Elena, who had been tending to the Deathwatch Chaplain, now raised her Pedan rifle and fired at the Tyranid creatures in front of her.
Inside the cramped spaceship, flashes of blue light erupted as another wave of Tyranid creatures teleported in. This time, they were all elite units: Hive Tyrants, Tyranid Executioners, and Hive Lords, accompanied by Tyranid bodyguards.
If only a dozen high-level Tyranids had entered, the Space Marines and Rhodes could have handled them together. But if the swarm continued to teleport in reinforcements, then Rhodes' side would be in grave danger.
These Tyranids really couldn't be underestimated!
They even dared to use boarding tactics. Since the war between the Imperium and the Tyranids began, the Tyranids had never employed boarding maneuvers. Why? Because they never needed to. When sheer numbers could overwhelm an enemy, the Tyranids rarely resorted to tricks or schemes. However, that didn't mean they couldn't use them.
The Tyranid swarm's strategic thinking evolved rapidly, and their psychic abilities were formidable.
The Norn Queen was also capable of psychic teleportation, though it was rarely necessary. But this time, it was clear that Rhodes had pushed the Tyranids to the brink.
They had resorted to an unprecedented boarding tactic to deal with him.
To prevent more Tyranids from teleporting in, Rhodes quickly activated his Golden Mode, unleashing a powerful psychic aura that enveloped the entire ship.
A reinforced psychic field formed around the ship's hull, creating a barrier against the Tyranids. At the same time, Rhodes maneuvered the ship into a tactical retreat. As long as they gained enough distance, the Tyranids wouldn't be able to use their teleportation-based boarding strategy anymore.
At that moment, the remaining Tyranid forces seemed to recognize Rhodes as the commanding officer. Some of their ranged units broke through the Space Marine defensive line, recklessly firing their bio-weapons at him.
Meanwhile, melee units charged at Rhodes in a frenzy, but the Space Marines held them back with unwavering determination.
The Tyranids' ranged attacks, however, were blocked by a shimmering blue shield. The armor of a Pedan mothership's captain was equipped with an energy shield, providing added protection.
Rhodes raised his Pedan pistol and fired precise shots. Each shot eliminated a large Tyranid unit, quickly turning the tide of battle.
Unlike rifles, these pistols packed significantly more firepower—especially the captain's pistol, which could kill a Hive Tyrant in a single shot without issue.
Under Rhodes's command, the boarding Tyranid forces were swiftly exterminated.
Just as the last Hive Tyrant was about to be slain, its eyes suddenly glowed with an eerie, blood-red light. A surge of terrifying psychic energy lashed out at Rhodes.
At that moment, an alarm went off in Rhodes's mind. A golden psychic force spontaneously emerged around him, shielding him from the attack.
Even so, a sharp pain shot through his head.
The Hive Tyrant didn't speak, but Rhodes received a mental transmission. It wasn't a spoken language—it was pure thought, directly implanted into his consciousness.
Rhodes stepped forward, raising his Pedanium pistol, and blew the Hive Tyrant's head apart with a single shot.
But the entity that had just communicated with him wasn't merely a single Norn Queen.
It was many Norn Queens.
Or rather, it was the Hive Mind itself—the extended awareness of the Great Devourer, which had not yet fully arrived in the galaxy.
For a brief moment, Rhodes felt as though countless voices were whispering in his mind as if an unimaginably vast consciousness was watching him.
Fortunately, the Emperor of Mankind was powerful enough, and Rhodes' genetically enhanced body was strong enough to withstand the psychic assault. He had survived.
"My Lord! Are you alright?!"
A Deathwatch lieutenant pulled his kinetic sword from the skull of a Tyranid Executioner and turned to Rhodes with concern.
The sheer power displayed by the Emperor's Chosen during the battle had left them all in awe.
If not for Rhodes's presence, these elite Tyranid forces might have completely wiped out the Deathwatch Marines.
Even so, only six Deathwatch Marines remained standing. The rest had been incapacitated, falling into a suspended animation state.
The good news was that the Tyranids' primary target had been Rhodes himself—they had not bothered to finish off the wounded Marines, allowing them to survive.
"This is not the place to talk. I will take you all to a mothership. Gather all of your injured brothers—I will teleport us." Rhodes commanded.
The small Pedan ship was no longer safe. The mothership was far more secure.
Rhodes activated his golden teleportation bracelet, instantly transporting everyone to the mothership. Meanwhile, he set the small ship to autopilot, sending it toward the planet's surface to distract the Tyranid swarm.
Upon arriving at the mothership, the Deathwatch Marines were stunned to find themselves aboard an even larger warship.
"There's a large medical facility over there, with over a hundred med-pods. Elena, take them there for treatment." Rhodes instructed Elena.
"Understood, my Lord. Please be careful." Elena nodded.
That battle had been dangerously close. If not for the Emperor's protection, Rhodes would have been in serious peril.
"My Lord! Let me stay by your side and protect you!" the Deathwatch lieutenant insisted.
"No need. I can take care of myself, and this ship is secure from boarding actions.
Take your brothers to the med-pods and ensure they recover.
If you have any questions, ask Elena. The next battle is mine to fight." Rhodes declared.
The previous ship had only been a small Pedan vessel.
The mothership was an entirely different beast.
With its energy shields raised, breaking through its defenses wouldn't be easy.
It was time to show the Tyranid swarm true power.
Fortunately, the Deathwatch Marines had served as an effective meat shield, absorbing much of the initial attack.
Had Rhodes been alone during the boarding skirmish, there was a real chance that he could have been killed.
He hadn't expected the Hive Mind to pinpoint his location so accurately.
Giving a brief nod to the Deathwatch lieutenant and Elena, Rhodes strode toward the mothership's bridge and took his seat in the captain's chair.
Deactivating the ship's stealth mode, he locked onto the Tyranid hive fleet and gave the order to fire.
The two primary cannons of the mothership targeted the Tyranid hive ship, unleashing devastating blasts.
Meanwhile, the secondary weapons focused on the swarm of bio-ships, raining destruction upon them.
In an instant, several Hive Ships were obliterated, reduced to nothing but floating debris.