The Brutal Battle (An 8,000-Word Chapter)

The Stinger Squad was quickly making its way from the transport ship Abominable Worm to the transport ship Bloody Worm, where Vlahos was.

They passed through caves and canyons along the way, encountering neither allies nor enemies.

Only when the Stinger Squad crawled into the interior of the transport ship from the other side of the Bloody Worm did anything change.

Gult led the way, with Fu Qinghai right behind him.

The squad members moved single file, quickly making their way through the transport ship's narrow corridors.

There were signs of battle everywhere.

The squad members saw the bodies of Ultramarines, Word Bearers, and the traitorous human crew, as well as the corpses of some strangely dressed people who didn't look like crew members.

The Space Marines' bodies bore all kinds of fatal wounds, but Fu Qinghai found the injuries on some of the traitorous human crewmen strange.

There was still mucus on their faces, and a gaping hole had been torn open in each of their chests, leaving the chest cavities empty.

Strange... Fu Qinghai frowned inwardly as he looked at the corpses. He couldn't remember any weapon in the Warhammer 40K universe that could leave wounds like these.

They continued onward.

Suddenly, a shadow darted out of a hole in a pipe on one side of the corridor and pounced on Fu Qinghai.

The superhuman reflexes of an Astartes left no room for hesitation. The instant Fu Qinghai glimpsed the shadow from the corner of his eye, he flicked his wrist and slashed upward with his glaive.

A flash of steel.

The shadow was cut in two.

Fu Qinghai looked down, his heart skipping a beat.

Holy shit, a Xenomorph?

A slender creature covered in a black exoskeleton lay at Fu Qinghai's feet. Its head had a long crest sweeping backward, and it had no eyes—only a maw of sharp teeth dripping with clear saliva.

It was the Xenomorph from the Alien film series.

Fu Qinghai's slash had cut the creature in half. The murky yellow blood pouring from the wound had already started sizzling and smoking as it corroded the steel floor.

In the few seconds the whole squad had stopped alongside Fu Qinghai, a scream rang out.

Another black Xenomorph lunged out from one side and clamped itself onto Gult's helmet.

"Skree—skreee!"

Terrifying, eerie hisses rang out from every direction.

The Stinger Squad was under attack from Xenomorphs on all sides.

Swift black shapes emerged from narrow pipes, overhead vents, and behind cables, pouncing on the members of the Stinger Squad.

The cross-shaped muzzle flashes of bolters lit up the narrow corridor, and the passage erupted with gunfire.

The Space Marines of the Stinger Squad had been caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance of the alien creatures.

A sharp, jointed black tail lashed out like a whip and wrapped around a bolter held by an Ultramarine. The warrior yanked hard, and the Xenomorph was wrenched into the air by his tremendous strength, smashing into the bulkhead.

Then it was shot in the head.

Scenes like this played out over and over.

Before long, the gunfire gradually died down.

The Space Marines, each having finished off their Xenomorph opponents, looked around at one another.

No casualties.

"Stinger Squad, report," Gult's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"No injuries."

"Unharmed."

"Unharmed."

The squad members reported in one by one.

Not a single one of them had even been wounded.

Someone had hatched Xenomorphs aboard the transport ship... It had to be a Reincarnator, Fu Qinghai speculated.

This was the third time Fu Qinghai had encountered other Reincarnators since entering the Warhammer 40K universe.

There were even more meddlers in this seemingly ordinary combat mission than he'd expected.

For now, he had no idea whether they were friend or foe.

Still, these Xenomorphs were pathetically weak in combat.

At least, they were weak against an Astartes Monk.

Fu Qinghai shook the Power Glaive in his hand, thinking to himself.

Then he suddenly realized something.

Fu Qinghai looked down and pressed the button for the Power Field generator on his Power Glaive.

The expected blue arcs didn't appear. The casing around the Power Field generator in the hilt had been corroded by the murky yellow liquid, exposing its pitted inner workings.

