"Quick! They're upstairs!"
The Female Hunter-Duke had just propped herself against the wall to stand when she heard the sound of many chaotic footsteps coming from the stairwell.
She suppressed the numbness and pain in her body, limped to the steel door, pushed it shut with effort, and locked it with the bolt.
Then, leaning against the door, she watched Horatio, who was in a stalemate with the Ogryn, as he desperately held the door shut.
"Is that all the strength you have? Little fly," the Ogryn mocked.
Horatio lowered his head, silent, as the fist braced against the massive iron hand began to tremble violently.
Click-clack—
"Hmm?" The giant heard a strange sound and quickly glanced at the creaking fist.
Crack!
A small piece of ceramite shattered from the gauntlet and fell to the ground.
The massive Ogryn was instantly dumbfounded.
Though simple-minded, he knew that ceramite was an incredibly tough material, durable and strong enough to block bolter rounds. How could it be shattered by this kid's punch?!
Crack! Crack!
The ceramite gauntlet could no longer withstand the hydraulic-press-like pressure and began to crack evenly from the center.
"No! No! No!" The giant roared, immediately raising his other hand, attempting to swing it at Horatio's head.
Bang! A violent explosion echoed throughout the entire rooftop.
The entire arm exploded from the inside out in an instant, with shattered white bones, flesh, medals, and ceramite fragments splattering everywhere, staining half of Horatio's face red.
The large man staggered backward, falling onto his backside, staring in disbelief at the frail, slender, blood-stained, black-haired youth before him, his eyes filled with terror.
[How did the Hive City Enforcement Office manage to keep such a formidable individual locked up for half a year?]
The Female Hunter-Duke stood frozen, her eyelids twitching. She swallowed, her initial pure disdain for him transforming into fear.
[This is… no ordinary death row inmate.]
Bang! Bang! It wasn't until violent banging on the door from behind pushed her forward that she numbly snapped back to reality.
"Open the door! Open it! You guys, bring the demolition tools!"
This is bad, they've all arrived!—
"Ah! Ahhh!"
When the human body suffers severe trauma, it temporarily numbs the nerves in the injured area, but this numbness quickly fades. When sensation returns, a surge of pain overwhelms the brain.
"I'm going to kill you! Bow down and apologize to me!" The large man comically scrambled to his feet and unexpectedly swung at Horatio's head.
Horatio watched the distance closely. Just before the massive fist could smash his head, instead of dodging, he lunged forward like an arrow towards the Ogryn, raising his iron fist high.
'+Power output at maximum+'
'+Warning: Emergency cooling!+'
By the time the giant's slow mind realized that his reckless strike would utterly doom him, it was already too late.
Pffft—
The fleshy head exploded like a large watermelon struck mid-air by a powerful club.
A misty spray of blood floated down, an unpleasant stench of gore assaulted the senses, and pulped tissue splattered everywhere. Not a single fragment of the ceramite helmet larger than five square centimeters could be found on the ground.
Horatio gasped for breath, swaying as he straightened his body. His entire body ached unbearably, and his bionic limbs rattled and hissed with the sound of venting steam.
Hot steam gushed from the pressure relief vents, quickly enveloping him in a thick, hot, and suffocating mist.
Before him,
The unholy club slipped from the giant's grasp and fell to the ground. The massive, headless body swayed, then knelt, and with a thud, toppled forward at Horatio's feet, in a posture resembling a kowtow.
"...Just now he told me to kowtow, but he ended up kowtowing first. Too bad he has no head."
Horatio snorted coldly, shaking off the blood and flesh residue from his iron hand.
However, this burst of overexertion caused Horatio, who was already malnourished, to feel dizzy and experience blackouts.
He stood there, rubbing his temples, recovering for a while, until the Female Hunter-Duke rushed over in a panic.
"God Emperor, this… this was… you… who did this?" The Female Hunter-Duke's pupils trembled as she slowly walked through the bloody mess, asking in a shaky, disbelieving voice.
The scene before her was too Khorne-esque and horrifying, exceeding her psychological threshold. She pressed her fingers to her lips, her stomach churning with discomfort.
Normally, warriors as powerful as him would be conscripted and transformed into Space Marines for a battle-group, becoming the Emperor's Angels of Death, serving the Imperium. What kind of oversight led to such a fish slipping through the net?
