"Colin!!!"
Watching his brother get killed, Freddy let out an angry roar, floored the throttle, and drove his bike straight toward the area in front of the Bloodfiend.
Freddy swung the bike around in a 180-degree turn. As he drifted, the tires carved a deep furrow into the ash-covered ground. Now his Assault Bike was facing the Steel Bull rider across from him.
Freddy stomped on the throttle again and charged straight at the Bloodfiend riding the Steel Bull. This wasn't recklessness. He knew the simplest way to fight a daemon of Khorne was to attack head-on. The daemon would be forced to meet his charge head-on, too; trying to scheme would only put it at a disadvantage.
As the Assault Bike and the Steel Bull charged toward each other, Freddy squeezed the firing trigger on the bike's handlebar and emptied the Twin-linked Bolters into the Steel Bull. But the bolts struck like Autogun rounds hitting Adamantium, merely clanging against its brass hide and leaving a series of shallow dents.
Just as the two were about to collide, the Steel Bull rammed its horns into the bike. The enormous Warp creature tossed its head like a real bull, flinging the Assault Bike away like a yelping dog that had dared to provoke it.
The Assault Bike slammed into the ground.
But by then, the bike was empty. At the last moment before the collision, Freddy had leapt up, pushing off the bike's front end to vault toward the Steel Bull.
Freddy leapt again, landing on the Steel Bull's neck before springing upward once more. He gripped a Chainsword in his right hand and held a Combat Knife in reverse grip in his left, determined to avenge his brother.
The Bloodfiend across from him held its sword in its right hand, so Freddy blocked the Hell Sword with his left-hand Combat Knife. At the same time, he swung his Chainsword hard at the Bloodfiend's neck.
Freddy was confident in his plan. His Combat Knife was about to catch the enemy's Hell Sword; all that remained was to take its head and repay his brother with the daemon's blood.
But something blocked his Chainsword. What was it? The Bloodfiend's left hand! The Chainsword roared as its monofilament teeth churned through the Bloodfiend's flesh, which was made of Warp energy, but the daemon held it fast without budging.
Only then did Freddy realize what had happened. His left hand had gone cold. His Monofilament Combat Knife had been cleaved in two, and the pieces had fallen onto the Steel Bull's back along with his arm.
Freddy didn't hesitate. He let go of his sword and drove a fist into the Bloodfiend's face, but it was like punching an Adamantium armor plate. The bones formed of Warp energy didn't budge; the blow left only a bruise on the Bloodfiend's face.
Then the Hell Sword's second strike pierced Freddy's chest at a vicious angle, stabbing through both his hearts.
Freddy felt liquid rise in his throat and spat a mouthful of blood into his helmet. At last, he understood that the Bloodfiend had killed his brother Colin through neither luck nor coincidence.
Freddy could only give the four Neophyte bikers one final order:
"You idiots, run!"
The four Neophytes still riding nearby heard their commander's last order, turned their bikes around, and raced off in different directions toward friendly positions.
U'Zuhl tossed the Chainsword aside, paying no mind to the wound on his hand, deep enough to expose bone. With a sharp claw, he gave Freddy's helmet a hard yank and ripped it off.
Skulltaker U'Zuhl looked at the brave warrior who had faced him, his deep crimson-black eyes fixed on him. Thanks to his superhuman physique, Freddy had not yet breathed his last.
U'Zuhl seized Freddy's head with his bloodied claw and began reciting poetry in his hoarse voice:
"Wild winds howl through the endless night,
Blood rains down as war drums pound.
Cold steel gleams beneath the moon,
Khorne reaps skulls upon the battlefield.
Blades flash where life and death entwine,
What hero fears the gates of hell?
Skulls rise like mountains, piled high,
Undying souls endure through time."
When he had finished the eight lines, crimson flames surged up from within the Power Armour, burning Freddy's flesh to ash. U'Zuhl took the head down with satisfaction and hung it from his waist.
Seeing this from atop the advancing tank, Peter's eyes nearly burst with rage. He roared:
"Filon, full speed ahead!"
The Land Raider surged forward, pulling away from the advancing line. The steel behemoth raced toward Skulltaker U'Zuhl like a horse that had broken free of its reins. The Twin-linked Lascannons on either side and the Bolters mounted on the gun platforms kept pouring out fire.
Peter, standing atop the tank, also fired his Ion Pistol at the Bloodfiend without pause. But the daemon and the Steel Bull beneath him seemed to ignore it all. They kept charging, straight at the Land Raider.
At last, after a brief charge, they met. A thunderous crash rang out. The Steel Bull collided with the tank, and unbelievably, Khorne's Dirge—many times smaller than the tank—matched it in a contest of strength without giving an inch.
Peter tossed aside his Plasma Pistol, which was on the verge of overheating, and took up his Power Axe, "Blood of Crassus." Then he leapt from the tank to the ground.
Peter stared at the Bloodfiend through his helmet, their eyes meeting. To his surprise, the daemon jumped down from the Steel Bull as well. It fixed its gaze on Peter as if it had already chosen its target, then opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and spoke again in its hoarse voice:
"It's you!"
Peter couldn't make sense of it, so he replied:
"I don't know you, but you'll pay for this."
The Bloodfiend named U'Zuhl threw back his head and laughed.
"Hahahahaha!"
Meanwhile, Anthony and Filon had climbed out of the tank. Anthony carried a Chainsword and a Bolter Pistol, while Filon gripped a Power Hammer in both hands. They charged toward the Steel Bull, Khorne's Dirge, while the tank and the Neophytes inside provided support.
Peter and U'Zuhl faced each other. One wielded a Power Axe and a Boarding Shield; the other, an ever-burning Hell Sword. The fire of battle burned in both their eyes as they prepared to seek vengeance and please the Blood God in a fight to the death.
Peter, holding his Battle Axe, attacked first. Shielding himself, he charged forward, intending to use the weight of his Boarding Shield and its field generator to smash into his opponent. U'Zuhl swiftly stepped back and blocked the powerful shield blow with the broad side of his greatsword. The clash between Warp energy and the protective field echoed across the battlefield.
Peter wasn't discouraged. Using his shield for cover, he kept changing angles until he found an opening and swung his axe, wrapped in a Disintegration Field, at U'Zuhl's shoulder.
U'Zuhl caught the axe on his greatsword's crossguard. It was a dangerous move, but the Bloodfiend handled it with ease, as though he had done it countless times.
Facing the Astartes, the Bloodfiend stuck out his purplish-red tongue and spoke again:
"This time, I'll win."
Peter slammed his shield sideways, knocking their weapons apart. Faced with the daemon's incomprehensible words, he simply replied:
"We don't know each other."
Before you continue