Chapter 215 — To the enemies of Mankind!
For a brief moment, the battlefield held still.
Not because the fighting had ended, but because something new had arrived.
The massive machine stood where it had formed, towering over everyone present. Its heavy frame settled into place with a low mechanical hum, joints locking, systems aligning. The ground beneath it seemed to carry its weight, small cracks forming around its feet.
Tony, Steve, and Thor all looked at it.
No one spoke.
It wasn't fear that stopped them. It was something else. The kind of reaction that came when you saw something you couldn't immediately understand. The Dreadnought didn't just look powerful, it felt like it had been built for one purpose only.
War.
Steve tightened his grip on his shield slightly. Thor's lightning flickered faintly around him, not yet released. Tony's helmet tilted just a little, scanning, analyzing, trying to understand what he was looking at.
Behind them, even the air felt heavier.
Thanos also looked at the machine.
He did not step back. He did not show concern. But his attention shifted fully now. The Dreadnought was not something to ignore.
Then,
Heavy footsteps echoed from behind.
Tony turned his head.
Through the broken terrain, figures approached.
The Ultramarines.
Titus walked at the front, steady and direct. The three Bladeguard followed, their shields held ready, their movements tight and controlled. The Sister of Silence moved with them, calm and untouched, her presence sharp in a way that didn't need sound.
Behind them came Bruce, still injured, his movements slower, but standing. Rhodey walked beside him, armor intact, carrying Rocket on his shoulder.
Tony let out a quiet breath.
They made it.
That alone mattered.
The Ultramarines didn't slow as they approached. Their attention was already locked forward. They moved straight toward Gaius, forming around him without needing instruction.
Titus stepped forward slightly.
"Praetor," he said, voice steady. "Shall we attack?"
There was no hesitation in him. No doubt. Even with the number of enemies now filling the field, even with the massive ship above them, there was nothing in his tone that suggested fear.
Gaius looked at them.
He understood the situation clearly.
The enemy had numbers. Many. Enough to overwhelm most forces. Even his own warriors, strong as they were, would not leave this field untouched. Some might fall.
That was not something to avoid.
That was war.
And war always carried a cost.
Gaius stepped forward.
Then his voice rose.
"ULTRAMARINES!"
It rolled across the battlefield like thunder.
At once, every Space Marine snapped to attention. Weapons steadied. Bodies aligned. Even the massive Dreadnought shifted, turning fully toward him with a deep mechanical sound.
Gaius' presence seemed to expand.
"We are the Emperor's fury made manifest!" he declared.
His voice carried far, reaching every corner of the battlefield.
"We are His wrath given form!"
The air felt heavier.
Even the enemy seemed to pause for a fraction of a second.
"We are the shield that guards Humanity…"
Gaius took another step forward.
"And the sword that rends its enemies!"
Around him, chainswords roared to life. Bolters locked into position. The Dreadnought's systems hummed louder, weapons aligning with purpose.
"No fear. No mercy. No retreat."
There was no hesitation in his tone. No rise or fall. Just certainty.
Then, his final command,
"Bring death—"
A pause.
"To the enemies of Mankind!"
At that moment, something else followed.
It wasn't visible.
But it was felt.
Gaius released his Conqueror's Haki.
It spread outward instantly, like a wave crashing across the battlefield. The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly, small fractures forming as the pressure pushed outward in all directions.
The alien army felt it first.
One by one, then dozens at a time, their bodies stiffened. Movements slowed. Then stopped.
And then they fell.
Unconscious.
Rows of enemies dropped without a single strike landing.
Tony felt it.
Not directly hitting him, but brushing against him like a heavy pressure. He frowned slightly, adjusting his stance. Steve felt it too, his grip tightening without thinking. Thor's expression shifted, not in fear, but in surprise.
"What… was that?" Tony muttered quietly.
Thanos felt it fully.
His body remained steady, but his foot shifted back slightly.
Just one step.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Gaius again.
"In all my years of conquest," Thanos said slowly, "it was never personal."
His voice remained calm.
"But you humans…" he continued, "have been the most… persistent."
A pause.
Then his gaze hardened.
"I'll enjoy this."
He raised his sword.
"Enjoy wiping out humanity."
There was no fear in him.
Even now.
Titus didn't wait.
