The Ultramarines' Fifth Company was a frontline battle company, and their combat prowess was formidable. However, given their absolute numerical disadvantage, Sicarius knew their chances of survival were slim. His only hope now was to ensure that intelligence regarding this unknown xenos reached the other Chapters of the Imperium.
The newborn Queen of Blades, clearly still in her "newbie protection period," went straight for the Captain of the Fifth. With a flick of her hand, a surging psychic shockwave tore a trench into the earth, racing directly toward Cato Sicarius.
But the Iron Halo behind Sicarius flared with light, projecting a conversion field that absorbed the impact. Sicarius was thrown back several steps by the force but remained largely unharmed. This wasn't a matter of "plot armor" or weakening the enemy; an Iron Halo generates a powerful disruptive field similar to a Rosarius or Refractor Field, enabling its wearer to withstand the most violent assaults. This was the reason company captains could often be seen reaping a harvest amidst a storm of fire without being instantly vaporized; the Iron Halo allowed them to temporarily ignore ranged and psychic attacks.
†I get a bad feeling whenever I see that Iron Halo.†
The Iron Halo, shaped like a radiant sun, bore a striking resemblance to the Emperor's divine golden light. The Overmind always felt that these things, much like the Chaos Eight-Pointed Star, were objects directly watched by their respective deities. These devices could even deflect the wide-area psychic spells of a Lord of Change.
†Please tell me the Legion of the Damned isn't about to show up.†
As an extension of the Emperor's will, the Legion of the Damned had a high probability of appearing in any area with high Warp density. The Overmind had been constantly on guard against this. Between Slaanesh and the Emperor, one of them was bound to show up!
Where there were Aeldari, Slaanesh was never far behind. Just as the Overmind was thinking this...
In the area where a large number of Dark Aeldari had recently perished, a purple Warp rift tore open. The souls of the fallen xenos were sucked into the abyss amidst agonizing wails. Then, a towering figure stepped out. A Keeper of Secrets, a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh standing over ten meters tall, emerged from the rift and crushed a Zergling beneath its hoof.
"Delicious souls," the Greater Daemon remarked, licking its lips with a long, prehensile tongue. "I hunger for more."
Slaaneshi Daemons began to pour out of the rift in a steady stream. These creatures craved Aeldari souls and would never be satisfied.
†They actually came?!†
It made sense. In a region with high Warp density and a high concentration of Aeldari souls, how could Slaanesh resist?
†But you've arrived at the perfect time. My daughter, show these Daemons your power!†
It was the perfect chance to test if Slaanesh's influence had any effect on the current Queen of Blades.
The Keeper of Secrets led a swarm of Daemonettes into the fray against the Swarm. They fought like addicts high on their own essence, caring little for the strategic cost; they only cared for the immediate thrill of the kill.
The Greater Daemon's power was immense. Upon seeing this massive entity, the Cerebrate immediately summoned nearby Ultralisks and Behemoths. An Ultralisk burst from the ground, charging the Keeper of Secrets instantly.
"Welcome!!!"
The Greater Daemon, wielding four swords in its four arms, began its performance. Despite its massive size, the Keeper of Secrets—like the Daemonettes—retained incredible speed and reflexes. The Ultralisk unfurled its Kaiser Blades and thundered forward. Those blades could cleave through almost any defense, but the Greater Daemon didn't rely on defense.
With a graceful leap that looked more like a dance than a battle maneuver, the Daemon dodged the Ultralisk's charge. Mid-air, it spun and slashed its curved blades. The multi-layered organic plating of the Ultralisk, which could withstand main battle tank shells, was sliced open like paper. After the Ultralisk had carried its momentum ten meters forward, it finally realized it had been cleaved into multiple sections. Its body began to split apart and disintegrate.
Strangely, the wounds showed no signs of the Zerg's characteristic rapid regeneration.
†Those blades can block regeneration?†
It was only natural for Warp-forged weapons to carry such enchantments. It seemed a first-generation Ultralisk wasn't quite a match for a Greater Daemon. No matter—later on, when Ultralisks were mass-produced as common soldiers, if one couldn't kill it, a thousand surely would.
Even now, while one Ultralisk fell, several more appeared on the field, including a Hierophant that was even larger. The Hierophant was so colossal that even the Greater Daemon had to crane its neck to see its front.
And standing atop the Hierophant's head was the Queen of Blades. She leaped toward the Keeper of Secrets, who raised its blades to parry. However, a psychic shockwave from the Queen sent the Greater Daemon flying back dozens of meters, its cloven hooves plowing deep furrows into the earth.
"This creature..." the Greater Daemon muttered, looking at her in shock.
"A lapdog of the Prince of Pleasure? I can't wait to tear you to pieces!!!"
The Queen of Blades still possessed the memories of her former life as a Succubus. Seeing a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh—the very entity her race feared most—looking so powerless before her was an exhilarating sensation.
"AAAAHHH!"
She let out a roar, psychic light blaring from her eyes. A force sufficient to crush super-heavy tanks slammed into the Greater Daemon. Not daring to take it head-on, the Daemon shrieked and pushed back with its own psychic power.
Seeing this, the Queen of Blades raised both hands and slammed them together in front of her. The Keeper of Secrets felt a massive force crushing it from both sides. It used all four arms to push outward, barely preventing itself from being flattened into a pulp, though its bones began to creak and crack.
In the past, the pain of breaking bones might have brought the Daemon pleasure, but now, it felt only a piercing sense of humiliation.
"You dare look down on me, little thing!"
The Greater Daemon struggled to push the psychic force away, but the Queen of Blades only gave it a cold sneer.
"No. I overestimated you."
The bone wings on her back unfurled and, mirroring her hands, slammed inward.
CLAP!
The Greater Daemon's entire body was flattened into "two dimensions" by the overwhelming force. A rain of blood sprayed across the entire battlefield, drenching both the Daemonettes and the Swarm.
†Oh, yes! This is it! This is too satisfying—she can one-shot a Greater Daemon! Incredible, my child!!!†
Perhaps this particular Keeper of Secrets wasn't the most powerful of its kind, but a Greater Daemon was still a Greater Daemon. For the Queen of Blades to end it in three moves left the Overmind immensely satisfied. Her current power was truly worthy of being the Overmind's Agent; no one would doubt her status as a leader of the Swarm.
The Queen of Blades swept her hand across the horizon and commanded.
"Kill them. Leave none alive!"
The Swarm responded instantly to her call, wiping out the remaining Daemonettes. Some Zerg units even charged directly into the Warp rift. However, as soon as they entered, they lost their connection to the Overmind. Sensing this, the Queen of Blades immediately ordered:
"Stop."
†As expected, the Warp is not yet a place for the Swarm to invade.†