The Eldar were once the undisputed heavyweights of the galaxy, boasting a long and brilliant history. They inherited many legacies left by the Ancient Ones, and the Webway was one of their crowning achievements.
In the Eldar Empire's heyday, their artisans used crystal and wraithbone to build magnificent cities at various nodes in the Webway.
After the Great Fall, the intricate network of paths was ripped to shreds, and many of those glorious web-cities were abandoned. Twilight is one of them. There is no morning, night, or sunlight here.
The only illumination comes from the golden glow radiating from the majestic crystal tower at the city's center. Twilight blankets the lonely streets and dilapidated towers. For a long time, the Twilight Zone had been silent as a tomb.
But today, that peace was shattered.
With the support of the Death Guard, Cawl and his party had shaken off Abaddon's pursuers in the Frost Moon of Karasus. They entered the Webway and embarked on the journey to Macragge.
However, Abaddon wasn't the type to let things go. He called in favors from several Chaos warlords, having their Chaos Sorcerers take them into the Webway to keep up the chase.
Cawl and his people retreated the whole way, but they were eventually cornered by the Chaos warlords and Daemons. Out of sheer desperation, they were forced to make a stand in Twilight City.
But the enemy outnumbered them by a mile, and it didn't take long for them to be in a precarious position. Bright red blood stained the lonely streets. Corpses littered the ruins, and black smoke billowed from broken vehicles. Many wounded and dying soldiers struggled in pools of blood.
Daniel, standing on the bridge of the Imperial Glory, saw all of it.
"Arale, rain fire immediately! Cut off the enemy's reinforcements and follow-up forces."
"Understood, Master. Arale will execute your order immediately."
Daniel stretched out his hand to summon the holographic interface and began editing the task.
Mission: Rescue Friendly Forces
The great Magos Belisarius Cawl and his companions are being hunted by the enemies of Chaos and are in deep trouble, desperately needing help.
Guaranteed Mission Rewards: 50,000 Contribution Points, 200 Honor Points, and increased favorability with friendly units.
Completion Rewards: Different Contribution Point rewards will be obtained based on the war score.
Tip 1: Belisarius Cawl is key to the Primarch's Resurrection quest chain. If he dies, all related quests will be wiped.
Tip 2: Protecting important units boosts your favorability, giving you a chance to receive exclusive tasks and holy relic rewards in the future.
Tip 3: The Eldar are currently friendly. Attacking Eldar units will result in penalties.
Seeing the mission update, the players, who were bored out of their minds in the battleship, suddenly erupted in excited shouts of "Long live!"
"Oh my God, the war's finally on!"
"Anyone who messes with the Empire is gonna pay, no matter how far away they are!"
"For the Emperor! Loyalty!!"
"Kill till you drop! Kill as much as you can!"
"Go, for Cawl, for the Empire!"
"It's go time, people! Time to test our loyalty!"
"For the Emperor, for Morgana!"
"..."
The Saints were howling at the moon when they heard the call to arms. This made Sha, the fleet commander, do a double-take.
"Got your attention, didn't we?" Faraday said. "He gets more excited about a fight than any Green-skin."
"You are truly extremely loyal," Sha murmured to himself. "It puts me to shame."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under Arale's dead-on control, the Imperial Glory unleashed a full artillery salvo on the enemy. Dense beams of light and shells rained down, triggering continuous explosions.
The Eldar city was utterly reduced to rubble. Magnificent crystal towers and columbarium structures collapsed, consumed by flames. Countless Daemons and Chaos minions were blown to bits amidst their wailing.
The sudden arrival of reinforcements had the Imperial soldiers and the Eldar over the moon.
"Attack! Let their blood spill here!" Daniel gave the order, and the players and the Atomal Corps were thrown into the battlefield.
The deafening horns sounded, and the Hammer and Sickle were the first to open fire. They drove the enhanced Zaku 01s, over 20 meters tall, pouring out a massive volume of fire. Giant cannons and laser artillery roared nonstop, and terrifying explosions shook the dilapidated buildings.
"In the name of the Omnissiah, let it all burn!" Rigby shouted excitedly. His companions responded by operating their Titans and sounding war horns.
