A Stormbird lost control, plummeting towards the ground in a trail of black smoke, unleashing a terrifying explosion upon impact.
Swathes of ground-based tyranids were also engulfed by the explosion's flames.
Hawk didn't have time to pray for the unfortunate pilot before rushing to his post, weapon in hand.
He saw the overwhelming swarm of tyranids surging forward, converging into a torrent of biomass.
The tyranids are a highly adaptable xenos race.
Their invasion patterns are never fixed.
They constantly learn and adapt, employing different tactics for different planets.
Since entering the galaxy, the tyranids' numerous invasion techniques and patterns have been thoroughly honed, reaching an unimaginable level of perfection.
It first released countless microorganisms into the air to contaminate the world.
Devouring and destroying the native microbial ecosystem, weakening the world's resistance to them.
These microorganisms are typically deployed to pollute worlds or sabotage human machinery.
While other parts of a world are still struggling.
In the microscopic world, the tyranids' consumption of the world has already begun.
Following this, countless spore pods rained down from the sky.
Upon landing, these spore pods would explode violently, releasing smaller spores and scythe-like shrapnel.
Splattering open like rotten fruit.
Clearing out surrounding Imperial defenders.
Finally, countless agile tyranids would leap out of the spore pods.
These tyranids would gather in swarms, attacking anything they could find.
The slightly weaker fortifications were the first to be destroyed.
Even without the support of long-range and aerial firepower.
The tyranids are exceptionally fierce and terrifying.
The Hive Mind overrides the tyranids' biological instincts, making them indifferent to individual death.
In just a moment, Hawk saw countless tyranids surging down the streets.
Against the tyranids' swarm tactics, there are no intricate strategies; the only thing to do is use sufficiently terrifying firepower to tear them apart.
Tanks, artillery, vehicles, and grenade launchers positioned in the streets opened fire simultaneously.
The booming sounds of explosions echoed across the battlefield, and swathes of buildings collapsed amidst the torrent of explosions, crushing masses of tyranids.
The protection of the void shields and the terrifying firepower of the artillery gave the defenders a significant advantage.
Cannon beams striking the ground instantly killed hundreds of tyranids.
Dense artillery fire engulfed swathes of Hormagaunts.
Particularly the massive synapse creatures, which were the first to be annihilated.
Without synapse creatures, the swarm quickly fell into a state of panic and disarray, and was harvested by the human forces.
The kill counts of each unit rapidly increased.
But Hawk didn't feel happy.
The tyranid assault did not stop because of casualties; instead, it became even more frenzied.
Spore pods constantly rained down, releasing vast numbers of tyranid monsters.
Some of these were even new types of monsters never before seen by people or recorded by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
These entirely new monsters were the product of the Hive Mind's absorption and learning.
The Hive Mind possesses unimaginable learning capabilities, constantly changing tactics to hunt enemies at the lowest possible cost.
"Fire!"
Seeing the tyranids enter the laser gun's firing range, Hawk immediately ordered his men to open fire.
Dense red laser beams shot out from behind the fortifications towards the enemy, thick and numerous, like countless red lines.
"Aim for their weak points," Hawk said. "Don't shoot their carapaces."
Many laser beams struck the tyranids.
Smaller monsters fell in droves.
The positioned auto-cannons and tanks also roared and shook at this moment, unleashing endless firepower.
Within half an hour of the battle starting, it quickly devolved into a one-sided slaughter of the tyranids by the humans.
Heavy tanks positioned in the wide streets mercilessly crushed the smaller tyranid individuals, while simultaneously pouring artillery fire onto enemy concentrations.
Without support from long-range and aerial units.
The tyranids were simply unable to overcome the terrifying firepower.
The Imperial defence forces' firepower made it incredibly difficult for the tyranids to advance.
Super-heavy tanks like the Leman Russ, Baneblade, and Stormhammer acted as war-killers, slaughtering swathes of tyranids and gaunt formations.
Auto-cannons provided cover for the Adeptus Mechanicus forces flanking the enemy, aiming their auto-walker cannons and rad-rifles at the Hive Tyrant and its bodyguards serving as synapse nodes.
At this moment, the Knights also made a grand entrance.
Piloting their Knight Titans, they activated their chainswords and cannons, firing while charging forward.
Forming a spearhead formation, they plunged into the tyranid tide, cutting down the large synapse creatures.
Hawk watched as the Knights piloted those behemoths into the fray, like ancient knightly phalanxes.
Raising their chainswords and power lances, they used the Titans' momentum to crash into the enemy ranks, striking and withdrawing instantly, never lingering.
After disengaging, they would regroup and charge again.
The over hundred-meter-tall Nemesis-class Titan also entered the fray at this moment, striding forward with heavy steps like a god of war.
The artillery on its back targeted the massive tyranid individuals.
The booming artillery fire constantly roared, making people's ears ache.
Every explosion sent countless tyranids flying, their scattered remains falling everywhere.
"Taste the might of humanity, you fools!" Arluken, controlling the Nemesis-class Titan, projected his voice through the Titan's vox-caster.
A Hive Tyrant had no chance of fighting back against the massive Nemesis-class Titan.
