Having escaped the Von Kleist Family estate, the group stopped in disarray on the dark streets, using collapsed walls and abandoned vehicles as cover for a brief respite.
The air was thick with the smell of blood and the scorching scent of energy weapon residue, while the sounds of fighting and the soaring blood-red light from afar reminded them that things were getting worse.
The Adeptus Arbites's Enforcers were almost completely wiped out, the survivors either leaning against walls bandaging wounds or silently checking their dwindling ammunition, their morale at rock bottom.
Many of them had lost comrades who fought alongside them, their eyes filled with exhaustion and confusion.
Mai Mai and Twilight's Kill Team also suffered losses, with several members falling in the fierce firefight.
However, they still maintained a certain level of morale at this point, silently passing water bottles and power cells to each other, awaiting new orders.
Inquisitor Craig's troops, on the other hand, suffered minimal losses because they were the last to enter the scene.
His subordinates were cautiously spread out, maintaining their combat formation, clearly still wary of their surroundings.
Craig himself stood beside a Abandoned armored vehicle, calmly observing the changing enemy situation on his holographic map.
Facing Mai Mai and Twilight, who were frustrated by the failed attempt to stop the ritual, Inquisitor Craig put away his holographic projection, slowly walked towards them, and said, "You two did well. Don't be so discouraged; everything is according to plan."
"According to plan?" Mai Mai and Twilight exchanged glances, both reading the same doubt and wariness in each other's eyes.
They recalled the various obstacles they had encountered during their previous investigations—the inexplicable archival lockdowns and operational interferences.
Mai Mai unhesitatingly raised her plasma pistol, the blue-white energy flickering slightly at the muzzle, pointing directly at Inquisitor Craig's chest: "Inquisitor, could you please explain what you mean by 'everything is according to plan'?"
Her voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet street: "When we were investigating the heretics before, we were constantly obstructed by the Inquisition. That must have been your doing, too, right?"
The air seemed to freeze, and everyone stopped what they were doing.
Twilight also quietly rested her hand on her Bolter, her sharp gaze fixed on Craig: "I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation, otherwise, I can only assume you have betrayed the Imperium."
Mai Mai's action immediately triggered a chain reaction.
Craig's guards swiftly raised their weapons, and the members of the Kill Team immediately entered combat readiness.
The two sides stood in tense confrontation, the mechanical sounds of weapons being cocked rising and falling, and the cold clanging of metal echoing in the narrow street.
The hum of plasma weapons and the charging sound of Bolters intertwined, every finger pressed tightly against a trigger, waiting for a single signal to erupt into a bloody shootout.
The atmosphere on the street instantly became tense, the air seeming to solidify, making it difficult to breathe.
The Kill Team warriors slightly lowered their stances, seeking cover, while the Inquisitor's guards maintained standard firing postures, their eyes locked on their opponents.
A new conflict seemed imminent, needing only a spark to ignite this fatal misunderstanding.
"Put down your guns!" Craig suddenly barked, his voice filled with unquestionable authority.
His subordinates hesitated for a moment, then slowly lowered their muzzles, but their wary gazes remained fixed on Mai Mai and Twilight's people.
The Inquisitor himself took a step forward, spreading his hands slightly, signaling he had no hostile intent.
"I imagine you didn't just investigate the Von Kleist Family, did you?" His gaze swept between Mai Mai and Twilight, his tone low and calm: "How much do you know about the forces behind them?"
"The Unseen Brotherhood? Or Tzanazte?" Mai Mai asked, her question also an answer, but her muzzle was only slightly lowered, not completely disarmed.
Twilight's finger still rested on the trigger guard, ready to raise her weapon again at any moment.
Craig's lips curved slightly, seemingly unsurprised by their answer.
"It seems you two do know quite a bit." He nodded, his tone even carrying a hint of admiration: "Acolytes under Alex all possess such skill. I'm increasingly curious about what kind of person this Inquisitor Governor truly is."
Then, his expression became serious again as he began to explain the whole story.
In fact, as early as three hundred years ago, when The Unseen Brotherhood began to lay out their entire plan, the Inquisition had already noticed their unusual activities.
And at that time, the one responsible for this matter was Inquisitor Craig's teacher's teacher—a deeply experienced Inquisitor.
That senior had uncovered secret information about The Unseen Brotherhood and Tzanazte, and successfully thwarted their first attempt.
"That eclipse three hundred years ago," Craig slowly said, his gaze seemingly piercing through time: "The Unseen Brotherhood's ritual was successfully disrupted, and Tzanazte's conspiracy to reincarnate was thoroughly destroyed."
