"That guy actually did that much over these years..."
Eden absorbed the intel from the Khorne cultist spy Barag and learned all about what Ka'Bandha had been up to after the Battle of Baal.
He couldn't help but sigh in admiration and self-deprecation:
"Sigh... When it comes to loyalty to the Imperium, I'm not even half the man Brother Ka'Bandha is..."
The gold content of "Locked-Ka'Bandha" just skyrocketed again.
According to Barag's report:
After suffering a crushing defeat at Baal and losing an enormous horde of daemon legions, Ka'Bandha—laden with massive soul-debt interest—didn't dare return to the Brass Citadel and report back to the Blood God.
He feared brutal punishment from the Blood God, or worse—having his powers stripped and his life extinguished.
Thus began his long and grueling journey of "head-chopping to pay debts." He suffered greatly along the way.
The record of this Exalted Bloodthirster reads like a saga:
Due to a poor strategic decision, Ka'Bandha found himself trapped in a star system infested by an Ork Empire. He couldn't even muster the soul energy needed for warp travel.
Yet, he didn't give up. Dragging his weary, scarred daemon form, he launched a relentless war against the Orks.
Eventually, he and the remnants of his daemon army cleared out the entire star system, destroying an Ork Empire that was on the brink of launching a massive "Waaagh!" crusade.
That victory spared nearby regions of the Imperium from an Ork catastrophe.
And it also earned him enough soul energy to finally break free from that star system.
However, he didn't return to the Warp—he refused the Blood God's summons.
Instead, Ka'Bandha selected eight of the strongest Ork skulls as trophies and set out again.
This time, his sights were on a dark eldar kabal that had plundered multiple Imperial sub-sectors—a powerful, ancient faction with a legacy of perverse cruelty.
The dark eldar had inherited much of the ancient Aeldari Empire's technology, even surpassing Craftworld Aeldari in many aspects. Their weapons could release incandescent dark matter or miniature stars. Their vehicles and battleships were unmatched by Imperial standards.
Even the Imperium often found itself helpless against them—only the Necrons came close in raw technological parity.
But Ka'Bandha won.
At great personal cost, the Exalted Bloodthirster withstood the full power of a miniature star weapon, breached the terrifying "Dying Sun"-class battleship (just shy of a Craftworld in might), and rampaged through it.
Inside, he slaughtered the twisted creatures crafted by the Haemonculi and took the head of the kabal's archon.
Eight high-ranking dark eldar skulls were added to his collection. The cabal that had ravaged the Storm Zone for millennia was annihilated.
Having grown even stronger, Ka'Bandha then launched a surprise assault on a Tyranid splinter fleet—and once again, claimed victory.
Eight Tyranid Alpha-beast heads.
His string of conquests eliminated many xeno threats ravaging the Imperium, bringing peace to large swaths of its territory.
And despite all these achievements—
The Exalted Bloodthirster remained unsatisfied.
He continued answering the call of Khorne's followers, marching across the galaxy... even targeting the Necrons.
In one stunning move, he discovered a Necron tomb world—the personal museum of Trazyn the Infinite, the Collector.
Ka'Bandha raided it.
He pillaged the prized skulls of Trazyn's precious exhibitions. Priceless trophies. Unimaginable.
"Blood God above... if only the tomb's master had been home."
Ka'Bandha, apparently, even shared this regret with Barag.
Eden nearly choked when he read this part:
"Holy shit—he raided Trazyn the Collector's tomb?!"
That explained recent rumors—Trazyn had apparently gone berserk, launched a fleet into the Eye of Terror, destroyed several Khorne-controlled Chaos worlds, and even robbed Abaddon of multiple ancient relics in passing.
It only worsened Abaddon's already miserable situation.
Word had it that the Despoiler chased Trazyn for ages... and still never caught him.
When he returned to his base, much of the recovered Black Legion assets had been looted—again—by another opportunistic Chaos faction.
A new rumor emerged: Abaddon fainted from rage and later, upon waking, took out his fury in an extremely intimate way with a certain gender-fluid Slaaneshi champion...
Now he was pulling forces from the Vigilus Warzone, fortifying his base defenses.
