"They've changed, stay alert!" Pell barked loudly into the joint command channel.
The Shadows of Order from the Fifth Company, hearing their captain's orders, turned their eyes warily toward the xenos, regarding them as highly dangerous.
Even as Pell warned his troops, a Viskeons mercenary lunged at him with incredible speed.
It was several times faster than during the day.
The power blade clashed against the strange curved weapon, and Pell's arm immediately went numb.
The alien's previously weak strikes suddenly surged with power.
'How can their combat strength suddenly spike like this?' Pell wondered in confusion.
Donning his "War Mask," Pell transformed his rage at his fallen warriors, his hatred toward the xenos, into strength.
His power sword lashed out, cleaving into the Viskeons mercenary's head.
The disintegration field shredded the xenos skull. Pell pressed forward, eyes dark and focused, activating his "Warp Insight."
Using Form 23 of the Otsberg-Vaya, he caught a flaw in the xenos strike and severed its arm with a single blow.
A second slash from his power sword ended the creature.
Even as he struck, Pell observed the battlefield. The entire fortress had fallen into darkness, save for a faint glow in its distant center.
A thought struck him, these xenos only gained their sudden strength when the lights dimmed.
And when light vanished completely, their power multiplied several times over.
Realizing this, Pell immediately issued an order:
[Tactical support squad, mark the target, ignite with incendiary carbines.]
The runes on the tactical support squad's visors lit up. They raised their incendiary carbines and fired at the marked structure.
Beams of thermal energy struck, igniting subsonic combustion through thermodynamics.
Flames spread swiftly, engulfing the building in blinding light.
Pell followed up with another command: "Draw them to the burning structures, make them fight in the light!"
The Shadow of Order warriors executed without hesitation. After a charge to provoke the xenos, they lured them toward the blazing buildings.
The Viskeons did not shy from the light. On the contrary, light was vital to their survival. They absorbed it as energy, healing wounds and regenerating lost limbs.
Thus, they pressed forward, blades raised.
But once within the radiance, their metabolism changed, speed rapidly dropped.
The Shadows of Order struck with ease, cutting them down.
Seeing the tactic work, Pell commanded more structures to be set ablaze, continually luring and weakening the enemy until they could be slaughtered at will.
Meanwhile, "Lawyer" felt trickles of power dissolve within him.
On the eleventh cycle of repetition, it felt as though a star had exploded within his body, he realized he had finally become a true "Lawyer."
At Fortress One, Nareth himself encountered the xenos and instantly recognized them as Viskeons mercenaries.
He knew the Viskeons were a proud, warlike race whose warrior codes forbade ranged weapons.
They favored face-to-face combat, blade to blade, believing it the highest honor one warrior could grant another. Anything less was unthinkable.
Thus, young Viskeons often left their homes to fight abroad, proving their courage before returning.
They served as mercenaries and bounty hunters, professions that gave their martial skills value.
Nareth knew that Viskeons close-combat techniques rivaled even the Astartes.
But only at night.
For Viskeons were ectothermic, they absorbed heat and energy from their environment.
Their homeworld was scorching and dry, blanketed with endless deserts, dense jungles, and vast plains, perfect for cold-blooded creatures.
Through evolution, they had developed a unique metabolism: under the glow of light, they grew weak.
Nareth issued orders to his aide: "Arsena, create fireballs in the air."
The silver-haired psyker raised his staff, igniting runes of flame. Blazing fireballs rose, illuminating the fortress.
The charging Viskeons slowed. Their eyelids drooped as they sank into lethargy.
Nareth drew the Dionysian Spear and hurled it at the enemy leader.
Milosh, running under the radiance, sighed lazily with relief.
He only felt the threat when the spear was within arm's length.
His sluggish body tried to dodge, but too late.
The spear pierced his skull.
Nareth quickly briefed his Honor Guard on the nature of the Viskeons and the Nekuli before commanding:
"In the light, Viskeons mercenaries are no threat. I want their blades."
"I've told you, they possess extraordinary regenerative powers."
"Place their arms in darkness. Everything else must be utterly destroyed."
"Any limb left intact will, under sunlight, give birth to a new child."
He then addressed Arsena Dunn: "The Nekuli's Whispering Spears are also valuable trophies. Relay my demand to the Eleventh Legion."
The Honor Guard obeyed, slaying Viskeonss and severing their arms with combat blades.
Attendants transmitted the intelligence on both Viskeonss and Nekuli to the ten companies of the Eleventh Legion, along with Nareth's demand for Viskeons arms, blades, and Nekuli spears.
With this knowledge, the other companies swiftly shifted from hard-fought battles to easy victories by flooding the field with light.
Nareth returned to where the Nekuli had fallen, gathering their Whispering Spears and transporting them to the Kingdom of Disorder.
Next, he rejoined the Honor Guard at the collection site of Viskeons arms.
"Search for survivors," he commanded.
As the Shadows of Order swept the ruins, Nareth raised his power gauntlet, thrust forward, and in Dunnic uttered, "Imprison."
Silent, invisible walls formed, viscous liquid flowing within them, sealing away the severed arms.
Nareth transported them into the Kingdom of Disorder, placing them in the third layer of space.
Then, he did the same with the gathered Viskeons blades.
During the process of storing alchemical materials, a thought crossed his mind:
'This unexpected harvest of "Weapon Master" ingredients will allow fighters like Thierry Vieri of the Eighth Legion to ascend.'
'Yes… both Viskeons and Nekuli are mercenaries adept with weapons. They align well with the path of the Weapon Master.'
'Now, which world shall serve as the next recruitment ground for "Warriors"?'
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