At Gaius' command, he moved.
"Forward," he said.
The Ultramarines charged.
They moved as one unit, not breaking formation, not rushing wildly. Each step was controlled. Each movement deliberate. They met the alien forces head-on.
The clash began immediately.
The Dreadnought turned its attention back toward Thanos.
Its voice came out deep and mechanical.
"You xenos dare speak such words," it said.
"I shall exterminate your race."
Thanos raised his sword slightly.
"My civilization is already dead," he replied.
The Dreadnought paused.
For a brief second.
"That is a pity," it said.
Thor frowned slightly.
He opened his mouth, about to say something,
But the Dreadnought continued.
"I will not be able to destroy your civilization."
Thor stopped.
Confused.
Then the machine looked directly at Thanos.
"But you are here."
Its weapon systems came fully online.
The gatling mounted along his arm locked onto Thanos and began to spin.
"That is enough."
A pause.
"Here is death."
Thanos saw it coming.
He moved to strike first,
But he never got the chance.
Tony acted.
Repulsors flared to life. Multiple beams fired at once, more forming from his nanotech as his hands shifted and opened. The blasts hit directly, forcing Thanos onto the defensive.
At the same time, Thor stepped in.
Stormbreaker came down with him, lightning surging from the axe in a focused, violent strike.
Thanos brought his blade up, bracing.
The attacks hit.
Light and force crashed over him, repulsor energy, lightning, heat, stacking on top of each other in a single moment.
Then,
The Dreadnought fired.
Its heavy gatling spun to full speed before unleashing a relentless stream of rounds. Each impact struck with crushing force, hammering into Thanos' position without pause.
The combined assault drove him back.
His feet dug into the ground at first, resisting, holding,
Then the ground gave.
He was forced backward, dragged across the surface before the pressure finally broke his footing completely.
Thanos was thrown, his body driven across the battlefield under the weight of the attack.
Gaius watched.
Then he turned his head slightly.
"Brother Valerius," he said.
The Dreadnought paused.
"You are needed there."
It followed his gaze.
Titus and the others.
Even with their strength, they were beginning to be surrounded. The alien forces were closing in from all sides, numbers stacking against them.
The Sister of Silence remained at the center, protected, but the pressure was increasing.
If it continued,
One of them could fall.
"Understood," the Dreadnought replied.
It turned and moved.
Each step shook the ground as it advanced. Its weapon fired again, cutting through the alien ranks. Its other arm lifted a large piece of debris and hurled it into the enemy.
"For the Emperor!" it declared.
The pressure on the Ultramarines eased.
Meanwhile,
Thanos stood again.
His armor was damaged. Parts of it were broken or missing. Marks from lightning and burns from Tony's attacks covered his body.
But he stood straight.
Unshaken.
Light formed behind him.
More figures appeared.
The Children of Thanos.
They saw him. Saw the damage.
And they moved immediately.
One of them, larger than the rest, heavily built, charged forward without hesitation.
Cull Obsidian.
From his view, the choice was obvious.
Gaius.
The biggest presence. The most imposing. The one that felt like the center of the threat.
His weapon shifted mid-motion, locking into a heavy chain hammer as he closed the distance, momentum building with every step.
He didn't slow.
Didn't second-guess.
In his eyes,
Gaius was the main enemy.
The swing came fast.
Powerful.
Enough to crush most opponents.
Gaius moved slightly.
That was all.
The hammer passed where he had been.
Before Cull could recover,
Gaius' hand closed around his neck.
The power fist completely enclosed it.
Cull struggled, his body resisting, strength pushing back.
It didn't matter.
Gaius lifted him.
Then brought him down.
Hard.
The ground cracked under the impact. Cull's body slammed into it, the force driving the air out of him. Dark blood spilled from his mouth.
Gaius didn't stop.
His foot lifted.
Armament Haki coated it.
Then it came down.
Cull raised his arms, blocking the strike.
The impact landed.
His arms held.
For a moment.
Then Gaius lifted his foot again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike came down with the same force.
No pause.
No change.
Cull's defense broke.
His arms collapsed under the pressure.
The next strike landed directly.
And that was the end.
The body stopped moving.
He went down so simply, with no resistance at all, like a chicken on a chopping board.
Gaius lowered his foot.
~~~
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