Chapter 1012 - 1011: I Haven't Even Made a Move, and You Are Already Dead

Former Lord Commander Cassian Vaughn of the 18th Legion staggered at the front of the column.

His Saturnine-pattern Terminator armor was scorched black by bolter fire, its heavy chest plate glowing red from the heat.

The runes on his visor flickered like a cogitator screen with an unstable signal.

Honor Guard members and the scattered Salamander survivors who had gathered along the way limped behind Cassian, their battered bodies dragging through the black sand.

At their feet lay the shattered blue-black armor and broken weapons of the Night Lords Cassian had butchered.

Bolts roared; sparks flew into the Salamanders' eyes.

They all looked at Cassian, his frame stood firm, like a green beast of burden pressing forward through flames.

He advanced with heavy steps, swinging his arms with brutal force.

Any Night Lord he struck was sent flying like a broken kite, slamming against the rock walls.

Tovac Tor, a member of the Kyroptera, stepped forward from the Night Lords' ranks, his black eyes fixed on Cassian.

One-Handed Tovac's bionic hand clicked, his claws burst with shimmering light, casting an even more terrifying glow across his pale face.

Boom!

The claws pierced the ash-speckled armor, Cassian's body lurched.

He raised his left arm, swinging at the enemy while the claws were still caught in the Saturnine plate.

Tovac raised his other arm, grasping his own bionic hand.

With a crackling burst, the claws crushed the bionic hand, then he pressed forward.

Rip!

With a grating screech, the Saturnine Terminator was torn open.

Boom!

Cassian crashed to the ground, and into the hearts of the Salamanders.

They watched as blood stained the black sand, roaring, they charged at Tovac.

The Hunters descended like vultures, their shrieking claws plunging into green armor, hoisting Salamander corpses high.

"You are a worthy prey, a fine opponent to hone a warrior's craft." Tovac raised his claws, his tone carrying a hint of regret as they descended.

Black dust drifted, slowing Tovac's movements, making them gentler, more sluggish.

The clamor of battle fell silent; the killing intent in his black eyes dimmed; even the beating of his two hearts slowed.

Blood trickled from Cassian's lips. "Traitor..."

He slammed his fist into the traitor's chest. "Die..."

Tovac showed no reaction, he flew backward like a severed kite.

A string of blood entered his black-eyed vision.

His eyes blinked; his primary heart pumped forcefully.

Tovac's consciousness emerged from the eerie stillness, he flipped upright and landed on his feet.

He gripped his flaying knife tightly, his sharp eyes sweeping the area for any hidden Librarian.

Tovac's eye movements slowed; the adrenaline in his body ebbed.

His eyelids grew heavy, just as they were about to close, his eyes suddenly twitched, catching a figure standing behind the rocks.

'Zso Sahaal.'

'Damned Terran, he had betrayed the Legion and our father.'

Tovac was about to spring at the traitor, but his eyelids fell completely, and darkness swallowed his consciousness.

"This was recorded from a ship off Marisos," Zso Sahaal said. As he spoke, a grainy holographic image played before the Kyroptera:

A warrior in midnight-blue armor appeared behind two servitors, his flaying knife glinting coldly.

His right hand moved, a spray of blood erupted.

The servant behind fell; the one in front turned, then fled in terror.

The Night Lord gave a cruel laugh, strolling after him, cornering the servant.

The flaying knife swung, blood splattered across the wall.

As the image faded, Zso Sahaal continued: "At the scene, we found no biological evidence sufficient to identify the killer."

Tovac shrugged, his one hand dismissive.

"Some Raptors have a tradition of hunting in lower decks, tracking live prey to hone their skills is a mark of a warrior."

"According to tradition, Legionaries may only hunt gang members who threaten servitors during shift changes, they may only hunt while dispensing justice," the Primarch's Equerry said with concern.

"This is a depraved act."

"Terrans did it," Tovac asserted, his gaze like a blade fixed on Zso Sahaal.

"They do not understand the subtleties of Nostraman gangs."

"Those servants were not my enemies."

"The Legion's recruits have already fallen," Zso Sahaal often wandered through others' dreams, he knew what the Legion had become.

"I have seen more than you, and know more than you."

"Terran, why not try your luck against me?" Tovac activated his claws' disintegration field, his tone contemptuous.

"I am here," Zso Sahaal said coldly.

"Your death has come."

Tovac stared at Zso Sahaal emerging from the darkness.

"I didn't expect you to be a hidden psyker."

A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "You think that because I'm slightly wounded, you have a chance?"

"Pathetic Terran, it's time you learned what a true Night Lord is."

"You cannot defeat me in my mind, and you certainly cannot in reality."

Tovac's claws shrieked as he charged at Zso Sahaal.

As the distance between them closed, Tovac was stunned to see the Terran make no move at all.

'In the mindscape constructed by psychic dreams, I cannot harm him.'

He thought, but did not slow, whatever the cowardly Terran was plotting, he would crush it.

Tovac was three steps from Zso Sahaal when his body suddenly collapsed.

"I haven't even made a move, and you are already dead," the "Soul Assurer" Zso Sahaal said calmly.

At that same moment, Cassian swung his massive fist, smashing Tovac's head.

Blood splattered across his blurred helmet screen, red runes flickered like falling snow.

Cassian froze. The quick and decisive traitor had shown no reaction, letting his all-out, yet far slower than usual, attack land.

As he stood stunned, a voice in flawless High Gothic came over the comm channel.

"I am Balsar Kurthuri, formerly Chief Librarian of the Raven Guard."

"All loyalist warriors, proceed immediately to the nearest extraction point."

'Balsar Kurthuri.'

Cassian recalled the man who had shouted the warning just before the traitors' treacherous assault.

On his tactical display, a handful of black raven runes, symbols of hope, flashed briefly.

Cassian did not hesitate. He trusted the path laid out by the loyalist warrior who had warned them before they walked into the trap, it was their only hope now.

"Fall back to the extraction point."

His adjutant sprinted to the front of the column, following the route plotted on the tactical display.

The Salamanders dragged their broken bodies toward the extraction point.

The "Soul Assurer" Zso Sahaal moved through the shadows, never revealing himself.

The Night Lords and Salamanders had always been at odds; at Haratan, his father had clashed with Vulkan.

He knew he would never earn the Salamanders' trust, but he did not need to.

His role, along with Akurduana's, Balsar's, and Alastor's, was distinct, each was responsible for a part of the Black Emperor's divine edict.

His task was to aid the loyalists he encountered in their escape; Alastor would guide them to an audience with the Black Emperor.

The "Soul Assurer" Zso Sahaal moved through the darkness, watching Cassian, who fought relentlessly at the forefront, swinging his arms to crush traitor after traitor.

He seized weapons from enemies, wielding them with great force to fell one opponent after another.

Most of the traitors' fire was concentrated on him, countless rounds should have claimed the Saturnine Terminator's life long ago, yet he remained standing like an unyielding warrior emerging from molten rock.

Zso Sahaal felt admiration. He repeatedly pulled Night Lords into dreams just as Cassian faced mortal danger, rendering them dazed and helpless before being crushed by the massive fists.

....

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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