The Emperor’s Angel of Death

#1948 - Final Sprint (Part 2)

"Indiscriminate slaughter is a reverence for the teachings of the Blood God, but we must also remain calm, fighting without distractions, not like bloodthirsty beasts. We must act in unison, with plans and strategies, not blindly rushing forward. This is the path of the Blood God, which will bring us all the pleasures that bloodshed and violence can offer—savage but clear-headed, cold-blooded with—wisdom."

Gazing at the chaotic battlefield, Zhu Fu's scarred face twisted into a cruel smile.

This Chaos Warlord was tall, made even more immense in Terminator armor. His left hand was a power fist with a built-in combi-bolter, his right hand gripped a daemon-bound battleaxe. Behind him stood thirty-eight Chaos Space Marines in similar crimson Terminator armor.

They were known as the Bloodsworn, the core force of Zhu Fu's warband, each one his most loyal elite warriors, and his bodyguards on the battlefield. These men were known for their brutal fighting style and savage ways, feared by both allies and enemies alike, and managed by Zhu Fu's most trusted subordinate, Gorfan.

Even within an Imperial Chapter, gathering thirty Terminators was no easy feat. Zhu Fu had managed to acquire them through a combination of theft and deception after joining Abaddon, and they were his ultimate trump card.

"So-called Space Knights, you are nothing but this. Let us trample over you and offer a true victory to the Blood God!"

Soon, under Zhu Fu's command, the Skulltakers warband's Chaos Space Marines quickly engaged the Third Company, which had failed to retreat to the defenses in time. Farzad immediately realized it was a trap. The enemy had used a large number of cultists as bait to lure them out, then cut them off on the battlefield. They were also cunning enough to avoid aiming for vital spots when firing, making it impossible for him to abandon the wounded and withdraw the company.

They were now about three hundred meters from the previously constructed defenses—not a great distance, but under the circumstances—

As a Third Company warrior's plasteel armor was cleaved open by a chainaxe, Farzad fired his plasma gun, blasting the Khornate Berserker's head off. But before that, the berserker's axe had sunk deep into the warrior's chest, and a tactical icon quickly went dark.

"Under attack, three dead, two critically wounded, counterattacking!"

"Two dead, three wounded!"

The casualty reports began to flood in, fueling Farzad's rage. He had already slain more than five Chaos Space Marines, but in his eyes, ten of the traitors were not worth one of his warriors.

"Advance!"

Realizing the Space Marines needed assistance, the Tech-Priests immediately ordered the Skitarii and combat servitors to move forward, forcing them to abandon their advantageous barricades and fortifications and enter the less favorable melee.

As the Adeptus Mechanicus and mortal forces began to advance in support, the Bloodsworn Terminators moved into the battle line in a fan formation, establishing their footing on the metal ground. Storm bolters and assault cannons opened fire on the charging Skitarii and combat servitors, and many combat servitors fell, sparking.

In response, the Third Company's Terminators also began to unleash the Emperor's wrath upon the enemy. Besides the Tenth Company, almost every Space Knight company had Terminator squads. Previously, they had been providing long-range support with the Skitarii, but now they had to move forward to support their surrounded comrades.

"Hmm? The Space Knights' firepower—"

Once both sides truly began to fight, Zhu Fu sensed something was wrong. If he wasn't mistaken, it looked like a full company.

The numbers weren't great, but the firepower was abnormally strong. The Terminators were equipped with either heavy meltas or heavy plasma weapons, and the tactical squads were the same. The ratio of melta and plasma weapons was unbelievably high. In less than ten minutes, the Skulltakers had already lost twenty or thirty men, and even two of the Bloodsworn Terminator squad were dead, both with their faces melted by meltas, beyond saving.

This level of attrition startled even the veteran Zhu Fu.

"What's going on with these guys? It seems the rumors are true. The Space Knights' armory really is extraordinarily lavish."

In fact, Zhu Fu had heard related rumors long ago, mainly from several acquaintances and Chaos leaders who had participated in the First Angstrom naval battle. They said that the Space Knights' weapons were very sophisticated, with everyone having plasma weapons. At the time, Zhu Fu didn't quite believe it.

Now, he had verified it with his own eyes, and the rumors were true.

Immediately, he felt uncertain. He had just used various tactics to catch the enemy off guard, thinking he could create a huge advantage, but the enemy's subsequent firepower clearly began to negate the tactical advantage he had previously created.

After all, everyone was a Space Marine. Aside from subjective factors like psychic abilities, Warp blessings, or experience, the biggest difference in combat power was equipment.

When exchanging bolter fire with plasma guns, it was obvious who had the advantage, assuming similar marksmanship.

But now was not the time to retreat. On one hand, the offensive had not yet waned, and on the other hand, he had to wait for some of the leaders and chieftains who were on good terms with him to withdraw from the star fort first.

"No forgiveness! No pity! Blood for the Blood God!"

Zhu Fu waved his hand, and the Khornate cultists all slit their own throats, using their blood and the chaotic slaughter of the battlefield as a catalyst to summon support from the Brass Throne.

In an instant, drums thundered on the battlefield, the standing water on the ground began to evaporate, and a thick mist mixed with blood rose, beginning to coalesce into horned daemon entities.

And in the most intense part of the battle, a glowing fissure opened in the ground, emitting a soul-searing heatwave, followed by a massive head emerging, hideously formed into a gaping maw with teeth as long as swords.

A terrifying, immaterial Bloodthirster entered reality.

Zhu Fu had once made a pact with a very powerful Khorne Greater Daemon on Vraks. Although he eventually fled, the offerings he made pleased the cooperator. Therefore, Zhu Fu could still summon daemons of varying strength from Khorne's realm based on the sacrifices he offered.

This time, he only summoned one Bloodthirster, a relatively low-level one, but it was enough.

"Foul creature!"

Watching the Khorne Greater Daemon loom before him, Farzad gripped his twin axes, his heart filled with boiling battle lust.

Then it stepped forward, crushing two screaming cultists, shaking its abhorrent horned head and spewing scorching sulfurous gas.

Its arms were as large as a Space Marine warrior, connected to a broad chest that constantly undulated and was covered in brass scales. Below the belt and skirt armor adorned with Khorne's angry totems were a pair of crouching, reverse-jointed legs. Huge wings grew from its back, and its muscles were knotted like molten brass, emitting a dazzling phosphorescence, its eyes like gems licked by red flames.