For the Emperor!

The radiance of the Warp teleportation faded. Before Sibyl had recovered from the dizziness of transit, she heard a resounding battle cry:

"For the Emperor!"

She looked toward the sound, and her eyes widened in shock.

A silver-haired woman was charging into the Heretics' position with unimaginable valor. A faint golden halo hovered above her head, a pair of pure white wings stretched from her back, and she carried a relic shield in one hand while wielding a Chainsword in the other.

Faint golden light glittered through the air wherever she passed. Traitor Heretics rushed at her one after another, yet none could withstand even a single exchange, leaving only mangled corpses scattered across the ground.

Sibyl had investigated before boarding this Cruiser, so of course she recognized the woman. Yet it was precisely because she recognized her that she was left dumbstruck.

Wasn't this Sister Superior Lucia of the Order of the Martyred Saint?

She had... become a Living Saint?!

"Stop standing around!"

The Black Robe Custodes bellowed, warning the Inquisitor.

The two of them landed beside a Traitor position. Several Chaos Space Marines had raised their Bolters, ready to attack the suddenly appearing pair.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Blinding flashes streaked past. Plasma bolts and Melta beams tore through the air, carrying the faint scent of ozone as they shot toward them.

Before those Chaos Space Marines could fire, they were immediately blasted to the ground.

Only then did the Black Robe Custodes notice that the Traitors' position had already been devastated:

Countless cultist corpses, all manner of dismantled heavy weapons, and even several fallen Chaos Space Marines lay scattered everywhere. Every one of them was incomplete, their bodies covered in blast wounds.

In the distance, advancing from the direction of the attack, a Young Man walked slowly forward. Thirteen firearms of varying designs floated at his side, spewing firepower at astonishing speed and accuracy as they continuously suppressed the position.

"An illegal Psyker?"

The thought flashed through the Black Robe Custodes's mind, only for him to reject it at once. "No. Psychic control should not be so precise, and I cannot sense any Warp fluctuations. And the Machine Spirits are actually this active... What exactly is this?"

A furious roar interrupted his thoughts.

The previously still ground began to tremble faintly. An immensely distorted giant beast appeared at the end of the corridor, charging toward the four of them at astonishing speed!

The massive heavy beast was an amalgamation of machinery and flesh. Its purple armor was covered in blasphemous patterns, and its arms were fitted with grotesquely terrifying Lightning Claws and Assault Cannons. As it charged, it crushed cultists who failed to dodge in time into crimson decorations on the floor as though rolling over speed bumps.

The weapons floating around Rowan immediately focused their fire on the monster, but achieved little. Most of the shots were completely blocked by its heavy armor!

A Helbrute!

The word surfaced in all four minds almost simultaneously.

These war machines, created by Chaos forces through utterly blasphemous means, were fully comparable to Astartes Dreadnoughts. Their combat power could not be underestimated.

"I'll handle it!"

Lucia cried lowly. Her wings spread, and she shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, taking the initiative to meet the seemingly unstoppable Helbrute.

BOOM!!!

The relic Storm Shield collided head-on with the enormous Lightning Claw, and wave after wave of explosive force erupted from the point of impact!

A piercing screech of metal rang out. The Helbrute, which had charged in so fiercely, dragged two deep furrows through the floor with its mechanical feet. Its Lightning Claw was knocked high into the air, clearly having lost the contest of strength against the E Greater Daemon.

Driven mad by endless torment, the Helbrute was just about to regroup and strike back when a powerful psychic blast from the Inquisitor reduced its other Assault Cannon to a heap of scrap metal.

Rowan's attack arrived almost simultaneously. Thirteen weapons of different kinds fired in unison, accurately striking the Helbrute's arm and briefly halting the Lightning Claw's advance for a moment.

Naturally, the battle-hardened Lucia would not miss such an opportunity.

She took a deep breath. The teeth of her Chainsword began spinning at high speed, while psychic flames from the Emperor blazed fiercely along its blade.

Then she brought it down in a heavy slash!

The blade pierced through the thick armor plating. The flames poured inside, reducing the Astartes fused with the machinery through Chaos sorcery to ashes.

"...Damn lackeys of the Corpse Emperor!"

At the corridor's corner, an enchanted warrior serving as a commander witnessed the scene through his tactical helmet and cursed under his breath.

A Helbrute capable of wiping out an entire Astartes squad in suitable terrain had not even lasted a few minutes before being cut down on the spot!

No matter how hard he thought, he could not understand how they had done it!

And why was a Living Saint here?

It made no sense at all!

"...Stop thinking about it! What are you hesitating for? Run!"

A terrified shriek echoed in his mind.

What was going on?

The enchanted warrior's expression turned confused. This was the first time he had seen the Warp Demon possessing him display such terror.

Warp Demons were also known as the Neverborn. Generally speaking, even if they were slain in the material world, they merely returned to the Warp and waited for another chance to enter reality. What could possibly make them feel fear?

"Idiot, can't you sense it? Those souls—the souls of the Lord of Pleasure's followers—have completely dissipated after being killed. They turned into nothingness and did not return to the Lord of Pleasure's Six Rings!"

"That damned Accursed! How could he do this?! Impossible—no, this isn't the Accursed? Is this Living Saint really a Living Saint? I've never felt anything like this before. Strange..."

The Demon's incoherent words made the Enchanted Warrior frown. He found it difficult to understand what the other side meant.

However, he fully agreed with the demand to retreat.

The War Band brothers and Chaos Cultist cannon fodder holding back those enemies looked like they would soon be worn down beneath the fierce assault. If they did not leave now, they might not be able to escape at all.

The Enchanted Warrior had just turned around, ready to leave, when he suddenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation of Warp energy from one side.

A blinding flash of teleportation-blue light appeared, and a tall figure clad in black robes, wielding a Power Sword, blocked his path.

Clang!

The blades collided, their azure Decomposition Fields crashing against each other as the two locked eyes.

The Enchanted Warrior was utterly astonished.

A second Warp teleportation in such a short time?

Was that Psyker trying to get himself killed?

But the Black Robe Custodes' thoughts were very simple.

"Repent, Heretic! Today is the day you die!"