The Zaku 01 Enhanced Titans were escorted by the Atomal Corps, who wore the Tomorrow-series exoskeletons. The heavy machine guns and lasers on their shoulders fired relentlessly at the enemy. Their chainswords and buzzsaws roared in close combat; any enemy foolish enough to approach was ripped to shreds.
Next came the Emperor's Cattle Regiment. Their armor styles were all over the map, with bizarre paint schemes, and some even had battle flags planted on their backs bearing images of the Primarchs, the Emperor, or the Double-Headed Eagle. They yelled all sorts of crazy slogans and charged toward the enemy, shooting with explosives and hacking at anything that moved with their chainswords.
Following them were the two thousand Astartes recruits. Lacking any Chapter organization, Daniel had divided them into the First and Second Regiments for easier command.
These Astartes were fresh out of the box, but they had undergone rigorous training before their transformation surgery. They had basic combat knowledge; they just didn't know how to fight the Astartes way. They used bolters, flamethrowers, and plasma guns to suppress the enemy.
Daniel also jumped into the fray. He flapped his wings, flew out of the Imperial Glory, and soared over the battlefield. He seized an opportunity and dropped like a rock from the sky. The sheer impact made the ground roar. Cracks appeared on the solid wraithbone ground, and all Daemons and Chaos minions near the landing point were sent flying.
"Sanguinius?" a Chaos Warrior yelled in terror.
"Close, but no cigar," Daniel said. He stretched out a hand and used the skill Brain Explosion. A hazy light enveloped the unlucky Chaos Warrior's head, which then popped like a watermelon.
Daniel's appearance rocked both sides of the battle.
"It's the Angel born from the Light!" Eldrad looked shocked. He is the Great Farseer of the Ulthwé Craftworld and the most far-sighted of the Eldar. Possessing incredible foresight, he had saved thousands of Eldar lives and witnessed the fall of their Empire.
He once joined the Esoteric Sect, stirring up the galaxy, warned Fulgrim, and tried to stop the Horus Heresy. He's been the man behind the curtain for many major galactic events.
When Daniel received his blessing, Eldrad had taken notice of this existence beyond the grasp of destiny. He could clearly see the other person carried the power of the Human Emperor. The scorching flames of destruction burned away all the threads of his fate. The destiny of this Angel of the Emperor could not be observed or manipulated.
Celestine's pupils suddenly contracted—this strange warrior actually had pure white wings like hers. A thought flashed through her mind that he might be a minion of Chaos or part of some conspiracy, but she instantly suppressed it. The other party was bursting with Imperial power; there was zero chance of him being a fake.
"Who are they?" Greyfax watched as several of the Saints rushed past her, shouting "Long Live the Emperor" and leaping toward the enemy.
Marshal Amalrich of the Black Templars also looked bewildered. As a veteran of countless battles, he could tell at a glance that these Astartes were greenhorns.
The guys in mismatched clothes who were cheering like teenagers had some combat experience, but not much. The ones in uniform—the Astartes recruits—had tactics and actions that were decidedly amateur hour.
"They're backing us up. At least, they're loyal to the God-Emperor," Celestine said, acknowledging Daniel's identity.
"Kill these heretics who betrayed the Emperor!"
The Astral Knights' Dreadnought Titan, Thade, stepped onto the battlefield. A roar erupted from the mech's speakers, carrying with it the urge of eternal fury. Its heavy bolter roared, and the enemies it hit were instantly shredded.
As the captain of the First Company, Lothar needed to stay put on the planet Atomal to prevent chaos. Daniel had brought Thade and several Star Knights with him to show the ropes to the new recruits and provide battlefield advice.
"Astral Knight?" Amalrich recognized the Chapter emblem on Thade.
Deep in the slaughter, Thade only just noticed that the friendly force next to him was actually the Black Templars.
"Praise Dorn!! Good to see you brothers here." Thade's voice came through the Dreadnought's speakers, a bit noisy and distorted.
The Black Templars were founded during the Second Founding. Like the Astral Knights, they are a successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists. Their first Chapter Master was Rogal Dorn's favorite son, Sigismund, the Emperor's first Champion.
"What is going on? Are those Astartes new recruits of the Astral Knights?" Amalrich asked.
"No, they are warriors of the God-Emperor," Thade said. "Now's not the time to sweat the small stuff. Let's repel the enemy first, and then I'll fill you in on the details."