Cain flapped his wings furiously as his back muscles strained and visibly popped out of the scales, which was his skin. His mouth agape spewed hideous fire onto the glowing daemon as an inhuman roar of excitement and anger escaped from the daemonic sun.
Cain still pushed onwards as his wings were as large as one of the Greater Towers of Luminar, pushing air and dust, propelling him onwards.
From behind Cain came the yelling of soldiers as the Gates of Luminar opened, rows upon rows of armoured soldiers charged into the fray as artillery smashed against the ground with heretic and daemon body parts flying freely.
The ground below Cain and Skarbrand became a slaughter as unprepared Daemons and heretics alike were pushed out of the trench lines surrounding the main gate. The soldiers wielding their Phase iron weapons cut through the daemons who were in disarray as each slice down their blood and charcoal-like skin made them howl like dogs from the damage.
What came next was carriages with two horses armoured, pulling a carriage with slits where arrows and las-gun fired poured from the metal cages.
Skarbrand, still within Cain's mouth, could hear his lackeys being slaughtered as he roared a primal roar that shook the ground and surrounding greater towers.
The daemons hearing this roar seem to realise who, no what they were and charged into the fray as heretic followers alike charged along with bloodletters and Flesh hounds, the hounds took easily to the trenchs as they ran and weaved between the soldiers biting and tearing them apart as Daemons above dived down into the fray with the flaming swords and cut and cleaved the soldiers of Luminar like cheeze.
The las-guns and arrows of the carriets became ineffective as unholy words came barrowling from the daemons' mouths, their words becoming armour as the long-range weapons of Luminar started to bounce and parry off their skin.
Only the arrows made of phase iron managed to pierce the daemons' armour as the daemons let out howls of pain before their soul visibly evaporated from their bodies, clawing and swinging for anything close to them.
Skarbrand, still in Cain's mouth, made a moving gesture with his axe as he sliced downwards, his muscles like steel, reflected his blood red and bronze flames as Cain let out a shriek of pain.
Skarbrand, in a swift movement, pushed Cain's maw downwards as his wings now fully unfurled from Cain's mouth, flapping furiously.
Cain hurled downwards into the trench lines as his massive body, with legs fully extended, tried to brace for the rough landing. His wings stretched outwards as wind built within them.
However, before Cain could even come to a slowed descent, an axe of bone and blood pierced his right wing, tearing with it a massive gash along its flimzy skin. Cain flapped furiously as his left wing was also pierced; however, the blade entrenched itself within the muscles and tendons connected to his back, sending a roar of pain as Cain crashed into the ground.
As Cain's massive body slammed against the ground, dust and sand were pushed upwards like a nuclear explosion as roars from Bloodletters and heretics alike charged towards the collapsed giant of a beast.
Skarbrand flapped his wings as he slowly descended. His anger rose a notch as he descended; soldiers wielding arrows and las-guns shot him. Skarbrand, furiously pissed, roared whilst speaking, his grating voice making those around his decent go mad with their ears bleeding at his words.
"NAZARETH! STEP FORTH AND FACE ME! DO NOT COWER IN DELUSION—NO MORTAL WRETCH, NO CAGED BEAST, NO ARMY OF YOURS COULD EVER RESTRAIN MY FURY OR HALT THE ONSLAUGHT THAT FOLLOWS IN MY WAKE!!!"
The battleground around Skarbrand seemed to slow as from the gates of Luminar, three more carriets raced towards the towering daemon. Skarbrand saw the charge and let out an annoyed roar as he picked up his first axe, which had been previously thrown and with a pull of his arm, the carriages hurtled upwards as both the occupants and horses were sent flying.
Within the trenches surrounding towers three to five was a blood bath as revigorated daemons and heretics alike pushed their advantage towards the main walls of Luminar.
Soldiers and officers alike were brutally cut apart as flesh hounds and horrors of Khorne alike tore apart the men where they stood, leaving only their leather boots standing covered in blood.
- Location - Praetorian Engine Main Carrage -
- Time - An Hour Since The Daemons Assault -
"SIR! ARTILLERY PIECES TWO AND THREE ARE OUT OF AMMO!" A runner roared as he entered the command centre of the Praetorian.
Within a room surrounded by iron and the constant firing of Adrathic weaponry stood Selka, looking over the vox screen, which showed what to be thousands of red dots mixed with green, constantly flickering and reappearing.
"Tell the artillery masters of two and three to use the stockpiles of the two armour carriages if they've runned out!" Selka roared towards the runner at the abrupt interruption to the situation on the vox screen. The runner, without a second, turned and ran along the spine of the Praetorian engine as he made his way through the crowded passageways.
Sat upon a throne of black and gold was Nazareth as the lights within the command centre of the Praetorian flickered, lighting the armoured giant with a golden light before being drowned by red and black.
"Commander Selka, Time till arrival at Tower four?" Nazareth spoke in a commanding tone as the commander of the train looked at his lord and god.
"My lord, with the current speed, arrival should be ten minutes. Forces from the east have already been routed south, with the forces within the central part of the capital moving as well!" Sleka roared with confidence and reverence before returning to his vox screen.
At the head of the Praetorian was an Adrathic Devastator, only two which Nazareth had managed to buy from the crates. The weapon was bolted to the top of the engine, and with each shot of its cannons, it shook the engine whilst also consuming swarms worth of energy from the coal-powered engines.
The train powered through as it passed through the middle of the third greater tower. The soldiers of the tower watched as the engine ploughed through the daemons, which had managed to get through the trenches and tower.
The daemons roared as Adrathic weaponry throughout the train hit the daemon and heretic bodies, boiling them with blistering before exploding with blood and brain matter flying, their souls were visibly torn apart as the weaponry jumped between daemon and heretic, killing multiple in a single shot.
Nazareth still sat down, hummed a silent tune as his sword gleamed with otherworldly power, he could feel his psychic power push into the blade as if it wanted to consume him whole, its green and black gold body highlighted an eerie light onto the surrounding pieces of phase iron and servents.
From his connection with Cain, he already knew that the giant daemon was none other than Skarbrand in person, and he managed to hurt Cain, sending the dog in the form of a dragon barreling to the ground and sending it back as Cain managed to swap forms and run from the battlefield heavily wounded.
Nazareth sat silent as he envisioned how he would rip Skarbrand's dog-like face apart with his blood, bathing him and his sword, yet these visions disappeared as Nazareth moved his psychic energies to project a tangible shield around his head.
Commander Selka saw the action of the shield forming around his god's head before he quickly drew his eyes back onto the screen as reports from other towers surrounding the main battlefield flooded in.
(AN: Hi guys, hope you enjoyed, and leave a comment, also 200 PEOPLE ACTUAL PEOPLE HAVE COLLECTED MY WORK SO THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! FOR THE EMPEROR RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH )