A Monster in Hell: A 40K Story

Chapter-21

The ashes of blood and war was very well visible to me. Even with my powers, the ones of the Warp were a powerful counter, and Abaddon was physically stronger and infinitely more experienced. Besides, canon lore was more or less the same, and it took the Empress herself hours to break through the defenses of the Vengeful Spirit. Bringing in Dark Age Technology and hours of bombardment had finally brought down the shields.

The boarding parties had already entered the Blackstone Fortresses. They were led by two companies of Space Marines. The Castigators, however, were yet to complete construction. The Thirteenth Black Crusade was almost a month early of schedule as I was, once again, surrounded by my old squad. Claudia and Angel had become part of my bodyguard along with Cassius, while Rigel and Judas became my snipers. More or less, things were the same. Other than Cyrus becoming an Inquisitorial Acolyte, of course. I had not expected Octavian to take him on as an apprentice.

Bloody fuck. Without the Castigators, it was not a guaranteed stomp. And most of the Dark Age STCs were yet to be fully incorporated into the armies of the Imperium, though there were thousands of Tech-Priests focused completely on creating new patterns of Tanks, Titans, Hover Bikes, Artillery and Guns with DAOT weaponry. The Rhino, The Land Raider, The Leman Russ, The Warlord-Class, The Reaver-Class... there were thousands of chosen models with different patterns each. 

Overall, with the other three Blackstone Fortresses well-protected, and Annihilator Prime still unavailable after the entire mission, it was difficult, even with my powers.

So much that I actually used reality warping and time manipulation to fight the oncoming Chaos Horde, though many of the more powerful Daemons were immune.

I turned back to hear a scream: my dear scout, Galen Ursus, once part of my squad, was jumped by a grinning Black Legion Marine. His face was half-missing, with tendrils and internal organs poking out, and his brain was kept attached by similar tendrils (I assume they biologically mutated tendrils). I saw him drive a Power Claw through the poor boy, turning his organs inside out. He struck the mangled body repeatedly, before advancing on us. I gave him the same kind of death, though it was a psionic attack rather than a physical one.

Another Daemon, probably one of the Architect of Fate given he was basically a lump of flesh in the I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM style, but with additional wings and psychic powers, materialized and threw a Warp-infused blast at me, that exploded like a bomb against my shield. I hit them both with molecular beams from my hands, essentially using the energy found in Necron Gauss Flayers to strangle him to death.

Then a horde of zombies started to rise up, fallen corpses imbued with the energy of the Plague Father. Many were corrupted cultists, giving them an additional mutation. They looked terrible in the moonlight. I heard many yell in abject horror: but like what was there to fear from a few zombies? Okay, they were fast, but I simply stuck them to the ceiling, then saw an opening Warp Portal and threw them at a Bloodthirster of the Blood God coming through there. The colossal Daemon's size alone shook the interior of the ship, and I was trying to get to Abaddon even now. 

"RAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! YOU WILL DIE TODAY, PRIMARCH-WANNABE!!! I WILL BE HONORED BY THE BLOOD GOD AFTER I COLLECT YOUR SKULL FOR HIS SKULL THRONE! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!!!" roared the Greater Daemon. "I AM HUL'KAR'AS! THE GREATEST OF THE BLOODTHIRSTERS BAR THE EXALTED EIGHT!!! TODAY YOU WILL DIE, WORSHIPPER OF THE CORPSE-GODDESS! MY POWER IS MIGHTY, AND I WILL KILL YOU WITH ONE BLOW!"

"Look... those are not blows. I have seen better swings on a playground." I mocked him.

That drove him into a rage. After all, a Daemon of the Blood God would get angered when you doubted their strength. Hul'kar'as charged forth, swinging his axe with deadly intent as I prepared another energy blast to disintegrate the fellow, killing Guardsmen accidentally by popping their heads like grapes under his feet. Some had their faces and bodies ripped apart by the very active teeth of his chainaxe. I simply raised my hand and obliterated him.