Chapter 336 — The Blood God's Challenge
The gathering was held within one of Cascade's primary hangars.
The battle was over.
The Covenant fleet had been broken.
Damaged human vessels were already undergoing repairs, their crews working around the clock to restore engines, weapons, shields, and other systems. Rather than sending the damaged ships back to the Fabricator to have everything restored automatically, the crews had been ordered to repair them themselves. It gave them the opportunity to better understand the technology, familiarize themselves with the systems, and learn how to maintain the vessels without relying entirely on the Fabricator.
Recovery operations continued throughout the system, with salvage teams combing through the debris fields for survivors and anything that could still be recovered.
The hangar was no longer filled with the sounds of battle.
Only the steady hum of machinery remained, accompanied by the distant voices of crews working to put the system back together.
Yet, for a brief moment, everyone had gathered in one place.
The Ultramarines stood behind Gaius.
Titus.
Metaurus.
The two Bladeguard Veterans.
And the massive Dreadnought, towering over everyone present. His armored frame resembled a walking fortress, ancient weapons mounted upon his body and the weight of decades of war contained within his machine spirit.
Nearby stood the recovered Sister of Silence.
Even now, most people unconsciously kept their distance from her.
The effect of her blankness remained unsettling.
Those around her could not explain what was wrong.
There was simply something missing.
Something that made the human mind instinctively uncomfortable.
The members of the Group Chat were exceptions.
Tony Stark stood with his arms crossed, looking far more relaxed than the circumstances warranted.
Naruto just stood there with a grin on his face.
Saeko stood calmly beside the others.
Diana watched the gathering in silence.
Mindy remained close to the group.
Tanya stood with her arms folded, looking as though she would rather be somewhere else.
Catherine Halsey had arrived personally.
So had Serin Osman.
Margaret Parangosky was unable to attend in person, but a holographic projection of the ONI director stood among them, her image flickering slightly above the projector.
Everyone already knew why they had gathered.
They had been informed beforehand.
Gaius was leaving.
Gaius looked around the hangar.
Then he spoke.
"I will be departing."
The hangar became quiet.
"There are matters within my own world that require my attention."
Nobody seemed surprised.
Most had expected this.
Even so, hearing him say it aloud made the departure feel more final.
Osman was the first to respond.
She folded her arms.
"Do you require anything from us?"
Gaius looked toward her.
"Anything at all. Technology. Resources. Personnel."
Gaius shook his head.
"No."
Osman's eyebrow rose slightly.
Gaius then gestured toward the gathered members of the Group Chat.
Tony.
Naruto.
Tanya.
Saeko.
Diana.
Mindy.
"If your reverse-engineering efforts on Covenant slipspace technology bear fruit, share the results with them."
His gaze passed across the group.
"If they receive it, I will receive it as well."
Osman nodded.
"Understood."
It was one of the advantages of the Group Chat.
Knowledge shared with one member could eventually benefit them all.
Tony grinned.
"That's a pretty good perk."
Naruto laughed.
"Works for me."
Halsey stepped forward.
The scientist looked directly at Gaius.
There was a seriousness in her expression rarely seen by those who worked under her.
"Then allow me to say something before you leave."
The remaining conversations stopped.
Halsey looked toward the assembled personnel.
Then back at Gaius.
"The people of this world owe you a debt that cannot be measured."
Her voice carried throughout the hangar.
"When the Covenant came to Cascade, they intended to destroy it."
Several officers lowered their heads.
They knew exactly how close humanity had come to extinction.
"The fleet that arrived here should have overwhelmed us."
Halsey's eyes remained on Gaius.
"Instead, humanity survived."
She paused.
"Because of your actions."
The scientist was not known for emotional speeches.
Yet there was no denying what had happened.
"You fought where others could not."
"You boarded the enemy flagship."
"You killed one of the Covenant's most important leaders."
"You helped save not only this world, but humanity as a whole."
Silence filled the hangar.
Many of the personnel present straightened unconsciously.
Some looked toward Gaius with open admiration.
Others with respect.
A few with something approaching awe.
Halsey continued.
"Humanity will remember that."
Her gaze shifted.
She looked across the gathered allies.
The Ultramarines.
The Sister of Silence.
The Dreadnought.
The members of the Group Chat.
A faint smile appeared.
"No."
"Not just Gaius."
"You as well."
"All of you."
"The people of this world will remember everyone who stood beside us."
"None of you were from this universe. None of you were obligated to help us."
Her eyes passed from one face to another.
"Yet you help anyway."
"Every one of you helped save Cascade."
"And the humans of this universe will remember all of you."
The Ultramarines remained motionless.
Yet several human officers visibly nodded.
The statement felt right.
The victory had not belonged to one warrior alone.
Gaius inclined his head slightly.
"It was our duty."
The answer was simple.
Matter-of-fact.
Exactly what everyone had come to expect from him.
Yet somehow that made the words carry more weight.
Parangosky's hologram spoke next.
"For once, Doctor Halsey and I are in complete agreement."
Several surprised looks immediately turned toward her.
Parangosky ignored them.
"Humanity owes you a debt."
Her expression remained stern.
