"I will restore the glory of the Skaven Empire. I will make humanity pay for their foolishness, and I will become the first Emperor of the Skaven Empire."
Queek Headtaker rubbed his paws excitedly, standing atop the high tower.
Queek Headtaker, the greatest Grey Seer of this era. The Moving Darkness, the Cunning Schemer, the Servant of the Great Corruptor, the Blessed Son of the Great Horned Rat.
He was an immortal legend, a powerful leader.
Unfortunately, he had no seat on the Council of Thirteen. This also became his good fortune.
Humans raided the Council of Thirteen's stronghold, killing all the Skaven lords.
Queek Headtaker fortunately became the strongest lord among the surviving Skaven clans.
It is said that he holds a very important position in the world's destiny, so much so that even after being captured by the Slann Mage-Priests, creations of the Old Ones, he would quickly be released. Those creations of the Old Ones feared that capturing Queek Headtaker would disturb destiny and bring unimaginable catastrophes.
Queek Headtaker was such a Skaven favored by destiny. To save his race, Queek Headtaker devised a perfect plan.
He planned to put it into action using his ruthlessness, cunning, and terrifying executive power.
Countless remnant Skaven clans and warlords, big and small, were summoned by him from all directions to become part of the plan.
Queek Headtaker firmly believed that his meticulously crafted plan would soon reverse the fragmented Skaven empire. The Great Horned Rat would descend upon the world through his hands, sweeping away those damned, foolish humans.
Humans would pay an unimaginable price for offending the Skaven. Those fools who dared to declare war on the Skaven would wail in a world of darkness, despair, and pain until the end of time.
Around Queek Headtaker, the Skaven army had already deployed.
Rows of powerful Skaven warriors, armed with weapons, supervised the work of the Skaven slaves. The overseers held whips, ready to lash out if the slaves showed any sign of slacking. The enormous Rat Ogres were several times taller and heavier than ordinary humans, resembling a combination of a rat and a wolf. Their crimson eyes were filled with fury.
Sharp, long claws extended from their massive fingers, and their tails violently thrashed the air. The presence of the Rat Ogres greatly intimidated the slaves.
Anyone daring to make the slightest move would be mercilessly torn apart by these behemoths. The era of the Council of Thirteen was over. Those fools were all killed by the humans and Dwarfs who raided them. To be honest, Queek Headtaker didn't feel a shred of sadness over the deaths of those idiots.
Instead, he felt a bit excited. This was the best time to unify the Skaven empire. The Council of Thirteen had severely hampered the Great Horned Rat's grand plan. They always engaged in internal strife, depleting the Skaven's strength, and completely disregarding the Great Horned Rat's plan.
Such matters were best left to the intelligent and wise Queek Headtaker.
He would show how he could strategize and win battles from a thousand miles away, reversing the situation and restoring Skaven glory with a mere laugh. The place where Queek Headtaker now stood was Nagashizzar, once the lair of the most ancient, darkest, and most evil necromancer.
Nagash, an entity who once brought endless suffering to the world. The man who almost turned the entire world into a realm of the undead.
He was also the master of Nagashizzar.
As a Grey Seer, Queek Headtaker was skilled at drawing power from ancient records and knowledge.
He had the same obsession as others who yearned to seek truth: understanding the world's secrets. The story of Nagash's struggle against the Skaven empire still circulated in the Skaven world.
Nagash was once the eldest son of a Nehekharan king.
However, Nehekhara had a custom: their ancestors had signed an agreement with the gods. The eldest son was to be sent to the temple, while the second son wielded secular power. The power of the priesthood was superior to secular power, so it wasn't considered unfair to the eldest son.
Yet Nagash had briefly tasted power, and he was deeply dissatisfied that the eldest son could not inherit the throne.
But at the time, he was powerless to change it and could only become a priest.
Nagash was extremely intelligent, and he quickly used his cunning to become a high-ranking Grand Priest.
He secretly amassed power and studied dark magic.
When the time was ripe, this madman killed his younger brother and took his beautiful, seductive sister-in-law.
He also developed the Elixir of Life, controlled a large number of loyal followers, and created the Undying. The Undying would later become Vampires.
Besides this, he maintained a reign of terror in Nehekhara for a time.
