The medical bay was filled with the low hum of life support machines and the cold scent of disinfectant.
Gaius slowly opened his eyes, greeted by the familiar metal dome and soft, yet unforgiving, lights.
Each breath brought a tearing pain in his chest and back, reminding him of the brutal battle he had recently endured.
Memories flooded back like a broken tide—dark corridors, a deadly ambush, Elisa's falling figure, the uncontrolled surge of dark Gorden energy, the cruel mockery of the Night Lords, and the Bolter shot from behind, from a fallen comrade.
Elisa!
He abruptly tried to sit up but was gently pressed back onto the medical bed by a steady, strong hand.
"Don't move, your internal organs are severely damaged, four ribs are broken, and the armor shrapnel in your back will take time to clear," a deep voice said.
Gaius turned his head and saw Gorden standing by the bed.
His assault cannon was gone, replaced by a new grenade launcher mounted on his shoulder guard.
His face was still somewhat pale, but his eyes had regained their usual sharpness, though a hint of deep, unresolved heaviness lingered within them.
"Gorden…the others…" Gaius' voice was hoarse and dry.
Gorden was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Lex's mechanical arm is completely ruined and he's undergoing modifications; next time you see him, both his arms will be metal.
I'm fine, minor injuries.
Sergeant Talos' surgery…was successful, his life was saved, but his right arm…was replaced with a mechanical prosthetic, and he'll need a long time to adapt and rehabilitate.
Dorian…is still in the life support pod; Apothecary Vorlak says his gene-seed is working hard to repair the damage, but whether he'll wake up is still unknown."
With each word he spoke, Gaius' heart sank a little further.
Finally, he almost didn't dare to ask the name.
Gorden sensed his fear, took a deep breath, and his voice became even deeper, even carrying a subtle tremor: "Tech-Sergeant Elisa Cole…she…didn't make it.
That wicked weapon directly shattered her internal organs and neural network…by the time reinforcements arrived, she had already…returned to the embrace of the Emperor."
Despite his premonition, the moment the bad news was confirmed, Gaius still felt as if he had been struck hard in the chest by a heavy hammer, the suffocating pain far exceeding his physical injuries.
He closed his eyes, and in his mind, he saw Elisa's calm face, her precise operations, and her weak hand trying to point to the control panel in her final moments.
Fifth Squad…was almost wiped out.
Those brief days of fighting side-by-side, those moments of mutual support in desperation, now turned into cold memories and bitter hatred.
"Those…Night Lords…" Gaius squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, filled with endless killing intent.
"They escaped," Gorden's voice carried suppressed fury and a hint of powerlessness, "They vanished like shadows.
Chapter Master Calgar personally ordered every crevice of the starport to be searched, but their traces were never found again.
It was as if they had never appeared."
Shame.
Not just failure, but the immense sense of humiliation from being toyed with by the enemy, paying a heavy price, yet unable to even find an object for revenge, weighed heavily on the survivors' hearts.
At this moment, the medical bay door slid open, and Chapter Master Calgar entered, accompanied by Apothecary Vorlak and several members of the Honor Guard.
His gaze swept over Gaius, still authoritative, but seemingly with a hint of complex scrutiny.
"Chapter Master," Gaius and Gorden tried to salute.
"Dispense with it," Calgar raised a hand to stop them, "Brother Hohn, how are your injuries?"
"Still able to fight, sir," Gaius gritted his teeth.
"Very good," Calgar nodded, "Sergeant Golden has reported in detail the situation your squad encountered.
The cunning and cruelty of the Night Lords exceeded expectations; this is not your fault.
But the losses are real, and the hatred is real."
He walked to Gaius' medical bed, his gaze piercing: "Tell me, Gaius, in that final moment, what did you feel?
That…power."
Gaius was silent for a moment, then answered truthfully: "Anger…and…despair.
I wanted to kill them, no matter the cost.
Then…my left arm felt like it was burning, and a cold, destructive force surged out…I couldn't quite control it…"
Apothecary Vorlak, operating a data-slate nearby, interjected: "Scans show severe overload and traces of unknown energy residue in the nanite cluster of his left arm.
The signature of that dark Gorden energy is distinctly different from the previously recorded Gorden-blue holy energy reaction, much more…violent and unstable.
The Grey Knights' psychic imprint still exists, seemingly suppressing some of the subsequent reactions, but it's uncertain how long it can suppress them."
Calgar pondered for a moment, then looked at Gaius: "Anger and despair…these are Chaos' favorite sustenance, Gaius.
You must learn to control them, not be controlled by them, and certainly not rely on such dangerous power to solve problems.
Next time, it might consume more than just your enemies."
"I understand, Chapter Master," Gaius said in a low voice.
"The sacrifice of Tech-Sergeant Elisa Cole was for the Imperium and Ultramar," Calgar's voice became solemn, "Her name will be carved on the Monument to the Fallen on Macragge.
And for those who live, the best way to mourn is to complete her unfinished work, to thoroughly purify this star sector."
He turned around: "Given the severe casualties of Fifth Squad, and Sergeant Talos' need for long-term recovery, the following reorganization will be implemented: the surviving members of the original Fifth Squad—Gorden, Lex, and Gaius—will be integrated into 7th Company, 2nd Squad.
Gorden will be promoted to Sergeant and will be responsible for command."
7th Company?
That was Sergeant Talos' original company, known for its tactical versatility and resilience.
"You will have one week for rest, integration, and new equipment adaptation.
After that, 7th Company will have a new mission," Calgar finished, then left the medical bay with his retinue.
The week passed in a mix of suppression and busy activity.
The Macragge's Honour held a solemn and dignified collective funeral for the fallen.
Elisa Cole's name, along with other sacrificed warriors, was remembered.
There was no excessive mourning, only a more resolute will for vengeance.
Gaius' body recovered quickly under Astartes superhuman physiology and advanced medical technology, but the internal trauma and the dormant, yet still present, hidden danger in his left arm were hard to erase.
He spent most of his time in the armory and training grounds.
Gorden, as the new Sergeant, was under immense pressure.
He spoke less, dedicating all his energy to familiarizing himself with the new team and tactics.
Lex was fitted with two brand-new, sturdier and more flexible mechanical arms; although he still complained incessantly, he trained more fiercely than anyone, as if to vent all his anger on hypothetical enemies.
Gaius, meanwhile, began to consciously undertake special training.
He no longer tried to "activate" that dangerous power, but instead attempted to feel and control his emotions, especially anger, during extreme physical and combat training.
He sparred with Gorden and Lex in the training cage, and each time he was knocked down, each time he felt anger surge, he forced himself to calm down and seek tactical solutions, rather than relying on brute force.
At the same time, he also began to pay more attention to coordination with ranged weapons.
Elisa's sacrifice made him realize the importance of precise information and fire support.
He requested a relic-grade Bolter rifle—the "Hawkeye."
This rifle was more accurate and had a longer range than a standard Bolter, equipped with advanced optical sights and a miniature missile launcher, suitable for medium to long-range support and precise strikes.
He cherished the "Hawkeye" as a treasure, spending a great deal of time familiarizing himself with its every characteristic, practicing quick aiming and shooting.
It was as if, through this method, he could continue Elisa's legacy of calmness and precision.
A week later, 7th Company, 2nd Squad welcomed new members and completed its reorganization.
In addition to Gorden, Lex, and Gaius—the three core members of the original Fifth Squad—four experienced veterans were added.
The squad size was smaller but more elite.
