Port Aquila, Starport Berthing Area.
Diana Boleyn's eyes gleamed. Her sharp gaze swept her surroundings.
The "Hypnotist's" gaze halted on the shadow of a wrecked aircraft. She saw a figure in a tattered grey shroud, holding a scepter.
Diana immediately recognized the figure lurking in the shadows as a Slaught.
She hadn't expected to encounter a Slaught.
Though she had just slain a powerful Cerabvore, Diana knew a Slaught was not something she could kill.
"Battle Hypnotism" would fail instantly if it posed a direct threat to the target.
The "Hypnotist" only wanted to delay the Slaught's escape until reinforcements arrived.
She knew from the Black Emperor's briefing materials and battle reports that a Slaught lurking on this world would be a considerable threat.
Diana didn't attack. She pressed a rune on her armor. The optical camouflage cloak activated.
Her suit was custom-made for her by the Forge Lord.
Based on the Yeld-pattern, it maintained outstanding mobility but sacrificed the dual scythes and power knives.
The optical camouflage cloak, combined with Squat void-shield technology, was greatly enhanced in its ability to conceal her movements, making her difficult to lock onto.
Also, the Yeld-pattern's non-evolutionary modules were replaced with a personal adaptive evolution system.
Diana pressed her throat-mounted communicator and whispered.
"Slaught sighted. Requesting support!"
She marked the image captured by her mask's integrated device on the tactical network.
Diana ran. The "Hypnotist's" speed far exceeded ordinary human levels.
Even augmented Solar Auxilia high commanders couldn't match her speed.
The "Hypnotist" rapidly closed the distance to the Slaught. In over a dozen seconds, she was within thirty meters.
The Slaught was completely unaware. The optical camouflage cloak perfectly concealed the black armor suit's presence.
Its parasitic eye and evil will also detected nothing.
The "Hypnotist's" psychic energy extended towards the Slaught, grasping its evil mind.
The "Hypnotist" created a psychological blind spot in the Slaught's mind, making her hide in plain sight, within its consciousness's blind spot.
The "Hypnotist" had walked past crewmen on her ship without them seeing her, but Diana cautiously didn't get too close to the Slaught.
She knew her "Psychological Invisibility" only eliminated her sense of presence, placing her in a blind spot of attention.
If the interaction became too strong, she would inevitably be exposed.
The "Hypnotist" could sense the Slaught's evil, powerful will.
If an accidental contact occurred, she would be discovered immediately.
The newly elevated Slaught Overseer sped through the shadows.
He had intended to attack Port Aquila, plunder resources, and build a ship of his own.
He had dispatched all his servants to gather resources.
Now, he gradually felt things slipping out of his control.
His servants weren't returning on time. More and more enemies were appearing.
He decided to find a place to hide first and look for an opportunity to leave later.
An engine roared overhead. He paid it no mind. Foolish enemies wouldn't find him.
Diana, tracking the Slaught, looked up.
The reinforcements arriving were black Stormbirds, but they belonged to the Dark Angels, not the Shadows of Order.
The Captain recalled that the Shadows of Order and the Dark Angels partially shared tactical networks.
Inside the Stormbird, Luther didn't immediately order an attack. He looked at Zahariel opposite him, waiting for the Librarian's psychic probe results.
Suddenly, Zahariel fell from his seat in agony, kneeling on one knee, convulsing.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."
"Zahariel, what's wrong with you?"
Luther asked in astonishment. He felt Zahariel was very weak.
This was extremely puzzling. Zahariel was the most powerful Librarian of the Dark Angels, the only one besides the Lion to have slain a Calibanite lion-beast.
Luther helped Zahariel, who was much taller than him, to his feet. Luther, having undergone only partial implantation surgery, was noticeably smaller than other Dark Angels.
Zahariel's retching stopped after a few seconds. He said painfully,
"My Lord, that... xenos... can counter... psychic power..."
"Then don't use your psychic power," Luther said, drawing his power sword from his belt."
"Let's go down. We'll kill it like we hunt Calibanite beasts."
