The daemon displayed on Atreus's screen was known by many names, but the most famous were undoubtedly:
The Herald of Khorne.
Skulltaker.
The greatest Bloodletter.
However, its master knew it by its true name: U'zuhl.
It was a powerful daemon of Khorne. Atreus remembered it for several reasons, despite its status being lower than that of the most well-known Daemon Princes.
"This guy is a warrior favored by Khorne, so he clearly enjoys his blessings," he thought, looking away from the data Zack had gathered from the battlefield.
However, the daemon warrior was not only famous for Khorne's favor. It also possessed formidable power and a mount absent from the footage.
A Juggernaut named Khul'tyran.
After receiving the blessing of the Blood God, it had been anointed as Khorne's Sacred Executioner.
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"Lord Atreus, are you sure about bringing that mortal with us?" Barnaby asked, glancing toward Olivia nearby.
As squad leader, the Astartes did not want a mortal's negligence to hinder a major operation.
He sought clarification from Atreus.
"I understand she is the chronicler, but Atreus is getting a bit too attached to that mortal," he thought, frowning behind his helmet.
It might sound absurd, but it had already happened several times that a Space Marine had a "special" relationship with a mortal woman.
The most notable case was: Garviel Loken and Mersadie Oliton.
Beyond that, there was also Ragnar Blackmane with Inquisitor Karah Isaan.
These "special relationships" were not limited to Space Marines and mortals; similar cases also existed among Primarchs.
Notably Fulgrim, who already had numerous wives in his home world before the Emperor's arrival.
Even Angron had an ambiguous relationship with a woman—specifically the captain of his flagship.
She was the only person capable of shouting the harsh truth at the Primarch without losing her head.
The only other person able to contradict Angron in his legion was Khârn, but the mortal woman held authority not far below his.
Thus, Barnaby's concern was not unfounded.
"Look at this hundred-year-old virgin," Atreus thought, observing Barnaby voicing his opinion.
Olivia froze at Barnaby's words, but she neither stepped back nor moved away from Atreus's side.
A pitiful resistance against the passive pressure emitted by the superhumans. Yet the gesture was appreciated by her lord.
"It's a test," Atreus honestly replied to his battle-brother.
At least… partially.
Olivia was confused by the strange statement, but the surrounding Space Marines showed understanding.
"I see. Indeed, it makes sense to test her resistance against the whispers of the Immaterium," Barnaby muttered, nodding.
The tactical squad leader no longer insisted on removing Olivia from the group, not out of empathy for the mortal.
On the contrary, he believed there was more to gain by bringing the young chronicler along.
Worst case, she would simply die.
"Lord, do I really have to come?" she asked softly beside Atreus.
The warband leader glanced at the mortal.
Olivia's emotions were easy for the superhuman to read. He could perceive an entire spectrum within her fragile mind.
Surprisingly, the most prominent one was not fear.
It was doubt.
She was afraid of disappointing.
Atreus took his signature helmet, shaped in the likeness of Barabas Dantioch, and placed it over his face.
The imposing voice of the Astartes echoed:
"Olivia, you are weak," he said honestly.
The statement drew attention from the warband personnel and nearby Space Marines, but the Iron Lord continued:
"However, I never chose you for your strength, nor to make you fight. What I wanted was your will. This is a test of it," he said, giving the young girl a light pat on the head as she clutched her notes.
The heavy, rough hand of the Astartes should have hurt her—but Olivia only felt warmth.
She nodded at her lord with renewed determination.
"Anthony, Barnaby," Atreus called as he faced the Storm Eagle's opening.
He was about to deploy onto the battlefield.
"Yes, Iron Lord," they replied in unison.
Atreus looked at them over his shoulder.
"Lead your respective squads. I want you to contain the daemon incursion as much as possible. As for me… I will deal with the Warp breach."
At those words, the aura surrounding him changed.
…
"No… no!!"
The man tried to beg the Bloodletter of Khorne, but the Warp entity simply brought its daemonic blade down upon him.
Another skull joined the daemon's collection as a sick smile formed on its face.
Such scenes repeated across the battlefield.
[ Commander, the encirclement is compromised and our regiments— ]
Joshua's words were cut off by Zack's curse over the communicator.
"Idiot! You think I don't know that?! Just contain the growing panic on our left and right flanks!" he snapped.
Yet Zack knew.
It was impossible to face such a surge of battle-madness with his forces.
This was not a matter of discipline, but pure martial will.
Khorne's daemons possessed unmatched experience in slaughter. They had spent their entire existence in perpetual war to earn their creator's favor.