Just as they were conducting their first full squad drill, new mission orders arrived.
In the company briefing room, the Captain of 7th Company pointed solemnly at the star chart: "While the main forces of the Word Bearers and Night Lords have been repelled, they have infiltrated every corner of the Tarasha Sector like a virus.
We have received intelligence that a remnant of the Word Bearers, led by an important Chaos Sorcerer, is entrenched in the ruined city of Seram IV.
They are using civilians there for some large-scale evil sacrificial ritual, attempting to summon a more powerful demonic entity."
"Your mission," the Captain's gaze swept over Second Squad, "is to infiltrate Seram IV, locate and eliminate that Chaos Sorcerer, and prevent the ritual from being completed.
The main force of 7th Company will provide a diversion on the perimeter, but the infiltration and decapitation operation will be carried out independently by your squad."
"Intelligence indicates that the ruined city has extremely complex terrain and is full of traps and curses set by the Word Bearers.
You may encounter strong Warp interference and psychic attacks.
This mission requires absolute calm, precision, and stealth, not a direct assault," the Captain's gaze lingered specifically on Lex and Gaius.
"We guarantee mission success, Captain!" Sergeant Golden said in a deep voice, his tone now carrying the composure of a commander.
Gaius caressed the "Hawkeye" in his hand, feeling its cold and reliable touch.
He glanced at his new teammates—the silent but reliable Gorden, the volatile but courageous Lex, and four veterans with resolute gazes.
Mourning was over, hatred buried deep.
Now, they were the Emperor's new blades, wielded against the darkness.
This time, they would never repeat their mistakes.
"For Macragge!" Gaius whispered, as if making a vow to himself and to his fallen comrades.
A new hunt was about to begin.
And this time, the hunters would be calmer, more lethal.
The 7th Company, 2nd Squad's Thunderhawk Gunship, like a silent ghost, glided quietly into Seram IV's shattered atmosphere.
Below lay the wreckage of a city utterly ravaged by war, twisted metal skeletons pointing to a dim sky, and the lingering smell of gunpowder mixed with a deeper, unsettling silence amidst the broken walls.
The desecrated symbols of the Word Bearers and hanging corpses were ubiquitous, narrating the horrors that had occurred here.
"Altitude two thousand, preparing for low-altitude insertion," the pilot's calm voice came through.
"Detecting strong Warp interference and psychic barriers; sensor effectiveness is greatly reduced. Good luck, brothers."
The gunship swept over the ruins at an almost ground-hugging altitude, finally hovering and landing abruptly near the entrance of a relatively intact large drainage pipe.
The hatch opened, and foul air, a mix of decay, chemicals, and a faint smell of blood, rushed in.
"Deploy quickly! Maintain silence!" Sergeant Golden was the first to leap out, his new grenade launcher scanning vigilantly.
Lex followed closely, his bionic arms gripping a heavy Bolter, his heavy footsteps echoing clearly in the silence.
Gaius, holding his "Hawk Eye" rifle, was the third to rush out, quickly taking a vantage point and scanning the surroundings through his advanced scope.
The remaining four veterans also filed out, their movements swift and professional.
The pipe entrance was deep and dark, like the throat of a giant beast.
"According to intelligence, this pipe leads to the city's core area; it's a relatively concealed path," Gorden whispered over the encrypted channel.
"Gaius, scout ahead. Lex, cover the rear. Others, alternate cover, maintain distance."
The Squad, like well-trained hounds, silently infiltrated the dark pipe.
Inside, it was damp and muddy, with only the night vision mode of their power armor helmets and the occasional drip of water accompanying them.
The oppressive atmosphere was almost suffocating; everyone's nerves were taut, and the shadow of Elisa's sacrifice and the threat of the Night Lords, like maggots, reminded them that any oversight could be fatal.
The pipe system was intricate, like a labyrinth.
They advanced cautiously along the predetermined route, encountering several scattered waves of Chaos-corrupted mutated creatures, which they silently dispatched with melee weapons and suppressed bolt pistols.
After approximately one standard hour of travel, a faint light appeared ahead, seemingly an exit connecting to a relatively open underground hub hall.
"We're nearing the first checkpoint," Gorden signaled the Squad to pause.
"Gaius, scout the hall's situation."
Gaius moved silently to the edge of the pipe opening, using a collapsed concrete slab as cover, set up his "Hawk Eye," and aimed the scope at the hall.
The hall was very spacious, once seemingly a transportation hub, now only broken pillars and abandoned vehicle wreckage remained.
Under the scope's thermal imaging and life scan modes, no obvious thermal signals or energy reactions were detected.
"No visible targets detected, Sergeant," Gaius reported.
"The hall is relatively quiet; recommend quick passage."
"Received. Maintain vigilance, Lex, watch the rear. Let's go."
Gorden made a gesture, and the Squad, in tactical formation, quickly and quietly rushed out of the pipe into the hall, preparing to cross it to the passage on the other side.
Just as most of the Squad members entered the hall, in a relatively exposed position—
An extremely faint, almost imperceptible infrasonic vibration suddenly came from above!
Gaius' left arm nanomachines, that silent swarm, suddenly sent a sharp, piercing alarm!
Far more intense and urgent than any previous one!
"Sniper!!!" Gaius instinctively roared, simultaneously throwing himself backward and to the side!
Almost at the same moment he issued the warning!
Whoosh—!
An extremely peculiar, faint shriek, as if absorbing the surrounding sounds, swept past!
One of the veterans, moving just in front of Gaius, suddenly exploded in his entire upper body without warning!
As if struck by an invisible giant hammer!
His power armor twisted and shattered like paper, flesh and organs instantly turning into a cloud of blood mist!
There was no loud bang, only a dull thud and the clatter of armor fragments hitting the ground!
A Night Lords Champion! It was that evil weapon again, ignoring armor to directly attack the inside!
"Auris!" Another veteran let out a cry of anguish, instinctively wanting to check on his comrade.
"Don't move! Find cover!" Gorden's roar came in time, filled with shock and anger.
The Squad instantly scattered, diving for the nearest cover.
Lex, with his massive body and heavy Bolter, fired wildly in the general direction of the bullet's origin—a damaged viewing gallery high in the hall—trying to suppress the enemy!
But the enemy's attack was incredibly cunning!
A second faint shriek followed almost immediately!
Another veteran, attempting to find a firing angle, had just peeked out half his body when his gun-wielding arm, along with part of his shoulder, instantly turned to dust!
He screamed and fell to the ground, blood gushing from the horrific wound!
"Cliff!" Gorden's eyes were bloodshot, and he fired a smoke grenade from his launcher at the viewing gallery, attempting to obscure the line of sight.
Gaius' heart pounded, cold sweat soaking his undersuit.
The feeling of death brushing past him was incredibly clear.
He pressed tightly against the cover, his mind racing.
The enemy was at a high vantage point, with an absolute field of fire, and their weapon was strange and seemingly had a fast rate of fire.
A blind charge would be suicide.
"Lex! Continuous suppressive fire! Don't stop!" Gorden commanded, simultaneously trying to get closer to the severely wounded Cliff, who lay on the ground.
"Gaius! Find his exact position! Only you can deal with him!" Gorden's voice was resolute.
He was referring to Gaius' "Hawk Eye" and its highly anticipated precision.
Gaius took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Anger and fear would only make him the next target.
He recalled the key points of his previous training—control emotions, find solutions.
