CHAPTER 106 — REAPER AWAKES
The massive gate creaked and groaned as it began to open.
Tech-Priests and Skitarii stepped out first, their servitors and mechanized augmentics moving in precise formation. The air itself seemed to hum as the Machine God inside the Titan stirred, sensing the presence of its allies and the enemy beyond the walls.
But the gate alone wasn't enough. It had never been designed for a Titan. Slowly, deliberately, the massive metal walls to either side began to part, grinding with the weight of centuries of solid adamantium. Sparks flew as massive hinges groaned, and the air vibrated with the raw, anticipatory energy of something immense about to awaken.
Then, slowly, the Titan emerged.
Gaius, Titus, the Bladeguard, and the others froze, taking in the enormous form before them. It was staggering.
Thirty-five meters tall. Broad-shouldered. Barrel-chested. Heavily armored. Piston-driven legs ending in massive, fortress-like feet that crushed the floor with each deliberate step. It moved with the deliberate weight of a small mountain, every motion sending tremors through the hangar.
Its head was recessed into its torso, armored like a helm, with a narrow, visor-like sensor slit. Glowing optics stared out at them, unblinking. Its cathedral-like torso was layered with adamantium plates, Mechanicus runes, purity seals, chains, and honor scrolls. Towering weapon housings and exhaust stacks vented reactor heat with controlled bursts.
Two colossal arm mounts, each capable of unleashing apocalyptic firepower, swung slightly as the Titan tested its balance. Kill markings and campaign sigils etched across its legs told of centuries of combat. The sheer presence of it was oppressive, a living fortress.
And then it roared.
A deep, resonant sound, not from the Princeps inside, but from the machine spirit itself, echoed through the hangar. It was as if the very walls vibrated with recognition, acknowledging Gaius and the Marines, especially Gaius.
Tony stammered, his voice barely audible
"I-is that… the Titan?!"
He quickly activated his Identification ability, scanning the machine in disbelief.
Warlord-Class Titan Reaper:
Reaper is a 35-meter-tall Warlord-class Battle Titan of the Collegia Titanica, armed with volcano cannons, plasma annihilators, and macro-gatling blasters capable of flattening Cities, Armies, and fortresses. Its adamantium frame is protected by layered void shields, allowing it to endure extreme fire while advancing relentlessly. At its core resides a machine spirit, a semi-sentient entity bound to the Titan and linked to the Princeps, guiding its systems with precision. Together, they act as a single war-mind, turning Reaper into an unstoppable engine of destruction on the battlefield.
Tony's jaw tightened. "…Weapons that can flatten entire cities…" He swallowed hard. "I mean… I knew it was big, but seeing it bigger than i ever imagine… it's… insane."
He hadn't imagined the Titan would be this massive. After seeing the Dreadnought, he had prepared himself for the Titan would be larger, maybe ten meters, but this Titan towered thirty-five meters tall. Even his ten-meter exaggeration expectation now seemed laughably small.
Naruto's mouth hung open, wide-eyed. Then, as if breaking the stunned silence, he shouted:
"Woahhh!"
His voice carried through the hangar, pulling Mindy, Diana, and Saeko out of their own shock. Mindy's excitement made her float closer, struggling against the ten-meter limit imposed by Multiversal Chat. Naruto followed suit.
Saeko only shook her head slightly, speechless, her eyes scanning the Titan's massive form. "T-this…" she murmured, not knowing what else to say.
Diana stepped back, eyes wide. "…It's huge." She had spent her life on Themyscira, strong and trained, but never had she seen anything like this. Her voice was calm, but the awe was unmistakable.
The Titan began to move. Each step sent vibrations through the ground, making dust and debris shift around their boots. As it walked past Gaius, it roared again, a sound that clearly recognized him, the one whose roar carried the Emperor's authority. Even the Princeps inside, feeling the excitement of the machine spirit, had to calm it slightly. Then he spoke to his crew:
"Bring us to the densest Xenos for cleansing."
"Yes, my Princeps," the crew responded, showing a map of the Tyranid positions.
The Titan moved.
Seeing the Titan move on, Gaius, with his mission largely complete, began to consider leaving, the victory was all but certain.
The reinforcement fleets should be fighting the Kraken splinter hive fleet. Since the splinter fleet had sent most of its forces to invade this planet, it was now weaker and easier to defeat.
Then the Dreadnought beside him spoke, each word mechanically amplified with a deep, resonant tone that seemed to echo from within its armored hull. Despite the metallic undertone, there was a trace of curiosity. "Then, Brother Gaius… you are to leave now? Why not let me bring you back, and tell me what happened to you?"
The Dreadnought's head focused on Gaius. The golden radiance of his armor, streaked with the red of fallen xenos, caught his attention. His jaw tightened in silent astonishment. Gaius's armor was no longer standard ceramite; it was Auramite, a material only worn by Custodians. The transformation was startling, even to a Dreadnought who had lived for thousand of years.
Gaius, after a moment of silent contemplation, nodded to his respected brother. "Sure, honored brother."
