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The Dark Angels manned the remains of their cathedral in force. Nine Terminators manned the upper floor, two Assault Cannons poking through the remains of the windows. A small Tactical Squad with a Lascannon and Flamer accompanied them. On the ground floor, six Assault Terminators with dual Lightning Claws blocked the entrance. Behind them, a full squad of ten Assault Terminators with Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields grimly held their weapons. Off to the side an identical Tactical Squad occupied the upper floors of a ruined structure. Before them a massive Tyranid horde filled the battlefield.
The Tyranids launched into a wild charge forward, choking themselves in the centerfield in a massive pile of bodies. The outer flanks of Hormagaunts began to circle around. The Swarmlord and both Neurothropes reached out to their fleet in orbit psychically and directed three small hordes of Hormagaunts to land behind the Dark Angels lines. Each group of ten chittered and hissed in anticipation as they sensed their prey surrounded. They also summoned small warp blasts, but it was wildly ineffective.
The Dark Angels acknowledged their orders and sent a First Born Flamer and battle brother to claim the objective directly in front of the cathedral doors, just out of reach of everyone inside. The Lascannons attempted to weaken the Hierodule but had little effect. The two first born squads still in cover caught some of the latecomers in a deadly crossfire and slew most of them. The Terminators chortled in brass casings as they obliterated the north flanking squad of Hormagaunts shielding one of the Neurothropes. Most of the horde vanished a series of explosions, fire, and dirt. The Assault Terminators with the mighty hammers found the approaching Hormagaunts from the rear to be most hammerable and obliterated them violently. One gaunt remained, trying to fall back to safety but was chased down by many angry walking tanks.
The Tyranids struggled to filter through the choke point in the centerfield. The Hierodule pushed through but failed to get enough momentum to charge, as did one of the Execrine. The other Execrine was forced into the ruins of a building as a horde of shrieking Termagaunts got in the way, eager for the hunt. In the same building the Neurothrope directed its swarm to hide as it attempted to get away from the death storm as fast as possible. The other Neurothrope pushed forwards on the south flank with its Hormagaunt shield. Once again Tyranid life forms rained from the skies to join the ranks of those that remained behind the Dark Angels lines.
Amused about the distance the Hormagaunts landed from them, as well as the cockiness of the second Neurothrope, the Terminators obliterated the southern squad advancing on their position. Twenty-seven of the thirty Hormagaunts were blown to smithereens by holy bolter fire. Once again, the tactical squads in cover caught the light infantry in the open and ended their miserable existence. The Flamer and his battle brother, cut off from support, pushed forwards into the enemy lines. Weaving in between the annoyed Execrine and the Swarmlord itself, they hosed a Termagaunt unit with Promethium and a Frag Grenade. As the xenos shrieked they were shoulder bashed by two seemingly insanely angry Marines with giant knives puncturing large holes in them. The inferior life forms struggled back but fled, but there was no escaping the fury of battle brothers. The Assault Terminators with Lightning Claws crashed into the Hierodule, determined to keep it at bay for as long as possible. They did a surprising amount of damage but lost two of their own in the fight. They still held their ground as duty demanded. Meanwhile, the Thunder Hammer Assault Terminators regrouped fully in the lower cathedral, ready for the inevitable charge.
A rather shook up and gore spattered Neurothrope on the southern flank fell back as fast as it could slither and levitate. It hurriedly nestled in the ruins in a large coil and angrily cast a Warp Blast at the Terminators but hurt itself from the exertion. More life forms rained from the sky. By now, most of the back line was filled with Hormagaunts leaping across the field. The first Execrine slammed into the cathedral, attempting to dislodge its prey from within. It slithered its tentacles into the upper floor. Before it could grab any tasty morsels, it suffered a severe pummeling from many Powerfists and Thunder Hammers. The bulk of its effort was thwarted by the Terminator’s shields, but it still slew one and injured another with its deadly poison and sharp blades. The Swarmlord charged right at the open doors but was met by the Captain in Terminator Armour. Heavily outmatched, the Captain was nearly killed but managed to land some crushing blows in response. Duty eternal, he held. One of the bodyguard monstrosities was slain by the Thunder Hammers. One of the isolated battle brothers fell, but the Flamer continued the fight. The Hierodule finally slew another Assault Terminator with the help of some Hormagaunts. Most of the gaunts were slain, forcing the xenos to give ground.