He plundered Nehekhara's wealth and built the most magnificent black pyramid in history. That pyramid was entirely constructed from black marble, with every brick carved with runes that could automatically absorb and store the Winds of Magic, as well as amplify and strengthen spell power. To build this pyramid, Nagash drained the treasuries of major city-states, sacrificing tens of thousands of slaves, grinding their bodies into powder to smear into the pyramid's mortar.
His studied magic became increasingly evil.
Until the Kings could no longer tolerate it, they united their armies to overthrow Nagash.
Initially, the united armies of the Kings were no match for Nagash.
He used his magic to summon the dead and unleash plagues, routing the allied forces.
He also destroyed the City of the Covenant, killed his sister-in-law, and severed the conduit through which the gods interfered in mortal affairs. This prevented the gods from further protecting the united armies of the Kings. To counterattack, the united armies of the Kings spared no expense, bringing out all their resources.
Steam-powered Hierotitans and Tomb Scorpions.
Arcane-powered airship fleets, Lizardmen mercenaries, and ironware purchased from Grand Cathay. They fought a decisive battle with Nagash, relying on these assets. The arrogant Nagash was defeated by the united armies of the Kings, and his evil reign was thus ended.
However, this was not the end. The defeated Nagash was exiled to the wilderness, where he found a rich Warpstone vein that even the Skaven empire did not possess.
He established the vast city of Nagashizzar.
He enslaved the local living inhabitants and once again created an army of the undead.
At that time, the Skaven also discovered this place.
For the Warpstone, both sides fought for decades.
All means were employed, from constructs and poisons to armies of the living dead.
Ultimately, neither side could defeat the other, so they had to make peace.
With the help of the Warpstone vein, Nagash rose again.
He forged a set of black armor that could quickly restore him.
Its function was equivalent to the black pyramid he had previously built.
He re-summoned and reassembled his undead army, resurrecting his fallen subordinates.
He prepared a grand and spectacular revenge.
At that time, Nagash had become the only one who somewhat understood the essence of the Chaos Gods without going mad.
He even set a small goal: to be on equal footing with Chaos and rule a world where only the undead existed.
And the source of this grand plan was his former homeland—Nehekhara.
However, at that time, a man of great foresight—Arkhan the Black—became the leader who unified the Kings.
Arkhan established various systems against the undead, building fortresses to thwart Nagash's wicked schemes.
On the battlefield, Nagash suffered a complete defeat.
He was utterly routed by Arkhan, and nine out of ten of his painstakingly accumulated undead legions were killed or wounded.
But Nagash was skilled at playing dirty tricks, and he was both ruthless and malicious.
He devised a terrifying plan.
Since he couldn't win openly, he decided to resort to underhanded tactics.
He bribed the Skaven to poison the Waters of Life with a toxin he created. This contaminated Nehekhara's water sources, causing a terrible plague.
All living beings, from humans and animals to crops, became infected, with none spared. Then he sent his trusted subordinate—Arkhan the Black—to slaughter the survivors and bring back Arkhan the Black, who had thwarted his plans.
Using Arkhan the Black as a magical conduit, he unleashed an unprecedented, super-scale summoning spell that covered half a continent. The energy channeled was so powerful that the entire world could observe it. Through this terrifying spell, he awakened all the dead buried beneath that land, forming the largest undead army ever seen.
He planned to slaughter all living beings in the world and turn the mortal realm into the underworld. This forced the Skaven to forge a Blade of Corruption. This sword, crafted from Warpstone and meteoric iron, possessed unimaginable god-slaying power. The Skaven delivered the blade to Arkhan the Black's cell and opened the cell door.
Arkhan the Black grabbed the Blade of Corruption and rushed out, cleaving Nagash, who was weakened after casting the massive undead spell, into pieces. This foiled his grand scheme.
In the years that followed, Nagash resurrected several times.
Each time he resurrected, the world would face a disaster. The Vampires and undead legions that previously invaded the Imperium had Nagash's shadow behind them.
As soon as he returned to the mortal realm, he would cause a frenzy among the dead.
Many of the Tomb Kings active today were his former enemies, undead summoned back by that colossal necromantic spell. Those entities had gained free will and no longer obeyed Nagash's commands.
