Thanks for the powerstones everyone, this is the bonus chapter for reaching 100 Powerstones.
Also please leave some review.
--
As the Warden rose to its full height above the ground, its head drooped low, and its arms swung backward. It began to sniff its surroundings, searching for vibrations, searching for a target.
At that exact moment, the Black Legion's 13-second Darkness effect ended. Their vision returned, revealing the scene before them.
Zeke and Cawl had already hidden away, vanishing without a trace. In their place stood a bizarre creature none of them had ever seen before.
The Black Legion reacted by spreading out, raising their guns at the Warden, waiting for orders from their leader, Zufal.
However, the clumsy Ogryn slaves weren't as astute. Seeing a big brute like themselves, one of them let out a questioning grunt.
The Warden's swaying head froze. It turned to face the Ogryn that had made the noise.
The Warden had no eyes; it relied primarily on the tendrils atop its head to sense sound and locate its prey.
It bowed toward the Ogryn and let out a roar. Then, like a compressed spring released, its body snapped into motion. In stark contrast to its previous leisurely state, it sprinted toward the Ogryn.
While some Black Legionnaires were still deciding whether to fire, Darkness descended again without warning, cutting off their sense of direction.
This greatly increased the difficulty for the Black Legion to counterattack the Warden.
The Warden had already arrived in front of the Ogryn slave.
In the Ogryn's vision, everything suddenly went black, and terrifying footsteps rushed toward him. Then, within his limited range of sight, a horribly deformed monster appeared.
Fear at its extreme turned into anger. Startled by the sudden appearance of the Warden, the Ogryn's simple brain felt insulted.
The Warden was slightly taller than an Iron Golem, standing around 2.9 meters. The Ogryn, however, was over four meters tall. Looking at the Warden, which was a head shorter than himself, the Ogryn bravely swung his weapon at the creature.
Ho, ho. Instead of running away, you're coming right at me? The Warden responded to the Ogryn's attack, swinging a massive fist at him.
With a 0.9-second attack interval and a staggering 45 damage per hit.
By the time the Ogryn landed one hit on the Warden, the Warden had already struck twice, turning the noisy Ogryn into a compressed file.
The Ogryn's scream drew the attention of the surrounding Black Legionnaires, at such close range, they finally saw the Warden clearly through the darkness and the Ogryn, which had been flattened into a pancake.
Zufal, a veteran of the Xenocide Wars, looked at the Warden and classified it as some xenos species.
Decent strength, and capable of disrupting enemy vision. Is that all it can do?
Zufal scanned for traces of Cawl; most of his attention had been focused on searching for the Archmagos. He didn't take the Warden seriously.
If he were alone, Zufal might have felt the need to probe its capabilities cautiously. But he was facing it with an entire squad of the Black Legion.
Chaos Space Marines were often outnumbered, so Zufal was well-versed in tactics to maximize his squad's effectiveness.
Now, even the disadvantage of numbers was gone. This xenos creature was nothing to fear.
"Surround it."
Zufal split off a small portion of the Black Legion to watch for activity from Cawl's direction. He led the remaining soldiers to engage the Warden in close-quarters combat.
From all directions, the Black Legion closed in.
Zufal quickly analyzed the creature's actions so far and found a flaw.
It targets sound. In that case, I'll use sound as bait.
Ranged weapons were far less effective than melee weapons under the effect of Darkness, so Zufal drew his Power Sword.
As the leader, he roared from the front, attracting the Warden's attention. The Warden turned its head, locking onto Zufal as its target, taking advantage of the Warden turning its head, Zufal got a clear look at the alien's full appearance.
Eyeless. A massive hollow in its chest seemed to imprison countless screaming souls, radiating an aura of extreme ominousness.
The moment the Warden's attention was drawn to Zufal, the Black Legionnaires on the flank seized the opportunity, hacking at the Warden's joints.
The Warden's aggro was pulled by the attacks. Abandoning Zufal, it turned to strike at another Black Legionnaire.
Immediately, a warrior from another direction shouted a provocation, drawing its attention again.
The Black Legion used sound and constant kiting to interrupt the Warden's attacks, striking during the gaps when it turned.
This was the solution Zufal had devised. He intended to eliminate this Warden not just effectively, but with minimal casualties.
"Hmph. It acts just like a pre-written program." Zufal's estimation of the Warden dropped even further as he watched it being led around in circles by mere noise.
No great intelligence. What use is brute strength for a creature like this?
The Black Legion maintained a proper distance, constantly kiting the Warden with sound as the Warden's 500 health began to drop rapidly.
Watching this scene, Zeke shook his head helplessly. The biggest weakness of Minecraft mobs was their lack of intelligence. If you understood their mechanics, they were easily countered.
The Black Legion's kiting was excellent, but not flawless.
During one exchange, a Black Legionnaire slipped up, moving just a fraction too slow. The Warden punched him squarely.
His Ceramite Power Armor caved in along with his chest, and he lost half his HP in an instant.
This made Black Legion become even more cautious, maintaining a careful distance from the monster.
Zufal thought he could finish off this xenos monster just by kiting it, but then came the sudden change.
The Warden stopped all movement. It faced Zufal, who was shouting the loudest.
Its head dipped low, and within the hollow of its chest, rib-like structures expanded outward.
A distorted sonic wave gathered at the opening, the air itself emitting a high-frequency wail.
Zufal's combat instincts screamed a warning. He dove sideways with all his might as a wave of sonic particles grazed past his shoulder pauldron.
Dodged it? Just as a sliver of relief rose in Zufal's heart...
The next instant, a soul-shaking tremor erupted from within his body.
The sonic boom hit Zufal squarely. It penetrated his Ceramite Power Armor and the Power Sword he held in front of his chest, slamming directly into his flesh—no, into his very soul.
The Warden's sonic attack appeared to have a trajectory, but it was actually a lock-on skill. It could not be dodged.
Zufal's head swam with dizziness. The shockwave possessed a massive knockback of over 7 blocks, sending him flying backward.
The legionnaires watched as their leader vanished into the darkness.
Zufal managed to adjust his posture in mid-air, stabbing his Power Sword into the ground to steady himself.
Dizziness filled his head like molten lead. Before he could even catch his breath, an Ender Pearl shattered beside him.
Don't underestimate the bond between me and the Warden, Zeke thought.
--
Next Goal: 200 Powerstones
Please continue to donate powerstones so we may reach top 50 (Current rank - 60)
You can also join Patreon.com/AHumanMadeMOFO to read 20+ chapters ahead and support me if you wish.