Chapter 333 - 330 — Into the Heart

Chapter 333: Chapter 330 — Into the Heart

Chapter 330 — Into the Heart

The Covenant line finally broke.

The remaining warriors began falling back through the corridor, firing as they retreated.

Titus continued advancing.

His bolt pistol barked with every step.

BOOM.

A Sangheili stumbled.

BOOM.

Another collapsed.

Metaurus walked beside him, his plasma pistol glowing between shots.

THOOM.

A shielded warrior staggered as the plasma blast struck it.

Before it could recover, Metaurus fired again.

THOOM.

The energy shield collapsed.

A third shot tore into its armor.

The warrior fell.

The two Bladeguard Veterans kept their storm shields raised, walking steadily behind Titus and Metaurus.

Plasma continued striking their shields.

Each impact spread across the energy barriers in brilliant flashes.

They did not stop.

They did not even slow.

The corridor ahead was becoming littered with Covenant bodies, broken weapons, and pieces of damaged equipment.

Gaius walked through the aftermath.

His eyes remained fixed toward the direction the surviving Covenant forces were retreating.

"They are falling back."

Titus watched the retreating warriors carefully.

"They are luring us out."

Gaius had noticed it as well.

The withdrawal was too orderly.

The Covenant warriors were not running blindly.

They were firing as they retreated, maintaining enough distance to keep the Ultramarines moving while deliberately giving ground.

Gaius continued forward.

"It does not matter."

Titus glanced toward him.

Gaius’s pace never changed.

The retreating Covenant were leading them deeper into the flagship.

That was obvious.

Whatever they were preparing would be waiting ahead.

Gaius simply did not care.

Whatever waited for them would still have to stop them.

Titus and the other three Ultramarines moved farther toward the front.

The two shield-bearing Bladeguard kept their storm shields raised while Titus and Metaurus continued firing between them.

The Dreadnought followed behind Gaius, each footstep producing a heavy metallic thud that echoed throughout the damaged passage.

THOOM.

Another step.

THOOM.

Another.

The sound alone seemed to unsettle the remaining Covenant defenders.

Several glanced backward as they retreated.

Even those who could no longer see the Dreadnought could hear him approaching.

He was not running.

He did not need to.

He was simply coming.

Inside another section of the flagship, another report reached the command deck.

"Hierarch."

Regret turned toward the officer.

"The forward defensive line has collapsed."

Regret’s expression hardened.

"How many remain?"

"Very few, Holy One."

"And the intruders?"

"They are continuing forward."

"How quickly?"

The officer hesitated.

"Too quickly."

Regret looked toward the internal tactical display.

The boarding party had already advanced several decks into the flagship.

That should not have been possible.

The Covenant had prepared for this.

They had studied everything recovered from the previous flagship.

They knew what had happened when the golden warrior had boarded it.

They knew ordinary security forces had failed to stop him.

They had known that another boarding attempt was possible.

This time, they had prepared specifically for him.

Yet the first defensive line had already been destroyed.

Regret stared at the tactical display.

The retreating Covenant forces were moving toward the designated defensive zone.

Behind them, the six intruders continued following.

One of the officers studied their movement.

"Hierarch."

Regret looked toward him.

"They are following the withdrawal."

"Exactly where we intended."

Regret’s eyes narrowed.

The retreat had never been meant to save those warriors.

They were bait.

The Covenant had deliberately surrendered ground, drawing the boarding party deeper into the flagship and away from the initial breach.

The deeper they went, the farther they moved from the damaged section.

And the closer they came to the countermeasures waiting ahead.

The officer continued.

"They are approaching the prepared engagement zone."

Regret watched the tactical display.

The six intruders continued advancing.

"They have taken the bait."

A faint satisfaction appeared in his expression.

"Good."

He looked toward the internal schematic.

"Deploy the countermeasures."

The officer bowed.

"All of them, Holy One?"

Regret’s eyes remained fixed on the display.

"All of them."

The order was immediately transmitted.

Additional security forces began moving toward the designated engagement zone.

At the same time, several Sangheili activated their active camouflage, disappearing from sight as they moved through the surrounding corridors.

Deep within the flagship, the heavy containment doors of the Hunter deployment chamber began opening.

The Covenant had prepared for this.

The surviving Covenant warriors continued retreating.

They passed through another sealed section.

The blast doors closed behind them.

Titus reached the doors.

"Another one."

Metaurus glanced at the door.

"Let them keep closing them."

He raised his plasma pistol.

"Every door only delays their inevitable death."

Gaius looked toward the Dreadnought.

