The hull of the slightly listing lunar class was riddled with wounds, its thin steel plates barely maintaining the ship's seal.
Flying Servitors and servo-skulls circled the listing warship, the constant flashes of their welding tools illuminating the void.
The deck opened, and Black Skull, whose skin had grown a bit paler, pushed a cart full of Chaos Astartes stripped of their power armor. Together with another World Eater who looked nothing like a Khorne Berzerker, they tossed the boarding party into the void.
Blood trailed behind them as they watched these elite Abaddon veterans, who had once been even fiercer fighters than themselves, drift further and further away into the freezing void.
Behind him, the sound of Mortal crew members scrubbing the deck snapped Black Skull's attention back from his "old comrades."
Turning to return to his new formation, Black Skull looked at Blasphemous Horn among the cleaning crew; he had to squint to even notice the mutated fleshy horn on his forehead, which had almost completely vanished.
If Black Skull hadn't been so familiar with Blasphemous Horn, he might have mistaken Black Skull for a normal human with some minor ailment.
This positive change occurring among all the Chaos forces on the ship was not only mind-boggling to those experiencing it like Black Skull, but it also led the Inquisitor named Van Roth to excitedly shout "Long live the God-Emperor" three times a day.
Although the traitor Legions hadn't turned from the Imperium solely because of Chaos—some simply couldn't stand the Imperium's actions—
if Chaos corruption could be reversed, then at least there was still hope, wasn't there?
At the mere thought of potentially reforming the nine loyalist Legions as they were before the betrayal, Van Roth, fully aware of the implications, almost wished Sith would just go ahead and fully commit to Chaos.
Because if even the Chaos Gods / The Four Gods could...
Van Roth naturally didn't dare to follow that train of thought any further, but even just thinking this much made him so excited that his attitude toward the Chaos Traitors had improved significantly lately.
He even began laying the groundwork for this hopeful future, pulling aside the increasingly normal-looking traitor Legions every day to lecture them on the greatness of the God-Emperor.
On the bridge, during a brief respite, Sith watched as Van Roth and the Ecclesiarchy Priests began preaching the greatness of the God-Emperor and Sith to the Chaos Traitors, constantly reinforcing their loyalty to Sith.
Noting the increasingly respectful gazes of the traitors, whose loyalty had been magnified a hundredfold, Sith pulled his attention back and focused on the ship's status.
Seeing that the ship's damage was nearing thirty percent, Sith could only sigh at how relentlessly Vashtorr was hounding them.
After a moment's thought, he pulled a fragment from his robes, wondering what this thing actually was.
It was enough to make Vashtorr lead his and Abaddon's joint fleet with such a relentless, "fight to the death" momentum.
After staring at it for a while without gaining any insight, Sith helplessly tucked the fragment away. Calculating the time, he figured Vashtorr was due for another attack. Just as he was about to order the repair crews to return and prepare for battle, a ripple of Warp energy appeared directly on the bridge.
The sudden appearance of a teleportation circle immediately triggered a reaction from the surrounding Astartes. Blackwatch soldiers, clad in storm armor and equipped with jump packs, took to the air and aimed their hellguns at the site.
When the figure that emerged wasn't a boarding party but a massive, gaunt black silhouette wielding a hammer-scepter, everyone's eyes widened in shock.
The Astartes instantly raised their weapons, aiming nervously at the massive Chaos God before them. The Blackwatch abandoned any thought of melee, quickly backing away while cranking their hellguns to maximum power.
The Thousand Sons Sorcerers immediately teleported to Sith's side, manifesting a thick psychic shield in front of him.
With just a single look from Sith, everyone was ready to drown this Warp entity, who dared to teleport directly in front of him, in overwhelming firepower.
Upon appearing, Vashtorr immediately raised his hands in a gesture of sincerity:
"I have come to seek a deal."
He gestured to show he was unarmed, even peeling back his hideous lips to force a "smile."
Sith looked at Vashtorr through the psychic shield. After confirming the other party truly bore no ill will, he slowly raised his hand.
Seeing this, the Astartes and Blackwatch slightly lowered their weapons.
Realizing a negotiation was about to take place, the Thousand Sons Sorcerers cast an even more powerful psychic protection circle around Sith.
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