Nagash was ganged up on by those entities and driven out of Nehekhara again.
With nowhere else to go, Nagash fled back to Nagashizzar, planning to lie low, recover his strength, and rise again.
Considering he needed a powerful ally skilled in dark magic, Queek Headtaker chose to cooperate with Nagash.
Nagash was despicable, shameless, insidious, and malicious, but he had one advantage: he knew how to assess the situation.
When powerful, he was always arrogant.
When down and out, he could often adopt a humble demeanor.
Upon learning that the Skaven wanted to ally with him, Nagash slapped his fleshless thigh, declaring that past grievances were forgiven and that both sides should cooperate and look to the future.
Queek Headtaker sent vast amounts of Warpstone to Nagash and helped him regain the Black Pyramid and the Crown of Sorcery, allowing his power to recover significantly.
Once all this was done, Nagash was to fulfill his promise: use the magic of the Crown of Sorcery and the Black Pyramid to help Queek Headtaker open a portal for the Great Horned Rat to descend.
And today was the day the ritual began.
Queek Headtaker gazed down from his high vantage point, seeing eight massive, completed altars surrounding the Black Pyramid where Nagash resided. The sacrificial slaves were ready, confined in cages, trembling as they awaited death. The priests standing by the altars prepared the small knives to slit the throats of the sacrifices.
Only enough death could break the rule that gods could not manifest in the mortal realm.
With Nagash's magic and a massive blood sacrifice, the Great Horned Rat could be summoned back to the mortal world.
Further from the altars, the Black Pyramid, emitting an evil green glow and surging with terrifying magical fluctuations, was Nagash's current dwelling. The Nine Books of Nagash, the Crown of Sorcery, the Black Pyramid—these creations of Nagash were steadily returning.
Soon, Nagash would recover his peak state, becoming the strongest being in this world.
A series of iron-shod boots clanking on stone echoed.
Several warriors in black armor with glowing green eyes appeared from the high tower's staircase. Their arrival caused the tower's temperature to drop sharply.
Queek Headtaker had initially found the day a bit stuffy, but now, he felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar. The leading warrior was exceptionally tall, much taller than the other black-armored warriors. The runes on his armor were more intricate, subtly flowing with an invisible radiance.
A terrifying runic greatsword hung at his waist, emitting a chilling aura.
Green light flowed from where his eyes should be; upon closer inspection, one would see two green flames. This was a resurrected dead man.
Summoned back from the otherworld by Nagash in a blasphemous act against life.
Queek Headtaker was no stranger to him; he was none other than the evil sorcerer's trusted lieutenant, Arkhan the Black, who was said to have helped the Queen of Lahmia replicate the Elixir of Life, creating the Vampires.
"The master is ready," Arkhan's voice was icy, as if from the netherworld, sending shivers down one's spine.
"Excellent, I will order the priests to begin the blood sacrifice immediately."
Queek Headtaker's rat-like face twisted into an ugly smile.
Arkhan suppressed his disgust and did not show it. The grand blood sacrifice ritual soon began.
With the first slave's dying scream, a purplish-black, thunder-laden storm cloud rolled in from the horizon, surging directly towards Nagashizzar, this ancient, dark metropolis. Terrifying dark purple lightning tore through the night, and the sky cracked open, as horrifying, sea-like energy poured from the fissures, enveloping the entire world in a dark purple glow.
Against the backdrop of the night sky, many strange silhouettes floated in the air. The screams, the entities born from nightmares, were wailing and crying, attempting to cross the veil between reality and illusion to enter the mortal realm.
Nagash, adorned with the Crown of Sorcery and clad in magical armor crafted from warpstone and star-iron, chanted ancient incantations from the highest platform of the black pyramid of war.
Around the black pyramid, slaves had constructed eight colossal blood pool altars.
Skaven priests continuously slit the throats of slaves, cut open the veins in their limbs, and then threw them into the blood pools. The number of dead was countless, their screams echoing in the Warp. The wind howled, and the clouds above the ritual site converged into a swirling vortex of lightning and thunder. Under the dual blessings of the incantation's power and the sacrificial ritual, the storm's scale and intensity grew at an alarming rate.
It continuously spread, obscuring the wilderness and mountains.