"Can you open it?"

The Dreadnought stepped forward without a word.

His gatling gun lowered.

His massive power fist rose.

He drove it into the center of the bulkhead.

CRASH!

The reinforced metal buckled inward.

The Dreadnought drew his fist back.

He struck again.

CRASH!

Cracks spread across the damaged section.

A third blow landed.

BOOM!

The bulkhead finally gave way.

Fragments of metal flew into the chamber beyond.

The Ultramarines advanced through the opening.

But this time, the chamber was different.

There were no retreating soldiers.

No scattered security teams.

No disorganized defenders.

The Covenant had prepared for this.

They had studied what had happened during the previous boarding.

They knew what happened when ordinary security forces attempted to stop the golden warrior.

They had already lost the first defensive line.

So this time, they had brought everything they could place between the intruders and the command section.

Two enormous figures stood in the center of the chamber.

Hunters.

Mgalekgolo.

Their massive armored bodies towered over the surrounding Covenant warriors.

Their enormous shields covered much of their bodies, while their integrated assault cannons were built directly into their right arms.

They stood beside one another.

A bonded pair.

They did not need to speak.

They simply waited.

Behind them stood rows of Covenant warriors.

Sangheili.

Brutes.

Heavy security units.

More than Gaius could immediately count.

Their weapons were already trained on the Ultramarines.

Titus stopped.

Metaurus stopped beside him.

The two Bladeguard Veterans moved into position, storm shields raised.

Gaius remained behind them.

So did the Dreadnought.

For a moment, Gaius studied the chamber.

Then his attention shifted.

His Observation Haki spread through the room.

He sensed them.

Not the Hunters.

Something else.

Presences hidden among the Covenant defenders.

One.

Two.

Three.

More.

They were moving through the chamber without making themselves visible.

Gaius’s eyes narrowed.

Invisible Xenos.

The Covenant had prepared another layer.

"Stay alert."

Titus glanced toward him.

"For what?"

"Enemies you cannot see."

Metaurus looked around.

"Invisible?"

"Yes."

Gaius’s gaze moved slightly.

"They are there."

Before anyone could ask another question, the Hunters raised their assault cannons.

Gaius looked toward the Dreadnought.

"They are yours."

A low mechanical rumble came through the Dreadnought’s vox.

"Gladly."

The Dreadnought took a step forward, taking the front of them all.

One of the Hunters fired.

BOOM!

A burst from its assault cannon slammed into the Dreadnought.

The impact exploded across his armor.

The force pushed him backward.

His armored feet scraped across the deck.

Smoke filled the chamber.

Then he stepped out of it.

Several scorch marks covered his armor.

Nothing more.

The second Hunter charged.

Its massive shield struck the Dreadnought with tremendous force.

CRASH!

The impact drove the ancient warrior backward.

Before he could fully recover, the first Hunter moved around his flank.

Its assault cannon fired again.

BOOM!

The blast struck his side.

Armor split.

The Dreadnought staggered.

The two Hunters attacked together.

One kept him occupied from the front.

The other searched for his exposed side.

The Dreadnought turned toward one.

The other struck.

He blocked.

A second blow landed against his shoulder.

For the first time, the Dreadnought was being forced to give ground.

The Hunters continued their assault.

They moved with the coordination of a pair that had fought together countless times.

One drew the Dreadnought’s attention.

The other attacked from the flank.

Their shields slammed against his armor while their assault cannons fired whenever an opening appeared.

The Dreadnought’s armor began accumulating damage.

Gaius watched for only a moment.

Then he turned toward the army waiting ahead.

"Continue."

Titus nodded.

The four Ultramarines moved forward.

The Covenant opened fire.

The chamber erupted.

Plasma bolts filled the air.

The two Bladeguard raised their storm shields.

Blue-white impacts spread across them.

Titus fired through the gaps.

BOOM.

A Sangheili dropped.

Metaurus raised his plasma pistol.

THOOM!

A shielded warrior was struck.

The shield flared violently.

Metaurus fired again.

THOOM!

The shield collapsed.

The next shot tore through the armor.

The warrior fell.

More Covenant soldiers advanced.

Titus and Metaurus continued firing.

The two Bladeguard moved beside them, using their shields to absorb the incoming plasma while the others eliminated targets.

The first line collapsed.

But there were more behind it.

Dozens.

Then hundreds.

The Covenant had filled the chamber with troops.

They were not expecting to win.

They were trying to delay them.

Titus realized it.

"They’re buying time."

Gaius looked toward the distant doors at the far end of the chamber.

