Skulltaker Uzul

A bloody stench spread across the entire battlefield, Warp energy surging here, nourished by the blood of countless warriors. Every Astartes present could feel the veil of reality being torn apart—they yearned to enter the material universe.

Flames of Khorne's domain burned upon the earth, bloodlight gathering, the red deepening. Within that crimson radiance lay a Warp Rift already formed.

A host of figures emerged from it—first a dozen, then scores, then hundreds, until there were thousands.

Peter, observing from a distance, gritted his teeth:

"So they've summoned a horde of Khorne's Daemon Army."

These beings, born from the primordial slaughter-lust of the galaxy's intelligent races, stepped into the material universe amidst the fire. The Warp entities stretched their terrifying forms.

They were red-skinned creatures with massive horns and elongated heads, wielding eternally blazing crimson swords. They opened deep red eyes, violently twisting their long purple tongues. A pack of Bloodfiends.

Among them, one Bloodfiend bore a Blood Banner marked with Khorne's sigil, opening its fang-filled maw to roar!

ROOOOOAR...!

Two squads of twelve Bloodfiends each rode bizarre Warp-beasts. These massive mounts stood taller than a man, crafted from wailing steel and brass—true living metal constructs. Every bellow carried the fury of millions upon millions of dead. Their enormous heads bore canine and bovine features, their souls forged from pure blood-rage. Twelve Khorne's Steel Bulls, or Blood Crushers.

A red cannon of brass and bone emerged from the Warp Rift, built entirely from bone, bronze, and wrath. Its wheels were circular mosaics of countless skulls; even its ammunition was heads of every race. Two Bloodfiends stood behind the cannon, steering and loading it—a Skull Cannon.

The leading daemon was merely a Bloodfiend, but this one was a full size larger than its kin. It wore a brass pauldron on its shoulder, a brass belt at its waist, and gripped a burning greatsword in one hand. Behind it hung a cloak woven from sinew, adorned with hundreds of pale skulls—Ork, Aeldari, mortal, Space Marine, even other daemons.

Its mount was also a Steel Bull, but like its master, it was more than a full size larger than its kind. Its surface was black—not pure black, but the black of countless spilled and congealed blood. Flames spewed from its mouth and joints. This beast was wrath incarnate, undoubtedly the leader of the Steel Bulls.

"Uzul! Uzul! Blood Hand Butcher Uzul! Skulltaker Uzul!"

The native warriors, bare-chested and wielding obsidian weapons, chewed on stimulant and hallucinogenic herbs. They ecstatically called upon the Servant of the Blood God to lead them in striking back against the invaders of their land, that the god might grant them more power.

Seeing this, Peter issued his command:

"All commanders, advance at full speed toward the center. No mercy."

The other three fronts were already converging. With his enhanced vision, Peter could see Captain Wonaby's forces appearing behind the enemy. The left and right flanks were tightening the noose as well—the enemy was trapped.

"All forces, advance! Maintain fire output."

The Land Raider rumbled forward. The Mortal Auxiliary "Spear of Hector" and the Adeptus Mechanicus Defender Army also resumed their advance, steadily pushing toward the daemons at the center. The encirclement was about to close.

Facing the descending Servant of the Blood God and Blood Hand Butcher Uzul, the cultists were ecstatic. They loudly praised the power of the Blood God's servant and his aid to them. But clearly, the Khorne daemons' purpose in arriving was not what they imagined.

A slaughter-tide. Over a thousand daemons of terror charged directly through friend and foe alike, their longswords swinging. Those wounded by the Hellblades had their blood drained dry. Steel Bull knights trampled through the crowd as if these people were not their followers.

Above, the Storm Eagle Gunship pilot swept the ground with its forward multi-melta, while Valkyries used their cockpit-side multi-lasers and wing-mounted Hellstrike Missiles to brutally engage ground units.

The Aquila Shuttle, primarily a transport, strafed with its nose-mounted Heavy Bolter. Even two Avior Barges, pure transports, used their defensive little autocannons to fire at the Khorne daemons and mortals below.

Whether from the Khorne daemons or the aircraft above, the Khorne cultists suddenly found themselves the most irrelevant players in this war.

The Bloodfiend named Uzul pointed his flaming greatsword at the distant tank. Opening his fang-filled maw, he rasped blasphemous words with his agile purple-red tongue:

"You!!"

Though the voice was not loud, it rang in every ear on the battlefield. The nearest Assault Bike squad heard it most clearly.

Seeing that the Bloodfiend hadn't even glanced at them, Freddy shouted in anger:

"Hey! Skinny pole, we're still here!"

But the Bloodfiend ignored them outright, driving his Steel Bull—named Khorne's Dirge—straight toward the Land Raider.

Freddy and another veteran felt humiliated. The two veterans drove their Assault Bikes to flank the leading Bloodfiend. The squad leader, wielding a Chain Axe, swung it toward the Steel Bull's right rear. He knew that against Khorne daemons, melee weapons were far more effective than ranged ones.

The Chain Axe buzzed as it struck toward the Bloodfiend's thigh. He had killed many Bloodfiends before—this one was just bigger.

But just as the veteran's Chain Axe was about to hit, the Bloodfiend named Uzul casually swung his greatsword to the right with one hand, not even deigning to turn his head.

In an instant, the biker felt the world spin. After several rotations, his vision finally steadied—but something seemed off. He soon realized his sight was upside down. His head had just smacked onto the ground.

His superhuman physiology kept him conscious for a moment. He watched his Assault Bike carry his headless body forward for hundreds of meters before crashing to the ground.

His last thought before his brain lost blood supply was:

"What the hell—what kind of Bloodfiend is this strong?!"