He carefully adjusted the angle of his "Hawk Eye," using the scope's edge-scanning function to avoid direct exposure, meticulously searching every shadow and every gap in the viewing gallery.
Lex's heavy Bolter roared, bullets raining down on the area like a metal storm, scattering debris, but it was impossible to confirm a hit.
A third shriek sounded!
This time, the target was drawn by Lex's gunfire!
Lex's massive body shuddered violently, the barrel of his heavy Bolter twisted and exploded by an unseen force, fragments carving deep marks into his new bionic arm!
He grunted, knocked back several steps by the huge impact, almost falling.
"Lex!"
"I'm fine! These iron arms are tough enough!" Lex cursed, throwing away the ruined gun and drawing the power axe from his back.
"You bastard! Come out and face me!"
Just as the enemy fired at Lex, Gaius finally caught it!
In the deepest, most concealed corner of the viewing gallery, perfectly hidden by shadows and structural pillars, the scope captured an extremely faint air distortion caused by the shot and a pitch-black muzzle almost blending into the environment!
"Found you!" A cold glint flashed in Gaius' eyes, and the "Hawk Eye"'s crosshairs instantly locked onto that position!
He pulled the trigger without hesitation!
Bang!
The "Hawk Eye"'s unique, optimized crisp gunshot echoed through the hall.
A specially processed bolt, with armor-piercing effects, shot towards the target at an extremely high muzzle velocity!
Almost simultaneously with Gaius' shot, a fourth shriek sounded! The enemy had also spotted him!
Gaius made an evasive maneuver the moment he pulled the trigger, but he was still a fraction of a second too slow!
The invisible sonic/psychic impact grazed his left shoulder plate!
Crack!
The shoulder plate instantly became covered in cracks, the internal servo-systems emitting a grating noise, and his left arm experienced a sharp pain and numbness, almost causing him to drop his "Hawk Eye" rifle!
But he had, after all, avoided a direct hit!
And almost at the same moment, in that hidden corner high above, a small burst of sparks erupted, followed by a suppressed grunt, a mix of pain and anger!
Gaius' shot had hit the target! Although it was uncertain how much damage was caused, it had definitely disrupted or even wounded that damned sniper!
"He's hit!" Gaius yelled.
"Good job!" Gorden seized this precious opportunity, finally dragging the severely wounded Cliff to relatively safe cover, quickly injecting him with hemostatics and stimulants, but the lost arm and shoulder were beyond recovery.
The viewing gallery high above fell into a brief silence.
Lex's suppressive fire also stopped.
"Did he run?" Lex asked, panting.
"Don't be careless!" Gorden warned.
"Gaius, continue monitoring! Others, check casualties, prepare to move!"
Gaius dared not relax, his scope fixed on that corner.
Several minutes passed, and there was no further movement there.
After waiting a while longer, Gorden made a decision: "We can't stay long! Lex, carry Cliff! We're leaving here! Gaius, cover the rear!"
The Squad, bearing heavy casualties, moved quickly and cautiously towards the designated passage entrance on the other side.
Gaius walked backward, his "Hawk Eye" constantly pointed upwards, until everyone had entered the passage, and he was the last to retreat into the darkness.
Inside the passage, the atmosphere was terribly oppressive.
The Squad, full-strength with seven men at the start, now had one killed in action, no remains; one severely wounded and crippled, out of commission; and almost everyone else was injured.
And they hadn't even seen the face of the Chaos Sorcerer, having only encountered an interception by a Night Lords sniper, yet they had paid such a heavy price.
Lex silently carried the unconscious Cliff on his back, his bionic arms emitting heavy hydraulic sounds.
Gorden's face was ashen, his fists clenched.
Gaius caressed the cold barrel of his "Hawk Eye," a throbbing pain in his left shoulder.
He glanced at the still-silent hall entrance behind them in the passage.
That sniper… had he really left?
Or was this merely the beginning of another cat-and-mouse game?
Their mission had only just begun, and the path to their objective was already stained with the blood of their comrades.
The Second Squad struggled through the dark, damp pipes, each step heavy.
The psychological trauma from Aorus' instant disintegration, the ceaseless dripping blood from Cliff's severed arm, and the unseen, deadly sniper lurking somewhere, pressed down on everyone's hearts like invisible boulders.
Only heavy breathing, the servo-whine of Power Armor, and Lex's rhythmic, heavy footsteps as he carried the wounded remained in the passage.
"Sergeant, Cliff's vital signs are dropping; he needs surgery immediately!" a medic veteran, checking Cliff's injuries, said with an anxious tone.
Simple hemostats and stimulants could only keep him alive temporarily.
Gorden's face beneath his helmet was extremely grim.
The mission had just begun, and they had already lost a third of their combat strength and exposed their position.
Continuing deeper would undoubtedly lead into a more dangerous trap; however, abandoning the mission and allowing the Word Bearers to complete their wicked ritual would have unthinkable consequences.
"We can't go back the way we came; that sniper is definitely still waiting for us somewhere," Gorden said, his voice hoarse.
"We must find another exit quickly, or a relatively safe place to give Cliff emergency treatment."
Kall, holding 'Hawkeye' and vigilantly covering the rear, felt the stinging and numbness in his left shoulder, constantly reminding him of his recent brush with death.
His nanomachines remained silent, unable to provide any warning, making him rely more on his senses and training.
The 'Hawkeye's' scope continuously scanned the passage behind, but there was only endless darkness and silence.
"This branch pipe should lead to an old underground shelter system," another veteran said, looking at the incomplete city map downloaded on his data-slate.
"Perhaps we can hide there temporarily."
"Lead the way!" Gorden ordered decisively.
The squad changed direction, entering a narrower branch filled with rusted pipes and abandoned cables.
The air grew fouler, thick with mold and the smell of some chemical corrosion.
After about ten minutes, a heavily rusted, thick blast door appeared ahead; its hinges seemed to be jammed.
"Lex," Gorden gestured.
Lex carefully handed Cliff to another teammate, stepped forward, pressed his bionic arms against the door crack, and the hydraulic system emitted a loud power output sound.
Screech—Bang!
The heavy iron door was forcibly pried open, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Behind the door was a relatively spacious area, seemingly the antechamber of a small shelter, with some decayed furniture and human remains scattered about, but at least no obvious signs of recent activity.
"Quick! Lay him flat!" the medic immediately began preparing emergency surgical tools.
The others quickly took up positions at the entrance and vents, establishing a perimeter.
Kall leaned against the door, still responsible for monitoring the passage they had come from.
Lex guarded the main entrance, dual-wielding Power Axes, like a door god.
Gorden checked the other rooms of the shelter, ensuring there were no other threats.
Time passed minute by minute, the medic, with the help of a teammate, nervously performed wound treatment and stabilization surgery for the amputation.
The atmosphere was so heavy it could almost drip.
Every subtle sound from afar made everyone's nerves tense.
Suddenly, Gorden, who was checking a side room, issued a warning: "Found something!"
Everyone immediately became alert.
Gorden emerged from a small room, holding a strange object—it was an evil eye statue carved from obsidian and some pale bone, with a constantly rotating, faintly glowing green gem embedded in its pupil.
The base of the statue still bore traces of undried, dark red blood.
"It's a Word Bearers' sorcery tool!" Gorden said with a grave tone.
"It was used recently! This place isn't safe!"
As if to confirm his words, the eye statue suddenly erupted in a powerful green light!
At the same time, a low, blasphemous chant echoed throughout the shelter!
On the walls and floor, previously hidden evil runes lit up one by one, emitting ominous energy fluctuations!
