Eiras hugged her ugly Guilliman statue and scurried back to her new cabin, her little heart still pounding a bit fast from the recent conflict. Her small head was full of questions: Which Chapter did those silver Astartes belong to? She had never seen them before. Lord Vitrius was so fierce towards them; it felt like a fight was about to break out any second.
She tilted her head, trying hard to recall the details of that fleeting glimpse. Their power armour was silver-grey, very bright, and it seemed... there were no Roman numeral insignia representing a Legion, like the First Company or Second Company. Their Chapter symbol... Eiras furrowed her small brows, gesturing in the air with her finger, it looked like a... a... an unfamiliar pattern, somewhat complex, she couldn't remember it clearly.
"What Chapter could it be...?" she mumbled, pushing open the door to her new cabin, her mind full of confusion.
The new room was indeed much tidier and brighter than her previous "dog kennel" filled with parts. The space also seemed a little larger, and items were neatly arranged, clearly tidied by Luna or the combat servitors responsible for placement. However, Eiras was self-aware; with her casual nature, it wouldn't be long before this place would once again be filled with her precious parts, half-finished inventions, and various tools, returning to her familiar "comfortable" state.
She walked to the most prominent spot in the room—a newly cleared metal platform—and carefully placed the uniquely ugly Guilliman statue she had made herself, even adjusting its angle to make it look more "majestic."
Then, she stepped back two paces, clasped her hands together, and her large green eyes gazed devoutly at the statue's abstract face, beginning her daily routine prayer:
"Oh, great Lord Guilliman, please bless Eiras and grant me an endless supply of delicious food! Especially the synthetic jelly that the Tech-Priest hides, and the new flavors developed by the kitchen! And also, please grant me many, many powerful parts! Preferably, I could find the most, most, most powerful cooling system, so that my elara's storm will never overheat and explode again..."
She babbled her wishes, as if this crude metal creation could truly hear and fulfill her desires. For her, this statue was not just a symbol of an idol, but also a spiritual anchor, especially after the helmet incident.
Luna finished her maintenance tasks and habitually detoured to Eiras's new cabin. Through the observation window, she saw the little one muttering to the ugly statue, her face regaining its usual vitality, and she even started "daydreaming" again. Seeing this, a barely perceptible trace of warmth melted on Luna's usually ice-bound face, revealing a very subtle yet real, warm smile.
She didn't go in to disturb, just watched quietly for a while. In the past, she might have neglected Eiras's upbringing due to being busy with work, believing that as long as she didn't cause major trouble, she would let her be. But the last incident was a wake-up call, startling her. Her hands-off approach and negligence had almost led to irreversible consequences; she had almost lost this little one, who was like a daughter to her, forever.
From now on, never again. Luna reaffirmed this vow in her heart. She would pay more attention to Eiras, guide her, protect her, allowing her to grow up healthy while retaining her nature and learning to discern danger. Seeing Eiras regain her vitality, though still self-willed, this was her, the Eiras who brought countless troubles but also countless vitality to this steel warship.
While Eiras was praying devoutly and Luna was silently guarding, the massive Ultramarines Fleet, through the efforts of its navigators, fiercely broke through the kaleidoscopic veil of the Warp, like giant whales leaping out of the sea, returning to the cold and silence of the real universe.
The view from the main observation window of the bridge suddenly opened up; the target agricultural world—Planet Varunda—hung silently against the backdrop of the distant star sea.
The sight that met their eyes was completely different from typical Imperial worlds. There were no towering Hive Cities, like metal mountains, no constantly roaring, smoke-shrouded industrial zones, and no solemn, magnificent shrines radiating the light of faith.
As far as the eye could see, the planet's surface was vast, interwoven patches of gold and brown. These were golden oceans of ripe grain, shimmering with wave-like soft light under the sun; adjacent to them were expansive brown fields planted with various edible fungi, their giant caps undulating, forming a unique and eerie "landscape."
It was a natural, primitive palette, which should have evoked feelings of tranquility and abundance. However, at this moment, through the images transmitted by high-precision sensors, all observers felt an inexplicable sense of oppression. Within the gold and brown, there seemed to be a faint, unnatural, alluring hue, as if some invisible corruption was quietly spreading beneath this fertile facade.
Calgar stood before the observation window, his sharp gaze sweeping over every detail of the planet's surface. He issued a solemn command, his voice echoing through the fleet's communication system:
"7th Company, as the vanguard, immediately execute orbital deployment! Mission objective: ascertain the specific extent, main affected areas, and scale of Chaos corruption on the planet's surface. While ensuring your own safety, conduct preliminary purification and cleansing of confirmed corrupted areas. Remember, if you encounter strong enemies that cannot be quickly resolved, do not engage in prolonged combat; immediately call for support!"
"First Company, immediately dispatch three elite action teams, enter maximum combat readiness, and stand by! Your mission is to execute potential decapitation strikes on high-value targets or rapid rescue operations for allies in distress."
"All remaining combat personnel in the fleet, including the remaining warriors of the First Company, continue to cooperate with the Honor Guard to ensure the absolute security of the warship's interior and orbital areas, strictly preventing any form of boarding or infiltration!"
The orders were executed swiftly and forcefully.
Soon, from the launch bays of the Macragge's Honour and its escort vessels, dozens of drop pods, like metal gravestones, propelled by the furious flames of their thrusters, descended like falling stars, trailing long wakes, beginning their precise and rapid descent towards the seemingly calm golden and brown lands of Planet Varunda.
However, beneath this seemingly fertile and peaceful land, evil had long taken root and spread.
In the shadows of several major agricultural settlements and large plantations on Planet Varunda, the mortals corrupted by Slaanesh's whispers and sensual temptations were no longer mere farmers or workers. They had established secret and fanatical cult organizations, abandoning the Emperor's faith and turning to worship the Chaos God—Slaanesh—who embodied ultimate pleasure and pain.
They secretly gathered in underground caves, abandoned granaries, or dense fungal forests, spreading twisted doctrines and proclaiming the "gospel" of breaking all taboos and pursuing ultimate sensory experiences. They used various means—from subtle psychological manipulation to the use of hallucinogenic mutated fungal spores—to spread corruption, enticing more weak-willed mortals to join their fallen ranks, accept Slaanesh's "gifts," and become increasingly twisted and inhuman.
They danced madly, performing blasphemous rituals, pleasing their master in the Warp with self-torture intertwined with pain and pleasure, and fanatically yearning, yearning for Slaanesh's Daemons to answer their call, descend upon this world, and completely transform it into a paradise of eternal revelry and torment.
They yearned for the arrival of Daemons... However, what they ultimately awaited was not the enchanting Daemons from the Warp, but the Ultramarines—carrying the purest wrath and iron will of the Imperium—from orbit!
The 7th Company's drop pods, like the Emperor's hammer of judgment, were descending with ruthless precision, smashing down upon their hidden lairs!
The golden farmlands were about to be stained with different colors by the flames of war and purification.
The cleansing of Planet Varunda's surface was progressing methodically under the efforts of the 7th Company warriors. Like blue purifying fire, they moved through the golden grain fields and brown fungal forests, precisely locating and destroying Slaanesh cult strongholds, "liberating" the fallen worshippers from the abyss of corruption—in the form of bolter rounds and flames.
However, in orbit, the Macragge's Honour, suspended in the silent void, received an uninvited and extremely dangerous "guest" in the deep of the battleship's night.
Calgar had just coaxed Kolesa to sleep.
Perhaps the nightmares and mental stress of the past few days had exhausted her, for she was sleeping exceptionally soundly now.
Her silver hair, like silk woven from moonlight, fanned out on the pristine white pillow, merging with her equally white nightgown, resembling a tranquil oil painting in the dim sleep light.
Her regular breathing was soft and steady, as if she had temporarily escaped the entanglement of the Warp and past nightmares.
Calgar tucked her in, gazed at her for a moment, ensuring she was sound asleep, then quietly rose, donned his power armour, and headed to the main armory for his night watch duty.
The heavy hatch silently slid shut behind him, isolating the tranquility of the room from the battleship's eternal hum outside.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
In her sleep, Kolesa's brows unconsciously furrowed, and her body began to twist slightly.
A cold, sticky tremor, originating from the depths of her soul, wrapped around her consciousness like a venomous snake.
She felt that presence—the foul aura of the Prince of Pleasure, a mixture of extreme pain and twisted ecstasy!