Arluken crushed it into paste with a single stomp.
Swinging its massive mechanical arm, it smashed another tyranid monstrous creature into pieces.
The colossal Titan weapons roared constantly, unleashing attacks capable of destroying cities, scattering the tyranid tide.
Roar!
Accompanied by a massive roar, Arluken saw a terrifying tyranid monstrous creature.
Its size was no less than the Nemesis-class Titan, perhaps even exceeding it.
"tyranid Prime!" A crew member monitoring the battlefield whispered the name of the terrifying monstrous creature.
Among the countless Hive Fleet invasions the Imperium has faced, the tyranid Prime is the most common bio-Titan.
They stand at the forefront of the tyranid invasion, striding forward.
Drawing enemy fire away from lesser tyranid organisms onto themselves.
It is one of the largest known life forms within the swarm.
Protected by thick biomass armour, it possesses terrifying symbiotic weapons.
The appearance of the tyranid Prime was incredibly impactful.
A Leman Russ tank was directly flipped over, making a tremendous roaring sound.
Super-heavy tanks capable of crushing Tyrants were like paper toys before the tyranid Prime.
The tyranid Prime's target was very clear: the Nemesis-class Titan that was wreaking havoc.
"Let's see who's stronger."
Arluken revealed a slight smile.
The plasma cannon mounted on its left arm instantly fired, followed by missiles whistling out, trailing exhaust flames as they struck the enemy.
The massive explosion's flames engulfed the tyranid Prime.
However, this terrifying beast did not die from it.
A strange green smoke enveloped it, blocking the artillery fire that could have levelled a city.
The tyranid Prime was also enraged, its massive bio-cannon unleashing a bio-plasma beam, which was blocked by the Titan's colossal shield.
The two sides clashed.
The entire ground was shaking with roars.
The two were like Titan gods from ancient myths, engaged in a battle capable of ending the world.
The Astra Militarum and lesser tyranid organisms battled around the two terrifying behemoths.
"Hold the line, brothers!" Hawk shouted.
His voice mixed with the sound of laser bolts cutting through the air and the firing of auto-cannons, echoing across the battlefield.
A large Termagant, roughly the size of a small truck, crawled out from a ruin.
Its thick symbiotic weapon twitched, spitting out a toxic projectile.
It landed on the ground, instantly killing several soldiers.
Their bodies were corroded and vaporized by the potent toxin.
Two men were left with only half their bodies, letting out painful screams before falling silent.
Hawk held a plasma gun; with a series of beeps, he pulled the trigger.
The Termagant couldn't dodge, its large head was blasted into fragments by the plasma.
But more tyranids took the place of the dead ones.
Wave after wave, baring fangs and unleashing shrieking bio-ammunition.
Screams rang out intermittently.
Swathes of Imperial soldiers died.
The Natar people displayed extraordinary courage.
Shouting the name of Guilliman, they leaped out of their positions with melee weapons as the tyranids approached, using their frenzy to drive the swarm back again.
"Die!" a Natar man shouted, climbing onto the back of a large creature, stabbing its back repeatedly.
The creature struggled desperately, its sharp limbs flailing everywhere, yet it couldn't dislodge the human clinging to its back, before collapsing with a mournful cry.
Finally, the man stumbled to his feet, covered in his own blood and the bodily fluids of the monster he had just killed.
"For the Emperor! For Guilliman!"
The Natar man continued to shout, then lunged towards another tyranid.
They had fallen into a state of frenzy.
Hawk also descended into madness.
The tyranid assault had caused the regiment's command chain to collapse.
Now, units were constantly fighting in chaos.
Hawk fought like a madman, holding a plasma gun in one hand and a chainsword used by ordinary humans in the other.
Even though the void shields limited the tyranids' ranged fire and aerial forces, their swarm tactics were still driving the human defenders back step by step.
More and more drop pods landed, and the tyranids converged into waves, one after another, seemingly without end.
The exhausted Hawk was pinned down by a Hormagaunt, its sharp limb just a centimeter from his nose.
He could even see the monster's disgusting maw and sharp teeth.
Hawk felt his muscles aching all over, about to give out.
Suddenly, he saw an angel with wings on its back.
A grand and solemn hymn resounded in his ears.
"Is the Emperor calling me?"
This thought surfaced in Hawk's mind.
The next second, a loud bang pulled him back to the cold, brutal reality.
The Hormagaunt pinning him was blasted away, its entire body, covered in bio-armour, was torn to pieces.
Hawk turned his head and saw a primaris space marine in red and white armour standing not far away.
It was this individual who had saved Hawk.
"Thank you!" Hawk shouted.
But the primaris space marine paid no heed to the voice of the mortal.
More primaris space marines appeared, striding forward with heavy steps, armed with boltguns and chainswords, charging towards the enemy.
Just as the Astra Militarum was on the verge of a full collapse.
The primaris space marines were finally unleashed onto the battlefield by Calgar.
These Angels of the Emperor had been waiting for a long time.
They entered the battlefield with their chainswords already activated.
The sound of bolters constantly rang out, killing the tyranid creatures surging into the positions.