Heldrakes howled down, strafing the column, leaving trails of death and dying behind.
The House Taranis Knights fired back,
volleys of missiles wrapping two Drakes in a web of death, blasting them apart mid-air.
A third Drake dove, shredding a squad of Scions before being blown apart by Cawl's Mechanicus forces—
not before it ripped a huge hole in the transport's armor.
From that moment, there was no peace.
The Chaos horde surged after them:
Black Legion Chaos Marines, Terminators, Hellforged Dreadnoughts,
and daemons from the Warp—some winged like raptors, some slender and depraved, some bloated and smug.
Wave after wave crashed against the convoy.
Las-fire lanced through falling snow,
meltaguns burned through ancient ice.
Again and again, the Imperials pushed back the Black Legion, but the enemy seemed endless.
Drop pods and landers thundered across the ice as Chaos reinforcements arrived.
Casualties rose; survivors huddled inside the transport, its void shields the only protection.
Greyfax captured wounded traitors, scouring their minds for intel—
they were surrounded, with no escape.
"The Emperor protects—keep moving! Salvation is just ahead,"
Celestine shone with holy light, the only hope for the desperate.
"Let us stay behind. We're wounded; we'll only slow you down."
Two Scions with wounded legs asked their comrades to leave them by the roadside.
"Lir, Dalak—may your souls return to the Golden Throne."
"Thank you."
Their friends honored the request, saluted, and moved on.
Parents dead for the Emperor, chosen for Scion service—dying for Him was their destiny.
Lir and Dalak found cover, checked ammo, and lay on the ice.
The cold quickly numbed their wounds, freezing their legs.
When the enemy appeared, they fired their lasguns,
bolts of light striking home.
"Die, traitors!"
"The Emperor endures! The Imperium endures!"
"By the Throne of Terra!"
After killing a few traitors, the enemy charged in—
led by a Chaos Marine covered in bone spikes,
his armor daubed in Khorne's blasphemous runes, Cadian officer heads at his belt.
Lir's shots only left scorch marks on the armor.
As the traitor raised his axe, Lir knew he was dead, but still shouted with his last courage:
"For the Emperor!"
Then, a warrior in unpainted Terminator armor landed from above.
His shotgun barked—a single shot blew apart the Khorne Marine's head, splattering gore.
Lir and Dalak stared in shock.
It was Datch.
He'd flown here after seeing an exclamation mark on his minimap—just in time.
Without a word, Datch switched to his Ruyi Jingu Bang and bounced toward the enemy.
"Blood for the Emperor! Skulls for the Throne!"
His warcry left the Chaos Marines dumbfounded.
For a moment, they couldn't tell if he served the Emperor or the Chaos gods.
After several battles, Datch's combat skill had improved hugely—
wielding the staff, he hammered the traitors mercilessly.
Then Abaddon arrived.
Empowered by the four gods, he loomed even larger in Terminator Armor, radiating menace.
He was furious at these pests for escaping again and again,
and this time, swore to crush all the Corpse Emperor's schemes.
Datch checked his info panel:
[Black Legion Warlord, Chaos Warmaster, Chosen of the Four, Despoiler Abaddon, Heir of Horus, Undefeated]
"Chaos Warmaster, Black Legion boss? Isn't he supposed to be the final boss?
Is this game company nuts—making newbies fight the final boss?
If I kill him, does that count as beating the game?!"
Datch muttered as he charged Abaddon.
But the gap was too great. In just two exchanges, the Talon of Horus punched through Datch's body—
blood spurted over the snowy ice.
"Fool deceived by the Corpse Emperor, sacrificing yourself for a futile cause—truly pitiful."
Abaddon tossed Datch's body aside, turning to the wounded Lir and Dalak.
They kept firing, hitting him again and again—
but to Abaddon, the finest Scions were mere mortals.
"Die!" Abaddon roared.
"For Horus!"
A shout rang out, freezing Abaddon mid-strike.
He turned—
the corpse he'd just slain was standing again.
Is he an immortal like Vulkan?
But even Vulkan doesn't revive this fast!
"Mention that name again and I'll tear you apart,"
Abaddon growled, eyes blazing.
"For Horus! For the Wolf King! For the Luna Wolves!"
Datch shouted, shrugging.
A player does not yield to threats.
The more you forbid, the more they'll do it.
Datch had joined the Warhammer VR game on a whim.
He didn't know the full story, but had picked up plenty of memes and references.
"Bastard—I'll tear you to pieces!"
Abaddon charged, overwhelming.
He batted away Datch's weapon and drove the Talon of Horus through him again, lifting him into the air.
"You are a traitor to the Luna Wolves. You betrayed him."
Datch, life ebbing, still spoke:
"He could have died with honor, remembered by all, mourned by brothers, by his father.
But you ruined it and turned him into a clown."
"I'll kill you and let your soul suffer eternal torment,"
Abaddon's rage terrified even his own men.
Lir and Dalak, lying on the ground, exchanged glances—
Chaos traitors were always despicable, but this mysterious warrior could break Abaddon with just a few words, and seemed to know so many secrets.
Who was this mysterious warrior, really?