And this aura was not from the distant Warp or the planet below; it was nearby! It was within the Macragge's Honour!
She woke with a jolt, her heart pounding like a startled herd of deer, a chill shooting from her feet to her head.
She sat up uneasily, her hands instinctively clutching her chest.
There, the spirit stone she wore close to her body was vibrating clearly and urgently, as if issuing the sharpest warning!
This further confirmed that her perception was not an illusion.
Fear instantly gripped her.
Her first thought was to call Calgar, the only presence that could make her feel safe.
She focused her still-scattered, just-awakened psychic energy, attempting to channel her psychic powers to warn Calgar... just as her psychic powers began to gather, like a trickling stream reaching out—
"An Aeldari clinging to life in the arms of an Astartes..."
A hoarse, chilling voice, seemingly a blend of countless painful groans and pleasurable sighs, echoed from the shadows at the other end of the cabin without warning.
The voice carried a cruel amusement, as if toying with its prey, directly penetrating her psychic barrier and resounding deep within her mind.
Kolesa froze, then sharply turned her head towards the source of the voice, her violet eyes wide with extreme terror.
"...The Prince of Pleasure has noticed you," the voice continued to whisper, like a snake crawling up her spine, "It is... very interested in you."
As the words fell, the shadows writhed and coalesced like a living thing.
The Undying, Lucius's twisted, pallid figure, slowly "emerged" from the darkness, as if he had been standing there all along, only now choosing to reveal his true form.
His face was as pale as a drowned man's skin, covered in crisscrossing scratches, some self-inflicted, others seemingly left by others, and several barbed metal spikes protruding from it.
His eyes were no longer human; instead, they were two constantly swirling vortices made of several twisted, pained, ecstatic human faces, and his mouth was filled with densely packed, dark red blood-stained fangs.
And most horrifying of all, his power armour, as pale as a corpse, was covered in countless extremely twisted human faces, seemingly embodying all the pain and pleasure in the world.
These faces were not static reliefs; they seemed to retain the consciousness of their former lives, slowly and laboriously rolling their eyes, casting gazes filled with endless malice, pleading, or madness, all at once towards Kolesa on the bed, who was so terrified she could barely breathe!
"Ah—!!!"
Kolesa let out a heart-wrenching scream, extreme fear and revulsion instantly overwhelming her reason.
But at the same time, her powerful psychic talent was completely ignited by this extreme emotion at the brink of life and death!
An invisible, formless, yet immense psychic power, like an out-of-control tsunami, erupted from her in the direction of Lucius!
"Boom!!!"
Lucius's twisted smile was still on his face when he was violently thrown back by this utterly irresistible force!
The alloy hatch behind him instantly twisted and burst like paper, and along with his body, he was directly flung into the corridor outside, creating a series of loud metallic crashes and shattering sounds!
Before he could fully recover from this sudden impact, a second, even more concentrated psychic blast, like a physical warhammer, had already pursued him, striking precisely in the center of his breastplate!
"Dong!!!"
A dull thud, like the striking of a giant bell!
Lucius felt as if he had been hit head-on by a charging rhino; his breastplate visibly caved in a large section, and he was once again violently thrown back like a broken kite, directly smashing through the railing on the other side of the corridor, plummeting towards the wider, brightly lit ready room below!
"Bang!" A heavy landing sound echoed.
Almost simultaneously with Lucius being blasted out of the cabin by Kolesa's psychic outburst, a piercing invasion alarm instantly blared through every corner of the Macragge's Honour!
Red emergency lights flashed wildly, illuminating the passageway like the entrance to hell.
"Whoosh—!!!"
"Level One Combat Alert! Unauthorized Entity Intrusion! Location: Upper Habitation Deck, I-Series Corridor!"
Heavy footsteps, like battle drums, immediately echoed from all directions!
It was the Terminator patrol!
They reacted swiftly, converging on the alarm's origin at maximum speed.
Lucius slowly rose from the cold floor of the ready room.
He twisted his neck, producing a crisp "crack," and looked down at the obvious dent on his chest.
Instead of anger, his pale, twisted face revealed an even more horrifying, more joyful smile.
"Such... fervent emotions... such... a beautiful soul..." He extended his forked tongue, licking at non-existent blood on the corners of his mouth, as if savoring the lingering taste of Kolesa's fear and anger.
Just then, two nearby Honor Guard Warriors arrived, appearing at the entrance of the ready room.
They saw this bizarrely shaped intruder, emanating a strong aura of Chaos, and without any warning, without any questioning—for Chaos intruders, there was only purification!
"For Ultramar!" The two Honor Guard Warriors roared in unison, their bolters instantly spitting deadly flames!
However, Lucius's figure flickered like a ghost, moving so fast it left trails of afterimages.
The dense bolter rounds all grazed his body, exploding in showers of sparks on the walls and equipment behind him.
The next second, a flash of a power sword!
Like an artist's most casual yet deadly stroke, Lucius's power sword, at an incredible angle, instantly pierced the joint of an Honor Guard Warrior's breastplate, precisely hitting a vital spot!
The Honor Guard Warrior grunted, the power sword protruding from his back.
He staggered backward, leaning heavily against the wall, his power armour's life support system emitting a sharp alarm.
Lucius did not even glance at the severely wounded Honor Guard, nor did he pay attention to the other warrior who continued to unleash fire upon him.
His eyes, formed from twisted human faces, seemed to penetrate layers of decks and structures, looking towards the uppermost part of the battleship, the direction symbolizing power and the command core.
A malicious and expectant smile appeared on his face.
"I found you... Chapter Master..."
Ignoring the continuous bolter fire behind him, his figure, like a pale venomous snake merging with the shadows, began to charge at an astonishing speed towards Marius Calgar's office!
The battleship's internal defenses were rapidly mobilizing and encircling, but Lucius, the chosen of Slaanesh, had already turned the interior of the Macragge's Honour into a stage for his "art" and "pleasure."
And his ultimate goal was none other than the commander of this Imperial flagship—Marius Calgar!
The piercing invasion alarm, like the death wail of a dying beast, completely shattered the deep night's tranquility of the Macragge's Honour.
Crimson emergency lights flickered wildly, painting the once solemn metallic corridors with an ominous blood-red hue, as if the entire warship's veins were pulsating in anger due to this sudden incursion.
Lucius, the undying nightmare, like a pale viper slithering through veins, rapidly advanced towards the heart—Calgar's office.
His steps carried a blasphemous elegance, as if he wasn't desperately charging through an enemy flagship, but performing a death dance to please a Chaos God.
His advance was not unopposed.
In a wide passage connecting the upper residential areas to the command section, he encountered the first wave of organized interception—a standard tactical squad from the rapidly responding Ultramarines Sixth Company.
These deep blue warriors displayed the discipline and efficiency that the Ultramarines prided themselves on.
They swiftly took advantageous positions, deploying in a standard assault formation.
Three warriors used the structures on either side of the passage as cover, providing precise suppressive fire with their bolters; a scorching barrage attempted to seal off all possible evasion routes for Lucius.
Meanwhile, other warriors, while using short bursts from their bolt pistols for distraction, roared as they drew their humming chainswords, charging forward ferociously like tigers unleashed from their cages!
"For the Emperor! For Ultramar!"
The roar of chainswords and the thunder of bolters intertwined, filled with power and determination.
However, on Lucius's pale, twisted face, there was only undisguised contempt and pleasure.
For a Slaanesh Champion like him, the valor of these ordinary warriors could not even stir a ripple in his heart, much less pose a true threat.
He enjoyed not simple killing, but the process of inflicting pain and savoring fear.
His figure flitted through the barrage like a ghost, his power sword transforming into streaks of cold light too fast for the naked eye to follow.
He did not choose a fatal blow, but with extremely precise and cruel angles, used the tip or flat of his sword to instantly sever the leg armor joints and tendons of the charging warriors, or used skillful force to knock away their weapons and leave deep, bone-visible gashes on their breastplates!
"Ugh!"
Painful grunts and gasps erupted, and the charge came to an abrupt halt.
The warriors fell heavily, temporarily losing their combat effectiveness; the intense pain made them sweat profusely, but their lives were not in danger.
Lucius, like a cruel artist, left the mark of "pain" on them, then, without a glance at his "processed" works, flickered through the gaps in the fire net and continued his advance.
