Slaying Uzul

The silver-grey Astartes and the crimson daemon stood face to face.

Uzul struck first, swinging his Hellblade with the killing force of the Blood God. Peter relied on the solidity of his shield to block that blow. The warp-forged sword, built from spatial energy, clashed with the shield's small-scale Disintegration Field, producing a metallic hum.

Uzul swung his greatsword relentlessly, and Peter chose to parry with his shield. With each swing, the adamantium of Peter's shield became covered in sword scars, and his arm grew numb from the impact of the greatsword.

Peter knew that warp-spawned beings had no concept of fatigue. He didn't expect his opponent to tire; he was waiting for an opening. He fixed his gaze on the Bloodfiend through the gap where he was supposed to brace his boarding shield and fire, silently enduring the damage. In an instant, an opportunity appeared—he found a defensive gap after one of the Bloodfiend's swings. He quickly swung his battle-axe, the blade cutting through the air, its Disintegration Field crackling, and struck at the Bloodfiend's left hand with resolute force.

This fierce axe blow cut through the Bloodfiend's forearm like a hot knife through butter.

"That one was for Freddy!"

With the strike successful, Peter kept his body behind the shield's protection, continuing to stare down the Bloodfiend.

The severed arm of the Bloodfiend fell to the ground and evaporated like snow thrown into a furnace, but the earth beneath it was stained a vivid red.

Faced with his lost arm, the Bloodfiend showed no fear, instead letting out a piercing laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha ha..."

The Bloodfiend raised his greatsword high and brought it down with savage force. This blow was different from the previous slashes; the hellfire on the blade burned even brighter.

Peter raised his shield to block. He planned to endure this strike, then cut off the Bloodfiend's right leg. But the single blow split the boarding shield clean in two, and the greatsword slid down directly toward Peter's crown.

Seeing the danger, Peter twisted his body to dodge the blade, letting it pass his head. The burning greatsword slammed into the thickest, hardest part of his pauldron, even wounding his shoulder.

Peter decisively let go, abandoning his shield entirely. He kicked the back of the shield hard, and the heavy slab slammed into the Bloodfiend. The force also prevented the greatsword, already embedded in his shoulder, from cutting any deeper. The Bloodfiend staggered back but quickly steadied himself.

Peter felt a searing pain in his shoulder, as if it were being scorched by flames. The Hellblade was greedily absorbing his life essence. No matter how much blood the Hellblade drank, its thirst remained unquenchable; it always craved more blood, especially the blood of the strong.

Peter did not bleed out, however, because during his implantation surgery, a Lariman Organ had been placed inside his body. The moment Peter was wounded, this organ released a flood of clotting cells called Lariman cells, which were pumped by his two hearts to the wound site. When these cells reached the injury, they immediately coagulated and formed a scab, preventing further blood loss.

Uzul gave Peter little time to catch his breath, attacking with even greater ferocity. Each swing of his sword was filled with destructive power. Peter showed no fear. With his Power Armour enhancing his body, he lunged forward like a spring, his battle-axe arcing through the air with the sound of its Disintegration Field as it aimed for the Bloodfiend's head. The Bloodfiend reacted swiftly, raising his Hellblade horizontally above his head and blocking the blow with astonishing strength. The clash of warp energy and Disintegration Field was deafening, sparks flying everywhere.

Now that Peter had lost his shield, he had to attack more aggressively. He could sense that this Bloodfiend's strength was no less than that of a Greater Daemon.

This Bloodfiend was bloodthirsty but calm. He responded with steady footwork, no longer charging wildly as before. Each swing was heavy and slow, but every one precisely struck Peter's battle-axe and deflected it.

Peter suddenly changed tactics. He began to use the axe's agility for quick, short-range slashes, trying to disrupt the Bloodfiend's rhythm. The Bloodfiend remained calm, his Hellblade meeting speed with slowness, steadily blocking every attack.

In the midst of the fierce exchange, Peter found an opening. His Power Axe cut in at an odd angle, slipping past the Hellblade's defense and striking the Bloodfiend's waist.

The Disintegration Field activated at full power, cleaving the Bloodfiend in two. His upper half slid helplessly to the ground, while his lower half remained standing. But the Bloodfiend paid it no mind.

The Bloodfiend still opened his gaping maw and laughed up at the sky.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Peter walked over, raised his axe, and brought it down.

"That one was for Colin!"

After decapitating the Bloodfiend with a single chop, Peter reached for the skull on its waist. But when he grabbed it, Freddy's skull crumbled like a piece of tofu in his hand. Then, including the cloak, everything the Bloodfiend carried melted away, finally dissolving into a pool of red sludge on the ground.

On the other side, under the combined assault of the Land Raider's Twin-linked Lascannon, Anthony, and Filon, the impossibly massive Steel Bull finally fell, also dissolving into a pool of sludge.

These creatures were not killed; they were merely banished back to the Warp, waiting to reform their bodies and return to the material universe to slaughter again.

Compared to Peter, who only had his shield destroyed and a wound in his shoulder, the others fared far worse. The tank was dented in several places from being rammed, nearly overturned by the Steel Bull several times. Filon and Anthony were both covered in dust, with several pieces of their adamantium armor caved in.

The three exchanged glances. Peter simply nodded, then pointed his axe at the hundreds of Bloodfiends ahead.

"Not one left alive."

After that, the Mortal Auxiliary continued their advance, firing solid rounds and Laser Guns at the Khornate daemons. The damage was, to say the least, unimpressive. Fortunately, with the Bloodfiends having lost their commander and with the assistance of five thousand Dark Mechanicus Defender Army soldiers, they were eventually banished.

It is worth noting that during the final cleanup, some Bloodfiends still managed to break into the Mortal Auxiliary ranks. These Bloodfiends mercilessly butchered the mortals. After witnessing the terrifying appearance and brutal behavior of the Khornate daemons, several thousand men immediately broke and fled. Fortunately, a rear-guard execution squad opened fire with heavy bolters, finally stemming the rout.

But there were always exceptions. Among the Auxiliary, a hundred-man unit of Rider Cavalry, mounted on Rift-Hoof Beasts and wielding Hunting Spears tipped with Melt-tips, bravely charged the Skull Cannon. After paying a price of several dozen lives, they drove several spears into the Skull Cannon and finally destroyed it.

After the battle, Peter asked Sacks for the name of this unit's commander. He learned that the captain was merely a twenty-year-old youth named Maximus.

This man had once been an applicant for the War Band's Neophyte trials, but unfortunately, he had ultimately failed to pass the test.