Chapter 1019 - 1018: The Warmaster Will Not Abandon His Foundation

Khvicha, the Planetary Governor of Tbilisi, stared at the surveillance screens.

"Can anyone tell me what exactly happened?"

"A guard captain led the way, the guards turned traitor."

"A single woman, without firing a single shot, broke through layer after layer of defense, what do I keep you for?"

Seeing Governor Khvicha's cold gaze fixed on him, the guard captain had no choice but to step forward.

"Your Excellency, she... she is no ordinary woman."

"I sent men to examine the bodies. Many guards did not die from weapons, but from a strange disease."

"They contracted severe illnesses within minutes, deteriorating to sudden death in two or three minutes. This is highly unusual, far beyond the normal progression of any disease."

"Disease?" Khvicha frowned, then said coldly: "Gas masks."

"Do I need to remind you how to respond?"

"I have already ordered gas masks distributed," the guard captain said quickly.

"Four squads of elite guards have established a defensive line in the passageway between the top floor and the second level."

"They will certainly stop the intruder, you will not be threatened."

The surveillance feed switched to the marble-tiled corridor.

The guard captain watched the eerie woman step into view, and when his men did not fall, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then his eyes jumped, the woman raised her pale hands, and strands of webbing shot forth.

Over a dozen webs wrapped around the front-line guards, binding them tightly as she flicked her wrists.

Dozens more web-lines slithered like serpents, brushing different parts of the rear guards' bodies.

Their hearts raced, their bodies faintly numb and tingling, their formation dissolved into chaos, and their beams scattered wildly.

"A psyker." Khvicha's expression changed.

The guard captain stared at his fallen men, gripping the hilt of his chainsword tightly, his face grim.

"Prepare a shuttle."

The guard captain breathed a sigh of relief, he would not have to face such a terrifyingly bizarre psyker.

He led his elite men, escorting the Governor to the landing pad.

The pearl-white Aquila shuttle came into view, and he finally felt a measure of relief.

The guard captain scanned his surroundings warily, then suddenly saw a guard raise his left arm, scratching at his right arm that held his lasgun.

'He's wearing a mask!'

Alarm shot through the captain's mind. Without time to think, he kicked the guard hard.

"Aaah..."

The guard screamed, flying backward like a broken kite.

The other guards recoiled in terror, wary of the captain striking again.

"He's infected! He's been cursed by the psyker!"

The guards looked around in panic, but saw no sign of the eerie woman.

The guard captain felt puzzled stares fixed on him, then a chill ran through his body.

"Achoo!"

Phlegm burst from his nose; he coughed uncontrollably, and a fever rose slowly but inexorably across his forehead.

'Gas masks cannot fully resist her psychic attacks, or the diseases she releases.'

The guard captain pressed the rune, his chainsword motor roared to life.

Blossoms of black flame rose, flying like bullets into the guards.

One ethereal black flame struck a guard, scorching his ballistic armor black.

As ash scattered, thick layers of ice crystals formed around the black flame, freezing guards in place.

The captain charged toward the direction the black flames had come from, into the shadows.

His eyes stung, tears streamed down, his vision growing blurrier with each step.

His steps faltered, heavy as if filled with lead.

His heart sank, just as despair seized him, a dark figure flickered at the edge of his vision.

He gathered his last strength and lunged at the shadow.

Dementieva sidestepped out, the "Affliction's" hair suddenly rose, piercing his skin like a scorpion's stinger.

The guard captain's body went rigid, black flames surged into him.

His body exploded into scattered fragments. Khvicha seized the chance to scramble aboard the shuttle.

He shouted: "Take off!"

The hatch began to close. Khvicha grabbed a handrail and pulled himself up.

He looked back, and saw the psyker holding up a mirror.

Khvicha started, and rolled forward sharply.

Most of his body escaped the mirror's capture, except his right calf.

A blossom of black flame struck his right calf; his gleaming armor turned pitch-black.

He felt a flash of heat, but no burning pain.

'Armor forged for me by Lord Horus's artisans.'

'Praise the Warmaster, my choice was right...'

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a sharp pain stabbed his heart.

Agony spread instantly, his entire body felt as if it were being torn apart.

Bang!

Khvicha's body crashed to the ground, sliding out through the closing hatch.

The "Affliction" Dementieva withdrew her mirror, inwardly relieved.

'Thankfully, after becoming an"Affliction," my "Curse" is stronger and more precise.'

She had once needed to reflect her target's full form in the mirror before she could curse them through the black flames.

Now the "Curse" was no longer limited to the reflected part, it encompassed the entire enemy.

She leaped, caught Khvicha's body, then raised her Markaton Talons.

A strand of webbing shot forth, striking the top of the hive-tower.

Dementieva pulled, her body rose lightly, landing atop the tower.

She hung the Governor's corpse from the Gothic spire, then vanished into the night.

,.....

At the Planetary Governor's mansion on Merseyside, the core world of the Akum-Sothos Cluster.

"How is the situation?" Gonzalo asked.

Appointed by the Warmaster himself after the Battle of Gate Forty-Two, he had been given authority over the entire cluster.

"Your Excellency, the situation is dire. The moment news of the Warmaster reached the cluster, fifteen systems immediately declared loyalty to Nareth."

"Khvicha of Tbilisi publicly declared support for the Warmaster's cause, but a single psyker infiltrated his hive-tower alone. His guards died in agony, and the Planetary Governor's own corpse was hung from the tower's spire."

"His death has terrified the governors who were still hesitating, they fear meeting the same fate. Now ninety-two systems have surrendered to Nareth."

"Useless," Gonzalo said contemptuously.

"A Planetary Governor, taken out by a single assassin, even an Alpha-level psyker, that merely proves his own incompetence."

"Lord Howard Fender's First Chapter has already arrived in the system. The shadow of the Judgements Glory looms over the star-gate," an aide reported.

"He has issued a final ultimatum, demanding our immediate surrender."

"And the Warmaster? Has he responded to our pleas for aid?" Gonzalo asked.

"The Warmaster orders us to hold fast, he has dispatched a relief fleet."

Gonzalo breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew it, the Warmaster will not abandon his foundation. Akum-Sothos's resources and productivity will help him achieve greatness."

"Once the Warmaster's grand army arrives, Nareth and the traitors will all be punished."

"The combined offensive of the Shadows of Order and the Raven Guard against the star-gate suffered heavy losses, even facing the First Chapter of the Shadows of Order, we will surely hold until reinforcements arrive."

....

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

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