"We will not forget."
Coming from Margaret Parangosky, it was perhaps the highest praise anyone present could receive.
Gaius simply nodded.
The matter required no further discussion.
That was enough.
He turned toward the members of the Group Chat.
Naruto was the first to wave.
"See you later, Gaius!"
Tony raised a hand.
"Let us know if anything happens."
Diana smiled.
"May your journey be safe."
Saeko inclined her head politely.
"We shall meet again."
Mindy waved enthusiastically.
"Bye, Gaius! And I think it would be better if you broadcasted whatever happens to us too. We could watch."
Tanya folded her arms.
"Try not to die."
There was a brief pause.
Then she added,
"It would be inconvenient."
Naruto immediately burst out laughing.
Even Tony struggled to keep a straight face.
Gaius regarded Tanya for a moment.
Then nodded.
"I will endeavor to avoid it."
That earned several smiles.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Gaius turned.
The Ultramarines moved behind him.
The Sister of Silence followed.
The Dreadnought took a single step forward.
The hangar floor vibrated beneath his immense weight.
Gaius raised one hand.
A familiar blue interface appeared before him.
The Group Chat.
The system responded immediately.
Light began to gather in the air.
Golden particles drifted outward as the portal opened, illuminating armor, machinery, and the faces of everyone watching.
Gaius stepped forward.
The Ultramarines followed.
The Sister of Silence entered after them.
Finally, the Dreadnought advanced.
The colossal warrior crossed the threshold, his massive frame disappearing into the golden light.
Several personnel instinctively stepped backward as he passed.
Then Gaius stopped.
He looked back one final time.
His gaze swept across the gathered humans.
Halsey.
Osman.
Parangosky.
The officers were there.
The technicians.
The soldiers.
All had gathered within the hangar, their attention focused on the Ultramarine standing among them.
At the far end of the hangar stood the Spartans.
They had remained there quietly, watching.
Gaius's gaze eventually settled upon them.
He knew they were watching him.
And the Spartans seemed to know that he had noticed.
One by one, they raised their hands in salute.
A simple gesture.
But one carrying unmistakable respect.
Gaius held their gaze for a moment.
Then he gave them one final nod.
Nothing more needed to be said.
Then stepped through.
His form dissolved into countless particles of golden light.
The portal began to collapse.
One by one, the remaining figures vanished.
Until nothing remained.
The light disappeared.
The hangar fell silent.
Only the humans remained.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then the machinery continued its work.
Cascade had survived.
But somewhere far away, another battle was already waiting.
Gaius appeared upon Varrak Prime.
The world was burning.
A burst of golden particles erupted across a battered trench line.
Gaius emerged first.
Then Titus.
Metaurus.
The two Bladeguard Veterans.
The Sister of Silence.
Finally, the Dreadnought.
But the moment Gaius saw the battlefield, he knew something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The sky above Varrak Prime was darker than when he had left.
Much darker.
Black smoke covered vast portions of the horizon.
Countless fires burned across the wasteland.
Artillery detonations flashed in the distance, each explosion followed by the deep concussion of the blast.
The ground shook beneath their feet.
But it was the sky that drew the eye.
Immense scars of impossible colors stretched across the heavens.
Purple.
Crimson.
Sickly green.
Colors that did not belong in reality.
A Warp Storm churned above the planet.
It twisted across the sky like a living wound.
Lightning formed from raw Warp energy flashed between clouds that seemed to move against the laws of nature.
The veil between reality and the Immaterium had grown thin.
Far too thin.
Gaius stared upward.
When he had left Varrak Prime, there had been no war.
There had been only a single psyker.
A psyker blessed by the Warp.
The creature had believed itself to be the Emperor.
It had gathered followers around that delusion, twisting the world with its presence and spreading traces of Chaos wherever it went.
Gaius had confronted it.
Then he had killed it.
Cleanly.
Afterward, the forces accompanying him had purged every trace of Chaos from Varrak Prime.
The corrupted structures had been destroyed.
Tainted relics had been burned.
Cultists had been hunted down.
The remains of their cults had been destroyed.
Everything connected to the psyker and its worship had been eliminated.
When Gaius had departed, nothing remained.
No armies.
No trenches.
No artillery.
No war.
And certainly no Warp Storm.
The world had been peaceful.
So how had this happened?
How had Varrak Prime changed so completely in the time he had been gone?
Gaius looked across the battlefield.
The answer was standing before him.
The forces of Chaos.
World Eaters.
Cultists.
Daemons.
An army vast enough to overwhelm the Imperial defenders.
And yet—
They had not.
The trenches were still standing.
The Ultramarines were still there.
Imperial soldiers still occupied the defensive lines.
They had been fighting.
They had been resisting.
But they should not have been able to hold for this long.
Not against an army of this size.
Something had been holding the enemy back.
Then Gaius arrived.
The moment his feet touched the battlefield—
Something changed.
Across the battlefield, thousands of eyes turned toward him.
World Eaters.
Cultists.
Daemons.
All of them.
It was as though they had sensed him.
As though his presence carried a scent that none of them could ignore.
The fighting around the trench line faltered.