"For Regret."

"Yes."

"Then we cannot allow them to have it."

The Ultramarines accelerated.

A shimmering distortion appeared beside Titus.

Gaius saw it immediately.

"Right!"

Titus turned.

An energy sword materialized from the camouflage.

CLANG!

Titus blocked the strike with his chainsword.

The Elite flickered into visibility for a fraction of a second.

Then vanished.

Titus swung.

Nothing.

"Where?"

"Three meters behind you."

Titus spun.

His bolt pistol fired.

BOOM!

The invisible figure flickered.

The shot struck.

Titus charged.

His chainsword ripped through the camouflage.

The figure collapsed.

But another invisible Elite was already moving.

Gaius sensed it.

"Metaurus. Left."

Metaurus turned.

An energy sword appeared beside him.

He fired his plasma pistol at point-blank range.

THOOM!

The camouflage flickered.

Metaurus’s power axe followed.

CRACK!

The Elite was cut down.

A third moved toward one of the Bladeguard.

Gaius’s Observation Haki caught it before the attack.

"Behind you."

The Bladeguard turned just as the energy sword struck his shield.

CRASH!

The impact pushed him backward.

The Elite disappeared again.

The Bladeguard could not see it.

But Gaius could.

"Above."

The Bladeguard raised his shield.

The invisible Elite struck again.

The shield caught the blow.

Titus fired.

BOOM!

The camouflage flickered.

The Bladeguard followed with his sword.

The Elite fell.

Another distortion appeared.

Then another.

Gaius’s eyes moved constantly.

He knew where every hidden attacker was.

"Two left."

Titus raised his pistol.

"Where?"

Gaius pointed.

"Behind the pillar."

Titus fired.

BOOM!

The Elite flickered into view.

Metaurus finished it.

The last one tried to circle around Gaius.

Gaius did not even turn.

His Observation Haki had already sensed the Elite approaching from behind.

The Sangheili moved silently, its energy sword raised as it closed the distance.

Then Gaius reached backward.

His hand caught the Elite’s wrist.

The warrior froze.

For a moment, neither moved.

The Elite tried to pull free.

It couldn’t.

Gaius tightened his grip.

The active camouflage flickered.

The Elite suddenly became visible.

Gaius finally glanced toward it.

"Found you."

He pulled.

The Elite was ripped off its feet and dragged toward him.

Gaius swung his arm.

BOOM!

The Sangheili was hurled across the chamber and slammed into the wall.

Its camouflage failed completely.

Gaius turned back toward the others.

"Continue."

The others stared for only a moment.

Then they moved.

More Covenant forces rushed forward.

A Brute charged Titus.

Titus fired.

BOOM!

The round struck its chest.

The Brute staggered.

It kept coming.

Metaurus raised his plasma pistol.

THOOM!

The plasma struck the Brute’s shield.

It flared.

Metaurus fired again.

The shield collapsed.

The Bladeguard on Titus’s left drove his storm shield into the Brute.

The impact knocked it backward.

Titus’s chainsword finished it.

Another group replaced it.

Sangheili.

Brutes.

Mixed together.

They were no longer fighting as individuals.

They had begun surrounding the Ultramarines.

The two Bladeguard locked their shields together.

Titus and Metaurus fought between them.

The formation moved forward.

Step by step.

Every meter cost the Covenant more lives.

But the defenders continued arriving.

The chamber seemed endless.

Then Gaius finally stepped forward.

His eyes hardened.

Conqueror’s Haki rolled through the chamber.

The air itself seemed to become heavier.

Several Covenant warriors froze.

Weapons slipped from trembling hands.

Some stumbled backward.

Others simply collapsed where they stood.

The effect spread through the mass of soldiers.

Dozens fell.

Then dozens more.

The weaker-willed warriors could no longer stand.

Titus glanced toward Gaius.

"That certainly makes things easier."

Gaius said nothing.

He continued walking.

The surviving Covenant forces looked at the golden warrior.

For the first time, some of them showed fear.

They had prepared for him.

They had sent Hunters.

Invisible warriors.

Heavy security units.

Hundreds of soldiers.

And still, the golden warrior had barely begun to fight.

That realization spread through the ranks.

The Covenant began losing their nerve.

The Ultramarines advanced.

Behind them, the Dreadnought continued his battle.

One Hunter struck him with its shield.

CRASH!

The Dreadnought was pushed through a section of damaged wall.

The second Hunter fired immediately.

BOOM!

The assault-cannon blast swallowed him.

The first Hunter charged through the smoke.