Countless beasts wailed and cried.
Innumerable living beings screamed in their nightmares, and even upon waking, they still trembled with fear. The voices in the darkness grew stronger, whispering and excitedly discussing the impending chaos.
Primal forces poured forth from the other side, engulfing everything in this world.
Nagash could feel the inhabitants of another world responding to his summons.
A terrifying entity, a being of ultimate horror.
It was entering this world through his magic and blood sacrifices.
Queek Headtaker witnessed the beginning of this grand spell.
He couldn't help but be in awe of Nagash's terrifying power.
Given time, Nagash would be qualified to contend with the Great Horned Rat for ascension.
Of course, Queek Headtaker would not let that happen.
Once the Great Horned Rat descended, he would immediately order his assassins to act, plunging the pre-prepared Blade of Corruption into his chest. To weaken his strength. Then let him and the Imperial dogs fight each other.
Despicable, shameless, and treacherous—these were the fine virtues of a Skaven.
Queek Headtaker would certainly not forget them.
Let that fool Nagash busy himself in vain.
By then, his angry screams would surely be delightful.
Queek Headtaker could already imagine his hysterical roar.
"Queek Headtaker, you despicable rat, I will not let you off, I will surely retaliate."
Thinking of what the other party might say, Queek Headtaker couldn't help but burst out laughing. To dare to cooperate with Queek Headtaker, the smartest and wisest being in this world, was truly courting death. This renowned necromancer would soon fall into his hands.
In the raging storm, several figures emerged from the wilderness and entered the city, which was filled with the dead and rats. Their movements were extremely stealthy. The dead and the Skaven were completely unaware of them. They had placed all their attention on the altar. The appearance of the strange storm also caused many guards to lower their usual vigilance.
All they could hear were terrifying screams and the wind mixed with ghostly whispers.
Only when a sword pierced their throats or shattered their soul core would they belatedly realize that someone had invaded.
But they could do nothing, not even scream.
Only endless darkness awaited them.
"This city sickens me." Thresa disgustedly flicked the blood from his short sword. Several Skaven guards lay near him, and the wizard was using his magical hand to stuff them all into the sewer. The stench of the sewer was pungent and nauseating; even if a corpse rotted, no Skaven would check it, making it an excellent place to hide bodies.
"No one likes it here," Udi whispered. "This city is filled with an evil power, reeking of corpses and rats. If it weren't for the mission, I would never set foot here."
"Stop complaining, let's quickly take down that rat, and then we can leave." The dwarf, Gotrek, rolled his eyes and walked over to the rogue, Thresa. "Want to make a bet?"
The complaining Thresa's eyes lit up slightly at these words, but he quickly reined them in, appearing no different from usual.
He looked at Gotrek, asking casually,
"Bet on what?"
"Who can catch Queek Headtaker first? How about that bet? The loser hands over the reward for this mission," Gotrek said.
"You're a warrior, I'm at too much of a disadvantage," Thresa said. "This bet isn't fair to me."
"You also have Imperial armor and weapons on you, there's nothing unfair about it. Those Skaven are no match for you, and besides, you're a rogue, you can easily bypass those enemies. Could it be that you're scared? Just like all halflings are timid and cowardly."
"Bullshit, halflings are fearless!" Thresa snarled. "Don't try your clumsy provocations on me, you muscle-headed block. I'll bet with you, let's see who can catch Queek Headtaker! You're definitely going to lose everything this time!"
"Then let's see," Gotrek said. "Let's see who will lose everything."
"I suggest you two recognize the current situation. We are currently in the enemy's stronghold." Udi looked at the two with some helplessness. "I warn you, if this mission is messed up, I will tie you two up and hang you on the ship to take you back."
"Don't worry, this mission will absolutely not fail. With the strongest slayer in history making a move, there is no other possibility than that damned rat kneeling on the ground waiting for us to catch him."
"I hope a certain strongest slayer doesn't lose so badly he loses his pants. Don't worry, Lord Udi, you absolutely don't need to trust someone with muscles for brains, but you can definitely trust me. You will witness the strongest rogue's methods; taking the enemy's head from among ten thousand troops is as easy as picking something from a bag."
"Yeah, the strongest rogue was hung in the market for public display."