The Dark Angel Terminators on top of the Cathedral turn their immense fire power to the west, behind their lines, and began obliterating dozens of gaunts closing in from all sides. The First Born continued to contribute and keep the south side in check despite their few numbers. The slug match continued as both Terminators in the building squared off with their hated foes. The Captain was slain, but he bought enough time for the Terminators to work over their foes, making them ready for the death blow. The battle brother continued to battle his way through the gaunts, blasting one in half with his Bolt Pistol, then stabbing another. The Assault Terminators with Lightning Claws were all slain except the Sergeant, who was forced to disengage the Hierodule. The First Born began to feel the oppression on all sides as the gaunt numbers continued to arrive nearby from far and wide. At this point, the battlefield was being so choked by the dead that if it were not for the mass reactive shells obliterating the corpses it would become impossible to pass through without great difficulty.
The Hierodule rammed the cathedral, at last free to pursue the one goal screaming in its mind from the Hive Tyrant. The other Execrine closed in on the rear of the ruins, and dozens of gaunts poured in. The increasing losses of Terminators meant less firepower was being put down range while they traded blows upstairs. Three various size hordes also charged the small ruins to the south, but were repulsed with great losses. The Assault Terminator Champion took up arms in a challenge against the Swarmlord. He was quickly slain, but already fouled by xenos magic, gave himself to buy time for his brothers. The Terminators rallied to his cause, pile driving the first Execrine from the window into a lifeless pulp. Many, many Thunder Hammers rained down on the second one, nearly killing it instantly. More Terminators were slain, but they had removed a dire threat. The lone Flamer slew his opponents with the aid of the Assault Terminator Sergeant, and both set their eyes on their prize. Both Neurothropes had already been falling back, sensing their doom, but they would not be fast enough.
The Flamer advanced, burning a swath of purifying fuel into many of the northern gaunts before charging in. The panicked overwatch fire finally succumbed him to his wounds, and he was slain mere meters from his target, burning pilot light in one hand and Astartes Combat Knife in the other. The Assault Terminator Sergeant deep in enemy lines bowled into the Termagaunts protecting the Neurothrope. It howled in dismay and screeched at its minions to do its bidding harder. In the cathedral, the Execrine was charged by the splintered Terminators from upstairs that got cut off from the fight. They slew the beast but were brought down to just a few remaining. The southern ruins continued to fire, their fire limited now that the Hierodule had killed their battle brothers in the cathedral. The Assault terminators held despite the onslaught of the Swarmlord, its blades cutting cleanly through their armour and Storm Shields. In return, it received several harsh blows, nearly killing it in return.
Sensing the end of the battle, the Tyranid forces pressed bitterly despite their heavy losses. The Assault Sergeant in the back lines was lightly wounded, at the cost of more gaunts, though they did not break. The Hierodule reengaged the Terminators in the top floor, slaying all but their Sergeant. His wounds in return could be ignored for the time being. The Assault Terminators were finally forced backwards out of the Cathedral but were caught and reengaged in melee. Only two remained. The first born in the south ruins continued to punish those who would taint this world with their filth. Their body count was stacking higher and higher by the minute, but they were down to the Sergeant and a Flamer themselves as they repulsed wave after wave of shock troops. The enemy never ceased to rain down around them, making sure the xenos could not escape their wrath.
The Dark Angels knew their time was nigh but did not give up their holy ground. As the shield bearers were slain, so was the Assault Sergeant, too far behind enemy lines for support. The first born cleansed the last foes they could before retreating into the night.
137 gaunt forms were slain during the fight. Also, a flaw in the core rules was addressed. It had not come out previously due to the limitations of fielded Unwieldly weapons until now. This fight will likely be replicated to see how it compares, as it would have made the Terminator variants far more effective, as their point costs suggests, and our end goal is for this codex.
Alternate 40k Rules 