"Goddamn it, my blade's busted," Fu Qinghai swore.

It turned out that the Xenomorph's blood had splashed onto the hilt during their earlier encounter.

"Sir, there's a problem with my helmet display," another Space Marine reported, removing his helmet as he spoke.

Murky yellow liquid ran down the helmet, and the crimson lenses had turned cloudy.

Gult looked at the pitted blue Ceramite of his chestplate. The golden Aquila emblem was so badly corroded that it was barely recognizable.

Everyone inspected their weapons and armor.

They found that the weapons and equipment of every squad member had suffered varying degrees of corrosion from the Xenomorphs' splattered blood.

The Ceramite and Plasteel hadn't been badly damaged, but some of the exposed cables and mechanical components in the gaps of their Power Armor had corroded more severely.

"The blood of these Xenomorphs is strange," Gult said gravely.

He turned to Fu Qinghai and asked, "Qingshan, judging by your expression... have you encountered these creatures before?"

Fu Qinghai shook his head. "This is my first time too, Gult. I haven't been in service long."

Gult nodded, not doubting him.

Meanwhile, Fu Qinghai continued to stroke his beloved blade with a pained expression. Once he'd confirmed that it was beyond any temporary repair, he finally set it aside, reluctant to let it go.

Seeing this, Gult picked up a Chainsword beside the body of an Ultramarine and tossed it to Fu Qinghai.

Fu Qinghai caught it.

He turned it over in his hands, started it up to make sure it was in working order, then nodded to Gult.

The others continued onward.

As a Techmarine, Fu Qinghai knew all the standard-issue weapons of the Imperium like the back of his hand.

It was an Mk V Teeth-Eater Chainsword, with a broad, square-edged blade. Its teeth ran from the front edge to a point one-third of the way along its back. It had a dark blue finish and was manufactured on the Forge World of Conor.

Power Weapons cost more to produce than Chainsaw Weapons, and were technically more advanced, but that didn't mean Chainsaw Weapons were useless.

Fu Qinghai swung the Chainsword one-handed, testing its weight and balance.

The Chainsword called for an entirely different style of combat from the Power Glaive. Fu Qinghai quietly recalled his training in the practice cage.

When it came to the force of a single strike, Power Weapons were stronger thanks to their Power Fields.

But the strength of a Chainsaw Weapon lay in the fact that it barely had a concept of a "single strike."

When fighting with his Power Glaive, Fu Qinghai was used to looking for gaps in an enemy's defense and weak points in their armor, then striking to kill.

But with a Chainsword or Chainaxe, he could simply hack straight into the enemy's hardest chest plate and bear down, letting the rapidly spinning teeth chew through the Ceramite one bite at a time until the enemy's Power Armor was completely breached.

Or until his own teeth were worn down first.

Any Space Marine who took pride in his fighting skills disliked using Chainsaw Weapons. Many of the White Scars, for instance, thought they were too crude and straightforward.

But there was no denying that Chainswords worked.

If the Reincarnation World were an online game, a Power Weapon striking an enemy would produce a red critical hit—"−100"—above their head, while a Chainsaw Weapon would inflict a steady stream of damage: "−5−5−5−5."

But back to the matter at hand.

The Stinger Squad continued through the transport ship.

Fu Qinghai noticed that, unlike when they had first dropped in from orbit, every member of the Stinger Squad was wounded. And while they had once been eight strong, only five remained.

Three had died. Realizing this, Fu Qinghai continued on in silence, saying nothing.

Even for Space Marines, who ranked among the galaxy's most formidable warriors, death in battle was still an everyday occurrence.

At most, a few more battle-brothers' names would be added to the prayers after training.

Fu Qinghai wanted to remind them to find out how the enemy had blocked the teleportation device.

All along the way, he'd been trying to recall details from the official Warhammer 40K novels.

He vaguely remembered that several Blackstone Fortresses in the Gothic Sector, suspected to be ancient Necron creations, were capable of generating null fields.

