MTLNOVEL Chapter 12: chapter 12
Chapter 12: Clock Tower
The flagship of the XIII Legion, the Clocktower, fell into a state of chaos, but the Ultramarines quickly restored order with their swift response.
The crew transferred the unprocessed data directly to the Primarch. With his superhuman intellect, Guilliman analyzed and organized the information at an astonishing speed, formulating an effective response plan.
"The communication system is offline. The power system is offline."
"The scanning system and shield system are still operational."
Guilliman set down the data tablet. The reactor of Macragge's Glory had been affected, and the remaining energy was only enough to sustain the void shields.
"Activate the void shields immediately. Scan the status of other warships and work to restore power and communications. Notify me the moment any system is back online. If repairs are delayed, I want an exact estimate of the timeframe."
The Primarch was the heart of the Legion. Once the initial panic settled, discipline was swiftly restored. The crew raised the explosion-proof curtains on the deck, resorting to basic visual observation.
Calth's sun illuminated the bridge, revealing countless starships scattered throughout the harbor and low-Earth orbit. Some remained motionless, while others had begun partially restoring engine power.
The surface of Calth and its orbital regions were less fortunate. The data shock had inflicted severe damage, causing ground units to lose coordination, leading to large-scale traffic accidents. Thick smoke and raging flames painted the sky.
Upon witnessing the devastation, Guilliman immediately understood.
"The weapon array is trying to warn us. They can't communicate with us directly."
The firepower of the laser array was more than enough to pierce the flagship's outer armor. A fully operational orbital defense system, combined with star fortresses and garrison fleets, could repel any invading force. Clearly, this attack was merely a warning shot.
The ground forces needed to send an urgent message—but the interference was preventing them from doing so. The situation was so dire that they had resorted to physically attacking the Primarch's flagship.
But why? What threat was so severe that it warranted such drastic action?
Trapped in an information blackout, Guilliman attempted to decipher the ground outpost's desperate warning.
What could be so important that they would risk their own lives to convey it?
Over 200,000 Ultramarines and hundreds of warships were gathered in this sector—far exceeding the numbers of many smaller Legions. Yet, despite their strength, Guilliman suddenly realized that they were vulnerable.
The Ultramarines were scattered across the planet's surface and numerous warships. Most of the fleet's starships were docked at orbital ports for resupply, with their engines and reactors shut down. Crew members were dispersed for maintenance, and few were at their battle stations.
This was their most vulnerable moment. If an enemy launched an attack now, the XIII Legion would suffer catastrophic losses.
"Who is the enemy? Chaos scrap-code attacks, data shocks, possible infiltration operations… Who is behind this?"
Guilliman's twin hearts pounded furiously, like war drums signaling battle.
The Ultramarines never shied away from war—no matter the enemy.
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The Bell Tower
As Calth descended into chaos, a transport ship named Bell Tower accelerated rapidly.
Compared to the massive battleships and heavily armed cruisers, it was insignificant. But while the warships struggled to restart their systems, the Bell Tower's realspace engine was already at full power.
Under normal circumstances, the main engine was only activated for sublight travel or to accelerate before a warp jump. Yet now, it roared to life, pushing the Bell Tower forward at an alarming speed.
Then, something even more alarming happened—it activated its void shields.
The ship was close to Calth, but it moved too fast to be detected by the naked eye. Only Macragge's Glory, which had managed to restore partial system functionality, detected it through the scanning array.
"Hull identification confirmed. That ship is the Bell Tower!"
"Emperor protect us, it's on a collision course with Calth!" a senior technician screamed.
"Weapons! Target it! Shoot it down!" Guilliman's fist slammed onto the command platform, denting the alloy plating in fury.
Inside the Bell Tower, madness had already taken hold. Crew members lay in pools of blood, their throats slit by Chaos cultists wielding ritual daggers. The heretics laughed maniacally, smearing blood across their skin as they completed their unholy rituals.
They had pushed the engine output and void shield to maximum capacity, embracing their impending destruction.
"In the name of the Most High, let everything burn!"
Guilliman's wrath came too late. Macragge's Glory's weapons systems were still offline, leaving them powerless to stop the transport ship that had turned itself into a deadly projectile.
The Bell Tower crashed through Calth's low-Earth orbit platform. The once-mighty steel ring was helpless before the vessel, which had been accelerated to near-relativistic speeds.
Despite the ground forces' warning, numerous warships, troop carriers, and cargo ships still occupied orbit. Among them were some of the largest and most prestigious vessels in the fleet.
Then, in an instant, destruction was unleashed.
The Bell Tower's void shield clipped the Le Crus, tearing apart its sensor arrays and radars. It smashed through the hull of the Queen's Sigh, its void field instantly annihilating surrounding cargo and repair vessels.
Blue and red sparks erupted as broken ships and wreckage spiraled out of control. The collision ignited a chain reaction of destruction. Warships collided, their reinforced hulls crushing each other. The once-proud vessels, some spanning several kilometers, were reduced to twisted wreckage.
The Bell Tower continued its insane charge, crashing into the largest and oldest orbital dock—Cosveridian Anchor Point.
The colossal 300-kilometer-wide dock stood no chance.
The impact was catastrophic. The superstructure shattered. The nine-kilometer-long battleship Hatred was torn apart, its reactor explosion consuming six thousand lives in an instant. Over thirty thousand engineers perished in the resulting shockwave.
Cargo freighters were obliterated, their contents hurled toward Calth's atmosphere, where friction turned them into blazing fireballs.
The Soul of Connor suffered the worst fate. Its reactor and ammunition depot ignited in a cataclysmic explosion, vaporizing most of the vessel. The remaining debris, along with the ruined dock, plummeted toward the planet below.
The sky above Calth became a fiery graveyard, filled with the shattered remains of ships and the corpses of those who once served aboard them.
And yet, the remains of the Bell Tower, still protected by its void shield, pressed forward. No longer a ship—just a massive, deadly piece of space debris—it continued its path of destruction, dragging countless warships into oblivion.
It had all happened in a single breath.
The vacuum of space carried no sound, but the spectacle of countless explosions and the blinding flashes of destruction painted a picture of utter devastation.
A deep, primal fear settled in the hearts of all who witnessed it.
Today was the day Calth burned.
(End of Chapter)