Bolter fire slowed.
Chainaxes lowered.
Even the daemons paused.
The Ultramarines defending the trenches noticed immediately.
A Brother-Sergeant looked over the parapet.
His eyes widened.
"Captain."
Behind Gaius, the last golden particles faded.
Titus emerged first.
Then Metaurus.
Then the two Bladeguard Veterans.
The Sister of Silence appeared beside them.
The Dreadnought materialized last.
His immense frame settled into reality with a heavy impact that shook the trench beneath him.
The loyalist forces stared.
The enemy stared.
For one moment—
The battlefield became silent.
Then the daemons began to grin.
Not with joy.
With recognition.
A Bloodletter stepped forward.
Its red hide was slick with blood.
A Hellblade rested in its hand, crimson dripping from the edge.
Fire burned within its eyes.
It spoke.
"Gaius Maximor Thassor."
The name carried across the battlefield.
Another daemon repeated it.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Then hundreds.
"Gaius Maximor Thassor."
"Gaius Maximor Thassor."
"Gaius Maximor Thassor."
The chant spread.
The World Eaters took it up.
Their chainaxes roared to life.
Several warriors pointed directly toward Gaius.
Then the Bloodthirsters stepped forward.
Their immense forms towered over the battlefield.
Brass armor covered their monstrous bodies, stained red by centuries of slaughter.
Their wings spread wide.
Their axes and whips crackled with murderous anticipation.
One of the Bloodthirsters raised its weapon.
"You finally arrive."
Its voice thundered across the battlefield.
"We have been waiting for you."
The Bloodthirster gestured toward the trenches.
"We could have destroyed them."
Its axe pointed toward the Imperial defensive line.
"We could have overwhelmed these warriors."
Its voice carried across the battlefield.
"We could have taken this world."
A cruel grin spread across its face.
"But we did not."
The Bloodthirster looked directly at Gaius.
"We were commanded to wait."
The words created a different kind of silence among the defenders.
An Ultramarine stared.
"Wait...?"
The Bloodthirster laughed.
"By the will of Khorne."
It spread its wings.
"The Blood God wanted you."
Its burning eyes remained fixed upon Gaius.
"So we waited."
"We fought them."
"We played with them."
"We gave them hope."
"Yet we did not finish them."
The Bloodthirster raised its axe.
"Because you were gone."
Several Ultramarines exchanged looks.
The realization began to settle in.
They had not been surviving because they had successfully held back the Chaos army.
The enemy had simply chosen not to finish the battle.
They had been fighting a force that had deliberately held itself back.
The Bloodthirster continued.
"We could have drowned these trenches in blood."
"We could have broken their lines."
"We could have slaughtered every warrior upon this world."
"But Khorne gave his command."
Its voice became a roar.
"Wait for Gaius Maximor Thassor."
The daemons shrieked.
The World Eaters roared.
And suddenly, the reason for the Chaos army's strange behavior became clear.
They had not been trying to conquer Varrak Prime.
Not yet.
They had been waiting.
Waiting for him.
The Bloodthirster raised its axe.
"Khorne knows who you are."
The battlefield erupted.
Daemons shrieked.
World Eaters roared.
Across the battlefield, entire formations of Chaos abandoned their previous engagements.
World Eaters turned away from the trenches.
Daemons abandoned the Imperial positions they had been attacking.
Cultists stopped firing.
Every movement was toward the same place.
Toward Gaius.
Only Gaius.
The Ultramarines watched in disbelief.
Entire formations were turning.
Not toward the defenses.
Not toward the artillery.
Not toward the loyalist positions.
Toward Gaius.
Only Gaius.
One veteran blinked.
"They ignored the trenches."
Another stared at the approaching horde.
"They could have broken us."
A third Ultramarine slowly looked toward Gaius.
"My lord..."
Even he sounded uncertain.
The sheer scale of it was difficult to comprehend.
An entire Chaos army had spent the battle fighting beneath its true strength.
Not because it had been forced to.
Not because the Imperial defenders had been stronger than expected.
Because they had been ordered to wait.
And now the reason was standing before them.
Gaius.
The tide of red began moving.
Then it became a charge.
Thousands surged across the battlefield.
Then tens of thousands.
World Eaters thundered across the earth.
Daemons followed.
Cultists surged behind them.
The Bloodthirsters advanced with the horde.
The earth shook beneath their combined assault.
All of them were rushing toward a single target.
Gaius.
The defenders could only watch.
The Chaos army that had deliberately spared them was now coming with everything it had.
The horde thundered forward.
Their voices merged into one deafening roar.
"Gaius Maximor Thassor!"
They screamed his name.
Demanding his blood.
Demanding his skull.
Demanding his death.
And Gaius simply stood there.
He watched them come.
Titus stepped forward.
His hand tightened around his weapon.
Metaurus lowered his stance.
The Bladeguard Veterans raised their shields.
The Dreadnought's weapons began to cycle.
The Sister of Silence remained completely still.
Behind them, the Imperial defenders slowly realized what was about to happen.
Their enemy had finally stopped holding back.
And it was all coming for one man.
Gaius looked across the advancing horde.
~~~
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