But aside from the fact that this place was an enormous distance from the Gothic Sector in the Tempestus Segmentum, three transport ships were nothing compared to a Blackstone Fortress. It had taken the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus thousands of years to decipher even a fraction of its ancient technology. They had managed to use it only by learning what it did without understanding how it worked. There was no way three traitor transport ships could possess such advanced technology.

Besides, if a space fortress that large had been in orbit, the Lunar-class Cruiser would have detected it.

When a Tyranid Hive Fleet descended on a planet, the distorted gravity and immense Hive Mind formed a vast Shadow in the Warp, which also seemed to have the effect of a null field.

But this desolate, lifeless planet had nowhere near enough organic matter to attract the Tyranids. And this null field had clearly been a trap laid by the Word Bearers long ago, waiting for the Ultramarines to try to withdraw before they activated it. The Tyranids had no reason to cooperate with Chaos Space Marines. They didn't communicate with any species, let alone work with one.

Both possibilities Fu Qinghai knew of had been ruled out.

Apart from those, he couldn't think of anything else that could prevent teleportation within a certain area.

Thinking of the Xenomorphs that had appeared out of nowhere aboard the Bloody Worm... there was only one possible answer: a Reincarnator!

Fu Qinghai was eager to find out how the enemy had managed to block teleportation. But he knew even better that, with no idea what other tricks or schemes the traitors had up their sleeves, the safest choice was to regroup with Vlahos instead of acting alone aboard the transport ship.

The Stinger Squad searched for their comrades, following signs of battle through the transport ship's corridors until they reached the other side.

The sounds of fierce fighting outside the transport ship caught Fu Qinghai and the others' attention. They realized that they were probably getting closer to their comrades.

The moment they emerged from the hatch, a massive shadow came hurtling toward them.

"Take cover!"

Gult, at the front, shouted and threw himself to the side.

Fu Qinghai quickly ducked back behind the hatch.

"Bang!"

With a deafening crash, the shadow slammed into the transport ship's hull and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Gult took a closer look and cried out in shock:

"Commander Vlahos!"

Gult hurried forward to help Set Vlahos, who was clad in massive Terminator Armor.

Behind the hatch, Fu Qinghai was stunned too. What could possibly have hurled the heavy Terminator Tactical Dreadnought Armour through the air...?

He jerked his head up. A broad, massive figure was slowly approaching in the distance.

Through the jagged black horns and the scraps of flesh clinging between its mechanical parts, Fu Qinghai could tell that it had once been a Leviathan Siege Dreadnought, a model larger than the Contemptor Dreadnought.

Its dark crimson armor, trimmed in gold, belonged to a Leviathan Siege Dreadnought of the Word Bearers Legion.

But now, this monster, twisted and consumed by Chaos, had a new name—one far more terrifying and better suited to it:

Helbrute!

Supported by Gult, Vlahos had lost his helmet, revealing a bloodied face. He tried desperately to stand, but moved like a paralyzed man, legs pushing against the ground without managing to rise.

Vlahos coughed, "Kuh! Kuh!" Blood mixed with foam spilled from his mouth. Only then did Fu Qinghai see that Vlahos's entire chest plate had caved inward, crushing his breastbone deep into his chest.

One of Vlahos's hands kept pawing at Gult's armor as he struggled to speak. His face turned red with the effort, but in the end he managed only two words:

"Watch out... Pfft, plasma..."

In the distance, blue light flared at the muzzle of the Helbrute's massive right-arm cannon.

"Plasma Cannon! Get clear!" Fu Qinghai roared at the top of his lungs.

Gult immediately threw himself on top of Vlahos, pinning him in a crater. The blue beam grazed the Power Pack on Gult's back, punching through the hatch behind him and the transport ship's hull, leaving only a round, smoking black hole.

Two Ultramarines who hadn't managed to dodge behind the hatch were vaporized along with their armor.

