Father Emperor…I cannot fail you! She prayed as Gaius swung the axe over his shoulder and down at her head. Filled with holy rage, she surprised him by dropping her sword and launching herself at him. Coming under his swing, their suits of power armor crashed together with a mighty din. Katherine grabbed the Neural Whip in her left hand and the sensation of her nerves being consumed in searing fire swept up her arm. Ignoring the agony, she wrenched the whip from his clutches, tossing it behind her. Her knee crashed into the inside of his thigh, buckling the thinner armor there and damaging the servos of the power armor. She brought her elbow up to catch him under the chin, but he took it on his forearm.
Gaius twisted at the waist and threw the Canoness over his hip, but she was canny and pulled him down with her, his axe clattering to the ground. They rolled across the marble floors locked together, trading elbows and fists. Suddenly Katherine screamed as he jammed the fingers of his left hand into the hole the whip had bored into her armor. With a violent wrench, he slammed her onto her back, rolling on top of her. His hands grasped her wrists, pinning her to the floor, lying on top of her, between her legs in an obscene position. "Stupid girl!" He hissed. She writhed beneath him, trying to break his grip, but he was too strong. "I'm not going to kill you Katherine. No, no. I'm going to break you…like I did Molly…like I did Harodiah." He teased, his face just centimeters from hers, spittle dripping from his mouth onto her face. "I'll defile your body over and over again as I ravage your mind. You'll become my slave…and you'll learn to Love every moment of it!"
With a wordless cry of rage, she rammed her head upward, smashing her forehead into Gaius nose. His grip loosened just enough for her to get her right arm free. She grabbed him by the hair and bucked her hip, pulling his head to the right by his curly hair. She rolled on top of him, growling, "Never!". Her gauntleted fists rained down on his face, blood splattering her armor.
Surprised by the sudden viciousness of her attack, Gaius tried desperately to ward off the punches. Each one sounded like a thunderclap in his head. His anger peaked and he reached down into the depths of his power, summoning the Scourging. Placing his hands on her chest, his power spilled out, blasting Katherine with the full might of his psychic force. Once summoning holy flame, his corrupted soul now belched forth Hellfire with the cloying stench of brimstone and sulfur. Katherine was hurled backwards, crashing and skidding across the floor, smoke and steam rising from her battered armor.
The Inquisitor climbed back to his feet, a bloody snarl etched onto his chiseled features. Katherine's hand reached out for the Blade of Saint Magdalena lying nearby and slowly, laboriously climbed to her knees. "It ends now!" Gaius strode toward her, raising his hand. The power of the Scourging blasted forth again engulfing the Canoness…
But to his shock, it seemed to sweep over her with no effect. He redoubled his efforts, straining with all of his psychic power. The flames rushed over her armor, licking at her face hungrily like the tongues of serpents, but she was unscathed. Her faith in the Emperor was her shield against the unholy powers of the psycher. "Yes, now it does end," Katherine said calmly, though her voice seemed to thunder in her head. The power of the Emperor filled her, and she thrust the blade forward from her knees…
The Blade of Saint Magdalena pierced the purple armor of the Inquisition, impaling him between his legs. His eyes opened wide in shock, the agony so great he could not even scream. As he crumpled to his knees, Katherine saw something moving with inhuman speed in her peripheral vision. Too late, she saw Molly appear next to her, backhanding the Canoness. The blow struck her chest, crumpling the armor plate and sending her flying backwards ten meters.
The Inquisitor fell to the floor, clutching the blade that was driven through his groin. "K…K…Kill her. Kill Her!" He struggled through clenched teeth, his voice going from a whisper to a bellowing roar.