As he was about to burst out of this passage and into a wider junction hall, the true obstacle appeared.
At the passage exit, like two abruptly risen mountains of steel, two Honour Guard Warriors clad in Saturnine Pattern Terminator armour completely blocked the way with their massive bodies!
Their storm bolters were already spitting out an even more ferocious and dense hail of fire! It swept in like a metal storm, almost covering the entire exit area!
Facing this heavy firepower capable of tearing apart light vehicles, Lucius finally displayed his terrifying strength as a Slaanesh Champion.
He no longer relied solely on speed to evade, but pushed his physical functions to the extreme, his figure like a twisted phantom, performing various physics-defying evasive maneuvers within a tiny range, while the power sword in his hand transformed into a silver blur!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
A series of jarring metallic clashes rang out!
With astonishing precision and speed, he actually sliced open or deflected some of the bolter rounds aimed at him in mid-air!
The bolter rounds exploded beneath his sword, like dangerous fireworks offered to him!
Immediately after, he suddenly charged forward, like an arrow flying close to the ground, instantly closing the already short distance between him and the Terminators!
His power sword, like a viper's tongue, with tricky angles, left two deep gashes in the joint connections of the two Terminators' heavy leg armor with incredible swiftness; although it failed to completely break through their defense, it successfully caused their massive bodies to momentarily lose balance and hesitate!
Utilizing this small gap he created, Lucius, like a slippery loach, darted through the gap between the two, completely ignoring the bolter rounds that continued to pour down behind him, hitting the spot where he had just stood, and rushed into the junction plaza ahead without looking back.
This plaza was originally a hub for personnel movement and material transfer, but now it was empty, with only flashing red lights and piercing alarms.
However, as soon as Lucius's feet stepped into the center of the plaza, the gates leading to different areas slammed shut, locking down, and at the same time, more deep blue figures surged out from various passage entrances like a tide!
The rapidly arriving Ultramarines, including more ordinary warriors and several Terminator squads, instantly formed a tight encirclement, trapping him firmly in the center.
Countless bolters, plasma guns, melta guns, and even Terminator storm bolters and assault cannons, their cold muzzles all pointed at the pale figure in the middle of the plaza.
The heavy killing intent almost solidified, and the air seemed to freeze.
Facing this seemingly desperate encirclement, Lucius not only showed no panic, but instead stopped, looked up, and let out a twisted, frenzied sneer, as if enjoying the "thrill" of being targeted by countless deadly weapons.
Just as all the warriors were about to pull their triggers, intending to utterly annihilate this invader with the most violent firepower—
Lucius's astonishing speed erupted again, faster than the limits of visual capture, leaving only a faint, pale afterimage in his original spot!
He did not choose to charge head-on into the most densely fired direction, but instead, like a ghost, cut into the side of a relatively weaker formation composed of ordinary warriors!
The sword light rippled out like death!
Several warriors in front of him didn't even see his movements before their weapons were knocked away, a sharp pain shot through their breastplates, and they stumbled to the sides.
The encirclement was instantly torn open!
And by the time the cumbersome Terminators turned their guns, attempting to provide covering fire, Lucius had already, like a slippery fish, relying on agility and speed far exceeding that of a Terminator, rushed out of the plaza, leaving those heavy war machines far behind, leaving only a trail of wounded and a lingering, mocking sneer.
His goal remained clear—the upper levels, the Chapter Master's office!
As he burst into a relatively narrow corridor, but one that led directly to the core upper levels of the warship, his steps finally halted for the first time.
At the end of the corridor, a figure stood silently, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
He wore deep blue artificer power armour, with the First Company emblem emblazoned on his shoulder pads, and a deep blue cloak draped behind him, moving without wind.
Most striking was the helmet on his head with a prominent horizontal crest—First Company Captain, Cassius Venus.
In Cassius's hand, he held a drawn power sword, its tip angled towards the ground, as steady as a mountain.
His gaze, transmitted through the visor, was cold and sharp, like the frozen wastes of Caliban.
"Traitor," Cassius's voice resonated through his vox-caster, carrying undeniable authority and killing intent, "to dare intrude upon the Macragge's Honour, to defile a place blessed by the Emperor's light... then be prepared to remain here forever."
With that, he flicked his wrist, officially disengaging the power sword's safety.
"Buzz—!"
A low, pleasant hum of the disintegration field activating sounded, and a ghostly blue energy instantly enveloped the blade, emitting a deadly thrumming.
Lucius watched this scene, and far from being nervous, he threw his head back and let out an even more excited, more twisted laugh, as if he had encountered the most interesting toy.
He slowly drew his own power sword, adorned with twisted patterns, its blade seemingly groaning in pain, and pointed its tip at Cassius, provoking him with that chilling voice mixed with countless echoes:
"Do you want to try my sharp blade, Captain?"
Cassius held his power sword steadily, the blade straight, the ghostly blue force field light reflecting in his cold visor.
His response was concise and powerful, carrying the pride and confidence of the Ultramarines:
"My sword is not dull either."
The instant his words fell, both figures moved simultaneously.
No warning, no probing!
The two master swordsmen instantly engaged in a peak duel within this not-so-wide corridor!
Cassius's swordsmanship, deeply inherited from Lord Guilliman, combined the rigor of the Codex Astartes with the ruthlessness of actual combat.
Every one of his strikes seemed to be precisely calculated, with tricky angles and powerful force, his offense like a fierce storm, continuous and unending!
The ghostly blue sword light wove into a net of death, and at the beginning of the clash, it actually forced Lucius onto the defensive, leaving him only able to parry and dodge with his extraordinary agility and bizarre sword techniques!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sound of power swords clashing rang out as densely as bolter fire, and the violent collision of disintegration fields erupted in dazzling sparks, making the dim corridor flicker between light and dark.
The movements of the two were so fast they were dizzying; even an ordinary Astartes warrior would likely struggle to fully capture the details of their engagement, only seeing two blurred figures moving at high speed within the limited space, and the constantly erupting deadly cold light and energy sparks.
On Lucius's twisted face, the original contempt had long been replaced by an expression of extreme excitement, as if he had found his prey.
He reveled in this evenly matched confrontation, enjoying the thrill of walking on the edge of death.
Cassius's power, in fact, made him feel an unprecedented "joy."
At the same time, outside the Chapter Master's office on the uppermost deck of the warship, the atmosphere was equally heavy.
Vitrius personally led dozens of Honour Guard Warriors clad in Ironclad Pattern Terminator armour, completely surrounding the office area. They were like the most loyal bulwark, forming the last and most formidable line of defense. Any entity attempting to approach would face their most merciless wrath.
Vitrius arranged the perimeter defense, then pushed open the heavy alloy door and entered the office.
Calgar still sat upon his obsidian throne, his expression calm. He even held the data-slate containing intelligence on Planet Varunda, as if the piercing alarms and faint sounds of battle outside had nothing to do with him.
"Chapter Master!" Vitrius's voice held a subtle urgency. "Intruder identified as an Astartes, confirmed to be Lucius, a traitor from the Third Legion. He is extremely powerful, ordinary warriors cannot stop him. He is currently being intercepted by Captain Cassius, but is still approaching your position. Do you require..."
Vitrius's words trailed off, but his meaning was clear—he hoped Calgar would temporarily relocate to a safer, more concealed command node, avoiding this dangerous Champion of Slaanesh.
However, Calgar merely raised his hand calmly, interrupting Vitrius. His gaze remained fixed on the data-slate, his tone surprisingly steady, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact:
"Cassius will handle it."
He paused, finally raising his eyes to look at the anxious Honour Guard Captain. His gaze conveyed absolute trust in his subordinate, and the unshakeable authority of a Chapter Master.
"Do not panic."
These four simple words, however, seemed to possess a strange magic, calming Vitrius's agitated heart slightly. He looked at the Chapter Master's mountain-like composure, took a deep breath, and thumped his chest with his right hand.
"Yes! Chapter Master!"
He said no more, turned, and exited the office, returning to the steel defensive line formed by the Ironclad Pattern Terminators. He knew that the Chapter Master had entrusted his safety, and even the dignity of this flagship, to the First Company Captain who was battling the powerful enemy in the corridor below.
And now, all they could do was trust Cassius, and prepare for the worst, should it come.
The clash of blades in the corridor grew more intense; the dance of death had reached its climax.