Fu Qinghai darted out from beside the blackened hole and charged with the Chainsword in hand.

It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of dying. He knew he couldn't give the Helbrute a chance to fire a second shot.

Plasma weapons were immensely powerful and could penetrate armor with ease, making them the bane of vehicles. But they had a clear drawback: they took a long time to cool down. Even a Plasma Pistol needed twenty to thirty seconds, and larger-caliber plasma weapons took even longer. If they were fired repeatedly without waiting for them to cool, the power cells would overheat and explode.

Fu Qinghai sprinted with all his might, leaping over a trench and a crater as he charged straight at the massive Helbrute alone.

Like Don Quixote charging headlong at a windmill.

As he drew closer, Fu Qinghai could make out the Helbrute's cockpit, mutated into a maw of sharp teeth. Inside was its pilot: a bald head wrapped in muscle and sinew, veins bulging and flesh swollen.

The pilot watched Fu Qinghai charge with a sneer.

Fu Qinghai's mind was perfectly calm. His keen eyes fixed on the Helbrute as he ran, analyzing the situation:

I'll slide under it first and get into its blind spot, then...

"Whap!"

A streak of silver flashed past.

Fu Qinghai was sent flying.

He landed with a splat in a crater.

Dazed and dizzy, Fu Qinghai looked up. It was the silver Power Whip mounted on the Helbrute's left arm, its tip shaped like the tentacle of an octopus.

With a sharp crack as it sliced through the air, the second strike was already whipping toward him.

The first strike had cracked Fu Qinghai's helmet and left two deep dents in the front plate of his armor.

Through the crack in his helmet, Fu Qinghai watched the silver whip, made of linked iron rings, lash toward him. He saw the driver's warped, twisted face. He saw the pale skulls impaled on the spikes of the Chaos Dreadnought.

The empty eye sockets seemed to laugh at him, mocking his arrogance, mocking him for daring to challenge a Helbrute.

His visual calculations told him that his signature move—his desperate donkey roll—wouldn't carry him out of range of the Power Whip.

I'm done for.

That was the price of acting rashly.

His last thought was a song-title pun. Even in death, he'd be a funny ghost.

Just then, a piercing shriek erupted, rising beyond the range of human hearing. The invisible sound wave swept over him, and Fu Qinghai's head rang with a sudden, overwhelming buzz.

The Helbrute, its Power Whip still swinging, abruptly froze.

Fu Qinghai was still dazed when a force pulled him up by the shoulder plate.

Fu Qinghai snapped back to his senses. He hurriedly rolled over, scrambled to his feet, and ran.

The Helbrute came to its senses almost immediately as well. It let out an enraged, inhuman roar, the swollen masses of flesh all over its body writhing and tightening. The skulls of various sizes impaled on the tips of its spines rattled.

Fu Qinghai turned to look. The one who had saved him was a tall female warrior clad in close-fitting bone-white armor, her fiery red mane streaming like flames above her head.

It was her—the Aeldari Howling Banshee!

The enraged Helbrute strode after Fu Qinghai on its massive mechanical legs, swinging its silver-jointed Power Whip once more.

The bone-white-armored warrior leaped lightly into the air and drove a front kick into Fu Qinghai's back, sending him flying. Using the recoil to propel herself backward, she performed a beautiful backflip.

Three Power Whips lashed down between them.

They didn't so much as brush a hair on either of them.

The kick sent Fu Qinghai tumbling into a trench. He landed face-first and skidded along the ground, plowing a pile of grit and stones through the cracks in his helmet.

Fu Qinghai yanked off his cracked helmet, which was spitting sparks, and spat several times, getting the grit out of his mouth.

Helmetless, Fu Qinghai rose to his feet with his Chainsword in hand. Nearby, a Howling Banshee in bone-white armor darted around the Helbrute, her slender Power Scimitar occasionally carving a bloody gash through its flesh.

It was like scratching an itch through armor.

