Pell Koscheny led his Fifth Company as they descended upon Sector C-10, launching an assault on the xeno structures of the Rangdan.
Not long ago, he had just ascended to "Barbarian." His towering frame now rivaled that of the Catachan-born Shadows of Orders of the Seventh Chapter and the Twiligh Giant pathway of the Eighth.
"Librarians!" Pell shouted through the comms.
Ramsey and three other Librarians spread out across the line, raising their left arms as they channeled psychic energy into the heart-shaped devices in their hands.
A psychic wave burst outward, instantly, and hundreds of slave soldiers froze in place.
"Assault!" Pell barked, firing a bolt straight into the first man's face, bone, hair, and brain matter splattered in all directions.
The meaningless kill gave Pell no sense of honor. He pressed forward, firing into another's chest.
Activating a rune sigil on his right wrist, he drew his sword and plunged into the enemy ranks. With each slave soldier he slew, his hatred for the xenos deepened further.
After clearing the factory, a somber voice came through the command channel.
"Lord Bradshaw has fallen."
Pell's sword didn't stop. He took a breath to confirm that it was the Captain of Bradshaw's honor guard speaking.
The news of the Chapter Master's death spread swiftly among all Company Captains and Liutenant of the Eleventh Chapter.
A fire of vengeance ignited in Pell's heart. Checking his helmet display, he confirmed the guard's position, two kilometers ahead, eleven o'clock direction.
He handed the defense of the factory to the 5th Company of the 2nd Vostroyan Auxiliary Regiment, then led his men toward Sector C-14.
En route, he exchanged rapid updates with the commanders and switched back to company comms.
"New xenos identified," he said. "They wield psychic abilities, both mental assaults and telekinetic manipulation."
"Understood," Ramsey replied. "I'll create an opening. You must strike down the xeno overlord quickly."
The Shadows of Orders advanced swiftly, reaching the exterior of the alien structure. Explosions echoed within, the honor guard was still fighting inside.
Pell and Ramsey exchanged a brief nod, and charged.
Upon entering the structure, Pell locked onto the overlord, identified by the honor guard's marks.
The overlord crouched upon a golden petal-like platform, his scorpion tail wrapped around a guardsman's neck, lifting him high into the air.
The tail split apart, like a blooming metallic flower, and sank into the man's neck, sucking his blood in great gulps.
"Now! Charge!"
Ramsey's voice boomed in Pell's ear. Without hesitation, Pell stormed forward.
Ramsey swung his blue psychic staff, arcs of lightning leapt forth.
The Rangdan overlord's personal energy shield crackled violently before shattering.
The biomancer raised his left arm, closing his hand, the overlord's blood boiled, his body convulsing as his massive tail weakened.
The overlord tumbled down the metallic petals, roaring in fury.
Pell lunged forward, but two Rangdan warriors leapt down to intercept him.
The Barbarian threw back his head and unleashed a roar so deep that it reverberated through the aliens' minds.
The two Rangdan warriors slammed into the ground, unconscious.
The overlord staggered to his feet, barely steady.
In an instant, the Barbarian closed the distance, raising his sword and performing the Seventh Form of Otsberg-Vaya, the Cleaving Strike.
The charged blade descended, the overlord's yellow eyes flashed as telekinetic force gathered before him.
Psychic fields clashed, power against power.
The overlord's gaze hardened, and he shrieked a piercing psychic scream.
Pell instantly entered the First Layer of the Thelema mindstate, fortified by his mental enhancements through the sequences, he resisted the psychic blast.
He deliberately stumbled, feigning weakness, baiting the overlord into striking.
As the overlord raised his scorpion tail for the kill, Pell surged forward at full speed, appearing right in front of him.
He roared, the sound echoing through the alien's skull, stunning it momentarily.
Pell thrust his energized blade straight through the tiger-headed overlord's skull, the disintegration field shredded flesh and bone alike.
Pell let out a victorious howl.
Seeing their leader slain, the Rangdan warriors fell into chaos.
