Khorne's Assault

The relief of surviving the disaster had yet to spread through the fleet when an icy, tangible killing intent descended like a polar current, instantly freezing the bridge's newly eased atmosphere!

"Alert! High-intensity Warp fluctuations detected! Distance... extremely close!!"

"Energy readings... Khorne! Pure Khorne energy!!"

"Massive life-form signal detected! It's... a Greater Daemon!!"

The shrill alarms once again tore through the bridge's calm!

Behind the expedition fleet, which had only just escaped the Scarlet Maelstrom and was struggling toward the Astronomican's light, a relatively tranquil stretch of void twisted violently like a lake struck by a boulder!

A colossal, suffocating figure forcibly shattered the barrier between reality and the Warp, descending before the fleet formation!

It was larger and more hideous than Kairos!

Its massive body, clad in heavy dark-red armor seemingly forged in a furnace, was covered in spikes and blasphemous skull ornaments. Its enormous bat wings burned with blazing infernal fire, each beat whipping up scorching shockwaves!

In its hands was an absurdly huge double-handed axe wrapped in the wails of countless suffering souls, its blade flowing with blood that would never run dry!

Its single eye, like burning lava, held a pure and all-consuming will of destruction as it locked firmly onto Macragge's Honour and Roboute Guilliman on its bridge!

Khorne's most powerful and bloodthirsty vanguard—Blood God's Wrath, Skarbrand!

"Guilliman—!!!!" A roar filled with endless thirst for slaughter, enough to shatter mortal eardrums, thundered across the void like war drums from the deepest pits of hell! "Your skull! Shall adorn the Blood God's throne!!"

As Skarbrand roared, countless Khorne warships poured from the torn spatial rift behind it like a released crimson flood, painted scarlet and adorned with brass skulls and blasphemous runes!

Their designs were wild and brutal, their engines spewing blood-red exhaust. Their massive ramming prows gleamed coldly as they charged at the battered expedition fleet with the mad momentum to destroy everything in their path!

More terrifying still, countless assault craft carrying Khorne Berserkers and bloodthirsty daemons swarmed from the rift like a plague of locusts!

The expedition fleet had once again been driven into desperation!

Having just escaped Tzeentch's trap, they had no strength left to face Khorne's menacing daemon host!

Guilliman's heart sank to the depths, but as commander, his decisiveness instantly overcame everything else.

He spun around, his voice like cold steel as it rang through every ship via the fleet-wide broadcast:

"All ships, heed my command! Target—the Astronomican's light! Maximum speed! Break through the enemy formation at any cost! Get out of here!"

"Any ships unable to keep up with the main formation due to insufficient power..." Guilliman's voice carried a trace of barely detectable heaviness, though even more undeniable resolve, "...remain behind! Buy time for the fleet! The Imperium... will remember your sacrifice!"

There was no hesitation, no tearful communication.

Several frigates and cruisers whose engines had been badly damaged in the previous battle, whose shield generators had overloaded beyond repair, and whose speeds had fallen far behind silently broke away from the main formation.

They turned their bows, their engines blasting their final trails of solemn light. Like moths flying into flame, they charged without hesitation into the oncoming Khorne tide!

In silence, their macro cannons and lances unleashed their final fury, attempting to carve an opening for the main fleet with their own destruction!

Just as Guilliman issued the order!

BOOM—!!!!!

An unprecedented impact, like a planet striking the ship, came from the flank of the flagship Macragge's Honour!

The colossal vessel shuddered violently as if struck by an invisible hammer!

Adamantium armor plates tore inward, twisted, and melted like fragile paper!

A gigantic breach, its edges streaming with molten metal and hellfire, suddenly appeared in the hull!

Skarbrand's mountain-sized body had smashed straight through the flagship's heavy armor and not-yet-restored void shields, crashing down onto the wide corridor outside the bridge like a meteor from hell!

The Adamantium deck beneath its feet instantly melted and collapsed, becoming a pool of scorching magma!

A killing aura so violent it was nearly tangible swept across the entire bridge like a tsunami!

That pure, all-destroying force of will drove weaker-willed mortals instantly mad or rendered them unconscious!

Even the Space Marines felt their breathing tighten and their blood surge as primal urges to kill churned within them!