That was Fu Qinghai's assessment.

The Helbrute looked as if the Howling Banshee had it dancing in circles, but as long as its pilot protected his exposed head, there was no way an anti-infantry unit like a Howling Banshee could cut through a Chaos Dreadnought's hull with a Power Glaive and a Shuriken Pistol. It was a fool's dream.

The Aeldari woman wouldn't last long, Fu Qinghai concluded. The moment the Helbrute got an opening, she'd be dead without a trace.

Fu Qinghai looked at the cluster of silver-jointed Power Whips mounted on the Helbrute's left hand, wrapped in flesh. There were four whips, each crackling with the ghostly blue arcs of a Power Field. Their wide, sweeping strikes were impossible even for Fu Qinghai to dodge. He had nearly died beneath them.

With no heavy weapon in his hands, Fu Qinghai thought, The only way to fight a tank is with a tank. The only way to fight a Dreadnought is with another Dreadnought!

As he was thinking, blue light began glowing in the charging energy coils along the side of the massive Plasma Cannon on the Helbrute's right arm.

Fu Qinghai had no time to think. He gripped his Chainsword and braced himself to charge again.

Just then, a blazing stream of golden-red Melta Gas, hot as magma, gushed from behind the Helbrute.

"GRAAAAHHH—!"

The Helbrute's pilot let out a bloodcurdling, inhuman scream. The flesh clinging to the Chaos machine seemed to be one with his own body.

It was the ancient warrior Hiller!

Fu Qinghai spotted the massive, dark-blue Dreadnought behind the Helbrute, slightly smaller than its foe.

The Ultramarines Dreadnought, which had originally been ordered to guard the Abominable Worm from outside, had joined the battle!

Its twin-barreled Melta Cannon, mounted on its left hand, was pouring fire into the Helbrute.

The Howling Banshee quickly dodged aside. A bit of the Melta Gas had singed her bone-white armor, leaving it warped, wrinkled, and curled up.

When the Contemptor Dreadnought had attacked the Helbrute earlier, it hadn't spared a thought for the Aeldari warrior. In the eyes of most Space Marines, xenos and traitors were no different. If they could kill both at once, so much the better.

Most of the Helbrute's armor had melted through. The daemon's flesh curled and charred in the Melta flames, while its Iron Man Armor warped and twisted, molten iron dripping away in drops.

The body mounted on its two-legged chassis spun around to face the dark-blue Contemptor Dreadnought. One of its Power Whips had barely risen when a huge, sharp Power Claw seized it. A column of blue light blasted from the small Plasma Cannon in the claw's palm.

"Qingshan!" Fu Qinghai heard Gult shout behind him.

He hurriedly turned around and saw a bald Word Bearer in massive Chaos Terminator Armor leading a squad of Space Marines toward the Stinger Squad, who had surrounded Vlahos.

The battlefield was changing by the second. There was no time to waste words.

Fu Qinghai told the Howling Banshee beside him to be careful, then took off toward the battle behind them with his sword in hand.

Two Word Bearers wielding Chainaxes charged to meet him.

Fu Qinghai was no longer in the sorry state he'd been in against the Helbrute. He sprang into the air and brought his Chainsword down in a powerful two-handed strike at the Word Bearer leading the charge.

"Clang!" Steel clashed, showering sparks.

The Chainsword was much heavier than a Power Glaive. The Word Bearer turned the haft of his axe, trying to hook Fu Qinghai's teeth with the blade at the bottom of the Chainaxe.

Fu Qinghai wasn't about to let him. Instead of pulling back, he pressed forward, shoving hard against the sword guard with his palm. The rapidly spinning teeth at the tip of his Chainsword shot toward the Word Bearer's helmet, forcing him to jerk his head back and retreat.

Fu Qinghai pulled the Chainsword free, tightened his grip with both hands, and used the momentum of the swing to whirl around in a full 360-degree arc. The rotational force added power to his blow as he slashed the Word Bearer across the waist.