"Yes." Zahariel drew his chainsword and followed Luther towards the hatch.
The parasitic eye, nestled within writhing worms, turned. The Slaught Overseer stared in astonishment at the black-armored warriors dropping from the air.
'How did they find me?'
The Slaught Overseer didn't stop. His right arm elongated, swinging. The scepter fired a necrotic ray.
The corrosive beam struck a Dark Angel's armor, instantly melting through the power armor.
Necrotic mucus crackled, rapidly corroding the Astartes' body.
A fist-sized wound opened in the Dark Angel's chest. Cells secreted by the Larraman's organ engaged in a fierce battle with the necrotic mucus.
As he stumbled, two figures sped past him.
Luther and Zahariel charged from both sides like knights. Their swords arced through the air.
Luther's power sword was faster than Zahariel's. The flashing light tore through the tattered shroud. A large mass of worms was shredded with a crackling sound.
Zahariel's Lion Sword followed. It was a powerful weapon forged from the sharp teeth of the lion-beast he had slain.
Clusters of worms were chopped apart by the sword.
Blue-white light pierced the Slaught's chest. The sword sliced the worm-creature in half.
Just as Luther and Zahariel thought they had killed the evil xenos, the scattered clusters of worms suddenly sprang up, like two tentacles, grabbing for them.
Worm tentacles grabbed Zahariel's helmet. Bacteria secreted by necrotic fluids, laced with acid, dissolved the metal at the molecular level.
The helmet dissolved like foam, revealing Zahariel's resolute face.
At that moment, the two worm tentacles suddenly slipped away.
A crisp, clear female voice sounded in Zahariel's comm earpiece, "External attacks won't kill it. You have to throw a grenade inside it."
'The xenos can suppress psychic power. How did she do it?'
The worm tentacles slapped the rock-hard concrete ground, leaving two deep craters.
The parasitic eye flickered with evil light. The Slaught Overseer had broken free of the "Battle Hypnotism."
His eyes flickered. He suddenly raised his scepter.
The necrotic ray lanced towards Diana's hiding place. The "Hypnotist" had anticipated her exposure when she moved to aid the two Dark Angels.
Golden "dragon scales" emerged from her skin, filling the space between her body and her armor.
With a piercing, crackling tearing sound, the Dominum Armor was pierced.
Necrotic mucus splashed onto the "dragon scales," instantly corroding the gleaming golden scales.
The mucus spread, meeting newly generated "dragon scales."
The "Hypnotist's" psychic energy drained rapidly. Layer after layer of "dragon scales" were generated.
Zahariel's eyes flickered. He saw worm tentacles wrapped around Luther's waist, the power armor dissolving.
The Librarian's gaze pierced through the tattered shroud, seeing the clusters of worms.
Inside the xenos, he saw clusters of fat worms drastically different from the exterior and the evil energy enveloping them.
Zahariel's chest burned. Every bone and muscle ached. A bone-deep cold swept through his body.
'She was right. It can only be killed from within.'
Ignoring his pain, Zahariel said calmly to Luther, "Lord, I will create an opportunity for you."
He knew unleashing a psychic attack would bring a painful death, but now there was no choice.
Just as Zahariel prepared to sacrifice himself with a psychic attack, a flash of dazzling teleportation light appeared.
Zahariel saw a figure, taller than the Lion, emerge from the light.
'Lord Nareth!'
The "Baron of Corruption" raised his right hand. Psychic energy extended. An invisible force surged.
The writhing clusters of worms, the will to stretch and contract, were "distorted."
The Slaught Overseer discovered in horror that his body was uncontrollably compressed into a sphere.
Nareth channeled psychic energy into his power gauntlet. Layer after layer of viscous, almost solid, transparent liquid enveloped the writhing sphere of worms.
Luther felt the worm tentacles release him. He then saw the enormous amber sphere binding the worm-ball. He looked skeptically at Zahariel.
The Librarian interpreted the meaning in his eyes: "Didn't you say psychic powers would be suppressed?"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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