"It's a trap! We've been discovered!" Kall exclaimed!
Hum—!
A massive energy cage, formed from green Warp energy, instantly dropped from the ceiling, trapping the medic performing surgery on Cliff, another assisting veteran, and Cliff himself!
"Hans! Cliff!" Gorden roared, rushing over and firing his grenade launcher at the energy cage, but the explosion only made the cage's light flicker, unable to break it!
At the same time, heavy, synchronized footsteps were heard from outside the blast door they had pried open at the main entrance!
And the fanatical war cries of the Word Bearers!
"For the Dark Gods! Purge the heretics!"
At least a squad of Word Bearers warriors appeared at the entrance, Bolters and flamers aimed into the shelter!
Leading them was a Word Bearers Sorcerer in ritual armor, holding a staff!
His twisted face bore a sinister grin of a successful plot!
"Foolish Ultramarines! You've walked right into our trap! Your souls will be sacrifices for my lord's arrival!" The Sorcerer raised his staff, and more Warp energy began to gather!
"Lex! Hold the door!" Gorden shouted, continuing to attack the energy cage.
"Leave it to me!" Lex roared, dual-wielding Power Axes, blocking the doorway like a raging giant, using his body and axes to forcefully fend off the Word Bearers' first wave of assault and gunfire!
Bolter rounds sparked against his armor and bionic arms, but he did not retreat a single step!
Kall quickly sought a firing angle!
His 'Hawkeye' rifle aimed at the casting Sorcerer!
Strike the leader to capture the followers!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He fired several precise bursts, but an invisible psychic shield seemed to protect the Sorcerer, deflecting the Bolter rounds inches from him!
"Useless, you ants!" the Sorcerer mocked, waving his staff, and a bolt of green Warp lightning shot towards Kall!
Kall rolled, narrowly dodging, and the cover he had been behind was shattered by the lightning!
The situation was critical!
Three inside were trapped, the entrance was under heavy assault, and the enemy Sorcerer loomed menacingly!
"Gaius! Find a way to deal with that Sorcerer! Otherwise, we'll all die here!" Gorden urgently yelled, his grenades proving ineffective against the energy cage.
Kall's mind raced.
Conventional attacks were useless… The 'Hawkeye's' built-in micro-missiles?
But launching them would take time, and they would likely also be blocked by the shield…
His gaze swept across the shelter, suddenly fixing on the obsidian eye statue, still glowing green, the core of the trap!
This thing… seemed to be the source maintaining the trap and empowering the Sorcerer?
A daring plan instantly formed in his mind!
"Lex! Buy me three seconds! Attack fiercely towards the Sorcerer! Get his full attention!" Kall roared over the comms!
"Alright!" Lex didn't hesitate, even sacrificing some defense, his dual axes whirling like windmills, pushing forward madly, actually forcing the Word Bearers at the entrance back a few steps!
This also added several new wounds to him!
The Sorcerer's attention was indeed drawn to Lex's sudden, reckless fighting style, and he grinned, preparing to deliver a harsh blow to this brute!
Now!
Kall did not attack the Sorcerer, but sharply turned his rifle, aiming at the obsidian eye statue that Gorden had thrown on the ground!
At the same time, his silent nanomachines in his left arm, driven by his strong will and sense of crisis, once again produced that familiar, tearing pain, and a faint but concentrated dark-Gorden energy uncontrollably surged into the 'Hawkeye' rifle's body and the waiting micro-missile!
"The Emperor Protects!" Kall pulled the missile launch trigger!
Whoosh—!
A micro-missile, trailing a faint dark-Gorden exhaust, shot towards the eye statue with astonishing speed!
The Sorcerer noticed the energy change, sharply turned his head, a flash of astonishment in his eyes!
He tried to intercept it with his staff, but was a half-beat too slow!
The missile precisely hit the obsidian eye!
There was no massive explosion, but a crisp sound like shattering glass!
The dark-Gorden energy and the Warp green light violently clashed and annihilated each other!
The eye statue instantly became covered in cracks, then suddenly exploded!
Turning into dust!
With the core destroyed, the energy cage enveloping the medic and Cliff flickered violently a few times, then abruptly vanished!
At the same time, the psychic shield on the Sorcerer also visibly dimmed, and he let out a pained grunt, clearly suffering from a backlash!
"Now!" Gorden roared, his plasma pistol instantly charged, firing a shot at the Sorcerer, who was stiff from the backlash!
Without the protection of a complete shield, the plasma directly hit the Sorcerer's chest!
"No!!!" The Sorcerer let out an incredulous shriek, the blue plasma energy instantly engulfing him, turning him into a burning char!
With their leader slain, the Word Bearers at the entrance fell into brief confusion and panic!
"For Macragge!" Gorden and the freed medic immediately joined the fray, unleashing firepower on the enemies at the door!
Kall endured the renewed exhaustion and sharp pain in his left arm from overuse, using 'Hawkeye' to precisely eliminate minor leaders and special weapons operators among the Word Bearers.
Lex's pressure greatly reduced, he fought with even greater ferocity, each swing of his Power Axes taking down an enemy!
Caught between two fires, this squad of Word Bearers was quickly annihilated.
After the battle, the shelter was a mess, filled with gunpowder smoke and the smell of burnt bodies.
The medic immediately continued to treat Cliff's injuries, but his condition had worsened.
Gorden counted the numbers, his face grim.
Another veteran had fallen in the recent melee.
Gaius leaned against the wall, panting heavily, looking at the obsidian eye powder and the wizard's remains on the ground.
Again… he relied on that dangerous power to get through the crisis.
The price was a pain in his left arm as if it were about to break, a deeper sense of weakness, and… a hidden danger lurking in the shadows, ready to erupt again at any moment.
They were temporarily safe, but their whereabouts were completely exposed, they suffered heavy casualties, and the mission was not yet complete.
Gorden walked up to Gaius, looked at his pale face and slightly trembling left arm, and said in a deep voice, "You used that power again?"
Gaius nodded in silence.
"Can you still hold on?"
"…Yes," Gaius gritted his teeth.
Gorden patted his good right shoulder heavily: "Well done, brother.
You saved everyone again." But in the depths of his eyes, worry outweighed joy.
He turned and looked at the remaining team members—the scarred Lex, the busy medic, the dying Cliff, and Gaius.
"We've lost too many brothers…" Gorden's voice was heavy and firm, "But the mission must be completed.
We cannot let their blood be shed in vain."
"Clear the battlefield, replenish ammunition.
In five minutes, we move on."
"The wizard's death might have temporarily interrupted the ritual, but we must destroy it completely!"
The path to the evil sanctuary was destined to be paved with more blood.
The dead silence in the shelter was broken by heavy breathing and the faint hum of medical equipment.
The charred corpse of the Word Bearers wizard mingled with the shattered remains of ordinary traitors, emitting a nauseating smell.
The medic was racing against time to perform the final stabilization treatment for Cliff, but everyone knew that the veteran, who had lost an arm and suffered severe internal organ damage, had extremely slim chances of survival.
Gorden and Lex silently collected usable ammunition, scavenging power packs from enemy corpses, the atmosphere as heavy as lead.
Gaius leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid to the ground.
The intense pain in his left arm surged like a tide, far more violent and prolonged than the last time, the backlash from forcibly boosting the dark gold energy was clearly no small matter.
He could even feel a subtle tearing sensation from within the nanite cluster, as if its structure was damaged.