He paused, his eyes deepening, "But clearly, they haven't given up…"
The neon lights above the street flickered with unstable light, casting shifting shadows on Inquisitor Craig's grim face.
"By the time of the second eclipse two hundred years ago," Craig continued, his voice low and heavy: "My grandmaster realized a terrible truth after again disrupting the ritual—if the Daemon Prince Tzanazte could not be completely annihilated, then the Mariupol Sector would forever be trapped in this terrifying cycle, facing his reincarnation attempts every hundred years."
Twilight unconsciously tightened her grip on her weapon, her knuckles turning white from the effort.
Mai Mai narrowed her eyes, quickly calculating the terrible consequences brought by this time span.
"Perhaps the Inquisition could stop him once, twice," Craig slowly shook his head, his eyes flickering slightly: "But no one can guarantee that we will always succeed.
Every failure means the destruction of a world, the damnation of billions of souls."
The Inquisitor raised his hand, and a holographic projection unfolded in the air, displaying a series of shocking historical data.
"So two hundred years ago, that wise Inquisitor made a bold decision—after once again thwarting The Unseen Brotherhood, he changed his strategy." Craig's voice carried a hint of reverence: "He began to train his disciples, ordering him to find a way to permanently seal or destroy Tzanazte.
This mission has been passed down through generations, until today."
Mai Mai suddenly sneered: "Sounds very touching, but did you succeed?"
Craig's expression became even more serious: "That's the problem. Tzanazte has long since lost his physical form in the material universe. We can neither destroy him nor easily seal him.
We can't even banish him back to the Warp—because we can't find his exact location at all, and can only passively target The Unseen Brotherhood."
Twilight suddenly understood something, her face turning ugly: "So you've been indulging them all along?"
"Not indulgence, but strategy." Craig corrected, his eyes sharpening: "As long as Tzanazte exists, The Unseen Brotherhood is merely a pawn he can cultivate at will.
It's like cutting off the leaves of a poisonous tree; its roots still spread in the darkness. So destroying a cult is meaningless; what we need is…"
"To cut the roots." Mai Mai coldly finished his sentence, her plasma pistol finally completely lowered, but the vigilance in her eyes remained undiminished.
Twilight nodded thoughtfully, her finger still gently tapping the Bolter's casing.
Craig showed an approving expression: "Precisely."
He waved his hand, bringing up new holographic images, displaying research data from past Inquisitors.
"So a hundred years ago, my teacher came up with a bold plan—instead of always playing defense, it would be better to let The Unseen Brotherhood successfully complete Tzanazte's reincarnation ritual." Craig's voice carried a hint of fanaticism: "Let him regain a material form, so we can seal him and then find a way to completely destroy him.
After all, when Tzanazte regains a physical form, his greatest reliance—his intangible and formless nature—will disappear."
Mai Mai suddenly sneered: "So you deliberately held back? Allowing a Daemon Prince to manifest in reality? This is simply…"
"Crazy?" Craig interrupted him: "But it's the only feasible solution! Dealing with a tangible Daemon Prince is much simpler than fighting an intangible Chaos entity."
He brought up a blurry video record: "So during the last eclipse a hundred years ago, my teacher deliberately arrived a step late, allowing the daughter of The Unseen Brotherhood's leader to be successfully born and receive the blessings of a Chaos Demon, becoming a perfect vessel."
The image showed a female infant surrounded by Chaos runes, with fanatical cultists kneeling around her.
Twilight couldn't help but shiver: "You're playing with fire."
"Now!" Craig suddenly raised his voice, the holographic image switching to the current astrological chart, showing the eclipse about to reach its peak: "The eclipse has returned, and the opportunity my teacher and I have waited for for centuries has finally arrived!
I will eradicate this scourge threatening the Mariupol Sector once and for all!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and his bionic arm unconsciously clenched into a fist.
However, Mai Mai and Twilight exchanged glances, both frowning simultaneously.
Mai Mai calmly asked: "Then do you know the exact location of Tzanazte's reincarnation ritual?"
He pointed to the intermittent explosions and fire in the Upperhive district: "Looking at the situation in the Upperhive, it's clear this isn't the true ritual site."
Craig's expression suddenly became meaningful. He closed the holographic projection, a confident smile playing on his lips: "Of course I know. It's in the deepest part of the Bottom Nest, and your colleagues have already led a team there."
He straightened the collar of his Inquisitor robe, "That's why I said, everything is according to plan."
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