"For the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne! Blood for the Blood God!!" Skarbrand howled toward the heavens, raising its enormous blood axe high. Flames of destruction burned in its single eye, aimed directly at Guilliman in the center of the bridge!

Guilliman's pupils contracted sharply!

Without the slightest hesitation, the Emperor's Sword erupted with dazzling golden light!

His towering blue figure shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, charging once more into that world-destroying storm of fury!

He had to stop it! Otherwise, this Beast would tear the entire flagship apart!

The instant Guilliman charged at Skarbrand, space around the edges of the massive breach Skarbrand had created shattered like a spiderweb once more!

Countless Warp rifts were forcibly torn open by its violent aura, as if the gates of hell had been flung wide!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Blood for the Blood God!!"

Amid deafening bloodthirsty roars, countless Khorne Berserkers covered in crimson war paint, their muscles knotted and their hands clutching massive chainaxes and Bolters, surged from the rifts alongside Bloodletters, Flesh Hounds, Skull Cannons, and other twisted Khorne daemons reeking of blood. Like a filthy flood bursting through a dam, they instantly drowned the corridors and chambers around the bridge!

Their eyes held only slaughter and destruction. They hacked at anyone they saw and smashed anything in their path! The bridge, which had only just been purged, was once more plunged into a bloody hell!

Obi-Wan watched the apocalyptic scene, feeling the exhaustion still lingering within him and the depletion of the Force. A trace of resolve flashed through his eyes.

He drew a deep breath, placing his hand on his lightsaber hilt once more, prepared to force out the last of his strength for battle.

However, a slender hand covered by a white lace glove rested firmly yet gently on his arm.

"Master," Glory said, her voice calm and strong. At some point, she had changed into that elegant and luxurious court gown, but her eyes were as sharp as a queen's upon the battlefield. "You have already done enough. Please lead these wounded warriors away from the core area and to the medical bay. Leave the frontal battlefield to us."

Her voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable authority.

At the same time, the enormous sapphire at the tip of her scepter shone once again with brilliant light!

"Valkyrie Task Force! Execute the 'Bulwark' tactic!" Glory's voice instantly became clear and sharp, like a blade leaving its sheath. It rang beside Prince of Wales, Prinz Eugen, Nimi, and Joan of Arc, while also entering the minds of Guilliman and every Imperial warrior with perfect clarity!

"Wales! Assist Lord Regent Guilliman and contain the Greater Daemon from the front! Focus on fire suppression; avoid a direct clash!"

"Eugen! Main defense! Deploy the Wall of Sighs force field over the Regent and Prince of Wales's combat zone! Isolate outside interference!"

"Joan of Arc! Hold the line! Expand the sacred Halo to maximum range! Reinforce the Bulwark of Faith! Purge the corruption! Be ready to support the core battlefield at any time!"

"Nimi! Mobile cover! Clear the outer corridors and suppress the Khorne Berserkers and daemons advancing toward the core battlefield!"

"I will handle overall suppression and battlefield control!"

The orders were clear and precise, issued in an instant! The five Valkyries did not hesitate in the slightest. Amid flashing light, their powerful legendary conceptual armaments covered their bodies at once!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Prince of Wales's triple-mounted main guns fired instantly!

The three thick, blazing-white beams did not strike Skarbrand directly. Instead, they accurately slammed into the space just ahead and to the side of its path, triggering violent explosions and energy shockwaves that successfully slowed its charge toward Guilliman!

At the same time, the enormous chainsaw greatsword burned with dark golden flames like a serpent lying in wait, ready at any moment to parry or disrupt Skarbrand's attacks!

"Hmph! Annoying insects!" Skarbrand staggered under the sudden barrage, vicious light erupting from its single eye. Temporarily abandoning Guilliman, it swung its huge blood axe at Prince of Wales with force enough to tear space apart!

The pressure on Guilliman eased sharply. He immediately seized the opening, swinging the Emperor's Sword, wreathed in golden fury, viciously at Skarbrand's side joint!

BZZZZ—!

Prinz Eugen appeared in an instant behind and to the side of the core battlefield where Guilliman and Prince of Wales fought Skarbrand!

