Chapter 332 — The Prophet's Guard
"Kill them!"
Regret's command echoed across the command deck.
The Honor Guard charged.
Energy swords ignited as the Covenant's finest warriors surged through the smoke.
Gaius stepped forward.
At more than ten feet tall, he towered over the Sangheili approaching him. His golden armor made the warriors around him look small by comparison.
The first Honor Guard reached him.
Its energy sword came down toward his head.
Gaius raised his left arm.
CLANG!
The blade struck the auramite gauntlet.
The impact barely moved him.
The Sangheili pushed harder, both hands tightening around the weapon.
Gaius looked down at it.
His right fist moved.
BOOM!
The ruby-studded power fist slammed into the Sangheili's chest.
The energy shield collapsed instantly.
The punch continued through the armor.
The Sangheili was lifted completely off the deck and thrown backward. It struck a command console with enough force to bend the metal around its body before dropping motionless to the floor.
Gaius did not even slow.
Another Honor Guard attacked from his left.
Gaius turned.
The Sangheili swung for his neck.
Gaius caught the warrior's arm.
For a moment, the Honor Guard struggled.
It was one of the Covenant's finest warriors.
It could barely move.
Gaius tightened his grip.
CRACK.
The Sangheili's armor buckled beneath his fingers.
He pulled.
The warrior was ripped off its feet and dragged toward him.
Gaius's fist struck its face.
CRUNCH.
The impact sent the Sangheili spinning across the command deck.
It hit the floor and did not rise.
Titus crashed into the Covenant line.
His chainsword roared.
VRRRRRMMMM!
He buried the blade into the first Sangheili's torso and drove it backward.
Metaurus fought beside him.
His power axe rose.
THOOM!
It smashed through a Sangheili's energy shield.
The second strike buried itself into the warrior's torso.
The Covenant line recoiled.
The two Bladeguard advanced together.
Their shields locked, forming a solid wall between the Covenant and the warriors behind them.
Energy swords crashed against the shields.
CLANG!
The first Bladeguard stepped into the blow instead of retreating. His sword came around the edge of his shield in a short, controlled cut.
SHNK!
The blade passed through the Sangheili's weakened shield and bit into its forearm.
The alien recoiled.
The veteran immediately followed with a thrust toward the exposed chest.
The Sangheili twisted aside.
Too slow.
The sword punched through its armor.
The Bladeguard ripped the weapon free and raised his shield just as another energy sword came down.
CLANG!
He caught the strike, rotated his shield, and knocked the blade away.
His sword followed in the same motion.
A diagonal cut opened the Sangheili's shoulder.
The warrior stumbled.
The Bladeguard stepped forward and finished it with a short thrust beneath the ribs.
The Sangheili collapsed.
Beside him, the second veteran was already fighting three warriors at once.
He moved with almost no wasted motion.
His shield turned one energy sword aside.
His sword struck the attacker's wrist.
The weapon fell.
He stepped inside the Sangheili's guard and drove his shoulder into its chest, knocking it backward.
Another warrior rushed him.
He pivoted.
The energy sword passed inches from his helmet.
His own blade came around in a tight arc.
SHNK!
The Sangheili's shield flickered.
A second cut struck the same point.
The shield collapsed.
The veteran's sword drove straight through the alien's torso.
He pulled the blade free and immediately raised his shield.
CLANG!
Another energy sword struck it.
He caught the attack, trapped the weapon against the shield's edge, and twisted his body.
The Covenant warrior was pulled off balance.
The veteran's sword flashed upward.
The Sangheili fell.
The two Bladeguard never broke formation.
One attacked while the other covered him.
A shield turned a sword aside.
A blade answered.
One warrior stepped forward.
The other filled the opening.
Their movements were practiced and precise, built from centuries of battlefield doctrine and countless engagements.
They did not swing wildly.
Every cut had a purpose.
Every step closed another angle.
Every opening was exploited.
The Covenant warriors were forced backward.
CLANG!
SHNK!
CLANG!
The Bladeguard advanced through them, shields locked whenever the enemy pressed close, swords flashing out whenever a gap appeared.