Then the Dreadnought’s massive arm emerged.

His power fist seized the Hunter’s shield.

The Hunter tried to pull away.

The Dreadnought did not let go.

He dragged the creature forward.

The Hunter’s feet left the deck.

The Dreadnought hurled it across the chamber.

It crashed through a support column.

The second Hunter charged.

The Dreadnought turned.

The shields and The massive power fist collided.

The impact shook the entire chamber.

The Hunter pushed.

The Dreadnought pushed back.

Neither yielded.

The second Hunter moved around them.

The Dreadnought released his opponent and turned.

A burst from the Hunter’s assault cannon struck him directly in the chest.

BOOM!

His armor cracked.

He staggered.

The first Hunter charged again.

The Dreadnought caught the shield with both hands.

The Hunter pushed harder.

The Dreadnought’s feet dug into the deck.

Then, slowly, he began forcing the Hunter backward.

His ancient voice rolled through the chamber.

"You are strong."

He pushed harder.

"But not enough."

The Hunter stumbled.

The Dreadnought drove his power fist into the Hunter’s shield.

CRASH!

The impact threw the Hunter backward.

The second Hunter raised its assault cannon.

Before it could fire, the Dreadnought’s gatling gun roared.

BRRRRRRRT!

A stream of shells tore across the chamber.

The Hunter’s shield absorbed most of the impacts, but the sheer force staggered it.

The Dreadnought advanced.

The wounded Hunter recovered and charged again.

Its assault cannon fired at point-blank range.

BOOM!

The blast struck the Dreadnought’s chest.

He barely moved.

His power fist closed around the Hunter’s shield.

The Hunter struggled.

The Dreadnought pulled.

The enormous Mgalekgolo was dragged toward him.

Then the Dreadnought drove his power fist into its armored torso.

CRUNCH!

The Hunter staggered.

The Dreadnought struck again.

CRASH!

The armor buckled.

The Hunter tried to raise its shield.

The Dreadnought tore it aside.

His power fist drove into the exposed mass of armor and Lekgolo.

BOOM!

The Hunter collapsed.

For a moment, everything went still.

Then the surviving Hunter saw its mate fall.

Its posture changed.

A guttural roar erupted from within its armor.

It charged.

The Hunter’s movements became wild and aggressive.

There was no longer any attempt at coordinated tactics.

No flanking.

No measured advance.

It simply attacked.

Its shield slammed into the Dreadnought.

CRASH!

The Dreadnought was driven backward.

The Hunter swung again.

The Dreadnought blocked.

The Hunter struck again.

And again.

Each impact shook the deck.

Its assault cannon fired repeatedly at close range.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The Dreadnought staggered under the barrage.

The Hunter charged once more.

This time, the Dreadnought met it head-on.

Their shields collided.

The Hunter pushed with everything it had.

The Dreadnought’s feet dug into the deck.

The Hunter roared.

The Dreadnought pushed back.

Slowly.

Inch by inch.

The Hunter began to lose ground.

The Dreadnought raised his power fist.

The Hunter tried to strike.

The fist came down.

CRASH!

The Hunter’s shield shattered.

The Dreadnought struck again.

BOOM!

The blow crushed through its armor.

The Hunter staggered.

The Dreadnought seized it.

The Mgalekgolo struggled violently.

The Dreadnought lifted it from the deck.

Then he drove it downward.

CRAAAASH!

The Hunter smashed into the floor.

The Dreadnought’s power fist came down one final time.

BOOM!

The chamber fell silent.

The second Hunter stopped moving.

At the far end of the chamber, the last Covenant defenders collapsed.

Titus lowered his chainsword.

Metaurus deactivated his plasma pistol.

The two Bladeguard lowered their shields.

The corridor ahead was finally clear.

Gaius looked toward the sealed door.

Beyond it was the next defensive section.

And beyond that was the command deck.

Titus glanced back.

The Dreadnought stood amid the wreckage of the two Hunters.

"We leave him?"

Gaius nodded.

"He can handle it himself."

Another massive impact shook the chamber behind them.

BOOM!

Gaius turned away.

"Move."

The four Ultramarines followed him.

They disappeared into the next corridor.

Behind them, the chamber remained filled with smoke, shattered armor, and the bodies of the Covenant defenders.

Ahead of them waited whatever the Covenant had prepared next.

Somewhere ahead stood the Prophet of Regret.

The Covenant had learned from the previous boarding.

They had prepared for the golden warrior.

But they had not prepared for his companions.

Nor had they understood just how powerful Gaius truly was.

~~~

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