Beyond the veil, in the Empyrean, the figure on the brass throne watched a pair of brothers charge the enemy, spears in hand.
Alpharius and Omegon.
He watched with satisfaction as the Chief Librarian, Rukul, following in their footsteps, suddenly convulsed, fell to one knee, and retched into his helmet.
The worm-creature's form loomed over the twin Primarch brothers. It swung its scepter, meeting Alpharius's Pale Spear.
Alpharius's arm went numb. He tried to grip his spear, but the worm-creature's strength was beyond imagining. The spear flew from his hand.
A burst of bolts fired from the right. Rukul and the other Alphas opened fire.
The worm-creature contracted, the rounds sliding past its side.
Its extended arm lunged. Necrotic fluid instantly burned through armor. Energy tore Alpharius's flesh.
Agony wracked Alpharius. He had experienced fire and acid, but now the molecules of his body were being torn apart.
Flesh dissolved, exposing bone.
The Primarch was not completely incapacitated. He returned fire with his pistol.
A hole as wide as the Primarch's thigh opened in the worm-creature's torso. A plasma blast burned through a large mass of maggots.
Alpharius's body began to regenerate, but his rapid healing was no match for the writhing maggots.
Before the flesh on his right chest could reknit over the bone, his strength was no match for the worm-creature.
A worm-arm lashed towards his head. Alpharius watched calmly, sidestepping smoothly.
A screaming power spear impaled the worm-arm. The grip was Omegon's.
Alpharius retrieved the Pale Spear. He and Omegon stood back to back.
Their movements synchronized. Back to back, four arms, two spears.
Alpharius parried a necrotic beam with the Pale Spear. Omegon thrusts, impaling an attacker trying to exploit his brother's damaged armor.
Alpharius's spear tip sliced through a worm-foot reaching for his brother's. Omegon's spear thrusts into a worm-arm, stopping the descending scepter.
Omegon dodged. Alpharius struck.
"I understand now why some of our brothers are so fond of battle," Alpharius said to Omegon, breathing in rhythm with him. "It feels different when you are whole."
Khorne watched the brothers, pressed together, with no guard against each other, completely trusting one another.
They were a single soul in two bodies. When whole, they far exceeded fighting alone.
As they shifted between attack and defense, the worm-creature's wounds multiplied.
"Twin souls, tacit understanding."
In his vision, a cobalt-blue figure also charged the enemy.
The moment the worm-creature tore through Marius Gage's cobalt-blue armor, Guilliman's fury boiled.
The bolt guns mounted on the Hand of Dominion roared, each round striking a different point on the xenos.
The worm-creature twisted, dodging most, but one bolt exploded on its left arm.
It ignored the wound, raising its scepter. Emerald energy flickered.
Guilliman couldn't discern its firing pattern. He only heard a crackle. His iron halo deflected the shot.
The deflected ray, unfortunately, struck an Honor Guard member in cobalt-blue armor.
The armor crackled, dissolving in the necrotic fluids.
Guilliman saw the exposed bone of his son and roared.
The Hand of Dominion activated with crackling arcs. A smooth, blue force field enveloped the massive mechanical fingers and the bolter beneath.
He charged. But with another bizarre crackle, an evil beam struck him. His iron halo did not activate this time.
The agony of burning and corrosion made Guilliman roar.
His entire left arm went numb.
The Primarch was not completely incapacitated. He forced his numb fingers to pull the trigger, unleashing a dense barrage at the xenos.
The worm-creature flattened and contracted. The rounds slid past.
Shadows spread. Before Guilliman could react, the worm-creature reformed.
It swung its scepter. Guilliman raised his just-regained arm.
Power fist met necrotic scepter. Guilliman felt the xenos' terrifying strength. The battered flesh of his left arm screamed in agony.
Guilliman raised his right hand, grabbing the xenos' right arm.
Maggots writhed under his gauntlet. His gauntlet began to smoke. Necrotic fluids ate through the ceramite, seeping into his skin.
The worm-creature knocked Guilliman down with its scepter. "Meat-thing, your time is up."
Its vox-synthesizer spat barely recognizable Low Gothic, a hissing sound as if filled with slime.
"I will savor your flesh. I hope it's tasty."
"Xeno scum, die!" With a roar, the Primarch's Honor Guard surged from both sides, unleashing a dense barrage at the worm-creature.
Clusters of maggots exploded. The worm-creature was forced to drop its food.
The Honor Guard quickly formed a shield wall before Guilliman, buying him time to rise.
The worm-creature made a sound like a human chuckle as it slipped into the Honor Guard's ranks.
Maggots grew. Its wounds healed faster than a Primarch's.
Guilliman roared, watching his sons pierced by evil beams, their bodies torn apart by worm-arms.
The Hand of Dominion slammed into the ground. He grabbed a krak grenade and lunged over the last fallen Honor Guard member.
The shockwave hurled cobalt-blue corpses, also throwing the worm-creature into the air.
"Meat-thing."
A worm-arm seized Guilliman's chest, but his eyes were only on the xenos that had slaughtered his Honor Guard.
Blue light shrieked, tearing the necrotic shroud. The Hand of Dominion slammed into the worm-creature's body.
Guilliman activated the krak grenade and shoved it into the slime-filled cavity. The frantically writhing maggots tried to push it out.
Guilliman raised his right arm and slammed it down.
The grenade was driven deep into the xenos' body. Guilliman's right arm was also submerged in the pus.
The grenade exploded. The worm-creature's body was blown apart.
Clusters of worms scattered, slapping against the cobalt-blue armor.
Corrosive fluids ate at the Primarch's armor and flesh.
The Primarch's regenerative abilities fought the invading necrotic force. Guilliman gazed sorrowfully at the strewn corpses around him.
He staggered and fell, caught by the arriving Gren Vosotho.
The majestic figure on the brass throne praised with a single word: "Courage!"
His gaze moved to the final figure.
His hair was disheveled. His sword was bloodstained. The light of battle blazed in his eyes.
His black armor, trimmed with gold, charged the xenos. He held his sword before him, deflecting the emerald beam.
Feeling the impact in his palm, he twisted his wrist, letting the blade, pushed towards his body, slide aside.
The Lion watched the worm-arm, moving the moment it rose.
His Honor Guard followed, desperate to aid their father, pouring bolts into the xenos.
Necrotic beams struck them. Black corpses fell.
The Lion moved in a spiraling step, just as he had learned from Luther, appearing before the worm-creature.
He swung his sword, but before it met the scepter, he suddenly twisted, severing a mass of worms.
Khorne, enthroned on the brass throne, watched the Lion constantly shift his balance.
He attacked while defending, defended while attacking.
He watched the endless, unbreakable spiral of defense and offense and praised.
"Attack, defense, skill, balance."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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