; its detailed outline and features were already visible.
The calculations of the tech-priests were precise; they had approached the target as closely as possible.
Sicarius estimated they were only a few thousand meters from the objective.
Breaking through the terrain filled with sharp, tooth-like ice spikes would allow them to approach the necron tomb pyramid.
The necrons also understood the objective of the primaris space marines.
They surged from all directions, blocking the humans outside the tomb.
The primaris space marines fought as if in an ocean of the dead, attempting to reach the pyramid.
Meanwhile, the necrons came in wave after wave, trying to push them back.
"They are trying to prevent us from entering the tomb," Sicarius said. "All squads, do not get bogged down in combat. Our objective is to destroy that xenos pyramid, not waste time in a meaningless war of attrition here."
"We will break their shell and twist off all their metal heads," Decius replied to Sicarius over the comms.
Numerous primaris space marines formed a wedge formation, abandoning all else and choosing to push towards the pyramid at all costs.
Sicarius led the charge, cutting down necrons along the way, sending them back to the furnace.
Suddenly, a scream echoed across the battlefield.
Sicarius looked in the direction of the sound.
A figure in power armour, caught in the necron tide, was being focused fired by Gauss beams.
In moments, half of the figure's body glowed green and was utterly corroded.
Another light point vanished from the helmet display.
"Avenge them!" Sicarius roared.
The other warriors followed suit with roars of their own.
They advanced steadily according to the pre-arranged tactics. Two Dreadnoughts deployed into the battle unleashed terrifying firepower.
They utterly destroyed the bone-white necrons.
Bolter fire and Gauss beams intertwined, but ultimately, the outcome leaned slightly in favour of the Imperium of Man.
Necrons possessed extremely strong self-repair capabilities.
However, under the furious assault of Sicarius and his men, they were shattered beyond repair and directly teleported away.
Soon, Sicarius and his men approached the tomb.
The tomb was black, shaped like a pyramid, and possessed a protective field that made it difficult to destroy with orbital bombardment.
Necrons were emerging from the tomb's passages, attempting to reverse their inevitable defeat.
The tomb had activated its defensive protocols, waking all the necrons within.
Massive Gauss cannons also emerged from various points on the tomb, suppressing Sicarius and his forces with firepower.
Sicarius assessed the battlefield situation and ordered the two Dreadnoughts to lead the way, using them as cover for a frontal assault.
Dreadnoughts have heavy armour and protective fields.
Using the protection provided by the Dreadnoughts, Sicarius and his men quickly seized a pyramid entrance and entered the tomb.
Things became simpler after that.
Once they had penetrated to a certain depth, Sicarius and his men began planting explosives.
The tomb possessed a powerful protective field that the Imperium's firepower alone could not breach.
The best method was to install anti-matter charges inside.
Sicarius was quite experienced in this matter.
This was not the first time he had fought these abominable monsters.
After planting the explosives, Sicarius and his comrades fought their way back out.
Once they were far enough away, they detonated the charges.
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the entire pyramid was engulfed in flames, disintegrating within the fire, shattering into pieces.
Sicarius and his men fought their way out, finding cover at the last moment and taking shelter.
The pyramid was utterly destroyed in the explosion's fire.
Without the pyramid tomb, the necrons lost their ability for infinite repair.
The subsequent fighting became much easier.
Imperial Guard, Knights, and other forces were also committed to the battlefield.
They quickly eliminated all the remaining necrons.
After dealing with the pyramid tomb, Sicarius ordered his forces to begin a planet-wide search.
Their goal was to find all remaining necrons, performing preliminary clearing work for the Imperium's reconstruction.
After the necrons captured this world, they had massacred all the humans on it.
The ruined cities were filled with desiccated corpses and bones.
These were all civilians who had not managed to escape.
Some bodies were dismembered into fragments, even flayed alive and left in the city ruins.
"We are back," Sicarius repeated his words, standing amidst the ruins filled with corpses.
By Guilliman's name, the necrons must pay for their crimes.
Under Guilliman's command, the expeditionary fleet was divided into several battle groups.
They simultaneously launched attacks against the necron dynasties.
First, they would clip the necrons' wings, then gradually advance towards the Crown Worlds.
For strategic reasons, Guilliman chose to attack only the Sautekh Dynasty.
He sought to exploit the enmity between the two necron dynasties to divide and conquer them.
As the war ignited, the Imperium advanced rapidly, reclaiming large areas that had previously fallen.
Although necron technology was powerful, their forces were too scattered.
Perhaps they believed that humanity was incapable of attacking them.
It was this arrogant notion that made them disregard the possibility of a human counterattack.
They had committed all their forces to eliminating rival factions of their own kind who refused to submit.
Now, they would reap the bitter fruits of their arrogance.
********
Sautekh Dynasty, Crown World.
Many lords of the dynasty were gathered.
They had to find a way to stop the human offensive against them.
"They call this an 'expedition'," said the Phaeron of Sautekh, Imothek, seated at the head. The dynamic display before him gradually became richer with information.
From the destroyed outposts, a large amount of data had been transmitted back, giving the high-ranking generals a comprehensive understanding of the human offensive.
The ships of the Imperium of Man were overwhelming in number.
They swarmed out of the warp like locusts.
Devouring everything the dynasty had built.
Now, they were heading directly for the Crown World.
"This is a devastating war. Larger fleets are still travelling through the warp. Their target seems to be solely us. At one of our outposts, they ignored the presence of the Sarkon Dynasty, destroying only our outpost."
Imothek stroked his metallic chin, relaying all the information.
"Could the Sarkon Dynasty have reached a cooperation agreement with humans?" a necron general asked.
"There is a high possibility. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why humans are only attacking us and ignoring the Sarkon Dynasty's existence," the Sautekh Dynasty's high-ranking Cryptek also stepped forward.
"These despicable traitors!"
"They should be judged by all dynasties. They are seeking other races to eliminate us. This is a shameful betrayal."
Numerous high-ranking necron generals said angrily.
"Silence," Imothek stopped his subordinates from continuing to vent their anger.
"Our task is to stop this so-called human expedition, not to condemn the Sarkon Dynasty here.
"Even if the Sarkon Dynasty has allied with humans, what of it? This is no longer the time of the Triarch. Which Overlord can still make a ruling on such matters?"
Imothek's words silenced the many necron generals.