The Grey Knights' cold mark also seemed to become clearer because of this, like a silent warning.
He laboriously took off his "Hawkeye" rifle, checking the gun body and miniature missile launcher that had just endured the infusion of dark gold energy; fortunately, this relic-grade equipment was sturdy enough and showed no obvious damage.
"Can you still move?" Gorden walked over and handed him a Bolter pistol power pack, still quite full, found on a Word Bearers corpse.
Gaius took the power pack, nodded with difficulty, his voice hoarse: "…Still okay.
Need some time."
"We don't have much time," Gorden's gaze swept over the dying Cliff and the body of another fallen veteran, "The wizard's death might have bought us a little respite, but before greater chaos arrives, we must find and destroy that ritual site."
Just then, Lex, who was on guard at the entrance, suddenly issued a low warning: "Movement!"
Everyone instantly tensed up, immediately grabbing their weapons and pointing them at the only entrance!
Could the Word Bearers' reinforcements have arrived so quickly?
However, what came from the depths of the passage was not the fanatical war cries or heavy footsteps of the Word Bearers, but a… very faint sound of metal scraping the ground, as if merging with the shadows themselves, mixed with suppressed, painful gasps.
A dark, stumbling figure slowly emerged from the dark passage.
It was the Night Lords Champion!
He looked quite disheveled at the moment.
His dark armor was covered with dents and scratches from explosions and Bolter fire, and there was a noticeable, scorched bullet hole in his left shoulder blade—the masterpiece of Gaius' "Hawkeye" rifle from before—green blood was constantly seeping from the wound, dripping onto the ground.
His good hand dragged his strangely shaped, xenos sniper rifle, which also seemed to be somewhat damaged, and his other arm hung limply.
His steps were somewhat unsteady, and his breathing through the helmet filter sounded heavy and difficult.
He hadn't left, but had been lurking nearby, clearly also badly wounded!
Lex immediately raised his power axe, Gorden's grenade launcher also aimed at him, and Gaius struggled to raise his Bolter pistol.
Enemies meeting, eyes blazing with hatred!
However, unexpectedly, the Night Lords did not raise his gun to attack, nor did he immediately conceal himself.
His gaze, hidden behind the skull mask, coldly swept over the tragic situation in the shelter—the corpses of the Word Bearers, the severely wounded Cliff, and the Ultramarines standing ready.
He seemed to be assessing something.
Finally, his "gaze" fell on Gaius, lingering for a moment, as if recognizing the opponent who had wounded him.
Then, he let out a low, hoarse laugh, full of mockery and… a hint of indescribable meaning.
"Truly… a brutal sight, Ultramarines," his voice was like rusty blades scraping, "For the Emperor's false glory, is it worth it?"
"Shut up, traitor!
What do you want?" Gorden snapped, his finger on the trigger.
The Night Lords did not answer, but turned his gaze to the weapons scattered beside the Word Bearers' bodies—several well-maintained Bolters, several power packs, and even an intact plasma pistol.
He then looked at his damaged sniper rifle and empty weapon sling.
The next moment, he made a move that stunned all the Ultramarines.
He completely ignored the guns pointed at him, stumbled forward, and with his good hand, began to… pick up the weapons and ammunition left behind by the Word Bearers!
He slung a Bolter behind his back, stuffed several power packs into the pouch at his waist, and finally even painstakingly picked up the plasma pistol he had previously seemed to disdain, weighing it in his hand.
His behavior was not like a proud warrior, but more like a… scavenger rummaging through a junkyard for usable supplies.
"You…!" Lex was enraged by the other party's disregard and almost insulting behavior, wanting to rush forward.
"Lex!" Gorden stopped him, his gaze fixed on the Night Lords' every move, his eyes filled with vigilance and doubt.
He understood.
The rumors about the Night Lords Legion's logistical scarcity and extreme reliance on captured and plundered equipment seemed to be true.
This Champion-level figure had fallen to the point where he needed to pick up weapons and ammunition from corpses, even right under the noses of the opponents he had just been fighting!
This was less a provocation than a… pathetic reality.
The Night Lords seemed to have collected what he needed; he took a final look at the Ultramarines, especially a deep look at Gaius again, his gaze complex and unreadable, seemingly containing mockery, a hint of hard-to-detect apprehension directed at that dark gold energy, and even a hint of… a twisted "understanding" as a fellow warrior?
He said nothing more, only let out an unreadable snort, then, dragging his spoils and newly acquired weapons, he stumbled step by step back into the dark passage from which he came, quickly disappearing, leaving only the sound of metal scraping the ground gradually fading away.
He just left like that.
No attack, no entanglement, as if his appearance was merely for a necessary "resupply."
An eerie silence fell over the shelter.
"…He just left?" Lex lowered his axe in disbelief, "What the hell is this bastard doing?"
"He was replenishing his equipment," Gorden said in a deep voice, with a hint of indescribable emotion, "It seems the rumors are true, these traitors are not having an easy time.
He was badly wounded and knew that if he continued to entangle with us, even if he could kill one or two of us, he himself would surely die.
Better to take what he needed and preserve himself."
He looked at Gaius: "And he seems… a little wary of the power you used to wound him at the end."
Gaius was silent, caressing his still throbbing left arm.
Being feared by such a dangerous enemy did not make him happy at all; instead, it made him feel even heavier.
This meant that whatever was inside him might be far more dangerous than imagined.
"We don't have time to ponder a traitor's thoughts," Gorden shook his head, casting aside distractions, "Hurry up!
Let's go immediately!"
The medic made a difficult decision, injecting Cliff with a high dose of sedative and placing him in a relatively secluded corner.
"Whether he survives or not, it's up to the Emperor's will…" he whispered.
The squad took one last look at their comrades, then resolutely left this bloody and sorrowful shelter, continuing to stealthily move towards the city's core, towards the source of the evil ritual.
The passage seemed to begin to incline upwards, and on the surrounding walls, the blasphemous runes became increasingly dense, and the Warp contamination and whispers in the air grew clearer and stronger.
It was as if they were actively walking towards the core of a dark heart.
Everyone's mood was incredibly heavy.
Continuous attrition, powerful enemies, strange encounters, and the unknown and dangerous ritual, all hung like heavy shackles around their necks.
But they had no retreat.
Only by moving forward, destroying the target, could they console their fallen brothers and live up to the mission they bore.
Ahead in the dark passage, a clearer, grander blasphemous chant, and a heart-pounding energy fluctuation, as if space itself was twisting, faintly emanated. The evil sanctuary was right before their eyes.
The closer they got to the city's core, the thicker and heavier the air became, as if every breath inhaled foul toxins. The whispers of the Warp were no longer a vague background noise, but transformed into clear, discernible, insane, and blasphemous chants that drilled directly into their minds, attempting to tear down the barriers of sanity. The walls were no longer merely graffiti-like symbols, but had become massive, complex, constantly wriggling evil runes outlined with blood, filth, and even congealed energy, emitting an nauseating psychic glow.
"Psychic pollution levels are rapidly increasing!" Medic Sore, one of the survivors, watched the frantically jumping readings on his data-slate, his voice tinged with suppressed terror. "We have to speed up, or even with power armor filtration, our minds will be affected!"
Sergeant Golden's face was grim as he gestured for them to accelerate. The Second Squad members suppressed their discomfort and quickened their pace. Lex's bionic arms gripped the heavy Bolter he had scavenged, his gaze vigilantly sweeping every shadow ahead. Brother Hohn held his 'Hawkeye', trying to block out the Noise in his mind; the severe pain in his left arm and the dead silence of the nanomachines gave him a feeling of powerlessness, like entering a dragon's den unarmed.
