The hammer-wielding tin-can warrior's attack came faster than Queek had anticipated.
The seasoned battlefield experience of the Headtaker allowed him to dodge Ryan's initial hammer strike, but that did not save him from the follow-up—a barrage of arrows from Araloth and a fireball from Veronica. The speed and ferocity of Ryan's assault left Queek with little room to escape; even after narrowly evading Ryan's sweep, Queek felt as though his limbs were weighed down by lead.
Realizing he couldn't avoid the arrows and fireball, Queek chose to brace for impact.
He had his warpstone-plated armor to thank. Once again, this powerful artifact saved his life. Even against Araloth's precision arrows and Veronica's violent fireball, the warpstone armor stood firm, only forcing Queek back a single step.
But the group's assault wasn't over. While Bellegar lagged slightly behind and missed the first wave, Olica, the dark elf, appeared from the shadows. Her twin butterfly daggers gleamed with lethal intent, poised to bypass Queek's warpstone armor and target his vulnerable throat.
It seemed as though Queek was out of options, destined to fall.
However, the Skaven warlord's fate was not sealed just yet. A green phantom streaked through Queek's quarters with blinding speed, moving faster than mortal eyes could track. In an instant, the eerie silhouette passed by Olica, and a metallic clang resounded. Her daggers, poised to end Queek's life, clashed against a warpstone blade, throwing off her aim. Recognizing the failed strike, Olica deftly retreated, twisting mid-air as she whispered an incantation: "Razor Wind!"
A seven-ring spell from the Dark Arts, Razor Wind conjured hundreds of sharp blades formed from shadowy magic. They whirled through the battlefield, forcing Araloth to momentarily retreat from his planned attack on the Verminlord.
"Black Vortex!" The Supreme Verminlord, Ruerkloss the Lurker, chanted a fearsome Skaven spell. This vile incantation summoned a rotting whirlwind laced with corrupting fumes that could dissolve flesh and bone. The two spells collided, shadow blades meeting the decaying winds, creating a storm of magical energies that eventually canceled each other out.
Ruerkloss, surprised that the dark elf's magic had matched his own, felt the pressure mounting. He gripped his warpstone glaive tightly, then vanished from view with lightning speed, reappearing instantly beside Queek, his spinning glaive forcing Ryan to halt his advance and guarding the Skaven warlord.
"By the Emperor's judgment! Show your true form!" Ryan raised the Hammer of Thor, unleashing a burst of psychic energy that illuminated the entire chamber. The runes on his hammer glowed as the anti-magic wards activated, banishing the fog of shadows that cloaked Ruerkloss, revealing the true form of the Supreme Verminlord.
Ruerkloss stood towering over them at nearly three meters tall. His muscular frame rippled with raw power, his legs built for speed, his twisted horns spiraling from his head, and his rat-skin cloak adorned with warpstone trinkets. Large chunks of warpstone were embedded in his flesh, and his sharp claws and fangs could tear through enemies with ease. His face was hidden behind a mask resembling the skull of a Skaven, with his glowing green eyes peering from its hollow sockets.
But what concerned Ryan's group the most was the warpstone glaive in Ruerkloss's hands and the Doomsday Blade strapped to his back.
Ryan didn't rush to attack. He wasn't worried about reinforcements—Olica had already sealed the entrances to Queek's quarters with dark magic, and most of the stronger Skaven had been slaughtered by Skarbrand earlier. Instead, Ryan knew that the Verminlord's time in the mortal realm was limited. After having fought Skarbrand, Ruerkloss had already been forced to reveal himself. Now, how much longer could this Skaven demon last?
"Ryan, my brother! You deal with the Verminlord!" Bellegar called out, hammering his Angrund Hammer against his shield. The King of Eight Peaks glared at Queek, his eyes burning with hatred and the fire of Grimnir's wrath. "I will settle my blood feud with Queek Headtaker myself!"
"Understood!" Ryan replied without hesitation, focusing on the Supreme Verminlord.