The duel between Cassius and Lucius had long transcended the scope of ordinary combat, resembling more an ultimate contest of will and skill, enacted on the edge of a blade. Their towering forms and heavy power armour seemed to lose their weight at this moment, their movements swift as lightning, agile as wind. Only the shriek of power swords tearing through the air and the explosive clash of their disruption fields bore witness to this struggle beyond mortal comprehension.
Cassius thrust his sword, the ethereal blue light of the blade condensed like a needle, aimed directly at Lucius's constantly writhing, face-covered throat! This strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, embodying the First Company Captain's honed skill and killer intent.
Lucius let out a pleased hiss, his body twisting unnaturally at an almost broken angle, narrowly dodging the fatal blow. Simultaneously, his power sword, like a scorpion's tail, swept horizontally, using the momentum of his dodge. The cold blade instantly left a grating scratch and a deep gash on the side of Cassius's power armour, revealing faint glimpses of internal servo-circuitry!
Intense pain surged, but Cassius's will to fight was as hard as steel! Without any hesitation, he used the force of his opponent's attack to swiftly retract his sword and turn, gripping the hilt with both hands. The core strength of his waist and abdomen exploded instantly, and his power sword, with the might to tear through anything, swept horizontally from left to right with immense power!
This strike had an enormous range and extreme speed, sealing off most of Lucius's dodging space!
Although Lucius strained to lean back, attempting to evade, the ethereal blue sword tip still grazed the very center of his chest plate, like a kiss of death!
"Chhh—!"
The disruption field violently clashed with the pale, living metal covered in tormented faces, emitting a bone-chilling sound. Lucius's chest plate was instantly split in two, revealing the even paler, twisted body beneath, seemingly devoid of internal organs. The faces on the severed armour immediately became more contorted, emitting silent, agonizing wails, as if enduring the pain inflicted by the blade.
"It's useless, Captain!" Lucius looked down at his cleaved chest, showing no fear. Instead, his horrifying smile widened, and his echoing voice was filled with malicious mockery, "Even if you 'kill' me here, my soul will not be extinguished! I will return! I will return from any soul that feels pride and satisfaction from defeating me! Perhaps... it will be your body!"
He extended his forked, snake-like tongue, licking at non-existent blood on the blade, his gaze greedily sweeping over Cassius.
"And you, proud Ultramarines Captain, your face, your suffering, will become the newest collection on my power armour! You will watch me, with your body, slaughter your brothers! Destroy your cherished home! Hahahahaha!"
This vicious curse was like the foulest dagger, stabbing at Cassius's heart.
"Shut up! Traitor!" Cassius let out an enraged roar, his eyes behind the optical lenses burning with pure fury and disgust. He could not allow such blasphemous words to defile his ears, to defile his the lion's due/loyalty (great sword) to the Chapter and Ultramar!
In his rage, his strength seemed to surge again! He lunged forward, his power sword swinging again with the force to split mountains and shatter stones, slamming hard against Lucius's parrying blade!
"Clang—!!!"
A deafening crash, far louder than before, exploded! The immense force actually knocked Lucius's power sword away, leaving his chest wide open!
A perfect opportunity!
Cassius didn't hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, his power sword shifted from a hack to a thrust. The ethereal blue sword tip, like a venomous dragon that had long gathered its strength, plunged straight in, instantly piercing Lucius's unprotected, cleaved chest!
"Puch!"
The disruption field passed through the pale, twisted body without hindrance, emerging from his back!
Lucius's body stiffened abruptly. He looked down at the power sword piercing his chest, his eyes, formed by twisted human faces, fixed on Cassius's crimson optical lenses. However, the grotesque and joyous expression on his face did not diminish at all; instead... it grew even more intense, as if long-awaited.
An ominous premonition, like ice water, poured over Cassius, but he could no longer retract his hand.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
Lucius's abdomen, beneath the belly armour filled with twisted faces, suddenly underwent a violent, nauseating peristalsis! Immediately after, two pale, slime-covered, inhuman arms suddenly burst forth from his abdomen! The ends of these two arms were not hands, but rather tightly gripped two bizarre-looking daggers, shimmering with an ethereal green, poisonous light!
All of this happened too fast, too contrary to reason! It completely exceeded Cassius's combat predictions!
The two arms that burst from his abdomen thrust forward with a speed beyond visual capture, like the scythes of a praying mantis hunting!
"Puff! Puff!"
Two dull thuds of blades entering flesh sounded almost simultaneously!
One dagger accurately pierced Cassius's chest, while the other plunged fiercely into his relatively vulnerable abdominal armour!
Excruciating pain! Unimaginable agony instantly swept through all of Cassius's nerves like an explosion! He could even feel the cold blades tearing through muscle and touching internal organs!
He lowered his head in disbelief, looking at the two nightmare-like arms that had 'grown' from his enemy's abdomen, and the two poisoned blades deeply embedded in his own body. Warm, his own blood, gushed from the wounds, rapidly staining his deep blue master-crafted power armour.
"Ugh...!" Cassius let out a suppressed groan of pain, strength draining from his body like a tide. He released his grip on the power sword embedded in Lucius's chest, instinctively clutching at the two fatal wounds, and staggered back two steps, his back hitting the cold corridor wall heavily, barely preventing him from falling.
Lucius, meanwhile, seemed as if nothing had happened. The two arms that had burst from his abdomen slowly retracted back into his body, and the wound on his abdomen healed rapidly as if it had never existed, leaving only Cassius's power sword still embedded in his chest.
He looked down at the blade piercing his body, then raised his head to gaze at Cassius, who was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily, blood continuously seeping from between his fingers. A look of extreme satisfaction and extreme cruelty spread across his face, his mouth full of blood-stained fangs, appearing incredibly eerie under the emergency red lights.
He slowly raised his hand, gripped the hilt of Cassius's power sword, and then, little by little, with a teeth-grating rasp, pulled the ethereal blue blade from his own chest, casually tossing it to the ground with a crisp "clank." The penetrating wound on his chest also began to writhe and heal at a visible rate.
"Slumber, son of guilliman..." Lucius's hoarse, eerie voice pronounced Cassius's fate, as he walked towards him step by step, his power sword raised again, its tip pointing at the First Company Captain's head, "Your suffering will become my supreme... pleasure..."
Cassius's vision began to blur. The intense pain and blood loss made it difficult for him to concentrate. He looked at the gradually approaching pale nightmare, his eyes filled with unwillingness and anger, but his body grew heavier and heavier.
Just as Lucius's power sword, inscribed with blasphemous runes and poised to end Cassius's life, was mere inches from his helmet, a deep-seated adherence to duty and honor, originating from the depths of his soul, ignited like a final spark within Cassius's nearly extinguished consciousness!
"Ugh ah—!"
He let out a roar like a wounded lion, his incredible willpower forcibly suppressing the excruciating pain that coursed through his body and the weakness brought on by blood loss, and he twisted sideways, his power armour-clad left arm lashing out like a steel whip, striking precisely against the flat of Lucius's sword!
"Clang!"
Sparks flew! This strike, imbued with his last reserves of strength, successfully knocked the deadly blade off its trajectory, causing it to graze his shoulder guard and carve a trail of dazzling sparks on the wall.
At the same time, Cassius's right hand darted to his waist like lightning, drawing his large-caliber bolter, and without even taking time to aim, relying on honed muscle memory, he unhesitatingly pulled the trigger, aiming at Lucius's sneering face, which was now inches away!
"Bang!"
The bolter round whistled out, directly targeting his head!
Lucius clearly hadn't expected Cassius to unleash such a swift counterattack while so gravely wounded; a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, which were made of twisted human faces, but it was quickly overshadowed by the excitement of being provoked. Faced with a nearly point-blank shot, he performed an unbelievable maneuver—he jerked his head violently to the side, and his large mouth, filled with blood-stained fangs, suddenly opened wide, firmly biting down on the incoming bolter round!
The warhead was trapped between his fangs by his inhuman biting force, preventing it from exploding immediately. He rolled his eyes, looking at Cassius, seemingly wanting to utter his characteristic, mocking taunt once more… However, Cassius didn't give him the chance!
The very next instant Lucius bit down on the bolter round—
"Boom!!"
A violent explosion erupted inside Lucius's mouth! Blazing flames and deadly shrapnel instantly spewed forth!
"Pfft—!"