The passage finally came to an end. Ahead was a massive metal archway, violently broken, beyond which the space opened up, emitting a heart-pounding dark red light and deafening collective chanting.
The Second Squad cautiously approached the doorway and peered inside.
Even with prior mental preparation, the sight before them still shocked and disgusted the battle-hardened Astartes at a soul level.
Beyond the door was an immense underground space, as if the entire city's foundation had been hollowed out. It had clearly been converted by the Word Bearers into a vast and blasphemous sanctuary.
In the center of the space was a colossal pyramid-shaped altar, cast from countless skulls, twisted metal, and living beings still struggling and wailing. At the apex of the altar, a giant evil eye, over ten meters in diameter, pulsed continuously, composed of pure malevolent energy and suffering. It was the source of all psychic pollution and whispers!
Surrounding the altar were hundreds of fanatical Word Bearers cultists and low-ranking priests, kneeling and frantically prostrating themselves and chanting, continuously offering their minds and life force to the evil eye. Further away, several Word Bearers Astartes could be seen patrolling, and even a few multi-legged, spider-like Chaos Daemon Engines slowly paced, guarding the various passages leading to the altar.
Most unsettling of all, from the sanctuary's ceiling, countless thick, pulsating dark red energy conduits hung down like malevolent umbilical cords, connecting to the altar's evil eye. Their other ends disappeared into the void, seemingly drawing even more terrifying power from the depths of the Warp. A massive, blurry, indescribable terrifying phantom was slowly coalescing within these energy conduits, as if it could break through the veil of reality and manifest here at any moment!
The ritual had reached its final, most critical stage!
"By the Emperor..." Lex murmured, even he was stunned by the vast and evil scene.
"We must destroy that altar, or that evil eye!" Sergeant Golden quickly assessed the situation. "A frontal assault is impossible; we have too few men, not even enough to be a snack for those Daemon Engines."
His gaze swept across the entire sanctuary, finally settling on a complex mechanical device near the base of the altar. It was covered in twisted pipes, clusters of crystals shimmering with dangerous energy, and several Word Bearers Tech-Priests were busy, seemingly maintaining the stability of the energy conduits.
"See that? That might be an energy node or a stabilizer!" Sergeant Golden pointed. "If we can destroy it, it might interrupt the energy supply, or even cause an energy backlash!"
"How do we get there?" Medic Sore asked. "There are enemies and madmen everywhere!"
The path to the node was exposed in open ground, with almost no cover, and would necessarily pass through the fanatical cultists and patrols.
Just then, Brother Hohn noticed some higher, abandoned industrial platforms and catwalks at the edge of the sanctuary. They circled the interior of the sanctuary like giant scaffolding; although rusty and seemingly on the verge of collapse, they appeared to offer a relatively concealed approach, bypassing most of the ground enemies.
"Go up there," Brother Hohn whispered, pointing to the catwalks. "Circumvent from the side; we might be able to reach above the node."
Sergeant Golden observed carefully and nodded: "It's very risky, but worth a try. Lex, you have the heaviest firepower, stay here and establish a sniper position. If we're exposed, or need cover for extraction, you need to provide the strongest fire support! Sore, assist Lex and monitor the rear passage to prevent being flanked."
"Understood!" Lex nodded heavily, beginning to search for a suitable firing position. Sore also gripped his Bolter tightly.
"Brother Hohn, you're with me. You're responsible for precise long-range elimination of technicians and guards near the node; I'll be responsible for planting explosives." Sergeant Golden looked at Brother Hohn. "Can your 'Hawkeye' do it?"
Brother Hohn checked his ammunition and micro-missiles: "Yes. But I need a stable firing platform."
"I'll create the opportunity for you. Move!"
Sergeant Golden and Brother Hohn, like two blue shadows, silently slipped out of the archway, using the debris and wreckage at the edge of the sanctuary for cover, quickly moving towards the nearest catwalk support structure.
The deafening chanting and violent energy fluctuations within the sanctuary perfectly masked their subtle movements. They successfully climbed a rusted iron ladder and ascended to the narrow catwalk dozens of meters above the ground.
The catwalk groaned under their feet, making a teeth-grinding sound, as if it could collapse at any moment. They cautiously moved forward along the catwalk; below them was a seething ant-nest of fanatics and monstrous Chaos war machines. A single misstep or detection would have dire consequences.
After a heart-stopping journey, they finally reached a position from which they could clearly overlook the energy node. Around the node were six Word Bearers Tech-Priests and four Word Bearers guards in power armor.
"I'll circle to a closer position to plant the melta-bomb," Sergeant Golden whispered. "You stay here, eliminate the guards and technicians, and buy me time. Prioritize the technicians!"
"Understood." Brother Hohn quickly found a relatively stable position, set up his 'Hawkeye', took a deep breath, and blocked out the commotion and whispers below. The entire world was reduced to the crosshairs in his scope and his targets.
Bang!
The first shot was almost drowned out by the noise below! A Word Bearers Tech-Priest, who was adjusting an instrument, had his head explode, falling to the ground without a sound.
Bang! The second shot! Another technician fell!
It wasn't until the third technician was headshotted that the Word Bearers guards realized what was happening! "Sniper! Up there!" They frantically raised their weapons, trying to locate the target.
But Brother Hohn was faster! Bang! Bang! Two guards who had just raised their weapon muzzles were precisely headshotted!
The remaining two guards and three technicians frantically tried to find cover, but on this relatively open node platform, there wasn't much!
Brother Hohn calmly moved his muzzle, like Death calling names! Bang! Another technician fell!
Just then, a Word Bearers guard spotted Brother Hohn's approximate position, raised his flamer, and a scorching tongue of flame erupted towards the catwalk!
Brother Hohn immediately rolled to evade; his previous position was instantly engulfed in flames, and the metal railing glowed red-hot!
"Brother Hohn!" Sergeant Golden, who had already infiltrated directly above the node, exclaimed.
"I'm fine!" Brother Hohn responded, simultaneously quickly finding a new firing position and taking out the flamethrower-wielding enemy with a single shot.
The last two guards tried to charge in Sergeant Golden's direction but were forced back by Brother Hohn's precise burst fire, eventually falling in a pool of blood. The final two technicians were dealt with by Sergeant Golden at close range with his plasma pistol.
"Well done!" Sergeant Golden quickly attached the high-yield melta-bombs he had brought to the critical structures of the node.
However, the giant evil eye seemed to sense the threat to the node; its pulsing frequency suddenly accelerated! A powerful, malicious psychic wave swept across the entire sanctuary like a tide!
The chanting became even more frantic; the kneeling cultists seemed to receive a command, beginning to look around in confusion, and some fanatical gazes turned towards the catwalk!
Even worse, a patrolling Chaos Daemon Engine's multi-faceted head suddenly turned towards Brother Hohn and Sergeant Golden's position, emitting a piercing, alarm-like roar! Its massive, spider-like body began to turn, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground, and its mounted multi-barrelled cannons began to rotate and aim!
"We've been spotted! Sergeant Golden, hurry!" Brother Hohn shouted, simultaneously raising his 'Hawkeye' and firing intensely at the Daemon Engine's compound eyes, trying to disrupt its aim!
"Done!" Sergeant Golden finished installing the last bomb and activated the timer! "Only thirty seconds! Retreat now!"