"Better than a certain slayer who loses all his money and tries to renege."
"Bullshit, can a slayer's actions be called reneging?"
"If you two keep arguing, I guarantee you'll both be interrogated by the inquisitor. Delaying the Holy Emperor's great work, that charge is enough to send you two to plant potatoes in the wilderness for a few years." Udi stopped the argument between the two rascals.
At the mention of the inquisitor, Thresa and Gotrek fell silent. Their eyes still showed defiance, but they no longer dared to argue.
Inquisitors don't reason.
Last time, a brave man shouted at the city gate, "Blast the evil tyrannical Holy Emperor!"
He was immediately arrested and reportedly sent to install guardrails on the roads near the Roof of the World.
Everything in the Imperium existed for the Holy Emperor's great work.
Everything could be sacrificed.
Udi silenced the two with threatening words, then gestured for the team to continue their mission.
As a wizard, Harris quickly used his unique spells to pinpoint the target's location. They moved through this dark, eerie city, filled with the dead and specters, heading towards their objective. The team members passed through the long-abandoned city like ghosts, walking past strange factories that emitted green light. This city was a city of the dead, where they lived in a way different from the living.
Awakened undead were everywhere. They wandered aimlessly in the dark city.
Confused and unable to find their true selves.
Some white-glowing specters passed through walls, roofs, or any other place.
When not fighting, they appeared harmless, wandering and crying or whispering words they had spoken before death.
But once they saw blood, they would reveal their terrifying, grotesque ghostly forms.
Clad in tattered, rag-like clothing, with rotting faces, crimson teeth, and purplish claws.
Filled with hatred for the living, they would shriek and tear intruders to shreds.
Udi had grown up listening to stories of the wilderness since he was a child. The tales of vengeful ghosts were often the most horrifying among them.
Even more terrifying than daemons.
If he had a choice, he would rather fight daemons than wander in a ghost's nest. The dead and the undead could not see the team members. The Imperial armor they wore could conceal the user's projection in the Warp.
Ghosts had no physical bodies, so they naturally couldn't see living people through physical rules. The vision of the real universe relied on the refraction of light.
Ghosts did not have organs to receive light, so they naturally could not see things through the refraction of light.
Most of them relied on their ability to see the Warp or by possessing other beings to see things in the real world. The armor concealed the team members' projections in the Warp, so the specters naturally ignored them.
Allowing the team members to swagger past them. The team members were very careful, but the strong individuals of this world were not to be underestimated.
Even if there was an insurmountable gap in technological knowledge between them and the Imperium, the existence of the Warp gave those strong individuals some capital to contend with humans.
As the team members infiltrated near Queek Headtaker's tower, Arkhan, who stood with Queek Headtaker, sensed the presence of living beings.
"A few pathetic ants dare to trespass into my master's domain." Arkhan drew his greatsword, and green flames spread along its eerie patterns, illuminating the tower with a greenish glow.
His aura was incredibly cold, and frost condensed in the air.
From the hundreds of meters high tower, he leaped down, charging towards the enemy's location.
"Receive the wrath of the Undying King, you ants!"
His roar and actions drew the attention of other defenders.
Some Immortals, high-ranking Vampires, and Skaven guards also rushed towards them.
"Exposed, attack!" Udi realized their disguise was useless, drew his longsword, and with a swing, decapitated an approaching Skaven.
Gotrek let out a roar and a bellow, brandishing a battle-axe much larger than himself, charging out like a berserk beast.
His strong muscles bulged, making him look even more like a stubby block. Though his appearance was comical, his formidable strength was terrifying.
Nothing could stop a berserk slayer. The charging Arkhan swung his Blade of the Dead at Gotrek, then flew back at an even faster speed.
With a booming sound, he crashed into the tower, raising a terrible cloud of dust.
When Arkhan got up, his face showed disbelief.
His eyes, shining with green light, looked at the Blade of the Dead, which had once slain countless enemies and imprisoned the souls of the vanquished.
On the once perfect, terrifyingly gleaming blade, a huge chip appeared.
Many places showed cracks, and it was on the verge of shattering.
"How is this possible?" Arkhan thought to himself. This sword was a runic blade crafted from star-iron, incredibly sharp, cutting through metal like mud.