Lucius's entire lower jaw, along with parts of his cheek and his mouthful of fangs, was shattered at that moment! Pale bone fragments, metal shrapnel, and green energy fluid splattered everywhere, making his already horrifying face look even more like a nightmare from the deepest hell!
But it wasn't over!
Cassius, enduring the almost dizzying pain from his wounds being pulled by his violent movements, steadied his trembling arm and, aiming at Lucius's now jawless head, which exposed its twisted internal structure, pulled the trigger again!
"Bang!"
Another bolter round struck precisely! This time, it solidly impacted Lucius's left side of his head!
"Crack—Pfft!"
Half of his head, along with the eye formed by a vortex of suffering human faces, was instantly blown to smithereens! Shattered living metal and indescribable internal organs splattered out!
However, Lucius, having sustained such grievous injuries, still did not fall! In his remaining eye, what burned was no longer pleasure, but a thoroughly enraged, venomous, serpent-like cold glare!
"Uh… hoh…" He let out a breathy, unintelligible hiss, and the power sword in his hand, like an out-of-control viper, suddenly swung forward!
"Clang! Crack!"
Cassius's bolter pistol, along with the armor of his right arm holding the gun, was instantly torn and shattered by this sword strike! bolter parts and broken armor fragments scattered everywhere!
Immediately after, Lucius suddenly raised his power sword—this time, the blade didn't even activate its dismembering field, relying solely on its inherent sharpness and his inhuman strength—and brought it down, from above, towards Cassius, who was wide open due to his weapon being destroyed!
"Rip—!"
The thick, master-crafted power armour chest plate was ripped apart like leather! A massive, bone-deep wound, extending from his right shoulder to his left abdomen, instantly appeared, and blood gushed out like a broken dam, staining the ground in front of Cassius a dazzling crimson!
"Pfft—!" Cassius suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body uncontrollably stumbling backward, almost collapsing to the ground. His vision was constantly being encroached upon by blood and darkness, and the alarm sounds in his ears became distant and blurred.
Cannot fall… the First Company Captain's duty… the Ultramarines' honor… This belief, like a final lighthouse, stubbornly flickered in a consciousness about to be swallowed by darkness.
His blurred vision caught sight of his own power sword, which Lucius had thrown aside, its blade still glowing with a faint blue light.
All or nothing!
Cassius erupted with the last of his life's strength, lunging forward, his blood-stained hand gripping the hilt tightly! Then, using the momentum of his lunge, enduring the excruciating pain that felt like his entire skeleton was about to fall apart, he suddenly stood up and spun! The power sword, carrying all his will and remaining strength, carved a decisive arc!
"Swish!"
The sword light flashed!
Lucius's left arm, severed at the shoulder! With a spray of green energy fluid, it spun and fell to the ground!
"Hoh—!" Lucius let out an even angrier and more pained hiss.
But his right hand reacted with astonishing speed! Almost simultaneously with his left arm being severed, his power sword, its field not activated, stabbed out like a venomous sting!
This strike was precise, cold, and deadly!
"Pfft!"
The power sword effortlessly pierced through Cassius's already damaged chest plate, precisely and squarely penetrating his secondary heart!
"Uh…!" Cassius's body suddenly stiffened, all his strength seemingly drained in an instant. His tall, imposing figure could no longer support him; he stumbled backward several steps, his back hitting the wall heavily, then slowly, with endless unwillingness and regret, he knelt on one knee. The power sword in his hand clattered to the ground, but he still clutched the fatal wound on his chest with one hand, while the other braced against the ground, his head bowed, panting heavily, blood spreading out from beneath him like a stream.
His duty as First Company Captain and the Ultramarines' honor kept him from completely collapsing, but the breath of life was rapidly fading.
Lucius looked at Cassius, who was kneeling on the ground; on his terrifying face, which was slowly wriggling, attempting to repair his jaw and head, a twisted expression akin to "admiration" appeared, and he spoke in a leaky, broken voice:
"You… are strong… Captain… If not for me… using dishonorable means… I would have… died by your sword… But, this is… the difference… between us…"
However, his words were once again cut short.
An extremely heavy, urgent sound of footsteps, as if carrying endless fury, like a furious war drum, approached rapidly from a distance, rushing towards this corridor at an astonishing speed! Along with it came a deafening roar, filled with savage power:
"Bastard! Stay away from the Captain!!"
Before the voice faded, a deep blue figure, like an out-of-control battering ram, suddenly burst around the corner of the corridor! It was Dorian! He wasn't even wearing terminator armour, just standard power armour, but his unstoppable momentum seemed capable of smashing through anything!
Lucius had just shifted his attention from Cassius and hadn't even fully turned around when Dorian had already charged in front of him! No skill, no fancy moves, just the purest, most brutal outpouring of strength!
"Thud!!!"
Dorian's power armour-clad shoulder guard struck Lucius's side-back squarely and with full force!
The immense impact sent Lucius flying sideways uncontrollably, as if struck by a shuriken cannon, and he slammed heavily against the hard metal wall of the corridor with a dull thud, causing spiderweb cracks to appear in the wall!
But it wasn't over!
The servo systems of Dorian's power armour suddenly outputted maximum power, emitting a piercing roar; he clung to the airborne Lucius like a maggot, and again, threw himself into a powerful collision!
"Rumble—!!"
This time, the immense force directly shattered the already cracked wall! The two, entangled, fell straight down through the breach! Below was a massive space, dozens of meters high, leading to the lower-level maintenance area!
"Dorian!" Gaius, who arrived immediately after, witnessed the two smashing through the wall and falling. He cried out anxiously, but it was too late to stop them.
Behind Gaius were numerous Terminator squads who had rushed to the scene, their heavy footsteps like thunder.
"Apothecary! Quick! The Captain is gravely wounded! He needs immediate treatment!" Gaius immediately saw Cassius, kneeling on one knee and critically injured, and roared into his comm-unit, while swiftly rushing to the edge of the breach and anxiously looking down.
Below, during the fall, Dorian still clung tightly to Lucius, as if to strangle him! His fist, an iron fist covered in power armour, hammered relentlessly and wildly at Lucius's head, which had just begun to wriggle and heal, like a pile driver!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each punch contained Dorian's furious rage, distorting Lucius's already shattered head even further!
Lucius's remaining eye was filled with fury, and the sickening wriggling in his abdomen reappeared! Several pale, inhuman arms instantly burst from his belly, each gripping a glowing green venomous blade, stabbing wildly at Dorian's chest and abdomen like a furious storm!
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
The sound of blades entering flesh was so dense it was chilling! Blood instantly spurted from multiple breaches in Dorian's power armour!
However, Dorian seemed to feel no pain at all! His roar didn't even falter, and his hammering at Lucius's head didn't slow in the slightest; the look behind his eye lenses was one of pure, savage determination to utterly tear apart the monster who had harmed his Captain!
"Traitor!!"
Amidst Dorian's furious roars, the two, entangled, fell like two meteors, slamming heavily onto the incredibly hard metal floor of the lower-level maintenance area!
"Boom—!!!"
A massive crash, and dust billowed.
He crashed to the ground from dozens of meters up, the enormous impact causing the hardened special steel deck of the ready area to tremble slightly, raising a large cloud of dust.
Dorian acted as Lucius's cushion during the fall, absorbing most of the impact.
He felt as if his internal organs had shifted, his entire skeletal structure groaned under the immense pressure, and multiple joints on his power armour flashed warnings, especially his abdomen.
The wound previously pierced by Lucius's eerie arm now tore with excruciating pain from the impact, blood gushing out and almost staining the ground beneath him red.
Although Lucius was also thoroughly disoriented by the fall, his Slaanesh-blessed body clearly had a stronger tolerance for physical impact.
He struggled to get up from Dorian's body, and as he looked at the motionless Ultramarines warrior beneath him, a smile mixed with pain and cruelty appeared on his slowly healing head, which had largely regained its contours.
He thought this reckless warrior had lost his life from the fall and severe injuries.
"Stupid... brute..." His voice, whistling through missing teeth, carried mockery as he prepared to deliver the final blow or seek new "pleasures."
However, just as he lifted his foot—
A sudden change occurred again!
Dorian, who should have been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes!
Burning behind his visor was not the dimness of a dying man, but the most primal and pure raging fury, like a volcanic eruption!
"Roar—!!"
