Chapter 79
The two battleships soon drew close. The Death Guard's Indomitable Will was a capital ship belonging to the plague fleet.
Even though it was only a single vessel, no ordinary Imperial Navy flotilla would dare provoke it. Even the most zealous of admirals would only be throwing their men into death.
Its commander was no mere officer, but a Captain of the Death Guard themselves.
"Strange… is this really the Cadia system?"
The plague-ridden Captain frowned. His original destination was not Cadia, but the neighboring sector. His mission had been simple: spread Father Nurgle's gifts across nearby worlds, sowing panic and delaying reinforcements from reaching the Cadian Gate.
So why had his ship drifted into Cadia's very backyard?
"Is that a battleship? Hah, does Cadia only have one left? No… wait. That's not the Corpse-Emperor's navy."
He narrowed his gaze. The vessel bore no Imperial Aquila. Instead, strange icons and alien sigils decorated its hull, making it look more like a ramshackle ork kroozer or some undivided warband's craft.
Undivided Chaos meant those who worshipped the Ruinous Powers as a whole, rather than one god in particular. The Word Bearers were the most infamous example.
"Send a signal."
"Transmission sent, no reply."
"Hmm. Could it be a space hulk? Jump closer—we'll take a look."
The Indomitable Will drifted alongside the other ship—Genesis.
Both vessels were massive, gothic cathedrals of voidsteel. As always, Imperial architecture revealed nothing of what lurked inside; colossal spires and fortress-walls hid their secrets.
The first to cross into the Genesis hangar were squads of bloated Death Guard, their heavy footfalls echoing against steel decking. Accompanying them were swarms of Nurglings, capering daemons of rot.
Each warrior of the Death Guard was swollen with disease, their flesh fused seamlessly with corroded power armor. Though their girth suggested sluggishness, the Plague Marines moved with disturbing speed, bolstered by unholy regeneration. Wounds that would slay any other Astartes knitted back together with grotesque ease.
The hangar filled with the stench of rot and decay. The Nurglings scampered everywhere, squealing with glee—until a few strayed too deep into the corridors. One rounded a corner… only to find towering Space Marines standing in silence, daggers in hand, motioning for quiet. The daemon froze. Then—nothing.
Viewer discretion advised: minor daemons under a hundred years old should be supervised by a parent or guardian.
The Death Guard did not notice their losses. They swept the hangar cautiously, only to stumble upon strange relics:
Power armor, both Word Bearer crimson and Ultramarine blue, scattered across the deck. Not discarded, but embedded—fused into bulkheads and flooring, as if half-swallowed by the ship itself.
"MK II… MK III plate," one Plague Marine muttered.
"Ultramarine armor? From the 30K era? Then… this must have been a Word Bearer ship."
It made sense. The Word Bearers had butchered Ultramarines during the Heresy. Even now, Macragge still endured their raids. They were ancient enemies, locked in eternal spite.
Of course, the Death Guard despised the Word Bearers as well. Chaos Legions often fought side by side, but rarely without bitterness. Alliance did not mean friendship.
"Report this back to the ship. We'll press deeper."
The investigation led them into a corridor—where chainswords suddenly roared to life.
"For the Emperor!!!"
"For the Great Plan!!!"
"What—?!"
Space Wolves came charging, joined by scaled warriors wielding heavy clubs—Lizardmen.
The Death Guard had braced for ambush, but not this. Ultramarines or Word Bearers, maybe. But loyalist Space Wolves? Even stranger xenos allies?
(Quick note: before the Heresy, the Legions numbered in the tens of thousands. After, Guilliman's Codex split them into smaller Chapters—battle-groups of a thousand or so. Chaos, however, kept their 'warbands,' fragmented remnants of their original Legions.)
The ambush was brutal. Several Death Guard fell, their rotting bodies torn apart, before the survivors adjusted and returned fire. A vicious gun battle erupted in the hangar.
On the Genesis bridge, Isis gave Captain Wade a sharp nod.
"Load batteries."
"Fire!!!"
Macro-cannons thundered. Salvos tore across the void, slamming into the Indomitable Will's flanks. Even a vessel of equal class staggered under the bombardment, armor plating buckling.
"What?!" The Death Guard Captain reeled. "This ship… it was already a battlefield for Word Bearers and Ultramarines—now it fires on us?"
The Indomitable Will was no ordinary ship; it had long since become a living plague-host. Macro fire alone would not destroy it quickly. But it enraged the Captain all the same.
"Who dares attack us?!"
"Wolf cubs, my lord!"
"Hold fast—I'll dispatch reinforcements at once—"
His words cut off as the ship suddenly shuddered. The entire hull groaned, vibrating as if something enormous had latched onto it.
The Captain's face twisted. "What now?!"
"Sir—we've got… something onboard."
"Debris from the shattered planet?"
"No, my lord. Not debris. Something alive."
"Send a squad to—"
"No need," another Plague Marine croaked, pointing past him.
The Captain turned. Behind him loomed the viewing window of the bridge—except now, something blocked the stars.
A colossal head, pressed against the voidglass, stared back with pale, pitiless eyes.
The Death Guard Captain had faced daemons, titans, even greater beasts before. But that gaze—cold, unblinking, ancient—nearly froze the ichor in his veins.
"Oh… Loving Father above."
There was no need to investigate further. Even the smallest Nurgling could see it.
Godzilla.
Having survived the exploding planet, the beast had somehow propelled himself through the void. Whether by physics-defying wings, or some inscrutable kaiju method, he had flown straight into the Death Guard's path.
'Huh. Guess I flew the wrong way. My ship's the other one, over there.'
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