Buzz! Buzz! A terrifying chainsaw sound echoed from outside the distant door, clearly audible even from this far away.
The door was forced open slightly, and a chainsaw violently extended through the gap, slamming heavily against the door bolt, spewing dazzling sparks.
"Cough cough! Hurry, they're about to break through the door! Quick!" The Female Hunter-Duke frantically pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe the residue from the corners of her lips, then grabbed Horatio's natural left arm and ran forward.
"Wait." Horatio exhaled a long breath of relief, bent down, and picked up the remaining half of the data-slate.
"Forget that scrap metal, let's go!"
"I worked so hard to get it, how can I just abandon it? What a waste."
Horatio tucked the half data-slate away and followed the Female Hunter-Duke towards the shuttle.
Snap! The chainsaw cut through the bolt.
"Don't let them escape! Chase them!" The fat man shouted, pushing aside the Evil Cultists blocking the doorway.
Horatio and the Female Hunter-Duke seized the opportunity to rush into the shuttle cabin, heading straight for the cockpit.
The Female Hunter-Duke was searching for something and pulled out a square data-chip with a Adeptus Arbites marking on it.
"I need to disable the machine soul's identification. It'll be quick. Cover me, don't let them get close."
Speaking of machine souls…
Horatio remembered that the Soulfire he had collected should be enough.
'+Soulfire: 20/20+'
'+Function activatable+'
'+Activating machine soul Favor… 1%+'
—
The leading Evil Cultist had only run two steps when he saw the massive man's gruesome corpse and the horrifying bloody mess on the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hey, hey, hey… Is that, is that Anton?" The Gentleman was scared stiff on the spot, his legs trembling.
"What kind of guy could beat him like that…"
"If he can beat Anton like that, wouldn't going up there be suicide for us?!"
"Go! Cowards won't receive the Prince of Pleasure's reward, only become playthings for others!" The Chief Priest roared, gripping his staff and repeatedly striking and lashing the hesitant Evil Cultists.
"For… for pleasure… Pfft!"
Before these Evil Cultists could regroup,
Tat-tat-tat! A short burst of gunfire instantly killed three people, scaring away any morale the Evil Cultists had managed to muster, making them retreat repeatedly.
Horatio used the cabin door as cover, surveying his surroundings.
None of the Evil Cultists had the ability to win a shootout against him in the open.
"Tsk!" The Chief Priest saw that the sacrificial offering was about to escape with something that absolutely could not be discovered. In a rush, he plunged his fat hand into his robe pocket and pressed a switch.
Buzz— A piercing, ethereal shriek caused Horatio's eardrums to ache intensely.
"Damn it, what is this…" He covered his ears, his expression twisted in pain.
He caught a glimpse of the Evil Cultists out of the corner of his eye; they stood numbly in place, and soon, they all turned their heads towards him.
"Haaah!" A surging crowd of people charged forward, screaming.
Horatio endured the pain and raised his gun to fire.
People kept getting shot and falling, but it had no effect on their morale.
[This is impossible!]
Horatio couldn't believe what he was seeing. How could these guys, who were so cowardly just moments ago, suddenly have the courage to become suicidal fanatics?
"Are you ready?!" he shouted.
"This shuttle's machine soul has already been pre-programmed with anti-paralysis code. It can only recognize the Adeptus Arbites's customized version…"
Horatio frowned, looking at the constantly flashing red 'Access Denied' codes on the screen.
"Let me try."
'+Activate: machine soul Favor+'
'+Energy: 1/6+'
'+Psychic: 2/6+'
'+Corruption: 4/6+'
'+Soulfire: 0/40+'
The fingertip of his bionic limb suddenly opened, extending a synapse from within.
Horatio connected the synapse to the slot.
'++!!!++'
'++Unknown forced access source++'
'++Blocking… Authorization granted, welcome access++'
Almost instantly, he heard a sound symbolizing mechanical code, which transformed from cold resistance to enthusiastic cheerfulness, like a dog seeing its long-absent owner.
Although Horatio didn't know if this thing had anything to do with arcane circuits, it at least activated the shuttle's control access permissions.
"The shuttle's locking clamps haven't opened yet," the Female Hunter-Duke said after attempting to apply more power.
"Leave it to me." Horatio grabbed his gun and walked outside the shuttle.
Fifty or sixty Evil Cultists were charging, armed with blunt weapons and clubs, seemingly intending to capture him alive.