Arkhan had once wielded that sword, slaughtering his way from Nagashizzar to the Gates of Dawn, and then to Khemri, simply raising and dropping his sword without blinking, conquering a vast territory for Nagash.
Now, it had such a large chip just from one touch!!
If he didn't lack flesh on his face, Arkhan would have slapped himself twice to see if he was still asleep.
How could his Blade of the Dead be so bad!!
Could it be that it had been left unused for too long and rusted!!
Sigh!!
Indeed, everything needed to be used frequently; he'd go ask Queen Khalida if she needed help later.
Not using it for too long would also cause it to get clogged.
Screams from outside interrupted Arkhan's thoughts.
Arkhan didn't have time to think further, and he rushed out again through the hole he had created by crashing. This time, he held nothing back, unleashing all his power.
Green flames burned on his black armor.
Making him look like a vengeful spirit that had crawled out of hell and now walked back into the human world.
"Die!"
He roared.
However, the battle situation outside was somewhat beyond Arkhan's expectations. The dwarf who had sent him flying with one blow was as efficient as a killing machine. The Immortals and Vampires were directly cut down, falling in heaps. The essence of Immortals and Vampires was the same; the difference was that the former relied on elixirs of life, while the latter relied on blood. They both possessed terrifying regenerative abilities. They were important fighting forces in Nagash's undead army.
But now, they were all defeated. The dwarf stood on their corpses, slaughtering every living being that dared to approach.
Soon, a pile of corpses lay beneath his feet.
On the other side, several humans and a halfling were also wreaking havoc. They were well-trained, skilled in killing, and their armor and weapons were incredibly powerful.
Arkhan felt that compared to those guys' armor and weapons, even Nagash's artifacts were nothing special.
With a swing of a longsword, no matter what resistance the Skaven and undead put up, they would be cut through.
Weapons imbued with necromantic power were as brittle as wooden sticks, easily cut in half by the opponents. The black-armored knights and undead warriors couldn't even withstand a single blow from them.
Some liches and necromancers tried to use their magic against the invaders, but the spells were dispelled by faint shields of light, having no effect whatsoever.
Arrows from undead archers and Skaven archers constantly struck the dark armor, yet couldn't leave even a white mark.
But the squad was still heavily besieged.
Endless undead swarmed from all directions, along with countless Skaven. The unending tide of enemies, however, couldn't make the squad members retreat. They had long since prepared for such a situation.
"In the name of the Emperor!" Harriss roared, his raised double-headed eagle scepter glowing with an amplifying force field.
With this artifact, Harriss gathered an unprecedented, terrifying magical power. That terrifying magic erupted with brilliant light, like a rising sun.
Once sufficiently powerful, Harriss plunged the scepter into the ground and shouted the name of the spell.
"Purification!"
A dreadful golden flame swept out from him, radiating in all directions.
Arkhan, who was charging forward, felt an unprecedented threat from that flame.
He turned and ran away even faster. The golden flame raged like a hurricane, igniting the undead and Skaven in its path.
Making them burn like torches.
Piercing screams echoed throughout the entire area. The undead suffered the most damage. The green flames within them extinguished, and their bodies turned to ash in mere seconds, scattering with the wind. Though the Skaven screamed, they weren't completely killed.
Purification only ignited the warp energy attached to physical entities.
Skaven possess their own physical bodies. This spell couldn't completely destroy them.
However, the cleared undead greatly reduced the pressure on the squad members, and the remaining Skaven could no longer stop them. The squad members tacitly charged towards their respective targets. The tower was nothing to them.
A simple levitation spell from Harriss made them as light as swallows, allowing them to climb the tower from the outside. The target was waiting atop the tower.
Harriss also cast a spatial interference spell to ensure the target couldn't escape via teleportation.
Booming explosions echoed ceaselessly. Through years of experience, Thanquol quickly realized that the attackers were coming for him. Those armored figures with the double-headed eagle emblem on their chests were definitely the humans who had ambushed and killed the Council of Thirteen in the past. They had set their sights on him.
He should have realized this earlier; humans wouldn't allow the Skaven to unite again.
A fractured Skaven race, ripe for their slaughter, served their interests best.
