The strongest astral army in Warhammer 40K

The initial idea of ​​an impenetrable defense line was proposed by the Inquisitors, which involved confining humanity's two great enemies, the Orcs and the Zerg, to one area and letting them fight each other. Although the Empire's high command was well aware of the significant risks involved, they had no choice but to do so.

The Orcs and the Tyranids have been locked in a fierce battle for over a century within the Unbreakable Line. Both races are capable of infinite evolution during the war, and who knows how many powerful beings exist in this star system now.

…………

The artillery fire turned the sky above Cassius IV a sickly orange-red. On the position of the 114th Regiment of the Astronautical Army, the last heavy weapons array was spitting fire, tearing swarms of Tyranid vanguard to shreds. But the swarm seemed endless, advancing over the corpses of their own kind, acid bombs and live ammunition raining down on the human defenses.

"The left wing has collapsed! They've breached the third trench!" came a hysterical scream over the communicator.

Colonel Klaus wiped the blood from his visor; his power armor's left shoulder was shattered, revealing flesh corroded by acid. He raised his explosive pistol and blasted a breaching blade bug to pieces. "Hold the line! For the Emperor!" His voice echoed through the battlefield communications network, but even he knew it was merely the final cry of a dying man.

Just then, the sky was torn apart.

Dozens of blazing white meteors ripped through the atmosphere, crashing down upon the densest part of the swarm. The shockwaves ripped hundreds of Tyrannosaurus Rex, scattering burning carapace fragments like rain. Klaus looked up and saw the meteors unfold into steel giants—the Order of Astartes! The insignia of the Silver Knights gleamed in the firelight.

"For the Emperor! For Holy Terra!" A deep voice resounded across the battlefield through the loudspeakers.

Chapter Commander Van Grey strode out of the landing pod, his massive Terminator armor glowing like a god descending from the flames. His two-handed greatsword, "Imperial Judgment," gleamed with an energy field, cleaving five Blade Worms in two with a single sweep. Behind him, two hundred Space Marines of the Silver Knights formed a wedge formation, their volleys of explosive rifles thundering like lightning.

Klaus felt a surge of hope. "Counterattack! Join forces with the Astartes brothers!"

The remnants of the Astral Army reorganized their defenses, forming a crossfire with the Silver Knights. The Zerg swarm's offensive stalled, and mountains of Zerg corpses piled up on the battlefield.

But soon, Van Grey noticed something was wrong.

“These bugs are strange,” he said to the chapter cleric Jerry Leon via private channel, while cleaving an attacking blade bug in two with his greatsword. “Their reaction speed is at least 30% faster than the records indicate.”

Jerry Leon's power staff unleashed a wave of holy energy, blasting three Zerg Vanguards to smithereens. "Indeed, Chapter Master. Their carapaces are tougher too—my power staff usually shatters their ganglia with a single blow, but that one withstood two attacks."

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Although the arrival of the Space Marines temporarily stabilized the defenses, the swarm seemed endless, and the massive Warrior Zerg displayed unprecedented combat skills.

"Straight ahead! Tyrannical warriors!" Jerris Leon warned over the communicator.

Van Grey turned and saw three unusually large warrior insects breaking through the barrage of fire. Their carapaces were an unnatural crimson red, and their bio-weapons gleamed with eerie energy. The foremost one wielded a scythe-like bone blade, instantly piercing through the power armor of a Space Marine.

"Concentrate your attack!" Van Grey commanded, gripping his greatsword tightly as he charged forward.

The bomb exploded on the Crimson Warrior Insect, but only caused superficial damage. The monster lunged forward with incredible speed, its bone blade aimed straight for Vangrey's head. The Chapter Master barely managed to parry with his greatsword, but the impact still forced him back two steps.

"By the Emperor!" he cursed, bringing his greatsword down with all his might, but the warrior insect nimbly dodged it.

Jerry Leon arrived just in time, unleashing a holy psionic shockwave from his power staff, temporarily disrupting the warrior bug's senses. "In the name of Holy Terra!" he shouted, slamming the power staff heavily into the warrior bug's joints, producing a sound like its carapace shattering.

Van Grey seized the opportunity, and "Imperial Judgment" slashed down with a whooshing sound, severing one of the warrior insect's forelimbs at the root. Green blood gushed out, but the monster continued its death throes, the bone blade tearing through the edge of Van Grey's shoulder armor. The chapter master roared, and with a swift upward thrust of his greatsword, finally cleaved the warrior insect's head in two.

“This isn’t right,” Jerris Leon gasped, his power staff overheating from the continuous energy release. “No ordinary Tyrannical warrior could withstand such an attack and still retaliate.”

Van Grey surveyed the battlefield and saw that other squads were also locked in fierce fighting. The Space Marines were valiant, but the number and quality of the Zerg far exceeded expectations. Even more alarming, he noticed that the Crimson Warriors seemed to be directing the regular Zerg in tactical coordination—this was not the mindless charge typical of the Tyranids.

“Jerris, did you see that? They’re learning our tactics.” Van Grey’s voice carried an unusual worry.

The chapter cleric nodded, his helmet display analyzing battlefield data. "Not just learning, Chapter Master. They're evolving—evolving in real time. Look at those new Zerg variants; their genetic makeup is adapting to our weapons."

On Van Grey's tactical monitor, the red dots representing the Zerg had formed an encirclement. The Astronauts' defenses had collapsed once more, and now the Space Marines were the only ones holding them up.

"All squads, consolidate your lines! Prepare for a thunderous assault!" he ordered, activating the greatsword's energy field. "We must buy time for the civilians to evacuate."

Jerris Leon raised his power staff high and prayed aloud, "May the Emperor protect us, and let us become a steadfast shield against the darkness!"

The warriors of the Silver Knights responded in unison: "Indestructible!"

They formed a circular defensive formation, facing the surging crimson swarm. Van Grey knew that today might be the day his chapter fell. But even so, they would fight to their last breath in the name of the Emperor.

The swarm emitted a piercing shriek and launched a general offensive.