Bolts of pure Warp energy, bright and terrible to behold, burst from the body of the dark Sorcerer, piercing the sophisticated Battlesuits of the Tau warriors. With a cold laugh of triumph, the agent of Chaos spawned chains that bound and clanked around the feet of the Broadside squads and toppled them into a pit of corrupted soil. Or'es'Ka could hear his warriors screaming out in pain, shrieking for help, and he took up his mounted rifles and opened fire on the Sorcerer.
"Your weapons cannot breach my defences, fool!" he cried out in rage "Simple youngling! Perish!" As the Sorcerer took up aim with his contorted fingers, his staff glowing a terrible red, darkness descended on the courtyard. The Sorcerer looked about and, by parting the shadows with his staff, saw the courtyard cleared in an instant of a dozen or so Tau warriors. Behind his helm, the Sorcerer thinned his eyes "Dark Eldar cowards!"
A great rumbling filled the scene, the Dais of Destruction lowering into their midst. From his throne, Asdrubael Vect glared into the visor of the Sorcerer with a cold distaste that could only have spanned from some ancient feud. It was as though, Or'es'Ka noted, these two malevolent leaders shared some kind of sinister history together. The Dark Eldar had known countless conflicts with the forces Chaos, but this was something else, this silent showdown. Vect finally rose from his throne and glared at the Sorcerer.
"So, it is true then, you have survived?" he sneered, and the Sorcerer vanished in a flash, reappearing on the deck of the mighty craft.
"That I have, my old friend" the vile Sorcerer walked ever closer to the Black Heart Kabal's Supreme Lord. But Asdrubael kept his eyes fixed on this ancient foe.
"It would seem even Hell itself is reluctant to hold one such as you" he noted "But why lure us here, I wonder? You once came before this throne a simple Aspiring Sorcerer, some eighty or so years ago, just before the conflict on Kronus. You requested, on behalf of your Apostle, an alliance between Chaos and Dark Eldar forces. Do you come to repeat your offer?" the Sorcerer chuckled, his eyes moving slowly between the Incubi that watched him closely.
"In a manner of speaking" he responded "I do not ask your allegiance anymore, alien. I demand your subjugation" Vect could not stop himself from laughing, he burst out in a horrific scream of laughter mocking the Sorcerer to the very deepest level.
"Charming, rip him open" he commanded with a chuckle. The Incubi set upon the Sorcerer, utterly unprepared for the immediate display that fell upon them. The dark creature wielded his great staff around, striking the foes that dared approach, and flinging them from the deck. With a howl, the Sorcerer fell upon the Supreme Lord and lifted his staff for the killing blow. But another blast came first, as the Sorcerer looked down to see the smoking plasma pistol that Vect had silently produced within his defence shield and fired into his chest "Got you" the Sorcerer toppled back, supporting himself on his staff and cursing.
"You will pay for this, alien!" the Sorcerer snapped, slamming his staff into the deck and vanishing, and Vect lowered himself back into his throne.
"Oh, I very much doubt it" he sneered "This is Asdrubael Vect to all Raiders, Ravagers and ground forces! Archon Tahril will command the ground assault, Haemonculus Abominael will command the Reaver attacks. Come my friends, let us reap the fresh harvest!"
"This is Tahril, I am in position!" the Archon responded "Let the destruction begin!"
The Tyranids were broken, their forces scattering madly as the Space Marines ceased to defend and began to attack. They moved slowly and carefully through the city, purging everything as they went and raising the banner of the Ultramarines at every major clearing. This did nothing but add more distaste to Lord Commissar Stubbs and Canoness Agna, as their forces endeavoured to follow suit and cleanse every inch of the city. But even as Tyranids fell back to the side of their master, the blades of the Flayed Ones pierced the gravel and the deathless Necrons crawled into the city, a swarm of Scarabs blotting out the sun in their wake. The Necron Lord observed his latest target with an ancient hatred and hoisted his staff high to command the assault.
