"Draw your chainswords! Inject stimulants! For the Imperium, for the God-Emperor! Charge!"
Seeing that these Astartes were not invincible after all, everyone regained their courage.
Stimulants took a heavy toll on the mind, and Damon had warned everyone to use them only as a last resort, but now was clearly the time.
With the stimulants injected, the Rangers forgot their fear, their strength and speed surging once more as they plunged into chaotic melee with the enemy.
The Combat Suits gave these Rangers an overwhelming advantage when facing ordinary Chaos Cults, and only against the Word Bearers and those three Enchanted Warriors did they seem somewhat powerless.
Yet they were not without results; relying on their Adamantium Combat Suits, the Rangers traded injury for injury, life for life, hacking away at this band of traitors.
Some Firebats even charged directly at the Word Bearers in mutual destruction, clutching Melta Grenades. With the Word Bearers unfamiliar with these Firebats, they directly detonated the grenades and ignited the plasma energy tanks on their backs, swallowing the Firebats and a Word Bearer alike in melta-comparable flames.
The Word Bearers grew increasingly alarmed the longer they fought. Had they somehow traveled through time during their time in the Warp for the Imperium's Mortal Troops to have become like this?
Seeing an Enchanted Warrior charging straight toward him, Ian barely had time to cast another psionic spell before the Khorne Enchanted Warrior reached him. A full-force blow, while failing to directly shatter Ian's shield, still sent him flying directly into a nearby ruin.
A massive cloud of dust rose, but Ian did not crawl back out.
Without Ian's suppression, these Enchanted Warriors grew even more unbridled. The blood of the loyalists continuously splashed across Pilgrim Square, splattering upon the Holy Icon of the God-Emperor as though it were weeping bloody tears.
Gao Yi watched the battle unfolding before him under the protection of Damon and Veil.
How is it that the Astartes' speed doesn't seem all that fast? Shouldn't Enchanted Warriors be even stronger after demons seize control of their bodies? Why do I feel like they're just so-so?
At this moment, everything on the battlefield did not appear slowed down in Gao Yi's eyes, yet he found he could effortlessly capture the movements of these traitors.
Gao Yi seemed to realize something; due to the intense combat, he hadn't had the time to observe the changes in his Psionic Crystals.
When Gao Yi checked them, he discovered his balance had now reached 250k.
This colossal sum of wealth had instantly expanded his Warp projection twofold.
And as this vast Warp energy was purified, the power fed back into his physical body was astonishing.
At this point, Gao Yi's physical strength perhaps already exceeded his imagination.
That Enchanted Warrior also sensed Gao Yi's gaze, the dismissive look making him even more furious. He had originally intended to finish off Ian directly, but now he felt he had discovered a more valuable head.
A Combat Suit distinct from others, alongside the nervous expressions of Damon and Veil.
"Could he be that Rogue Trader? If I take his skull, the Blood God will surely be even more pleased!"
The Enchanted Warrior changed targets, no longer continuing his attack on Ian, and instead charged toward Gao Yi.
"Captain! Run! He's locked onto us! I'll cover you!"
Veil hurried to shield Gao Yi behind him and urged Gao Yi to flee. Even though the opponent was an Astartes and he knew he was outmatched, he intended to fight to the death. Damon also stared grimly at the charging Enchanted Warrior, having never seen such a bizarre humanoid warrior.
The surrounding loyalists also noticed the anomaly and rushed over to rescue them.
"Run?! Can you run away? Charge up with me and take him down!!"
"What are you saying? How is that even possible?!" Veil currently only thought Gao Yi was talking nonsense.
Yet before he could stop Gao Yi, Gao Yi dashed out at an incredible speed.
"So fast!"
Even the Enchanted Warrior was startled by Gao Yi's speed, but Gao Yi's charge only made this Khorne demon more excited.
"Weak mortal! I appreciate your courage! Combat! Refreshing!"
Compared to skulls that could be easily obtained, the Chaos God Khorne favored tributes won through pure combat.
Slow... So slow...
Having entered combat state, Gao Yi felt his senses further enhanced.
With both sides sprinting at full force, they reached each other in the blink of an eye.
Hoisting his power claw, the Enchanted Warrior swung toward Gao Yi with all his might.
Veil stared at this with wide, angry eyes.
"Captain!"
In his heart, it was utterly impossible for Gao Yi to block the enemy's attack with a mortal body.
Yet to everyone's utter astonishment, Gao Yi remained completely unharmed, while the Enchanted Warrior's power claw went flying high into the air...
It was not unheard of for people within the Imperium to defeat Astartes in close combat using mortal bodies, but the vast majority of those individuals could no longer be called mere humans.
Powerful Arch-Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus could achieve it, as could formidable warriors undergoing all manner of genetic reinforcement, implanted with powerful implants, and wearing Power Armor; those blessed by the God-Emperor went without saying, but ordinary human flesh had its limits.
Veil knew full well that Gao Yi had only undergone the most basic genetic enhancement, possessing not a single implant on his body.
The Enchanted Warrior stared in disbelief at his missing arm, his eyes barely managing to catch Gao Yi's movement, yet his body simply couldn't keep up?
Is this guy really still human?!
What terrified the demon the most was that not only was his arm severed, but a portion of his soul as well. He even felt his connection to this Word Bearer body weaken the closer he got to Gao Yi.
It was like a powerful signal interference, making the Enchanted Warrior's body increasingly clumsy.
In the demon's eyes, Gao Yi's projection within the Warp appeared right before him.
Countless tentacles were reaching toward the demon's soul.
"No... You're not human, you're definitely not human!"
This was also Gao Yi's first time truly understanding the physical strength and combat proficiency of his body at this moment. Right now, he required no technique whatsoever; relying purely on the strength and reaction speed of this physique, in the absence of other means from his opponent, was enough to deal with the adversary.
And once Gao Yi gained a clearer understanding of his own strength, his combat style grew even more unbridled.
The Adamantium Combat Suit allowed Gao Yi to shrug off the Enchanted Warrior's attacks.
Every time his strike hit the Enchanted Warrior's body, the Enchanted Warrior felt a piece of his soul being ripped away. Moreover, Gao Yi was actively severing his connection to the Warp, and Gao Yi's punch landing squarely on his chest even shattered the Power Armour's plating.
"You—you are a Blank?!"
The Khorne demon inside the Enchanted Warrior panicked. He originally knew that as long as he fought with all his might, even if he died, the Chaos God Khorne would allow him to be reborn in the Warp. Yet when the fear of complete death enveloped him, the power bestowed upon him by Khorne was also slipping away from him.
As one waxed and the other waned, the Enchanted Warrior completely lost any possibility of victory or escape.
Watching the increasingly feeble Enchanted Warrior, Gao Yi swung his most fatal blade and lopped off his head. The demon's soul was utterly obliterated, and the Word Bearer's flesh lost its life force.
Gazing at the colossal corpse lying on the ground, Veil snapped back to his senses and realized all of this was real.
"Won... We won?" Veil stood frozen in place.
Dozens of moves had passed between the two sides instantly, yet in Veil's eyes, merely two or three seconds had elapsed.
As a result, a Rogue Trader had taken down a traitor Astartes entirely possessed by a demon in frontal combat? This was enough to become a legend circulating across the Expansion Zone.
Meanwhile, the two remaining Enchanted Warriors saw their most powerful battle-brother cut down by Gao Yi, refusing to believe the scene unfolding before their eyes.
"No! There's something wrong with this human right here!! He might be the Corpse Emperor's Chosen!"
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