A roar, utterly unlike a human's, as if from an ancient beast, erupted from deep within Dorian's throat!
He violently scrambled up, his right fist, encased in power armour, struck Lucius's freshly healed face, still covered in viscous tissue, with the force of a mountain-splitting blow and the speed of lightning!
"Bang!!!"
A sickening thud!
Lucius's head, like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer, burst open again!
Pale fragments, green energy fluid, and twisted tissue splattered in all directions!
But that wasn't all!
Dorian gave Lucius no chance to react or repair himself.
He endured the excruciating pain in his abdomen and his body, which felt like it was falling apart, and flipped over like a wounded beast, grabbing Lucius's headless body.
With terrifying power from his waist, he executed a standard, aesthetically violent suplex, slamming Lucius hard onto the metal floor!
"Boom!!"
The ground groaned in pain once more.
Immediately after, Dorian seemed to lose all reason, his fists like pile drivers.
His iron fists, encased in power armour, whistled through the air as they rained down madly on Lucius's constantly wriggling neck stump and chest, which were attempting to re-coalesce!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each punch contained all of Dorian's rage, all of his strength, as if he wanted to completely pulverize this monster who had harmed his First Company Captain!
Lucius's body twitched violently under the furious pounding.
His superhuman regenerative ability became sluggish and difficult under such dense, pure physical destruction.
His remaining instincts tried to resist; one arm had just lifted when Dorian grabbed it and, with brute force, twisted it violently!
"Crack!"
The arm was twisted off, hanging at an odd angle.
The intense pain and rage triggered Lucius's body's self-preservation mechanism again!
The nauseating wriggling in his abdomen reached its peak, and several pale, inhuman arms burst out from his belly once more.
Each arm tightly gripped a sharp blade glowing with a faint green, poisonous light, striking Dorian's already damaged chest plate and bloody abdomen with even more intense and frantic stabs, like mad vipers!
"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"
The sound of blades cutting flesh and tearing internal organs was horrifying!
Dorian's chest and abdomen instantly became a bloody mess, with hardly an intact spot to be found, and blood gushed out like a fountain, turning him into a blood-soaked figure!
However, incredibly, Dorian, enduring such fatal attacks, did not slow or stop his movements in the slightest!
It was as if those poisonous blades piercing his body, those tearing pains, far from weakening him, instead ignited something deep within his soul, pushing him into a berserk state beyond pain, beyond life and death!
His eyes were blood red, seeing only this enemy who must be destroyed!
"Ah—!!!" He let out an earth-shattering roar, suddenly abandoning his pounding, and with iron-like grip, he seized Lucius's constantly wriggling neck stump.
Then, using all his remaining and explosive strength, he violently pulled it in two directions!
"Rip—!!!"
A terrifying sound, like thick canvas tearing, made one's scalp tingle!
Lucius's headless body was actually torn in half by Dorian with the purest, most brutal strength!
Green energy fluid, twisted organs, and pale living metal structures were exposed to the air, emitting a nauseating odor.
Dorian threw the two still faintly twitching halves of the corpse in his hands onto the ground like garbage.
His tall body swayed violently from exhaustion and intense pain; he had to lean on the support of a nearby heavy machine to keep from falling.
He gasped for breath, each inhale bringing forth bloody foam, and his vision began to blur from blood loss.
Only at this moment did the overwhelming, surging pain seem to break through some barrier, clearly transmitting to his brain, almost causing him to faint.
But he still remembered to finish him off.
He tremblingly drew the bolter pistol from his waist and, aiming at the two halves of Lucius's shattered body on the ground, pulled the trigger until the entire magazine was empty!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
The bolter rounds further tore and incinerated the wriggling flesh and metal, ensuring this guy truly looked "dead."
After doing all this, Dorian felt the last of his strength drain away.
He stumbled, trying to leave this place filled with blood and the scent of Chaos, to find an Apothecary, or... just simply to leave.
Just then, a large number of Honor Guard Warriors and Apothecaries finally arrived at the lower ready area.
They saw Dorian stumbling like a blood-soaked figure, and Lucius's torn-in-half remains on the ground, still being scorched by the lingering flames of the bolter.
"Apothecary! Quick! He needs urgent medical attention!" an Honor Guard Warrior immediately shouted.
Two Apothecaries, ignoring Dorian's weak and powerless protests of "I... I'm fine...", quickly stepped forward and, with professional and firm movements, pressed him to the ground, beginning emergency hemostasis and vital sign stabilization.
They then lifted him onto a stretcher and transported him to the warship's medical bay at the fastest possible speed.
The Honor Guard squad leader in charge of the scene coldly glanced at Lucius's remains, his eyes showing no emotion, only pure disgust and coldness.
He ordered in a deep voice:
"Collect all remains, leave nothing behind, and throw them all into the plasma reactor's incineration unit to be completely burned!
Thoroughly purify this area, ensuring no Chaos residue remains!"
The warriors immediately began to execute the order, as if dealing with the most dangerous source of contamination.
However, Lucius the Eternal, Slaanesh's Chosen, his most terrifying aspect was not his combat prowess, but the nearly unsolvable regeneration characteristic stemming from the blessings of the Chaos God.
The moment his body was torn apart by Dorian, and his consciousness was about to dissipate into the Warp, his twisted soul essence, like a leech smelling blood, suddenly burrowed along an invisible connection into the body of Dorian, who had just delivered his "death"!
According to his past experience, as long as the host—the person who killed him—felt even a trace of pride, satisfaction, or glory in their victory deep within their heart, he could use this as an anchor to corrupt their soul, twist their will, and ultimately complete the possession, "reincarnating" in the host's identity and body!
His consciousness, like a virus, infiltrated Dorian's mental world, preparing to seek out that anticipated "light of glory," then defile and devour it...
However, what he "saw" was not the expected pride and satisfaction after defeating a powerful enemy, nor the calm, duty-based glory typically possessed by an Ultramarines.
He had intruded into a boundless, suffocating blood-red wasteland.
The sky was a oppressive dark red, as if congealed blood.
The ground beneath his feet was not earth, but countless pale, twisted, hollow skulls piled up, stretching to the horizon, like a sea of death.
The air was thick with an intense smell of blood, gunpowder, and a pure, undisguised, savage killing intent.
And in the center of this sea of skulls, a figure stood.
It was a terrifyingly massive, four-armed demonic body!
Its physique was composed of bulging, steel-like dark red muscles, filled with destructive power.
Its entire body was covered in ferocious spikes and thick chitin, as if born for pure slaughter.
Its four immensely muscular arms hung low, as if ready to tear apart everything in sight at any moment.
Its face was twisted and ferocious, burning with an unquenchable fire of rage, a rage so intense it almost materialized, setting this blood-red sky ablaze!
The moment Lucius's consciousness intruded into this domain, the four-armed demon, like an ancient, startled beast, suddenly turned its head.
Its gaze, burning with endless rage and killing intent, like a tangible blade, instantly locked onto him, this outsider, this "abomination" emitting a nauseating aura of pleasure!
"Roar—!!!!!!!"
A roar, as if capable of shattering souls, filled with the most primal fury, erupted from the demon's ferocious maw, shaking the entire blood-red world!
The next second, the massive four-armed demonic body, with a terrifying momentum that crushed everything in its path, like an erupting blood-red volcano, charged towards Lucius's tiny, twisted consciousness!
Its speed far surpassed reality!
Lucius's consciousness, which had experienced countless pains and pleasures and had long become numb and distorted, at this moment, felt a pure, primal fear stemming from the instinct of life, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time!
"What... what is this?!" His twisted soul let out a silent, incredulous scream.
This was not the place of glory he had expected to easily corrupt and possess!
This was a realm... of pure rage and destruction!
A monster... he had never seen and could not comprehend!
The attempt at possession, the moment he stepped into this blood-red wasteland, was doomed to fail, and even... attracted an even more terrifying presence.
Lucius's fragments of consciousness let out silent screams in that bloody wasteland; he tried to comprehend this incomprehensible sight, tried to mobilize his blasphemous tricks of manipulating souls.
However, what answered him was only the four-armed demon's tangible, furious killing intent.
The demon's charge was not a simple physical movement, but more like an overwhelming force, a materialized impact of the pure concept of 'fury.'
It instantly crossed the seemingly endless sea of skulls, its four massive, bulging arms like the tentacles of a predatory octopus, suddenly unfurling, grabbing Lucius's twisted, trying-to-escape consciousness with soul-tearing power!
