The doors had already closed behind them, and their only escape route vanished as the transport departed.
The area where Lucius and Chelast now stood had become the epicenter of the living space station's frenzied counterattack.
Darkness was no longer an absence of light, but a suffocating presence composed of countless masses of writhing flesh, pulsing blood vessels, and viscous secretions.
The cloyingly sweet stench of decay hung so thick in the air that it seemed almost tangible, pushing the Astartes Helmet filtration systems to their limits.
"Here they come!" Lucius growled, his crimson Visor lenses locking onto the space ahead.
As though the will of the entire station had been driven into an absolute fury, countless shadowy vines erupted from every direction.
Above them, beneath their feet, along the walls...
They shot toward them like wildly thrashing vipers!
These were no longer individual vines. They wove together into an all-encompassing net of death, shrieking as they tore through the air, intent on crushing and digesting the two presumptuous insects that had dared venture into its core!
"For the desecrated souls!" Chelast roared like a wounded beast and met the attack first!
The Plasma Pistol in his hand erupted with dazzling blue-white light at an unprecedented rate!
Gone were the careful single shots, replaced by an almost frenzied, continuous barrage!
Vmmm!!! Hiss-crack!
A thick beam of plasma struck like a spear of judgment, instantly vaporizing three or four of the thickest vines charging straight at him without leaving even ashes behind!
The superheated, ionized air cracked sharply, bathing their surroundings in a deathly white glare. But that was only the beginning!
Chelast's arm remained rock-steady. The Gun muzzle seemed to possess a mind of its own, every flash singling out a deadly vine with unerring precision.
Blue energy spheres hammered