Warhammer: Dawn of Annihilation

Chapter 1: 1 - The Edge of Extinction



"For humanity, for the Emperor."

The captain, now a fusion of man and machine—a testament to Mechanicus technology—growled hysterically. His prosthetic leg slammed against the console, its metallic clang echoing in the chaos of the room. His red, burning eyes glared at the power supervisor and the mechanical priest tasked with maintaining the ship's energy systems.

"Divert all power to the propulsion system," he commanded, his voice trembling with fanaticism. "Even if it kills us, I will drag those heretics down with me!"

This battleship was already doomed. The void shield reactor had overloaded, and explosions erupted across the hull. One more enemy volley would seal its fate. Yet, the captain grinned maniacally, his resolve unbroken. He roared once more, a declaration he'd made countless times before:

"For humanity, for the Emperor—onward!"

Under his order, the warship's engines flared with blinding intensity. Stripped of its protective void shield, the ship accelerated, barreling toward the flesh-wrought Chaos vessel in a desperate bid for mutual annihilation.

The universe and fate share a cruel indifference. Courage and sacrifice—none of it guarantees a just reward. Lady Luck turned her gaze away from the captain and his crew. As the Chaos ship unleashed its lethal spear of light, the warship's hull was pierced.

The overloaded plasma reactor erupted in a catastrophic explosion, flames surging through every corridor. The five-kilometer-long behemoth was torn apart, reduced to burning fragments adrift in the void. Over 10,000 souls perished—none survived. In his final moments, engulfed by fire, the captain let out one last defiant cry:

"For humanity, for the Emperor!"

But in the grand theater of the cosmos, the destruction of a single warship was insignificant. Thousands of vessels clashed across the vast battlefield. Beams of searing plasma, torpedoes the size of cargo containers, and devastating nuclear missiles transformed space into a lethal maze.

The war had reached a tipping point. The Imperial fleet launched relentless counterattacks, desperate to reclaim orbital control over Macragge and deliver reinforcements to the embattled ground forces. Failure meant total annihilation—the death knell of humanity.

On the surface of Macragge, devastation reigned. Cities were reduced to ash under relentless bombardment. Defensive lines crumbled. Tank battalions lay in smoldering ruin. Fighter squadrons battled for survival against demonic machines. The planet's fate teetered on the edge.

In the sanctuary of the Ultramarines, the most brutal conflict unfolded. Here, the fate of Macragge—and perhaps the galaxy—would be decided.

"Stop them!" bellowed a Chaos warrior, his black armor reeking of blood and cruelty. Wielding a vicious chainsword, he butchered the Imperial soldiers who dared to stand against him. Limbs and shattered bodies fell like grass before a sickle, staining the sacred grounds with rivers of blood.

Yet, the defenders were undeterred. "For humanity, for the Emperor!" they cried, charging with lasguns in hand. Courage burned in their hearts, even as they faced overwhelming odds. But the Chaos warrior was relentless, cutting down soldier after soldier with savage glee.

"Blood for the Blood God!" he roared, a fanatical cry of allegiance to his dark master. His chainsword whirred and cleaved, his face alight with bloodlust.

In the sanctuary's inner sanctum, the battle was even more desperate. Ultramarines, Dark Templars, Death Guard, and Sisters of Battle fought shoulder-to-shoulder, refusing to yield. Among them stood Saint Celestine, her angelic wings shattered, her armor cracked and bloodied. One arm hung limp, yet her grip on the holy sword was unyielding.

"Grant me strength," she prayed silently, her voice trembling. "Grant me victory, and I shall serve you forever in your name."

Chaos warriors and daemons surged toward her, but she did not falter. "For humanity, for the Emperor!" she cried. A radiant golden light burst forth, scattering the infernal horde like leaves in a storm. Yet, the enemy's numbers were endless, and they pressed forward again.

Amidst the chaos, Chapter Master Marneus Calgar stood like a lion among wolves. His azure power armor gleamed with defiance. His ammunition depleted, his sword shattered, he wielded only a power fist.

Boom!

A Chaos warrior fired a melta cannon, obliterating a nearby Ultramarine in a flash of heat and gore. The sight drove Calgar into a frenzy. "Traitor!" he roared, his voice shaking with rage and grief. With a mighty swing of his power fist, he tore the Chaos warrior apart.

But despair gnawed at him. His gaze fell upon the dais where Tech-Priest Belisarius Cawl and his xenos allies worked frantically.

"Is it too late?" Calgar wondered. "Have we failed to awaken the Primarch?"

For ten thousand years, the Emperor's son—Roboute Guilliman—had slumbered in stasis. Now, as Abaddon the Despoiler led the thirteenth Black Crusade, the galaxy was plunged into unprecedented chaos. The Cadia Gate had fallen, and the Great Rift had split the galaxy apart. Nightmares poured forth from the Warp, leaving death and ruin in their wake.

Hope was slipping away. Psykers foretold only despair. Humanity teetered on the brink of extinction.

Suddenly, a deafening crash shook the sanctuary. Chaos drop pods smashed into the ground, disgorging hundreds of rebel Space Marines. The loyalist defenses faltered under the new onslaught.

The end seemed inevitable. The defenders shouted one final, desperate cry: "For humanity, for the Emperor!" They vowed to take as many traitors as they could before falling.

As darkness closed in, a bell tolled—a pure, resounding note that pierced through the chaos. The ancient machinery on the dais came alive. Its mechanisms unfolded like a great steel flower.

A towering figure emerged, his presence radiating authority and power. After ten millennia of slumber, the thirteenth son of the Emperor—Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines—opened his eyes.

He looked around, bewildered. Memories flooded his mind, and he understood the gravity of the moment. But his first thought was almost comical:

"Huh!!... Wasn't I just playing a game? How the hell did I reach here?"

Suddenly, a stampede of a hundred thousand wild horses thundered past him.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!

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NOTE:

I noticed that the novel had a really bad translation and tried my best to fix it a little. Mistakes will be there ..id appreciate it if you guys could help me rectify it..

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