"…Little Warlord, it seems we're in trouble," Ruerkloss hissed, eyeing the five powerful enemies before him. Even a powerful entity like him was wary of the situation. His time was running out, and he doubted he could defeat all five. "Flee now! I can hold them for two minutes… at least one! Hurry!"
"No! I'll settle this here, now, with this bearded runt!" Queek's response was both crazed and resolute. He had spent much of his strength and energy battling Skarbrand earlier, but he was still Queek Headtaker—the proud warlord of Clan Mors and the Right Claw of Lord Gnawdwell!
Running was not his style!
"Heh, still so stubborn. You never listen to my advice, you rude little rat!" Ruerkloss sighed as he tightened his grip on his warpstone glaive. "So be it."
Ryan was ready. "Let Bellegar handle Queek! We focus on the Verminlord!"
"For… the Horned Rat!" Ruerkloss stepped back, bracing himself. With lightning speed, he charged at Ryan and the others, while Bellegar lunged at Queek, their long-standing rivalry reigniting in an explosive clash.
The battle that followed was as intense as the fight against Skarbrand. Ruerkloss, the Supreme Verminlord, fought fiercely against the four Sanctuary-level warriors. His massive form spun through the air, using his warpstone glaive to parry Ryan's warhammer, his bladed stilts countering Araloth's Greenleaf Spear, and he chanted dark Skaven spells to deflect Veronica's Light and Fire magic. Simultaneously, he summoned the Weeping Blade from the domain of the Horned Rat, forcing Olica to fight on the defensive.
The shadow of the Horned Rat loomed over the four warriors, but none of them showed fear. Ryan radiated psychic light that damaged the Verminlord's perfect form, shortening its time in the mortal realm. Each of Ryan's attacks forced Ruerkloss to change position, while Araloth relentlessly stabbed at him with his spear, invoking the names of Ariel and Lileath to restore his honor.
"Exploding Flame!" Veronica chanted, summoning a giant fireball over two meters in diameter. Guided by the Garland Witch's precise control, the fireball hurtled towards Ruerkloss.
"Damn it!" Ruerkloss knew he couldn't take the hit. He twisted his body in midair, transforming into a shadow and appearing behind Ryan, aiming to strike at his throat.
But Ryan was quicker. The Grey Knight Primarch exploded into a flurry of fragments, reappearing behind Ruerkloss. His warhammer struck the Verminlord's wrist, breaking the bone with a loud crack. His other hand conjured a psychic spear, driving it through Ruerkloss's shoulder.
Araloth followed up with a strike of his own, slicing a gash along the Verminlord's leg, causing black blood to spill from the wound. Olica continued battling the Weeping Blade, a cursed weapon capable of corroding the toughest armor. However, as a Sanctuary-level sorceress of the Dark Arts, Olica held her ground. Empowered by the Pale Queen's blessings, she summoned freezing winds from the Underworld, slowly covering the Weeping Blade in frost. The power of the Pale Queen was beginning to overwhelm the Horned Rat's influence.
The clash of weapons, spells, and summoned creatures reverberated through both the mortal and Chaos realms, echoing through the gods' domains.
Ruerkloss fought desperately, trying to buy time for Queek. Though his body bore numerous wounds from Ryan and Araloth's strikes, the Verminlord remained focused and unrelenting. He set his sights on Veronica, sensing that she was the key to victory.
Summoning all his remaining strength, Ruerkloss managed to break free from Ryan and Araloth's relentless assault, his form flickering as he surged forward, closing the distance to Veronica.
The Garland Witch felt a surge of anger. This Skaven demon saw her as the weakest, the easiest target?!
Fine! I'll show him!
With fierce determination, Veronica unleashed her next spell, a grand conjuration she had been preparing. She took a step to the side, planting her staff into the ground with a resounding thud.
"Eternal Banishment!" The Winds of Hysh swirled around her, encasing her in a radiant aura of pure light. Hundreds of beams of holy energy surrounded her, and as Ruerkloss drew near, his body began to sizzle, as if being burned alive. White magic was the bane of Chaos and the undead, and Veronica had unleashed her full power. The Verminlord recoiled as his body was scorched by the holy light, forcing him to retreat.
