Chapter 300: Gabriel: I Bet You're More Afraid of Death Than I Am
Warp energy, so dense it was almost tangible, instantly spread throughout the forbidden zone of the Webway. This severed part of Slaanesh's essence was used by the Chaos God as an anchor.
The immense divine power of Slaanesh scoured this section of the Webway, and under its assault, the very walls of the dimension, which should have been sealed from the warp, began to crack. In a matter of moments, a huge breach was corroded through the Webway. The kaleidoscopic light of the Realm of Chaos shot into the dark, forbidden zone.
Through this ever-widening breach, countless daemons of Slaanesh poured forth. The endless tide of daemons began to battle the malicious entities native to the zone, while a giant claw, manifested from Slaanesh's divine power, reached directly through the portal opened by the Dark Casket.
The presence of a Chaos God caused even these mindless, malicious entities to feel pain. The souls of the vast numbers of Dark Eldar dying in Commorragh were the perfect compass for Slaanesh. The influx of Eldar souls had only whet the Dark Prince's appetite. Now, it wanted more.
The legions of Slaanesh blocked the path of the native horrors. One after another, Greater Daemons of Slaanesh began to charge toward the open gate. The ultimate killer of Slaanesh, Syll'Esske, the Vengeful Allegiance, also materialized from the磅礴ous warp energy.
Slaanesh had already turned its gaze in the direction of Commorragh. Gabriel's actions had just provided the Dark Prince with the perfect opportunity to invade the Dark City. It could not wait to send its daemon legions through this gate and enjoy its buffet.
And Gabriel was also making a bet. The biggest gamble of his life. But he knew he would win.
These Eldar were more afraid of death than he was. He did not believe they would dare to keep this strange artifact open.
And he was right.
As the terrifying presence of Slaanesh itself was transmitted through the gate of the Dark Casket and onto the battlefield, both Traxus and Malys froze. Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably, as if their hearts were about to stop beating entirely. The longing Slaanesh felt for their souls filled them with an ultimate terror. An expression of pure fear appeared on the Haemonculus's face. He, more than anyone, could see what would happen if the daemons of Slaanesh entered Commorragh. No matter how much he modified himself, he was still an Eldar. His soul was still subject to the curse of Slaanesh.
If the daemons of Slaanesh truly broke through his secret weapon, then he would surely die. He would not even have a chance to be resurrected.
"Traxus! Close the gate! Quickly!" Malys shrieked.
She couldn't believe it. She felt that these humans were insane. How could the humans before her possess something that could summon Slaanesh? Chaos was supposed to be humanity's greatest enemy, wasn't it? Was this reasonable? What in the warp were their Inquisition and Ecclesiarchy doing?!
You motherfuckers, don't tell me you're secret Slaanesh worshippers!
Seeing the triumphant expression on Gabriel's face, Malys knew that he was certain he would win. But the moment this gamble had begun, she had already lost. She would absolutely not sacrifice her own noble life to die with these lowly Mon-keigh.
Traxus, too, struggled to control his blasphemous body. He once again began to chant the incantation. As the blood-runes, which seemed to be alive, began to writhe again, the gate of the Dark Casket slowly began to close. Seeing this, the daemons of Slaanesh grew desperate, but it was too late.
Finally, just before the power of Slaanesh could successfully pass through, the gateway sealed completely.
The roar of Slaanesh echoed through the forbidden zone of the Webway. With the path sealed once more, it could not break through this barrier. An opportunity to enter Commorragh and slaughter a massive number of Eldar was gone, just like that. It could only vent its fury on the creatures within this forbidden realm.
With the Dark Casket closed, no more malicious entities could come through. But the control room still seemed to echo with the roars of Slaanesh and its daemons. Everyone stared at the closed gate, their hearts still pounding with fear.
"Chapter Master! Are you alright?!"
Having been exposed to such a massive amount of warp energy, Gabriel was on the verge of collapse. Not everyone was as warp-resistant as Captain Titus. Jonah looked nervously at the physical mutations that had appeared on Gabriel's body. He finally understood why the Chapter's forebears had strictly forbidden this item from being removed from the armory. In the past, this level of warp corruption would have required purification by execution.
But Jonah knew that as long as he could get Gabriel back to Lord Lucan, he could purify the corruption from the Chapter Master. And the Panacea they were about to acquire could solve the problem of his physical mutations.
"I'm fine!" Gabriel grunted, forcing himself to his feet, though his consciousness was already beginning to blur. "Quick! Kill those xenos and seize the STC!"
On Malys's side, having lost the decisive power of the Dark Casket, it was now impossible to hold off the enraged Blood Ravens. Seeing the charging Space Marines, Malys screamed at Gabriel, "You Mon-keigh! If you dare to take another step, I will destroy this STC! You won't get it either!"
She couldn't have it, and neither could the humans.
But the furious Blood Ravens continued their charge, completely ignoring her threat. In Malys's eyes, this pack of Blood Ravens had lost their minds. Bolts were flying at her, with no regard for the STC behind her. Were these humans truly not afraid of damaging such an important artifact?
"Madmen! You are all fucking madmen!" Malys shrieked. "Traxus, overload and destroy the STC! We are retreating!"
The two of them immediately ran towards a secret passage behind them. Under Traxus's overload and the destruction caused by their remaining forces, the Panacea STC was severely damaged. Malys and Traxus had abandoned their remaining soldiers and modified creatures as disposable pawns to cover their retreat without a second thought. In the blink of an eye, the two were gone.
"Don't pursue! Our mission is the most important thing!"
Gabriel, supported by Jonah, rose and stopped the Chapter members from giving chase. They could have their revenge later. Right now, they had to take the STC.
After clearing out the last of the enemies in the room, Gabriel looked at the heavily damaged STC. He was not worried at all. In fact, he laughed.
Damage was always a minor issue. In the past, it would have been impossible to repair this STC. But now, as long as a part of its main body was still intact, the SCVs could restore it to perfect condition, maybe even better than before. The Dark Eldar's actions had even saved them the time of having to dismantle it.
Under the guidance of the Chapter's Techmarines, most of the fragments of the Panacea were collected.
"Inform Lord Lucan! Mission accomplished!"
At that moment, Lucan and his forces had already landed in the lower levels of Commorragh's main city spire. When the power of Slaanesh had poured through the Dark Casket, almost every living being in the entire Dark City had sensed the malice of the Chaos God. The momentary chaos among the Dark Eldar had even made the advance of Lucan's forces much smoother. The Daemon-steel nerve clusters attached to the metal box had also let him know that Gabriel had actually opened it.
Just as he was about to ask Gabriel what had happened, he received the news of the Blood Ravens' success.
"Gabriel has some serious guts," Lucan mused. "But it all worked out. He got rid of a dangerous artifact and successfully acquired the Panacea!"
At least for now, the result was good. Now that he had this device, not only would the Imperium have a strong counter against Nurgle, but it would also be of great use in the upcoming campaign at Baal. Perhaps the Panacea could solve the Blood Angels' curse of the Red Thirst and the Black Rage.
"Have the Blood Ravens transport the device immediately!"
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