The honor guard captain, witnessing Pell's kill, spoke through the Chapter command channel:
"Pell has avenged Lord Bradshaw and slain the xeno overlord."
"He once served in the Primarch's Honor Guard, receiving the teachings of the Gene-Father himself."
"Pell is also a Lord of the Court, ranked above a Chapter Knight. By our Father's decree, he shall assume temporary command as Chapter Master and lead us to capture the alien War-Moon."
One by one, the commanders responded:
Captain Gibbs of the First Company: "Agreed."
Captain Kirkland of the Second: "I will obey Pell's command."
Captain Chambers of the Third: "I accept his leadership."
…
Without hesitation, Pell stepped into his new role, commanding the Eleventh Chapter in the continuing assault.
As the Fourth and Eleventh Chapters launched a full-scale offensive against the War-Moon's defenders, the Expeditionary Fleet crushed the Rangdan warships with overwhelming force.
Centered around Throne of Shadow's Sovereignity and Judgements Glory, the fleet descended into low orbit.
Spears of light, energy cannons, kinetic batteries, and bombardment guns all turned downward, raining devastation upon the surface.
Blinding radiance split the gray skies; the ground quaked beneath the thunderous barrage.
Fortresses were torn apart under the saturation bombardment.
The Rangdan armies retreated into the webbed tunnels of the Spin-Angle Mors homeworld, hiding behind energy shields as they endured the relentless storm.
The Third Chapter and the Mordian Iron Guard landed with minimal resistance, forming a line over a hundred kilometers wide and launching a full-scale ground assault into the caves.
Once again, the Rangdan overlords led their enslaved hordes in a massive counterattack.
Inside a Vostroyan command vehicle, Bukayo Arshavin observed the oncoming human tide and gave a calm order:
"Open fire."
Twenty regiments of the Mordian Iron Guard opened up, Blyek battle tanks roared, shells raining down into the slave army's ranks.
Each explosion tore dozens apart, yet none of the slaves stopped. Bound by neural collars, they knew neither fear nor hesitation.
On the right flank, Regiments Sixteen through Twenty unleashed their flamethrower-fitted tanks, spewing rivers of burning promethium.
The slaves ran headlong into the firestorms, no screams, only ash.
The Rangdan overlords led their warriors forward, their personal shields glowing against the inferno.
One overlord leapt before a Blyek tank of the 19th Regiment, swinging his energy blade, the light cleaved through steel, bisecting both vehicle and crew.
In the Fifth Chapter, Santiago Borgkamp marked the overlord in his visor's rune interface.
"Fire!"
The Shadows of Orders raised their bolters, unleashing a storm of mass-reactive rounds.
Santiago lifted his archaeotech pistol, firing a searing beam, a finger-thin ray more deadly than any flamethrower.
The overlord's shield shattered. Another shot, the beam drilled through his prism-shaped skull.
'That's the fourth overlord I've killed. I've earned my place among the Broken Claw Order.'
On the left flank, Regiments Eleven through Fifteen rolled forward, their tanks fitted with dual heavy bolters on each side, scything through the enemy ranks.
The enslaved armies fell like wheat beneath the explosions.
Watching the fearless aliens and their enslaved human thralls, Lord of Light Wilshire's eyes blazed with fury.
On the Second Chapter's channel, he shouted:
"Shadows of Orders!"
"How dare these xenos enslave mankind?"
"Their existence defiles the Gene-Father's glory, they must be purged!"
In his heart, he prayed silently: 'For the Black Emperor!'
The warriors roared in unison.
"For the Gene-Father, purge the xenos!"
The Bards of the Second Chapter sang hymns as they led their brethren into the charge.
Wilshire faced a tiger-headed, scorpion-tailed overlord, he donned the War Mask in an instant, turning wrath into strength, and swung his relic Thunder Hammer.
Raw power shattered the alien's shield.
The overlord recoiled, spewing noxious fluid from his tail.
Wilshire's bare left hand conjured a golden flame that incinerated the venom midair.
With a mighty leap, he brought the shining Thunder Hammer down upon the overlord's skull, the disintegration field screamed, crushing it into dust.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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