One Sangheili attempted to rush between them.
The veterans separated for less than a second.
The first shield slammed into its chest.
The second veteran's sword drove through its exposed side.
The two immediately closed ranks again.
Then the Dreadnought arrived.
THOOM.
His massive frame entered the melee.
The rotary cannon spun.
VRRRRRRRRRR—
Then erupted.
BRRRRRRRRRRT!
Heavy rounds tore through the Covenant defenders.
Sangheili dropped beneath the barrage.
Jiralhanae staggered as mass-reactive rounds punched through armor, flesh, and bone.
One particularly massive Brute forced its way through the storm of fire.
Roaring in defiance, it charged the Dreadnought and raised its gravity hammer.
It never got the chance to swing.
The Dreadnought's power fist struck first.
BOOM!
The impact detonated through the Jiralhanae's torso.
Ribs shattered.
Armor crumpled.
The Brute left the ground entirely.
Its body flew across the command deck like a projectile, smashing through a damaged console and scattering twisted metal in every direction before crashing into the far wall.
The Dreadnought did not even look at the corpse.
His assault cannon continued firing.
BRRRRRRRRRRT!
The command deck became a storm of bolter fire, plasma, shattered armor, and burning bodies.
Regret watched from behind the Honor Guard.
His expression darkened.
They were dying.
Too quickly.
These were not ordinary soldiers.
They were the finest warriors aboard his flagship.
Yet the intruders continued advancing.
A communications officer turned toward him.
"Hierarch!"
Regret looked over.
"The reinforcements have begun entering the vessel."
"How many?"
"Several groups have already deployed. More are still arriving."
Regret looked toward the command deck.
"Send them here."
The officer relayed the order.
Across the damaged flagship, Covenant forces began moving toward the command levels.
More Sangheili.
More Jiralhanae.
More weapons.
Regret watched Gaius.
The golden warrior continued walking toward him.
He had not even looked toward his other warriors.
That bothered Regret.
An Honor Guard stepped into Gaius's path.
Its energy sword swept toward his chest.
Gaius caught the attack on his gauntlet.
The blade screamed against the auramite.
The ruby-studded knuckles tightened.
Gaius struck.
BOOM!
The warrior's shield vanished.
The power fist smashed into its abdomen.
Armor folded inward.
The Sangheili left the ground.
Gaius released it.
The body flew backward and struck the deck hard enough to leave a dent in the metal.
Another immediately replaced it.
Then another.
They were no longer trying to defeat him.
They were trying to slow him.
Gaius understood.
His eyes remained fixed on Regret.
Nothing else mattered.
"Stop him!"
Regret pointed toward Gaius.
"Do not let him reach me!"
The remaining Honor Guard charged.
Gaius met them.
One energy sword struck his shoulder.
Sparks erupted.
The blade slid across his armor without finding a weakness.
Gaius caught the wielder by the arm.
The Sangheili struggled.
Gaius pulled.
The warrior came off its feet as though it weighed nothing.
His power fist struck its chest.
BOOM!
The armor collapsed.
The Sangheili flew backward and smashed into another warrior.
Both hit the deck.
Another attacker came from the side.
Gaius turned.
His fist caught the Sangheili across the face.
CRACK!
The warrior was thrown several meters across the command deck.
A third came from behind.
Gaius turned before the attack landed.
He caught the energy sword between both gauntlets.
The Honor Guard pushed against him.
Gaius did not move.
The Sangheili pushed harder.
Nothing.
Gaius slowly looked down at the warrior.
The difference in size was almost absurd.
Then his right fist moved.
BOOM!
The punch struck the warrior's torso.
Its shields disappeared.
The impact folded the armor inward and sent the Sangheili flying across the deck.
Gaius released the broken energy sword.
It clattered against the floor.
He kept walking.
One step.
Another.
The command deck was filling with Covenant reinforcements.
Titus looked toward the command doors.
"They're coming."
Metaurus buried his axe into a Jiralhanae.
"Let them."
The Bladeguard continued holding their position.