Gotrek was the fastest. To win the bet and show Thanquol his prowess, every inch of his flesh and blood was brimming with power.
"Protect me," Thanquol said to Boneripper, who had always been by his side.
Boneripper was Thanquol's bodyguard, and his most trusted companion.
Over the long years, Boneripper had died many times, and each time, Thanquol would collect his remains, stitch them onto a new Rat Ogre, and create a new Boneripper.
Boneripper was also exceptionally loyal to Thanquol, repeatedly saving him from peril.
Boneripper let out a low growl, roaring as he charged towards the enemy. Then, in the next second, the dwarf who jumped up severed Boneripper's strong legs, comparable to a Skaven warrior's body, causing him to fall. The massive armored body crashed against the ground with a thud.
Boneripper tried to swing his claws, but his head was severed by the next human who charged forward.
His head was also kicked away. Thanquol watched all of this in stunned silence.
His bodyguard died too quickly, in less than a few breaths.
So quickly that he didn't even realize what had happened.
As the enemy charged towards him, Arkhan rushed forward again.
He had decisively fled when the sorcerer unleashed the purification spell, thus escaping harm.
It wasn't that he was cowardly; it was mainly because that move was simply too terrifying. If he hadn't run, he would have been severely injured, if not dead.
Arkhan roared.
His body was tall and strong, and he was clad in heavy armor, giving him an imposing presence.
When he ran, the ground trembled slightly. The green flames emanating from his sword also became more terrifying than before, causing frost to condense in the air.
However, his fate was no better than that of other Immortals, Vampires, or Liches.
Gotrek cleaved him in two with an axe, shattering his Blade of the Undead as well.
Arkhan didn't even have time to utter any harsh words before he plunged into darkness.
Having dealt with the last obstacle.
Gotrek smiled, raised his axe, and charged towards Thanquol.
A ferocious grin spread across the dwarf's broad face.
Unconcealed excitement gleamed in his wise eyes.
Let that damned halfling know the power of a Slayer!
Let him lose everything and not get a single penny in return!
But in that fraction of a second, Gotrek's smile quickly vanished, replaced by horror. Thanquol had stealthily appeared behind Thanquol at some unknown point. The short sword in his hand was already aimed at Thanquol's neck.
As soon as the short sword sliced through, Thanquol's head would fly off, securing victory in this wager.
A look of complete control spread across the halfling's face.
His other hand was even giving a middle finger, mocking Gotrek.
Just when the squad members thought the mission was about to be completed and Thanquol was about to perish.
A rift, emanating a strange glow, appeared behind Thanquol.
A large, furry hand, several times larger than a Skaven paw, stretched out from the spatial rift.
It grabbed Thanquol and dragged him into the rift.
Instead, Thanquol and Gotrek crashed into each other due to their excessive speed.
"No!" Thanquol let out a heart-wrenching scream, as if the giant hand had taken not Thanquol, but his beloved newlywed wife.
He definitely wouldn't have screamed like that if he hadn't had several wives run off on him.
He was so close to showing that muscle-headed idiot the power of a halfling.
"He's mine!" Gotrek burst out of the tower, and with his keen vision, he immediately spotted the pyramid in the center of the great city; Thanquol had been taken there.
Clearly, it was the Great Horned Rat, the deity Thanquol worshipped, who had intervened. The Council of Thirteen had been annihilated, and the elite of the Skaven race had suffered heavy casualties.
Many local warlords had been eliminated by the humans using decapitation tactics. The Great Horned Rat had few followers left.
If he didn't save Thanquol, he would truly be a lone commander.
"Continue the pursuit." Udi was the first to leap off the tower, gliding towards the black pyramid using the gliding spell enhanced by Harriss. The others followed, jumping down as well.
Harriss remained at the end.
After so many missions, the squad members' coordination was already excellent.
As the Skaven and undead swarmed the tower, they had already all flown towards the black pyramid, causing the enemies to miss them entirely. Thanquol touched his neck with lingering fear, finding that his head had not flown off. The rat serving as the Great Horned Rat's physical body was now suspended in the air, its eyes burning with terrifying flames, and waves of visible power emanating from its entire being.
An indescribable and terrifying divine power filled that body.
