Chapter 285: Chaos Sorcerer
The area behind the blast door was not the expected reactor core, but a vast space that had been modified beyond recognition.
The original mechanical equipment and pipes were brutally twisted and dismantled, interwoven with some sort of writhing, seemingly living flesh and blood tissue, forming a blasphemous picture.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, ozone, and a sickly sweet, rotting odor.
In the center of the space, a figure in a tattered robe stood with his back to them.
His left half barely maintained a human shape, but his right half had undergone a terrifying mutation. His arm had swollen into a giant claw covered in a chitinous shell, a huge, constantly blinking, bloodshot eye bulged from his shoulder, and the skin on the right side of his face had peeled off, revealing the twisting, writhing flesh and stark white bone beneath.
He seemed to be busy with something in the center of a complex pattern drawn with blood and spare parts. Sensing the blast door being breached, he whipped his head around. His half-human face and half-twisted visage simultaneously revealed expressions of panic and vicious resentment.
"Stop him!" Inquisitor Karras shouted sharply, the boltgun in his hands already firing.
The melta guns and plasma weapons of the Tempestus Scions also instantly spewed beams of destructive light.
However, the Chaos Sorcerer—or rather, the fallen one mutating into this form—moved incredibly fast.
He let out an inhuman shriek. With a wave of his mutated giant claw, a pink, light-distorting psychic barrier instantly appeared before him, deflecting most of the attacks.
He clearly knew he was no match for this group, especially the oppressive presence brought by that silent Astartes, which made him only want to flee.
He turned and tried to sprint toward a torn-open large ventilation duct at the back of the space, which seemed to be his pre-planned escape route.
"Don't even think about it!" The Imperial Fists Astartes warrior spoke for the first time, his voice low and full of power, like grinding rocks.
He didn't even use his boltgun. His massive body burst forth with a speed incongruous with his size, like a cannonball leaving the barrel, instantly blocking the Chaos Sorcerer's path. The humming sound of his revving chainsword was filled with lethal threat.
With the Astartes in front and the Inquisitor and Stormtroopers behind, his retreat was cut off.
Complete despair and madness appeared on the Chaos Sorcerer's half-human face, while the twisted flesh on the other half writhed violently, emitting excited hissing sounds.
"You forced me to do this!" he roared in a voice that was a mixture of human language and demonic whispers. "Since I cannot offer them to the Great Lord, I will use them to tear you to pieces!"
He viciously plunged his mutated giant claw into the ground beside him, where several fanatical-looking cultists were kneeling. They seemed to have been waiting there all along, willing to serve as sacrifices.
"With blood and souls as offerings, open the doorway!"
The giant claw instantly tore apart the bodies of the cultists. Their blood and internal organs did not splatter; instead, they were drawn by an invisible force, converging into the profane magic circle on the ground.
Accompanied by a teeth-setting tearing sound and a shriek from the Warp, the air in the center of the magic circle was ripped open like cloth, revealing an ominous, burning, copper-rust-colored light behind it.
Immediately after, three terrifying creatures leapt out from within!
They were about the height of a normal human, their skin like red-hot branding irons, their muscles knotted. They had sharp claws and cloven hooves, and malicious flames burned on their goat-like heads. In their hands, they wielded burning brass weapons. The moment they appeared, the air was instantly filled with the stench of sulfur and blood, as well as a pure, undisguised hatred for all life.
"Bloodletters!" Inquisitor Karras's voice carried unprecedented gravity. "Careful! They are lesser demons born for slaughter, knowing no fear and never tiring!"
The three Bloodletters let out bloodthirsty howls. Without any hesitation, they immediately brandished their burning weapons and launched a frenzied charge at the Imperial Fists warrior and Tempestus Scions closest to them!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Chaos Sorcerer dragged his mutated body, trying to slip away from the side. A cruel and smug smile hung on his face, as if he could already see these interlopers being torn to shreds by his demonic servants.
A true battle, beyond the imagination of Maine and the others, erupted abruptly at this moment.
The battle erupted in an instant, its intensity far exceeding anything Maine and the others had ever experienced.
The three Bloodletters let out deafening, bloodthirsty howls, turning into three burning red blurs. Carrying a foul wind of sulfur, they lunged at the group.
They only wanted to tear apart all the life before them!
Bearing the brunt of the attack were several Tempestus Scion warriors standing near the front.
Although they were well-equipped, highly trained, and possessed reaction speeds far exceeding ordinary soldiers, facing these supernatural demonic entities born purely for slaughter, the limits of mortals were laid bare at this moment.
"Fire!" The moment the squad leader's command left his lips, searing beams and bolter rounds shot towards the charging demons.
However, the movements of the Bloodletters were bizarrely fast. They twisted and leaped with inhuman agility, evading most of the direct fire.
One of them forcefully endured the burn of a plasma hit to its shoulder, and its burning, decapitating greatsword slashed down with unrivaled power!
"Clang!" With an ear-piercing sound of tearing metal, the riot shield raised by a Tempestus Scion warrior, along with his shield-bearing arm, was cleanly severed at the root!
Before he could even let out a scream, the sharp claws of another Bloodletter had already pierced through his gorget from the side, tearing out his throat along with his spine!
Another warrior tried to aim with his melta gun, but the third Bloodletter violently crashed into his chest. Its burning cloven hooves trampled on his breastplate, causing the Ceramite to groan and deform. The demon lowered its head and bit through his helmet faceplate in one bite, abruptly cutting off his scream.
In just a few short seconds, three elite Tempestus Scion warriors had fallen in pools of blood. Their sacrifices only slightly delayed the momentum of the demons' charge.
The Imperial Fists Astartes warrior let out a low roar of anger.
The boltgun in his right hand fired steady bursts. The bolter rounds whistled toward the Chaos Sorcerer trying to flee, forcing him to constantly deploy psychic barriers to block, preventing him from escaping smoothly.
Simultaneously, the chainsword in his left hand roared as it met the Bloodletter lunging at him.
"For Rogal Dorn!" The chainsword collided violently with the Bloodletter's burning greatsword, sending sparks flying. The piercing sound of friction seemed enough to tear eardrums apart.
The Astartes's strength clearly held the upper hand. A fierce slash knocked the Bloodletter back several steps, but the latter was utterly fearless of death. It immediately howled and lunged forward again, its brandished weapon carrying enough energy to tear through power armor.
The strength and speed of this Bloodletter were exceptionally astonishing, managing to tie down the powerful Astartes in a short time, preventing him from rushing to aid the others.
(End of Chapter)