Battle

The Hedonist had always believed that She Who Thirsts would treat him with tolerance, ever since he had awakened from a mechanical womb ravaged by Slaanesh Daemonettes.

Thus, he indulged his desires without restraint, worrying only that he might lose himself in pleasure and forget to offer She Who Thirsts his most exquisite emotions.

Just like now.

The vast central passage was somewhat empty. Clad in finely wrought armor, the Hedonist lashed Servitors with his Neural Whip.

Crack—

The whip struck flesh, its specially prepared venom and neural hooks licking at the body. Great pain should have produced exquisite echoes.

It should have.

"Boring, boring!"

The Hedonist kicked over a Servitor that had been preparing to continue hauling cargo. He had to admit that the monkeys' cruelty toward their own kind made him regard them a little more highly.

Then he glanced at the Scourge beside him, lightly twisted his wrist, and the Neural Whip unhesitatingly coiled around her slender calf.

These genetically altered Drukhari served as messengers carrying information through Commorragh's labyrinthine cities, and were also deadly, nimble assassins.

Those long, exposed legs, specialized for high-speed movement, appeared exceptionally alluring to the Hedonist.

"Ah!!!"

The Scourge's lark-like voice released a seductive scream.

That was more like it.

A satisfied smile appeared on the Hedonist's face.

Yet before he could tighten the bladed whip, an invisible shock struck him, instantly turning his licentious expression into terror.

This was a fear engraved deep within every Aeldari heart. With that shock would come Slaanesh's minions.

He swiftly released his grip, swung out his broad Decapitation Blade, and injected neural suppressants into his veins, forcing his desires to their lowest ebb.

But after waiting more than ten seconds, the Hedonist saw no sign of the slender, deadly figure he had expected in any corner.

"She Who Thirsts' handmaid has not descended?"

The wounds left by the hunter's shock would not heal quickly, and he very much hoped that this guess was true.

The Hedonist might dare to play so wildly aboard someone else's ship, since death was just death. This Kabal's haul was supposedly enough to rent out Commorragh's largest arena for a performance, and as a senior officer, he could afford the cost of resurrection.

But being killed by a Slaanesh Demon was entirely different.

To be invited into the Palace of the Six Circles within the Immaterium by She Who Thirsts after death was an ending no Aeldari could accept. Merely imagining it was enough to make one's soul tremble.

"Perhaps this is She Who Thirsts' invitation? An invitation for us to savor the feast?"

The Scourge accompanying the Hedonist stretched her senses to their limit. Once she had confirmed that, aside from the barrier between this place and the Immaterium growing thin, there were no other disturbances, she cautiously pushed the Neural Whip away with her claws.

She said in displeasure.

"Don't joke around."

The Hedonist narrowed his eyes. He pulled tight on the Neural Whip wrapped around the Scourge's calf, relaxing slightly and allowing his greatly weakened soul to ease. Just as he was about to tell his Scourge companion not to tease him, his open mouth suddenly froze again.

After only a brief daze, the squad that should have remained in contact with him had already gone silent.

He instinctively looked toward the depths of the passage. Every nerve in his body told him that something was approaching.

This vessel's assault on the Drukhari's dark nest had begun once more.

And this time, it would not be a simple probe!

"Horus!"

It was a roar.

The killing intent and ear-splitting roar instinctively tensed every muscle in his body, yet his chest would not expand no matter what he did. It was as though an invisible hand had gripped his throat, making even breathing difficult.

Th-this feeling!

This presence surpassed every monster he had ever known. At the very least, none of the creatures that had died in his arena possessed such killing intent.

When the golden Power Spear swept toward him, only one thought remained in the Hedonist's mind.

I will die!

Bang!

Before the Hedonist's body could even begin to react, the spear's shaft smashed him into fragments in midair.

Slash!

The sharp spearhead severed her wings. Just as the young Scourge thought she had escaped disaster, a massive hand clamped around her head and slammed it heavily against the wall, bursting her skull.

Forcing down the urge for blood, Karna cast aside the headless corpse and roared again.

"Sanguinius, witness me! Burn me!"

Almost every Drukhari heard that deafening cry at the same moment.

It was a shrill roar, carrying the deepest emotions of a holy angel at the moment of death—the fury of returning everything he had endured to the world in the depths of despair!

Behind him, the War Hounds dragging the remnants of Snake-men could not help being infected by that rage that seemed to set the world ablaze.

These Xenos who consorted with the Drukhari were utterly revolting.

The War Hounds raised their hands and smashed an Ughul's body apart, then charged resolutely toward the Crimson Path.

The Angel drew the hounds onward, plunging headlong into the cage before tearing it to pieces.

Within Romulus's view, the three people charging head-on drew the Drukhari lurking amid every shadow toward the heart of the battle with the force of a siphon.

At the same time, they completely exposed their backs to the executioners lurking in the darkness.

Slash!

A beam shot toward him. Nerves long tempered in Commorragh controlled his body with terrifying reflexes, shifting him aside and leaving only a shallow scorch mark on his armor.

The Incubus hurrying toward the attacked location dodged the Lasgun fire in an extraordinarily exaggerated manner.

These Aspect Warriors among the Drukhari, who worshipped Khaine, were the Kabal's most Loyal mercenaries and the deadliest killing machines in one-on-one combat.

The Torment Grenade mounted upon his head constantly released psychic shocks, leaving opponents dizzy and disoriented, granting them every advantage in battle.

But that was all.

The gunfire had won the squad the initiative. When the Incubus cast an icy gaze toward the warrior wearing a Raven Mask, a rapidly spinning Chainaxe blade came hurtling toward him.

Clang!

His exquisite skill allowed him to block the strike. With only a little force, he pressed Shark back in turn. Just as he was about to sever Shark's head, the attack that followed directly cut off the Incubus's right arm.

He swiftly pulled back, trying to create some room to move, but another axe blade easily caught up with the back of his head. The roaring saw teeth tore through his body, splitting him in half from top to bottom.

The saw teeth hooked into one another and caught hold of flesh. The instant the Sharks withdrew their weapons, they shredded the Incubus's corpse, scattering his blood and severed limbs in every direction.

Only then did the still-operating Torment Grenade finally dispel the psychic shadow surrounding the Sharks.