The makeshift defense line built by the Urg'nok warriors couldn't even slow down the thunderous advance of the Lehman Russ tanks.
Under the cover of artillery fire and armored support, the high-morale Cadia assault troops stormed toward the imperial palace.
All of Terra had become a sea of fire.
---
Inside the Urg'nok emperor's palace, Mok'thar was running in panic, consumed by shame. But where could he run?
Outside the city, the Astra Militarum encircled every direction. Inside, hundreds of Space Marines hunted down and executed every last Urg'nok.
"For the Emperor!"
Khan kicked down the palace gates and stormed inside, heading straight for Mok'thar with blood in his eyes.
"Your Majesty! Run!"
One of the guards charged forward, firing two shots from his laspistol. The bolts struck Khan's armor-but didn't even slow him down.
In the blink of an eye, the guard's head flew through the air. The lifeless, headless body dropped at Mok'thar's feet.
Terrified, Mok'thar dashed into a dark alley. Khan didn't chase him right away. Instead, a mocking grin formed under his helmet.
"Coward... Run while you can. But I'll find you. And when I do..."
But before Mok'thar could take another step, a hidden mine detonated beneath his feet-obliterating his lower legs in a flash of flame and shrapnel. He collapsed, screaming in agony, clutching at his shattered limbs.
From the darkness, Kenthelion emerged-calm and terrifying. In one hand, he held a bolter. In the other, a roaring chainsword.
"Greetings, Emperor of the Bloodmaw Empire," Kenthelion said coldly, a savage smile spreading across his face.
And on that day, Mok'thar's screams echoed throughout the whole of Terra.
As Kenthelion looked upon the humans of Terra, he realized how utterly low their status had become in this galaxy.
To the hybrid alien overlords, humans were nothing more than thinking animals-no rights, no value, no future.
His gaze settled on a group of emaciated children. Among them, a boy barely tall enough to reach Kenthelion's thigh stood out-his bony frame trembling, with sunken black eyes staring straight at the towering warrior.
Kenthelion knelt down slowly. The sound of his power armor groaned like a titan's breath, yet his movements were gentle-surprisingly gentle for a giant encased in war-forged steel.
"You are safe now, children."
His voice, though deep and resonant, was filled with warmth. He reached out and softly adjusted the boy's tattered clothing.
"Where are my parents?"
The boy looked up at him, as though he were staring at a living mountain of gold.
"They were taken by the aliens... slain," Kenthelion said, his voice low. "But do not fear. You are safe now."
He knew that no child should have to bear the weight of such loss, but in this cruel and cold galaxy, pain was the price of survival.
"Please, sir... Let me join you!"
The boy clutched at Kenthelion's chest, tears running down his hollow cheeks.
"I want to crush those aliens beneath my feet!"
Kenthelion gently lifted the boy into his arms and handed him over to a waiting Space Marine from the Salamanders Legion.
He could have entrusted the child to others-a slick oil merchant, an archbishop of the Ecclesiarchy, or even Khan himself, the barbarian warlord who stood nearby like a steel-clad Conan. But from where he stood, the Salamanders were the safest hands.
"Send him to the academy."
Then, Kenthelion turned to his forces. His voice became iron.
"Purge the planet. Leave no alien breathing. Not even the infants."
And so the fire of vengeance spread across the stars once more.