WEBWAY
"Ready yourselves. I smell the stench of depravity," Atrius informed the Sisters, frantically scanning his surroundings, trying to sense the enemy's presence.
"Hmm... hmm... hmm, right? This loyal dog of the abomination lacks courtesy," came a mockingly familiar voice. It was the daemon from before.
Inside his helmet, Atrius gritted his teeth. His calm demeanor cracked. He was fighting many battles at once—visions assaulted his mind in chaotic waves, afflicting him with countless images:
Death. Life. War. Survival. Famine. Despair. A cocktail of misery.
His senses dulled—reality and unreality blurred together. His powerful mind combed through the hallucinations with speed, but still, more surfaced.
His patience frayed. He was tired of playing games with these foul creatures.
"Aaargghh!"
A cry of pain came from behind. He turned—one of the Sisters had fallen to her knees, her head missing.
"No!" he shouted, watching the lifeless head roll across the ground, eyes wide in shock.
The other Sisters stood in silent horror, then quickly shifted to defensive stances. Their gazes sharpened with rage. The leading Sister turned to Atrius.
"If this goes on, we'll be picked off one by one—we can't locate the enemy," she signaled urgently.
Atrius drew a deep breath.
Hrmfff... hooooo…
He stepped forward.
"You will all fall here. Heed my words," he said, his voice steeped in anguish.
THRUUUUMMMM
A tremendous psychic force erupted across the field. The foul air trembled, and the fleshy walls of the Webway quivered.
"Yesss... that's more like it. Let anger consume you. Burn with hate and thirst for vengeance… I, Bar-thuk, Daemon Prince of Khorne, welcome your slaughter!"
The voice was thunderous and guttural.
A new rift tore open—larger than any before.
THUM. THUM. THUM. THUM.
Heavy footsteps echoed as the stench of blood filled the air. An immense, hulking beast of crimson flesh stepped out. Lesser daemons followed in droves behind it.
Each step shook the ground. The beast bore two curved horns, a serpentine face, and rows of razor fangs. It snarled, its presence dwarfing the cunning daemon's.
Flanking the Khorne daemon were two shadows that solidified. One took the form of a slender daemoness with feminine features. Her bluish skin was marred by horrific sigils. She walked with seductive poise, a tail swaying behind her. Her face was pierced with rings and twisted ornamentation. Her ears were long and pointed, like an Eldar's.
The cunning daemon reappeared at her side, eyes gleaming with fervor.
On Atrius's side, the Sisters of Silence had already taken position. They raised their weapons, awaiting orders. Even with the Khorne daemon's arrival, Atrius's psychic power did not falter—it intensified.
GRAWWWWWW!
A terrifying roar burst from the Khorne daemon. The lesser daemons surged forward.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The Sisters opened fire, gunning down the vanguard. Atrius joined in, unleashing bolts of energy from his spear. Daemons were torn apart as they stepped into the killing field.
The three greater daemons charged—Atrius was their clear target. He met their charge, slaying scores of lesser daemons along the way. Skulls exploded as he moved. The lesser daemons began to avoid him, choosing instead to overwhelm the Sisters.
BOOM!
A powerful hammer strike from the Khorne daemon sent Atrius flying. his spear left his grip and fell among the corpses.
The cunning daemon advanced swiftly toward him.
"We're changing battlefields. We don't want those disgusting wretches meddling," it sneered, stomping on the now-empty ground where Atrius had fallen.
"You're struggling, aren't you? Can't see us properly?" it mocked, watching Atrius glance around, disoriented.
THUM. THUM. THUM.
"ARRRRGGHH!"
The Khorne daemon charged, raising its warhammer high.
BOOOOM!
The hammer struck earth—Atrius had dodged.
Breathing raggedly, he narrowly avoided a sneak attack from the daemoness lurking in the shadows.
He remained silent. Each move he made was precise. Each fist aimed for a vital spot. Having lost his spear, Atrius now fought the daemon trio barehanded.
'Why am I seeing these things now? They distract me from the battle... Even with my psychic power, it doesn't stop. How are they doing this?'
He fought, mind reeling. The visions never ceased. Even his immense mental fortitude failed to clear the battlefield from his mind's eye—it felt like he was fighting in ten places at once.
He tried suppressing the illusions psychically, but his mastery was limited.
"You see," the cunning daemon said, circling, "my master has plans. We only needed bait in your golden cage. You walked right into our trap. Truthfully, we expected only one Custodes—easy to kill. Then more would come. Eventually, we'd get you."
He sneered.
"But fate smiles upon us. Here you are, alone… your kin left behind on another battlefield. The wenches were a surprise, yes, but look—they're distracted." He gestured toward the Sisters of Silence.
They were locked in brutal combat, their formation battered. Many daemons lay dead, but the Sisters fell one by one. Yet their discipline never broke. They needed no orders—they knew their duty.
Every death was met with silent mourning. Sword drawn, the leading Sister carved her way toward the rift. Though they could not open rifts, their mere presence could repel the Warp.
Bolters detonated—daemon bodies were blown to smithereens.
At close range, the Sisters rampaged with their chain-powered swords, discipline and power armor making them unstoppable. But they were too few.
"I sense your desire for strength… hmmmm?!"
BOOM!
A powerful punch crashed into the cunning daemon's chest.
GRRRZZZZZZZZZZ!
It flew backward, sliding across the ground and gouging a deep trench in the dirt.
"You talk too much," Atrius growled.
He swiftly turned to dodge a blow from the Khorne daemon.
BOOM!
Its hammer struck the earth. Taking this chance, Atrius struck the daemon's hand, disarming it as it let go of the warhammer. He then jumped and grabbed onto its large horns.
The daemon panicked as it stood straight, attempting to push Atrius off.
BOOM!!
A powerful punch hit it in the face, forcing it to sit down.
Thumm!
Before Atrius could attempt another attack, an invisible force stopped his advance and bound him.
Whoosh... CLANG!
He was thrown far from the Khorne daemon and hit the ground. Undeterred, he quickly rose and located the attacker—it was the feminine daemon. She had her arms stretched as she mumbled something. Green flames burned in her palms as she stepped forward to attack. She turned invisible as she got close.
But unfortunately for her, Atrius had already mapped her attack style and was ready. Not giving her the chance to cast her sorcery, he intercepted and struck her head with his armored elbow.
She was petite compared to her companions and was sent flying on impact.
The cunning daemon finally managed to recover and stepped forth to attack. This time, it neither spoke nor charged head-on.
Its eyes glowed with anger as it floated above the ground. In the air, it conjured powerful lightning that crackled with great might.
CRACKLE... DZZZZZZZ! BOOM!
It hurled the bolts at Atrius, who tried to dodge—but was suddenly held in place by an unseen force.
BOOM!!