Chapter 16: Tomb Spider

The xenos would not rest easy.

As Forlo led his squad through the corridor outside the main hall, the ambushes grew increasingly intense.

The journey through the corridor became a chaotic mixture of bloodshed and combat frenzy; broken warriors, Immortals wielding gauss rifles, and rigid Lychguard surged in waves, bringing with them a cold, creeping dread.

Blades and gunflame flickered in the unsteady light, accompanied by the ear-piercing screech of sharp implements shearing through metal.

Forlo’s experience averted many catastrophic situations.

His insight allowed the squad to bypass two explosive traps, and on another occasion, he utilized a corridor collapse to find an alternative route at the last possible moment, while shutting down everything except the necessary servo-systems and auto-senses.

Throughout this process, Forlo constantly attempted to impart his understanding to Sothian, making it feel like a live combat lesson, which left Sothian deeply perplexed.

Yet, he would not refuse the Terminator Captain's teachings, for he also hoped to one day become such a seasoned warrior—provided he could still leave this place alive.

However, the probability of that might be lower than his being selected as a Space Marine.

When they were two levels away from the objective, the corridor appeared empty once more; the Necrons seemed to have retreated, even as the Space Marines pressed toward their central hub.

But as they reached the gallery outside the doors of the main control hall, the reason became clear.

Only a final dozen enemies remained between them and the sealed doors of the hall, yet these Necrons were no longer the humanoid forms they had encountered before; they were identical to the sleeping statue Sothian had faced earlier.

They were massive, spider-like machines that stood upon short, stout mechanical legs. Their torsos were encased in heavy plating reinforced with adamantium strips, with a thickness that rivaled a Land Raider.

At the front of the torso was a head composed of an array of optical components and searchlights protected by a shroud. Two massive claws were mounted on thick shoulder brackets, and the ends of the enormous pincers on either side of the head were fitted with terrifying drills.

There were four of these giant spider guards in total, completely blocking the passage to the doors. The surrounding area was littered with Necron remains and fragments of Space Marine power armor, clearly indicating a fierce battle had taken place here.

If these were the ones guarding this place, then the situation inside must be dire.

There was little time left—this was Forlo's immediate assessment.

The spider guards detected the Space Marine squad instantly. They moved immediately, advancing toward the squad with a cautious, predatory gait, like hunters waiting for their moment.

Forlo immediately activated his power fist, and the chainswords and power swords of his battle brothers responded with hungry roars.

This time, the enemy answered; heavy drills and swinging claws filled the air with the sound of grinding metal.

"Prioritize the enemies on the flanks! Sothian, take your squad and attack the one on the right; I'll handle the center!"

The command was issued, leaving no time for further words as the tomb spiders lumbered into melee range.

In the next second, the first squad's bolter rounds exploded harmlessly against their reinforced armor. The targeted tomb spider seemed startled, suddenly accelerating forward and firing beams of thermal cutting light from its abdomen.

Forlo held his breath, beginning to draw energy from the Terminator's core and channeling it into his power fist.

As he shaped destruction, the Lion's Ear shielded him from the screeching cacophony of chainswords clashing against steel.

In the next instant, superhuman muscles strained and tightened, driving the Terminator's metallic muscle fibers, while his keen senses were once again flooded with a thick, diffusing stench, and a throbbing in his temples arrived alongside a darkening of his vision.

The moment the giant spider machine closed in, Forlo unleashed destruction.

The massive, iron-clad Terminator lunged forward with a speed uncharacteristic of his structure. After parrying a massive pincer with his elbow, he brought both fists together, raised them high, and then brought them crashing down—all within a few short seconds.

Faced with the full force of a Terminator's strike, even the heaviest armor was futile.

As the ground collapsed, the tomb spider's head and most of its torso were smashed directly into the hard floor; its mechanical limbs twitched for a moment before falling still.

Beside Forlo, his battle brothers did not falter.

Facing the approaching tomb spiders, chainswords were powerless against the heavy plating; despite constant scraping and biting, they could not penetrate.

Conversely, the enemy's massive forms, though lumbering, were incredibly powerful.

One tomb spider gripped a Space Marine's arm with its claw and swung a pincer down; the vicious blade sliced through ceramite and plastel in a spray of sparks, cutting deep into flesh.

Even as his arm was severed, the Space Marine remained silent, instead swinging his chainsword to hack off the machine's bloodied appendage.

Blood and liquid metal splashed together, yet the warrior continued his desperate struggle.

However, his sacrifice bought a moment where the tomb spider exposed a weakness. This moment was captured by a veteran wielding a power sword, who thrust his blade directly into the junction between the spider's head and torso.

The tomb spider was covered in thick armor everywhere except for this single spot, and the power sword pierced through as if it were nothing.

As the veteran withdrew his blade, the massive tomb spider collapsed with a crash, its green optical components falling silent.

Immediately after, another tomb spider scrambled over the rubble, swinging its massive pincers straight at Forlo.

Under the cover of a melta bomb, the Terminator unleashed his invisible fury. His fists first struck the enemy's torso with immense force, then he tore away two mechanical legs with brute strength before delivering a punch to the enemy's head.

The front of the tomb spider's head instantly caved in, and its assault abruptly ceased as it slumped to the ground.

To the right, Occam fell silently; a cutting beam had sliced deep into his leg armor, nearly severing his right lower leg.

Forlo intended to move to Sothian's aid, but a sudden change occurred.

"Watch out!"

The tomb spider that Forlo had first defeated had somehow crawled back up; amidst the cracking of hard plastel, it slammed into him, pinning him to the ground with its overwhelming mass.

Before Forlo could rise, the tomb spider stepped a bifurcated mechanical leg onto his chest plate, pinning him in place.

The Terminator armor's auto-senses wailed warnings, indicating that such pressure would crush his organs and shatter his reinforced Space Marine ribs.

It wasn't just this one; the other two that had been downed were also crawling back up. Many crawling mechanical scarabs were visible on their bodies, constantly repairing the damaged chassis; these holy scarabs were emerging from the spiders' abdomens.

The tide of battle turned sharply; casualties began to mount continuously.

Sothian, who had been entangled by a tomb spider, felt a surge of rage once more.

Using his elbow to forcefully brace against an incoming pincer, and ignoring the sound of the drill gnawing at his plastel, he swung his chainsword with the primal roar of a great beast directly at the tomb spider's head, like a hammer striking an anvil.

Before his left arm could be severed, he successfully crushed the enemy's head.

Yet, even as the opponent collapsed, Sothian did not cease his attack; driven by both his terrifying augmented physique and his own reciprocating power systems, the chainsword continued to bite.

With the vicious teeth gnashing, the armor plating on the tomb spider's forebody was completely torn open, spraying countless razor-sharp fragments in all directions until the teeth finally locked in place.

When the energy of the strike was finally exhausted, Sothian wrenched the weapon free and immediately swung the next blow.

This strike completely shattered the tomb spider's control center. The scarabs that had emerged from its abdomen to attack Sothian immediately lost their targets and began to wander blindly.

Finally, under Sothian's repeated heavy blows, the tomb spider was torn to pieces, liquid metal gushing from its mangled body.

Then, Sothian's voice, sounding like a harsh grinding, echoed through the comms channel, uttering only one word.

"Kill!"

(End of Chapter)