The Dreadnought stepped back toward the Thunderhawk, and Gaius turned to Titus and the others. Without hesitation, they followed and boarded the massive craft.
Above them, the Thunderhawk lifted off, catching up with the Titan and hovering above it as it marched forward. Below, the landscape swarmed with Tyranids, a dense mass that they had not yet encountered. The Thunderhawk stayed above to the Titan, watching the battlefield.
The Titan every step crushed the ground beneath, and the remaining Tyranid swarms scattered or were flattened under its immense weight. High-level Xenos, Exocrines, and Zoanthropes fired at the Titan, only to be stopped instantly by the void shields.
Then it fired its Belicosa Volcano Cannon. The arm's coils glowed white-hot. A split-second hum charged the air. A blinding lance of light shot forward, ionizing the atmosphere along its path.
The Tyranid swarms vaporized. Flying creatures disintegrated before they could even reach the ground.
Tony's eyes widened, jaw tightening. He swallowed hard, almost inaudibly muttering, "…That… that's insane." He instinctively stepped back, as if the heat and energy of the blast could reach him even from here. "…It just… wiped everything out. All at once…"
Naruto's fists clenched. "Whoa, what the heck was that?!" He practically bounced in place, heart racing. "It… it's huge… and insanely strong!"
Diana's eyes widened slightly as the beam tore through the Tyranid swarm, vaporizing countless creatures in an instant. She felt a faint thrill of awe, her hand brushing her chest as if to steady herself.
"That… is incredible," she said quietly, her voice calm but filled with respect. "Such power… so precise, yet utterly unstoppable."
Mindy let out a sharp laugh, eyes sparkling. "Now that… that's amazing. Clean, fast, deadly. I love it."
Saeko tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. "Impressive… efficient. Ruthless. Beautiful, in its own way." She watched as the beam of light cut through the Tyranids, vaporizing them with relentless precision.
The Titan continued forward, moving toward the densest Xenos positions, crushing what remained. Any surviving Tyranids were few, scattered, and could easily be cleared by reinforcements. Above, the fleet engaged the splinter Kraken Hive Fleet, now weakened after overcommitting biomass to the invasion.
Beside Gaius, Valerius, the two-thousand-year-old Dreadnought, observed the Titan's power with quiet awe. Then his gaze shifted to Gaius. His metallic voice, deep and resonant, rumbled through the air: "Brother Gaius… what happened to you?"
Gaius looked at him, recalling the power of his shared gate ability, and studied the Dreadnought carefully. After a moment, he answered calmly, "I have been brought by the Gene-Father Guilliman to the Golden Throne."
The Dreadnought paused, and even through its massive frame, a subtle trembling could be felt. "You… you've been brought to the Golden Throne?!"
He knew the Golden Throne was where the Emperor Himself resided. Even though he was aware of Gaius's close relationship with the Gene-Father Guilliman, Guilliman would never bring someone before the Emperor, unless…
The Dreadnought paused, trembling slightly. "You… you've been summoned by the God-Emperor, Gaius?"
Gaius nodded. Hearing the Dreadnought's question, he also sensed the helplessness of his Gene-Father Guilliman, so many still thought the Emperor was a god. Yet he could understand the Dreadnought's perspective.
Unlike ordinary Marines, a Dreadnought's immortality within its sarcophagus fosters deep contemplation. Many come to see their continued existence as both penance and sacred service for the Emperor.
Though the Emperor is indeed godlike in power and presence.
The Dreadnought's deep, metallic voice rumbled again, tinged with awe and curiosity.
"Why?" it asked slowly, each word carrying the weight of centuries.
"Why has the God-Emperor, summoned you, Brother Gaius?"
Gaius didn't mention the Multiversal Chat system, but he nodded slightly, his expression solemn. "I have gained the ability to aid the Emperor and The Gene Father Guilliman, to protect the Imperium, and to save humanity from eternal war."
Titus and the others showed no surprise. Tony, having witnessed the Emperor in his own world, only nodded silently. Naruto, Mindy, Diana, and Saeko listened, taking it all in with wide eyes.
The Dreadnought opened its voice to question him, but seeing Gaius clad in solid Auramite armor, a material reserved for the Emperor's favored, it fell silent. The armor itself was proof enough, Gaius was blessed, a true champion of the Emperor.
Though largely convinced, a lingering suspicion still tugged at him
The Dreadnought's massive form lowered slightly. One knee bent to the floor, a hand bracing against the metal beneath him. "Then… use me, Gaius. Use me to help the God-Emperor."
Gaius smiled. "Get up, brother. You will assist me in completing the Emperor's missions."
With that, the Dreadnought rose, and Gaius used his Gate ability to mark him, forming a bond between the two.
Naruto tilted his head. "Doesn't this mean… this Dreadnought will join Gaius in his missions?"
Tony whistled low. "Seeing this as an enemy… would be a nightmare."
Saeko and Mindy nodded in agreement. Diana's expression was calm but thoughtful.
~~~
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