How could Zack possibly handle such abominations?
"Beyond these annoying creatures, the real problem is—"
Zack did not finish his thought when the Herald of Khorne roared in excitement, raising a skull.
It was the skull of the Third Regiment's commander—Dede.
"Damn it, you couldn't keep him occupied?!" he muttered, seeing a familiar face displayed as a vulgar trophy.
[ Commander!!! Troop morale is collapsing! ]
[ C-Commander… help us! ]
[ Commander, order a retreat! ]
[ Commander! ]
A relentless flood of reports poured into his communicator, but Zack no longer truly listened.
He had seen this phenomenon before.
During the destruction of his former regiment, after his superior failed to hold back the Iron Warriors' siege.
"Is this truly the end?" he wondered, cursing the being who had ordered him to take this place.
But Zack's expression suddenly froze.
He understood.
The veteran finally realized why the Astartes had never spoken of conquest, but rather of a reconnaissance mission.
Atreus had anticipated this situation.
If his intuition was correct, then death could still be avoided for him and his men.
He had to follow his lord's orders.
Atreus would surely come.
"Listen to me!!! I will personally deal with the red-skinned leader! The rest of you, buy me time! Even if you must sacrifice yourselves! I personally promise to take care of your families!" Zack shouted into his communicator before spurring his steed forward.
His target?
The champion of Khorne.
"Damn… I must have gone insane," he thought as the towering silhouette of his enemy became clearer.
"Regiment 1, split into three and support the others. Maintain a zone of non-violence between me and the Xeno," he ordered.
Slash.
A Bloodletter tried to block Zack's path, but his mount bypassed it perfectly, and the chainsword took its head.
Zack had already fought countless battles. The alien appearance of his new enemies did not intimidate him.
He kept advancing toward the Chaos champion as his regiment fragmented to form an encirclement.
"Insignificant…" U'zuhl spat, watching Zack's desperate charge.
He raised his infernal blade to strike.
A powerful warp energy slash flew toward Zack, but he dodged at the last moment, abandoning his horse.
He rolled through the muddy ground.
The daemon smiled in satisfaction as it watched the human on the ground and approached slowly, ignoring the abandoned beast.
As if already savoring another skull for its collection.
A mistake.
Boom.
The Chaos champion was struck by an explosion from the unattended horse, something it had not accounted for.
"Haha, not so tough now, are you?" the veteran mocked.
But the truth was otherwise.
Behind his confident expression, Zack understood a terrifying truth of the Warhammer 40k universe.
A mortal was essentially insignificant.
Behind the smoke slowly dissipating, the apex of Khorne's Bloodletters had taken almost no damage.
Worse, Zack could see it recovering from the thermal blast in real time.
The legendary Bloodletter let out a war cry that made the Immaterium tremble around it.
U'zuhl wanted his skull.
"Shit," he said, immediately throwing a flash grenade at the entity.
"Coward," the beast roared.
But Zack did not care.
He tested a few bolter shots, but they were far less effective than his explosives.
He quickly understood why Dede had died in such a short time.
The power gap was simply abyssal.
"Graaah," the Khorne champion roared, charging toward the source of the bolter fire.
The ground trembled beneath the daemon's steps, each impact echoing like a war drum in an empty cathedral.
It was a blind charge, yet unimaginably ferocious.
Zack attempted to retreat, but the blade came crashing down violently.
The shockwave from the daemon blade's warp energy hurled him against a nearby tree.
"Cough… is this the end…" A memory of an aggressive Macedonian woman flashed through his mind, but he forced it away.
The Bloodletter advanced.
Each step lifted splashes of mud and dried blood, as if the ground itself refused to carry it.
The air grew heavier, saturated with a metallic, burnt smell.
The entity smiled wickedly at the soldier before it.
Zack raised his bolter and fired desperately, but it was the futile resistance of already-caught prey.
The daemon raised its infernal blade to bring it down upon the human's neck.
Zack could only perceive a blur—the difference in power was too great.
Bam.
"See, Zack… even gods can bleed," Atreus said, pointing his smoking bolter from the Storm Eagle's entrance.
"Grrr… you…" the Warp entity roared, staring at Atreus with immeasurable hatred.
Atreus did not understand why the daemon seemed to recognize him, but it was not important.
He leapt from the Storm Eagle in a manner similar to Calgar in Space Marine 2.
Dust rose at his landing as the Iron Warrior faced his enemy.
His target?
The Herald of the Blood God, U'zuhl.