Torch the Emperor's Will, Annihilate the Phantoms!

"Looks like they've prepared a welcoming party for us."

Although danger was closing in, Rowan showed no fear at all. He simply spoke in a calm voice.

Blue light shimmered in Sibyl's eyes. Her gaze seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of obstacles, and her voice sounded distant. "There are roughly five hundred attackers. They're mostly mortal cultists, made up of traitorous Navy boarding parties, various heavily modified servitors, and a few corrupted Ogryn apemen."

"I've confirmed that there are no Chaos Space Marines among them. They're basically all cannon fodder."

She paused, then added:

"Heh. I'd expect no less from a bunch of honorless Heretics."

Leonardo, holding a Guardian Spear, gave a scornful snort. "These cowardly Traitors are only capable of this much. We'll crush them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of countless footsteps drew closer.

At last, a great mass of Chaos Cultists rounded the corner and came into view. Their limbs had mutated, and their skin was carved with all manner of blasphemous marks.

Their minds had been twisted by Chaos until they could no longer think clearly. Eyes bloodshot and faces contorted, they charged forward like madmen!

But, unfortunately for them, their enemies were not the "weak and feeble Astra Militarum" the Chaos Space Marines claimed to despise. They were a top-tier kill team, even by the standards of the entire Galaxy.

"Torch the Emperor's Will, Annihilate the Phantoms!"

Lucia shouted the famous line from the Lectitio Divinitatus and led the charge.

She spread her wings once more and shot through the air with a thunderous rumble, like a golden meteor, crashing straight into the crowd.

BOOM!

The first Cultist she reached hadn't even had time to raise his hands before her chainsword sliced through his neck, sending his head flying. Though decapitated, his body still staggered a few steps forward from the force of its charge.

Without hesitation, Lucia swung the relic Storm Shield. One brutal blow swept across a wide area, hurling a sea of Cultists through the air. Bones snapped, limbs broke, and bodies littered the ground.

And she wasn't alone. Leonardo followed right behind her, only a moment slower, and quickly reached her side.

The four-meter Guardian Spear was like a swimming dragon in his hands, sweeping through the air with a fierce whoosh.

He wielded the Emperor's Custodes' peerless martial arts, honed beyond the limits of humanity, to perfection. Thrusts, sweeps, chops, stabs, twists... A relentless succession of complex moves reaped the enemies before him like the scythe of the Death God.

As his power blade harvested heads, the Bolter mounted on his spear kept firing without pause. With Leonardo making precise adjustments on the move, every Cultist who tried to raise a gun was shot through the head by a flying bolt before he could even lift his hand.

The two of them charged one after the other, sweeping down every enemy in their path like reapers through a field of wheat. Nothing could stop them.

Behind them, Sibyl remained where she was. Blue psychic light flared in her eyes once more as a torrent of Psy-lightning surged outward, whipping up gusts of wind.

She softly uttered a single word:

"Explode!"

As soon as the word left her lips, the eyes of Chaos Cultists throughout the crowd lit up with the same blue glow as hers, all at once.

They immediately obeyed Sibyl's will. Some turned their guns on their allies and opened fire without hesitation, while others simply set off the Melta Bombs in their hands amid the crowd.

Explosion after explosion rang out. Blinding flashes flared one after another, instantly swallowing the rest of the crowd.

Before Rowan could even act, the three of them had wiped out every attacking Chaos Cultist, every enemy trying to stop their Boarding Action.

He couldn't help wondering what the leader of this Chaos War Band was thinking, sending such a bunch of good-for-nothings to die. He'd gone to the trouble of preparing Big Boom, only for it to be completely useless. Still, Rowan didn't dwell on it. He continued onward with the others, accompanied by the Executioner self-propelled cannon, its optical camouflage engaged.

The Chaos Lord had watched the scene through a Warp ritual performed on one of the Cultists. The heart he'd been holding in suspense finally sank into despair.

What the hell were these people?

That Battle Sister with white wings and a halo over her head—was she one of the False Emperor's Living Saints? No, that was just a fancy title. As far as he was concerned, she was more like one of the False Emperor's Daemon Princes. Either way, there was no way he could beat her.

He couldn't even identify the other one, the golden figure completely encased in heavy Power Armor. He had no idea what it was, but it was terrifyingly strong. He didn't know how strong exactly, since the Cultists were too weak to offer any useful information.

Besides, the Chaos Lord had a vague sense that there was a Psyker in the kill team too, though her strength was completely unknown.

Damn it! If you're this strong, why not board the Blackstone Fortress? Why come after me?

The Chaos Lord's mind raced as he searched for some way to turn the situation around. If he wanted to continue his ascension plan, he would first have to survive these lunatics.

"What is it? Did you see something?"

Miriael the Slaaneshi Sister's languid voice rang out once more. "I'm rather curious about the False Emperor's followers who are confident enough to board this ship. Do you know who they are?"

Her voice suddenly paused, and a note of confusion entered it. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Of course, it's because one of the False Emperor's dogs trying to board my ship has some connection to you."

As if he'd found the last thread of hope, the Chaos Lord spoke with feigned composure.

He'd suddenly thought of a perfect plan to get himself out of this predicament.

"Oh? Let's hear it."

A hint of curiosity entered Miriael's voice.

"One of the boarding party is a Battle Sister. She's very strong, and the markings on her armor show that she belongs to the Order of the Martyred Saint," the Chaos Lord said calmly.

He hadn't told a single lie.

Just think about it: Was the Living Saint a Battle Sister? And was she strong?

"Good. That certainly has piqued my interest!"

Miriael immediately grew excited.

Before her corruption, she had been a member of the Order of the Martyred Saint. Now, her favorite thing to do was hunt down her former sisters, using every means at her disposal to make them fall into pleasure with her.

Unfortunately, all these years later, Miriael still hadn't gotten her wish. It had almost become an obsession!

Plan's working!

The Chaos Lord was secretly delighted too.

He could use her as a shield and let her fight the attackers, while he watched the battle and decided whether he needed to make a run for it.

That way, his chances of survival would be much better. It was practically foolproof!