For Eden, it was an ideal time to move into the Vigilus region.
Unfortunately, the coming Plague War meant the Savior's domain couldn't spare the troops for a new front.
Eden sighed in frustration—and couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.
"Ka'Bandha's luck is beyond insane... even stumbled into the Collector's vault?"
Eden had dispatched scouting teams across the galaxy for years with no results. Yet Ka'Bandha just... walked in.
At least now he had a location.
Though it was likely that the tomb's treasures had long since been moved due to Ka'Bandha's raid.
Still, knowledge of the vault's location was valuable.
Eden forwarded the intel to his scout teams, hoping it would boost the odds of discovering other stashes.
He kept reading Barag's report—and now came familiar information that answered some lingering doubts.
Not long ago, Ka'Bandha butchered an entire Black Legion fleet, taking the heads of multiple Chaos Chosen.
Then he returned to the Warp.
Thanks to these successive galactic campaigns, Ka'Bandha not only repaid his soul debt—he vastly exceeded it.
His power was now overwhelming.
But the Exalted Bloodthirster didn't stop.
No.
He led his daemon army in attacks against the realms of the Chaos Gods themselves, seeking even greater conquests.
First stop: Nurgle's Garden.
There, Ka'Bandha soloed multiple Great Unclean Ones and took eight of their heads.
In full view of Nurgle's daemons, he walked off.
Next: Tzeentch's Crystal Labyrinth.
His hatred for Tzeentch burned hot. Not only was there longstanding enmity between Khorne and Tzeentch—but Ka'Bandha blamed the scheming bird-daemons for his previous failures.
He went berserk.
Cut through the Crystal Labyrinth like a chainsaw, blue Horrors screeching everywhere. Nearly killed Barug, a hidden spy of Barag's.
Only Barag's quick thinking saved the mole's life.
"Cursed Changer of Ways, I'll f*** you up!!"
Ka'Bandha even roared at Tzeentch himself during the battle.
The shout echoed through the Labyrinth.
If the Blood God hadn't arrived in time, Ka'Bandha would have died then and there.
Khorne clashed briefly with Tzeentch and forcibly dragged his barely alive champion back—without blame, even praising Ka'Bandha's bravery and healing his wounds.
"Locked-Ka'Bandha is terrifying!"
Eden couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up.
The guy had yelled at Tzeentch in his own realm—and survived.
That's one hell of a health bar.
Of course, Tzeentch probably held back to avoid breaching pacts—if He personally killed Khorne's champion, it'd trigger eternal war.
But Ka'Bandha didn't stop there.
After recovery, he pulled the most outrageous stunt yet:
He challenged multiple top-ranking Bloodthirsters in the Brass Citadel—specifically those who had previously loaned him soul-debt interest.
He took their heads.
"Debt collectors? What debt collectors?"
Only two daemons were spared—those who quickly surrendered their armies.
Even so, their power plummeted. They were essentially finished.
With that, Ka'Bandha not only erased his debt—he profited massively.
His power surged.
Now known by new titles like "Skull Reaver" and "Mocker of the Changer of Ways," he had become the most powerful daemon in the Warp.
Unmatched.
Eden stared at the report in a daze.
He had repeatedly beaten down this Exalted Bloodthirster—yet Ka'Bandha kept coming back stronger.
Was this guy the Chaos equivalent of a protagonist?
With his current power, even the resurrected Sanguinius might struggle to stop him—unless he used cheats.
Luckily, Ka'Bandha hadn't harmed the Imperium—on the contrary, he was weirdly "loyal." Their fates were strangely intertwined.
They complemented one another.
Otherwise, he'd be a nightmare.
According to the latest intel, Ka'Bandha's "loyalty" continued. He was now heading toward the Realm of Slaanesh.
Who knows what chaos that would bring?
…
Later, in the Warp.
Realm of Khorne.
A towering, flame-wreathed daemon stepped across blood-soaked lands of molten lava. His aura was immense, and from the iron rack strapped to his back hung several human skulls—legends, each one.
It marked a great victory for a Khorne daemon.
"Blood God! Your loyal servant returns!"