"No—!" Lucius's consciousness let out a desperate wail; he felt a pain more fundamental than his body being torn apart.
The demon's 'palm' seemed to directly scorch the essence of his soul; the unique 'flavor' from Slaanesh, a mix of pain and pleasure, melted away like snow before the scorching sun in the face of this pure fury.
Immediately following was a storm of soul-pounding and tearing!
There was no skill, no method, only the most primitive, most violent desire for destruction.
The demon seemed to be venting its disturbed rage, or perhaps executing some innate instinct to purge 'anomalies.'
It tore, kneaded, and trampled Lucius's consciousness like a rag... Lucius's proud, almost immortal soul essence began to shatter inch by inch under this abnormal, violent soul attack, emitting a wail like breaking glass.
He tried to mobilize Slaanesh's blessings to resist or even to counter-corrupt, but his power system, based on 'feeling pain and pleasure,' completely lost its effectiveness in this realm of pure fury and killing intent.
His whispers turned into meaningless static, his temptations like dry leaves thrown into a raging fire.
Finally, under an even more violent tear, Lucius's core consciousness completely collapsed, turning into the purest fragments of Warp energy.
The four-armed demon let out a roar, as if proclaiming victory, and with a mighty sweep of its giant claw, it flung these energy fragments, which contained Lucius's last imprints, out of the bloody wasteland like sweeping away trash, banishing them back into the chaotic and disorderly depths of the Warp!
As for whether Lucius could once again coalesce from the Warp, or be reborn from someone else who defeated him and felt pride, that would be another story.
But at least at this moment, in this violent domain deep within Dorian's soul, the undying Lucius suffered a truly meaningful, complete 'death' and banishment.
In the real world, outside the medical bay of the Macragge's Honour.
Gaius looked through the observation window, his face grim, at the tense and busy scene inside.
Captain Cassius lay on the multi-functional medical bed, his normally imposing and tall figure now appearing incredibly fragile.
His damaged power armour had been removed, revealing his scarred and bloody body underneath, especially the horrifying, almost cleaving wound across his chest and the fatal injury where his secondary heart had been pierced.
The Chapter's Chief Apothecary, Apothecary Vorlak, was personally performing the surgery.
His hands, covered in mechanical prosthetics, were as steady as precise servo-arms, carefully cleaning the wound, and repairing damaged internal organs and tissues.
His movements were swift and precise, every step vital to the Captain's survival.
Beside him, three assisting Apothecaries worked like an efficient assembly line, continuously handing over various gleaming surgical instruments, vital sign monitoring probes, and vials of shimmering elixirs—precious medicines used to enhance the activity of the Belisarius Furnace and powerfully stimulate the ultimate function of the Astartes' superhuman regenerative organs.
The beeping and humming of medical instruments formed a tense background.
Gaius could see that Apothecary Vorlak's face, covered by a half-mechanical mask, showed no expression, only focused solemnity.
He silently prayed to the Emperor, asking for His blessing to descend upon this loyal Captain, hoping he could overcome this life-and-death ordeal with his tenacious will and superhuman physique.
In the Chapter Master's office, the atmosphere was equally heavy.
Vitrius stood before Chapter Master Calgar's throne, reporting in detail the beginning and end of the invasion.
"...Captain Cassius engaged in a direct duel with the invader Lucius during the interception.
The Captain's swordsmanship was superb, at one point suppressing the opponent and even severely wounding his body." Vitrius's tone carried affirmation for the First Company Captain's martial skill, but then became somber, "However, the target Lucius was extremely cunning, his fighting style was strange and unpredictable, and... he seemed to possess some supernatural regeneration and shapeshifting ability.
He used a despicable sneak attack, ultimately leaving Captain Cassius severely wounded and critically ill."
He paused, then continued: "Fortunately, Brother Dorian arrived in time, intervening in the battle in an... unconventional manner, successfully saving the Captain and... tearing the invader Lucius in half.
Brother Dorian also suffered severe injuries, with multiple penetrating wounds and internal organ shock throughout his body, but his physical foundation is extremely strong, and his internal regenerative organs continue to work highly efficiently after emergency treatment.
The Apothecaries estimate that he will only need about three standard days to recover basic combat capability."
Afterward, Vitrius reported the casualties: "In this surprise attack, no Astartes Brothers were killed.
Approximately twenty Astartes Brothers were injured during the interception, six of whom were more severely wounded, but all are out of life-threatening danger and are currently receiving treatment."
Upon hearing this, Chapter Master Calgar's face, which had been as taut as a glacier, finally softened slightly.
No Astartes Brothers killed, this was indeed a blessing in misfortune.
While Captain Cassius and Dorian's severe injuries were regrettable, as long as they were alive, there was hope for recovery.
Vitrius took a deep breath, pounded his chest with his right hand, and bowed his head, his voice full of self-reproach: "Chapter Master! Allowing such a powerful Chaos traitor as Lucius to rampage within the battle barge, causing the First Company Captain to be severely wounded and several brothers to be injured... this is a failure of our Honor Guard's defense, a serious dereliction of duty!
I am willing to take full responsibility and accept any punishment!"
Chapter Master Calgar raised his hand, interrupting his plea.
His gaze was profound, as if he could see through the essence of the matter.
"Vitrius, I naturally know what kind of being 'the Undying' Lucius is." Chapter Master Calgar's voice was steady and powerful, carrying a clear understanding of the situation, "He is a monster deeply blessed by the lord of pleasure, immortal, cunning, and cruel.
Even if I were to face him personally, I would not be entirely confident of escaping unscathed.
His ability to break through layers of interception is not entirely due to your negligence."
He paused, his tone turning grave: "Under such a powerful enemy's surprise attack, your ability to react swiftly, organize effective interception, and ultimately... not let any Astartes Brother pay the price of his life, in itself, is already the best outcome."
Chapter Master Calgar's words were not merely comfort, but a judgment based on facts.
Lucius's threat level was extremely high, and his infiltration and destructive capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary Chaos Champions.
He changed the subject, bringing attention back to the current mission: "The Slaanesh corruption appearing on this planet, its source and intensity, are probably inextricably linked to Lucius's arrival.
Tell the Seventh Company Captain to accelerate the pace of surface purification and heighten vigilance; we need to gain overall control as soon as possible to avoid further unforeseen events."
"Understood! Chapter Master!" Vitrius gave a heavy affirmation, feeling somewhat relieved by the Chapter Master's understanding, but the responsibility on his shoulders grew heavier.
After saluting, he turned and strode away to relay the orders.
After confirming that Captain Cassius's condition was temporarily stable, Gaius prepared to go to another area of the medical bay to visit Dorian.
That reckless fellow had gotten himself thoroughly battered again this time, but it had to be admitted that if he hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Just as he stepped out of the medical area, a figure rushed towards him—it was Luna.
A data-slate was affixed to one of her mechanical blessed arms, and she was rapidly tapping on it with her other hand.
"Gaius!" Luna's voice carried a rare urgency.
She held the data-slate in front of Gaius; it displayed the structural diagram and alarm records of chamber i-10-a, "Your chamber was attacked!
The door was violently breached!
Psychic residue scans inside show... Kolesa seems to have been greatly frightened, and there are high concentrations of Chaos energy residue, confirming that Lucius had once broken in there!"
Gaius's heart sank sharply!
Kolesa!
He no longer cared about anything else, nodded to Luna to acknowledge, and immediately rushed towards his chamber at the fastest possible speed.
The power armour's servo-systems hummed at full power, and heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor.
When he arrived, the sight he saw made his heart clench.
The originally sturdy alloy chamber door was twisted and deformed, blasted open from the inside by some immense force, with charred marks and subtle psychic fluctuations remaining on the edges.
And on the corridor bench outside the door, Kolesa was curled up, crying heartbrokenly.
Her silver hair was disheveled, her delicate body trembled continuously beneath her white nightgown, her hands tightly hugging herself, as if to gain a sense of security.
Her usually beautiful face was now streaked with tears, full of extreme fear and helplessness.
Lucius's terrifyingly twisted appearance, which might be just another enemy to be purged for Astartes who were accustomed to war and death, was no less than facing a Chaos God in person for an Eldar, who possessed keen senses and an innate fear of Slaanesh.
