"Great! This big guy can still keep fighting."
The counterattack of Red King had begun.
The massive body charged wildly into the battlefield, launching an assault on the swarm of insects. By now, the sky had completely darkened, and the battle between the insect horde and Red King had turned into a night war.
All the humans present were staring at Red King with eyes filled with extreme fear.
"This guy... this guy is an artificial weapon! But which xeno race created it?" A Battle Sister spoke with a bleak expression.
"Could it be... could it be that by slaughtering these insects, this Titan behemoth itself undergoes evolution? Are the dead insects being absorbed by it?" Suddenly, a thought flashed through the mind of the Space Marine Captain, an explanation that seemed almost impossible.
If his speculation was true, then this monster was terrifying beyond words.
"Maybe... maybe there's something else we haven't discovered yet. We need to observe it further." The Space Marine Captain took a deep breath and said.
The situation had already gone beyond his expectations. He needed to confirm whether this creature could truly recover its energy and heal its wounds infinitely just by killing insects.
If that were the case, then this monster might just be the natural nemesis of the Tyranid swarm. They needed to investigate this as soon as possible.
"We can retreat for now. There are some supply points set up by the Astra Militarum in the caves further back. We can hide there for the night."
"Then we can observe the battle between this beast and the swarm. Maybe, just maybe, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive." The Imperial Commissar's eyes flickered as he spoke.
This planet had been attacked suddenly, and there weren't many stationed troops, which was why the insect swarm had crushed them so easily.
Fortunately, since this was an agri-world and a semi-forge world, the population was only in the billions—not too large. The Tyranids couldn't harvest biomass on the same terrifying scale as they would on a Hive World.
Additionally, a company of Space Marines had come here for tax collection and recruitment. If they failed to contact headquarters for a prolonged period, their Chapter would surely send someone to investigate. That might be their chance for salvation.
After all, this was the domain of a successor chapter of the Ultramarines. If Chapter Master Marneus Calgar learned about the situation here—about the remnants of Hive Fleet Kraken attacking—he would undoubtedly send reinforcements.
"Let's go! We'll retreat to the rear and rest for now. May the Emperor protect us." The Space Marine Captain nodded and began leading the survivors to the back.
Upon receiving the retreat order, all Astra Militarum officers breathed a sigh of relief—at least they had survived for now.
But how long could this big guy last? Could they even make it through the night?
On the battlefield, although Red King had fully recovered, the insect swarm showed no signs of retreat. Meanwhile, in space, several massive Tyranid hive ships extended countless tendrils, anchoring themselves into the planet.
They began to funnel an even greater number of Tyranid forces to engage Red King. This strange and colossal creature had piqued the absolute interest of the Tyranid Hive Mind.
After a brief psychic discussion among several Norn Queens, they decided that no matter the cost, they had to capture this immensely powerful being.
The Tyranid fleet deployed a new combat unit—creatures roughly the size of a Hive Tyrant but specialized in ranged attacks—called Biovore. These creatures stood about 10 to 15 meters tall.
Once stationed, they continuously hurled acidic bomb spore mines from their bodies.
These were a type of parasitic organism called Spore Mine. Upon nearing a target, they would immediately explode.
The moment these long-range weapons appeared on the battlefield, Red King found himself in some trouble.
The acidic liquid from the explosions splattered onto Red King's skin, corroding it and causing the massive beast to howl in pain.
["Red King, focus on those ranged units first! Eat some rocks, then attack them. Take them out first!" ]
Watching from afar, Rhodes frowned and immediately issued a new tactical command.
Long-range heavy bombardment was exactly the kind of attack Red King struggled against. The Tyranid swarm was indeed highly efficient in combat, quickly identifying and exploiting Red King's weaknesses.
This big guy had thick skin, and immense strength—but low resistance to psychic attacks!
Following Rhodes's command, Red King immediately locked onto the distant Biovore and then took massive strides toward them.
He bulldozed through several Hive Tyrant Titans in his path, smashing aside yet another oncoming Hive Tyrant Tyrant. The sheer weight of his charge gave him immense power.
From his mouth, he spat out a barrage of flying rocks, shredding one of the Biovores into a bloody mess.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed another Biovore and hurled it like a projectile, crushing yet another.
After that, Red King began using the surrounding rocks as weapons, lifting them and smashing them down onto the Tyranid forces.
However, in a comical twist, as Red King was lifting a rock, he was harassed by Tyranid's ranged weapons and Gargoyles from the sky.
The rock in his hand suddenly slipped and landed directly on his foot.
Another ridiculous scene unfolded on the battlefield—Red King, massive beyond measure, hopped on one foot in pain, unintentionally stomping countless Tyranids to death.
Then he tumbled to the ground, crushing even more of the swarm beneath his weight, before finally getting back up to resume fighting.
Rhodes could only shake his head and remark:
"Red King, you never fail to impress. Dropping rocks on your foot—your signature move."
"Pfft! This big guy is hilarious! He dropped a rock on his foot!" A young Hospitaller Sister laughed.
"Enough, Elena! Stop worrying about that big monster and go get some rest!"
"If anything happens, you must board the ship immediately."
A veteran Battle Sister approached the young Hospitaller, patted her on the shoulder, and handed her a large, sealed metal box.
"This box contains over 70 gene-seeds from the Ultramarines successor chapter—the Polar Marines. You must ensure their safety."
"I understand, Sister Superior! I will make sure these gene-seeds reach the Polar Marines' headquarters safely." The young Hospitaller's expression turned serious as she carefully accepted the precious cargo with both hands.
"You two go to the innermost cave. A sister from the Adeptus Administratum will accompany you. One of you must protect the gene-seeds, while the other ensures that intelligence about this big guy reaches the Imperium."
"Elena, Atoria, watch out for each other and take turns resting. Keep an eye on the battlefield. If anything goes wrong, board the escape pod and leave immediately."
The Sister Superior instructed.