A massive diamond-shaped energy shield engraved with a roaring steel bear slammed down onto the deck!

An immensely heavy dark-red energy field, carrying the oppressive texture of solid metal, unfolded like the Wall of Sighs, forcibly separating the core battlefield from the surging tide of Khorne Berserkers and daemons outside!

Countless charging Khorne warriors and Bloodletters crashed into the invisible force field as if striking an Adamantium mountain, instantly shattering to pieces or being hurled away by the powerful repulsive force!

Within the force field, even Skarbrand's violent killing aura was greatly weakened!

"Light of Faith! Protect my friends!" Joan of Arc raised her fleur-de-lis shield high, and a holy golden Halo exploded outward from her, spreading across the entire core battlefield!

The Halo not only greatly strengthened the defenses of Guilliman, Prince of Wales, and Prinz Eugen, but also carried sacred purifying power that continuously burned and weakened the Khorne energy swirling around Skarbrand, dispersing the corrupting madness it brought!

The knightly sword in her hand gleamed with vigilance, ready to answer any threat that broke through the line.

"Got it! Watch me!" Nimi became an elusive bolt of blue lightning and instantly rushed into the outer corridors, which had become a grinding mill of flesh and blood!

The rapid-fire cannons on her back gave sharp shrieks, their dense barrage picking off Khorne Berserker leaders and daemon vanguards attempting to bypass Prinz Eugen's force field or assault the Imperial warriors' defensive line!

The miniature tracking missiles released from her waist swept through the dense enemy ranks like a Swarm, causing chaos and carnage!

She darted about at high speed, deftly evading attacks while guiding the Imperial warriors into a firing net, effectively containing the Khorne daemon host's inward charge!

Glory herself floated above a relatively safe raised platform on the bridge.

The crystal array core at the tip of her scepter erupted with unprecedented radiance!

Countless chains of pure light manifested from thin air, accurately wrapping around the strongest Khorne champions, Khorne Crushers, and other elite units!

These chains of light were not physical restraints. They acted directly upon the targets' soul cores, greatly suppressing their berserk strength and bloodthirsty urges!

At the same time, condensed spears of light fell like a rain of judgment, accurately killing the Khorne daemons attempting to destroy critical ship systems!

Her gaze remained calm, her psychic power spreading across the battlefield like an invisible web. She distributed firepower with precision, directed Nimi's movements, and coordinated the rhythm of defense and counterattack across the entire battlefield!

Under Glory's overall control and the Valkyrie Squad's flawless coordination, the flagship battlefield, which had been on the verge of collapse only moments ago, was forcibly stabilized!

In the core area, under the protection of Prinz Eugen's Wall of Sighs and the blessing of Joan's sacred Halo, Guilliman and Prince of Wales still could not suppress the berserk Skarbrand, but they could at least hold their own against it and avoid being instantly killed!

In the outer area, under Nimi's high-speed harassment, Glory's precise suppression, and the valiant resistance of the Imperial warriors, the Khorne daemon host's surging offensive was effectively contained. Unable to achieve a meaningful breakthrough, they could only roar and hurl themselves futilely against the Wall of Sighs force field!

Obi-Wan watched the Valkyrie Squad operate like a precision war machine. He watched them raise a sky of hope once more in the depths of despair, watched Carter and the other wounded being protected as they withdrew toward safety, and felt an indescribable shock and pride fill his heart.

He hesitated no longer. He immediately organized the Spartans and medics who could still move, escorting the severely wounded swiftly toward the relatively safe medical bay deep within the ship.

Outside the vessel, the ships that had volunteered to remain behind bloomed with their final and most tragic light beneath the Khorne fleet's furious firepower, like moths flying into flame.

Their sacrifice was not in vain. They bought the main fleet precious time to accelerate.

The battered expedition fleet, its engines keening at the edge of their limits, trailed smoke and fire as it finally shot like an arrow into the relatively stable Warp route ahead, illuminated by the Astronomican's light, under the pursuing bombardment of countless Khorne warships!

For the moment, it left behind the infernal battlefield swallowed by Khorne's daemon host, as well as the flagship still shuddering beneath Skarbrand's berserk assault and the Valkyries' stubborn resistance.

The escape continued.