The two ran desperately back along the catwalk!
Below, the Daemon Engine's multi-barrelled cannons opened fire! Dense shellfire rained down on the catwalk like a storm!
Boom! Boom!
The ancient metal structure simply could not withstand such fierce bombardment; large sections of the catwalk began to collapse and break apart!
Brother Hohn and Sergeant Golden sprinted across the violently shaking, constantly collapsing catwalk, with a dozens-of-meters-deep abyss and countless frenzied enemies below!
"Lex!" Sergeant Golden roared into the comm-channel!
Lex, who had been waiting, immediately opened fire! The roar of his heavy Bolter even temporarily drowned out the sanctuary's din! Powerful firepower lashed at the Daemon Engine like a whip; although it couldn't destroy it instantly, it successfully drew its attention, buying Brother Hohn and Sergeant Golden precious seconds!
Just before the catwalk completely collapsed, the two finally dove onto a relatively safe platform at the other end, grabbing the edge railing, and scrambling up in a perilous climb.
Almost simultaneously—
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted from the node! The melta-bombs Sergeant Golden had planted detonated! A scorching light instantly engulfed the entire node, and the wild energy, freed from its constraints, raged outwards like an unbridled stallion!
A chain reaction occurred!
Several main energy conduits connecting to the altar's evil eye violently swelled due to the energy backflow, then exploded! Green, malevolent lightning lashed wildly through the sanctuary like uncontrolled giant pythons, instantly vaporizing large swathes of fanatical cultists!
The giant evil eye at the top of the altar let out a painful and furious shriek; its pulsing became extremely unstable, and its light flickered wildly! The terrifying phantom that was coalescing also let out a silent roar, becoming blurry and indistinct!
The ritual was forcibly interrupted! And it triggered a catastrophic energy backlash!
The entire blasphemous sanctuary plunged into extreme chaos! Explosions, energy storms, frantically fleeing cultists, Word Bearers trying to maintain order but caught in the explosions...
"We did it!" Lex shouted excitedly over the channel.
"It's not over yet!" Sergeant Golden panted, pointing at the evil eye which, though damaged, still existed and was beginning to try and stabilize itself again. "We must destroy it completely! Otherwise, it will slowly recover!"
But at this moment, with the energy storm raging in the sanctuary, it was impossible to approach the altar!
Brother Hohn looked at the struggling evil eye, then at his 'Hawkeye' and his last micro-missile. The distance was too great, with violent energy turbulence in between; ordinary attacks would struggle to precisely hit the core.
His gaze once again fell upon his still-aching left arm.
Only that dangerous power might be able to achieve it...
"Sergeant Golden..." Brother Hohn's voice was a little dry.
Sergeant Golden immediately understood his thoughts, his face changing: "Brother Hohn! No! Have you forgotten the Chapter Master's warning? And your body..."
"There's no other way!" Brother Hohn looked at the evil eye, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes. "This is the only chance! Otherwise, more worlds will suffer!"
Sergeant Golden looked at the hellish scene below, then at Brother Hohn's resolute gaze, falling into an extremely difficult choice. As a Sergeant, he should prevent such dangerous and uncontrollable behavior. But as a warrior, he understood it was the optimal solution.
Finally, he nodded heavily, loading a high-explosive grenade into his launcher: "I'll do my best to clear any interference from your line of fire! Only one chance, Brother Hohn!"
Brother Hohn nodded heavily, once again setting up his 'Hawkeye', and pushing the last micro-missile into the launcher. He closed his eyes, no longer resisting the whispers in his mind and the severe pain in his body, but instead focused all his will, all his anger, all his determination, towards his left arm, towards the silent and dangerous nanomachines!
"Come..." He whispered, as if calling to a power from the abyss.
A tearing pain struck again, more violently than the previous two! Dark Gorden energy flowed like boiling magma from his left arm, furiously pouring into "Hawkeye" and that missile!
The gun body and missile surface were instantly covered with an ominous dark Gorden pattern, emitting a low, dangerous hum!
Gaius felt as if his consciousness was being scorched and torn by this power! The Grey Knights' mark emitted a bone-chilling cold, attempting to suppress it, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!
He suddenly opened his eyes, and in the scope, the huge Evil Eye seemed to be right in front of him!
"For the Emperor! For Elisa! For all the fallen Brothers!"
He pulled the trigger!
Whoosh—!
The missile, trailing a solidified dark Gorden exhaust flame, like an arrow of vengeance tearing through darkness, bravely plunged into the raging energy storm below! Wherever it passed, the chaotic Warp energy seemed to be forcibly pushed aside and annihilated by the dark Gorden energy!
In the brief gap cleared by Sergeant Golden's high-explosive grenade, the missile precisely and fiercely—slammed into the core of the giant Evil Eye!
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
The next moment—
An indescribable pillar of destructive light, a mixture of dark gold and ghastly green, erupted from within the Evil Eye! It instantly engulfed the altar, devouring everything around it! A terrifying energy shockwave spread outwards like a tsunami!
The entire underground sanctuary, in this earth-shattering explosion, began a complete and devastating collapse!
"Go!!!" Gorden pulled the almost exhausted Gaius, and together with Lex and Medic Sore who rushed from behind, they ran desperately towards the nearest exit!
Behind them was a scene like the end of the world.
The tide of destruction relentlessly pursued them. The entire Profane Sanctuary completely disintegrated in the earth-shattering explosion, with the massive dome and supporting structures collapsing layer by layer like an eggshell crushed by a giant, burying countless Word Bearers, daemon engines, and the remnants of the evil ritual. A scorching energy storm and shockwaves swept through every passage.
The four members of the 7th Company, 2nd Squad ran for their lives along the predetermined retreat route, led by Gorden. Lex used his massive body and twin bionic arms to shield his teammates from constantly falling rubble and the scorching energy aftermath, his armor clanging and sparking with countless scrapes.
Medic Sore supported Gaius, who was almost unconscious, his left arm hanging limply, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Gorden continuously blasted open blocked passages with his grenade launcher.
They could hear the desperate screams of the Word Bearers and the unwilling roars of the hellbeasts from behind, all drowned out by the thunderous roar of things being buried.
They ran for an unknown amount of time, until the sounds of collapse behind them gradually subsided, leaving only pervasive dust and still unstable energy turbulence, before they dared to stop and catch their breath. Looking back, the path they had come by was completely sealed by tens of thousands of tons of massive rocks.
"Did we... succeed?" Sore gasped in disbelief, looking at the silent ruins behind them.
"The ritual core was destroyed... at least this stronghold is finished," Gorden leaned against a twisted metal plate, wearily removing his helmet, his face covered in sweat and grime, "But the cost..."
His gaze swept over the unconscious Gaius and his injured teammates.
Just then, a clear voice came over the public channel: "... Second Squad! This is 7th Company Command! Respond if you hear me! There's been a massive energy burst and structural collapse at your location! Report your situation!"
It was reinforcements! The main force of the 7th Company on the periphery had clearly detected the massive changes inside.
Gorden immediately replied: "Command! This is Sergeant Golden! Mission... accomplished! The Evil Eye altar has been destroyed! Repeat, mission accomplished! But we have severe casualties, Brother Hohn is seriously wounded, urgently need medical support! Our location is at..."
Soon, a team of 7th Company warriors, wearing heavy protective suits and carrying digging and rescue equipment, found them. Seeing the terrible state of the four and the completely destroyed sanctuary behind them, even the Astartes, who were accustomed to battlefields, were moved.
