The silver-gray Astartes stood face-to-face with the crimson daemon.
U'Zuhl struck first, swinging the Hellblade down with the killing force of the Blood God behind it. Peter relied on his shield's strength to withstand the blow. The Warp energy that formed the daemonic sword clashed with the shield's small force field, ringing out like metal.
U'Zuhl kept swinging his greatsword, while Peter chose to block with his shield. With every strike, more sword marks appeared across the Adamantium, and the impact of the greatsword left Peter's arm slightly numb.
Peter knew that Warp creatures had no concept of fatigue. He didn't expect his opponent to tire; he was waiting for an opening. He kept his eyes fixed on the Bloodfiend through the gap where the boarding shield had been mounted, silently enduring the blows. An opportunity appeared in an instant: after the Bloodfiend swung, Peter spotted a gap in his defense. He swiftly swung his Battle Axe. Its blade cut through the air, the Disintegration Field crackling as it struck at the Bloodfiend's left arm with decisive force.
The mighty blow cut through the Bloodfiend's forearm like a hot knife through butter.
"That one's for Freddy!"
Even after landing the blow, Peter kept his body behind his shield for protection, his eyes still fixed on the Bloodfiend.
The severed arm hit the ground and evaporated like snow thrown into a furnace, but the earth beneath it was stained a vivid red.
Faced with his severed arm, the Bloodfiend showed no fear. Instead, he let out a shrill laugh.
"Ha ha ha ha ha..."
The Bloodfiend raised his greatsword high and brought it down with a savage blow. Unlike his previous strikes, the hellfire on the blade burned even more fiercely.
Peter raised his shield to block. He planned to withstand the blow, then cut off the Bloodfiend's right leg. But the sword cleaved straight through the Boarding Shield and slid down toward the crown of Peter's head.
Seeing the danger, Peter twisted sideways, just managing to avoid the blade. The burning greatsword slammed into his thickest, hardest shoulder plate, even wounding his shoulder.
Peter immediately let go of his shield and kicked hard against its back. The heavy shield crashed into the Bloodfiend, and the force of the impact stopped the greatsword from cutting any deeper into Peter's shoulder. The Bloodfiend staggered backward, but quickly regained his balance.
Peter's shoulder burned with pain, as if flames were searing it. The Hellblade greedily drank in his life force. No matter how much blood the Hellblade drank, its thirst remained unquenchable. It always craved more blood, especially the blood of the strong.
Peter wasn't losing blood, because the Larraman's Organ had been implanted in his body during his gene-modification surgery. The moment he was injured, the organ released large numbers of clotting cells called Lariman cells. Pumped by his two hearts, they rushed to the wound and quickly clotted, forming a scab that stopped him from bleeding further.
U'Zuhl gave Peter no time to catch his breath. His attacks grew even more ferocious, every swing filled with destructive force. Unafraid, Peter surged forward like a spring, aided by the strength of his Power Armour. His Battle Axe traced an arc through the air, its Disintegration Field crackling as it chopped toward the Bloodfiend's head. The Bloodfiend reacted swiftly, raising the Hellblade overhead to block the blow with astonishing strength. The clash of Warp power and the Disintegration Field rang deafeningly, sparks flying everywhere.
Now that Peter had lost his shield, he had to attack more aggressively. He could tell that this Bloodfiend was no less powerful than a Greater Daemon.
The Bloodfiend was bloodthirsty but composed. He met Peter's attacks with steady steps. No longer pursuing him with wild, relentless strikes, he swung slowly and heavily, yet each blow precisely struck Peter's Battle Axe and knocked it aside.
Peter suddenly changed tactics, using the Battle Axe's agility to deliver quick, short-range strikes in an attempt to disrupt the Bloodfiend's rhythm. The Bloodfiend remained calm, using the Hellblade's slow, steady blows to fend off every attack.
In the fierce exchange, Peter found his opening. His Power Axe cut in at a bizarre angle, slipping past the Hellblade's guard and striking the Bloodfiend in the waist.
Peter drove the Disintegration Field to its full power, slicing the Bloodfiend in two. His upper body slid helplessly to the ground, while his lower half remained standing. The Bloodfiend didn't seem to care.
The Bloodfiend still threw his enormous jaws wide and laughed up at the sky.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Peter walked over and brought his axe down.
"That one's for Colin!"
After beheading the Bloodfiend with one blow, Peter reached for the skull at his waist. But when he grabbed it, the skull—the one that had belonged to Freddy—crumbled in his hand like a piece of tofu. Then everything the Bloodfiend possessed, including his cloak, began to melt, until all that remained was a pool of red sludge.
Elsewhere, beset by the Land Raider's Twin-linked Lascannon and attacked by Anthony and Filon, the impossibly enormous Steel Bull finally fell as well, dissolving into a pool of sludge.
These creatures hadn't been killed. They had merely been banished back to the Warp for a time, where they would wait to re-form their bodies and return to the Material Universe to slaughter once more.
Compared with Peter, who had only lost his shield and taken a sword wound to the shoulder, the damage here was far worse. The tank had been rammed hard enough to leave several dents, and the Steel Bull had nearly overturned it several times. Filon and Anthony were both covered in dust, with several dents in their Adamantium armor.
The three of them exchanged glances. Peter simply nodded, then pointed his axe toward the several hundred Bloodfiends ahead.
"Leave none alive."
The Mortal Auxiliary continued its advance, firing solid rounds and Laser Guns at the Khorne daemons without pause. The damage they inflicted was, at best, negligible. Fortunately, with their leader gone and the support of five thousand Dark Mechanicus Defenders, they eventually managed to banish the Bloodfiends.
It was worth noting that, during the final encirclement, some Bloodfiends still managed to reach the Mortal Auxiliary forces. They ruthlessly hacked through the mortals, and the sight of the Khorne daemons' horrifying appearance and brutality sent several thousand soldiers fleeing on the spot. Fortunately, the rear-line disciplinary troops opened fire with heavy automatic weapons, finally stopping the rout.
But there were always exceptions. A hundred-strong troop of Rider Cavalry in the Auxiliary Army rode Rift-Hoof Beasts and wielded Hunting Spears tipped with Melt-tips, charging bravely toward the Skull Cannon. After losing dozens of their number, they managed to plunge several Hunting Spears into the Skull Cannon and destroy it.
After the battle, Peter asked Sacks for the name of the unit's commander. He learned that the troop's leader was only a twenty-year-old young man named Maximus.
He had once been a candidate to join the War Band as a Neophyte, but in the end, he had failed the trials.
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