Former Chief Daemon Angrath spread his fiery aura proudly. Awaiting him was the grand welcome of a Blood Parade.
Only major victories earned such honors.
Clearly, the parade was for him.
He was smug. This campaign had brought him glory beyond compare.
Surely now, he would eclipse the disgraced Ka'Bandha who had lost everything at Baal.
Maybe—just maybe—he could reclaim what was once his.
"Where is Ka'Bandha , that loser? Hiding from me?!"
Angrath brandished the eight legendary skulls on his rack in front of the other daemons, proudly displaying his trophies.
Especially among them—one skull shone with pale gold.
It had belonged to a living Saint of Mankind. A warrior who had once banished numerous Greater Daemons, now finally fallen under Angrath's axe. The crowning jewel of this campaign.
And yet… no one gave him the look of reverence he expected.
Instead, Angrath received strange, uneasy glances.
Suddenly, a far more violent Warp rift tore open nearby.
He felt that savage, overwhelming power and turned his head.
"Ka... Ka'Bandha?!"
In his field of view—
With the grinding of chains and bones, a far larger, horned and monstrous daemon form stepped onto the blood-soaked earth.
The ground shook violently. New fissures opened, geysers of blood erupting upward.
The air was saturated with unstoppable daemonic might.
In the next instant, the true Blood Parade horns and drums echoed across the realm.
Their meaning was clear—this ceremony was not for Angrath.
It was for the Exalted Bloodthirster, Ka'Bandha.
Angrath stood dumbstruck. His pride forgotten. His gaze locked on Ka'Bandha.
His pupils shrank.
The trophy rack on Ka'Bandha's back rose over ten layers high—towering well above his own massive height—each layer jammed with severed skulls.
From the lower to middle tiers: Orks, Dark Eldar, Aeldari, Tyranids, Necrons, Chaos Space Marines, Beastmen—all with eight skulls each.
The top layers were lined with Greater Daemons: Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, Slaanesh—eight skulls each. Many were famous daemons, high in the ranks.
So vast was the trophy rack, it took several Bloodthirsters just to carry the weight behind him.
And more—Ka'Bandha now wore a cloak nearly a kilometer long, made of iron chains and skulls. It floated upward, rising into the sky, its countless hollow skulls casting a shadow that blotted out the heavens.
This was his declaration.
All those daemons who mocked him for past defeats? Who claimed he hadn't accomplished anything in centuries?
This was his answer.
There was only one skull missing—a human one.
But from every other major galactic race, Ka'Bandha had collected the heads of champions. Even high-ranking Chaos Greater Daemons.
The Exalted Bloodthirster sighed faintly.
He had to thank his loyal advisor, Barag. It was Barag who suggested such a dramatic display. Without him, Ka'Bandha might never have presented his feats so grandly.
In gratitude, Ka'Bandha had even granted Barag command of a vast daemon army—now larger than those of many top-ranked Chaos champions.
THUD, THUD, THUD—
"Angrath... You stand in the way of the Great Skull Reaver, the Chief Daemon, the Provoker of the Changer of Ways, the Nemesis of the Devourer!"
Ka'Bandha stopped in front of his longtime rival. He glanced lazily at Angrath's meager trophy rack—then scoffed.
"This... this can't be real…"
Angrath could barely speak. The scale of what he was seeing shattered his pride, crushed his fantasies.
The Blood Parade's music now felt like mockery.
His earlier trophy display now looked like a joke. Compared to Ka'Bandha's mountain of skulls, Angrath's few prizes were pathetic scraps.
It was like comparing a tricycle to a gold-plated, diamond-studded Ferrari.
Ka'Bandha casually reached behind Angrath, grabbing the golden skull of that human saint.
He shook his head slightly, voice dripping with disdain.
"You're only capable of collecting skulls from weaklings. No offense, but human skulls aren't worth showcasing. You should swing your axe at stronger prey."
It was a calculated insult.
Ka'Bandha himself lacked any human skulls—a potential blemish. If others noticed, they might criticize the "imperfection" of his record.
But during his campaigns, he'd simply never encountered a truly powerful pure human.
"No value. Just sad."
He tossed the saint's skull to the ground.