Bright crimson blood sprayed from the spinning teeth, splattering wildly in every direction.

At the same time, the other Word Bearer's buzzing Chainaxe swung down at Fu Qinghai's shoulder.

Fu Qinghai had already tensed his shoulder muscles, ready to take the hit and finish off one of them first. But then a shadow flashed through the air.

From the corner of his eye, Fu Qinghai caught sight of what looked like a thin, black disc spinning past.

The other Word Bearer's helmet flew into the air, leaving behind a neck between his shoulders that sprayed blood with a hiss.

It was the Howling Banshee's Shuriken Pistol!

Fu Qinghai didn't need to look back to know who had helped him.

The Aeldari woman hadn't chosen to get involved in the fight between the two Dreadnoughts.

Neither side would care whether she lived or died.

Fu Qinghai nodded to the masked Aeldari girl, finished off the fallen Word Bearer with a stab, then continued forward.

Ahead, the bald Word Bearer in Terminator Armor swung a double-bladed battle-axe as he fought Gult. Long iron spikes covered his massive Terminator suit, each one impaling a head. Some had been reduced to skulls, while others still clung to rotting flesh.

It was clear that Gult was no match for the bald man. Every heavy blow forced him to struggle to block it and retreat.

That was only natural. Anyone who could wear Terminator Armor was among the elite of their Legion, and the armor itself had an Adamantium skeleton and more electronic muscle fibers than ordinary Power Armor. It offered sturdier protection and more tremendous strength.

As for its slightly slower speed, the wearer's combat skills could make up for that.

This was Power Armor purpose-built for close-quarters combat.

Every blow from the bald Word Bearer landed with crushing force. He left himself wide open with each attack, but Gult could only struggle to block them, unable to counter. His own attacks might not be fatal to the Terminator Armor, but every blow from the bald Word Bearer would be fatal if he failed to block it.

Fu Qinghai and the Howling Banshee quickly joined the fight. Sensing them approach, the bald Word Bearer seemed to have grown bored. He knocked the already staggering Gult flying with his axe, then turned around.

His murky yellow eyes, devoid of pupils, stared straight at Fu Qinghai as he grinned cruelly.

"I saw you on the surveillance feed, kid. A Techmarine charging in at the front? You've got guts."

"Dumbass," Fu Qinghai shot back, slashing at the bald man.

The bald man casually raised an arm and knocked Fu Qinghai's saw blade aside with his thick bracer. "I've never tortured a White Scars warrior to death before. You're in luck, kid. I've left a place for you on my armor. Your head can go on my left pauldron, among my glorious trophies."

He swung his axe at Fu Qinghai, but Fu Qinghai dodged.

"It'll be an honor," the bald man said.

That's the best trash talk you've got? You think you can get under my skin with that? Fu Qinghai thought with disdain.

You've never been matched against me in ranked, or I'd have roasted you so badly your own parents wouldn't recognize you.

The Howling Banshee had engaged two other Word Bearers.

Fu Qinghai was facing the bald Chaos Terminator alone.

After several exchanges, Fu Qinghai dodged another heavy slash from Klofa. The axe blade plunged deep into the dirt.

Fu Qinghai planted his left foot on the axe head, preventing his opponent from pulling it free, and thrust his Chainsword at his face with his right hand.

The rapidly spinning teeth grazed the bald man's nose, drawing a thin line of blood.

If the bald man hadn't released the axe and jumped back in time, Fu Qinghai would have split his entire face open.

"That's it?"

With one foot on the Power Axe and his Chainsword in hand, Fu Qinghai looked at the bald man, now empty-handed, and asked scornfully.

The bald man's face darkened. He said nothing. Then he lowered his shoulders into a charging stance and lunged forward.

But Fu Qinghai didn't meet him head-on. He kicked the Power Axe away and deftly turned aside.

The heavy Terminator charged right past him.

"Ah?"