Two Honour Guard Warriors, clad in Saturnine-Pattern Terminator Armour, stood like tall iron towers on either side of the bench, having been ordered to guard the area. They were clearly not adept at handling such situations; their helmeted heads occasionally turned towards each other, seemingly communicating internally about how to offer comfort. After a long while, one of the Terminators, in a voice amplified by his speaker but still somewhat clumsy and stiff, attempted to console her:
"That... heretic has been eliminated... madam... please... please don't be afraid..."
The other Terminator quickly chimed in, his voice equally dry: "Yes... it's safe..."
However, their perfunctory and artless comfort seemed to have the opposite effect. Upon hearing their voices, Kolesa, far from calming down, recalled the terrifying experience she had just endured. Her crying instantly grew louder and more aggrieved, as if she wanted to vent all her fear.
"Waaah—!!!!"
The two massive Terminator Warriors immediately became even more flustered, their bodies beneath their power armour seeming to stiffen. They could only stand awkwardly in place, not even knowing where to put their hands.
Just then, they saw Gaius hurrying towards them, their eyes lighting up as if they had seen a savior descend!
"Sergeant Karl!" Both Terminators spoke almost simultaneously, with clear relief in their tone, "We'll leave this to you!"
With that, they immediately turned and, as if fleeing a battlefield, quickly walked towards the busy Librarian members and Tech-Sergeant, beginning to "devotedly" direct the work of purifying residual Chaos energy and repairing the damaged hatch, completely entrusting the "arduous task" of comforting the frightened Aeldari to Gaius.
Gaius ignored them, his gaze entirely fixed on the small, weeping figure on the bench. He quickly walked to Kolesa, knelt down, and tried to make his voice sound as gentle and reassuring as possible:
"Kolesa, it's me, Gaius. It's alright, you're safe now."
Hearing Gaius's familiar voice, Kolesa's crying paused slightly. She lifted her tear-filled face and, seeing Gaius's solid figure and concerned gaze, it was as if she had finally found her only refuge. She threw herself into Gaius's arms, hugging him with all her strength, burying her face against his cold power armour, and sobbed loudly. But this time, the fear in her cries was gradually replaced by dependence and grievance.
Gaius gently patted her back, offering silent comfort, his murderous intent towards Lucius deepening in his heart. He surveyed the damaged hatch and the bustling scene around him, knowing that tonight would be a sleepless night for many.
Kolesa sobbed in Gaius's arms, recounting her terrifying experience in broken sentences: "I... I was sleeping... suddenly I felt so cold, so scared... it was like... something very terrifying was approaching..." Her slender fingers clutched the edge of Gaius's arm plate, her knuckles white from the effort.
"And then... then that... that scary guy... just came out... from the darkness in that corner over there..." She trembled as she pointed to a messy, shadowy area within the chamber, her violet eyes still showing lingering terror. "He looked... so scary... his whole body... his whole body was... moving faces... and they were looking at me... talking to me..."
Gaius gently comforted her while his sharp gaze swept over the scene. His combat experience and analytical skills allowed him to quickly grasp key details—whether it was the twisted, burst alloy doorframe inside the chamber, or the distinct marks on the corridor wall outside, as if torn by an invisible immense force. The pattern of destruction was more consistent with an explosive release of an extremely powerful, uncontrolled psychic force from within, rather than an external attack or the precise, eerie swordsmanship of someone like Lucius.
In other words, when Lucius infiltrated the chamber, attempting to intimidate or harm Kolesa, her powerful latent psychic abilities erupted uncontrollably under the extreme stimulus of fear! This force directly blasted Lucius out of the chamber like trash, even breaking through two obstacles consecutively, which then triggered the ship's intrusion alarm and exposed his presence.
'It seems then...' Gaius's heart grew solemn. 'Lucius probably didn't anticipate such a violent psychic reaction from Kolesa. Otherwise, with his stealth capabilities and taste for pain, he could have silently subdued Kolesa or used her as a hostage, rather than exposing himself prematurely like this, disrupting his potential assassination plan.'
Thinking of this, Gaius couldn't help but feel a touch of lingering fear. If Lucius hadn't come for Kolesa first, but instead, using his eerie abilities, had stealthily approached Chapter Master Calgar's office and then launched a surprise attack... the consequences would have been truly unimaginable. Kolesa's unconscious psychic outburst this time, in a sense, could be said to have rendered a great service.
He suppressed these thoughts; the most important thing now was to comfort the frightened Kolesa. He gently patted her back and said in as steady a voice as possible:
"Don't be afraid, Kolesa, it's over now. That monster... that scary guy, has been killed by Dorian, completely eliminated. See, the alarm has been deactivated, everyone is here, you are safe."
His voice seemed to carry a calming power. Kolesa's crying gradually subsided, turning into soft sobs, as she clung tightly to him, seeking refuge.
While Gaius was comforting Kolesa, not far away, two First Company Warriors, clad in Ironclad Pattern Terminator Armour and assigned to reinforce the guard in this area, stood like two blue-painted steel fortresses. Their crimson visors scanned the surroundings for potential threats, but within their internal comms channel, an extremely quiet discussion was taking place, entirely out of sync with the current tense atmosphere.
One of the Terminators, whose shoulder plate was adorned with an Honor Laurel, spoke with a questioning tone:
"Brother, I have served for three hundred years, followed Primarch Guilliman through the star seas, fought in many campaigns, and confronted Abaddon at the Cadia Gate... But I don't understand, hmm... I really don't understand..."
He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, then continued: "Why... would that Aeldari woman fall for Sergeant Horn? Don't they usually look down on us?"
The equally massive Terminator Warrior beside him tilted his helmet slightly, seemingly pondering this "profound" question. After a few seconds of silence, his modulated, electronically synthesized voice spoke with uncertainty:
"Hmm... perhaps, maybe, possibly, it's because... Sergeant Horn is more handsome?"
This answer was clearly unconvincing. After their modifications, Astartes Brothers varied in appearance, but most tended towards an imposing or resolute look, which might appeal to human women, but for an Aeldari... it seemed unlikely to be a decisive factor.
"Handsome?" The first Terminator's tone was skeptical. "There are plenty of upright-looking brothers in the Chapter, like the steady Lieutenant Golden, or the imposing Captain Cassius... Do Aeldari just prefer Sergeant Horn's... hmm... slightly melancholic demeanor?"
"Maybe... or perhaps he's more... gentle? Look at how he's comforting that Aeldari..." The second Terminator tried to find more evidence.
"Gentle? During the last exercise, he 'eliminated' Dorian's simulated helmet with a single shot from 'Hawk's Eye' from eight hundred yards away! You call that gentle?"
The two were engrossed in their quiet discussion, completely immersed in their exploration of this "unsolved mystery" of inter-species romance, completely unaware that a steady and authoritative figure, accompanied by a Tech-Sergeant, had silently appeared behind them.
Lieutenant Golden had arrived at the scene at some point. He wore artificer power armour, and though not in Terminator Armour, his mountain-like composure was no less impressive than any heavily armored warrior. Beside him was Luna.
Golden listened to the increasingly off-topic "academic discussion" of the two Terminator Warriors, and the corners of his mouth beneath his faceplate seemed to twitch slightly. He cleared his throat softly:
"Ahem."
As if a mute button had been pressed, the massive bodies of the two Ironclad Terminators stiffened abruptly, and their internal comms channel fell instantly silent.
Golden's calm but undeniable voice came through his vox-caster:
"Josh, Gail, focus on your vigilance."
"Yes, Lieutenant!" The two Terminator Warriors, like training recruits caught by their instructor, immediately straightened their backs, their massive body's transmission systems emitting a faint hum as they readjusted to the most standard alert posture. Their crimson visors, like searchlights, scanned every corner of the corridor with utmost "focus," as if the previous discussions about "handsomeness" and "gentleness" had never occurred.
Luna stood behind Golden, watching these two massive figures who had instantly become "solemn." She then looked at Gaius, who was comforting Kolesa nearby. A barely perceptible emotion, akin to helplessness, seemed to flit across her usually expressionless face. She shook her head and refocused her attention on the data-slate in her hand, beginning to record the damage data and psychic residue readings from the scene.
Golden, meanwhile, stepped towards Gaius and Kolesa, preparing to personally ascertain the situation and arrange subsequent matters. Although the crisis within the battleship had been temporarily resolved, there was still much cleanup work remaining for them.