But Veronica wasn't finished. She prepared another spell, channeling the winds of magic through her body. A phoenix of pure flame took shape behind her, its fiery wings unfurling. The phoenix let out a piercing cry as it soared through the air
, slamming into the Verminlord and engulfing him in purifying fire.
"High Arcane Spell: Flame of the Phoenix!"
Ruerkloss's agonized screams echoed through the chamber as he was thrown back by the assault. Veronica's magic reserves were nearly depleted, but the damage had been done. Ryan gave her a thumbs-up before transforming into a silver meteor, driving his sword into Ruerkloss, cutting deep into the Verminlord's body.
Ruerkloss could feel his strength fading. His body was covered in wounds inflicted by the Avenger and Araloth's spear, and Veronica's purifying flames continued to burn him. Desperate, the Verminlord reached for the Doomsday Blade strapped to his back.
It was his last chance.
"Chitter... doom..."
Before he could complete the incantation, two butterfly daggers plunged into his back, piercing his heart. Olica had slipped behind him unnoticed, her cruel smile revealing her satisfaction as she twisted the daggers, tearing through flesh.
The final blow from Olica left the Supreme Verminlord gasping. Ryan and Araloth seized the moment, thrusting their weapons into Ruerkloss's throat. The Skaven demon's body was consumed by psychic fire.
In seconds, he was reduced to ashes.
Ryan had banished the Verminlord, sending him back to the Warp with an exceptionally powerful exorcism. Though Ryan couldn't completely destroy a Chaos demon yet—only the Emperor himself or Guilliman with the Emperor's Sword could do that—Ryan's power had severely injured Ruerkloss's soul and severed the Horned Rat's connection to the mortal world. In the Warp, the Horned Rat's agonized screams echoed, its influence over its followers temporarily shattered.
On the other side of the chamber, a fierce duel raged between Bellegar and Queek.
There was no quick victory, no easy battle. Bellegar fought with patience and precision, exploiting Queek's exhaustion from his earlier battle with Skarbrand. The King of Eight Peaks steadily wore down Queek's strength through sheer endurance. With relentless determination, Bellegar outlasted Queek, forcing the Skaven warlord into a brutal test of stamina. Little by little, Queek's energy was drained, his once-dominant position now slipping away.
Ryan, Araloth, Veronica, and Olica surrounded the duel, ready to intervene if necessary. Ryan watched with a cold smile, prepared to step in at any moment.
Finally, after over an hour of fierce combat, Queek's pride was shattered. With one last swing of his Angrund Hammer, Bellegar sent Queek sprawling to the ground. The Skaven warlord's body was covered in deep dents and bruises from the holy hammer's blows. His prized Dwarf-Slayer warblade was knocked from his grasp, leaving him defenseless. Bellegar smashed Queek's skull with one final hammer blow, ending the reign of the notorious Skaven warlord.
"For Eight Peaks! For our ancestors and the fallen!" Bellegar roared triumphantly, raising his hammer high. "By Grungni's beard! By Grimnir's axe! By Valaya's cloak! Thank you all!"
"Kill me! Kill me, beard-thing! Finish it!" Queek lay on the ground, unable to move, his legs broken by Bellegar's relentless attacks.
"Kill you? That's too easy," Bellegar growled, stepping on Queek's head. He turned to Ryan. "Brother Ryan, take us out of here!"
"I want to bring this rat back to Eight Peaks, where I will recount his crimes before all my clan, and then I'll see him publicly executed. Only then will justice be served!"
"As you wish," Ryan agreed with a smile. He began channeling his psychic energy.
The teleportation matrix locked onto their location.
With that, the five warriors and the broken Queek vanished from the chamber.
Hours later, the Skaven of Clan Mors discovered that their warlord was gone. The traces of a fierce battle and bloodshed were everywhere.
Without Queek's leadership, the Skaven descended into chaos, fighting each other for control of the clan.
As the leaderless Skaven tore each other apart deep within Eight Peaks, the expeditionary army outside prepared for the final assault.
The last battle to reclaim Eight Peaks was drawing near.
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