The Dreadnought's rotary cannon opened fire again.
BRRRRRRRRRRT!
The first wave of reinforcements disappeared beneath the barrage.
Plasma bolts struck the Dreadnought's armor.
He kept advancing.
More Covenant warriors poured onto the command deck.
Sangheili.
Jiralhanae.
Security troops.
They surrounded the Ultramarines.
Regret saw it.
His confidence returned.
There were too many.
Even these monsters could not kill them all.
"Keep them away from me!"
The Honor Guard obeyed.
Regret's throne drifted farther backward.
Gaius noticed.
His eyes followed the movement.
Regret was retreating.
The Prophet had stopped pretending otherwise.
Gaius stepped over another fallen warrior.
His massive boot crushed broken armor beneath it.
Plasma weapons fired around him.
Bolts struck shields.
Titus's chainsword roared.
Metaurus's axe smashed through another defender.
The Dreadnought's guns thundered.
The Prophet had become the only thing that mattered.
Another Honor Guard stepped forward.
It raised its energy sword.
Gaius stopped.
The Sangheili attacked.
Gaius caught the blade between both gauntlets.
The energy field screamed against the auramite.
For a moment, the two stood locked together.
The Honor Guard pushed with everything it had.
Gaius barely moved.
His eyes remained on Regret.
The Sangheili snarled and pushed harder.
Gaius's arms did not shake.
His expression did not change.
Then he pulled.
The Honor Guard stumbled forward.
Gaius drove his knee into its chest.
BOOM!
The Sangheili folded around the impact.
Before it could fall, Gaius seized it by the throat.
He lifted it off the ground.
The warrior's feet kicked uselessly several feet above the deck.
Gaius stared at it for a moment.
Then he threw it aside.
The body struck the deck and rolled to a stop.
Gaius continued forward.
Regret stared at him.
The Prophet's breathing became heavier.
His warriors were dying.
His reinforcements were still fighting their way through the damaged sections.
And the golden warrior was getting closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Regret's throne drifted backward.
His eyes remained fixed on the giant.
Honor Guards died before him.
Reinforcements flooded the command deck.
Yet the warrior never slowed.
He simply kept advancing.
Calm.
Relentless.
Unstoppable.
And at last, Regret understood.
This was not merely a human.
It was a weapon.
A weapon forged for war.
A weapon humanity had unleashed upon the Covenant.
And it was coming for him.
Gaius noticed.
A faint smile appeared.
He stepped forward.
An Honor Guard moved between them.
Gaius struck.
BOOM!
The warrior was thrown aside.
Another stepped forward.
Gaius struck again.
BOOM!
It crashed into the deck.
The final Honor Guard remained.
It looked toward Regret.
Then toward Gaius.
The warrior knew what was coming.
It charged.
Gaius met it head-on.
The collision shook the command deck.
BOOM!
The Honor Guard's energy sword struck Gaius's shoulder.
Gaius caught the warrior with both hands.
The Sangheili tried to pull away.
It could not.
Gaius lifted it.
For a moment, the warrior hung helplessly in his grasp.
Then Gaius drove it downward.
CRASH!
The Honor Guard hit the deck with enough force to crack the metal beneath it.
It stopped moving.
Silence seemed to settle around them.
Regret stared.
For the first time since the battle began, there were no warriors between them.
Only the Prophet.
And the golden warrior walking toward him.
Gaius raised one auramite gauntlet.
The ruby-studded knuckles gleamed beneath the burning lights.
Regret's throne drifted backward.
Gaius took another step.
"Run."
Regret froze.
Gaius's expression remained calm.
"It changes nothing. You will still answer my questions."
The Prophet stared at him.
For the first time, Regret understood that the warrior before him was not asking him to surrender.
He was giving him permission to flee.
Because Gaius already knew how this would end.
And somewhere behind that calm expression was another purpose.
Questions.
Answers.
The secrets inside the mind of a Hierarch.
Regret did not understand what awaited him after death.
Gaius did.
He intended to take everything the Prophet knew.
End Chapter
~~~
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