Fu Qinghai opened his mouth in exaggerated surprise. Neither of them was wearing a helmet, and his expression was so absurdly baffled that it was as if the bald man had just done something utterly bizarre.

The bald man's face darkened further. He panted heavily, his expression so grim it looked as though water might drip from it.

He realized.

This White Scars warrior was deliberately toying with him.

The most scathing mockery often needed no flowery words. A question mark, a simple "That's it?"—that was enough.

Fu Qinghai, who knew the art well, could feel the bald man's temper on the verge of exploding.

The bald man hesitated, holding his ground, unlike the composure he'd shown at the beginning.

After a few exchanges, he'd grown a little afraid.

He didn't dare bend down to pick up the Power Axe that had fallen into the trench. He knew the White Scars warrior was fast, and they were standing close together. The instant he bent over and exposed the slightest opening, Fu Qinghai would take his head.

They remained at an impasse.

Then, to his bafflement, the White Scars warrior across from him suddenly did something completely incomprehensible—

Fu Qinghai casually tossed aside his Chainsword, spread his empty hands, and stared at the bald man with a challenging look.

What?

The Word Bearer's eyes widened. Flames of rage seemed ready to burst from them.

Fu Qinghai's actions made him feel utterly humiliated. His sharp teeth ground against each other, and he forced the words out one by one through the bloody gaps in his gums.

"You're asking for it!"

The bald Word Bearer let out a furious roar and charged at Fu Qinghai without hesitation.

This time, Fu Qinghai didn't dodge. Their armored bodies slammed together.

The Terminator, a full head taller than Fu Qinghai, drove him backward. Fu Qinghai barely managed to brace himself and hold his ground.

Their pauldrons and breastplates pressed together, their hands locked against each other's, both glaring furiously at the other.

Like two bulls straining against each other.

The electronic muscle fibers inside their Power Armor began to contract.

The Terminator Armor gave its wearer a far greater boost in strength than ordinary Power Armor. Little by little, the bald man overpowered Fu Qinghai, forcing him back step by step.

Then the massive mechanical arm connected to the power pack on Fu Qinghai's back suddenly unfolded like a serpent. It rose, and its two pincers, shaped like a viper's head, aimed at the Word Bearer's face.

The pincers opened, revealing the dark mouth of a welding torch, pointed straight at the Word Bearer's eyes.

Fu Qinghai's cold gaze seemed to say: Dumbass, did you think I'd given up my weapon for nothing?

I'll always have one more weapon than you.

"Ah—!"

The bald man saw the mechanical arm and tried to pull away, only to realize they were already locked together, gripping each other tightly. He widened his eyes and roared.

A brilliant white jet burst forth, blasting straight into the bald man's wide-open eyes.

The jet, hot enough to melt metal, instantly melted the traitor's eyeballs and bored into the brain behind them.

Fu Qinghai felt the iron hands clamped around his arms like pincers gradually lose their strength.

Then Fu Qinghai gave him a gentle push. The towering Terminator crashed down like a great wall collapsing, toppling with a thunderous roar.

Fu Qinghai looked at the Word Bearer's eye sockets. All that remained was a deep, charred hollow.

Done.

Fu Qinghai's chest heaved as he savored his triumph.

I killed a Chaos Terminator by myself.

There had been skill involved, and a plan. In the end, this powerful enemy had still fallen at his feet.

Smiling excitedly, Fu Qinghai turned to look at his teammates.

But they were all staring in horror at something in the distance.

Fu Qinghai followed their gaze.

And saw—

The dark red Helbrute swinging its Power Whips.

The four Power Whips looked like the tentacles of a mechanical octopus.

They were reaching into a dark-blue Contemptor Dreadnought lying on the ground.

The Helbrute yanked the pilot's remains out of the sarcophagus cockpit by force.

A humanoid figure, nothing but a head and a spinal column for a torso, slick and dripping, with tubes and wires trailing from it, was hoisted high into the air by the Helbrute.