32 and Gutierrez led their respective Kill Teams, following Grosse's clues, deep into the Bottom Nest's abandoned industrial zone.
This place was once an important stronghold of the Hand of Redemption, but now only ruins and an eerie silence remained.
The air was filled with the stench of decay and rusted metal, occasionally punctuated by the low growls of Mutants, like beasts in the darkness preying on their victims.
"Psyker readings abnormal!" 32's bionic eye glowed coldly as it scanned the surroundings: "The Warp fluctuations in this area are extremely unstable; there might be a Psyker active."
Gutierrez gripped his Bolter, stating in a deep voice: "Proceed with caution; Mutant Psykers are more dangerous than ordinary enemies."
The team continued forward, passing through rusted metal corridors and collapsed pipes, the air thick with the putrid smell of rotting flesh mixed with industrial waste.
Suddenly, the path opened up—a modified Mutant settlement came into view.
Dozens of crude shacks were haphazardly built among the discarded mechanical wreckage, pieced together from rags, scrap metal, and mutated creature hides.
In the center stood a twisted altar, piled with rusted metal and human bones, its surface carved with blasphemous runes, each incision oozing dark red blood.
Around the altar lay scattered rotten meat and dried entrails, flies buzzing around, and a nauseatingly sweet, fishy smell hung in the air.
The Mutants prostrated themselves before the altar, their hunched bodies grotesquely twisted; some had humped backs, others had extra joints growing from their arms, and their skin was covered in pustules and wriggling tumors.
They chanted prayers to Chaos in hoarse, frenzied voices, like a morbid chorus.
When the spotlight beam swept over them, their eyes reflected a bestial red glow, like predators lurking in the darkness.
"Prepare for assault!" Gutierrez's voice was low and hard in the comms channel.
The Astartes Warriors silently fanned out, like shadows taking up high ground—broken beams, collapsed concrete blocks, rusted pipes; behind every cover, a fully armed Death Angel lurked.
32's mechanical tentacles gently swayed as four automated combat drones, under her control, quietly took their positions, their cannons locked onto the altar, servo systems emitting a faint hum.
The battle erupted instantly.
The first roar of a Bolter tore through the silence, and the upper body of a Mutant kneeling on the outermost perimeter exploded into a bloody mist, shattered bones and flesh splattering onto the altar.
Immediately after, a dense hail of Bolts poured down like rain, tearing the Mutants to shreds before they could even react.
An Astartes Warrior leaped down from above, his Power Sword flashing, cleaving a fleeing Mutant in half at the waist, foul blood splashing onto the rusted ground.
32's automated combat drones opened fire, the roar of heavy bolters deafening, bullets piercing through the shacks' rags and sheet metal, tearing apart the Mutants hiding within.
One drone raised its multi-barreled meltagun, and a searing white stream of plasma swept across, instantly vaporizing the bones and meat piled next to the altar, along with two screaming Mutants, turning them into charcoal.
However, the Mutants' fanaticism was not broken by fear.
The survivors let out inhuman howls, grabbing rusted knives, axes, and homemade Lasguns, frantically charging at the invaders.
Their movements were bizarre and swift, their deformed limbs bursting with incredible strength, but against the Astartes' steel tide, their resistance was like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Gutierrez shattered the skull of an oncoming Mutant with a single shot, then backhanded another enemy, caving in his chest.
Blood and shattered bones splattered on his armor, staining his black Power Armor dark red.
Within mere seconds, the settlement had turned into a bloody slaughterhouse.
However, just as the team was about to clear the settlement, a blinding Psyker light erupted from behind the altar.
A tall Mutant Psyker stepped forward, his arms mutated into twisted tentacles, and violent Psyker lightning crackled around him.
"Foolish mortals! You dare disturb the sacred ritual!" The Psyker's voice was like grinding metal, harsh and distorted.
He raised a hand, and a Psyker storm swept forth, knocking two Astartes Warriors flying, sending them crashing heavily into a wall.
32 immediately activated defensive protocols, her automated combat drones unleashing full firepower, attempting to suppress the Psyker.
However, the opponent's Psyker Shield was indestructible; bullets and energy beams were easily deflected.
Gutierrez roared, swinging his Power Sword and charging forward, but he was repelled by the Psyker's Psyker blast, leaving a scorched mark on his chest plate.
"His power is increasing!" 32 noticed the anomaly, Psyker readings were skyrocketing, "He's overdrawing his life force!"
The Psyker's body began to convulse violently, his skin rippling and bulging like boiling wax, countless tumors wriggling madly beneath his skin, as if thousands of parasites were gnawing at his flesh.
His bones emitted a horrifying cracking sound, his spine twisted and elongated, and his shoulder blades pierced through his skin, folding outwards like deformed wings.
Inhuman shrieks squeezed from his throat, his vocal cords long since torn, leaving only the piercing hum of Chaos energy reverberating in his vocal cavity.
Suddenly, his eyeballs burst, black pus-blood streaming down his cheeks, replaced by two burning orbs of Psyker flame.
Rifts in the Warp tore open around him, purple-black energy coiling around his body like tentacles, dragging him little by little into the abyss.
His flesh began to swell, merge, and reorganize; his arms split into several slimy tentacles, his lower limbs collapsed into thick columns of flesh, and sharp white bone spikes protruded from his back.
Amidst a heart-wrenching scream, his head finally exploded, replaced by a massive maw filled with spiral teeth.
His body completely disintegrated, then instantly reformed into a gigantic Chaos Spawn—a three-meter-tall deformed mass of flesh embedded with eyeballs and fangs, with a dozen tentacles flailing wildly, each ending in claws or suckers.
Corrosive mucus constantly seeped from its body, sizzling as it dripped onto the ground, emitting pungent yellow smoke.
The Chaos Spawn let out a deafening roar, the sound wave carrying a Psyker shockwave that blew away all nearby shacks.
It swung its tentacles, slamming them violently into the ground, causing the entire area to tremble violently, cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
One tentacle swept across, directly smashing an automated combat drone in half, sparks and hydraulic fluid spraying out.
Another tentacle coiled around an Astartes Warrior, flinging him hard against a wall, his Power Armor denting and deforming from the impact.
32's Bolter roared, unleashing a torrent of fire, but when the bullets penetrated the Chaos Spawn's flesh, they were directly swallowed by the writhing tissue, leaving not even a scratch.
Gutierrez swung his Power Sword and charged forward, the blade severing two tentacles, but more twisted fleshy growths instantly regenerated from the severed ends.
The Chaos Spawn's massive maw suddenly opened, spewing a Psyker storm; Gutierrez was thrown back by the impact, crashing heavily into the ruins, his helmet display flashing red damage warnings.
The entire settlement was on the verge of collapse, the ceiling crumbling under the tearing force of the Psyker storm, steel bars and concrete blocks raining down.
32's mechanical tentacles rapidly calculated an escape route, but all directions were blocked by writhing flesh and Psyker turbulence.
Every one of the Chaos Spawn's eyeballs was locked onto her, the mucus dripping from its huge maw corroding deep pits into the ground.
In desperation, she gripped the plasma pistol in her hand, the humming sound of the energy core overloading ringing in her ears—this was her last resort.
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