Then, with contempt, he shoved Angrath aside and marched toward the Brass Citadel.
Behind him, one of his supporting Bloodthirsters accidentally stepped on the skull—CRACK.
The sharp splintering echoed across the bloodlands—like a slap across Angrath's face.
Angrath stared, stunned, at his prized trophy now shattered on the ground.
A sour bitterness rose in his throat... then pure rage.
ROAR!!!
He drew his bloodaxe, burning red-hot, and bellowed:
"Ka'Bandha! In the name of the Blood God—I challenge you!!"
He sought a duel to the death.
But Ka'Bandha didn't even glance back.
He kept walking.
"You are not worthy to be my opponent. I, the Exalted Bloodthirster, have but one rival—the Primarch Savior, the Devourer!"
His voice echoed throughout the entirety of Khorne's realm, radiating his burning war intent.
Then, calmly, he added:
"If you one day earn victories of equal weight... perhaps I'll consider facing you."
Angrath stared after him, his axe trembling in his hand, chest heaving with fury.
He wanted to strike.
But no—he would not stoop to a coward's ambush.
"Ka'Bandha... one day, we will fight!"
Snarling, Angrath turned and left the realm of Khorne with his daemon army.
He would embark on a new campaign.
In Khorne's domain, power is earned through war. Rankings shift endlessly. As long as he kept winning—
He could surpass Ka'Bandha.
Outside the Brass Citadel, the daemons stared at the shattered skull of that human saint.
It stung the eyes.
Several Bloodthirsters—who had been planning campaigns against human worlds—quietly changed their plans.
They would now target other races or rival Chaos territories.
Anything but human skulls.
Why?
Because no one wanted to become the next Angrath. A walking joke.
Thanks to Ka'Bandha, the perceived value of human skulls had been permanently devalued.
And that meant... fewer Khorne daemons would bother with humanity for now.
Ironically, this served the Blood God's deeper goal.
Khorne's realm had fallen behind.
Nurgle now held the largest territory, followed by Tzeentch. Khorne was third—nearly last.
The difference wasn't enough to weaken his power, but size did matter.
Thus, Khorne's aggression against rival gods grew ever more intense.
To reclaim dominance, He needed bold warriors like Ka'Bandha to attack and seize territory from the others.
That was why the Blood God protected him.
That was why this latest conquest was so highly rewarded.
Inside the Brass Citadel—
Ka'Bandha offered 8,888 rare skulls, including some belonging to extremely powerful Chaos beings.
The Blood God was pleased—and granted new gifts.
Then, he gave Ka'Bandha a new mission:
Invade the Savior's territory. Eliminate this growing threat. If possible, drag it into Chaos.
Ka'Bandha accepted—but was deeply uneasy.
Inside the Brass Palace—
He paced, brow furrowed.
"Barag... what do we do now?"
There was no way he wanted to fight the Savior yet—not now, not like this.
But he couldn't disobey the Blood God either.
Barag, ever the clever advisor, folded his four claws behind his back and smirked.
"My lord, this problem is not without solution…"
"The mighty Blood God merely desires land. He does not care how we obtain it."
Ka'Bandha's eyes lit up.
"You're right. All He wants is more territory. If we seize enough, He won't care whether I attacked the Savior or not!"
Rebellion wasn't new to Ka'Bandha. As long as he had results, Khorne would overlook the details.
Even if punished, he could take it.
Worst case? Pretend to attack, then shift to a different front. War is fluid, after all.
Barag stepped closer.
"My lord, I have obtained some secret intel. Nurgle's daemons are preparing to gather in Ultramar... and if we do this and this... and that..."
Ka'Bandha listened carefully.
His blood-red eyes gleamed brighter with each detail.
——
Eye of Terror.
"Ssss~ Brother Ka'Bandha, dropping me more gold coins already?"
On the black throne within the space fortress—
Eden was surprised to find himself receiving another surge of daemonic faith energy—an influx that greatly empowered his Chaos form.
The fortress finally came to a halt.
Eden yanked out the feeding tubes injecting black chaotic matter into his body and rose from the throne.
Black Abyss Star had arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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