Utilizing blood sacrifice and Nagash's magic, the Great Horned Rat had successfully infused its power and will into this physical body. The moment for the Skaven empire to reverse its fortunes was about to arrive. The Great Horned Rat would bring salvation to the Skaven of this world.
Just moments ago, he was facing a life-or-death crisis, and now he was witnessing the descent of the Great Horned Rat. Thanquol was so excited he was almost in tears.
It was too difficult.
He was almost slaughtered.
But he would soon get his revenge.
By then, all those humans would be dead, dead, dead. The moment Thanquol saw the avatar of the Great Horned Rat, he felt an overwhelming aura of dominance, and he knelt down excitedly, shouting, "Great..."
Before he could finish, a bony hand abruptly pierced the Great Horned Rat's physical body in the real world.
Causing it to let out a piercing shriek.
Even Chaos Gods have their strengths and weaknesses; they are by no means invincible. The Great Horned Rat is weak compared to the Four Gods.
Although it has the potential to become a Chaos God, it can still be harmed. Thanquol watched in stunned disbelief, unable to believe what he was seeing. The one who acted was Nagash.
Like a lich, he floated three feet off the ground,
Clad in pure black armor with a cape.
His skeletal face revealed no emotion.
Only from the fiercely burning green flames in his empty eye sockets could one sense his current state of exhilaration.
"Heh heh heh heh heh heh."
Nagash extended his other hand, controlling the head of the Great Horned Rat's avatar. Then he let out a strange laugh. The sound was filled with malice and viciousness. Thanquol swore he had never heard such a terrifying sound.
"What are you doing?" Thanquol stared at the pierced avatar of the Great Horned Rat, his voice trembling with accusation.
Nagash was absolutely a complete madman.
How dared he, how dared he attack a god?
"Do you think I was truly helping you, foolish rat?" Nagash mocked in a hoarse voice, "I merely tricked you, making you send those Skaven to help me retrieve these artifacts, and then using blood sacrifice to summon the Great Horned Rat's avatar, and then I would seize the divine fragments within the Great Horned Rat's avatar. Everything is so perfect, you fool, you will achieve my great work."
"I, Nagash, have never been inferior to anyone in my life. If others can become exalted gods, so can I. I shall become the God of Gods, the King of All Beings, heh heh heh heh heh heh."
Nagash was an absolute genius.
He once captured three Dark Elves and learned dark magic from them.
However, human talent was completely inferior to that of elves, so Nagash found another way, learning to absorb others' souls to gain power, thus creating necromancy.
It could be said that he thoroughly understood the fundamentals of magic and then pioneered a new form of magic suitable for himself. This learning ability was enough to easily defeat many gods who relied on faith.
After being exiled, he learned how to use warpstone and, through the Winds of Magic, mastered the essence of warp power.
If his plan had succeeded back then, he would now be an undisputed God of the Dead. The entire mortal world would be transformed into an undead realm, continuously providing him with power.
"I, Nagash, have never been inferior to anyone in my life. If others can become exalted gods, so can I. I shall become the God of Gods, the King of All Beings, heh heh heh heh heh heh."
Nagash was an absolute genius.
He once captured three Dark Elves and learned dark magic from them.
However, human talent was completely inferior to that of elves.
No matter how much he learned, he couldn't compare to the elves.
So Nagash found another way, learning to absorb others' souls to gain power.
It could be said that he thoroughly understood the fundamentals of magic, specifically the warp.
And then, building on that understanding, he pioneered a new form of magic suitable for himself.
After being exiled to the wilderness by the kings of Nehekhara, he was in a sorry state, his magic completely gone.
It could be said he was utterly desolate.
But he again relied on his wisdom, learning how to use warpstone and, through the Winds of Magic, mastering the essence of warp power.
If his plan had succeeded back then, he would now be an undisputed God of the Dead. The entire mortal world would be transformed into an undead realm, continuously providing him with power.
By then, conquering other worlds and standing as equals with the Four Gods would be no problem.
Nagash activated his devour ability, absorbing the power of the Great Horned Rat's avatar.
As he absorbed, he roared in a strange, hoarse voice.
"This world shall tremble beneath the feet of the great Nagash; the Kingdom of the Undead is coming. This time, no one will be able to stop me, no one ever again."