Mondus Gamma.
Sigismund, having given the order to attack, charged into the city.
The remains of sea-green machines littered his path. His gaze swept the area, taking in every detail:
Boot prints, the scorch marks of disintegration fields,
Wreckage re-assembled, pulling itself from the ground.
A swordsman in purple armor, twin blades in hand, moved with swift steps, his blades dancing.
Light on his feet, sometimes leaping, sometimes lunging.
Sweeps, slashes, vertical chops, thrusts, strikes, the blue blades spun, tracing precise, deadly arcs.
Sigismund's eyes blazed. Adrenaline surged. He ran faster.
He raced forward, but no matter how he accelerated, he could not catch Lucius, only see the aftermath of his battles.
A familiar building caught his eye.
The massive cylindrical structure that Camba Diaz had identified as their primary strategic objective, the eastern munitions depot.
He glanced at it. Emperor's Children in new armor, their jump packs blazing, were heading for the central sector.
Jovian Grenadiers drove haulers, laden with containers, towards the heavy transports.
He opened a comm channel to Diaz. "Your objective has already been taken by the Emperor's Children. Don't waste time."
"Choose another target. Secure the outer perimeter's loot."
Silence. Just as Sigismund thought the channel was being jammed, Diaz's voice returned.
"Understood."
"I've seen the drop zones of the Emperor's Children and the Death Guard. They are concentrating on the central sectors from all sides."
"I'll move in a ring along the outer perimeter, taking everything from the warehouses."
Sigismund ended the call and ran towards the central sector.
Transports shot skyward, laden with spoils.
As he entered the central sector, grey-armored warriors came into view.
The Death Guard advanced relentlessly against the sea-green machines' black fire, their power swords swinging in unison, cleaving into the spherical chassis.
Jovian Grenadiers flanked them, their plasma beams volleying.
The blazing light tore through the flanking Abominable Intelligences.
Dark green radiation beams chased the purple figures. The Emperor's Children, like circling eagles, dove.
Sigismund did not join their fight. He ran straight for the forge temple, where black flames erupted.
Boom!
An Abominable Intelligence crashed through a wall, its three crimson eyes fixed on Sigismund.
The ten-meter machine swung two massive crimson blades, larger than Sigismund himself, at his head.
Amidst the deafening roar, he advanced instead of retreating.
He lunged into the machine's shadow. His blue blade screamed, striking its chassis.
Crack, crack!
The machine twisted its wrists, its twin blades spinning like windmills, slamming into his power sword.
Boom!
The energy fields detonated with a deafening roar. Sigismund was hurled back.
Bang!
He landed, his knees bent to absorb the impact.
The machine's tracks rumbled. Its chassis spun. Its left blade swept towards him.
He retreated, then lunged again, his sword spinning like lightning.
He struck before the machine could react.
His relentless assault overwhelmed the machine's evolving tactics.
Its three eyes flashed crimson. It swung its left arm.
He sidestepped, raising his blade, cutting into its wrist.
The machine released its blade, its great hand grasping his gleaming sword.
The disintegration field shrieked, grinding the mechanical hand to scrap.
Ignoring its ruined left hand, it raised its right blade, bringing it down.
Sigismund released his sword, rolling aside.
The blade slammed into the ground, carving a meter-wide fissure.
He rolled, snatching up his power sword, lunging at the chassis, his blade splitting it.
Boom!
Sigismund leaped over the machine. Though he had killed a close-combat Abominable Intelligence, he sensed its terrifying rate of learning.
They evolved rapidly in combat with Astartes, their battle-cunning constantly increasing.
Their evil intelligence would sacrifice everything for victory.
He entered the forge temple.
At its center, an Emperor's Child in purple-gold armor and a Death Guard in grey armor dueled a twin-bladed Abominable Intelligence, moving between the pillars.
At the temple's heart, a swift figure assaulted three Abominable Intelligences.
Lucius's gleaming blades deflected blades several times their size.
He moved with dizzying speed, alone suppressing three of them.
'Lucius is this powerful?'
Sigismund had not paid much attention to Lucius before. Akurduana was the Emperor's Children's premier swordsman.
He, Thierry Vierra of the Shadows of Order, Howard Fender, Ezekyle Abaddon of the Sons of Horus, Raldoron of the Blood Angels, and Kharn of the World Eaters were the warriors who could match him.
His two hearts hammered as he charged into the fray.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Lucius leaped, avoiding a blade, and saw it was Sigismund.
'I am the Black Emperor's flawless blade!'
'I must fulfill His divine command. I will not share this glory.'
He decided to kill the three Kaban machines before Sigismund could join the fight.
His "Dawn Paladin" armor blazed with dawn-light as he lunged at one.
Two of the machines spun, their blades striking his "Dawn Armor."
Bang! Bang!
With a roar, Lucius drove both blades into the central machine's massive eye.
He twisted his wrists, the blades sliding.
Sparks rained. His arms felt heavy.
His blades were caught in the machine's circuitry. The dawn-light on his armor was torn by a crimson beam.
He released his blades, kicking off the machine's face, and leaped.
The "Dawn Paladin" clasped his hands. All his spirituality surged from his palms. A blinding light blazed through the temple.
Magos Lukas Chrom looked up. Lucius now held a massive, heavy sword, gleaming with blinding light, reminisce of the legendary blade of the Emperor.
Lucius dove, straight at him.
The ground shook. A Kaban machine blocked his path.
Chrom watched Lucius swing his greatsword, colliding with the two raised crimson blades.
Boom!
He spun his blade, deflecting another.
Chrom's logic engines churned. He had summoned the three most advanced and powerful Kaban machines.
Each had killed over a dozen Astartes.
Lucius had broken through their guard.
Chrom's massive backpack hissed. Pipes and cables trembled, lifting him from the ground.
Bang!
He watched Lucius land. Two Kaban machines lunged at him from either side.
Lucius knelt, driving his "Sword of Dawn" into the ground.
Crack!
Shards of dawn-light erupted from the blade.
They shot skyward, a howling storm.
Sigismund stopped. A blinding light exploded before him, sweeping the area.
Lukas Chrom, rising, was engulfed and torn apart.
The two Kaban machines shuddered, their chassis shattering.
Boom! Boom!
As the dust settled, Sigismund stared at Lucius. 'How was he this powerful?'
'How had he created that gleaming blade and armor from thin air?'
"I saw a Remembrancer with similar light and power to your blade and armor."
"She called herself a follower of the God-Emperor."
"Are you like her?"
Lucius shook his head, scoffing, "I am not as foolish as she is."
'Hmph, The God-Emperor? There is only One True God.'
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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