[+The ground lock is by the landing gear. You'll see something that looks like a bolt. Get it open.+]
The two communicated via comms.
[+Give me one minute. When the time is up, take off no matter what.+]
[+What about you?+]
[+I have my ways.+]
Horatio held the gun with one bionic hand, rapidly advanced, sweeping down several people in quick succession, and charged all the way to the landing gear support.
The shuttle engine was continuously building power, but the landing gear was firmly bound by the ground lock. If it wasn't opened in time, it could even cause the shuttle to break apart mid-air.
"Grab him! And that woman! None of them are escaping from here today!"
Horatio couldn't see the switch, so he raised his hand, gathered power, and brought his hand down like a blade.
Thump!
The ground lock was violently dented inwards.
[+Is it unlocked?! Some Evil Cultists are trying to force their way onto the shuttle, *Bang!* (gunshot) They've already climbed onto the hatch. We don't have much time left!+]
[+Hold on, almost there!+]
Horatio was drenched in sweat, his hand-blade continuously chopping at the thick ground lock.
Crack!
Through his persistent efforts, he finally severed the alloy bolt with his bare hands.
[+Ten seconds left. Are you really not waiting for me?+]
[+Take off immediately! Death is not for today!+]
The Female Hunter-Duke bit her lip, then reluctantly nodded slowly:
[+Yes, not today…+]
Horatio slid out from under the shuttle. When he looked up, a large group of Evil Cultists was fluttercoming at him.
He leaped, throwing himself towards the hatch, sweeping close-range fire at the Evil Cultists attempting to force their way onto the shuttle.
[+Takeoff countdown, five… four+] The Female Hunter-Duke slowly pushed the control stick. The shuttle began to accelerate, and cold sweat ran down her temples.
"Tsk, get lost!" Horatio kicked away an Evil Cultist who was grabbing his leg, then backhanded a shot to his head.
[+Three… two+] Farida swallowed hard. The kinetic coefficient on the acceleration gauge was getting higher and higher, but the young man still hadn't gotten on board!
Tat-tat-tat!
Just as the shuttle was about to take off, Horatio, using his metal bionic limb, leaped up like a pouncing tiger, throwing himself backward into the shuttle with all his might, his gun continuously firing and spitting flames.
Under normal circumstances, if he had just held the trigger down, the gun's mechanism would probably have jammed long ago. It seemed that the passive effect of the machine soul Favor skill had saved him.
Thud!
A muffled impact sound came from inside the cabin. Farida sharply turned her head.
She saw Horatio tumble into the cabin, lying on the floor and firing, blowing open the heads of all the Evil Cultists who tried to rush in.
"Go!" he shouted towards the cockpit, changing magazines.
"Take off!"
The Female Hunter-Duke immediately pushed the thrust to maximum.
Whoosh—
The shuttle lifted off, its vector engines slowly changing angle, emitting a sonic boom-like roar that propelled the shuttle at high speed away from the abandoned chapel.
"Hoo… hoo…" Horatio wiped away sweat.
[That was close, truly a narrow escape.]
He somewhat understood the urgent, suffocating feeling those caped cockroaches in Helldivers felt during extraction.
"My shuttle! My brand new shuttle!!" The Gentleman knelt, wailing in agony, looking utterly devastated.
"Impossible! How is this death row kid so strong?! My men were suppressed by him the entire time?!"
The fat man trembled, leaning on his long staff, standing rooted to the spot, his forehead veins bulging, drenched in sweat, his constantly trembling eyes filled with disbelief.
"No… no… no! Quick! Send a message to that guy in the Adeptus Arbites! We must hit hard!"
"Yes!"
The Gentleman scrambled, hurriedly running to another dispatch room to send a short message to someone.
[+Two escaped. This is likely unfavorable to you and me. Either find a way to capture them, or eliminate them, but be careful, this kid is not easy to deal with.+]
The recipient stood ramrod straight, hands clasped behind his back. He squinted at the message, stroking his chin in thought:
[Heh heh, what's so difficult about a death row inmate? What right does he have to demand my effort? It's that young lady from the Hood Family. After the prey escapes, she'll definitely hide in her lair and refuse to come out. It seems I need to come up with a reason to force her to appear.]
Meanwhile, in an unknown corner of this abandoned monastery, a graceful crimson phantom wiped blood from her curved blade, her elegant steps carrying her into the darkness.