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Hive Fleet Azathoth descended on the ruins, following the scent of the warriors of Ultramar who investigated it. They attacked at night, using the darkness to their advantage, but their approach was detected. Before a single shot could be fired, a drop pod plummeted into their midst, disgorging a powerful psyker and his retinue.
Stung but not seriously wounded by the marine's alpha strike, the mighty Hive Tyrant leading the Tyranid force turned his guns on them. Despite the aid of a nearby Carnifex, the fusillade was insufficient to finish the enemy warlord. The Tyrant charged, expecting to easily finish his wounded foe. Ultimately, he fell to the Librarian's blade.
Even as the fight raged in the rear of the Tyranid lines, the Hive Mind advanced across the board, sending their two Carnifexes toward objectives near the center of the board. One unit of Termagants cowered in the cover of some nearby ruins, protecting a third objective. The other unit moved up with a Carnifex, providing a screen to him and the nearby Warrior Brood.
By the end of the second turn, both warlords were dead, as well as the Librarians retinue. The Ultramarines obtained first blood, slaying the Tyrant moments before being finished off themselves. Other losses at this point were minor.
Both sides advanced toward one another, and the Warrior Brood fell to a blast from a Vindicator. The Carnifexes wreaked havoc on the enemy, damaging both Rhinos and thinning the enemy combat squad that lacked transport.
Without synapse, the tyranid forces were hard pressed, and each Carnifex spent a turn feasting on the bodies of the dead, neglecting their living prey. However, as the Marine advance continued, they came too close to their foes, and the hungry gunbeasts were able to destroy the Vindicator and kill all but one remaining marine, the Drop Pod, and a single Rhino.
In the end, the Tyranids were victorious over a nearly tabled foe, but at a steep price. The victory was narrow, and the biomass lost reviving their slain Tyrant would tax the small fleet, despite the biomass consumed from the battle.
Tyranids won 7-6, once again leaving only a tiny fraction of their foes alive, to spread tales of death and fear.