Gaius was immediately placed on a stretcher for emergency life support. Gorden, Lex, and Sore, after simple bandaging, also withdrew from this death zone with the rescue team.
When they finally returned to the surface and saw the Thunderhawk Gunship dispatched by the Macragge's Honour landing on the scorched earth, everyone felt as if they had returned from another world.
...
The journey back to the warship felt like a blurry dream. Gaius was sometimes conscious, sometimes comatose in the medical bay. Apothecary Vorlak and his team conducted the most detailed examination of his left arm, and the results were worrying—the nanite cluster had suffered extensive structural damage due to extreme overload, internal energy circuits were severely burned, and the residual dark Gorden energy was highly corrosive, forming a dangerous balance with the Grey Knights' suppression mark.
The conclusion was: long-term observation and conservative treatment were necessary, and forced activation was absolutely forbidden again, otherwise it could lead to irreversible malignant mutation or even complete collapse.
Besides his left arm, his internal organs were also severely damaged by multiple impacts and energy backlash, requiring time to recuperate.
Gorden, Lex, and Sore also underwent comprehensive physical examinations and psychological evaluations. The brutal experience of the Fifth Squad/Second Squad's near-total annihilation left a deep mark on the survivors.
The names of the fallen were engraved on the monument to heroes, and their gene-seed was carefully recovered. Those who survived had to continue forward, accompanied by honor and pain.
The warship did not immediately leave the Tarasha system; the damage caused by the Word Bearers and Night Lords needed time to clear, but the greatest threat had been removed. The Eighth Company and 7th Company entered a period of rest and replenishment.
Time passed in the monotonous hum of the medical bay and the painful sweat of rehabilitation training. One month... two months...
Gaius' body was slowly recovering; his left arm was still weak, but daily activities were no longer a problem. He spent most of his time in the armory, silently maintaining "Hawkeye," or performing some restorative shooting training, trying to avoid using his left arm. The memory of the last moments of the explosion was somewhat blurry; he only remembered endless pain and the radiance of destruction, and... a deep fear of his own power.
Gorden officially took command of the 7th Company, 2nd Squad, and began integrating the new recruits. His personality became more silent and introverted. Lex completely became "Iron Arm"; his two bionic arms were used with increasing skill, but the sadness hidden beneath his usual impulsiveness was difficult to resolve. Medic Sore focused more on battlefield medical technology.
Until one day, about three months later...
Gaius was in the training room doing reaction drills when the door slid open, and a loud but slightly blustering familiar voice echoed throughout the room:
"Hey! Look who it is! Our great hero, Brother Hohn! Why are you playing with these toys alone? Where's your fist?"
Gaius spun around, only to see a tall, burly figure blocking the doorway, wearing brand new power armor, the "U" symbol of the Ultramarines on his chest polished to a shine. The newcomer took off his helmet, revealing a face with a ferocious scar, yet beaming with a familiar smile—it was Declan Catonia!
His face was still a bit pale, but he was in high spirits, and the wildness and vitality in his eyes seemed undiminished.
"Dorian?!" Gaius was both surprised and delighted, putting down the training equipment, "You... you've fully recovered?"
"Haha! Of course! I'm Declan Catonia! You think a little scratch can take me down?" Dorian laughed as he walked forward, patting Gaius' shoulder with his usual heavy hand, "Old man Vorlak's got good hands; he stuffed a lot of new parts in my belly. I feel even stronger now than before the injury!"
He stretched his body, making cracking sounds: "I heard I missed a lot of action while I was unconscious? Old man Talos got a new arm? And you guys blew up a Word Bearers' nest? Not bad, Brothers! Too bad I missed out..."
His words suddenly paused, his gaze sweeping the training room, seemingly searching for something: "Oh, right, where's that girl Elisa? Is she still holed up with the Tech-Priests, tinkering with her precious data-slate? Tell her to come out! I'm back, and I need her to give my new body a full check-up, see if anything's installed crooked..."
Dorian's voice was still loud, but beneath his smile, there seemed to be a subtle unease, perhaps even unknown to himself. Because he noticed that the moment he mentioned Elisa's name, Gaius' face instantly turned extremely grim. Gorden had also appeared at the doorway at some point, silently watching him, his eyes heavy. Even the few new recruits training nearby instinctively stopped their movements and lowered their heads.
The atmosphere in the training room instantly plummeted from the joy of reunion to freezing point.
Dorian's smile gradually froze. His rough-hewn nerves finally sensed that something was wrong. He looked at Gaius' pale face, then at Gorden's heavy gaze, and his voice involuntarily dropped, with a tremble that even he was afraid of:
"...Hey... what's... wrong with you guys? Elisa... where is she?"
Gorden took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed a heavy hand on Dorian's shoulder, his voice low and hoarse:
"Dorian... Brother... Elisa... she... sacrificed herself during the mission on Seram IV."
"... ..."
The color drained from Dorian's face instantly. His eyes, always full of wild laughter, widened, pupils contracting violently, as if unable to comprehend the meaning of those few simple words combined.
"Sac...rificed?" He repeated the word, as if hearing it for the first time. Then, he shook his head violently, as if to shake off a ridiculous joke, "No... impossible! You're fucking lying to me! That cool-headed girl! How could she... When? How did she die?!"
"Three months ago. We were ambushed by the Night Lords..." Gorden's voice was filled with pain and self-reproach, "She... was hit by a special weapon... We couldn't save her..."
Gorden briefly described the tragic ambush, omitting some details of Gaius' final outburst, but it was enough for Dorian to understand how desperate the situation had been.
Dorian stood frozen as if struck by lightning, his massive body swaying slightly. On his face, always full of boldness and impulsiveness, for the first time appeared bewilderment, disbelief, and then a great sorrow and rage, like the precursor to a volcanic eruption.
He suddenly punched the metal training dummy next to him! With a loud bang! The immense force of his new power gauntlet and bionic arm directly dented the solid metal post!
"Night Lords!!!!" He let out a roar like a wounded beast, his voice filled with deep-seated hatred and pain, "Those scum who only hide in the shadows!! I'm going to tear them apart!! One by one!!!"
He gasped violently, his eyes red, but without tears—the Astartes' modifications had almost deprived him of the ability to cry, but the immense sorrow weighed on him like a physical burden.
Gaius looked at Dorian's pained expression, and the image of Elisa falling reappeared vividly in his mind; the old wound in his left arm seemed to burn again. He opened his mouth but found himself unable to say any comforting words. Any language seemed pale and powerless in the face of the pain of losing a comrade.
Gorden gripped Dorian's shoulder tightly: "We will avenge her. But not now, not when we're blinded by rage. Elisa wouldn't want us to be like that."
Dorian violently shook off Gorden's hand, panting heavily, his chest heaving. After a long while, the furious rage slowly gave way to a deeper, colder hatred. He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Gorden and Gaius, finally settling on a point in the void, as if staring at the enemies hidden in the shadows.
"..." He was silent for a long time, finally speaking in an unusually calm voice, yet one that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it, word by word:
"From today, I'm joining Second Squad."
"Those Night Lords scum... and all the Chaos filth..."
"Every single one."
"I'll kill every one I see."
"Until... they're all gone."
There were no grand words in his speech, only the purest, coldest oath of slaughter.
The 7th Company, 2nd Squad, welcomed a powerful warrior returned from injury, and also bore an even heavier blood feud.
The path ahead was destined to be even bloodier and darker.